Study on the Application and Development of Foreign Ammunition Packaging (I)

Abstract: Taking the general ammunition as an entry point, the present situation and development trend of ammunition packaging in developed countries are introduced. It is intended to explore the advanced, scientific and applicable packaging technologies for the comprehensive support capabilities of ammunition, and provide development countermeasures for the improvement and optimization of military packaging in China. Recommendations to promote the development of military modern packaging technology.

Keywords: military packaging ammunition packaging packaging materials packaging technology

At present, new military changes worldwide have promoted changes in the shape of future wars. Military packaging, as an important factor in logistics support and an indispensable carrier of materials and equipment, plays a pivotal role in this military transformation. Ammunition is an important part of the army's weapon system. Its packaging quality is related to the effectiveness of the weapon system. It directly affects the combat effectiveness of the troops and even the outcome of the warfare of the weapon force. It has always been highly valued by the armed forces of various countries.

1 Characteristics of Ammunition Packaging for Foreign Armies

Foreign countries attach great importance to the ammunition packaging work and believe that packaging is not only an inseparable part of ammunition development and production, but also a partner for rapid response by the military. Its main features are as follows:

1) Keep up with the demand for packaging in modern warfare. Under the new war conditions, the interference and harm caused by electromagnetic and other modern means are ubiquitous. For this reason, the developed countries such as the United States have closely followed the needs of the situation, specifically amending the ammunition packaging standards for this purpose and carrying out ammunition packaging structures according to the new regulations. Optimization improvements.

2) Targeted ammunition packaging. Foreign military research on ammunition packaging adopts strict near-term and long-term packaging plans and requirements. For example, the U.S. military’s requirements for recent research on ammunition packaging are: the main performance indicators can withstand rough handling in the temperature range of 54-74°C; the packaged ammunition falls within the above temperature range and falls twice or loosely from a height of 2.1m. After shaking, it should be able to shoot completely; ammunition can be stored in a warehouse for more than 20 years and still be exposed to the external environment for more than 2 years. The 2025 packaging plan put forward by the US military is: All Army equipment and supplies must reduce weight and volume by 75%.

3) Ammunition packaging standardization. Packaging standardization research is the center of foreign military packaging research. Taking the U.S. military as an example, the U.S. military began systematic research on ammunition packaging from the 1940s and developed a series of standards for packaging technology, which formed macro and micro military packaging development, production, ordering, loading, unloading, storage and transportation. Closely linked standard system.

4) Foreign troops focus on high performance and versatility in the material and structural design of ammunition packaging.

5) Computer technology has been widely used in the field of ammunition packaging. It analyzes, refines and establishes relevant correspondences for product characteristics, packaging requirements, material properties, environmental conditions, transportation and loading and unloading requirements, etc., and incorporates them into computer management, which is conducive to the realization of standardized design; computer data sharing It can shorten the packaging development cycle and quickly obtain a variety of effective information, scientifically make ammunition containerization plans, and rationally plan the number of seaborne or air transport containers; it can also cooperate with higher-level satellite tracking and management systems to achieve “full visibility of ammunition protection”. ".

6) Establish and improve packaging testing and testing institutions. As an important part of ammunition packaging - the establishment and improvement of packaging testing and testing institutions, provides an accurate scientific basis for the design of cartridges for bombs, but also makes the acceptance of cartridges more objective.

7) Improve the management system. Ammunition packaging and management systems in the developed countries of the munitions industry in the world are relatively complete. For example, the ammunition packaging in the United States is coordinated by the Task Force on Packaging and Storage (PPTG) of the General Armed Police of the Three Armies (JCAP) and is responsible for technical coordination of the conventional ammunition of the three armed forces. The British Defense Ministry has set up the Central Packaging Department (cPu) to coordinate the standardization of military packaging and packaging design.

2 Research status of foreign ammunition packaging

2.1 Actively develop and execute packaging plans

Countries such as the United States and Germany have paid more attention to the packaging of weapons packaging, especially ammunition, and are actively implementing the relevant plans. According to reports, the German Federal Army has formulated the “ZML Plan” involving weapons for anti-corrosion packaging and maintenance. The U.S. Army has issued the AR750-59 plan for the prevention and control of corrosion of military equipment. The US Army’s plan stated that the Chief of Staff of the Logistics Department is responsible for leading the work; the officers of the Army Equipment Command are responsible for the planning and implementation of the plan; and the Anticorrosion Research Center of the Materials Technology Research Institute under the Command is responsible for the anti-corrosion packaging work.

2.2 Packaging Materials and Packaging Technology

2.2.1 Using New Packaging Materials

In order to change the defects of damp wrap deformation and ammunition deterioration of the packaging paper barrel, the National Oak Ridge Research Institute of the United States carried out research on the improvement of the paper cartridge and other containers to replace the paper cartridge. In terms of improving the paper tube, a proposal was made to use a waterproof and moisture-proof coating cartridge, and four coating materials were selected. In addition, the wall structure and the more easily openable neck sealing structure have been studied to extend the storage time. For “anti-explosion-proof packaging, a viable packaging material has been developed. It has been reported that the U.S. military has successfully developed a packaging material that can be filled inside a packaged explosives container to prevent popping. This material is bonded together. A composite material that is mixed together for casting. It is lightweight, porous, absorbs shock waves, and absorbs shock. Filling this material into packaging containers not only prevents explosives in one container. The explosion occurs, and it can also prevent the explosion of the explosives in the adjacent other containers and solve the problems in the ammunition packaging.The new composite material has the performance of steel, and its weight is only a fraction of the weight of the steel. Internal barrier material to meet the requirements of insensitive ammunition.

2.2.2 Using a New Packaging Structure Design

In recent years, the U.S. military has accepted and identified a large number of new packaging structures. The U.S. Army Ordnance Research and Development and Engineering Center has conducted tests to identify the metal barrel structure for 120mm tank bombs, the ten-pack wooden box structure for metal boxes that package 7.62mm ammunition, and the barrel structure for 7.62mm gun cartridges for WC750 propellants.

120mm831 and M831E2 practice fire trace tank bombs, generally use PAl 16 metal tube packaging. The specific approach is to add a foamed polyethylene support at the interface between the projectile and the flammable cartridge to increase the resistance to damage. The improved packaging structure greatly improves the packaging protection performance. New packaging systems are used for 120mm and 25mm ammunition.

Currently, the new packaging for the 120mm M1 A1 tank ammunition series and the new packaging for the 25mm ammunition series for the Bradley infantry fighting system are the two best packages. The new packaging for 120mm tank ammunition is a system that fixes the steel cylinder packaging container on a steel pallet. The advantage of this system is that it is possible to remove the ammunition in the next step without destroying the tray packaging tape, and additionally add 10 rounds of ammunition to each pallet; this pallet structure allows two rows of trays facing outwards to be fixed on the high mobility On tactical trucks, the load capacity of each vehicle was increased from the original 72kg to 108kg. Both tanks can be replenished with ammunition at the same time, reducing the time for feeding bombs, and using an old-fashioned wooden box package to complete an M1 A1 tank. It takes 33 minutes to replenish the supply and it takes only 14 minutes for the two tanks to be filled with new pallets. Thanks to improvements in packaging, a total life-cycle cost of over $17 million was saved.

Germany developed a new plastic tube for packaging cannonballs. The plastic packaging tube consists of a cylinder body, a bottom of a cylinder, a cylinder lid, a liner lined paper cylinder and a sealing ring made of elastic material. The feature is that the internal surface of the cylinder body is longitudinally distributed three times apart 120 . The angled arc-shaped guide bar enables the paper tube to be easily centered and pushed into the cylinder; the paper cylinder is spirally wound from multi-layer paperboard, and is adhered to the plastic cylinder body, which has the function of absorbing moisture in the cylinder to increase the package's Protection function.

The new packaging for the 25mm ammunition series is a steel rectangular container. The new packaging container solves the issue of ammunition waterproofing, while also reducing costs and reducing the amount of flammable materials contained in the car; it can also remove ammunition faster to refuel the munitions of all turrets. The two packaging structures improve the ammunition protection capabilities while also improving the combat capabilities of the Army's main weapon systems.