45 MM ETI gun firings with a CAB-LOVA gun propellant

The Electrothermal Ignition (ETI) of gun propellants has several advantages compared to the conventional methods using e. g. Black Powder. One aspect is the capability to control the energy input into the propellant bed. Further on a more efficient ignition of insensitive and difficult to ignite propellants is expected. This paper describes a plasma ignition study with the CAB-LOVA gun propellant NL008 in the low energy regime from 10 kJ to 20 kJ. The parameters of the 45 mm gun firings were loading density, propellant temperature and plasma energy. The influence of these parameters on gun performance and ignition behavior is presented and discussed.