Gun muzzle flash research at the Fraunhofer-Institute EMI-AFB

Gun muzzle flash research in the Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Kurzzeitdynamik (EMI-AFB) began in the late 1960's. Major activities were directed toward the study of two-phase reacting muzzle flows of small-arms weapons. Early work was focused on the gasdynamics involved using visualization methods and measuring quantitatively flow parameters. Then, studies were performed on the generation of gun muzzle and on flash inhibition by alkali salts using spectroscopic methods for determining gas phase temperature and gas velocity changes. Most recently, the research emphasis has shifted to the simulation of relatively well-defined, reacting gas flows by means of a gas gun. The gas gun is driven by the combustion of suitable diluted mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen and this is capable of simulating the gun muzzle flash phenomena with particularly simple chemistry. The present paper summarizes briefly the EMI-AFB activities and presents some results of measurements obtained most recently with the 7. 62 mm NATO rifle and the gas gun simulator.