Abstract: A method to attenuate the blast wave/blast overpressure from a weapon discharge by leaking an effective quantity of propellant gas from behind the projectile, into the precursor gas flow in front of the projectile, while the projectile is still in the weapon barrel—whereby the exit pressure ratio of the projectile from the weapon is surprisingly reduced by about 95%—resulting in a reduction of from about 51.6 to about 58.2% in the peak pressure level/sound wave which impacts the user or crew of the weapon.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to design and construction of lightweight and mobile rail gun barrels. The barrels comprise a pair of elongated, generally parallel conductive rails extending along opposite sides of the bore and being symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the bore; a pair of elongated insulators disposed generally coextensively with the rails and circumferentially between them and maintained in a compressed state; a circumferentially sleeve surrounding the insulators; a plurality of Belleville containment disk maintained in a stack that are compressed and surround the circumferential sleeve, each containment disk having a substantially hollow form with an outer surface, and an inner surface; and a plurality of longitudinal tension rods, disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of they bore and disposed external to the sleeve, the tension rods compress the plurality of Belleville containment disk. A protective sleeve and cooling channels can form part of the barrel.

Abstract: A contained Davis gun system enables misfire and hang-fire handling for fire out of battery (also known as soft recoil). The gun system decreases structural dynamic activity of the gun barrel during launch with resulting increases in system accuracy. The gun system further presents synergistic advantages when combined with a conventional recoil system in a double recoil design. The gun system includes a non-recoiling barrel and a recoil system engineered to contain a recoiling inertial breechblock capable of translating within the gun barrel. The recoil system includes a brake and a spring secured to a mount fixture. The breechblock enables the loading of the propellant and the projectile within the barrel, and further enables pressure to be contained within the barrel during firing. The recoil system applies a load to the breechblock, which is a function of the breechblock position and its velocity within the barrel.

Abstract: A muzzle brake vibration absorber for use on a gun barrel is used to store potential energy during gun firing and re-introduce the energy, in part, to the gun barrel out of phase relative to the gun barrel motion. As a result, the deviation of the gun barrel is mitigated to improve the overall accuracy of the gun system. Additionally, the muzzle brake vibration absorber may compliment the functions of a muzzle brake or fuze setting device for the gun system.

Abstract: A low recoil and low bore heat gun system provides a delayed pressure release mechanism for fired propellant charges in the rear gun barrel section. The delayed pressure release of the exhaust gases causes a sonic rarefaction wave along the length of the barrel bore to arrive at the exist end of the gun barrel at a predetermined time, generally coincident with the fired projectile.

Abstract: A weapon system includes a gun barrel and a vibration absorber fitted onto a free end of the gun barrel. The vibration absorber includes a compliant energy storage device, such as a spring, and a mass secured to the energy storage device. The potential energy stored in the spring and the kinetic energy stored in the mass inertia are dissipated in part as friction, and re-introduced in part to the gun barrel such that the re-introduced energy is out of phase relative to the gun barrel motion. As a result, the vibration absorber does not totally dissipate the stored energy, but rather reshapes the receptance of the gun system so as to significantly reduce the vibration energy that migrates into the gun structure from known disturbances. This improves the overall accuracy of the gun system. In addition, the vibration absorber reduces the load between the gun barrel and the projectile during launch, thereby reducing the gun barrel muzzle wear and the exit yaw rate of the projectile.