Investigating and modelling of highly stressed firearms parts

Abstract

Abstract Recently, there have been too many Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyi (PKM) machine gun bolts that have failed during the firing process. Due to the increased temperature, higher propellant gas pressure, and thermal accumulation, the bolt body is exposed to sever circumstances for ablating, corroding, and erosion. In this paper, the reasons of failure of PKM bolts during firing were evaluated first based on metallurgical experiments. Then, analysing the failure is done by create an accurate finite element model of the bolt body, calculating the cyclic fatigue life and safety factor, determining the causes of failure and be verified showing that failure locations are exactly as shown in the photographic record. the original bolt dimensions were measured using laser scanning, and a CAD model of the bolt was created. Photographic records, visual inspection, chemical analysis, SEM, and hardness measurements, all these metallurgical experiments have been done. The stress distributions and fatigue behavior of the failed bolt are both determined using the Finite Element Method (FEM). This study suggests that fatigue played a role in bolt failure. Furthermore, SEM examinations reveal that the materials contain dimple fractures. The bolt’s fatigue life was decreased by these dimpled fractures.