NDIA Fuze Conference
Orlando, Florida
May 19-21, 2009
Fuze Technology Integration (FTI)
Improved 30 mm
John T. Geaney
Fuze and Precision Armaments Technology Directorate
METC, ARDEC
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
1
Project Team Members
John Geaney Mechanical Design
Barry Schwartz Mechanical Design
Stephen Recchia Finite Element Analysis
2
Background
A Fuze Division FTI project was initiated to improve the
stab performance of the M759 fuze on the M789 30mm
HEDP round.
FTI projects apply modern technology to upgrade fuze
systems in production
The M789 30mm round is an Apache helicopter fired
round designed primarily for anti-material and light
armored targets
3
Background
The M789 is a High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) round
Shape Charge effectively penetrates light armor
Fragmenting steel casing neutralizes unarmored targets
Shaped
Charge
Liner
Fragmenting
Steel Casing
4
Problem Statement
Current design requires shearing a nylon shoulder on impact.
Soft target impacts do not shear the shoulder, resulting in
inertial detonation, deeper round penetration, and degraded
fragmentation effectiveness
Increased fuze sensitivity will improve impact performance
Shear
Shoulder
5
FTI Objective
Design fuze improvements to reduce
impact detonation delay time in order to
improve fragmentation in an anti-
personnel application
Utilize low cost components
Minimize retooling impact to existing fuze
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Concept Solution
Concept #1:
Reduce shear shoulder
thickness to increase
impact sensitivity
Probe does not shear
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Concept Analysis
Concept #1
Probe and confinement cup could be lightened to survive
100,000 gs during setback
M&S analysis shows minimum shoulder thickness will
not shear on impact with soft targets
Original Design Concept #1
Confinement
Cup Lightened
Shoulder Thinned,
Probe Lightened
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Concept Solution
Concept #2:
Replace shear shoulder with
cartridge brass spin clip
3.5mm
O-Ring
Cartridge
Brass Spin
Clip
Improved Moment of Detonation
Polycarbonate
Probe
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Concept Analysis
Concept #2
M&S analysis shows
Spin clip survives peak setback acceleration of
100,000 gs
Spin clip opens at muzzle spin rate, 60,000 rpm
60,000 rpm
Pre Gun Launch 100,000 g Setback Muzzle Spin Rate
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FTI Objective Analysis
Program objective was to reduce impact detonation delay time
to improve fragmentation
Muzzle Half Range End Range
Velocity Velocity Velocity
(2,670 ft/s) (1,083 ft/s) (450 ft/s)
Current Design
Detonation Time (ms) 0.048 0.200 >0.200
Penetration Depth (in) 1.500 4.000 >4.000
Improved Design
Detonation Time (ms) - - 0.083
Penetration Depth (in) - - 0.280
Fuze improvements decrease impact detonation delay
time by a factor >2.4:1
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Laboratory Testing
Laboratory testing performed at Picatinny Arsenal
High speed spin to tests confirm spin clips open at
60,000 RPM
High g force air gun tests to confirm spin clips and
probes can withstand 100,000g acceleration loads
60,000 RPM 100,000 g
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Spin Testing
Spin clip operation is a
function of angular
velocity (2r)
Testing will verify clip
opens at operating
velocity, and determine
operating velocity margin
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Spin Testing
Operating velocity spin tests performed on 5 samples
60,000 RPM
100% success, all clips opened at operating velocity
Pre-Test Post-Test
Clip is Closed Clip is Open
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Spin Testing
Spin tests performed below 60,000 RPM operating
environment to determine operational margin
RPM Clip Operation
Post-Test 23,000 RPM
50,000 Opened
23,000 Opened
20,000 Did Not Open
15,000 Did Not Open
5,500 Did Not Open
Pre-Test
Clip is open
Clip is closed
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Spin Testing Conclusions
Spin clip opens at operating velocity of
60,000 RPM
Margin spin testing shows spin clip
stops opening below ~25,000 RPM
Design Margin is 2.40:1
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Air Gun Testing
Air gun testing performed on 5 fuzes
Test designed to accelerate fuze to 100,000gs
Spin clip and probe were tested to ensure shear
failure would not occur during setback
17,000 PSI
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Air Gun Testing
Air Gun Test Data Actual Ballistic Data
Pressure Acceleration
100000
#1 16,800 psi 103,235gs
80000
Acceleration (g)
60000
#2 16,871 psi 103,627gs
40000
#3 16,910 psi 103,911gs
20000
#4 17,020 psi 104,587gs
0
#5 16,820 psi 103,358gs 0.15 0.45 0.7 0.95
Time (ms)
1.2 1.6
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Air Gun Testing
Results
Spin Clip survived 5 of 5
tests
Improved Probe yielded
under setback loads in all 5
tests
Probe Yielding
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Design Refinement
Improved Probe Design Refined Design
Polycarbonate probe is subject to Aluminum probe resists yielding
yielding at spin clip interface during setback
Polycarbonate Aluminum Probe One Piece
Probe Confinement Cup Aluminum Probe
Area Subject to Yielding
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Design Refinement
Improved probe design refined to survive setback loads
Material: Aluminum Alloy 7075-T735
Probe and probe confinement cup combined into single
aluminum piece to reduce cost/complexity
Spin clip design refined to aid in setback survival
Clip height reduced to provide more uniform grip on probe
Probe & spin clip mass matches original probe &
confinement cup mass
Initial lab tests verified design improvements
Static tests show aluminum probes survive setback, 100,000gs
Initial spin tests show spin clips open at 60,000 RPM
Height Reduced
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Air Gun Testing
Tested Refined Design Under Setback Environment
Air Gun Test Data No Evidence
Pressure Acceleration of Probe #6
#1 18,823 psi 115,712gs Yielding
#2 18,863 psi 115,937gs
#3 18,748 psi 115,370gs
#4 18,398 psi 113,339gs
#5 17,769 psi 109,270gs 25% margin #10
#6 20,437 psi 125,439gs over tactical
#7 19,592 psi 120,377gs environment
#8 19,677 psi 120,831gs
#9 19,692 psi 120,944gs
#10 20,076 psi 123,292gs #9
Refined Probe design survived 10 of 10
tests with up to a 25% margin, no probe
yielding observed
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Spin Testing
Tested Refined Design Under Spin Environment
Spin Test Data
Air gun Spin Clip
RPM Acceleration Operation
#1 60,000 115,712g Opened Test data shows that
spin clip opens at
#2 60,000 115,937g Opened
spin environment,
#3 60,000 115,370g Opened 60,000 RPM.
#4 60,000 113,339g Opened
#5 60,000 109,270g Opened
#6 40,000 125,439g Did Not Open
#7 46,000 120,377g Did Not Open
#8 60,000 120,831g Did Not Open
#9 60,000 120,944g Did Not Open
#10 60,000 123,292g Opened
Clip opened at
60,000 RPM after #2
115,937gs
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Testing Results
Air gun tests performed on refined design
Probe yielding eliminated at g-levels up to 125,000gs
Spin tests performed on air gun test fuzes
Fuzes accelerated to <116,000gs resulted in spin clips
opening at 60,000 RPM
Fuzes accelerated to 120,000gs resulted in spin clips
not opening at 60,000 RPM
More spin tests required to determine operational
margin
Lab testing shows a survival margin of up to 25%,
and an operational margin of up to 16%
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Planned Ballistic Testing
Ballistic tests planned for 06/2009
100 improved rounds to be tested with
100 control rounds to compare
detonation time
Soft targets to be used at a range of
2000 meters
High speed video to verify improvement
over current design
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Summary
Modeling and simulation has
predicted improvement in fuze
sensitivity
Lab testing has verified the
operation of the fuze improvements
at the tactical environment
Ballistic rounds are being
fabricated to test improvements
over the current design
The FTI improvements to the M579
fuze will provide the War Fighter
with an HEDP round that is more
effective against soft targets.
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