Abstract
To adapt to the complex and changing environment, the artillery often needs to be launched at different ambient temperatures, and different temperatures can have complex effects on the muzzle flow characteristics. It is crucial to fully understand the effect of ambient temperature on the muzzle flow field characteristics, which will help optimize the design of the propellant charge and improve the stability and consistency of the ballistic trajectory. Therefore, the internal and intermediate ballistic trajectories of the artillery are simulated to investigate the effect of ambient temperature on muzzle flow development and the phenomenon of secondary combustion. A set of internal ballistic equations is used to provide precise velocity and pressure as the projectile moves to the muzzle. By coupling the van der Waals gas state equation and a detailed chemical reaction kinetic model, the multispecies Navier–Stokes equations with complex chemical reactions were solved. The established numerical model is validated by comparing it with experimental results. The results demonstrate that the shock wave propagation speed gradually increases and the shock wave intensity gradually decreases with the increase in ambient temperature. The initial formation time of Mach disk lags, and the diameter of the Mach disk decreases with increasing temperature, while the displacement of the Mach disk increases with increasing temperature. The structure of muzzle flash is synchronized with the Mach disk structure; the lower the temperature, the “shorter and fatter” the flash is.