It can also be taken as a Standalone Short Course.
This module will cover an in-depth analysis of the design and manufacture of a gun system, integration and the integrity of various sub-systems based upon the ammunition, gun, propellants, ballistics and thermodynamics involved.
At a glance
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- Dates
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- Please enquire for course dates
- Duration10 days
- Location¹û½´ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø at Shrivenham
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Cost£4,450 - Short Course for Credit fee
£4,200 - Standalone Short Course fee
Course structure
Lectures are delivered at MSc standard by ¹û½´ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø academics, supplemented by commercial Subject Matter Experts. The knowledge of each taught phase is followed by a tutorial session to consolidate the knowledge and using static displays of military equipment to aid the teaching environment. The course is concerned with the design and development of ordnance systems. It aims to provide an understanding of the systems technology employed and the design of discreet key components such as the barrel, breech, muzzle brake, recoil system and superstructure design. To do this, the course builds on the internal ballistics of a gun to compute the forces, pressures and stresses generated in a gun system during firing and therefore relate the physical limits of gun systems to their installation and performance. Students will be able to design a gun system and critically evaluate the integration of subsystems and their effect on the system performance, cognisant of current standards and practice. In addition recognise and predict the effect of; stress, fatigue, wear and thermal loading on a gun system.What you will learn
On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- Compute the forces, pressures and stresses generated in a gun system during firin,
- Demonstrate an understanding of the engineering and physical limits of gun systems in relation to their installation and performance,
- Analyse the design of a gun system in relation to current standards and practice. Understand the conceptual design of an ordnance system,
- Evaluate the system requirements and recognise the practical issues related to meeting them,
- Design a gun system and critically evaluate the integration of subsystems and their effect on the system performance,
- Recognise and predict the effect of; stress, fatigue, wear and thermal loading on a gun system,
- Communicate effectively the design of a gun using detailed engineering drawings
Core content
- Gun Design Pressure (GDP) and Maximum Safe Pressure (MSP) curves. Barrel material and heat treatment,
- Ordnance Design (strength), pre-stressing, autofrettage stresses (hydraulic and shrink fit). Ordnance design (fatigue),
- Barrel thermodynamics. Breech design; load analysis, stress evaluation in both sliding and screw breech mechanism, supported by a tutorial. Recoil system design; buffer assembly, recuperator and control to run-out and muzzle brake design. Gun mounting; general problems of fitting guns into vehicles, spatial and interference considerations, swept volume, recoil constraints, gun and turret location, tactical and strategic mobility implications, ammunition stowage and replenishment, saddle and cradle design.
- Ammunition handling; need for mechanised loading system, advantages and disadvantages, ammunition handling chain, design consideration, influence of ammunition configuration, typical stowage configurations, autoloader concepts (artillery and tank), features and examples of autoloaders.
- Introduction to fatigue and fracture mechanics for gun barrels, real life effects in gun barrels, realistic fatigue life calculations, failure mechanisms and implications for wear and erosion.
Case study
- (Ordnance design exercise): Ammunition design, gun design pressure, barrel and breech configuration including autofrettage stresses and fatigue life, rate of fire and operating temperature, Recoil system and cradle design, CAD modelling and engineering drawings, material and manufacturing specifications.
Upgrade to a professional qualification
This module is worth 20 credits when taken as part of the Gun Systems Design MSc or the Military Vehicle Technology MSc.
Who should attend
The course is intended to provide engineers concerned with the design and development of large calibre gun systems with an understanding of the systems' technology employed and the discreet design of key components. The course would also benefit to those involved in requirements capture and procurement of large calibre weapon systems.Location and travel
Cranfield Defence and Security (CDS) is a Cranfield School based at the Ministry of Defence establishment on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire borders.
Shrivenham itself lies in the picturesque Vale of the White Horse, close to the M4 motorway which links London and South Wales. It is 7 miles from Swindon, the nearest town, which lies off the M4 at the hub of Britain’s motorway network.
Bath, Cheltenham, Bristol and Oxford are all within an hour’s drive and London less than two hours away by car.
All visitors must be pre-booked in at reception by the person they are visiting on the campus.
Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.