Course description
This module takes students though the fundamental principles of ballistics for ammunition design. The teaching is conducted in a military environment using static displays and the explosive range to aid the teaching environment.
The course is concerned with the design and development of ammunition systems. It aims to provide an understanding of the components of ballistics and the systems technology employed in ammunition, introducing the main types of ammunition from small arms through to large calibre guns and their modes of operation.
To do this, the course quantifies the internal and external ballistics of a gun and its ammunition including the forces and moments acting on a projectile in flight. The elements of ammunition design such as propellant mass, projectile mass and calibre and their subsequent effect on the performance of a gun are presented and the means to calculate simplified projectile mechanics including rigid body motion relating to translation, rotation and gyroscopic effects.
Lectures are delivered at MSc standard by Cranfield University academics, supplemented by Military Subject Matter Experts. The teaching is supplemented by static displays of military equipment to aid the teaching environment and includes an explosives range exercise to consolidate the knowledge.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
The course is intended to provide engineers concerned with the design and development of ammunition with an understanding of the key technologies employed within the field of ballistics. The course would also benefit to those involved in requirements capture and procurement of ammunition and associated systems.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you will learn
The course enables you to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the internal and external ballistics of a gun and its ammunition,
- Explain the key parameters of ammunition design such as propellant mass, projectile mass and calibre and their subsequent effect on the performance of a gun,
- Identify the forces and moments acting on the projectile in flight and explain how a projectile may become unstable,
- Calculate simplified projectile mechanics including rigid body motion relating to translation, rotation and gyroscopic effects,
- Identify the main types of ammunition and their modes of operation.
Training Course Content
Core content
The teaching includes the following topics:
- Internal ballistics,
- Intermediate ballistics,
- External ballistics,
- Rocket propulsion,
- Sabot design for kinetic energy ammunition,
- Charge and shell design for ammunition,
- Fragmentation and blast from ammunition,
- An introduction to smart ammunition,
- Kinetic energy ammunition and cannon ammunition.
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Cranfield University
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