The Influence of Projectile Mass upon Precision

Abstract : Precision, or round-to-round dispersion is an important parameter contributing to the accuracy of tank fire. It is typically a lot acceptance specification for ammunition, both war and target practice rounds. A kinetic energy war round is fabricated from a dense metal such as tungsten alloy while the practice round is made from steel. In an attempt to improve training round performance and lower cost, a series of designs using aluminum was examined. The test results showed a considerable degradation in precision. This paper examines the firing data for a set of rounds having widely different inertial characteristics and attempts to explain the results.