Characteristics of Supersonic Projectile Shock Wave

This paper discusses characteristics of supersonic projectile shock wave in muzzle regions when firing high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive (HE) projectiles. They are fired with a muzzle velocity of Mach 3.5 at horizontal from a medium caliber tank gun equipped with a new designed multi-perforated muzzle brake and of Mach 2 at elevation angles from a large caliber howitzer also equipped with a new double baffles muzzle brake, respectively. In the near field, pressure signatures of the N-wave generated from projectiles are measured by cotton sheathed 32-microphone ring array. Recordings measured from the microphone array are used to demonstrate several key characteristics of the shock wave of supersonic projectile. All measurements in this study can be a significant reference for developing guns, tanks or the chassis of fighting vehicles.