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posted by Fnord666 on Monday July 20 2020, @12:18PM   Printer-friendly

Scientists 3D print gunpowder substitute, achieve 420m/s bullet velocity - 3D Printing Industry:

Researchers from the Xi'an Modern Chemistry Research Institute in China have 3D printed a functional gun propellant using SLA technology. The gunpowder-esque substance is a carefully constructed blend of photopolymer resin, RDX (a high explosive), and other reactive additives. Initial gun testing of the 3D printed propellant has garnered some promising results, as the scientists managed to achieve a more-than-lethal muzzle velocity of 420m/s. This, of course, depends on your definition of 'promising'.

[...] Currently, the main ways to improve the ballistic efficiency and damage potential of propellants are to increase the burning surface or the burning rate. This is commonly done by foaming the propellants, coating them, or packing them in their casings in selective layers. According to the researchers, simply filling the cylindrical casing with a granular propellant works but is quite limited in its energy release efficiency. So, the team looked to 3D printing to see if it could pack a greater punch.

[...] Once the UV safety of the newly formulated explosive was confirmed, the team 3D printed a set of thin disks, each about 40mm in diameter. These disks could be stacked on top of each other to form a longer cylinder, resembling the body of a bullet casing. Each layer featured a honeycomb-like structure with holes and was about 5mm thick.

Then came time for the grand finale – the gun test. The cylindrical stack was loaded into a 30mm barrel with a 200g mass acting as the bullet, although at 200g it's probably closer to a mini cannonball. The team set up a high speed camera and an internal pressure gauge in the barrel before pulling the trigger. Once the smoke cleared, the researchers calculated a rather high pressure exponent value of 1.46 and a muzzle velocity of 420m/s, with plans to increase the chamber pressure in future tests.

Journal Reference:
Weitao Yang, Rui Hu, Lin Zheng, Guanghu Yan, Wenrong Yan. Fabrication and investigation of 3D-printed gun propellants [open], Materials & Design (DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108761)


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday July 20 2020, @12:32PM (6 children)

    Potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur. 75 : 15 : 10. Sodium nitrate works fine as well.

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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @02:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @02:31PM (#1024119)

    Since it can now be 3D printed, they're borrowing the method of how solid rocket propellants are formed with splines and voids that increase the surface burning area... creating higher thrust.

  • (Score: 1) by nostyle on Monday July 20 2020, @05:12PM

    by nostyle (11497) on Monday July 20 2020, @05:12PM (#1024165) Journal

    Stop the presses.

    This is some explosive news.

    Because what has been stifling the progress of humanity is the deficit of "ballistic efficiency and damage potential of propellants".

    Our future looks brighter.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @05:52PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @05:52PM (#1024178)
  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Monday July 20 2020, @06:03PM (2 children)

    by Immerman (3985) on Monday July 20 2020, @06:03PM (#1024183)

    Yeah, but there's always room to improve the fine art of murderology. Its not a controversial topic like health care access, worker's rights, or a functioning democracy.

    Plus, we got to see the tiny intersection of researchers, stoners, and gun nuts in action!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @06:15PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @06:15PM (#1024186)

      People like you, who intentionally misunderstand things, or are just too dumb, cause a too many problems in this world.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ChrisMaple on Tuesday July 21 2020, @05:10AM

      by ChrisMaple (6964) on Tuesday July 21 2020, @05:10AM (#1024463)

      Health care access and worker's rights aren't going to protect you and your precious democracy from the invader with better weapons.