Anotace:
This design innovation work is related to design and comparison of thermo-structural characteristics of a light-weight machine gun barrel. Compared to traditionally used thicker profile counter parts of machine gun barrels, these barrels were concluded to have lighter weight, better heat dissipation capability and better flexural rigidity. These barrels do not have rigidity problems like finned pencil barrels; neither have they extra weight addition, as in case of thicker profile barrels (H-Bars). To conduct the analysis, two same-length models of barrels bored for 5.56 × 45 mm, were modelled using Solidworks 15 software. The subsequent analysis using ANSYS 14.5 multi-physics solver simulated the condition of cook-off, which is an almost steady state reached after sustaining firing of 600 rounds (for 5.56 × 45 mm ammunition). It is a usual technical requirement expected from every durable machine gun, before the barrel is changed. The results showing maximum heat flux were transported to structural analysis workbench to measure the longitudinal deformation in both barrels under the gravity. The results concluded that T-finned barrels even after having less material, thus less weight, portrayed better heat dissipation characteristics and significantly less longitudinal deformation, thus better flexural rigidity and at the same time better accuracy retention than the conventional unfinned H-Bars.