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FROM1
 University~~~i
ln-ioru of Ne itlo

iiT
~or1 142~1~4 aniApponIx
n bo~Prom~tf~s-

OSD, NDRC, Div. 1, Washington, 1). C. -6409 N~i)-A-421

Oct' 46 Confd' I U. s. English 203 photos, tables, graphs, drwgs

'rhe viork conducted on aobot projectiles by the University of New Moxico from 1942 to 1944 is
aummarized. Following a discuassion of sabot mechanism. emad materials of coWutructIon, several
projectiles are described. These I. ,%ude armor-piercing a',bot projectile for the 75-mm gun,
armor-piercing and high-explosive sabot projoctiles for tlvw 106-mm Howitzer M3, armor-
pierciag sabot projectiles for, the 75-m~ .pack Howitter, armor-piereirg sabot projectiles with
tmngten-carbide cores for the 76-mm gun MIA2, deUitni for me 16-mm and 90-mm guns for
constructIon by Remington Arms Co., Inc., and further ,ve!opments in these designs.

Copies of this report obtatnable from CADO.

Ordnance and Armament () ProjectJl.u, Sabot - Deveiopment
Ammunition (1) ('i7420.48)

I
 \ Tr. J. s. Bu

[ 7 IOREI ON ~ OH~i 3B ~H

IOF 11.1 MIFGx -th

II ND~Ill n l k~

compiledGTOL'D GriYg.
 lrl, ~~ II I ~ VI '7

National Defense Research Committee of thn

Office of Sntentific Rssarrcth nad Devolopmont

WOFK ON WOT-PROJECTIL. LBY THE UNIVERSITY OF NZW M&EXICO

.UNDR CONTRACT OFU~r-668 AND SUPLMNTS, 1942 - 1944

by

J. W. Greig
Formerly Oonsult~uit, Division 1, NDRC

NDRO Report No. A-4I28

'GCIRD Report No. 6499'

Pertinent to Projeots 0D-52 and NO-26

Manugcri.l Cqg
This in the manuscript of a report thab was not edited
and duplicated because of lack of fuads and of
personnel at the time of demobilization of OSRD.

ti[. ,i I i|",,r , I ',-.,lTg ,n Irif'lrflri~ltlar I

,. *, , "I - ,r<lt.,i i, i'~rz! 4iyl tl ~

Copy No, 1 of 4 oopies October 1946

- .- , ,!%!' I":
",'ORiK ON SABOT PTOJECTILES BY TIHE UNIVFRSITY OF N. EXCO UNDER

CONTRACT ORMsr-66h, AND SUPPLDbfl'hTS, 1942 - 1941..

Compiled

by

J. Vv. Greig

II]

r gL
'Ii

_______ ___________________________I
 CO N F I D E N T I A L

Preface

Th-I.s article gives a histoi-y of the rosearch and development iiork

66
done by the University of New Mexico on sabots under contract OEisr- 8

and supplements. This work began in 1942 and was terminated in 1944.

Throughout, it was done under the auspices of Division 1, NDRC and

under the direction of' Di'. E. J. Workman, then head of the Doeartment

of Physics. The prime purpose of this article is tc aid anyone in the

Office of the Chief of Ordnance or in the Bureau of Ordnance who may be

going over this work in connection with future development. To that

end, information has been included that is not contained in the regular

contractors' reports, a list of which will be found in. Table VIII.

The reader will find that the article is more detailed in some parts

than in others, and that this apparent emphasis is not related to the

importance of the particular phase of the work emphasized. A word of

explanation is in order. The work that resulted in this article was

begun with an entirely different purpose in view, and a good deal of the

information had been assembled, and much of the writing had been done,

before the writer was asked to prepare this article. Time was not

available to go over the ground again with the new purpose in mind or

to rewrite what had been written. In addition, more detailed informa-

tion was available to the writer about some phases of the work than

about others.

The article is not intended as a critical survey of the work or

thinking. Neither the time nor the technical files that would have been

needed for this have been available. The article was prepared in snare

time; on week ends and in vacation. The technical files that would have

C 0 NF I E N
F1 T I AL
 II
CONFIDENTIAL

been necessary were no longer accessible; some of the files of classi-

fied documents had been returned, and others simply could not be

locatud because of the disorganizat.ion resulting from a number of moves

and condensacions of the files of Division 1, iNDRC.

The vr'iter, acting as a consultant to Division 1, NDRC, had more

or less familiarity with the work done by the University of New Mexico

from the outset until September 30, 1944, during which period all the

research and development was done. (After July 31, 1944 the contract

was for testing only.) The information on which this article is based

is contained principally in the reports made by the contractor to

Division l, NDRC, supplemented by inforriation from the writer's corres-

pondence files. Copies of tihe contractor's reports are on file in the

Office of the Chief of Ordnance, in the Bureau of Ordnance, in

Division 1, NDRC, and in the OSRD Liaison Office.

J. W. Greig

August 24, 1946

-/P'

----- ----
 Ill
C0N F I D E N T I A L

Table of Contents

Page
INTRODUCTION 1

EIYPLOPATORY WO'?K 6

Sabot Mechanisms and Materials of Construction 6

All-Plastic Sabots 21

Molding Plastic Parts 33

ARMOR PIERCING SABOT PROJECTILE FOR THE. 75-11 GUN 36

Request for the Development 36

Development and Production by University of New M4exico 1i

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground 45

APMOR PIERCING AND HIGH EXPLOSIVE SABOT PROJECTILES FOR THE

1O5-M HOWITZER L13 49
Request for the Development 149

Limitations Imposed by Howitzer 53

Choice of HE Subcaliber Projectile 56

Choice of Armor Piercing Subcaliber Projectile 57

Determination of Stability Factor of 57-nun APC M86

Projectile and Modifications 63

Choice of Stability Factor for Subcaliber Projectile 66

DeterTminations of Trajectories by Tracer Photography 68

Development of Sabot MZechanism for, and Production of,

Armor Piercing Sabot Projectiles 71

Development of Sabot Mechanismn for, and Production of,

HE Spbot Projeotil.s 77
Propellant Charges for the Sabot Projectiles 81

C0 FID NTI AL
 IV
C 0 N F I DE N T I AL

Table of Contents (Concld.)

Page
Difficultyr with Sights of Hovwitzer 85

Fillin! Projectiles at Picatinny Arsenal 87

Acceptance Tests at Aberdeen Provinr< Ground 88

Trials by Infantry Board 89

AROR PIERCING SABOT PROJECTILES FOR THE 75-W". PACK HO-,,VITZER 95

Request for Projectiles 95

Work at the University S' New Mexico 98

Subsequent History 99

SUBSTITUTION OF LIGHT WETAl FO PLASTIC IN THE BOURRELETS 102

ARMOR PIERCING SABOT PROJECTILES WITH TUNGSTEN CARBIDE

CORES FOR THE 76-m GUN MIA2 105

Request for the Development 105

Research and Development ,Vork at The University of

New -Aexico 110

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Design 3-76 EH 118

Preparation of Second Lot of Projectiles, Design 3-76J 121

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Design 3-76J 124

DESIGNS FOR 76-1 AND 9O-A GUNS PREPARED BY UNIVERSITY OF

NEW MEXICO FOR CONSTRUCTION BY REINGTONARMS COMPANY, INC. 125

PI1TREP DVVWrLOPMEfNT OF1) UNIVERSITY OF NEW M.XICO BASIC DESIGN

FOR 76-Mt AND 90-MMN GUNS BY RLVINGTON AwiS CO'V.A.N.Y, INC. 128

APPINIDIX I
Effect of' Moisture on Dimensions of Pleatic Parts 1

Data from the Literature 1

Tests made at the Geophysical Laboratory 5

APP[ \IDDIX II

f'ressure M.c" 'rents Jt University of[ Ne.. 'iL-;,ico 1

 V
CONFIDE N T I AL

List oI; Tables

Page
I Mechanical Properties of All ovoyl.S-T i8

II Properties of Phenol-Fornioldehyde Plastics 22

"III "ated Pressures of Select0ed U. S. Army Guns, Propel].nt

at 70F 24

IV Pressure and Flight Characteristics of A. D. L.

All-plastic Molded Sabots 30

V List of Charts Showing Data Obtsined by Tracer

Photography 70

VI Estimated Performance of Tungsten Carbide Cored Sabot Pro-

Jectilo Compared with that of Standard 3" APC M62

Projectile, Fired from the 76-mm Gun I'IA2 109

VII Armor Penetration, 3-76 EH, at A.P.G. 119

VIII List of Reports 1,y University of New Mviexico 139

IX Data on Dispersion Firings 143

X Determinations of Stability Factors of Modifications

of 57-m APC M86 1/48

XIA Summary of Features of 105-mm/57-mm (AC M86 "lod.)

Sabots 151

XIB Sumnary of Features of Design of l05-rnn/3"1 (M42A1 HE)

Sabot 3 152

XIIA Materials Used in Making 105-nmii and 75-mm Sabot

Projectiles Supplied to the U. S. Army 153

XIIB Materials Used in Making Sabot Projectiles for the

6
7 -mm Gun 141A2 154
 VI
CONFIDENTIAL

List of Figures

Note: The figures of this report follow the text and are a-rrange.r in
the sequence in which they ar'e listed here. The figturcs of
Appendix I follow the text of that appendix.

1 University of New Mexico design 28-75D, Plate I

2 University of New Mexico design 28-75D, Plate II

3 University of Newq Uexico design 28-75D Revised, Plate III

4 University of New Mexico design 2-105R, Plate I

5 University of New Mexico design 2-105R, Plate II

6 University of New Mexico design 2-105R, Plate III

7 University of New Mexico design 2-105R, Special 'Viindshield

8 University of New Mexico design 2-105R, Plate IV

9 University of New Mexico design 3-105B, Plate I

10 University of New Mexico design 3-105B, Plate II

11 University of New Mexico design 3-105B, Plate III

12 University of New Mexico design 3-76J, Plate I

13 University of INew Mexico design 3-76J, Plate II

14 University of New Mexico design 3-76J, Plate III

15 University of New Mexico design 3-76J, Plate IV

16 Striking Velocity and Penetration VS Pange of University of New

Mexico Sabot Projectile for 76-mm Gun M1A2

7;,
 C 0 N F I D E N T I A IT

WORK ON SABOT PROJECTILES BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MICO

UNDER CONTRACT O~msr-668 AND SUPPLUMMTS , 14.2 14.

INTRODUCTION

When wh,. b was later to be known as Division 1, NDRC was first

set up in the spring of 19L1, as Section A of Division A of NDRC,

one of its assignments was the achievement of practical high velocity

projectile flight. One way that had long before been suggested to

increase the muzzle velocity of projectiles fired from already exist-

ing guns was to use a sabot, and by this means fire a lighter pro-

jectile than the one normally fired from the gun. A sabot projectile
consists of a projectile of smaller caliber than the gun held in

a sabot that fills the bore holding the subcaliber projectile cen-

tral in the bore and carrying the subcaliber projectile with it when
it is driven forward by the propellant gases. When the projectile

leaves the gun bore the sabot separates from the subcaliber projectile

leaving it free in fnight. When the subcaliber projectile is to be

stabilized by spin this is transmitted to it through the sabot.

In the summer of 1942, a theoretical examination of the limi-

tations imposed on the design and on the ballistic performance of

such projectiles by stability requirements was made by Critchfield

at the Geophysical LaboratorY/.

As a result of this study, it became evident that by firing

subcaliber projectiles of high density and good armor penetrating

l/ "Stability of Subcaliber Projectiles." Charles L.

Critchfield. NDRC Report A-88, September 4. 19L2.

ON-F I D E N T I A L]'
0
 C0 NFI DFN TI AL
properties (non deforming), by means of sabots, much higher muzzle

velocities, accompanied by stable flight, much increased armor pene-

tration .......... ti o lh n flaaL'er trajectories, could be

realized with many existing rifled guns, provided the mechanical prob-

lems involved could be solved. Cemented tungsten carbide projectiles,

or projectiles with cores of this material,, had the density required

and gave promise of satisfactory behavior against armor. Provided

that the accuracy of this type uf projectile could be made equal, or

nearly equal, to that of the conventional projectile, it appeared

to have several advantages over the latter in the attack of armored

vehicles such as tanks. Not only could it defeat heavier armor, but

also the chance of hitting with the first round or so would be great-

ly increased, because the shorter time of flight and flatter tra-

jectory would require a less accurate estimate of lead and range.

Steel subcaliber projectiles offered less advantage in these

respects than tungsten carbide or tungsten carbide cored projectiles.

In some guns, indeed, steel subcaliber projectiles could not be used

for the twist was too low to stabilize them. Nonetheless, in other

guns a real advantage appeared possible by their use against tanks.

In the other fields considered, for example in the antiaircraft

field, the advantages that could be gained immediately, by the use

of sabots, did not appear to be as great as in the antitank field.

There was at that time an urgent need for better performance a-

gainst tanks than the guns and ammunition in use were capable of.

Moreover, antitank projectiles were among he simplest projectiles

in use and antitank subcaliber projectiles could therefore be ex-

pected to put fewer restrictions on the sabot then most others, and

0 0 NF I D E N T I AL
such projectiles were of moderate size and would for this reason be

easy to produce for experimental firings. If they could be success-

fully developed there need be no great delay in putting them into

service as no modification of guns or of fire control equipment would

be required. These considerations made the antitank field a good

one in which to make a beginning with sabot projectiles.

Although the theoretical examination had shown that a very

material improvement in actual performance against tanks was to be

expected from the use of the sabot in existing guns, there remained

a question about the extent of the limitation to the tactical use of

such projectiles that would be imposed by the fact that the dis-

carded sabot or its parts would follow different paths Lhan the sub-

caliber projectile.

In the spring of 1942, British and U. S. Army officers, familiar

with British experience in Libya were consulted. They were agreed

that this characteristic would not have limited the use of sabot

projectile3 in the tank battles in that theatre, and that such pro-

Jectiles would have been most valuable because of their increased

penetration. This led immediately to the commencement of experimental

work aimed at finding a mechanically satisfactory type of spin stabil-

ized armor piercing sabot projectile for use in existing guns, first

at the Geophysical Laboratory, and soon after (August 10, 1942) at

the University of New Mexico.

The work of the Geophysical Laboratory on sabot projectiles will

not be discussed here. For infornat!on about it,, reference may be

made to the reports listed in the footnote?/. Throughout the course

C.0 N F 1 ) E N T I A .
 CONFI DENTIAL

of this work ideas were exchanged freely between the persons working

on it at the Geophysical Laboratory and at the University of New

Mexico.

The work done at the University of New Mexico has been reported

in detail in Monthly Progress Reports, and a series of Final Reports

has summarized the work done under the original, contract and under

the different supplements to that contract, In addition several

special reports have been prepared. These reports are listed in

Table VIII. The following notes will form a more or less connected

outline of that work and will provide more background to some phases

of the history of the work than appears in the reports. They may

therefore be useful to anyone going over that work in connection with

future sabot developments.

The work done by the University of New Mexico on the development

of sabot projectiles may be divided roughly into phases on the basis

of the immediate purpose of the work. In general these phases fol-

lowed each other but there was a good deal of overlap. In describing

the work, however, it will be convenient to divide it into these phases

and to treat each separately. This plan is followed in these notes

(See Table of Contents).

.a/ Division 1, NDRC has supplied the following list of reports

on sabots from the Geophysical Laboratory. -
NDRC Report A-88 (OSRD No. 870), "Stability of Subcaliber
Projectiles by C. L. Critchfield.
NDRC Report A-233 (OSRD No. 2067), "Development of Subcaliber
Projectiles for the Hispano-Suiza Gun" by C. L. Critchfield
and J. McG. Millar.
Part D of some monthly progress reports on contract OIsr-5l
from the Geophysical Laboratory.

Cf N F I DE N T I AL

7',
 C0 N F I DE N T IAL

The first work done by the University of New Mexico was es-

sentially an exploratory investigation of sabot mechanisms and of

materials for their construction, in an efrort to obtain a satisfactory

sabot for use with an armor piercing antitank projectile. By the

end of 1942 a basic design had been arrived at that was mechanically

fairly satisfactoryl and it had become evident that the work should

now be aimed at making a definite projectile for a definite gun.

Refinements of design to give improved performance could be expected

as the work progressed.

The next phase was the development of a sabot by which to fire

a standard 57-mm steel armor piercing projectile, the APC M86, from

the 75-mm gun. So successful had the basic work been that the design

and development of this projectile was carried out in a very hort

time. A lot of seventy of these projectiles was supplied to the

Ordnance Department. They were tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground

in July 1943.

The next phase of the work was the development of an armor pierc-

ing, and of a high explosive sabot projectile for the 105-mm Howitzer

M3. This work began in August 1943. It involved, not only the

development of the two sabots, but also, the experimental determina-

tions of the trajectories and the measurement of the stability fac-

tors of several projectiles. Lots of both types of sabot projectiles

were made up, and then supplied to the Army for trial; the lot of

high explosive projectiles in February 19", the lot of armor pierc-

ing projectiles in March 1944,

The next phase of the work was the slight modification of the

design that had been developed for the 75-mm gun, and the production,

C0 H F I D E N T I A L
CONFI
ENTIA
 CO N F I D E N T IAL

and supply to the Arny, of a lot of sabot projectiles made to this

revised design for use in the 75-mn Pack Howitzer.

The next phase was the development of a sabot projectile with

a tungsten carbide core for the 7 6 -mrn gun fitted with a muzzle brake.

This projectile had to pass through the brake without interference,

then separate close to the muzzle. Twenty-five of these were made

and supplied to the Ordnance Department for test.

After this had been done, the research and development work of

the U7niversity of New Mexico on sabots was terninated because of the

press of other work. However, aid was furnished to Division 1, NDC

in the procurement of additional sabot projectiles for the 76-mm gun.

Some work was also done in cooperation with Arthur D. Little,

Inc. in exploring the possibility of molding plastic parts of sabot

projectiles. This properly is a part of the first exploratory phase

of the work.

EXPLORATORY WORK

Sabot Mechanisms and Materials of Construction

The first work at the University of New Mexico was the exploratory

investigation of sabot mechanisms and materials of construction. The

reports covering thiV/ show the evolution of the design that was

later used in sabots for the 75-rmm and the 105-nunn Huwitzers, and also

/ First Progrcsr Report, covering the period up to the end of

October 1942. Second Progress Report, covering the period November
1 - 28, 19142. Special Report, December 28, 1942. Fourth Progress
Peport, April 21, 1943. This report contains a review of that part
of the earlier work leading directly to the sabot projectiles devel-
oCed
.0.NF rvcN gTnA.

C0N F I DFN T T A L
 -7-__ _ _ _ _ _
CONFI DENTIAL

the reasons why the materials used were first chosen.

During this period, two guns were available for experimental

firing at the University of New Mexico's Proving Ground: a 20-mm

(Ilispano) automatic gun t-12, and a U. S. 6

Navy -pdcr. X& VII Wod. 2/

Almost all the firing wab done with the latter gun.

The first style of sabot tried was the simple deep cup type in

which air drag is depended on to bring about separation in flight.

The First Progress Report, covering the work to the end of October

19;12 contains drawings of several such sabots and statements of the

results of tests. The first of these designs, 2-20, for the 20-mm

Hispano, was a simple steel cup into which the rear half of the

cylindrical section of the subcaliber projectile fitted. wo were

fired. In one case the projectile tumbled, in the other it had not,

separated at 30' and no record was obtained beyond this. The next

cup sabots mentioned, 2-57 and 2-57A, were of dural and for the 6-pdr.

Vk VII. The first was a simple cup. Two models were fired. In the

first model the subcaliber projectile was not fastened to the sabot.

On firing, it punched through the base of the sabot. In the second

model it was fastened in place. Separation did not occur. The second

design 2-57A had a simple leaf spring release added. Two were fired

and both separated. There is no statement about the yaw, but from

other statements in the report both subcaliber projectiles presumably

tinubled. Two other designs that might possibly be classified as cup

j/ The 6-pdr. Gun MklVII Mod. 2 has a bore of 2.244 in. (57-mm).
Shot travel is 90.6 in. Chamber capacity is 50.1.0 cu. in. It fires
a 6.03 lb projectile with a muzzle velocity of 2240 ft/sec using a
charge of 560 grams.

CON FI DEN TI AL
 C0 NF I D E N T I AL
type sabots are described in this report. However, these designs

tested the suitability of fibre and plastic materials rather than

the operation of the deep cup sabot. The next experiments with deep

cup designs that are recorded in the Progress Reports were made when

working on the sabot for the 76 -mm gun with muzzle brake.

Speaking of the deep cup sabot, the First Progress Report con-

cludes (p 3):

" ..... it has, however, a high ratio of sabot mass to total

mass, and is subject to the same compressive stresses as
the base of the projectile."

The Fourth Progress Report summarizing the results with the deep

cup designs says (p 7):

"None were successful for two reasons: (1) The stress on the
base of the sabot due to the projectile was greater than the
material could stand without raising the ratio of sabot to total
mass to a prohibitive value, (2) The release of the projectile
was not smooth enough to avoid subsequent projectile instability.
At this stage dural (17S-T) was being used for the saboth be-
cause of the high static strength - weight ratio."

The conclusion that the ratio of the mass of the sabot to the total

mass, in this type, was prohibitive is evidently based on design studies,

a number of which were made after the firings reported in the First

Progress Report. The designs shown in that report were tried simply

to investigate the operation, no effort being made to lighten them

by removing metal where it was not needed.

It may be noted here, with respect to the separation of sabot and

subcaliber projectile in flight, that a good many firings of deep cup

sabots had been carried out by the Geophysical Laboratory and that

no design of this tlipe tried there had given satisfactory operatioi'.

/ During the fall of 1942 and the spring of 1943 the Geophysical
Laboratory fired a good many sabots of this type in an effort to achieve
(Concluded on page 9)

CONF I DENTI AL
 -9- ______--__
SCONF DEN TI AL

In the period covered by the First Progress Report some atten-

tion was paid to projectiles designed to be stabilized by placing

the center of pressure well behind the c(n-er of mass. By applying

the thrust from a sabot at some point, or points, well in front of

the base of the subcaliber projectile the compressive stress in the

walls of the projectile at a given acceleration is made less than if

the thrust from the sabot were applied on the base. In this way the

5 - Concluded/
successful operation in the 20-mm Hispano. A great deal of trouble
was experienced that was believed to be due to large yaws before separ-
ation. The centrifugal type of sabot was found to be so much more re-
liable than the deep cup or axial type that the latter was abandoned.
"Of all the designs of axial sabots, there were none that were success-
ful. It was found that it is possible to have the sabots separate
either by drag alone, by gas pressure, or by a small charge of black
powder, but in each case the sabots usually separated with a large
yaw." NDRC Report A-233 (OSRD 2067) p. 38.
Later, after the adoption of muzzle brakes for British guns, the
develooment of deep cup or pot type sabots wa" begun in Canada at
Valcar"-ier by the Artillery Proof and Development Establishment. In
order to mininmize the effect of initial yaw on the subcaliber projectile
during separation, these sabots were designed so that only a short
relative motion of the subcaliber projectile and the sabot was re-
quired to separate the two to such an extent that they could be in-
clined several degrees relative to each other before they interfered.
Separation was aided by the expansion of propellant gas caught in a
small chamber in the base of the sabot. This was done so that sepa-
ration might take place with a minimum of interference when the pro-
jectile was yawing. The writer saw some of the early models fired
at Valcartier in the fall of 1943 and their performance was encourag-
ing. Considerable development work was subsequently carried out on
sabots for the 6 -pr. and 17-pr. and reports were issued covering the
work. These reports are not at hand at this time, however, hence
the writer is unable to say how -well these designs function vYen the
gun is worn and there is considerable initial yaw.
Later, in December 1944, the Remington Arms Company, who had
been working on centrifugally operated sabots for the 76-mm and 90-mm
guns, abandoned them in favor of deep cup type sabots, and developed
such a sabot for the 90-mm. They appear to have been strongly in-
fluenced in this choice by the results obtained with this type at
Valcartier, and by the experience there with proof firing of British
6-pr. and 17-pr. sabots. The Remington work will be referred to
in more detail later.

CONFI DENTIAL

~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
.__I Lt ~ ~ ------------..
_ _ I ..... , - I - LLI I-
 legt o an-1-CONIFIDENTIAL
pojctletht
length of projectile that can withstand a given acceleration may be

I ~
increased,

sbot.
SThe
and long narrow projectiles can be fired by means of a

retardation of such a projectile can be made less

than that of the normal spin-stabilized projectile of the same mass,

and consequently the range for any given MV can be increased. Such

projectiles cannot be spin-stabilized. Stability must be obtained

by getting the center of pressure behind the center of mass. WThen

fin-stabilized they should receive, at most, a very small spin6'.

Two projectiles designed to seal the bore but to transmit very little

spin to the main body of the projectile are described. Spins as low

as 12 r.p.s. at an MV of 2160 ft/sec, and 4 r.p.s. at an unstated MV

were obtained with these projectiles fired from the 6-pdr. Inc VII.

Some firings of long narrow projectiles were also made, but none were

successful. Projectiles of this shape are, of course, not adapted

to punching holes through armor, but they have application in carrying

high explosive. No further experiments of this kind were reported

in subsequent Progress Reports.

The first sabot projectile that resulted in satisfactory flight

was fired on November 2, 1942. This was a projectile designed so

that the sabot was thrown off in parts, by centrifugal force, on

emerging from the muzzle. The sabot consisted of two seigented steel

/ Somc small spin appears to be advantageous in reducing dis-

persion. Without any spin, an asymmetry in the projectile that did
not itself produce spin would continuously bend the trajectory in
one direction. Spin would result In a corkscrew motion instead.

CONFIDENTIAL
.

! .....
 CO N F I D E N T I A L

rings, fitting into grooves in the body of the subcaliber projectile,

and held in pln ce there by copper bands, of which the rear formed

the rot.ating ba.....

band, And h-e forward the bourrelet. When this design

gave satisfactory results, attention was directed to improving it.

The first improvement was to change the bourrelet surface, bearing

against the bore, from copper to steel. Next, because the forward

groove in the body of the projectile would be particularly bad for an

Armor piercing projecLile, it was eliminated. The bourrelet was now

supplied by a sleeve surrounding the subcaliber projectile, from the

rear segmented steel ring forward to the beginning of the ogiv6.

This sleeve received its thrust directly tom the segmented steel ring

at the rear. Various materials were used successfully for the sleeve,

dural, wood, plastic. The first sleeves we- segmented and held in

place by steel bands that burst under centrifugal force. Later they

were partially segmented by slits from the inside, and the metal bands

were omitted.

The rear segmented steel ring was now modified. Instead of cut-

ting a deep groove in the projectile to hold the ring, the projectile

was threaded and corresponding threads cut on the ring. This decreased

the weight of the sabot and greatly reduced the depths of the cuts in

the projectile. The threaded steel ring was now in some cases come-

pletely segmented and held together by the rotating band as before.

In other cases it was partly segmented by radial slits cut from the

inside, and was held together by the steel remaining between the slits

and the outer surface. Copper wire was hammered into these slitb to

seal them against gas.

C0 N F I D E N T IAL

NOW-
 -12-
-12-CONFI DEN~TIAL

This design led directly, by a modification in the arrangement

of the slits that partially segmented the threaded base ring, to the

designs used later for the 75-mm ajid 105-mm sabot projectiles supplied

to the Army for test.

The testing of materials during the early experimental work re-

sulted in the adoption of steel and plastic, and the abandonment of

dural as materials of' construction. It is of interest to examine the

record to learn the reasons for this so far as they concern dural and

plastic.

At the outset, because of the importance of getting a light-weight

sabot, dural (17S-T) was experimented with. After a number of dis-

concerting failures, however, its use was soon abandoned (First Progress

Report, November 1942), except as aaleeve type bourrelet. Later, this

use was also discontinued and plastic was used instead, "because of

the unfavorable weight of Dural as compared with plastic or wood"

(Second Progress Report, December 1942).

The tests that resulted in the abandonment of dural except as a

material for bourrelet sleeves were of two kinds: first, actual fir-

ings of experimental projectiles in which dural was used, and second,

measurements of shear strength.

Let us consider the firings of experimental projectile first.

The record of these is contained in the First Progress Report. It is

stated on page 4: "It appears from our tests that the strength of

Dural is markedly reduced by exposure to the breech temperatures with

the rosult that complete failures of Dural have occurred under stresses

far below its static yield point.(6) Samples of sabots have been re-

covered in which the yield had the appearance of thermo-plasiroe flow. (7)

CONFIDENTIAL
 13CONFIDENTIAL

This point requires further investigation." The refarence (6) refers

to tests of designs 22-57, 27-57R, 2-57, and 18-57, while (7) refers

to testa of d..lgi .22-7..

Let us consider the projectile tests referred to.

18-57. This was a test of dural as a material from which to make

rotating bands. The projectile was a standard steel projectile for
the 6-pdr. Nk VII with a cup of dural, on which the band had been

formed, threaded to the base. The projectile was recovered and ex-

amined. The band failed to seal properly. This experience is in

agreement with experience elsewhere that dural is unsatisfactory as

a rotating band. The surface of the dural in contact with the bore

almost certainly melts, and if any gas under high pressure can escapo

past the band it erodes badly.

2-57. This was a simple dural cup sabot with a lead-wieghted

steel subcaliber projectile. The subcaliber projectile punched through

the base. However, in this case the subcaliber projectile was not

fastened in place in the sabot. In a second test, with the projectile

fastened in place, this did not occur. If, as appears quite issibl:,

the base of the subcaliber projectile was not seated against the sabot

when firing occurred, the force exerted would be increased and the

subcaliber projectile might then punch through the base without the

strength of the base being in any way below the rated strength. This

appears to have occurred in much later work at the University of New

Mexico. It happened a number of times at Aberdeen Proving Ground in

firing 90-mm sabot projectiles with steel base plates.

22-57 and 27-57R. These projectiles were essentially alike ex-

cept for the length of the subcaliber projectile. The sabot here

CONFI DEN TI AL
 -14 - _ _ __ -

SNFI DE N TIAL
consisted of a rear ring of dural, the outer surface of which was

formed into a rotating band, and a forward ring of dural that acted

as the bourrelet. At each end of the subcalibeDr projectile a sec-

tion had been turned down and threaded. The dural rings were threaded

to these reduced sectionb and screwed up tight against the shoulders.

The rear ring was then flush with the rear face of the projectile,

and a steel piece, the full diameter of the subcaliber projectile,

was attached to the rear of the subcaliber projectile so that it

covered the junction between the dural ring and the subcaliber pro-

jectile. Although the drawings do not show it, the rings were pre-

sumably partly segmented from the inside, so that they would be broken

up by centrifugal force once they left the gun. One model of 27-57R

was fired. The Report reads: U'Recovery of fragments of the rings

showed definitely that the sabot collapsed in the gun. The Dural ap-

peared to have melted or to have sheared in a semi-fluid state. From

this test, that on 22-57, and on 18-57 (q.v.) it is evident that dural

(17S-T) is not a dependable material for use when exposed to powder

temperatures and may (see 2-57) have a much lower shear strength under

suddenly applied loads than under static conditions.16'/

// Although a great deal of work was done during the war both
in U.K. and U.S.A. in determining the change of strength of various
metals and alloys with change in rate of loading, and many reports
on the work were published, very little information on this subject
was available at this time to those working on sabots at the University
of New Mexico. This was in part because mach of it had not yet been
Tniblished, in part because the application of the regulations com-
partmentaligAng classified information effectively prevented the wide
and d.d..
d 66* uahion of such information among those needing it.
The writer has seen a number of papers on this eubJect but, so
far as he can recall, none of those seen dealt directly with shear
and none gave any indication of a reduction in strength of dural such
as suggested here.
(Concluded on page 15)

Q 0 N F I D EN T I A-L
 - 15 -
CONFIDENTIAL

It was not proved that the failure of the dural was the cause

of the failure of 22-57, This was surmised because 6 the proved failure

in the case of 22-57R.

There is a characteristic of dural that, at the time, was prob-

ably not known to the men doing the experimental work, that may

possibly explain the failure of 27-57R, and that almost certainly

does explain the appearance of the recovered fragments. When hot

7 Concluded/
A list of NDRC reports on "The Behavior of Metals under Dynamic
Conditions" is given under project NRC-82 in OSRD Report No. 6604.
Work on this subject was also done in U.S.A. by the Naval Re-
search Laboratory and possibly also by other organizations.
For British reports on this subject, the reader may consult
the Subject Heading List of British Reports being prepared by the
Liaison Office, O.S.R.D.
Mention may be made of a few reports:
OSRD Report No. 4343, November 1944, "Behavior of detals under
Dynamic Conditions (NS-109), Mechanics of the Dynamic Performance
of Metals," by D. S. Clark, D. H. Hyers, D. S. Wood, and P. E.
Duwez, gives a theoretical discussion of the subject.
OSRD Report No. 3837, April 1944, "Progress Report on Behavior
of Metals under Dynamic Conditions (No-ll) (NS-109), Influence
of Impact Velocity on the Tensile Properties of Some Metals and
AlLoys," by P. E. Duwez and D. S. Clark, gives data on the tensile
strength of 17S-T and 24S-T. These data show a slight increase
in ultimate tensile strength under dynamic conditions over that
under static conditions, 7 percent for 17S-T, 5 percent for
24S-T.
Naval Research Laboratory, Mech. and Elec. Div. -- Ballistics
Section Report No. 0-2531, May 1945, "Bend Testing at Ballistic
Speeds, First Partial Report Problem 0-46, Technique and Survey
of Typical Results," by Herschel L. Smith and Arthur E. Ruark.
Confidential. This paper contains an appendix "Survey of Work
on Dynamics of Plastic Flow.
Naval Research Laboratory Report No. 0-2532, which is the second
partial report on Problem 0-46, "Tests of Magnesium Alloys and
248-T." Confidential.
It is understood that a third paper, N.R.L. Report 0-2700 by
H. L. Smith and Edwin Bums, is in preparation.

SC - 0 NF I D NT I AL
 - 16 -
CONFIDENTIAL

powder gases stream over dural at high pressure and velocity they

erode the dural with extreme rapidity. Great quantities of the metal

may be removeddW and the surface of the remaining mef,-l!

will appear

washed and melted. If this movement of the gas over the surface is

prevented by adequpately sealing the gas, no such effect occurs. It

is by no means clear from the drawings that the dural rings were

effectively sealed against the passage of the gas. If not, erosion

may well have weakAned them to thc point of failure.

The firings of experimental projectiles, then, did not actually

show that the strength of the dural was lowered.

The second type of test of dural was the measurement of shear

strength. This was carried out (1) statically, and (2) by applying

the pressure, developed in the chamber of the 6-pdr. Mk VII on firing,

to the shearing of 0.05" thick dural, (a) with the dural protected

from the gas, and (b) with it exposed directly to the gas. The fol-

lowing results are quoted from page 37 of the Fourth Progress Report,

April 21, 1943.

Exposed to powder gases strength less than 11,000 p.s.i.

Protected from powder gases strength between 22000 and 33000 p.s.i.

Statically 42000 p.s.i.

The report contains a drawing of the device used for holding dural

so that a series of circular areas of different sizes were exposed

to the pressure, but gives no other details of how the experiments

were performed.

I/ See the results obtained at the Ceophysical Laboratory in LtsLing

the erosion resistance of metals using a vent through which the gas from
a charge of powder exploded in a small chamber was allowed to escape.
"Metals Tested as Erosion Vent Plugs" 0. H. Loeffler, G. Phair, and
H. S. Jerabek, NDRC Report A-148.

CONFIDFNTIAL
 -17-17-- coNFiDENTIAL

Later greater thicknesses were tested. NDRC Report A-234, page

56, reads as follows:

"Attention should be drawn to some unsuccessful attempts

to use dural for sabots. This material naturally recofmmends
itself to the sabot designer by its high strength-weight ratio.
However, this high ratio is not maintained at elevated tem-
peratu'es. Tests made at the University of New Mexico show
that (at least in sections up to the order of 0.125 in. thick-
ness) the shearing strength of dural exposed to the powder
gases is only one-fourth the shearing strength it exhibits
under static loading at room temperature. The effect is pos-
sibly due to two things: (i) ordinary heat conduction into
dural from the hot powder gases, and (ii) a thermitic type of re-
action between the dural and the powder gases that apparently
liberates lanre quantities of heat at the surface of the dural.
If the dural is insulated from the powder gases, neither effect
occurs, and successful insulated sabots of this type have been
made. Also, if the dural is in massive sections it is probable
that neither of these effects will materially weaken the sabot.
In this connection it is only fai.r to point out that other
designers, notably C. L. CritchfieldW/, have used dural with
some success even when it is exposed directly to the powder
gases. ?

In this the idea that the strength of dural may be lower under

rapidly applied than under static loads, which was earlier considered

as a possibility, has been dropped, and an increase in temperature is

considered to be the cause of failure. No calculations of the probable

temperature gradient within the dural appear to have been made. In

their absence one may remain doubtful that the temperature of the thick

sections involved in the sabots could be raised significantly through

thermal conductivity in the short time available.

Much later, in the work on a sabot for the 105-mm Howitzer M3,

dural was again tried as a ring to transmit thrust and torque, and

was again abandoned because of mechanical failure. In these designs,

2/ At the Oeophysical Laboratory, C.I.W. See C. L. Critchfield

and J. McG. Millar, "Development of Subcaliber Projectiles for the
Hispano-Suiza Gun," NDRC Report A-233 (OSRD No. 2067).

C0 N F I D F N T I A L
 - 18 -

however, the factor of safety was very low indeed (Report of 10

March 1944),

.. ll..
11 ng data on -lloy l7S-T have been extracted from. the

Aluminum Company of America's booklet "Aluminum and Its Alloys" 1946.

In calculating the forces acting on the projectile, the pressure

values obtained with copper crusher gauges must be itultiplied by a

factor which for the service type of gauge is usually nearly 1.2 and

for the copper ball gauges used in the early work at the University

of New Mexico is probably still greater.

Table I

Mechanical Properties of Alloy 17S-T

Yield Strength Ultimate Elongation Shear

(set 0.2%) Strength %
lb/in2 lb/in2 lb/in2

Typical values 40000 62000 22 38000

Minimum values for specifications

rolled rod 0.125" - 8.00" 32000 55000 16

Typical values at elevated

temperatures (after prolonged
heating at testing temperature)
75 0 F 40000 62000 22

300OF 35000 1I000 18

400F 11000 17000 33

500OF 7000 10000 50

600OF 4000 6000 80

700OF 3000 4000 100

Modulus of elasticity 10.3 x 1O6 lb/in2 (approx.)

Density 0.101 lb/in3

C 0 N F I D E N T I AL
 - 19 -
C0 NF I DE
]4 T I A L

The use of dural as a material for the sleeve type bourrelet

was at this time considered to be successful, but was discontinued

bccwtine o-'P"-.le unfacvorable wei._pht of dural as compared vrith plastic.

(Second Progress Report.)

Wide experience with dural has shown that when used as a

bourrelet it has little rcsistance to deep engraving which occurs

especially when the gun becomes somewhat worn. HoWever, a steel band

over the dural, to act as a bearing against the boie, removes this

difficulty. This arrangement has been used successfully on both U. S.

and British service projectiles. It was adopted later by the Univer-

sity of New Mexico indesigns of all metal sabots for the 75-mm gun and

howltzer and for the 105-mm howitzer. it was also used in experimental

sabot projectiles for the 76-mm Gun MlA2. In this case however,

Dowmetal proved satisfactory and was adopted because of its lower

density.

Plastic was tried first as a sleeve type bourrelet. It was found

that certain plastics used in this way showed no tendency to fail in

the 7,n and did not engrave deeply. A good deal of effort was then

put into investigations of plastics for use as sleeve bourrelets and

even as complete sabots.

Information and samples were obtained, in many cases by inter-

views with plastic experts in government bureaus and other organizations,

and tests were made both statically andin the gun. The Fourth Progress

Report lists a number nf plastics tested and states (p. 3): "As

bourrelpet materipl, serving solely to guide thu projectil. in the gun,

it was found that almost all material listed would serve satisfactorily,

from dural to wood. The laminated phenolics, particularly Dilecto C,

C 0 N F I P R2'
N T I AL

p<
 - 20 -

C N F I DENT I AL

proved most satisfactory. If, however, the entire sabot is to be

made of plastic, very few materiils appear to have adequate strength

combined with a suitable low dexnsity. The laminated phenolics, with

laminations perpendicular to the axis of the projectile are the most

satisfactory."

A table listing shear strength of eight plastics is given and

another listing the shearing strength of threads cut in various plastics,

10, 20, and 40 threads per inch.

The tests of plastics reported in the Progress Reports, at this

time or later, are all either firing tests or tests of mechanical

strength. No long-term tests of dimensional stability are reported,

and none appear to have been made. One short-term immersion test on

paper laminated phenolic tubing ASTM type XX (Textolite) was made.

about the middle of February 1944. The piece tested was several inches

long. The inside diameter was 2.9", the outside diameter 4.153". It

was boiled in water three hours, then let dry and cool at room taem-

perature for one and one-half hours. The outside diameter was then

4.156". It was then submerged in water at room temperature for 21

hours and let dry at room tmperature for two hours. The outside di-

ameter was then 4.155'".

A good deal of effort was spent both by the University of New

Mexico and Arthur V. Little, Inc. in attempts to make all-plastic

sabots. This is treated separately in th3 next section. Efforts

were also devoted to producing sleeve type bourrelets and complete

sabots by inulding plastics. This is also treated separately.

a0 r NF I D E NYTv AL
 -21 -
C0 N F I D E N T I AL

All-Plastic babots

Daring the fall of 1942 and the first half of 1943, a good deal

of work was done in an effort tc develop an all-plastic sabotl-W.

The idea appeared attractive. If it could be accomplished it would

result in a light sabot, and if the sabot could be molded in place

it would be easy to manufacture. The idea was to have the thrust

transmitted from the sabot to the subcaliber projectile over the whole

length of the sabot. To this end, the subcaliber projectile was groov-

ed or threaded over the full length of its cylindrical section, and

corresponding grooves or threads were formed on the plastic sabot. The

rotating band was usually of copper and was attached directly to the

plastic, but in a few cases plastic rotating bands integral with the

sabot were tried.

The first sabots tried were machined from block or tubing. Later

Arthur D. Little, Inc. made a number by molding. The results of fir-

ing tests were erratic, and the work was stopped without the reason

for the failures being definitely determined. Under these circumstances

and because of the availability of the two NDRC reports referred to a-

bove, a detailed account of the work will not be attempted here. It

is in order, however, to consider some of the problems that confronted

the efforts to develop such a sabot.

LO/ The chief sources of information on this .-art of "he work are:
4th Progress Report ContracL OFAsr-668, April 21, 19143.
Progress Report for June 1943, July 8, 1943.
Progress Report fo July and August 19,43, Spteaib 7, 1943
Final Report Contract Ogsr- 6 6 8, Su/pplements 1, 2, and 3, March 10, ]91114.
NDRC Armor and Ordnance Report A-234. This was written July 1943.
NDRC Armor and Ordnance Report A-278 (OSRD No. 3832), "Molded Sabots
for Projectiles," by Arthur D. Little, Tnc., June 6, 1944.
A

- - - ---- -- - - -- C O-N D E-- T--A --

I-- L

CI 0DE NF N TI A
 -22 -
C0 NF I D E NT I AL
Tablo II

Properties of Phenol-Formaldehyde Plastics(1)

Compressive Tensile Modulus of Water Ab- Spei fin

Strength Strength FJastiuity sorptionWZ) Gravity
in Tension
lb/in2 lb/in2 lb/in2 percent

Laminated
Cellulose Paper
Base 20-40x10 3 7-25x!0 3 4-3Ox1O5 O.:3-9.O 1.30-1.36
Cotton Fabric
Base 30-8,4 8-12 3.5:15 0.3-9.0 1.30-1.36
Glass Fabric
Base 42-47 1-1.5-40 10-20 0.3-2.3 1.4-1.q
Cast
No Filler 4-25 2-9 4 0.02-2.0 1.26-1.335
Mineral Filler 29-34 4-9 0.12-0.36 1.68-1.70
Asbestos Filler 6-10.5 1.8-2.5 10 1.6

Molded
No Filler 10-30 7-10 7-10 0.1.-0.2 1.25
Wood Flour, and
Cotton Flock
Filler 24-.32 6.5-9.5 10.5-12.5 0.4-1.0 1.32-1.47
Macerated Fabric
and Cord Filler 15-30 6-8 9-14 0.5-1.8 1.34-1.47
Sisal Felt Filler 10-35 7-12 0.5-15.0 0.7 -1.35
Pulp Preformed 15-35 4.5-12 9-15 0.2-1.2 1.39-1.45
(1) Data from Plastic Properties Chart -- Modern Plastics
7ncyclopaedia 1946.
(2) Measured on strips of 1/8"1 thickness, after 24 hours immersion.

The strongest plastics available when the work was done were lami-

nated phenol-formaldehyde plastics, with a '.ase of cellulose paper, or of

cotton or glass fabric. The glass fabric base inaterial was not then a-

vw ilable in any quantity, and mechanical tests marde on it did not indi-

cate a mechanical superiority over tht? organic base materials. The most

of the machined sabots were made from the cotton fabric base material.

The compressive strengths of the materials actually used for the machined

C 0 N F I D E N T I AL
 - 23 -
C0 NF I D E N T I AL

sabots were not measured but an idea of the maximnum strengths can be

had from an examination of Table II, where the maximum values listed

are 40,000 and 44,000 lbs/in2 .

For the molded sabots nothing quite so strong was available. The

A. D. Little report gives the manufacturers' figures for the compressive

strength of two of the molding materials used as 25,000 lb/in2 , and it

will be seen from Table II that in all probability the third iaterial

was not matcrially higher in compressive strength. It appears likely

that the stress required to cause failure of a plastic depends on the

rate at which it is applied, and on its duration. About this, however,

no information is at hand.

The pressures to which a sabot would be exposed in nrrent U.S.

Army tank and anti-tank guns are in excess of the compressive strengths

of these plastics. Table III lists the rated chamber pressures for a

number of these guns. These rated pressures are the maximum pressures

that the ammunition will develop when the propellant is at 700 F.

Some lots of propellant will give the rated muzzle velocity,, at 700F,

with a lower pressure, but these pressures will he developed at 70F

by other lots. As the temperature of the propellant goes up the pres-

sure developed increases. In the case of the 76 -mnn gun, which is fairly

representative of guns of this type, the pressure-temperature relation-

ship is almost linear, the increase in pressure being 125 lb/in2 per

1F increase in temperature-'. There was a requirement that ammunition

il_/ "High and low temperature ballistic research. First Progress

Report, Firings in 76 --mn Cun 111l," B. E. Anderson and V:. S. McGilvray,
Ammunition Development Branch, Ordnance Department, July 3, 1943.

C U N F 1 1:, 1,;N~ T I A L
 - 24-

G 0 N F I D E N T I AL

Table III

RaWed Pressures for Selected U. S. Army Guns, Propellant at 70 0 F.

On Ammunition Pressure lb/in 2

Copoer Actual
(approy.)

37mm gun M3A1 (A.T.) APC M51 50,000 60,000

57mm gun Ml (A.T.) APC M86 44,000 52,800
75mm gun M3 (Tank) APC M61 36,000. 43,,200

76mm gun MIAl (Tank) APC M62 43,000 51,600

and MIA2 (Tank)

90mm g0.n M3 (Tank) APC M82 38,000 45,600

105mm Howitzer M2 HE Nnfl(5th zone) 30,000 36,000

The rated pressure is the meximum pressure at standard temperature

developed by the round in question. It is given in terms of copper

gauge readings. Actual pressures are approximately 1.2 times copper

gauge pressures. The figures in the last column were obtained by

multiplying those of the preceding column by 1.2. Some Tots of ammuni-

tion will give the rated muzzle velocity with a lower chamber pressure.

Increase in temperature of the propellant will. increase the pressure

above rated pressure.

should function properly at temperatures as high as 1350 F, and actually

temperatures in excess of this may be developed in a round that has been

left in the chamber of a hot gun, or even exposed to the sun in some
2
localities. The pressure in the 76-mm mmun at 135 0 F would be 8125 lb/in

above the pressure at 700, i.e., the maximum pressure would be 51125

lb/in2 . These pressures are stated in terfrid of copper gauge readings

and must be multiplied by a fsctor of about 1.2 to get true, pressures.

C o N P' 1 1) F N T I AL

!'
 "-25 -
C 0 N F I D E NT I AL
This raises the maximum pressure at 135 0 F to approximately 61500

lb/in2 . The base of the sabot, behind the rotating band, is ex-

posed to the pieszur. of the propellant gas; however, the pressure

at this point is somewhat less than the pressurs at the breech end

of the chamber, as some or all of the propellant is being accelerated.

The rotating band on the projectile exerts a pressure against the

bore of the gun, and likewise of course against the projectile. The
peaSk of this pressure occurs during engraving which, in a new gun, be-

gins inmediately after the projectile starts forward, and in any case

considerably before the peak chamber pressure is reached. The peak

band pressure, in the case of standard projectiles is likely to be

materially in excess of the peak chamber pressure. No systematic in-

formation on this subject is at hand but the following data will show

the magnitude of the pressure to be expected. In all cases the pressures

stated are averaged over the whole width of the band. Local peak pres-

sures may be considerably greater. In the case of the 37-mm gun M3 a

band pressure of 83000 lb/in2 when firing was measurewdl24. Band pressures

measured when firing nine HE shell Mk XXVII Mod. 3 from the US Navy 3"

A.A. gun ranged from 59000 to 71500 lb/in2 , averaging 65500 lb/in2 . The
average of five measurements of band pressure in the 75-mm gun T22 firing

He shell M48 E2 was 65100 lb/in2 , the high value being 71500 lb/in2, and

the low value 51500 lb/in2 . In this case the gauge was about 2" beyond
the forcing cone. Pushing projectiles through instead of firing gives

12/ "Stresses in Gun T,bes. Band ?ressure Charactertstics of 37-rm

M3 Gun 77e-Tube Nc. 2928," R. Bceemwkes, Jr., Watertown Arsenal Laboratory,
Fbxperimental Report No. WAL 730/95, May 5, 1944.

C 0 N F I D E N T I AL
 - 26 -
0
CONFI D ENTI AL

values 10% - 30% lower than those obtained from measurements made dur-

ing firing the same projectile. Pushing the 75-mm AP M72 shot through
t.h-e ",.-- Lu' gave a band pressure of 108300 lb/in2.K24 The band

pressure is higher for the solid A.P. shot M72 than for the M48 E2 shell,

presumably because the AP shot being solid gives a less yielding support

to the band than the rather thin wall of the 948 shell. The small dif-

ference between the band pressures generated when firing and when the

projectile is pushed through suggests that the band pressure in firing

will not depend greatly on the chamber pressure.

A decrease in the diameter of the band, or what is equivalent to

it, improper seating of the band, leaving a space between it and the

bottom of the band seat, results in much lower band pressure. It seems

likely, therefore, that the pressure developed by a copp'er or gilding

metal band on a sabot of the type under consideration would be materially

less than the pressure that would be developed by the same band on a

stmdard steel shot, for there is some play between the sabot and the

subealiber projectile, and, in the case of the machined sabots, there

is also play in the threads between the band and the sabot. In addition

the plastic is more compressible than steel. Each of these factors will

lower the pressure. There is a limit however, to the lowering that is

jl/ The information about the 3" and 75-inu projectiles was given
the writer informally by Prof. Karl F. Herzfeld. For details see his
paper, NDRC Report A-455 in course of preparation.
The 75-mm gun T-22 was rifled differently than the M1897, M2, or
M3. The rifling was rectangular, the land width 0.1444", the groove
width 0.1866", the groove depth 0.0305". The bore diametEr was 2.951".
The shell M48 E2 was fitted with a plain band 3.020" diameter on the
cylindrical section, The length of the cylindrical section was 0.61"
and of the tapered section 0.25".

C 0 N F I DE N T I AL
___________
__________
.1
 - 27 -

C 0 NF I DE NT I AL

practicable for there must be enough pressure to insure that the

band is properly engraved and it seems quite likely that the band

pressures i;ay equal or exceed the strength of the plastic.

In the all-plastic sabots described above, as in all other sabots

experimented with, the forward thrust of the propellant against the

sabot is not distributed along the length of the sabot but is applied
Therefore,
at the buse. /because of the great difference between the plastic and

the steel in respect to the amount of strain produced by a given stress,

the forward thrust of the sabot on the subcaliber projectile cannot be

distributed at all uniformly along the sabot. Speaking of this, in

connection with the stress analysis of the all-plastic sabots designed

at the University of New Mexico, and comparing this analysis with that

for the threaded base ring sabot of steel, the authors of NDRC Report

A-234 say on page 53 of that report: "Another essential difference is

due to the samll modulus of elasticity of plastics ( is of the order

of 1O6 lb/in2 for plastics, as compared to 30 x 106 lb/in2 for steel).

This means that the strain for a given stress is about 30 times as large

for plastics as for steel. Hence the stress in the threads holding

the sabot to the projectile is concentrated in the threads toward the

base of the projectile, rather than distributed over the entire length

of the threads. The amount of this stress concentration is difficult

to predict, but the use of a safety factor of about 2 has resulted in

successful designs of this type. la/

A2i14 "Sabot Projectile for Cannon," NDRC Armor and Ordnance Report
SA-231j
(0.91M - 30....1.9 W. D. Crozier, H. F. Uunlap, C. E. Hablutzel,
Lincoln LaPaz, and D. T. MacRoberts. The words "successful designs"
evidently mean that individual sabot projectiles made to the design
were fired successfully.

CONFI DENTI AL
 - 28 -
CONFIDENTIAL

When one considers the stress concentrations that are likely to

occur from the complex stress distribution in the rear part of sabots

of this type it seems most improbable that any of the plastic materials

available when the work was done are strong enough to work in the guns

listed in Table III.

The work on all-plastic sabots was begun while the 6-pdr. ',l VII

gun (57-mml) was the only test gun in use and the sabots were conse-

quently for that gun. The subcaliber projectiles used were solid steel,

1.2" in diameter, and of various lengths from 3.7" to 4.55". They were

threaded or grooved along the full length of the cylin drical section,

usually 10 per inch, as tests showed that the shear strength of.the

plastic used was higher at 10 than at 20 per inch. The length of the

sabot depended on the length of the cylindrical section of the subcaliber

projectile, so was of various lengths from 2.0" to 3.1". The rotating

bands were usually of copper, threaded onto the plastic from the rear;

the pitch of the thread being almost always 20 threads per inch. A few

sabots with integral plastic bands were also tried. The report of April

21, 1943 lists, round by round, the results of firing 85 all-plastic

sabots from the 6-pdr. Mk VII. These include 35 separate designs. In

most cases only one or two projectiles made to a given design were fired.

In no case was the number greater than 10. The results were erratic

both in respect to chamber pressures and flight characteristics. The

unly cause assigned at the time was variation in the olastic. It seems

at least as probable that differences in the stresses set up from round

to round in the plastic, which at best must have been stressed nearly

to failure, account for the unpredictable differences in behavior.

CONFIDENTI AL

____
______
___________
___
_______
_______ ___ ___ _ _
 - 29 - ________

CONFI DENTIAL

The molded all-plastic sabots prepared by Arthur D. Little, Inc.

were also for the 6-pdr. Mc VII. The steel subcaliber projectile used

was 1.2" in diameter and 4" long grooved along the cylindrical section

10 grooves per inch. The plastic sabot was 2.5" long. The copper

rotating band was placed in the mold and so was attached during molding.

The results of firing these projectiles at the University of New

Mexdico Proving Ground are given in NDRO Report A-278. The velocity,

the chamber pressure (copper), and the flight characteristics based on

the amount of yaw, are Stated for each round. The mass of the projectile

was essentially the same in all cases, and the same powder and weight

of charge were used throughout. A greater proportion of the projectiles

failed in the gun than had been the case with the machined sabots.

In the table in the report the rounds are grouped according to the plastic

used and other variants. Again the results were quite inconsistent.

"Generally speaking, some of each group gave good flights and others
gave poor flights thereby making it impossible to compare intelligently

one feature with another."l/

It is possible, however, to see some system in the behavior. From

a plot of the pressure against velocity, for the rounds for which these

data are given, it is evident that the normal pressure with this charge
i.e., above the conpressive strength of tbu pl-qti c,
and these projectiles was about 24,000 lb/in2 (copper), 1,and the normal

velocity about 3850 f/s. This is a much lower chamber pressure than

that used in current tank and anti-tank guns. Although the normal pres-

sure appears to be about 24000 lb/in2 , there is a wide spread to the

1/ NDRC Report A-278, p. 22.

C0NF I D EN T I Ar
 -30

pressures listed, some being as high as 56,000 lb/in2 . This sort of

thing is not infrequently ilset i%.th when using standard projectiles and

is usually assigned to faulty ignition of the pronellant.

The pressures stated for the individual rounds have been averaged

according to the flight characteristics and the values so obtained are

listed below in Table IV. The extremes of pressure and the number of

rounds included in the clota are also listed.

Table IV
Pressure, and Ilifht .haracteritcst of . .ll-PlL,.tic ,olced Sabot
Flight Stated Chamber Pressure in i/in2 (copper) No. of Rounds
Average High Value Low Value Included

Very Good 25,000 26,000 23,000 3

Good 28,350 56,O00 22,500 13
Fair 28,400 32,000 20,000 4
Tunbl ed 43,300 56,000 32,500 5
Failed in gun 39,710 55,000 21,500 7

The data show a very definite association of successful flights bvth

quite moderate chamber pressure, and of failures, i.e. failure in the

gun or tumbling in flight, vith high chamber pressure. There are notable

exceptions to this, however. Rounds that developed 45,000 lb/in2 and

56,000 lb/in2 gave good flight, and one round where the projectile broke

up in the gun developed only 21500 lb/in2 .

The writer of the Arthur D. Little reporL abtributed the erratic

pressures to cocking in the bore. He says (p. 22):

"In nearly all cases of failure, the chamber pressure v.as ex-
ceedingly high. VWeare convinced that the cause of failure is orim-
arily in the geometrical proportions of the sabot, which is 2.5 in.

CONFI DENTIAL
 AVYi~~~~~ tZX'! Atr." A-i

- 31 -
I ~CONFIDENTIAL

long and 2.24 in. in diameter, that is, with D ratio of

length to diameter of about 1 to 1. Such a cylinder can
easily get cocked in the bore, momentarily plugging it
and cmising the high ores.sure. The high pressure in turn
in dislodging the shot may well staLrt failures of the
material, which would never occur in normal onieration.
Many of the test firings of the similar sabot-projectiles
made by the Universityof New Mexico were subject to the
same erratic behavior. It was therefore agreed to discon-
tinue further work on this size of projectile and sabot."

Any increase in the resistance offered by the projectile to move-

ment up the bore during the. early stages of the burning of the powder

will, by increasing the pressure on the powder, increase the rate at which

it burns. This will in turn give rise t, an increase in the peak pres-

sure. No calculitions have been made to find an approximate figuqre for

the increase in "starting pressure" that would be needed to raise the

peak pressure from 24000 lb/in2 to 56,000 lb/in2 and it is by no means

Considering,?e strength of the plastic, and
clear that cocking in the bor-- could do so. /in the absence of pres-

sure data obtained from firing. a series of standard projectiles cut down

to the weight of these sabot projectiles, using the same charge, showing

that this charge would in fact give uniform -,ressures with a normal pro-

jectile of this weight, it does not seem necessary to anpeal to this

mechanism to explain the erratic results.

After the lot of projectiles made to design, 28-75 D had been sent

to Aberdeen, some more work was done at the University of New Mexico

on all plastic sabots, this time for the 75-mm gvn, M3. The Final Re-

nort, Contract O4I4sr-668, Supplements 1, 2, and 3, contains drawings of

two designs, and the record of firing tests of each. Both these designs

had a partially segmented bourreleL with a copper roUibintg 1brid!i, hrvaded

16/ Among the 9rojectiles tried during the development of an armor

piercinp sabot projectile for the i05l-mm hoviitznr vore sni, ,;ns- ratio
_-r - 14-h t;; d-t~ 3JA*' y oJ -- I-I -- j rw
-c; LA -, . . 1- _L '- " U1C-

allol S'icsbot -PIOjuctilu'a.

U-6
N F IF ': N T T I],T

tsO~iTPP
~TTAT
: - 32
-2CONFIDENTIAL

to it, 20 threads per Inch. In one case the projectile was solid steel

1.6" dia 5.1" long. In the other case it was the 57-mi APC ?486 projectile

threaded 10 threads per inch for 2.7" forward of the base. The plastic

extended beyond the threaded portion having a total length of 14.5".

Both models were unsuccessful. The projectiles tumbled in flight.

The report states: "The results of these and other tests were so un-

satisfactory that further consideration of all plastic designs for the

75-mrm gun was suspended."

The 75-mm sabot 2-75 D with the M86 subcaliber projectile did not
differ 8ignificAntly in dimensions from many sabot projectiles with

plastic bourrelets, steel sabot rings, and the same subcaliber projectile,

that had been fired successfully from the 75-mTw gun. This eliminates

the matter of the cocking in the bore as a possible cause of the failure.

In some of the 2-75 D projectiles, the forward part of the bourrelet

was a separate piece of plastic of a kind used successfully many times

for bourrelets for part-steel-part-plastic saboLs. Failure of this

portion of the sabot could hardly have occurred. Although some of the

steel projectiles used in the firings from Uke 6-pdr ?Wc VII must, judg-

ing from their dinienslon., have had at best but a -mall margin of sta-

bility, the M86 when fired with full spin from the 75-imn gun at the

altitude of the University of New Mexico Proving G(round (approximately

5000') has a good margin of stability, so that tumbling indicates that

the projeoL.lle did not receive full spin. Tf. ),ppprs likely that the

plastic of the rear nart of the sabot failed under the band.

From the experi-nental viork it is evident that the plastics used

would not stand up to the strosses encountered in either the 6-pdr

""k VII or the 75-mnm vqmnM3. Fro. P co-parison of band and

C 0 N F I DE N T i A L
 --33 -
CO0N F I D IN T I A L

chamber pressures with the compressive strength of lasninted plastics

(Table II) it appears improbable that these plastics are strong enough

to bae]cl sa'lutu& fur projectiles to b)e

fired from present day iguns.

&iolcUkna Plastic Parts

Follow-in' on f'rence in the Engineering and Transition Office of

s
and
the OBRD on February 9th,/on the strong recommendation of that office,

Arthur D. Little, Inc. was contracted (Contract OE~sr-886) to help in

sabot program of Division I, N1I1C by investigating phLstics for use in
the/sabots, and suitable production methods for use with them. A con-

siderable amount of work was done co-operatively by that company and the

University of New Mexico in investigating the possibility of molding

the plastic parts of sabot projectiles designed by the University of

New `iexico; both plastic bourrelets and all-plastic sabots. The experi-

mental work, done by the University of New -iexico on this program, con-

sisted essentially of making firing tests. The work has been covered
by the final report of the Arthur D. Little Compan/ and need not be
considered in any detail here. However, certain conclusions may be

stated. The following are quoted from page 1 of that report:

(1) "There are few materials among the non-metals that

are satisfactory for making sabots.

(2) "The phenolic plastics are suitable, at least for

the sleeves or bourrelets of sabots.

1/ "Molding Sabots for Projectiles," NDRC Armor and Ordnance Re-

port NA-278 (OSRD No. 3832), Arthur D. Little, Inc., June 6, 1944.

C 0 N F I D F 11 T I A L_
 -, 34 - _____

C0 NP I DE NT I AL

(3) "An entirely satisfactory all-plastic sabot design was not

obtained, but on the other hend it was not r7,roven that
such a design w.as not possible.

(4) "For all but the s?;allest size projectiles it. appears
more feasible to mold thc sabots separately end attach them
to the projecdle than to mold directly onto the projectile.

(5) "The completed sabot of phenolic plastic is sufficiently

stable in dimensions."

In explanation of item (5) it appears from page 4 of the report

that the writer had in mind that dimensional changes should not be

over 1/3 of 1 percent, i.e., 0.01" in 3"y . Actually, a change of

1/3 of 1 percent is not tolerable. The diameter of the bourrelet

shown on University of New Mexico designs 28-75 D, dated 5-27-43, and

28-75 D revised, dated 3-2-44 is 2.945" - 0.005". The diameter of the

bore of the 75-mm is 2.950" + 0.002". An increase in diameter of

0.0033 x 2.945 is 0.0098" which would make a bourrelet, originally

2.945" in diameter, 0.0048" greater in diameter than the bore of the

gun. In this case, the tolerable expansion is only one-half of wihat

they considered acceptable.

After investigating the practicability of molding the sabot or the

bourrelet around the subcaliber projectile, it was concluded that it

"was not practicable. The first expreri:tlental attempt was to mold all

plastic sabots for the 6-pdr. Mk V11 gun (57-mm). The subcaliber pro-

jectile was 1.2" in diameter. It was found that shrinkago of the molded

part during cooling gave rise to dangerously severe stresses in it. Vany

of the moldins.s cracked, some soon after coming out of tile mold, some

several days later, without any app;arent abuse. Othcrs cracked on rough

handling.

181 There is no indication that lonr tr...ta tr 1,,, n or L-np

it'r~r tests at, high )nd(] at low humidif.iv. were
. .+,,.l, cari , .

CONFI
F D NTIAL
 - 35 -
C0 N F I D E N T I AL

Another difficulty, experienced in tying to niold the sabot on the

projectile, arose from the fact that the projectile about which the

sanot i s to be molded irtuL21 Lf . caU

......
uin i- a ...... a

the mold. This wou,10 require the projectile cdimensions involved to be

held within extremely close limits.

Still another difficulty that ias anticipated, if an attempt were

to be made to mold around the 57-mm APC M86 projectile, arose from the

fact that to handle inserts as lon' as this would require presses with

a longer stroke than is comtmonly used.

All attempts tu produce sabots molded directly around the projoctile

were abandoned. However, quite a number of all-plastic sabots for the

6-pdr. gun were molded and later assembled to the subcaliber projectiles.
A mold was also made in which plastic bourrelets for sabots for fir-

ing the 57-]mn APC M86 projectile from the 75-mm gnn weremolded.

It was found impracticable to mold the parts to the final dimensions

because of (i) the taper required in the mold and (2) the variation in

the dimensions of the finished moldings which was about 0.003 inch per

inch under carefully controlled conditions. It was therefore recom-

mended that the mold.ings should be made oversize and the final surface

be obtained by turning, in a lathe.

Following this plan, the recommendation for the construction of

projectiles to the 28-75 D design was to mold the bourrelet, using

transfer molding, with both outside and inside dimensions oversize. The
molded bourrelet would then be assembled to the projectile. The space

between the subcaliher projectile and the bourrelet would be N-..]-ed Vith
a liquid resin that would cure or polynerize in place to a solid. This

would cement the bourrelet in place and would also eliminate play between

C 0 N F I D F N T I AL
 CONFI DENTI AL

the bourrelet ind the subcaliber projt..ctile. Tie outer surface of the,

bourrelet would then he rl: chined to size a'nd concentric x*ith tile sub-

coliber projectile.

ARMOR PIPaiCING SABOT PROJ;CTILI: FOR THE 7h-MM GUN

Request for the Develooment

About the end of 1942 it became quite evident that the work at

the University of New Mexico had reached the stage at which it should

be directed toward the development of a specific projectile for a

specific gun. The Office of the Chief of Ordnance, which was consulted

by Division 1, NDRC, indicated that the gun in which the sabot pro-

jectile would be the most useful was the 75-mm. Division 1, NDRC ad-

vised the University of New 1M.exico to direct their work toward the

development of an A P round for the 75---r-. However, no 75-mm Mun

N,.Is,vailable at the University of Ne5 je.xjico, end without it very

little could be clone in this direction.

---------- -- -- -- -- -- --------------------------- -- ----
19/ There were three 75-m guns concerned. All had the same
chamber and rifling and consequently fired the stmee ammunition. All
were on automotive mounts.
Gun Shot Travel MV
in.* ft/sec
75-mm 101897A4 88.99 2000 being mounted in Qun Iotor Carrige IJ3
75-mrm M2 71.04 1920 mounted in medium tank Mt3
75-mm M3 97.66 2030 mounted in medivutm tank ML, and M3
1
h iith projectile APC M61, weighing 14.92 lb.
The twist of these guns is I turn in 25.,5.' caiibers.

------------------ - -- - --- - ---- -- -- -- -- ---

CO N FIDENITI A L
 3-
Ct-07
N F 1 D h N T I AL
lMwision I., NPEC' had an estidmate preprired of thJe performance to

be exioectecl from n tunf-s-ten carbide proicct~ile fired from the 75-mrm

yds, in (1) penetration of armor at 2001 incidcencC , (2) lend needed

x'~hen firing at a.moving tank, (3) error that. could be wzqde in estimrat-
ing. the rang~e to a tank without resulting in a miss.

The calculqted improvement in performaince was impressive, and,

al,though (1) the muzzle velocity used was admittedly optimistic, and

(2) it was apparent from what -;,s known about the behavior of tungsten

carbide against plate that considerable work would. likely be needed

to develop a satisfactory tun!gsten carbide projectile, it was evident

that there was a. good prospect of great limprovemient from the use of

tungsten carbide in the sabot projectiles for this and other guins.

20/ This estimate was based on the data that were then available
to Division 1, NDRO from firing trials of tungnten ca~rbide cored pro-
jectiles against plate. These were: the results of a British trial
of a captured German 428mmV20mxn tonored bore guin and projectiles (Proc.
0. B. 11,227), and two ballistic limits obtained by the Ordnance. Dept.
in trials of 0.6001, diameter cores, 211 homio/200/2270 ft/sec and 411
homo/200/3600ft/sec. The first of these was supplied by the Ballistics
Section, t~he second was from. Inclocsure 2 of "ISecond Report on the ?7/28~nM
and 37 mm~ High Velocity Armor Piercing Projectiles, ond TWenty-Second
Report on 0. P. 5364."
The ,MVused in the estimpte, 31550 ft/see, was calculated for a
5.4 lb orojectile iisinrg the MaXimuLM possible- charge of -.t2 powder yTith
IddiYeb. A 8oinuvAhat lower -V for a1 projectilhe Of thl' V'eigli L
anl
wiould have. to be accepted in any service use to provide. the necessa1ry
leeway In charge necess~itated by variations in different lots of powder.
Also thle assumed ratio of mass of tungsten carbide core to tot;4l mass
of projectile, 0. 6 /5-4, iwas higher than hns been rea:lized in or~actice
guin of this caliber.
with a core Of this size in a

C 0 Nt11
FI rF Nj T I Ai L
 CONFI DENT T A L

At this time, however, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance was

very skeptical about the value of tungsten carbide against tanks.

In their experience tungsten carbide cores had pul]verF s.i. on emerging

from plate, and they considered that the porticles so formed were too

small to do much damage inside a tank.

Finally, at a conference on February 9, 1943, the Office of the

Chief of Ordnance requested that Division 1, NDEC develop a sabot for

firing the orojectile 57-mm APC Y,31S-/ fronm the 75-nhui gull T1,3, and

undertook to arrange for the supply of a gun to the University of New

Mexico.

An analysis prepared for Division 1, NDRC showed (1) that by means

of a sabot this shot could probably be fired from the 75-rnm gun !'3 ith

a slightly higher W than that given to it by the 57-mm gun I1, and

(2) that compared with the standard APC M61 projectile, assuming equal

accuracy, the sabot projectile, at battle ranges, should, give a better

chance of hitting, because it would have a shorter time of flight and

a flatter trajectory, and (3) that it should penetrate a greater thick-

ness of armor than the APC M61 provided the quality of the projectile

2/ This was a newly designed projectile for the 57-mm gun M[l
(antitank) and the British 6-pounder, 7 cwt. (tank and antitank). It
was expected that it would soon be in production. It was a steel armor
piercing projectile, fitted with a steel armor piercing cap and a
ballistic cap or windshield. it contained a cavity in the base, for a
small bursting charge of HIE, and was to be fitted with a base detonat-
ing fuze designed to burst the projectile inside a vehicle, i.e., after
it had passed through the armor. The fuse was to contain a tracer to
be ignited by the propellant. .This uns to be in a heavy tracer pocket
that projected to the rear in the forma of a truncated cone. Phe MV
from the 57-nun gun .If was to be 2700 ft/sec.

%TV T n V TVT T A T,

I'
 C ONFI T F NTI AL
was such that it did riot deform on impact2-/ The stability factor

of the APC A486 fired from the 57-nim gun WI- -Nams not known, but, the Office

of the Chief of Ordrnance believed thot its stobility in the 75-mm gun

would be adequate.
However, much greater improvements in respect to timae of flight,

flatness of trajectory, and thickness of srmor penetrated .ore to be

expected from the use of tungsten carbide than froia Lhe use of steel

subcaliber projectiles in this gun.

All the reasons for the choice of projectile by the Office of the

Chief of Ordnance are not know~m, but the following v.ppeared at the time

to be the principal ones. British and U.S. armor picrcing projectiles

for use against tanks had, in the nast, consisted almost entirely of
solid steel shot, with or without an armor piercing cap. The Germans,

on he other hand, had used armor piercing shell, containing a small

cavity in the base, filled with a bursting charge of HE. These shells
were fitted with armor piercing caps and ballistic caps or windshields.

They were beautifully made and were supplied even in quite small sizes.

Mhdperience in Libya had shown that British PFV' n (armored fighting ve-

hicles, e.g., tanks) were more prone to catch fire when German projectiles

went through their armor

-than were German AFV's after similar hits by British shot. Ordnance

22/ With the iabot orojectile developed for the 75-mm guin Y3 the
uxpected penetration of the 57-mu APO M06 is about 25 perccnt greater
at be muzzle and &.bout 20 percent greater at 2000 rards than that, of
the APC M61 fired from the same gun. The estimate is based on the curves
of penetration prepared by the Bt.llistics Section, Technical Division,
OCO. The achievement of the increase in penetration at the higher strikin- vel-
ocities, i.e., shorter ranges, requires projectiles of excellent. quality.

C 0 N F I D EN T I A L
 CONFI PENT IAL

Depaxrtment observers who had studied the derelict AFV's in Libya were

convinced that this was because the Germans were using projectiles

containing a bursting charge, and that solid shot were much less ef-

fective in starting fires. There had been repeated demands from the

British Middle East Command to the authorities in U. K. for armor

piercing shell. This could be taken to indicate a similar conclusion

on the part of that Command4 . This was probably the najor reason

why this projectile, the APC M86, was chosen instead of the correspond-

ing solid shot, the AP M70. There was the additional reason that the

very blunt armor piercing nose of the AP M70 resulted in high retard-

ation while the long tapered ballistic cap or windshield of the APC

M86 resulted in much lower retardation, and consequently, in the re-

tention of a greater proportion of the energy for armor penetration

at a distance from the muzzle. Of course the fitting of a windshield

would overcome this defect.

The objections arising from the absence of a bursting charge applied

also against tungsten carbide cored projectiles. Moreover, as already

stated, because of the results of firing tests against plate, the Office

of the Chief of Ordnance was at that time very skeptical. bout the

value of tungsten carbide against tanks.

2J/ The case for the shell was not Wite as clear as may appear from
the above. The bursting charge can be useful only if the shell remains
in condition to burst after it has gone through the armor. Solid shot
will go through a greater thickncss of plate than will corresponding shell.
Moreover, there were reasons to believe that it was easier for flying frag-
ments to ignite the propellant charges in British AFV's than those in
Gerrman A-FV's, and this was believed by auLhoritiea in U.K. to be a con-
tributing factor to the greater proneness of the British AFV's to take
fire when hit.

C 0 N F I D ,: N IP I A L
 41CONFiDENTIAL

Development and Production by University of New Mexico

The request of the Office of the ChjiC,. o Ordnance to 1..Vo.

sabot developed for firing the 57-mm APC M86 projectile from the 75-nm

gun M3 was made on February 9, 1943. A gun and mount, together with

the necessary ammmnition components, were to be supplied. Some delay

occurred, however, before this was done, so that it was not until April

that the gun and mount were received. In the meantime the anununition

corapnontns had been received, with the exception of the APC M86 projectiles

which were not yet ready. The gun supplied was mounted in the mount

used in the turret of the medium tank; the combination mount M 34 Al.

When it had been received, it was mounted on a concrete pedestal at the

University of New Mexico Proving Ground. The first round was fired from

it on April 13th.

1hile waiting for the 75-mm gun, preliminary work had been carried

on using the 6-pdr. 19c VII, and when the 75-mm gun arrived the work

progressed ,rapidly. The first sabot projectile, design No. 1-75, was

fired from the 75-mis gun on April 19. The first small shipment of APC
M86 projectiles was reeived on May 7, and on May 26 a successful dis-

persion shoot of l rounds of the final design was carried out. The re-

sults of this and other dispersion firings are collected in Table VIII.
The sabot projectile design developed by the University of New
Mexico to fire the 57-nm APC A86 projectile from the 75-mm is designated

28-75 D, dated 5-.27-43. Drawings of the desigm are shown in Figures 1 and L

The work done in developing this projectile and in rmanufacturing

the lot to be supplied to the Ordnance Department is detailed in the

C0 NF I D E N T I A L
 - 42 -
C 0 N F I D)E N T I A L
Monthly Progress Reports, and sivummarized in Final Report Contract

0rSsr-668, Supplements 1, 2, and 1, dated March 10, 19/14. A discus-

sion of the mechanics of this sabot projectile, together with a stress

analysis and the results of firings, will be found in NDPC Armor and

Ordnance Report A-234 (OSRD No. 3010).

This is a simple design of sabot, and quite easy to manufacture.

It involves but a slight modification of the standard projectile used

with it. A steel ring, partially segmented from the front, is threaded

over the rear end of the subcaliber projectile. After this ring is in

place the rotating band is seated in the groove, or band seat, on the

ring, by being forced through compression dies. This not only seats

the band, but also closes the forvard ends of the segments of the ring

tightly on the subcaliber projectile, thus eliminating some of the play

between these parts. A steel skirt, to fit inside the mouth of the

cartridge case, projects from the rear of the threaded steel ring and

is integral width itr. In front of the threaded steel ring a plastic

sleeve, partially segmented from the inside, surrounds the subcaliber

projectile and acts as the bourrelet.

It will be noted on Plate II that the rear outer surface of the

projectile 57-mm APC M86 is to be threaded for 0.750" forward from the

W/ In this design the crimping groove is immediately behind the

band so the mouth of the case has to be formed into the groove. Current
practice is to have the crimping groove behind the mouth of the case.
This gives astronger construction. However, the sabot projectile is
lighter than the standard projectile so that this design may provide
adequate strength. Before adopting this design, the Ammunition Develop-
ment Branch, Technical Division, OCO, was consulted about the practica-
bility of crimping in this way. They reported that it could be done by
a slight modification of the crimping machine

TONFIDENTIAL
 43
CONFIDENTIAL

base. It should be mentioned that the projectiles used by the Uni-

versity of New M!exico were not standard projectiles. They were from
4
a smallC.. LU
0-g ... 'a l".. proc;fttfl. fo U~th

duction of this projectile. The modifications of the projectiles con-

sisted in (1) leaving off the rotating band and omitting the groove

in which it seats, (2) omitting the hardening process'. Forward of

the 0.750" of threads to the ogive the projectile was therefore cylin-

drical. The center of the groove in the projectile into which the

cartridge case is normally crimped is approximately 0.5" forward of the

base. The groove is therefore within the threaded section, which could

probably be decreased slightly in length if this crimping groove were

omitted.

It should ae noted here that although the drawing of the threaded

steel sabot ring on Plate II shows the band seat smoothly grooved this

was not its condition when the bands were applied. A series of cold

chisel cuts were first made across the grooves to prevent any tendency

of the band to rotate in the grooves.

Attention is drawn to the fact that the base of the sabot, i.e.,

the threaded steel ring, and the subcaliber projectile are seciirely

fastened together and presumably will remain so as the projectile passes

up the bore. Ebactly how important this nay be is not definitely known.

25/ The projectiles supplied were otherwise as shown on Ordnauce

Department drawings
75-2-320 Metal Parts and Assembly January 27, 1943, and
75-2-323 Details January 27, 1943,
Extensive reversion of the dimension and tolerances were later
introduced, and new drawings were prepared under the same numbers.

CO N F IDE N TI AL
 -44-_ _

C 0 N F I DE N T I A L

However, it was found, when firing sabot 'irojectiles with a base plate
26/
in the British 17-pounderl- against plate at Aberdeen, that, unless

thu Bubualiber projectiles were properly seated against the base when

firing occurred, large yaws were experienced. In the firings at

Aberdeen, of sabot projectiles made by the Remington Arms Co.,des-

cribed later in these notes, failures occurred within the bore when

the base and the subcaliber projectile were not adequately fastened

together. This occurred in guns but little worn. When there is con-

siderable free run, the likelihood of separation and consequent trouble

is much greater. How well the threaded steel ring design will work in

a gun with considerable free run is not yet known.

On emerging from the muzzle the sabot parts break off under cen-

trifugal force with no apparent disturbance of the subcaliber projectile.

A muzzle velocity of 2800 ft/sec is readily obtained from the 75-mm

M3 gun.

The projectile was given a considerable amount of testing at the

University of New Mexico by firing through yaw cards and for dispersion

against a vertical target at 1000 yards. The results of the dispersion

tests are given in Table IX. It was expected that if it were given ex-

tended tests some modifications would prove necessa.ry, but it did ap-

pear to be in a suitable stage of development for submission to the

Ordnance Department for firing tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

' A lot of 70 of these projectiles was made up and supplied to the

Ordnance Department for test at Aberdeen Proving Ground. They were

shipped by express on June 19, 1943.

26/ These projectiles were designed and supplied by the Geophytical

Laboratory for armor penetration experiments with st.1 projectile at
high velocities.

CC) N T'I P N'rI I A

1*
 -45 -
CONFIDENTIAL

gany of the A? caps and windshields were loose on the APC M86

projectils when they were received at the University of New Mexico.-/

The AP caps and windshields were br.zed to 60 of this lot of 70 projectiles

during assembly of the sabots. The remaining 10 projectiles were left

as received in this respect. The APC 1486 projectiles in this lot of

70 were not fitted with fuzes or tracers. The cavities were filled

with sand and shot to bring the weight to 7 lbs and were plugged. The

complete sabot projectile weighed 8 ib, 6 oz + 1/2 oz.

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground

The tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and the results, are des-

cribed in detail in APG Firing Records 1124862, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20,
21 July 1943, and M25496, August 10, 1943.

The stability factor of the projectile 57-nm APC M86 had not yet

been determined. Therefore, although it was expected that the pro-

jectile would be found to be sufficiently stable, 2/ it was importint to

obtain a value for the stability factor. Accordingly, although these

projectiles were not fuzed but only plugged, and would therefore have

2_/ At the time these projectiles were made, the method of attach-
ing the AP cap to the body and the ballistic cap to the AP cap by crimp-
ing or rolling had not been perfected. The fact that the hardening
process had been omitted in manufacture may have added to the number of
loose caps.

28/ This projectile, the APC M86, had closely the same proportions
as the 3" APC M62 that had been designed for the new 3" gun, the 76-mm
which had a twist of 1 turn in 40 calibers. The twist of this projectile
fired from the 75-mm gun was considcrably greater, 1 turn in 33.7
calibers.

CONF IT ENTT AL
 C - N F I P E1N T I A L

a slightly different stability factor than the fuzed projectile

(probably higher) efforts were made to determine their stability

factor. Although these efforts did not result in an entirely sat-

isfactory determination of the stability factor, they did show that

when the projectiles were fired from a moderately worn gun the pro-

jectiles did not always receive full spin, in all probability because

of failure of the rotating ban 2. These firings for stability are

covered in the APG Firing Records cited above.

The first firing for stability took place on July 14 from a

75-mmn Cun M3 that had previously fired 1905 rounds and was conse-

quently but little worn. Eleven rounds were fired at an MV of 2800

ft/sec. Only one of these had enough yaw to permit a determination.

The maximum yaw in this case was 80. A second attempt was made on

July 20. The gun used was a 75-mm M1897 that had previously fired

9215 rounds and was badly worn. Three sabot projectiles and one

75-mm APC M61 projectiles were fired. All tumbled because of the ex-

cessive wear of the gun. In two cases the spin imparted to the sabot

was so low that the sabot parts did not separate. A third attempt

to obtain a stability factor was made on August 10, using a 75-mnm

gun M197A4 that had previously fired 4694 rounds. Five sabot pro-

jectiles and one 75-mm POC M61 projectiles were fired. The standard

projectile had small yaw (00). Two of the sabot projectiles had snall

yaws (3.50 and 3.70). The stability factor was calculated for one of

29/ This gun has the same chamber and rifling as the old French
75. The rotating band used is very narrow in comparison with that on
most present day projectiles. Tile gilding metal band on the stan-
dard projectiles had given trouble from slipping.

CONF IDENTI AL

p]
 - 47 - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

C 0 N F I D E N T I AL

these rounds. One sabot projectile had large yaw (up to 240), and,

from the rate of precession of the yaw, had definitely not received

full spin. Two other sabot projectiles had large yaws but lost their

windshields when they struck the cards. Presumably they did not re-

ceive full spin.

From these results it appears probable that a stronger rotating

band may be needed for a sabot for these guns. As the width of the

band cannot be increased this means a band made of stronger material,

e.g., soft iron.

The stability factors determined for the plugged projectiles,

calculated to the muzzle and standard atmospheric conditions, but with-

out taking into account the retardation from the yaw cards, were:

July 14 - 1.23; August 10 - 1-.33

. These values were obtained

informally by Division 1, NDRC, September 9, 1943. They appear in

the Firing Records cited.

On July 10, ten rounds were fired for accuracy at a vertical

target at 800 yards, ind ten standard 75-mm APC M61ls were fired in

comparison with them. The gun used was the one that had been used on

July 14 for the stability firings. The dispersion found was about

the same as had been found at the University of New Mexico; horizontal

1.10 minutes, vertical 0.69 minutes. The corresponding dispersion of

the APC M61 was horizontal 0.71 minutes, vertical 0.76 minutes (see

Table VIII). A photograph of the target is included in the APG

Firing Record.

3/ Although at this time a stability factor as low as 1.25 was

considered acceptable, it was subsequently decided that a considerably
higher value was needed. A value of 1.5 was later chosen for the sub-
caliber projectile used in the armor piercing sabot proJectile devel nIpn
for' the 105-mm Howitzer M3.
----------------------------------------------- --------------

C 0 N F I D RN T T AL
 C0 N F I D R N T I AL

During the tests at Aberdeen a number of rounds were fired at

night to obtain stereoscopic micro-flash photographs of the pro-

jectile a few feet in front of the muzzle. These photographs were

taken by personnel of the Geophysical Laboratory using equipment that

they brought with them. In order that the muzzle flash should not

prevent taking these pictures a flashless powder was used. Each of

the photographs shows the M86 projectile free in flight together with

the annular zone of the discarded sabot parts.

In order to obtain some idea of the spread of the parts of the

sabot in flight a screen was erected at 75 ft from the muzzle. After

eleven rounds had been fired, this wa photographed. The extreme

spread of the parts was about 27 feet. The personnel working at the

University of New Mexico Proving Ground had already tried to obtain

a figure for the maximum range of the parts. The greatest distance

from the gun at which any parts were found there was 600 yards.

The results of the tests at Aberdeen, as known on July 21, ap-

peared quite satisfactory and on July 22 instructions were issued

by Division 1, NDRC to the University of Rew Mexico to proceed im-

mediately with arrangements for the manufacture of 1000 projectiles

for extended service tests. The Mueller Company of Dec+.tur, I!!ino!e,

who were at that time making the M86 projectile, undertook to manu-

facture the metal parts. In conversations with their engineers, a

I/ The information obtained by Aberdeen as a result of their

calculations of the stability of the rounds fired on July 14 and July
20 were not known until much later, and, although additional firings,
in a worn gun, had been requested by Division 1, NDRC, these had not
yet been made. They were made on August 10.

----------------- C'ONFIDENTIAL
1
 - 49 -
CONFIDENTIAL

few slight modifications of Lhe design were suggested to facilitate

manufacture. These were incorporated in models made up at the Uni-

verzi,,y of 'Ne..... ~ic a'-"- tesedat the ...... ....-
K r...oun.d97

Table IX). However, while this was being done, the instructions to

arrange for the manufacture of the 1000 projectiles was canceled for

reasons to be stated later.

ARMOR PIERCING AND HIGH EXPLOSION SABOT PROJEICTIL.11N FOiR

THE 105-MM HOWITZER

Request for the Development

On July 20, 1943, Division 1, NDRC appointed a Subcommittee of

Division members to make a general survey of the development of sub-

caliber projectiles by the Division with a view to deciding how best

to prosecute the development in the future. In order that this com-

mittee could meet with representives of the Army Ground Forces (In-

fantry, Artillery, and Armored Forces), and obtain from them opinions

as to the probable uses of sabot projectiles by the Services that they

represented, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance arranged a conference

in the Pentagon Building on August 7, 1943. This conference was at-

tended by representative of the cormit~tee mentioned above, and by re-

presentatives of the Infantry, Artillery, and Armored Forces, and of

the Office of the Chief of Ordnance.

A model of UNM design 28-75D that could be disassembled by hand

was examined by the representatives of the Services. The mechanism

was explained and the behavio-r described. Division 1, NDRC had had

C ON F I DE TEIA AL
 - 50 -.
C 0 N F I D E..N.T I AL

charts prepared showing graphically against range, the striking

velocity, penetration, time of flight, angle of fall, and danger space

of the 28-75D sabot projectile for the 75-mm min M3. and of armorn

piercing sabot projectiles for the 105-mm Howitzers M2 and MA, and

corresponding data for the standard projectiles for comparison. Copies

were supplied to the persons attending the conference.

After studying the information presented and after some discussion,

the representativcs of the three using Services stated their opinloii8.

The Armored Forces were not interested in the sabot projectile

for the 75-mm gun. This decision rested mainly on the fact that this

gun was to be replaced by the 76 -mm gun. As this latter gun had a

twist of only 1 turn in 40 calibers, sabots of this type would in

all probability be impracticable in it. Nor were they interested in

3/ The Geophysical Laboratory had prepared armor piercing sabot

projectiles for the 105 Howitzer 22 using the 75-mm APC M61 projectile
as the subcaliber projectile, and also for the 105-mm Howitzer M3 using
the 57-mm APO M86 projectile as the subcaliber projectile. These had
been fired at Aberdeen Proving Ground on July 21, 22, and 23 (see APG
Firing Record U24905 for description S this projectile and details of
the firing). These tests formed the basis for the curves of expected
performance presented.
Six of the projectiles using the APO M61, weighing 20 lbs each,
had been fired from the M2 Howitzer at a vertical target at 800 yards,
and had impacted within a rectangle 11 3/4" wide and 15 1/2" high
compared with 19 1/2" and 23 1/2" respectively for the impact area of
9 HE M1 shells fired for comparison. Three of the sabot projectiles
with APC M86 subcaliber projectiles, weighing 12 lbs each, had been
fired from an M3 Howitzer through yaw cards for a stability determina-
tion. The MV was approximately 2500 ft/sec. The maximum yaw obtained
was only 5.40; not enough to permit a satisfactory determination. How-
ever, the projectile was stable as fired. On September 9, 1943 Division
1, NDRC obt.oined informally the uncorrected value of the stability
factor computed from the data obtained from this round. It was 1.2.
The M86 projectiles were plugged.

CQNF . DE NT i AL

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _]_ _.

____
__ ____ ___ ___ ___ ___
 -51 -
- CONFI DENTIAL

an AP sabot projectile for the 105 Howitzer M2 mounted in the Howitzer

PMotor Carriage M7. The Urdnance Department had underdevelopment a

h,~ 5
f V 4 4. . 'JAD * . ~ ~ V~j'~ .L . 4..L U ) U1~U~~

cated the armor penetration to be expected from the sabot round with

the 75-mm APC M61 or the 57-mm APC M86 as subcaliher projectile.

Moreover, this weapon was used in support of infantry and it was thought

that the danger to the infantry from flying fragments of the sabot

offset any advantages in time of flight or flatness of trajectory.

In addition there was a disadvantage in carrying an extra type of

ammunition.

The Artillery were not interested in the sabot for the 105-mm

Howitzer U2. The reasons were not stated explicity but wore evidently

the same as those that had determined the opinion of the represen-

tative of the Armored Forces.

The Infantry were interested in the use of the sabot in the 105-mm

Howitzer M3' . The representative asked that an armor piercing round

./ The 105-mm Howitzer M2A1 on wheeled carriage 112A2 is the stan-

dard light field Howitzer. This Howitzer, on a different carriage, is
also mounted on the Howitzer Motor Carriage M7. This Howitzer has a
twist of 1 turn in 20 calibers. The shot travel is 81.67". It fires
the 33 lb HE Ml shell at a maximum MV of 1550 ft/sec (5th zone), and
the 28.8 lb H.E.A.T. M67 shell at a IV of 1250 ft/sec (The low MV of
the H.E.A.T. round is required because high spin causes the jet of
hollow charges to fan out and so impairs the penetration.) An AP shot
was under development. It was to weigh 28.5 lb, and to be fired at an
MV of 1950 ft/sec. This was a solid steel shot with a ballistic cap
or windshield and no AP cap or bursting charge.
The 105-am Howitzer M3 is the M2 Howitzer with 27" left off the
muzzle end of the tube. It is mounted on a lhgh-. wheel carriage M3A1,
which is a slightly modified 75-imm Howitzer Carriage M3A2. From this
howliter the maximum MV (5th zone) of the 33 lb HE Ul is 1020 ft/sec.
The H.E.A.T. M67 is also fired at a MV of 1020 ft/sec. The upper limit
to the MV of the 33-lb shell, in this case, is not determined by the cham-
ber capacity and the pressure that the tube will stand but by the carriage.

C 0 N F I D E N T I A L

7I,
['-5'

C 0 N F I DF N T I AL

and also an HE round, the latter ror lise qraii :t "spot" tarbetea, he

developed for it, end that 100 of each be supplied for test by the

Tnfan+,try ..rd. Afe

-PIvi this nnmfoer had boon triEW, It should be Pos-

Aible to decide whether or not to continue with them.

The advanftr es to be ex]pectedfrom the AP round were clear enough;

those from the HE much less so. Diring the discussion that preceded

this requtest it was pointed out, by a representative of Division 1,

that the HE projectile would have to be a small shell 'eighinr less

than 15 lbs (the 75-im or 3" shell), and that, the burst of such a

shell wou-ld be rmuch less effective than that of the standard 33-lb

siell. It was said that the shooting of the Howitzer with the stan-

dard 31-lb HE Iil shel at full charge (9V 1020-S) was very inaccurate

and that the charge had to be reduced to that for the third zone (M,{V

780 ft/sec) before the accuracy became satisfactory. It was thought

that the lighter sabot projectile might prove better for spot targets.

As a result of this conference, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance

advised Division 1, NDRC todrop work on the 75-mm/57-mnu (APC 1986) pro-

Jectilu for the 75-mm gun T13, and to develop the two projectiles re-

quested by the Infantry.

Now the facilities and personnel livnilable for work on sabots at

the Geophysical Laboratory were so extremely limiLed that it appeared

impracticable to have this work done there in an adequately short

time; moreover, work there was handicapped by the 1-ack of a suitable

firing range, so that all experimental firings had to be made at Aberdeen.

in Oath these respects the situation at the University of hcw M;Iexico

was much better. In 1.d1dtion, it iwr considered that the design 2o5,f,,5 D

C 0N F I D E N T I A -,

I,,
 - 53 -
C 0 N F I DE N T I ALI

had reached a ,olnewhat riore advancedI statgC of developtment "than the

designs to which the Ueophysical Laboratory's projectile had been

Mad... .. it a.,uured that it. would be a fairly simnle ptatter to

adapt this basic design to the two projectiles wanted. WVhen Division

1 decided to underta.ke the developoent of these two projectiles,

they asked the University of New Mexico to do it. An infonmal request

to do this was received by the University of New, Mevico on August 18,

1943 mid design work began at once.

Limitations Imposed by Howitzer

The 1O5-nrn Howitzer M3 is the 105-jim [ow-t,7e.r M2, iArith the tubc

shortcned 27" at the muzzle end, mounted on a 75-mm Pack Howitzer

carriage that has been slightly modified to increase the strength""

At the time the Geophysical Laboratory sabot projectiles had been

tried in it, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, in July 194:, it had been

knovi- that the maximum velocity attainable with the standard 33-lb

7/ Although no comparative tests have been conducted in worn

guns, it was thought that projectiles with threaded ring bases were
more likely to remain securely held together in the bore.
/ The cylinder and piston of the recoil system had been strengthened
and the nitrogen pressure increased, and other slight modifications made.

1/ APG Firing Record MA-24905 July 21, 22, 23, 1943. Viith 12-lb
slugs and sabot projectiles a charge of 59 oz of FNH M2 had given an
average MV of 2527 ft/sec with an average peak pres.s.ure of 24500 p.s.i.
(copper) and an average -Pcoil of approximately 31 1/4" (max. 31 5/81",
min. 30 3/V;) at 00 elevction (approximately).
The letter from OCO requesting the firings had asked that the
charge should bu that t.o give the highest velocity possible in ths
Howitzer with a 12-lb projectile.

C 0 N F I P ; fl! T I A L
- - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 54 -
CONFIDENT IAL

HE 141 projectile (MV with full service charge 1020 ft/sec) was governed,

not by the capacity of the chamber or by the strength of the tube,

in both of which respects the howitzer ,w-.s identicail with the 12, but

by the carriage.

At the conference on August 7, 1943 it had been brought out that

the accuracy with the standard HE Ml round was unsatisfactory with

full charge, and became satisfactory only when the charge was reduced

to that for the third zone. However, neither the cause of the in-

accuracy, nor any measure of it had been given.

Thus it appeared that a limit to the muzzle velocity attainable

by a sabot round in this howitzer might be set, not only by the strength

ant dimensions of the tube, as is usuvlly the case, but also by either

the strength of the recoil system or by the accuracy.

It seerned probable that, so far _.s the strength of the carriage

was concerned, the total momentun of the round might be used for es-

timating the velocity attainable with a sabot projectile of a given

weight, and that the total momentum could equal that of the standard

round at full charge, or of the rounds fired at Aberdeen in July-.

The Office of the Chief of Ordnance was consulted about the limita-

tion imposed by the strength of the carriage, ,ind it was learned that,

when firing at low angles of elevation, no daniage would actually be

done to any part of the carriage until the recoil reached the point

./ At this time no one connected with this, work knew of a. satis-

factory way to compute the total momentum. This is considered in some
detail. later in the section on the choice of the armor pierci~nf, pro-
jectile. The total momentum of the rounds fired at Aberdeen is consider-
ably in excess of that of the standard round with full charge, (pro-
jectile 33 lb, charge 1.33 lb FNH Ml, MV 1020 ft/sec).

Q 0 NF I D E M T 1 A L
 - 55-
C 0 N F I D E N TII A L

at which metal came against metal. The length of recoil, metvl to

metal, is 33.4". The maximum rated recoil in 32B (at 00 elevation,

0
70 F). B~ec~uic. ol sllghL differences in dimhnensions, which are un-

avoidable in manufacture, some differences in recoil me to be expected

from carriage to rarriage, Differences in recoil also occur because

of differences in the temperature of the oil.

The reason for the unsatisfactory accuracy was not learned. In

fact, it was said that in firings at Aberdeen the accuracy had been

good in all zones. The only actual figures obtained for accuracy,

with HE Ml at full charge, were for a range of 3725 yards, and in

this case the dispersion was small. It was evident that the work would.

have to proceed without information about the cause of the inticcuracy

reported by the Infantry,, and with the expectation that the csuse

might appear from the actual perience with the hoitzer, during the

course of the development of the two sabot projectiles. If it should

be found that it was due to some easily remedied cause it might not

actually limit the attainable MV.

There was a premium attached to the highest attainable muzzle

velocity, especially in the case of the armor piercing round. It ap-

peared, therefore, that the sabots should be designed so that they

would work properly with charges large enough to give recoils approach-

ing 32 inches at 00 elevation in h-t weather, and, as this would prob-

ably be too great a recoil in view of the difference in temperatures

and in carriages, that they should also worl- properly with consider-

ably lower charges, say those giving normal recoil, and that they ,Iight

have to work properly with still lower charges as the attainment of

good accuracy night require such charges.

C0 N F I D E N T I AL
 - 56 -

C ONFI DENTIAL

It appeared also thaxt charges should he established that would

give the highest muzzle velocity att.inable with good accuracy and

,ithout exceeding "he- liriiiLtu set by the recoil system.

Choice of HE Suboaliber Projectile

For the HE subcaliber projectile two shells were available; the

75-mn M48 weighing 14.7 lb when filled and fuzed, and the 3-inch

M42AI weighing 12.87 lb when filled and fuzed. The first of these

was a rather long shell with a boat-tail. The stability factor when

fired from the 75-mm gun, with a tiist of 1 turn in 25058 calibers,

(WV 19-O ft/sec) was 1.32. When fired from Lhe 105-rm Howitzer (twist

1:20) the "twist" of the shell would be 1 turn in 28 calibers. This

would reduce the stability factor to 1.1. Vor this reason this shell

could not be used. The M42A1 was a rather short shcll Ath a cylin-

drical base. It was in regular use in the 3" gun with a twist of 1

turn in 40 calibers. The "twist" in the 105--mm Howitzer would be 1

turn in 27.6 calibers. The stability factor would thus be more than

doubled in the howitzer. However, this would be no disadvantage as

the projectile would not be used at long ranges. In other respects

also this shell appeared suitable. There was plenty of room, behind

the seat for the rotating band, for a thread for the sabot ring, if

that type of sabot should be used. The acceleration that the shell

would hay, to withstand in the hovitzer would probably be greater than

that experienced in the 3" run but the shell. walls wsre thick and short

and would not be ,feakened by a thread for a rin, type' sabot as bhe

Lhread vould be well behind the rear end of the cylindrical part of

the shell +*ly 7orever, cYn. C!1 c f t011F!el,Ul l -

C0 ZJ
T PTD F INT' I A T,
 - 57 - _________

CONF IDFNTI AL

be suitable for iise with a base plate typc of sabot if it should be

adopted. The choice of shlell could then be made without doinf, any
exnriment.,il wor'k, ond was av-de by Division 1 before as~king,- the

University of New Mexico to undertake the development of the sabot

projectile.

Choice of Armor Piercing St&bcal:ber Projctile

The choice of the subcaliber projectile for the armor piercing

round was not so simple as that for the HE. In the casce of most guns,

the stated muzzle velocities of standard rounds are about as high as

can be obtained from the gun with the projectile and propellhrlL used,

when allowance is made for the variation to be expected in the eanu-

facture of different lots of pro.ell.nt, nfor the variation in

rnd the

temperature at which the round will have to be fired.

A close approximation to the muzzle velocity that iill be attain-

able with a lighter projectile using a charge of the same. weight ard

kind of powder is to be had by assuding that the muzzle energy of the

sabot round will be equal to that of the standard round.

The approximate expression for muzzle energy that, is usually

.sed is:

Muzzle ener[- = (M + 1/3 C) V2 n/

where M is the mass of the projectile, C is the 'ass of the charge,

and V is the muzzle velocity.

A somewhat better, although less conserv,;tive, esti~mate of

the muzzle velocity that can bhe rerdlize1d with a scbot can be obt'iined
by 19n g F. ......... fraction of the mass of the ch rarge in the e slon
. .re,
for !nuzzle enerjyp.
J. (). Hirschf,:lder. R. B. Kern-i-hner, 'nd C. F. Curtiss o Lnt-o the
"motion of the powvder gas in some detail in NDRC heport A-142, Interior
Ballistics I, m). 90-105. If the density of the po.'der g- ,,;ere uni-
forr throurhout the bore the fraction woulld be 1/3. This Is of coase
q8)
on peoncl1Jed [age
CV0 .T F',P A . 1
 -58 -
-~ CONFIDENTIAL

If the muzzle energy of the sabot round is equal to that of

the standard round, and the muzzle velocity is higher, the muzzle

energy of the p1 iahotless than that of the standard pro-

jectile by on amount equal to the increase in the energy of the for-

ward motion of Lhe powder gas, approximately

1/3 C (V'abot- V~td) . Moreover, a portion of the muzzle

energy of the sabot projectile is in the sabot itself,. vith constant

projIectile
muzzlc ener&y, therefore, the muzzle energy of the subcaliber/is al-

ways less than that of th-. heavier standard projectile by these two

amounts. Nonetheless, it is often practicable to increase the energy

per unit of cross sectional area of the subcaliber projectile, over

that of the standard projectile, to such an extent that there is a
worthwhile increase in armor penetration at all battle ranges.

- Conrluded/
never the case, for the gas itself has to be accelerated. Usirn Kcnt's
special solution for the motion of the powder gas (Kent, R. H., Physics 7,
319, 1936), instead of the assumption of uniform density, results in
an increase in the value of in the expression
2
Muzzle Energy - (M + l. C) V
Figure 11 on page 103 of their paper shows curves for 6 against
log CM for three different powder gases, assumed to be ideal, having
ratios of specific heats, T, of 1.17, 1.20, and 1.25 for values of
log C!M from about -. 7 to +7. For all practical purposes, however,
differences of e need not be considered as the three curves are sensi-
bly one until log C/M > 1, i.e., until the mass of the charge is ten
times that of the projectile.
Figure 10, again for ideal gos, shows 8 against 14/c for values
of ,/C from about 0.05 to 2.
The folloi..Ing table gives values of 8 corresponding to different
ratios of mass of projectile, to mass of chcrge read fro,'i flc, 'raohs:
3.
2 3.16
3.26
1
3.47
.'25 3- 75
Critchfield, in NDRiC Report A-233, p. 49, speaking of an anzanlysis
covering high velocity guns with ratio M/C ranging From rovghlyr 3/7
r3.7.
t o T/2, says that 0.270 x C would he (mn1ochle, i..,

C 0 NF I DE NT I AL
7?'
 C 0 N F IT E T I1A L

In the clse of the 105-.au !Ioiiter

y-,f, the prospect for improving

-,rfor penetration by using a sabot as better than in th- usual case

discussf-d above. In the cise of this howvitzer, the muzzle velocity

of the standard round, (the 33-lb HE Iva -vithh1i :1,111 chdlrfge) is limited.,

not by the pressure that the tube will. stand nor by the capacity of

the chamber, but by the carriage. It was expected, therefore, that

the total momentum imparted to the hom';itzer by the sabot round could

be made equal to, or somewhat, greater than, that imparted to it by the

standard round and that with the lihter sabot 1Drojectile a material

increase in muzzle energy could be realized.

Total momentum imparted to the howitzer by the round may con-

veniently be thought of as imparted in two parts, first, that imparted

up to the instant that the projectile leaves the muzzle, second, that

imparted by the gas afterward. The first part is essentially equal

to the momentuti of the projectile And the nropellant at shot ejection

or approximately (M + 1/2 C)V. For the second part, no one connected

with the work knew a satisfactory expression.

An increase in muzzle energy is realized only by increasing

the charge. As the charge is increased V increases, and if the total

momentum is to remain constant (M + 1/2 C)V must decrease to compen-

sate for the increase in the momentum added after shot ejection. This

decrease is brought about by decreasing L. Correspondint1 values of

M, C, and V can be reliably computed by the use of a system of intcrnal

baillisticA, but some expression for total momentum has to be assur.ed

32/ For example, the Division 1, X1'DRC System oC Paliistics, which

a.ppeared, in -r e s of seven reports and has been surnmarized in NDIRC
Report A-397 (OSRD Report No. (-!.6g).

-- -- --- -- ---- C
- -() -H' -F -I -D -E -J -T' I -A L -
 -60 -
jONFDENTIAL

before the velocities corresponding to different values of M, at

constant total momentum, can be computed. Obviously the way in which

penetration at battle ranges is affected by changing the size, shape,

and density of the subcaliber projectile keeping the total momentum

constant cannot be calculated without a reliable means of calculating

the total momentum. In this case, however, for practical reasons

the problem was reduced to the much simpler one of deciding with which,

of a very few projectiles, the best performance would be obtained at

battle ranges. The choice, in the first instance, lay between the
57-mm APC M86 and the 75-mm APC M61, or possibly the 3" APC M62. Even

when what appear to be extreme values are assi&med to the momentum con-

tributed by the gas after shot exit, it is found that the M86, will

give materially greater penetration than the heavier M61, and will have

the additional advantage of a shorter time of flight and a flatter tra-

jectory ,.

I/ This is assuming the validity of the curves published by the

Ballistic Section, Technical Division, Office of the Chief of Ordnmnce,
showing penetration against striking velocity and striking velocity
against range. On these curves the penetration of the M86 is given
for striking velocities as high as 2700 ft/sec. High quality M86 pro-
jectiles will certainly be required to give the penetrations shown at
the higher striking velocities.

_/ Various approximate formulas have been used to express total

momentum. (M + 1/2 C) V, where M is the mass of the shot, C the mass
of the charge, end V the muzzle velocity, is usually employed to express
the momentum of shot and gas at the moment of shot ejection. The momen-
tum added later depends on the "effective" velocity with which the gas
leaves. If the "effective" velocity is stated as a fraction of the
muzzle velocity, e.g., as a times V, the expression for the total momen-
tum becomes (M + aC)V. Values used for a have varied from 1.5 to 2.5,
and possibly higher values have had to be used in some cases.
Late in November 1943, OB Proceedings, minute 25208, dated Octcoer
22, 1943 came to hand. This contained an expression for total momentum
that had been taken from a paper by J. Corner. After examining this
paper, ARD / Ball/ Report 54/43, June 1943, which had been distributed
-- (Concluded on page 611- --------

CON FI D EN T I AL
 -61-
- CONFIDENTIAL

In many respects the 57-mm APC M86 appeared suitable. It con-

tained a bursting charge; and was fitted with a ballistic cap or wind-
.h..id, .nd crtainly no standad pruject,-u o' umller diameter ccild

be used, because of instability. At this time the minimum value of

the stability factor that would be considered acceptable was not known,

nor had a satisfactory determination of the stability factor of the

M86 been made. The 57-mm APC M86 had very closely the same proportions

as the 3" APC M62 projectile, then in use in the 76-mm Gun TiAT, and

would, when fired from the 105-mm howitzer, have a higher twist (1:"36.81h)

than the 3" projectile received from the 76-mm Gun uiAl L40). At equal

MV's, therefore, it was thought that it would be the more stable. The
MV expected was somewhat lower than that of the 76 -mm gun, but this

.I Concluded/
also as AC 4502, and another paper distributed as AC 4509 containing
some experimental data, one of the members of the internal ballistics
group of the Geophysical Laboratory recommended. this expression in
the form given below, and with the values of constants noted.
Total momentum imparted to the gun by breech pressure from a
round in lb ft/sec
= (M + 1/2 C)V + bC
vjhere M= mass of shot in lbs

C = mass of powder in lbs

V = muzzle velocity in ft/bec

g, in ft/sec2 , - 32.1.7

F ="Force" of propellant in ft lb per lb

nominal value for FNH Ml 310,000
nominal value for FNH M2 384,000

b = an empirical constant, about 1.2.

It is evident that, as the mass of the charge increases in proportion
to the mass- of the shot, uncertainty in the value nr h to be used in-
troduces increased uncertainty in the result.

CONFIDE NTIAAL
 -62 -
i _C-0 N F I DE N,,T ,I A

would reduce the stability only slightly. However, the other infor-

mation available indicated that the stability factor of this projectile

would be low when fired from the 105-mm Uowitzer.

Even if the stability factor of the M86 should prove to be too

low, there remained the possibility that it might be raised sufficiently

by shortening the ballistic cap or windshield. The Ammunition Develop-

ment Division of the Research and Development Service of the Office of

the Chief of Ordnance were consulted about this and they indicated that

the substitution of a shorter windshield would not introduce a serious

production difficulty.

No other available projectile appeared to be suitable.

The 75- mm APC M61 (14.96 lb) or the 3-inch APn M62 (15.-4 lb)

would have an ample margin of stability, but there would be a consider-

able reduction in armor penetration as compared with that to be expected

from a 57-mm projectile of the weight of the "186 if both sabot rounds

had the same momentum. The AP M70 was the only other standard U. S.

57-mm armor piercing projectile. It was a solid shot with no armor

piercing cap or ballistic cap. It would., in all probability, be amply

stable; but, because of the very short nose (length of nose 2", radius

of ogive 3.14"), its retardation would be high. Moreover, it had no

bursting charge. It was no longer in production, but large stocks

were on hand.

There were three British armor piercing 57-mm projectiles, the AP,

the APC and the APC BC shot for the QF 6-pr. 7 cwt. The first of these

was identical with the M70. The second was slightly shorter than the

1,170, and, because of its armor piercing cap, might be considered to

be better than the MTO; but its retardation would be verr h ghih and .

C ONIN F I D E N T I A L

i ,,-
 -63 -_______ _

C ON FI D EN T I AL

had no bursting charge. Moreover, it was not being made either in

the United States or Canada, although in limited production in UK.

Thle C ,Cshot
1, would probably be somewhat more stabile than the M86,

as the body plus arnor piercing cap was about the same length as the

corresponding parts of the M86, while the ballistic cap was shorter,

so that the overall length was about 9.5" against 10.3" for the M86.

It was in production in Canada. However, it had no bursting charge.

It was evident that the APC M86 should be used if possible, but

that it was not possible at this time to say whether it could be used

or not. Under these circumstances it appeared necessary to have:

(1) A firm decision on the minimum value of the stability factor

that would be considered acceptable.

(2) A reliable value of the stability factor of the 57-mm APO M86.

It was Division l's job to get the first. The University of New Mexico

undertook to determine the stability factor, using sabot projectiles.

This work was done concurrently with the development of a sabot for

firing the 57-mm projectile from the 105-mm Howitzer.M3, but, for con-

venience, it will be described first.

Determination of Stability Factor of 57-mm APC M86 Projectile and

Modifications

As thialwe the first stability factor determination to be made

at the Urdvani ty of New Mexico, a good deal of preparatory work had to

be der: botWb in building the necessary line of yaw card frames and

in becOMing familiar with the theory and technique involved. The

method used was that currently in use at Aberdeen Proving Grounda.

C ON F I D E N T I A L
 -64- _ _ _ _ _
CONFIDENTIAL

In the case of some of the earlier determinations a check on the value

of the stability factor computed by the APG method was obtained by

using the data to compute a stability factor by the formula of Fowler,

Gallop, Locke, and RichmondL&. The methods employed and the experi-

mental data used in the computation for the first determinations were

made the subject matter of a special report .

The University of New Mexico decided to make the first determina-

tion on projectiles fired from the 75-inn gun M3. To avoid the labor

of making up the sabots for this work, 15 projectiles from the lot of

70 projectiles made to design 28-75 D that had been supplied to Aberdeen

were obtained. As supplied to APG the M86 subcaliber projectiles had

been filled with sand and shot and plugged. For the stability factor

determinations these projectiles, and all other M86 projectiles used,

were filled with ammonium alum and fitted with an 0.85 lb dummy fuze

made to simulate the base detonating fuze M72.

The results of this and other stability determinations made in

the course of developing the AP round for the 105-mm Howitzer M3, are

given in Table X. Two values are given. The value in the ninth

column, is the value obtained directly by computation from the yaw

.4/ This is described in APG Report X-113, "Resistance and

Stability of Projectiles. Experimental Methods and Details of Com-
putation," by H. P. Hitchcock.

_./ The Aerodynamics of Spinning Shell. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.

Vol. A-221, pp. 296-397.

/ "Stability of the 57-mm M86 Projectile .9aboted in the 75-mm

Gun M3 October 26, 1943." University of New Mexico Special Progress
Report, Contract OEMsr-66'.

L 0ON F IDDE"N T I AL
K.| 65-.
C 0 N F I D E N T I AL

card dats, corrected to standard air density. it thus applies at a

point, degnated a, some distance in front of the muzzle. The value

for the stability factor at the muzzle is computed from it by finding

the drop in velocity of the projectile in going from the muzzle to the

point a, and assuming that no change in spin occurs in going this

distance. This value is given in the next column. It is the value

with which we are concerned.1/

Stability facto r determinations were. also made by firing the

projectile from the 105-mm Howitzer M3. The values obtained with the

75-mm gun and with the 105-mm Howitzer showed that the stability factor

of the projectile was too low to permit its use in a sabot for the

105-mm Howitzer without modification.

While these determinations were in progress, Division 1 had been

looking into what might be expected from shortening the windshield.

It was found that the windshield from the 3" APC M86 or from the 75-mm

APC M61 projectile, if cut off so as to be 3.3" in length measured a-

long the axis, could be fitted nicely to the armor piercing cap of the

M86 by turning down a portion of this cap~in ftont of the crimping

groove for the windshieldto fit the taper of the windshield. Calcula-

tions c(fthe stability factor to be expected from the modification were

made for Division 1 by the Geophysical Laboratory using an empirical

formula due to Hitchcock The value of the stability factor of the

./ The computation of the stability to the muzzle was done for. 1

Division 1 by J. McG. Millar ofthe Geophysical Laboratory.

_/ A.P.G. Report X-113, p 31. " 4

C O NF I DE N T I AL I
 -66-_ _ _ _ _

C 0 NqF I D E N T I A L
modified projectile arrived at by the calculations was as high as ap-

peared useful.

In the meantime, an experimental determination of the stability

factor of the projectile without windshield was made. When this re-

sult became known, it appeared that the actual value of the stability

factor with a 3.3" windshield would be considerably below the value

that had been calculated. However, a considerable reduction could

probably be tolerated, the 3-3" windshield was easily made and attached,

and a value determined with it would permit drawing a curve of stability

factor against length of windshield. Accordingly, the determination

was carried out. This was done using steel windshileds 3,311 long

cut from windshields for the ?5-mm APC M61. The value obtained is

shown in Table X. From the curve showing the reactionship of stability

factor to length of windshield, it was now possible to select R length

of windshield to give any stability factor desired.

Choice of Stability Factor for Subcaliber Projectile

Wile the stability lltor determinations were being made, Division

1, had been trying to obtain a figure for the minimum value of the

stability factor that would be considered satisfactory. The Ordnance

Department had no set minimun figure. In A.P.G. Report X-113, on page

33, it is stated that "in practice, q (stability factor) should be at

least 1.3 to allow for the effect of high air density as well as errors

in the computations and estimation of h and Ci." A figure of 1.25 was

stated by one authority to be the minimum acceptable value. Another

authority said that the stability factor should be at least 1.1 under

CON FI, DE N T I AL
 - 67 -

CONFID ENTI AL
the conditions of firing. The stability factor varies inverselyas

the density of the air. If it is to be 1.1 in still air at -40OF and

76 0-mnm Hg, it mst be 1.39 under standard conditions. If it is to be

1.1 in still air at OF and 760-mm Hg, it must be 1.27 under standard

conditions. There was a requirement that ammunition should be service-

able at -400 F. From this it appeared that 1.40 was the minimunm value

acceptable. Now yaw of an armor piercing projectile at the instant

of impact results in decreased penetration, and the higher the stability

factor the quicker yaw is damped out. There is therefore,, in Lhe case

of armor piercing projectiles, an advantage in a stability factor

higher than the minimum.

On November 17, the curve of stability factor against length of

windshield, obtained as a result of the determinations made by the

University of New Mexico, together with drawings showing the M86 with

the different windshields, was studied at the Ballistic Section42.

It was then stated that a factor of 1.5 would be considered acceptable,

and that, judging from the data available, it would be better to ac-

cept a value of 1.5 than to try to obtain a higher value, as that

would increase the retardation, and consequently decrease the pene-

tration at zero yaw except close to the muzzle.

Ih order to learn whether or not there was in production, or on

hand, a windshield that could be used to make a windshield for the

APC M86 that would give a stability factor close to 1.5, a search was
made through the drawings of all projectiles being made for the

Ordnance Department. None was found.

---------------------- --------------------------- ----- -- -- -- -- ----
The Ballistic Section of the Material Branch of the Technical
J..7/
Divisron of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance.

C0 NF I D E N T I AL

AiS*
 -68 -
C 0 N F 1 1)R N T I A L

On December 2. at a conference in the Ballistic Section attended

by representatives of the Ballistic Section, Division 1I,NDRC and the

University of New Mexico, it was deci ded to use a windshicld 2.9

long which was the length corresponding to a stability factor of 1.5"

according to the curve of stability fActor vs. length of windshield.

On December 3, the Atlantic Elevator Company of Philadelphia

undertook to spin up the windshields from steel following a drawing

supplied by the University of New Mexico. The first small lot of wind-
shields was received at the University of New Mexico about the New Year.

On January 10 and 11, firings were made at the University of New

Mexico Proving Ground for stability factor of the 57-mm APC M86 pro-

jectiles fitted with the new 2.911 windshield. The value found, 1.44

(see Table II), was slightly lower than the expected 1.5, but was con-

sidered to be satisfactorily close to it.

Determnations of Trajectories by Tracer Photo ra1hy

During the discussion oV the most suitable stability factor, on

November 17, it was quite evident that calculations of the penetration

to be expected at different ranges with different lengths of windshield

were needed. Before these calculations could be made, however, retarda-

tion measurements were required so that striLing velocities could be

computed. The necessary data were on hanr' ae M86 projectile fitted

with the standard windshield but data w ed for the modified

projectiles and it appeared that a - ,uld probably elapse be-

fore measurements could be made at A.P. was requested by the Office

of the Chief of Ordnance that, if the Uni -sity of New Mexico could

make the required measurement., the.y he asked to do so.

C ONF IDEN T I AL
 -69 -
0 0 NFI DE NT I AL
The University of New Mexico had developed a technique by which

the data needed, i.e., the striking velocities, could be obtained ex-

pe-rimentally from ewh individual round over Lhe full length of the

required range. The equipment needed was simple and was on hand.

After the problem had been discussed with the University of New Mexico,

Division 1, on November 20, 1943 requested that the measurements be

made firing on APC M86 vwth standard windshield, and with no wind-

shield but with the ogive of the armor piercing cai continued forward

to a pointk8.(

The technique used has been described in detail in an NDRC report

and therefore will be but briefly outlined here . A projectile fitLed

with a tracer is fired along a previously surveyed line along which

reference lights are fixed at known points. A camera is set up to

one side of the surveyed line and oriented so that its field embraces

the trajectory to be studied. A vibrating rane swings in front of

the camera lens and gives a succession of breaks in the image of the

tracer, two breaks for each cycle. Comparator measurements are made

of the coordinates of the beginning and end of each break, and of the

images of the reference lights. Horizontal and vertical coordinates

can then be determined for the corresponding points of the trajectory,

and related in time through the period of the vane.

L/ The AP caps of the 57-mm APC M86 projectiles on hand at the

University of New Mexico had a flat on the nose; however, the curve of
the ogive if continued forward gave a sharp point at the position of
the flat.

/ "Trajectory determination by tracer photography." NDRC Armor

a-d Ordnance Report A-283 (OSRO No. 3890), July 3, 1944, by V. D.
Crozier and others, of the University of New Mexico.

C ONF I D EN T I AL

4,.,
 -70 -

CONFI DEN TIAL

Table V

List of Charts Showing Range Against Time of Flight, and Remaining

Velocity Against Time of Flight

Length of Conditions
Date of Windshield Design No. MV for which
Firing Gun Inches of Sabot ft/sec Data Given

10/29/43 75-mm gun M3 Standard, 4.55" 28-75 D 2700* field

10/29/43 75-mm gun M3 Standard, 4.5" 28-75 D 2700 standard

10/29/43 75-mm gun M3 Standard 75-mm 2030 standard

Apn m61
11/30/43 105-mm How M3 Standard, 4.5" 9-105 C 2300 field

12/7/43 105-mm How M3 -33.3" 9-105 C 2640 fiAd

12/7/43 105-mm How U3 1.35"1 9-105 C 2605 field

2/17/44 105-mm How 113 2.9" 2-105 R 2650 field

2/17/44 105-mm How M3 2.9" 2-105 R 2680 field

* This is also the MV of the 57-mm gun Ml firing projectile 57-mm APO
m86.
** No windshield - effective length 1.35".

In each case the chart shows the weight of the projectile as fired.

In this way, data were obtained, and charts prepared showing the

remaining velocity and range against time of flight for the various
modifications of the 57-mm APC M86. The same was done for the standard

75-mm APC1M61, plugged, so that comparisons could be made with corres-

ponding data obtained by orthodox methods. These charts are listed in

Table '. Copies of the first six charts listed, together with a re-
port on the method used, were delivered to the Office of the Chief of
Ordnance by Division 1, NDRC on December 24, 1943.

JO/ Copies of all these charts are included in Final Report, Con-
tract OBMsr-668, Supplements 1, 2, and 3, dated March 10, 1944.

C 0 N F I DE N T I A L
 -71-
C 0 N F I D E ! T I A L

The data for orojectiles fitted with 2.911 windshields were obtained

by firing projectiles identical with the 110 sabotrrojectiles 105-mm/

57-mmn (APC M86 modified) supplied for testing by Aberdeen Proving Ground

and by the Infantry Board but filled with ammonun alum and fitted with

inert fuze BD M72. The charts prepared from these data were sent to

the Ordnance Deuratment on March 10, 1944, together with other data

about this lot of Projectiles.

It has been noted that charts giving data for firings from the

75-mm Gun M3 were inclosed with those sent to the Office of the Chief

of Orchdance on December 24, 1943. One of these charts was prepared

from daa obtained from a. standard 75-mm APC M61 round. The Ballistic

Section carefully compared the data on this chart with corresponding

data that had been obtained by Aberdeen Proving Ground using the

orthodox methods. The agreement was excellent.

Development of Sabot Mechanism for, and Prodct~otdn of, Armor Piercing

Sabot Projectiles

The informal request by Division 1, NDRC, on August 18, 1943, to

have armor piercing and high explosive sabot projectiles for the 105-ram

Howitzer M3 developed by the University of New mexico had stated that

the sub41ber projectile for the high explosive projectile should be

the 90 *'tell W42A1 and that for the armor piercini, orojectile should

bb the "57-ram APO M86, unless experimental work should -rove that this

was imptracticable.

DOsign worki was commenced at once on receipt of the request, and,

as a supply of i186 projectiles was on hand, some sebot projectiles

were soon made up. The howitzer was received on 6eptteliber 10, and by

CO N F I _D : N T I A L
 - 72 - ____________
70NF I DE
N TIA

October 12 powder, cartridge cases, and primers had been received

and experimental firings could begin. The first design of sabot for

the 57-mm M86 projectiles, No. 2-105, followed very closely the de-

sign 28-75 D to which the 75-nm/57-mm (APC M86) sabot projectiles

supplied to the Ordnance Department had been made. Some details of

this and succeeding designs are given in table XIA. Because of the

advantage in armor penetration to be gained from a light sabot, a

good deal of effort was directed toward lightening it. The first

modification, resulting in design 2-105A, was to lighten the threaded

steel ring by drilling 8 equally spaced holes 1 inch deep from the

front face. For the same reason 8 holes were drilled the length of

the plastic sleeve or bourrelet. This "ventilation" of the sleeve

also took the place of the usual radial slits to insure symmetrical

breakup.

The next. move was to use dural instead of steel in the threaded

ring. Three designs, incorporating this feature, 6-105, 9-105, and

9-105A were tried. The first two of these had solid plastic sleeves

with the usual breaking slits. In the third design the sleeve was

"ventilated." At this time the only powders available at the University

of New Mexico Proving Ground (lots 4254 and 5870) were not too well

suited to firing these sabots. Lot 4254 was rather too slc ,, so that

there was some spitting of unburned powder from the muzzle. However,

it gave quite satisfactorily uniform pressures and velocities. Lot

5870 gave rather erratic pressures, some of which were quite hi!Lh.

The dural worked fairly well with lot 4254 but would not stand up to

.the higher presswres frequently given by lot 5870. A design, 9-105C,

was tried in which the dural ring of 9-105 was replaced by a steel

CONFIDENTIAL

t
 -73 -
C -7NF I D EN T Y A L
ring with 12 holes drilled from the front to lighten it. The sleeve
was again ventilated. This design gave moderately good results with

both powders, verifying the conclusion that the failure had been be-

cause of the dural. It was concluded that the margin of strength in

the dural was insufficient for these designs, and its use was abandoned.

A base ring type of sabot, design 5-105, was tried while the ex-

periments with dural were under way. The base ring, of heat treated

steel, had a shallow cup on the front face, into which the base of the

M86 projectile fitted. The plastic sleeve was threaded to the steel

base ring. This design gave poor flight. This was attributed to the

weakness of the bourrelet brought about by the large diameter of the

"ventilating" holes. It should also be noted, however, that the base

ring and the subcaliber projectile are not held together as securely

as the threaded ring and subcaliber projectile of designs like 2-105.

All the other designs tried were threaded ring types.

Attention was now centered on modifications of design 2-105. The

length of the threaded steel ring was shortened so that it extended

forward only just beyond the rotating band, and holes were drilled in

it from the rear. Both these changes removed weight. Efforts were

still made to lighten the plastic bourrelet by drilling holes length-.

wise in it, "ventilating it," or by removing material from the inside

of the sleeve except at the ends. However, these efforts were abandoned

as large initial yaws persisted, and in the effort to reduce the large

initiail yaws the plastic sleeve was again made solid except for the

breaking slits, and the windage was reduced. The bore diameter of

this howitzer is 4.134" * .002". The diameter of the sleeves had

been 4.128" - .005". This was increased to 4.131" - .003", but the

UU N F I DE N T I A L
 - 74 -
CONFIDENTIAL

large initial yaws persisted. Although there had been no direct

evidence of asymmetrical release of the parts, and many evidences

of symmetrical release, an effort was made to improve the synulietry

of release, in the hope of decreasing the yaw, by increasing the

number of segments in the threaded ring and in the sleeve, and by

dividing the plastic sleeve-into three rings. However, the large

initial yaws still persisted. No significant engraving of the plastic

was being experienced but it seemed possible that the high compressi-

bility of the plastic material permitted considerable decentering

of the projectile. Large initial yaws had not been experienced with

either the 75-,mn/57-nun (APC M86) projectile or the 105-inn/3" (HE Mh2A1)

projectiles. However, not only had these projectiles been longer in

proportion to their diameter, but the thickness of the plastic in the

sleeve had been lesa". The forward part of the plastic was next re-

placed by a ring of dural and the increased diameter was maintained.

This change resulted in decreased yaws, and was adopted for the final

design, 2-105R, to which the lot prepared for the Army was made. This

design is shown in Figures 4 to 7 . It should be noted that the

f j' In the work done earlier at the Geophysical Laboratory, after

adopting the plastic bourrelet introduced by the University of New Mexico,
it was found that yaws remained large and dispersion unsatisfactory until
a means was found of simultaneously decreasing the windage and offsetting
the high compressibility of the plastic. An intern;'llv coned sleeve of
plastic was fitted over a corresponding cone on the forward end of the
large plastic sleeve. On setback, this sleeve moved to the re~r ovov the
coned surface on the large sleeve until stopped by a shoulder on t!i large
sleeve. As it moved back the sleeve was expanded, filling the bore. This
idea was incorporated in projectiles for the 20-mn gun* and later in pro-
jectiles for the Br.17-pounder (3")* and for the 105-rm Hovmtzer M3*.
* NDRC Reort A-233 (OSRD No. 2067) "Development of subcaliber pro-
jectiles for the Hisnano-Suiza Gun," by C. L. Critchfield snd
J. -McG. Millnr.
* Projectile Test Report AD-P99 Ordnance Research Center, A.P.G. Report
on test of 3"/57-mm Sabot type projectile Ausst, to Now-nhpe 191.3,
... A.P.G. Firing Record, 42490r; July, 19)143

C 0 N F I DE T I AL

i9
 - 76 -
CONFIDENTIAL

three outside shops. The assembly of the parts was carried out at

the University of New Mexico. On March 9, 1944, 110 of these projectiles

werc shipped to Picatinny Arsenal where the projectiles were to be

filled and fuzed and made up into complete rounds preparatory to tenting,

first bR" the Ordnance Department at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and then

by the Infantry Board at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

A dispersion test of design 2-105R was made on March 10, 1943.

The data are listed in Table IX. A dispersion test of desi~n 9-105A

in comparison with the standard HF Ml fired with full charge had been

fired in November. Only 4 rounds of each type werc fired. The data

are also listed in Table IX.

The following data will amiplify those given on the drawings:

Subcaliber projectile 57-rmm APC W86 made up without band seat or

rotating band, in condition as machined i.e.,

not heat treated, fitted vwth special short

windshield 2.9"1 axial length.

Weight 6.09 lb, empty, wthout fuze.

Weight 7.00 lb, inert loaded with fuze, BD M72.

Sabot Threaded ring type of cold rolled steel, with

bourrelet of paper-laminated phenol-formal-

dehyde plastic tubing (Textolite) ASTM type

XX with dural ring in front, Bomirrelet

diameter 4.130" - 0.003".

Weight 4-.3 lb.

Total weight Plnpty, no fuze, 10.22 lb.

Inert filled, with fuze BD M72, 11.13 lb.

CO0NFPIDnE N T I ,,L
 - 75 -
CONFI DEN
TI AL

diameter of the bourrelet in this lot was 4.1.30"--0.003" i.e., 0.0Ol"I

less than the madxmum diameter tried.

Portinn. of these
0 dur'al rings that were recovered at the University

of New Mexico Proving Ground showed that only superficial engraving

was occurring. It will be recalled that the howitzer in use by the

University of New Mexico was new. How these dural rings would have

behaved in a more worn howitzer, therefore remains a question. Rx-

perience elsewhere with dural has shown that it has very little re-

sistance to deep engraving, and, for this reason, is frequently unsatis-

factory as a bourrelet material. Deep engraving tends to occur especially

in worn guns. A steel band over the dural, to provide a bearing against

thr bore, has been used successfully on British and U. S. service pro-

jectiles, and was later adopted in the University of New Mexico designs.

About the middle of February, the plastic for the bourrelets was

given an immersion test. The piece tested was several inches long;.

The inside diameter was 2.9", the outside diwiuneter 4.153" initially.

It was boiled in water for three hours, then let dry and cool at room

temperature for one and one-half hours. The outside diameter was then

4.156". It was then left submerged in water at, room temperature for

21 hours and let dry at room temperature for two hours. The outside

diameter was then 4.155",, It will be recalled that the bourrelet

diameter adopted in design 2-105R permitted only 0.003" expansion in

the diameter of the plastic.

As soon as the design 2-105R had been found to give roor1 results

with small yaws, production of the projectiles to be supplied to fhe

Arm.,y was begun. Because of the load of work in the shop of the Depart-

ment of Physics, arrangements were made to have pmrts produced by

C O N F I D EN T I A L
'- 77 - .....
C ONFI DEN TI AL
0

Development of Sabot Mechanism for, and Production of lIE Sabot Proectiles

No difficultv was e arienced in d... ing tU.I o

explosive shell. The final design 3-105B is shown in Figures

This design was developed in three steps from the basic design 28-75D.

No difficulty from large yaws was experienced, so the bourrelet diameter

was left the same as in the first design tried, i.e., 4.1281" - 0.005".

In the first design tried, 3-105, the threaded steel ring extended 3/4"
in front of the rotating band. The plastic bourrelet was held in place

between the threaded steel ring and a small shoulder formed on the

bourrelet of the shell M42A1 by turning the shell dlown to 2.90", from

the base forward 5.32". In design 3-105A the threaded steel ring was

lightened by removing the steel in front of the rotating band. In 3-105B

the lightened ring was retained and the height of the shoulder on the

M42A1 was decreased by increasing to 2.965" the diemeter to which the

shell behind it was turned. In assembly the plastic sleeve was placed

on the shell from the rear, then the steel ring, which had already been

banded, was screwed on.

3-105A was tested for release at roduced charge. Operation was

satisfactory at 11/16 charge MV 1460 ft/sec, but release did not take

place at 5/8 charge MV 1330 ft/sec.

A dispersion test of design 3-105A was made on November 25, 1943

and another dispersion test of 3-105B on February 16, 1944. The latter

tebt was made on projectiles chosen at random from the lot made up for

test by the Ordnance Department and the Infantry 'Board. The results

of these tests are stated in Table IX.

"CO0 N F I D M T I A L
 -78 -
* CONFIDENTIAL

Although the final design 3-105B is almost exactly the same as

3-105A, the second design tried, other designR wrp e prirmer+ed w-th.

The designs tried may be divided into thrnn types according to the

type of base by which the thrust and torque are imparted; threaded

ring, base plate, and groove and ring. All three havo plastic sleeves

or bourrelets. Some details of these designs are given in Table XIB.

The only other threaded ring design tried was l0-105B. The threaded
steel ring was only the length of the rotating band and was partially

segmented by slits running from the inside out. A plastic sealing ring

was fitted behind it. The slits were filled with metal sheet to pre-

vent distortion upon transmission of torque. The total weight was 3 lb.

Three rounds only were fired. Operation was satisfactory at 2000 ft/sec
and at 1755 ft/sec but it did not release at 1535 ft/sec.

Three base plate designs were tried. 4-105 had a solid base plate

of cold rolled steel with a shallow cup on the face into which the base
of the M42A1 shell fitted. The plastic sleeve was held to the base

plate by 4 screws threaded into the plastic. The T42A1 was held in

place by set screws passing through the plastic and fitting into the
crimping groove of the M2A1. Total weights of the sabots of the two

examples tried were 4.25 and 3.93 lb.. Operation was satisfactory in

both cases. 11-105 was similar to 4-105 but the base plate had a hole

in the center, and was made of SAE 4130 steel, heat treated. The total
weight of the sabot was 3.4 lb in one model with solid plastic sleeve
vlith 4 breaking slits, and only 2.5 lb in the other model tried, which

had holes drilled lengthwise in the bourrelet to lighten it. Both

models failed in the gun. ll-105A was the same at 11-105 excet that

the area of the hole in the base plate was decreased, and, in both of

C ON F I DEN7 TIA L
 79__ _ _ _ _ _ _

C 0NFI DEN TI AL

the two models fired, the bourrelet was solid except for the breaking

slits. Both models fired tumbled in flight. Recovery of parts in-

dicated that separation of the base plate and the subcaliber projectile

had occurred in the bore. It should be noted that these designs do

not secure the subcaliber projectile to the base plate as strongly as

the subcaliber projectile is held to the threaded ring of designs

like 3-105, and in this respect are not as satisfactory as the threaded

ring typer.

Design 7-105 made use of the groove of the band seat of the M42A1

slightly deepened (diameter 2.645"), to apply thrust and torque through

a steel ring, of 4 tightly fitting segments, that fitted into the groove,

and was held together by the rotating band. A plastic sealing ring,

partially segmented, was fitted behind the segmented steel ring. The

total weight, with solid plastic bourrelet, was 3.75 lb. Two examples

were fired. Both performed satisfactorily. Design 7-105A was made

slightly lighter by cutting a deep groove in the rear face of the seg-

mented steel ring. Total weight of the sabot was 2.75 lb. Two pro-

jectiles were fired, one at fail., one at 3/4 charge. Both were satis-

factory. Two more projectiles were made to this design but with the

J/ The drawings of 4-105, base plate design for the 105-mm/3"

sabot show the plastic sleeve secured to the steel base plate by
screws threaded into the plastic from the rear, and the subcaliber
projectile held in place by set screws through the plastic sleeve.
In 11-105 the plastic sleeve was held to the base plate by 0.3" of
threads 3.2711 diameter. The way in which the subcaliber projectile
is held in place is not shown on the drawings. Design 5-105, for
the 105-mm/57-mm sabot, is like 11-105. The threaded portion of
the plastic sleeve is 0.35" long and 3.2"1 diameter. The way in
which the subcaliber projectile is secured in plnce is not shown.

u 0 N FI DENT I AL
S-" - 80 -
CONFIDENTI AL

segmented steel ring fitted loosely into the groove on the M42A1 with

.02011 clearance in front of the ring. ....

Theav 'eLJr-U, one C4 fUll

charge. one at 11/16 charge. to see if failure would occur under these

circumstances. Separation and flight were satisfactory although there

was some initial yaw at full charge.

As soon as the design 3-105B had been selected, during the first

week of December 1943, the preparation of 100 projectiles for trans-

iftittal tothe Army for test was begun in the shop of the Physics Depart-

ment of the University of New Mexico. However, a great deal of other

work was being done there, both on other phases of the sabot develop-

ment, and on other unrelated work, so that it was not until February

16, 1944, that the 100 projectiles were shipped to Picatinny.

The following data apply to the projectiles of that shipment, UiN

Design No. 3-105B.

Subcaliber 311 HE shell M42AI empty. Outside diameter reduced to

Projectiles
2.965" from the base forward for 5.32". Weight

empty, 9.53 lb - when filled inert and fitted with

inert fuze PD M48 and dummy booster M20, weight

12.50 lb.
Sabot Threaded ring of cold rolled steel with integral skirt

to fit into cartridge case, ring screwed to HE

shell M42A1 after having been banded and after

plastic sleeve has been put on M42A1. Bourrelet

sleeve of paper-laminated phenol-formaldehyde plastic

tubing (Textolite) ASTM type XX. Bourellet diameter

4.1281 - 0.005".

Total weight of sabot 3.12 lb.

CO NFIDEN TI AL

I
.- 81--_______
CONFIDENTIAL

Total weight Tmpty, 12.65 lb.

Filled inert, with inert fuze PD M48 and dummy booster

U~fl, 1.62 lb.

Propellant Charges for the Sabot Pro.jectiles

Some of the difficulty experienced in developing the sabot for

the armor piercing round was connected with the powder. For this

reason the following notes about the powders are included.

In July 1943, Aberdeen Proving Ground had fired 12-lb slugs

in the 105-m Howitzer M3 to establish a charge for the 105-mT/57-mm

(M86) sabot projectiles supplied by the Geophysical Laboratory. As a

result of trying five different lots of powder, a charge was established

for FNH M2 lot 4254. The weight of charge was 59 oz, average pressure

24370 p.s.i., average MV 2526 ft/sec maximum recoil 31 5/8 inches.

This powder was the best available at APG but was rather too slow as

there was considerable spitting of unburned powder. A quantity of

this powder was on hand at the University of New Mexico Proving Ground.
It was believed that, although a faster powder was desirable, where

the maximum uniformity of ballistics was required, this powder would

do for the first of the experimental firings of the armor piercing

sabot projectiles.
As soon as the approximate weight of the 14h sabot projectile,

15 - 17 lb, was known, it was communicated to the Geophysical Labora-

tory, where calculations were carried out to get the relationship be-

tween web, charge weight, pressure, and muzzle velocity, over the

range wVi.hin which the maximum muzzle velocity might be expected to

CC
,NFIDENTI AT
 -82 CONFI DEN TI AL

lie from what was known about the limitation to muzzle velocity in

this howitzer. At, the same time, similar calculations were also made

for the lt ghtmr armor piercing projectile. Powders to meet the web

specifications of the Geophysical Laboratory were selected by the

Office of the Chief of Ordnance, and a supply was shipped by express

to the University of New Mexico, where it arrived on October 4, 1943.

The powders selected were FNH fl. lot 5870 web SP 0.016 and FNH .*Mlot

X-6099 web SP 0.023.

The slower of these two powders proved quite satisfactory for the

HE projectile and was used throughout the experimental work.

The faster of the two, lot 5870, proved rather unsatisfactory

for the armor piercing projectile. The pressures werp rather erratic

and occasionally excessive. However, as lot 4254, which had been on

hand, gave satisfactorily low and uniform pressures with satisfactorily

uniform muzzle velocities, most of tim experimental firings of the

armor piercing projectiles were done with it until about the begining
had
of January 1944. About this time itbecome evident that the initial

yaws of the sabot projectiles were higher than they should be, and

efforts were being made to locate the cause. Lot 4254 gave excessive

muzzle blast. It was expected that the muzzle pressure with it was
high, and there was a suspicion that this might contribute to the yaw.

It therefore became most desirable to have some satisfactory powder

faster than lot 4254. More attention was paid to lot 5870. Although

no slugs had been fired with this powder, it was suspected that the

erratic pressures might be caused by differences in starting pressures

from round to round, and the sabots were redesigned to test this.

SCONFI DEN T T A L

*I ' 0
J,/
 83
- ,C0, NF I D T IAL
The steel skirt that projects to the rear inside the cartridge

case is expanded against the case, and this in turn against the bore,

when the pressure inside the cartridge (.qe rises. This intruduces

a drag. This skirt was omitted in Designs 2-105N and 13-105. In

13-105 the diameter of the rotating band was also decreased. These

changes designed to reduce the starting pressure did not remove the

difficulty.

By this time there was a moderate body of data on firings with

this powder. While the pressure data were erratic, and there were

sporadic high pressures which suggested faulty ignition, the pressures

were generally high and indicated that a slower powder would be better.

Calculations were made at the Geophysical Laboratory for more suitable

webs of Ml and M2 powders, both SP and 1iP and the Office of the Chief

of Ordnance chose three powders, FNH M1 lot 3527-30 SP .018, FNH M2

lot Rad-3004 MP .0324 and FNH M2 lot Rad-3005 MP .0370, and had supplies

of these shipped by express to the University of New Mexico. Shortly be-

fore this, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance had found that sporadic

high pressures in the 76-mm gun were eliminated by using a long primer

vented at the forward end, i.e., by igniting the charge at the forward

end. It was suggested that similar pririers might overcome the dif-

ficulty being experienced, and arrangeiaents were made for two types of

long primers, the M22 and the M31, differing only in the amount of

black powder load, to be sent to the University of New Mexico. In the

meAntiile, weights of charges for the three new powders were computed

at the Geophysical Laboratory. When the new powders arrived, i.t was

found that both lot 3004 and lot 3005 worked well with the standard

primers used in the cartridge cases for this howitzer, giving uniform

CONF ID NTIAL
 -
.-.4...

- CONFIDENTIAL

and satisfactorily low pressures, All qubs-ecqaent firings were madei

using these powders. Lot 3527-30 was used only once, an excessive

pressure resulted.
When the sabot projectiles were shipped to Picatinny Arsenal

for filling, Division l, NDRC passed to the Office of the Chief of

Ordnance the data that had been obtained from the firings with respect
to propellant charge. These follow:

Sabot projectile to designs 2-105R.

Total weight, inert loaded, with fuze 11.13 lb

Total weight, empty, without fuze 10.23.16

Powder FNH M2, lot Rad-3004, web .0324 NP

Charge wt. 3.55 lb (1610 grams)

Pressure 26000 p.s.i. (copper) (See Appendix II)

MV 2660 ft/sec
Recoil 31.75 in. (at 520 F).

Alternate charge to give approximately the same results 3.9 lb

(1770 grams) FNH M2, lot Rad-3005, web .0370 MP.

Sabot projectile to design 2-105B.

Total weight, inert loaded, with fuze and booster 15.62 lb

Total weight, empty, no fuze or booster 12.65 lb

Powder FNH MI, lot No. X-6099, web .022 SP

Charge WT 3.0 lb (1362 grais)

Pressure 1900 p.s.i. (copper) (See Appendix II)

MV 2000 ft/sec
Recoil 31 in. (at 320 F)

Hop about 3 1/4 in.

CONFI DENTIAL
 -85 -
CONFI DENTIAL

These charges, as shown by the recoil, were the maximum that

could be used. The projectilus were designed so that they had a good

margin of safety with these charges and would operate satifae-t+orily

at much lower MV's than given by these charges.

Difficulty with Sights of Howitzer

It will be recalled that at the conference on August 7, 1943,

when the Infantry representative had asked for the development of the

sabot projectiles for the 1 05-mm Howitzer M3, it had been said that

the accuracy of this howitzer was unsatisfactory with full charge, and

became satisfactory only when the charge was reduced to that for the

third zone, and that inquiries made by Division 1, had failed to un-

cover the cause of the inaccuracy.

As the firing with the howitzer at the University of New kexico

proceeded, the main difficulty encountered with it was from the sights.

It was found that so much play developed in the sights that accurate

shooting was not possible with them. As this was probably brought

about by the jarring caused by firing, it was expectable that less

trouble from this cause would be encountered when using the charge

for the third zone than when firing with full charge.

"Then this was brought to the attention af the Ordnance Department,

it was learned that the sights had given a good deal of trouble, but

C ON FI DFN TI AL
 6
8- -

CONFFIDENTIAL
that it was believed that this difficulty had been overcome, without

any radi"CVLCAl % Ihnge

in d 1 u, by increasing the strength in a few

places, and by tightening up on specifications and inspection, And

that the sights being issued currently would not develop more than

about 1 mil play5'. It was also believed that the Infantry Board,.

who were quite familiar with this difficulty, had thoroughly satis-
factory sights on the howitzers they were using.
The howitzer carriage has a firing base which is lowered under

the carriage to provide a firm support for firing. Even when using

this firing base, however, the howitzer has considerable hop with
full charge at low angles of elevation.

At the University of New Mexico all firings were done from the

firing base. After trouble was experienced with the sights, their

use was abandoned. The howitzer was then laid for line by bore sight-

ing, and for elevation by means of a gunner's quadrant. At first,

bore sighting was done by means of a peephole and string; later, by

means of a telescope held axially in the bore.

5/ The handwheel for traversing this howitzer is located on the

left-hand side of the carriage, that for elevating it, on the right.
The man who is laying for line looks at the target or at the aiming
point through an elbow telescope (M62) which is mounted on a telescope
adapter (M9). The adapter provides a motion about a vertical axis and
is fitted with an azimuth scale, which for direct fire is set at zero.
The telescope adaptor is mounted on telescope mount M16.
Elevation for range is put on by means of a handwheel on the right
side, using a range quadrant M8 mounted on the right side of the carriage,
or, in case of direct fire, by sighting at the target through an elbow
telescope (M61) which is mounted on be range quadrant. This telescope
is fitted with a reticule of horizontal lines corresnonding to ranges,
and laying for range is accomplished by turning the elevating hand-
wheel until the appropriate line is on the target.

C 0 N F I D E 'NT 1 A L
 .-87 - CONFIDENTIAL

Filling Projectiles at Picatinny Arsenal

At Picatinny Arsenal both lots of sabot projectiles were made

lip it serLi-fUlxed romnds, preparatory to being sent to Aberdeen Prov-

ing Ground for tests there by the Ordnance Department. The data on

charge, pressure, muzzle velocity, recoil, and hop that had been ob-

tained by the University of New Mexico and passed by Division 1, NDRC

to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance were checked over by Aberdeen

Proving Ground, and it was decided that it would be unnecessary to

make firings to determine a charge, and Picatinny Arsenal was in-

structed to fill the full charge to which the UNM data applied. In

each case this was about the maximum charge that could be used with

the projectile as judged by the length of recoil. If, when the pro-

jectiles were fired at A.P.G., experts on the 105-mm Howitzer M3 de-

cided that the charges should be reduced, this could be done.

The projectiles were made up into 4 lot&. The propellant

charges loaded were the same as those used at the University of New

Mexico. The rounds were filled as follows:

105-mm/3" (HE E42Al)

All propellant charges 3 lb, FNH Mdl, lot X-6099

50 projectiles, lot PAE-61174-2919, filled cast TNT, fuze PD M48A2

50 projectiles, lot PAF-61174-2920, filled inert, live fuze

PD M48A2, live boosters M2OAl.

105-mm!Z57-mm (APC M86 modifidd)

All propellant charges 3.55 lb FNH M2 lot Rad-3004, filled in

seven small bags.

3A/ Details are given on Ammunition Data Cards #'s 6659(HE inert),
6660 HE filled TNT), 35515 AP (exp D.), 35516 AP (inert)

C 0 NF I DE NT I AL
 "
-88 -

CO N F I DE N T I AL

-projectiles lot PA-115-1 filled exolosive D. fuze PD M-79

-projectiles lot PA-116-1 filled inert, live fuze DD M72

The projectiles were then shipped tb Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Acceptance Tcsts at Aberdeen Proving Ground

Firing tests were made at Aberdeen Proving Ground on June 7 and

8, 1944 . Observations were made on the functioning of the howitzer

with the rounds, and recoil and jump were recorded. Hop was observed,

but the estimates are not a part of the record. The pressure, the re-

tardation, and the muzzle velocity were obtained. Tests were also

made of the functioning of the fuze and of the HE filling.

The 105-mm/3" (M42AI) rounds proved quite satisfactory. However,

the light was so poor that bore sighting was very difficult, and con-

sequently the measurements of jump are only an approximation. Recoil

varied from 28 1/2 to 31 in. Pressure averaged 26680 p.s.i., max.

29700, min. 24300. MVV averaged 1986 ft/sec, max. 2009, min. 1971.

The form factor relative to Projectile Type 6, calculated from the

retardation, was 0.96 at 1943 ft/sec.

The 105-mm/57-Pmn (M86 modified) projectiles were firAd on the

second night, and, ssthe !ightwas then much better, the measurements

of junp weroe more reliable. The first round fired developed a pressure

of 35,000 p.s.i. and the recoil was 32 1/8". The velocity through

1/ A.P.G. Firing Record )-31538. This firing record includes

copies of the ammunition data cards, and photogrsiphs of the projectilce
showing the construction. Details of the firings and. the results are
given.

C 0 N F I DE N T I AL
 - 89 -
CONFIDENTIAL

the first ya'il of coiEls 21-

700 f~t,'secU- at 'Whe 'nuzzl 2766 L/"

The charge was then reduced to 3.44 lb by removing one of the small

sacks, which weighed 0.106 lb (zone TI charge). The pressure and re-

coil resulting were considered acceptable. The recoil varied from

31 5/8 to 31 7/8 in. The pressure and AV were quite uniform. Pres-

sure averaged 28600 p.s.i., the maximum being 29500 p.s.i., and the

minimum 27300 p.s.!. MV averaged 2655 ft/sec, max. 2667 ft/sec, min.

2649 ft/sec. The form factor relatiwe to Projectile Type 6, calculated

from the retardation, was 1.37 at 2590 ft/sec.

The fuzes and fillings functioned satisfactorily.

Aberdeen Proving Ground recommended that the propellant charge

of the 105-mn/57-mm (APC M86 modified) rounds be reduced by at least

0.106 lb, and instructions were issued by the Office of the Chief of

Ordnance to reduce them by this amount before shipping the rounds to

the Infantry Board at Ft. Banning, Georgia.

Trials by Infantry Board

These projectiles were tested by the Infantry Board at Ft. Benning,

Georgia on July 27 and 28, 19". No official report of these tests

has been received by Division 1, NDRC. The follow.ing notes are com-

piled from the report of the Division 1, NDRC observer at the trials - -

105-mm/57-mm (AP M86. shortened windshield)

The tests began on Thursday afternoon, July 27. "Dur-

ing the course of the firing on that afternoon, Col. Ingomar
M. Oseth, President of the Infantry Board, stated that the
Infantry Board was primarily interested in the possibility
of replacing the 57-mm gun with the 105-mm Howitzer M3,
firing this sabot projectile. If the Howitzer, when firing
this round, should prove to be nearly as satisfactory an
anti-tank weapon as the 57-mn mgin thpy wn1uld he willing; to

CONFIDENTIAL
 -90
g -
CO FI DEN TI AL
accept the small decrease in armor penetration involved.
By making the substitution, more fire power could be gain-
ed. There are at preaerit eighteen 57-mm AT guns to the
Regiment. These are essentially single-purpose weapons,
of very little use except against tanks. The Hnwi+ter,
on the other hand, is a general purpose, support weapon,
firing as it does a 33 lb. HE shell and 29 lb. H.E.A.T.
(hollow charge) shell. The possibility of the addition
of a satisfactory high velocity AP. round was, therefore,
of great interest to the Infantry Board.

"The carriage of the 57-mm gun (essentially the

British 6 pr.) has been designed especially for direct fire
at moving targets. The layer (on the left side) has com-
plete control of the gun. Tho traverse covers a total arc
of 900. On some models this motion is geared, on others,
free, the layer controlling the traverse with his right
shoulder. Sighting is direct by open sight or by simple
telescope. The sights are mounted directly on the teles-
cope mount which is bolted to the cradle. Range is put
on by adjusting the vertical angle between the telescope
and the cradle. The pivot by which this is done is the
only moving Joint between the cradle and the sights. The
sights do not traverse except with the gun. Lead is put
on by means of graduations in the telescope. The layer
also fires. The gun is supported on steel firing seg-
ments not on pnenunatic tires when firing. WVith this car-
riage, especially with the modification having free
traverse, it is Very easy to follow a rapidly moving tar-
get.

"The Howitzer carriage was not designed for direct

fire at moving targets. The total traverse is 450. Fo.:
direct firq azimuth is put on by a gunner on the left side
of the Howitzer, who operates the traversing gear, using
an elbo% telescope. Elevation is put on by another gunncr
on the right s.Lc of the Howitzer. using another elbow celeb-
cope with a raage scale on the reticule (For ind!.rect fire,
a range drum and bubble are used.) Neither gunner faces
the target at which he is shooting but faces in a direction
900 from the target. A very high degree of cooperation-
between the two gunners is required. There are three mov-
ing joints between each telescope and the gun cradle.

"The Infantry Board have modified some of their 105-um

Howitzers for one-man laying. A hand-wheel has been added
to the left side, coupled with the elevating gear on the
right. A telescope mount, carrying a range drum, is then
used on the left side and the telescope with a range scale
on the reticule is mounted on it, so that the layer on that
side can lay for azimuth and elevation. The telescope is
still an elbow telescope so hat the layer looks in a direc-
tion 900 from the target. The sights are very much less

C ON F I D F N T I A L
 - 91 -
. CONFIDENTIAL

convenient than those fitted to the 57--mm gun and are much
more likely to develop play.

"The firings showed up a number of defects. The

sights would not remain in adjustment during firing. In
conversations with the officers doing the firing, I learned
that the sights have, in their experience, retained their
adjustment moderately well when firing the standard HE round,
using Charge 3, but have never been entirely satisfactory
in this respect with Charge 5. With this sabot round, how-
ever, they were much worse than with the 33 lb. HE shell
and Charge 5. This is undoubtedly connected with the a-
mount and violence of the movement of the carriage on
firing. As will appear below, this movement of the carriage
was much worse with the sabot round than with the standard HE
round, using full charge.
"For the most part, the Howitzer was firod from its
wheels. The hop with this round was then excessive. The
amount of hop depends on a nunber of factors and was dif-
ferent in each of the three positions occupied during the
tests. In one of these three positions, the hop was com-
pared with that when firing HE UI with full charge. The
standard round gave a hop of not over 6" but the sabot
round gave a hop of 10", that is, on firing, the wheels
were lifted 10" from the ground. When the gun drops to
the ground again, it bounces up and down several times on
its pneumatic tires. This usually resulted in the Howitzer
rolling ahead about 10" to 12", so that the spades were no
longer engaged. On firing again, the whole carriage would
run back this distance, then the spades would engage, and
the gun would hop up about 10". If, in putting the gun in
position, the wheels were dug in so that they would not
roll forward, this trouble would be lessened," but hop is
bound to be serious when firing from pneumatic tires.
"This violent reaction of the Howitzer when fired from
the vwheels makes it impossible for the gunners to remain
in the laying position, and for this reason, and because
the gun does not return to its original position, it is
impossible to relay quickly.
"This Howitzer is provided with a firing base so that
it need not be fired from the wheels. At my request, the
Holitzer was fired from the base, The hop was then very
much reduced and the forward motion of the Howitzer, after
firing, was eluiinated. However, another difficulty appeared.
When the Howitzer is on its firing base, it is lower than
when on the whells. In this position, the bottom surfaces
of the trials are not far from horizontal and thus bear
on the surface of the ground over a considerable part of
the length of the trials. There is very little tendency

CONF I D E N T I A L
 - 92 -
CONFI DEN TIAL
for the spades to dig in and what tendency there is is
resisted by the trail in contact with the ground. After
a few rounds, the earth behind one or other of the spades
gives way and the whole Howitzer is thrown to one side.
1T.3 occurred on sod at Fenning. it had also occurred in
sand and gravel during test firing at Aberdeen. A larger
and especially a deeper spade would help, so would digging
the earth out from under the trails when putting the gun
into position ."/

However the hop of this weapon is so much, even when fired

from the firing base, that the layer or layers can not keep
their eyes to the telescoDe while the Howitzer is fired,
(The exit pupils are quite close to the eye pieces so that
the eye must be close to the eye piece) consequently really
rapid fire against a moving target is not possible.

"VThcther, because the spades do not hold well when

the Howitzer is on its firing base, because bf the slight
additional time required to put the weapon into action,
of for some other reason, it was evident that the users
preferred to fire the Houitzer from the wheels.

"Merely reducing the quantity of propell8nt will not

correct the trouble, for the iiuvzle velocity becomes un-
acceptably low before the hop is decreased to an acceptable
amount. In this connection it is worth noting that the
recoil with reduced charge becomes much less than with the
standard round before the hop is reduced to that with the
standard round.

"The difficulties were not confined to the Howitzer.

When the sabot projectiles were tried in the Howritzer, it
was found that the plastic sleeves had swollen so that
the projectile could only be loaded by hammering it into
place. T.Uis was done. However, after a few rounds had
been fired, it was found that the sights did not remain in
adjustment, and so could not be depended on. Pore sight-
ing for line and laying with quadrant for elevation were
then tried but the need for hammering the projectile in
after bore sighting made this unsatisfactory. Actually,
sighting for line was for the most part done by sighting
over a bolt head on the breech block, lining this up with
a steel strap held vertically al-ainst the nmuzvle.

"On the evening of the first day, the plastic of a

fev of the inert rounds was turned down so that they would

6/ The Ordnance Depnrtment have provided an ,.ttachable spade !llite

of considerably greater width than the standrd.

C 0 N F I D F. N T I A L
- ---
 -93 - C00N F I D E N T I A L
load easily. It was our hope that these rounds would be
used for a bore-sighted dispersion shoot during the course
of the next day's firing. Although this was not done,
everyone seemed satisfied from what they saw that the dis-
persion of this Ammuwition was catisfactorvy aid about the
same as that of the standard ammunition."

Even if the hop would be adequately reduced and if at the

same time the MV of the sabot round could be raised to that
of the 57-mn gun )I6 (2700 ft/sec) it appears that this How-
itzer would not be as effective an anti-tank weapon as the
57-mm gun, for the sighting equipment is unsuitable for
direct fire at moving targets, and the elevating gear is
designed for operation from the right hand side, i.e., one
man cannot lay for line and for range, moreover the raverse
is limited to 22 1/20 each side of center. When the car-
riage is modified, as some were, so that the Howitzer can
be elevated by the man on the left, the elevation that can
be put on the Howitzer appears to be limited by the shaft
of the elevating gear. This limitation does not affect
the use of the Howitzer against tanks but probably does
limit its use in the normal role.

"From the comments I heard, I believe that a carriage

reaction eacceeding that of the H.E.A.T. round or of the HE
Ml round with full charge will not be acceptable. In this
connection it is worth remembering that the carriage on
which this Howitzer is mounted was designed for the 75-mm Pack
Howitzer, a much smaller weapon. The length and attitude
of the trials and the size of the spade were designed for
the smaller weapon. Some slight modifications of the recoil
mechanism to strengthen it were made when the 105-mm Howitzer
was put on the carriage.

"Mhen there was no further interest in fring from the

105-mm Howitzer M3, some rounds were fired from the larger
105-mr Howitzer M2. The ammunition worked much better in
the larger Howitzer but even here there was a very material
hop.

""05-mbl"(HE 942)
"A much smaller number of rounds of this sabot then of
the AP sabot were fired. The same difficulties were en-
countered, but to a lesser extent. The hop with this round
was about 6" as compared with 10" for the AP.

"The Infantry Board showed very little interest in this

round. Col, Oseth said that although the A? round would be
splendid if the hop could be reduced, he did not see an ap-
plication for the HE round. With this round the hop was
less than with the AP round but it was greater than with
( the standard H.E.A.T. round.

C_0_N___IDENTIAL
 - 94 -
O 0 NF I DEN TI AL

"Conclusion:

"It does not appear to me that there will be a de-

mand for either of these rounds in the 105-mm Howitzer
M3 even if metal is substituted fnr the plastic.
"There is still some interest in the AP round for
the 105-nam Howitzer M2."1

Although the armor piercing sabot projectile could not convert

the 105-mm Howitzer M3 into as effective an anti-tank weapon as the

57-mm gun N1 it would provide thi.s howitzer with an emergency round of

good anti-tank performance. However, as the projectile had failed in

this demonstration before a large assembly of interested officers of

high rank, and as the hop was a serious difficulty, there was little

reason to expect that it would receive further consideration.

For the attack of concrete with IE shell there is an advantage in

increased striking velocity up to the point at which the shell will no

longer stand up. The performance of the sabot round with the 31 HE M42

shell fitted with fuze, nose, CP, T 105 should be assessed.

Some time after these tests at the request of Division 1, 1DRC,

the remaining 105-mm sabot rounds were shipped from Ft. Benning to

Picatinny Arsenal where they were to be stored until the Remington Arms

Co. were ready to replace the plastic parts with metal.

There was every reason to suppose that the substitution of metal

for the plastic would give little difficulty and would remove the cause

of the difficult loading experienced at Ft. Benning. Moreover, the

work done in developing the 105-mm/57-mm (M86) projectile had given

reason to believe that metal would support the projectile central in

the bore better than plastic, and would consequently result in smaller

yaw and better accuracy.

C O N F I D ENT I A L
 -95- ________ *

AI&OR PIERCING SABOT PROJECTILES FOR THE 75-MM PACK HOWITZER

Resuest for Projeotieu

On October 11, 1943, following an inquiry from the Armored Forces,

the Office of the Chief of Ordnance asked Division 1, ADRC to estimate

what performance could be expected by firing the 57-mm APC M86 pro-
jectile by means of a sabot from the 75-mm Pack Howitzer5.{

Calculations were made at the Geophysical Laboratory and led to

the estimate given in the footnote.;- Because of the high twist of the
howitzer the projectile would be amply stable, and better penetration

would be achieved with this than with a larger projectile. Calculations

made at the University of New Mexico indicated that the sabot design

28-75D when fired from the 75-mm gun M3 should release satisfactorily

at 2000 ft/sec but probably not at much lower velocity. Firings were

made from that gun at MV's of 2250, 2070, and 1950 ft/sec. In each

case the sabot separated properly. The spins, at these velocities,

5/ The 75-mm Pack Howitzers MIlAl, M2, and M3 are ballistically

identical. The MlAI is mounted on three different wheeled carriages:
the old Pack Carriage MI vith wooden wheels and a box trial, designed
for easy disassembly into small units, the Carriage 28 which is
similar to the MI but is equipped with pneumatic tires and a towing
lunette, the carriages M3A2 and M3A3, which have a split trail and
a firing base. The Pack Howitzer MlAl in mount T-10 is used on the
self-propelled 75-mm Howitzer Carriage T-30. The 75-mm Howitzers AA2
and M3 are used in Mount M7 on the 75-mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M.8.
These howitzers fire the same projectiles as the 75-mm guns
M1897,1M2, and M3, but have a smaller chamber, a shorter shot travel,
39.29", deeper rifling, and a higher twist of rifling, 1 turn in 20
calibers.
The MV with the fixed H.E.A.T. round, projectile H.E.A.T. M66,
13.27 ib, is 1000 ft/sec. The MV, with the semi-fixed HE round at full
charge, projectile HE M48 14.7 lb, is 1250 ft/sec.

CO N F I D E N T I A L
 -96
C 0N F I DE N TI AL

correspond to those at MV's of 1720, 1620, and 1525 ft/sec, respec-

tively, from the howitzer with its higher twrist. As an MV of 1950 ft/sec

could be obtained from the howitzer, it appeared certain that the

75-mm/57-mm (M86) sabot projectiles made to design 28-75D that had been

supplied to A.P.G. in the early summer, 18 of which were still at

A.P.G. would work properly in the Pack Howitzer.

18/ Estimate of Performance of 57-mm APC M86 Fired fom 75-m Pack
HoOitzer by Means of Sabot, University of New Mexico Design 28-75D
Weights-Estimate of weight of subcaliber projectile filled and fuzed 7.2 lb.
" " " sabot 1.4 lb.
Estimate of charge and maximum MV obtainable
Weight Web SP Web MP ,VV ft/sec
lb inches inches
FNH Ml 1.77 0.026 0.021 1977
FNH M2 1.66 0.045 0.036 2017
Estimate of penetration,. MV taken as 1950 ft/sec
Range SV ft/sec Penetration - - (Navy Ballistic Limit)

0 1950 68-mm 57-nmm

500 1780 6 o-mm 50-mm
1000 1620 53-mm 44-mm
1500 1480 .47-mm 39-mm
The estimate of penetration was prepared by extrapolation of experi-
mental data at 00 and 300, using the following DeMrarre formula:

el.43 = cos 2
dl'57
where e= the penetration
Mm the mass of the projectile
d = the diameter of the projectile
V= the striking velocity
C = constant determined from the known data
4= angle between trajectory at the plate and the normal to the
p late.

C 0 NF I D EN TI AL

,. . .,, ,
 - 9? -
C NF ID FNT IAL
On October 22., Division 1 supplied the Office of the Chief of
Ordnance with the estimate of performance and stated that the pro-

jectiles then at A.P.G. shoild work properly in the Pack Howitzer.

On October 23, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance requested A.P.G.

at the earliest possible date, to establish a charge to give the

highest practicable MV with these projectiles, within the allowable

pressure in the Pack Howitzer, and then to fire 10 of the sabot pro-

jectiles to determine dispersion at 800 yards, and at the same~time to

get the angle of dispersion of the discarded sabot fragments.

59/
On December 23, A.P.G. made the test requested. The target was

at 800 yards. Ten rounds each of the sabot projectile, and of H.E.A.T.

166 were fired at it. The sabot projectiles hit within a rectange 56"

wide and 60" high, the H.E.A.T within one 60", wide and 25 1/2" high.

The mean dispersions determined from measurements made on a photograph

of the target were: Sabot, horizontal 15 1/2',, (1.9 min.) vertical

12" (1.5 mmn.), H.E.A.T. 4,66 horizontal 14" (1.75 min.) vertical 6"

(.75 min). These results are included in Table IX.

Afterthe report on the firing at A.P.G. had been received, on

February 24, 1944, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance requested Division

1, NDRC to supply 120 sabot projecti!1.

. similar to those that had been

fired at A.P.G.

On February 24, Division 1; NDRC asked the University of New

Mexico if they could arrange for the manufacture of these projectilcs.

On February 25, the University of New Mexico undertook to do so.

J/ A.P.G. Firing Record, M 28827, December 23, 1943.

------ ---------
-------- ------ - ------ --------- --------- ------------- --

C-O0N FI D E N T I A L

j3* .14,"
 98~ c N F I DENT I A L

Work at the University of New Mexico

The APC M86 projectiles used to date in sabots fnr the 75-mm Tan

and for the 105-mm Howitzer M3, had been part of a special lot made up

without rotating band or band seat. 1he supply of these projectiles had

been exhausted, and a long delay was anticipated if another special lot

had to be obtained. It was decided, however, that standard projectiles

could be used. It was planned to have the threaded steel rings and the

plastic bourrelets made up in outside shops, and to thread the base of

the M86, assemble the threaded ring to it, band the projectile, and put

on the bourrelet in the shop at the University of New Mexico. This

appeared practicable because a lull in the work for the night shift was

expected in about ten days, and it should be possible to get the pro-

jectiles delivered in that time.

The M86 projectiles were requested on February 29. They were de-

livered on March 16. After they had been delivered, it was found that

the projectiles supplied had been made by a matufacturer whose projectiles

had been among the worst M86's made. In threading them it was found that

the hardness was extremely erratic. When the manufacturer's name was

known the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, anticipating that some trials

against armor might be made with the sabot projectiles, arranged for 25

projectiles from a good lot, then at A.P.G., to be sent at once to the

University of New Mexico, so that the lot of 120 would include twenty-

five of satisfactory and known armor penetrating quality.

The 120 projectiles were shipped by the University of 'New Mexico

to Picatinny Arsenal on April 12.

This lot of sabot projectiles was made to design 28-75D, revised

March 2, 194. The modifications of design 28-75D were quite slight.

C ON F I DE N T I A L

II
 - 99 -
CCONF I D EN TI A L

The dimensions of the APO M86 had been changed slightly since the first

lot had been made; corresponding changes were required in the sabot.

The original desig-n had had 8 breaking slits in the bourrelet and in the

threaded steel ring. in

The new design had only 4 each. In the new

design the bourrelet was held to the M86 by two set screws. The length,

of the threaded steel ring and the length of the threads were very

slightly increased. The crimping groove was eliminated, and the low

limit to the diameter of the skirt was now made 2.900-.005. The plastic

used was laminated cotton fabric base phenolic, Textolite C. The

threaded ring was made from mild, free threading, steel B-11142 (be-

cause it was on hand). The projectiles containing the good 986's were

marked with a white painted band to distinguish them from the others.

The subcaliber projectiles Weighed 6.25 lb, empty as shipped, and when

filled and fuzed would weigh about 7.13 lb. The sabots weighed 1.37 lb.

On April 17, a dispersion test was made at the University of New

Mexico Proving Ground firing 10 projectiles selected at random from the

lot prepared for the Army. The 75-mm gun M3 was used. The target was

at 1000 yards. The MV was 2820 ft/sec. The true mean dispersion was:

horizontal 3.1" (0.29 minutes), vertical 1,.5" (0.42 minutes). All A

rounds hit within a rectangle 14.7" wide and 21.2 " high. This was the

best result that had been obtained to date (see Table IXJ).

Subsequent History

At Picatinny these projectiles were made up into two lots of semi-

fixed complete rounds. Both lots had the same propellant charge. This

was the charge that had been used at A.P.G. for firing from the Pack

CONFI DENTIAL
A

iK
 - 100 -
I CONFIDENTI
AL

Howitzer in December 1943. The cartridge cases used were M5Al, Type I.

It wili be recalled that the projectiles fired in Decemiber were slightly

lighter than those of these lots, becauee they were plugged, whereas those

were fitted with fuze BD M72. Lot PA-E-434 consisted of the 25 sabot

projectiles with the good subcaliber projectiles, and 35 sabot projectiles

with the poor ones. This lot was filled explosive D and fuzed RD M72.

The other lot, PA-E-435, was filled inert and fitted with live fuze BD

M72 . !'vhfen filled, the projectiles were shipped to Aberdeen Proving

Ground for acceptance test.

The two lots were tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground on July 4, 5,

6, and 7 to check functioning and to obtain provisional inge-elevation

data. The firings were from a 75-mm Pack Howitzer on Carriage M3A3.

The sabot projectiles, fuzes, bursting charges, and tracers all functioned

satisfactorily. It was found that the pressure developed by the pro-

pellant charge that had been loaded was too high, so the charge was re-

duced from 27.07 oz to 25.87 oz. The projectiles were rather too loose

in the cartridge cases supplied, and were therefore tried in case ?15Al

type II, which is used for the fixed H.E.A.T. round and has a slightly

smaller mouth than Type I. In this they were a better fit. Instructions

were issued that the propellant charges, of all the rounds remaining,

were to be reduced to 25.87 oz and to be transferred to type II cases.

It was concluded that with these changes the ammunition would be

acceptable. Yhen the changes had been made the ammunition was to be

shipped to the President of the Armored Board at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

6Q/ Ammunition Data Cards 36061 and 36062.

CONFDENTIAL

----
Q
 - 1 - C 0 N F I DE NT I AL

At Ft. Knox, the Armored Board was to conduct a preliminary service test
of these projectiles in comparison with standard ammunition. A range

elevation table was to be supplied by O.C.O. (Pt. 75-BA-O).

Alter tbhel10-am sabot projectiles had been tested at Ft. Benning,

Georgia and it had been learned that the plastic had swollen, this am-

munition was still at A.P.G. Arrangements were made to have the

bourrelets of a number of rounds gauged to learn whether or not they were

swelling to an important extent in the humid atmosphere. Ten from each

lot were gauged on August 9. The bourrelets of 3 projectiles from the

inert lot and of 7 from the HE loaded lot were found to be over 2.950'

in diameter. The maximum diameter found was 2.953". The original di-

ameter shown on the drawing was 2.945"-.005". The bore diameter of the

howitzer is 2.950" + .002". The bourrelets of the HE rounds had been

painted and this presumably accounted for the difference in the diameters

of the two lots.

On receipt of this information, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance

inquired into the practicability of turning down the oversize projectiles

at A.P.G. It was considered quite safe to do so, but the ammunition had

been shipped to Ft. Knox, on August 12.

Dr. C. E. Hablutzel., who was at that time in Washington acting as

a special advisor to Division 1, NDRC, drew up a design of a light metal

bourrelet that could be substituted for the plastic sleeves on this lot

of 75/57 mm. projectiles. This design 28-75D revised, Plate IV, 8-30-44,

shows a spool-shaped sleeve or bourrelet of dural (17S-T) or of Dowmetal

(0-1 or J-1) with 4 breaking its cut from the inside out. The slits

CON F ID N TIAL

""
P1
 - 102 -

Cg0 N F I D E N T I A L
extend completely through the sleeve except at the front and rear. A

steel band threads over the light metal sleeve at the forward end and

forms the bearing against the bore.

About the niddle of September, Dr. Hablutzel visited Ft. Knox and

reported that most of the inert rounds would load but that a large number

of the HE filled rounds would not. The officers with whom he talked

at Ft. Knox were of the opinion that the tests would not be made for some

weeks, and recommended that in the mean time the plastic be replaced

with metal. Later, on September 26, the O.C.O. was informed by the

Armored Board that the anmnunition had been tried in a howitzer and that

tests were impracticable with it. On September 29, Division 1 informed

O.C.O. that they would arrange to have metal substituted for the plastic.

This was to be done by the Remington Arms Company then working on sabots

under contract O2i0sr-1368. See note at the end of the text, page 138.

SUBSTITUTION OF LIGHT ]KETAL FOR PLASTIC IN THE BOUTRRELETS

On April 14, 1944, a conference attended by representatives of

Division 1, NDRC, the Engineering and Transition Office, OSRD, and the

University of New Mexico was held at the University of New Mexico to con-

sider future work on sabot projectiles for the 105-mm howitzer and the

75-mm gun and howitzer. At this time, three separate lots of sabot pro-

jectiles lO5-mm/3" (HE M42) design 3-105, 105-mm/57-mm (APC M86 modified)

design 2-105R, 75-mm/57-mm (APC M86) design 28-75D revised, had been

supplied to the Army and were awaiting test. It was agreed that if the

Army should want more of any of these projectiles some modification of

the design would be called for (1) to improve the projectile for service

use (2) to faciiitlate production. - IA

 A number of modifications were considered. The more important

A of these were (1) change from plastic to metal bourrelet (2) on 3-105B

and on 2-105R the addition of some steel iimmediately in front of the

band seat to prevent the band from being blown forward if it should happen

not to be properly seated. This would also help to !'revent asymmetry

of engraving.

It was agreed that if the Army had further interest in these sabot

projectiles:

1. Designs would be prepared embodying the improvements that had

been already recognized, or that might be recognized as a result

of the coming trials or as a result of study by ordnance per-

sonnel or others. These designs would be prepared by the

University of New Mexico and also by the Engineering and Transi-

tion Office. They would then be discussed and a design or de-

signs for trial drawn up.

2. The procurement of the models for test would be the responsibility

of the Engineering and Transition Office.

3. Firing tests of these models would be made by the University of

New Mexico, but no machine work would be req-uired of them.

4. Acceptance tests of production lots by firing would also be made

by the University of New Mexico if desired.

On April 21, at a conference attended by representatives of the Army

Ground Forces, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Division i1,NDRC,

and the Engineering and Transition Office, OSRD, the Llffice of the Chief

of Ordnance asked that Division I proceed at once with the necessary

modifications of the designs of the 105-mm and 75-mm sabots to eliminate

the plastic without awaiting the resutlts of the pending tests. Division I

undertook to do so,

DT E N

IA
 104- -
C O N F I DEN T I AL

The Ehgineering and Transition Office, OSED undertook to have

designs drawn up for discussion and Division 1 asked the University

of New Mexico to do the same.

On May 6, drawings of the modifications proposed by the University

of New Mexico were sent to Division 1, ADRC. On receipt of the draw-

ings, Division 1 transmitted copiesto the Engineering and Transition

Office, OSRD, and to the Ammunition Development Branch of the Technical

Division of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance.

The designations of the new drawings and the modifications shown on

them are as follows:

28-75D revised, Plate I 5-6-44 shows a sleeve type bourrelet of

dural or Dowmetal in 4 segments. The segments are held together at the

forward end bya threaded steel band, which acts also as a bearing against

the bore. At the rear end the segments bear against the front face of
base
the threaded steel/ring, and are prevented from moving outward by the
base
* outer edge of the steel/ring which projects forward over the rear ends

of the segments. The sleeves were designed to be segmented after machin-

in4 so 4 metal strips were provided to fill the saw cuts. Later the

University of New Mexico devised a technique for machining the sleeves

after cutting them into four pieces. This made it possible to have the

segments close fitting and so eliminated the strips. The information

was passed on to Division l, on May 12, 1944.

2-105R Plate IV, dated 5-6-44. The bourrelet, which is of dural,

base
is si'nilar to that described above. The threaded steerl/xng is brought
rotating
forward 0.1" in front of th/band, and a recess for the rear ends of the

segments of the bourrelet is provided on the front face.

C 0 N F I DE N TI AL

p 7;
 - 105 - L
, ~C ONFI DENT i AL

3-105B, Plate III, dated 5-6-44. The description above under

2-105R, Plate IV applies here also.

The changes in weight of the sleeve or bourrelet are as follows:

28-75D Dural sleeve is 2.1 oz heavier than plastic

Dowmetal sleeve is 1.4 oz lighter than plastic

2-105R Dural sleeve is 8.0 oz lighter than plastic

3-105B Dural sleeve is 0.5 oz lighter than plastic

ARMOR PIERCING SABOT PROJECTILES WITH TUNGSTFN CARBIDE CORES

FOR THE 76-=MM GUN 1lA2

Request for the Development

On October 21, 1943, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance asked

Division 1, NDRC to estimate what could be done against armor, with steel

and with tungsten carbide cored subcaliber projectiles, fired by means

of a sabot from the 76-m and the 90-m guns. The 76-mm gun then in use

was the MIAl with a twist of 1 turn in 40 calibers. Because of the low

twist, this gun was particularly unfavorable for the use. of sabots.

However, it was to be replaced by the MIA2 with a twist of 1 turn in

32 calibers, the same as in the 90-m. The new gun was then being tried

out at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and it was expected that it would soon

be in production. lhe British had been experimenting with tungsten car-

bide cored projectiles, end were developing several for anti-tank use.

The U. S. Military Attache in London was obtaining detailed information

about the designs of the projectiles and their performance against plate.

When this information came to hand it could form the basis of an estimate

CONFI DENTIAL
 -106-
C ONF I DEN T I AL

of the performance to be expected using tungsten carbide. In the mean-

time an estimate of the performance to be expected with steel sub-

.. liber -ojectiles was prepared' for ];-ision 1 by- thu Guophysical

Laboratory. This was submitted to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance

on November 27, 1943.

There is no need to give a detailed statement of the estimate here.

It was found that the use of sabots with standard steel APO projectiles

as subcaliber projectiles, the 57-mm APC M86 in the 76-mm gun, and the

3" APC M62 in the 90-mm gun, would result in no significant improve-
ment in performance, although there would be material increases in MV.

The 57-mm APO M86 projectile could only be made adequately stable

in the 76-mm gun MlA2 (twist 1:32) by substituting an extremely short

windshield. The retardation would then be so high that, the striking

velocity of the modified Ad86 would probably become less than that of the

standard projectile (3" APO M62) for the g=u at ranges over 1800 yards,
and the penetration of the modified M86 (at O0 angle of attack) would

actually be less than that of the standard at ranges over 500 yards.

Even at the shorter ranges the actual penetration would also be less

because of the deformation of the M86 at the high striking velocities

involved1{. The highest obtainable muzzle velocity was estimated to be

61/ At this time a program to test the performance of standard 57-mm

APO M86 projectiles against plate at very high striking velocities was
under way at Aberdeen Proving Ground. However, the results were not a-
vailable for this estimate. In this program the 57-1mm projectiles were
fired from the British 17-pounder using sabots provided by the Geophysical
Laboratory. Muzzle velocities in excess of 4000 ft/sec were obtained
in this way. See Aberdeen Proving Ground, Projectile Test Report AD-P99,
Dates of tests August 29 to November 18, 1943.

CONFI DENTIAL

T7i,
 - 107 -
CO N.FI DEN TI AL
3650 ft/sec which would drop to 2850 ft/sec at 1000 yards.

The 3" APO M62 fired from the 90-mm gun would have a stability
factor of about 1.2*6._ The cal cullated improvomient in penetration even

if no shattering or serious deformation occurred was insignificant, of

the order of 2 per cent, and it seemed likely that, even with excellent

projectiles, the penetration at ranges under about 1500 yards would

actually be less than that of the standard because of breakup of the

projectile. The maximum MV obtainable was estimated to be 3310 ft/sec

which would drop to 2860 ft/sec at 1500 yards.

The stability factor 1.23 was rather low. It could readily be in-
creased by using a shorter windshield. This would of course decrease

the striking velocity and penetration except at the muzzle.

It was known before the detailed estimate of performance was made

that very little if anything could be gained by using standard steel

projectiles in sabots in either of these guns, and that the only way the

performance could be greatly improved was to use tungsten carbide. On

November 17, 1943, the Office of the Chief of Ordnance requested

Division 1, DDRC to develop a sabot projectile using a tungsten carbide

core for one of these two guns, the 76-mm Gun MIA2 or the 90-mm Gun N1,
was believed that it
M2, and M3. Itwould be easier to do the experimental work.2, 1he smaller

gun, and quite a simple matter to scale up a satisfactory design for the

larger gun, and the Office of the Chief of Ordnance believed that a 76-mm

Gun MIA2 for the experimental work could soon be made available. There-
fore this gun was preferred.

L2/ The stability factor of the 3" APO 962 fired from the 76-mm Gun
MIAI was said to be 1.10. Multiplying by the ratio of the square of the
twists in the two cases gives 1.23. As the MV of the sabot projectile
would be considerable higher than the MV or the M62 projectile in the
C 76-mm gun, the actual value would nrobably be i1 ghtly greater.

C ON F I D FN T I A L

I"P
 - 108 -

C NFI DE N TIA L
The Geophysical Laboratory prepared an estimate of the comparative
" ~performance of a tungsten carbide cored sabot projectile and the 3"

APC M62 projectile fired from the 76-mm Gun MIA2. This esti-mate, based

on information about the penetration of British tungsten carbide cored

projectiles, is given in Table VI.

At a conference on December 4, 1943 between representatives of the

Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Division I, NDRC and the University of

New Mexico, it was decided (1) that it would be best to begin work with

the smaller gun, i.e., the 76-ram MIA2 (twist of rifling 1 turn in 32 cali-

bersk3/), (2) that the subcaliber projectile should be one using a core

based directly on the British design of core as used in the 2-pr.

th. iscarding
Littlejohn Mk II shot, the 6-pr./sabot shot and the 6 -pr. C.R. shotk.

At that time it appeared that an all-metal sabot following in a

general way the basic design 28-75D that had been used for the 75-mm/57-mm

(APc M86) sabot would be quite satisfactory, and that it could probably

be developed in a short tine after a 76-mm gun MIA2 had been delivered

_/ The 76 -mm gun in use at that time was the MlAl which was rifled
with a twist of 1 turn in 40 calibers. In order to improve the stability
of the standard armor piercing projectile used in this gun, the 3" APC
M62, the twist was to be increased to 1 turn in 32 calibers. In other re-
spects the new gun was to be identical ballistically with the MlAl. The
MIAl was in use in the medium tank M4 where it had replaced the 75-mm Gun
M3, and on the gun motor carriage T-70. Te now gun was also to be mounted
on a wheeled anti-tank carriage. The gun produced for the automotive mounts
was termed the MIA2, that for the anti-tank carriage the T3. The tubes were
identical, the difference being in the breech mechanism. These so called
76-mm guns are 3" guns. They fire the 15.44 lb 3" APC M62 projectile with an
MV of 2600 ft/sec or the 12.87 lb. 3" HE shell M42AI vfth an MV of 2700 ft/sec.

6_ Shot, Armour Piercing, Q.F., 2-Pr., S.V. Mk II B.T./L

Shot, Armour Piercing, D.5., Q.F., 6-Fr., 7 cwt., Mk I B.T./L
Shot, Armour Piercing, Q.F., 6-Pr., 7 cwt., C.R. Mk I A.T./L

N A-

0 I T
 109 -10-
CONFI DENTI AL

Table VI

Estimated Performance of Tungsten Carbide Cored Sabot Projectile

Compared with that of Standard 3" APC M62 Projectile, Fired
From the 76-mm Gun MIA2.

Striking Velocity and Penetration Against Range

Muzzle Energy Equal to MV Maximum Obtainable

That of APO M62 Round using M2 Powder

Striking Penetration 300 Striking Penetration 300

Velocity Homogeneous Armor Velocity Homogeneous Armor
Range M62 Sabot M62 Sabot M62 Sabot M62 Sabot
Yards ft/sec ft/sec inches inches ft/sec ft/sec inches inches

0 2600 3450 4.4 6.5 2820 3745 4-9 7.3

500 2450 3240 .4.0 6.0 26'70 3535 4.5 6.8
1000 2300 3040 3.7 5.5 2520 3335 4.2 6.2

1500 2150 2850 3.4 5.0 2370 3135 3.9 5.7

2000 2000 2650 3.0 4.5 2220 2935 3.6 5.2

Weights Sabot Projectiles

WC core 3.89 lb
Total 8.15 lb
Std. Projectile APC M62 15.4 lb

Striking velociLy and penetration of 3" APO M62 taken from curves pre-
pared by the Ballistic Section, Technical Division, OCO.

Striking velocity of sabot subcaliber projectile computed using

ballistic coefficient 1.275 and British tables for cylindrical based pro-
jectiles (1940 Law).

Penetration of subcaliber projectile based on data from table prepared

by D. G. of A. A2(b)A, S,/7/43.(British)

Muzzle energy = (mass of projectile + 1/3 mass of charge) x square of

the muzzle velocity.

C ONFI DENTIAL
 I11 ON F I D
0 EFEN TI A L

to the University of X'ew Mexico. However, on December 7, Division

.1learned that both the 76-ram and the 90-m guns in tanks and on anti-

tank mountings would be fitted with muzzle brakes. The brakes to be

used consisted essentially of two, spaced, baffle plates, with central

holes for thepassage of the projectile, supported some inches in front

of the muzzle. The diameters of these holes allowed only a very small

clearance between the baffle and a projectile with no yaw (0.05" all

arou:nd in the case of the rear baffle of the brake for the 76-mm gun

MlA2). The parts of a sabot like 28-75D separate as they leave the

muzzle, and travel essentially in the direction in which they were

moving in the bore at the muzzle, i.e., their paths approach the direction

of the lands at the muzzle. It was quite evident, therefore, that a

sabot of this type could not be used with the muzzle brake unless the

openings in the baffles of the brake were very considerably enlarged so

as to clear the diverging pieces of the sabot. Further, it was quite

evident that there would be many barriers to an increase in the diameter

of these openings, and that the sabot would therefore have to be de-

signed to pass through them. This was the problem that the University
of Aew Mexico was asked to solve.

Research and Development ,Oork at The University of A'Jew mexico

At this time the Department of Physics of the University of New

Mexico was heavily engaged in other projects of high priority, in addition

6/ In developing sabot projectaes first for the 6-pr., later for the
17-pr., the British opened up the baffles of the muzzle brakes until the
centrifugally released parts of the sabot cleared the brake.

C'oN F IDEN T I AL

7, . ,/ ,;.
 -11l - _____
CONFIDENTiAl;

to the work on sabots, and both the technical staff and shop facilities

were overtaxed. Dr. Worlman, who was at that time head of the Depart-

ment of Physics and under whose direction the work was being done was very.

loath to undertake this additional commitment and recommended against it.

However, Division l,was unable to have the work done promptly elsewhere, and

the University of ilew Mexico finally, late in February 1944, agreed to

undertake it. Some work had indeed been done on this project shortly

after the request to have it undertaken had been made, but, at that time,

the work on the 105-mm sabots was being done and it was not until late

in February that the work really got under way.

The first part of the work was the developmaent of a design that

would pass through the brake. At the outset of the work a 75-mm gun M3,

but no 76-mm gun, was available at the University of iew Mexico. Ac-

cordingly, a number of the designs were made up to fit the 75-mm gun and

tested in it; later, when the 76-mm gun with muzzle brake was supplied,

the work continued with it. Much of this early work was done using steel

subcaliber projectiles to avoid the expense of heavy alloy cores.

In all, some twenty different designs were tried'-. These may be

grouped into three types according to the mechanism by which the sabot

parts are released fom the subcaliber projectile.

(1) Axial release - The sabot is cuplike and is removed from the

subcaliber projectile in flight by the drag of the air. The

relative motion of the two is in the direction of the axis

of the projectile. Some of these sabots were designed to

/ For details see, Final Report, Contract 01sr-668, Supplement

4, August 1, 1944, in which the work is summarized. Drawings are in-
cluded.

C0NFI DENTI AL
 - 112 -
1124
__________

CONFI DENTIAL

remain in one piece, others to separate into two. The

essential feature is that they do not break up centrifu-

gally, and for this reason they pass through the brake

without interference if the yaw is small enough.

(2) Bourrelet released centrifugally - A number of designs were

tried in which the "bourrelet" broke up by centrifugal force

into segments, but did not do so until the rear ends of

the segments were released by the base. No types of re-

lease by the base were tried.

(a) The base is a threaded ring, similar to that used in

28-75D, that breaks up under centrifugal force and re-

leases the rear ends of the bourrelet segments. The

action following this release is the same as that des-

cribed under (b) below. The design aimed at such strength

in this ring that it would not "explode" at the muzzle but

would yield slowly enough to pass through the brake be-

fore significant expansion had occurred. The, material

used in the ring was cold rolled steel of good elongation.

This release is designated as "delayed centrifugal."

(b) A base plate, of heat treated alloy steel, is used. Ahen

the fvrwa-e pressure of the propellant gases against the

base of the projectile ceases, well in front of the brake,

this plate is moved to the rear by air drag, thus releasing

the rear ends of the bourrelet segments which then move

outward. These segments, which are of light alloy, are

held together near the forwrard end by a bourrelet band

of steel. This band is strong enough to hold the segments

C 0o E N T I A--L
 - 113 -

C 0 N F I D E N T I A L,

against centrifugal force until the rear ends are re-

leased but not strong enough to hold them after that.

When the rear ends of the sements are rel Ps, .dthey

move outward. The segments pivot about their forward

edge and, usinp the subcaliber projectile as fulcrumn,

exTpand and burst the bourrelet band. The release is

termed "axial and delayed centrifugal."

Although the different mechanisms just described were tried out,

about two-thirds of the experimental firings, made during the develop-

ment, were of models of the last-described type. The first such design,

42-75, was tried out in the 75-mm gun using a solid steel subcaliber

projectile. It was quite successful and dceign 3-76 for the 76-mm gun

was based on it. Quite a number of slight modifications of this basic

design, each designated by a letter followring the number, were tried.

The final design is designated 3-76EH. This design consists of 3-76E,

revised to 7/1/44, but with the base plate or sabot shown on 3-76H,

6/27/44, substituted for the corresponding part shown on Plate I'of

3-76E. Drawings of this design have not been reproduced here, but the

design is very like 3-76J drawings of which are reproduced as figures

12 - 15.

If Plate I of 3-76J is examined, it will be seen that a tracer

pocket on the base of the subcaliber projectile orojects through the steel

base plate or sabot, and a sabot retaining ring is threaded to it behind

the base plate, thus holding the parts together. The first model of

42-75 tried had a dural sabot retaining ring. It was expected that this
ring would disintegrate under the action of the oowder gas. "hen the

model was fired from the 75-mm Gun H3, release did not occur. Retaining

rings of red fiber and of A,o....eti...l were. then Li., an L.. U.

to be satisfactory. Doimietal was chosen for this ring. As will appear

C0 N F I Dh NT I A L
 - 114 -
C o N F I D E N T I AL

later, however, in the description of the tests at, Aberdeen Proving

Ground, Dowmetal rings did not prove to be completely reliable, and

wAre subsequently replaced by split steel rings designed to be thrown

by centrifugal force.

The real test of a sabot projectile presumably is its behavior

when fired from a worn gun. It was not possible to test it in this

way at the University of New Mexico Proving Ground. Therefore, in order

to simulate such a test, some 75-mm models were made up with all surfaces

that bear against the bore 0.03" under size. In addition, one of these

undersize models was fitted to a cartridge case that had been shortened
0.5"1, to give 0.5" free run. Dowmetal retaining rings were used on

these models. They were fired from the 75-mm Gun 743. In all cases the

mechanism worked properly, yaws were too small to measure, and flight

was good.

When a 76 -mm gun became available for firing, models made to design

3-76 and modifications of this design were tested. By this time the choice

of this type of design had pretty well been made. Of 38 models fired

from the 76-mm gun during the development all but eleven were made to

design 3-76 and modifications of it. The early models had dural bourrelet

segments, but, when Dowmetal was tried out, and found to work satisfactorily,

it replaced the heavier dural. One model of 3-76 FR with a core of

Elkonite 5W3 was machined with the outer diameter of parts bearing a-

gainst the bore 0.020" under size. When fired from the 76-mm Gun YlA2

with muzzle brake, it behaved normally. The yaw was too small to be ob-

served. (Report of December l, 1944, p. 4)

Besides the design of a sabot to pass through the muzzle brak1e, the

work also involved the design of a subcaliber projectile. For some time,

CONFIDENTIAL
 -115 -

0 0 N F ID ENT I A L
active development of high velocity tungsten carbide cored armor piere-

ing projectiles had been under way in the United Kingdom. A satis-
factoryJ core --
id ca-4e A~ann fr' -r 4-m

Littlejohn Uk II shot6V Then this core had been scaled up in the

ratio of the bore diameters and used in projectiles for the 6-pr.,

7-cwt. (57-mm),and 17-pr. (3"). This type of core was used in the

Littlejohn (tapered bore) projectiles, Composite Rigid (light weight

full caliber), and Sabot projectiles. Very satisfactory penetration

had been obtained with it. It appeared that a subcaliber projectile

following closely the British design of subcaliber projectile for the

6-pr. sabot (57-mm), and using a tungsten carbide core of the size used

in 17-pr. projectiles-/could be constructed that would have sufficient

stability when fired from the 76-mm Gun MlA2. It was accordingly agreed,

at the Conference on December 4, to base the design of the subcaliber

projectile on this British projectile. This resulted in the design of

subcaliber projectile shown on Plate III of design 3-76E.

A determination of the stability factor of this projectile was made

at the University of New Mexico Proving Ground. The projectiles were

made to design 3-76E, but modified in two respects: (1) The base plate
had no skirt and was divided into four segments held together by the

rotating band so that it would break up centrifugally at the muzzle and

could not destroy the record made by the subcaliber projectile on the

yaw cards as it might if it remained intact and followed the subcaliber

67/ Shot, Armour Piercing, Q.F., 2-Pr., S.V. Mk II B.T./L.

8/ The 17-pr. sabot design was based on the 6-pr. sabot but draw-
ings were not available until later.

- -- -- --- -- - -- - - -CONFIDENTIAL
- - - - - - - - -,
 -116
- 116CONFIDENTIAL

projectile through the cards, (2) The cores were of Flkonite 5W3 in-

stead of tungsten carbide. The gun used was an MlAl (twist of rifling

1:40) that had been sent to the University of New Mexico by mistake

insteau of an MlA2.

The stability factor found, at the cards, under field conditions

was 1.15. Computed to a twist of 1:32, to standard atmospheric con-

ditions, and back to the muzzle, this gave a stability factor of 1.39.

(Report of August 1, 1944., pp. 16-19). The MV to which this stability

factor applies is not stated, but on p. 14 a velocity of 3440 ft/sec

at the coils is given for one of the two rounds used. The value there-

fore applies at an MV of about 3450 ft/seA.

Determinations by tracer photography of velocity vs. time of

flight and of range vs. time of flight were also made on two 3-76E pro-
jectiles. The results are presented in Final Report, Contract OFMsr-668,

Supplement 4, August 1, 1944.

As the subcaliber projectile follows very closely the design of the

subcaliber projectile in the British 6-pr. and 17-pr. sabots, British

armor penetration data are directly applicable to these projectile4.
The muzzle velocities obtained at the University of New Mexico
Proving Ground were lower than could be realized with a suitable powder.

A2/ Final Report, Contract OMsr-668, Supplement 4, August 1, 1944,

p. 16 .

22 As the British 17-pr. (q") isq a much m-oorp powerfifl Cun than the
76-mm, the striking velocity, and therefore the penetration, at a given
range is greater for the 17-pr. sabot fired from it than for the UniVersity
of New Mexico sabot fired from the 76-m gun. However, when the data are
expressed in terms of striking velocity they are directly applicable. The
penetration of this sabot projectile can also readily be computed from data
for the 6-pr., 7- cwt., (57-mm), Sabot and Composite Rigid shot by use of
the De Marre formula.

-
CONFIDENTIAL
 C 0NFI D FNTIAL

The most suitable powder available there was FAH M2 lot Rad-3006.

This was rather too fast a powder and a charge of 1410 grams (49.7 oz)

was all that could be used without exceeding the rated pressure of the

gun. Therefore it was to be expected that using a larger charge of slower

powder would give higher MV's than could be had with this powder. At

Aberdeen Proving Ground using FNH M2 Lot Rad-3008, a slower powder, MV's

of 3642 and 3655 ft/sec were obtained (A.P.G. F.R. P32198). In sub-

sequent firings at Aberdeen, to get a desired AV of 3600 ft/sec, a charge

of 64 oz of FNH M2 lot 18830 was used.

Projectiles were being made up for a dispersion test when Division 1

informed the University of New 1exico that the Office of the Chief of

Ordnance was very anxious to have an opportunity to test some of these

projectiles against plate, and had asked for 20 at the earliest possible

date, and undertaken to test any projectiles supplied, immediately upon

receipt. The Division asked if the design was thought to be sufficiently

advanced for such a test and suggested that, if so, the request be met.

Although only a limited number of projectiles had yet been fired through

a muzzle brake, and although no dispersion test had yet been made, the

design did appear to be satisfactory. It appeared, moreover, that there

were some advantages to be gained by supplying projectiles to the Ordnance

Department for test under these circumstances. It was decided to meet

the request and to supply the projectilem then being made up for a dis-

persion test, and to defer that test until after the projectiles asked

for had been delivered.

Actually 25 projectiles to design 3-76EH were made up and supplied

to the Urdnance Department for test at Aberdeen 1'roving Ground. The

(: cores in these were of Carboloy grade 55A which is cemented tungsten

CONFIDENTIAL
carbide with 13% cobalt. These were delivered to A.P.G. in small

groups as they were made up, 8 on July 23, 8 on August 1, and 9 on

August 13, 1944. They were fired there promptly. The results of these

firings are given later.

On August 12, eight projectiles to design 3-76BE but with cores

of Elkonite 5VW3 were fired, at the University of New Mexico Proving

Ground for accuracy, from a new 76-mm Gun MlA2 fitted with a muzzle

brake, against a vertical target at 1000 yards. All rounds hit the

target. Round one was used for ranging and the elevation was adjusted

after firing it. One round did not function properly, as cutouts of the

base plate and the subcaliber projectile were partly superposed on the

target. The other 6 rounds gave a mean dispersion of 14" or 1.3 minutes
of arc, and fell within a rectangle 39" high and 71" wide. These results

are included in Table VIII.

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Design 3-76EH21/

Most of the projectiles supplied to Aberdeen Proving Ground were

fired against plate to obtain penetration data. The penetration was as

expected from British data and was of course greatly superior to that

obtainable with steel projectiles from the same gun. The folloiing data,

taken from the Aberdeen Proving Ground Firing Records indicated, summarize

the results:

/ "First Report on the l'rojectile, H.V.A.P., (Sabot), 76-mm 3-6EH

(University of -New aexico), T23 and T23EI, and Second Report on Ordnance
rogram No. 5962," issued by Ordnance Research and Development Center Aber-
deen Proving Ground, October 1945, covergthe testing at Aberdeen of these
subsequent 76-mm sabot projectiles.
A.P.G. Firing Records Nos. P32198, P32743, and P33112, which form a
part of the above report, cover these firings.
- - --
---------------------------------
------- ---- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
- --

CO0N FIDE NT I A

-Ad
 - Ul9 - ________

C 0 N F I D E N T IAL
Table VII
( Armor Penetration, 3-76 hH, at k.P.G.
Homogeneous Plate Striking Velocity ft/sec See F.R. No.
Froju cPar ia
Thickness Angle Completely
Inches Degrees Through Plate Penetration

6 1/16 20 2756 2656 P-32198

5 30 2986 2833 P-32198, P-33112

3 15/16 30 2276 2184 P-33112

3 55 3621
4 30 at 2100 yards completely P-32743
through plate

Yaw cards just in front of the plates showed that there was very

little yaw.

No satisfactory dispersion test was made, although on two occasions

some rounds were fired against 4" homogeneous armor plate at 300 at

2100 yards. On the first occasion, August 5, three rounds were fired .L

All missed the plate. No NDRC representative was present. On August

13, five more rounds were fired against 411 homogeneous plate at 300 at

2100 yards. A large screen had been erected in front of the plate. A
new gun with brake mounted in a tank was used for the firing. The first
round was short. The next two struck the target about 2 feet apart.

The fourth was defective. At struck short and far to the right. It is
not certain that it separated properly. The brake was then replaced with

22/ Firing Record No. P-33112. The charge is given as 64 oz of 92

powder and the MV is estimated as 2800 ft/sec. This charge should give
MV of about 3600 ft/sec. Either the estimate of the MV or the statement
of the charge is in error. Almost certainly the charge was as stated.

C ON F I DE N TI AL
 -120 - T
"C0 N F I D E N T I AL
a lighter one. The next round hit higher and this the gunner attributed

the the lighter brake. All these rounds were fired at about 3600 ft/sec

muzzle velocity. The firing showed that the shot would "completely

penetrate 4" of homogeneous plate at 300 obliquity at 2100 yards range.

The velocity after plate penetration was sufficient to completely pnne-

trate a 12" x 12" oaken support." (A.P.G. firing record No. P-32743).
Information about the way the sabot parts separated from the sub-

caliber projectile was obtained during the firings described above, and

in addition from three rounds fired on August 13 especially to study the

separation by the use of photography. On the latter occasion two good

x-ray photographs were taken. One showed the projectile in the brake,

the other showed it Just after it had emerged from the brake. No rela-

tive displacement of the parts of the projectile appeared in these x-ray

photographs. An attempt was also made to obtain micro flash photographs

of each of the three projectiles at 7, 22, 37, and 52 feet from the

muzzle. However, the technique was faulty, and photographs were obtained

only at 52 feet. One of these shows the subcaliber projectile completely

free in flight with the base a few inches behind it. All that could be

said from the other two was that the bourrelet parts had been thrown.

For the firing against plate at 2100 yards on August 13, plywood

screens had been erected on each side of the trajectory at 52 ft from

the muzzle. Bourrelet parts from three of the five rounds hit these
screens. No parts of the other two projectiles hit these screens but

one of them definitely tseparated in flight.

All of the firings against plate except those at 2100 yds were made

at close range, controlling the muzzle velocity to obtain the striking

velocity desired. Under these circumstances, when the muzzle velocity

C 0 N F1' D B N T I A L
 - 121 -

CONFIDENTIAL

was lowered, the bourrelet bands had to be weakened, hence the in-

formation obtained about separation does not apply directly to the

projectile fired without alteration at full muzzle velocity.

In these firings the projectiles had behaved as expected. It

appeared that (1) the projectile passed through the muzzle brake without

interference, (2) the projectile separated in flight, (3) the subcaliber

projectile had very little yaw, (4)a muzzle velocity greater than 3600
ft/sec was obtainable, (5) armor penetration was very satisfactory and
in agreement with British data.

It was thought that the Dowmetal retaining ring that held the

subcaliber projectile to the base plate was scarcely strong enough even

to withstand rough handling (no test was made). Moreover there was a

suspicion that it had not always released the subcaliber projectile from

the base uniformly in the firings at full muzzle velocity. It was

thought that a stronger, and more positively acting, ring should be sub-

stituted for it. Apart from this, the mechanism appeared to function

satisfactorily. However, the guns used for the firings had in no case

been badly worn. One gun had previously fired 602 rounds. Another

had fired 217. The others had fired fewer

Preparation of Second Lot of Projectiles, Design 3-76J

The 25 projectiles made to design 3-76EH had worked well at A.P.G.

but several outstanding questions awaited an answer. It appeared, there-

fore, that more of these projectiles should be supplied for tests at the

earliest possible date. The Office of the Chief of Ordnance requested

Division 1, NDRC, to supply 25. The S.T.B. committee of Division I re-

commended that the Division supply 50. Research ad development work

0 N F I DE NT I A L

-pI
 -122-
CONFI DEN TIAL
under contract OMsr-668 had been terminated on July 31, 1944 at the

request of the University of New Mexico, so the project!]es had to be

made elsewhere. Dr. C. B.- htzeh1 l,7P1

uho ha b%-n ch.r.. -1-

development of the orojectile at the University of Noew -exico under

Dr. Worlonan, was in Vashington acting as a special consultant to

Division 1. He prepared a new set of drawings, 3-76J. The Remington

Arms Company Inc., who had a contract for research and development of

sabot projcctiles, was asked to make up the projectiles. However, it

soon became clear that a long time would elapse before they could supply

these projectiles. It was then decided by Division 1 to have 25 pro-

jectiles made up, under Dr. Hablutzel's supervision, by some other machine

shop, -nd to have the Geophysical Laboratory .meet the cost of manufacture

through their contract. It was a fortunate circumstance that the order

was placed with the Turbo Machine Comnany of Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

They turned out an excellent job most expeditiously. Mr. H. A. Mfatthews

of that company received the order orally on Saturday, August 26. The

projectiles were delivered to A.P.G. on September 13.

These 25 projectiles were made to design 3-76J, Plates I, II, and III

revised 8/30/44, and Plate IV dated 8/28/24 (see figs. 12-15). This design
differs only slightly from 2-76Fdi. The following list shows the modifica-

tions of design 3-76EH that resulted in 3-76J. Plates I, II and III of

3-76E and 3-76J show corresponding parts. The base plates or sabots are

shown on 3-76H and Plate I of' 3-76J.

3-76E, Plate I. Weights changed slightly. The total weight of the

projectile withtracer was 7.7 lb (see p. 157).

3-76Y, Plate II. Contour of Downetal bourrelet modified for ease of

machining. The segments were now completely separate. Steel bourrelet
band thinner and narrower.
3-76E, Plate III. The tungsten carbide cores, which were m ade by
Kenametal and supplied by the Ordnance Department, were made to conform
 -123 -

CON FIDENTIAL

to the standard British design of 17-pr. core. This core was slightly

shorter than those used in the earlier projectiles. The base of the

core is rucessed slightly. The recess insures that, on setback, the

thrust is applied on the outer portion of the base and not on the cen-

tral portion; thus the torque of the frictional forces, through which

spin is imparted to the cote, is increased.

The sheath was modified as required by the new core and a conical

nose was substituted for the ogival one. of 3-76E.

The aluminum pad, and the recess for it in the sheath, were modified

for increased ease in machining.

The tracer pocket was changed to accept the tracer used in fuze BD

M66 instead of that of fuze BD M72, and tracers were fitted. The outer

contour was modified as required by changes in the base plate.

A steel ring, 3-76J, Plate IV, was substituted for the Dowmetal

retaining ring. This ring threaded onto the outbide of the tracer pocket

when the projectile had been assembled and held the base plate to the

subcaliber projectile. It was designed to open under the centrifugal

force of spin and so to release the base plate.

Plate I of 3-76J.
3-76H. The base plate was lightened by coning the rear face,/ This

resulted in a shorter length of bearing between the base plate and the

tracer pocket of the subcaliber projectile. A shorter travel of the

base plate relative to the subcaliber projectile was thus required for

separation of the two.

Materials. The steels and the magnesium alloy used in construction

were different. The choice was dictated by the availability. See table

XIIB for a statement of these materials.

C ONF I D EN T IAL
 12 -
c 1 2 F ID EN T I A L

Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Design 3-76J

A.P.G. firing record P-33805, September 15, 18, 21, covers the

firing of these 25 projectiles.

On September 14 and 15, five rounds were fired for stability determ-

ination from a gun without a muzzle brake that had previously fired 618

rounds. The charge was 64 oz. Four rounds gave records that were con-

sidered satisfactory for stability determination. The maximum yaw found

was 90. All projectiles had separated, apparently uniformly, before

reaching the first card at 70 ft from the muzzle. No report on the

determination has yet been receive-dZ.

On the same day, 8 rounds were fired from a new gun fitted with a

muzzle brake for retardation determination. This gun had previously

fired only 4 rounds. The charge was 64 oz. Again all separated appar-

ently uniformly before reaching the first card, which was at 150' from

the muzzle. Yaws were very slight. A fornm factor of 1.31 relative to

projectile type 8 was arrived at .

Although, judging from the relationship of the cutouts due to the

base and to the subcaliber projectile on the first card, all the pro-

jectiles fired for retardation and for stability had separated uniformly,

a circular cutout made by a steel sabot retaining ring was found after

one round, showing that this ring had opened enough to release the pro-

jectile, but had not broken.

Twelve projectiles were left. They were to be fired for dispersion

from a worn gun fitted with a brake. As no worn gun at A.P.G. was

2/ It is understood that A.P.G. is preparing a report on this

determination.
C O'
 125- _,
00 NF I D E N T I A L !

threaded to accept a brake, arrangements were made for A.P.G. to

thread one. Unfortunately, the projectiles were fired by A.P.G. be-

Pore
.... gar, asready .
a.nd fl.L.IUUU a EtP.EvbII...LV0
CLt o.... e.Lur .S..Ii.

1, or the Office of the Chief of Ordnance being present, contrary to

an understanding between Division 1, NDRC and the Office of the Chief

of Ordnance. The following information is taken fro A.P.G. Firing Re-

cord, P-33805. Six projectiles from a gun that had previously fired

627 rounds, and six from a gun that had previously fired seven rounds,

were fired against a vertical target at 1700 yards. The charge was

64 oz. The first three rounds from the worn gun missed the target.

The next three, said to have been fired at the same elevation and de-

flection, struck the target within a rectangei 53" wide, and 17.5" high.

The first two rounds from the new gun, fired at the elevation given for

the worn gun firings, missed the target. The elevation was increased

and the last four shots hit the target within a rectangle 68" wide and

49" high. These tests are unsatisfactory in each case because of the

small number of rounds fired after getting onto the target. The data

are included in Table IX..

DESIGNS FOR 76-MM AND 90-MM GUNS PREPARED BY UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
FOR CONSTRUCTION BY REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY.,
INC.

Because of limited facilities and the large amount of other work,

the University of New Mexico had found it difficult to press the develop-

ment of the sabot as they would have liked and had, therefore, arranged

with Division 1, NDRC for research and development under contract 0Emsr-668

to terminate on July 31, 1944.

C 0 N'F I D EN TIAL

7,. : .:';
 -126 -
C0NFI DENT IAL
In order to have the work continued, Division 1, had arranged for

a contract, OE7sr-1368, with the Remington Arms Company, Inc. for re-

search and development of sabot projectiles.

Following a conference in April 194, between representive of the

Office of the Chief of Ordnance, the Army Ground Forces, and Division 1,

NDRC, Division 1 had undertaken to develop a sabot projectile for the

90-mm gun. Whenl the 76-mm projectiles, made to design 3-76EH, had been

fired at A.P.G. the Office of the Chief of Ordnance immediately requested

scaled up projectiles for the 90-m. Division 1 asked the Remington

Arms Company to make up a number of these projectiles, and arranged

with the University of New Mexico to supply a design and also to supply

the services of Dr. C. E. Hablutzel for the period August 15 to September

15 in order that he might supervise their construction, and see them

through tests at Aberdeen, and also supervise the construction and test

of additional 76-mm projectiles, which it was anticipated would be needed.

The University of Aew Mexico prepared a design for the 90-mm gun

based on the 76-mm design 3-76EH. This is University of New Mexico de-

sign 1-90 dated 7-26-44. The drawings, together with the calculations,

were supplied to Remington Arms Company, Inc., and Dr. Hablutzel visited

the Remington Arms Company at Ilion, N. Y. and discussed the debign in

detail with representatives of that company. Following this visit

Remington drew up a design that departed from University of New Mexico

design 1-90 in some minor details and made up a lot of ten projectiles.

These were delivered to Aberdeen Proving Ground where some were fired

September 26 against plate. Before this, however, Dr. Hablutzel had

returned to the University of New Mexico as previously arranged.

CONFI DENTIAL
 -127 -
CONFIDENTIAL

The design University of New Mexico 1-90 followed closely design

3-76EH. The tungsten carbide core was one that was being made for the

Ordnance Department. The design of this core followed closely that

of the British cores. (Essentially this design would result from

scaling up the core shown on Plate III of design 3-76J to a diameter

of 1.75".) Drawings of this projectile including its core are in-

cluded in Final Report, Contract 0[sr-668, Supplement 5, dated

December 1, 1944.

The University of New Mexico also supplied a design of 76-mm sabot

projectile to the Remington Arms Company. When the 25 projectiles

made to design 3-76EH had been fired at A.P.G. the S.T.B. committee

of Division 1 recommended that the Division supply 50 more to the

Ordnance Depaartment and that the Remington Arms Company be requested

latter
to make them. The/was done. After consultation with representatives

of the Remington Arms Company, Dr. Hablutzel drew up design 3-76J,

Plates I, II, and III dated 8-22-4 4 . This design differs but very

slightly from design 3-76J, Plates I, II, and III, revised 8-30-44,
that was later used for the construction of the projectiles made by

the Turbo Machine Company, and has been described already. Later,

when the modification introduced by Plate IV of the latter design, the

substitution of a split threaded steel ring for the Dowmetal sabot re-

taining ring, proved successful, it was suggested to Division 1 that

the projectile being made by Remington should be modified in the same

way.

C0NF ID ENTIALI

711 .
 - 128 - CONFI DEN TI'Ah

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO BASIC DESIGN FOR 76-Mi

AND 90-MR GUNS BY REINGTON ARMS COMPANY, INC.

Although the University of New aexico exercised no actual super-

vision over the manufacture of the projectiles made by the -emington

Arms Company and had no connection writh their manufacture or test be-

yond that already noted, it is appropriate to record here briefly the

further development of this design by the Remington Arms Company and

the results of firing tests. This is done in the folloving section.

The information is drawn from Aberdeen Proving Ground Firing Records,

from the final report of the Remington Arms Company-/ and from re-

ports of Remington representatives at A.P.G. trials dated October 5,

December 13, and December 16, 1944. These records are not complete

enough or consistent enough to permit the development of a complete

picture of the course of the work. However, they do appear to be ade-

quate for the use made of them here.

The first lot of these projectiles made by the Remington Arms

Company, Inc. were for the 90-mm gun. They were fired at Aberdeen Prov-

ing Ground on ptem , 1 ..........

The 1-r-ing Record P33526 states that

they were made to Remington design 1-90-R2. The Ordnance Department's

designation is projectile H.V.A.P., (Sabot) 90-mm, T32EIO. This de-

sign followed closely the University of New %exico's design 1-90

_/ Sabot Projectiles developed under OSRD contract UOmsr-1368

by Remington Arms Company, Inc., Technical Department, Ilion, New
York, October 15, 1945.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
S~CONFIDENTIAL

~
C~ DENT ~ 0 N
 - 1.29 -

CONFID EN TIA L
and incorporated the Dowmetal retaining ring, which, it will be re-

called, had been replaced by a steel ring in the projectiles made

to design 3-76J. 2
The gun used had previously fired 2435 rounds .

The first round was fired with a charge of 80 oz and at a M.V.

of about 2300 ft/sec. The projectile did not separate because the

Dowmetal ring was not thrown. These rings were then removed from all

the remaining projectiles. Two more rounds were fired with similar

charges. These apparently functioned properly. The charge was then

increased to 115 ounces which should give an MV of over 3800 ft/sec.

The round was wild. The charge was reduced slightly and two more

rounds were fired. Only one of these struck the plate. Firing was

stopped.

In the discussion that followed it developed that the Ordnance

Department had already fired some 90-mm projectiles made to a similar

design of their own, and that they had been unsatisfactory. From the

deep engraving on recovered pieces and its distribution, it had been

concluded that the projectile had been passing down the bore in a

cocked position. It had also been found that the subcaliber projectile

had punched through the base plate of the sabot. Moreover, some pro-

jectiles had broken up in the bore. The design had then been modified

to offer greater resistance to cocking in the bore, and to inurease

the strength of the base plate. Some of these new projectiles, T32Ell,

were on hand and it was decided to fire them next.

U/ The advance of rifling is not stated but presumably was several

inches. In a similar gun, used for a subsequent firing, the rifling
had advanced 5.3" after firing 1842 rounds.

CONFIDENTIAL
 - 130 -
CONFI DEN TIAL

"The second T32EIl fired broke up in the bore, damaging the tube.
Firing was stopped.

Some parts of the -har-d~nguuon projed'iles were recovered and ex-

amined. The rear edge of a Dowmetal bourrelet segment had been

severely eroded or gas washed on fractured surfaces. As this must

have occurred in the bore it appeared that the bourrelet was being

broken up in the bore. This led to the supposition that the leakage

of gas past the rotating band was a major source of the trouble.

Whether this leakage was because of cocking in the bore or was inde-

pendent of it could not be determined. However, it was thought that if

gas leaked past the rotating band the bourrelet might be stripped from

the subcaliber projectile.

Attention was now focused on trying to prevent this. Several

successive 90-mm models were tried in which changes were incorporated

that were designed: (1) to prevent gas passing the rotating band, by

the use of an obturating cup of copper or rubber; (2) to prevent cocking

in the bore, by increasing the resistance to deep engraving at the rear

bearing and at the bourrelet; (3) to prevent the bourrelet parts being

forced ahead with respect to the subcaliber projectile.

The first lot of these modified projectiles, Ordnance Department

designation T-38, was made to b'emington design 1-90-R5, Assembly draw-

ing B-365. To improve the sealing against the escape of gas past the

rotating band an obturating cup was fitted, which lined the concave

rear surface of the base plate or sabot and at the periphery extended

a short distance behind it to provide a seal against the bore. Cups

of both copper and rubber were provided. The steel base was lengthened

in front of the rotating band, thus providing a steel bearing surface

CO N F I D E N T IA L

7,
 - 131 -
CONFIDENTIAL

to prevent eccentric engraving. This added metal extended forward

past the base of the subcaliber projectile so that the latter was now

seated in a shallow cup on thA front face of the base plate. The sub-

caliber projectile was held in place in the base plate by a piano wire

snap ring of circular section that engaged in a groove cut in the inner

wall of the-shallow cup and a corresponding groove cut in the sheath

of the subcaliber projectile. The snap ring was designed to open into

the groove in the base plate under centrifugal force. Judging from

the assembly drawing in the Remington final report, a small forward

thrust applied to the subcaliber projectile would open this ring, re-

leasing the subcaliber projectile. It appears by no means certain that

the projectile would not separate if the round were loaded by being

thrown into the chamber. The number and size of the set screws holding

the bourrelet to the sheath of the subcaliber projectile were increased,

thus providing increased resistance to the stripping of these parts

from the subcaliber projectile by gas escaping past the rotating band.

These projectiles were fired on October 26, 1944 at Aberdeen Prov-

ing Ground from a gun that had previously fired 40 rounds, resulting

in 0.-4" advance of rifling (A.P.G. Firing Record P34048). The first

round, assembled with a copper obturating cup, was fired with a charge

of 105 oz. It broke up in the bore. Three rounds were then fired for

recoveryp using the same charge, one without an obturating cup, one

with a copper cup, one with a rubber cup. The first of these broke up

in the bore. The other two, and two additional rounds fired at plate

with a charge of 113 oz, functioned without breakup.

On October 31, and November 1, 191h, four more projectiles were

fired to obtain x-ray photographs at the muzzle. Two of these were

CO NFI DENT I AL

//
 -132-
-132- CONFIDENTIAL

assembled with rubber obturating cup and without set screws. One was

assembled with a copper cup and with set screws, one without cup and

with set screws. These were 'ired 3-thla charge

6V 115 fo.
I g

that had previously fired 1854 rounds and showed an advance of rifling

of 5.3". The two x-ray photographs obtained showed no indication of

separation at the muzzle. Yaw cards at 100' from the muzzle showed

that the sabots had separated properly (A.P.G. Firing Record P34094).

According to the firing record, these projectiles were like those fired

on October 26. This firing added no information about the cause of

the breakups.

In parallel with the work on the 90-mm projectiles a lot of 76-mm

sabot projectiles was prepared, Ordnance Department's designation T-23.

These were made at iemington design 3-76-R2. This design is essentially

the same as the University of New %exico's design 3-76J except for the

means employed to retain the subcaliber projectile in the sabot. In-

stead of the steel ring threaded to the tracer pocket, a garter spring

consisting of a loop of closely coiled wire which fitted into a groove

on the outside of the tracer pocket was used. Ten of these projectiles

were fired for accuracy at Aberdeen on November 12, 1944, at a 12' x 12'

vertical target at 1700 yds. The gun used had previously fired 270

rounds. The charge used was 64 oz. Pressure measurements were not

taken. The results were quite unsatisfactory. kive of the nrojectiles,

including the first four fired, struck the target. Five missed it. Of

this five, three broke up in the bore. A number of sabot parts were

recovered. All were broken (A.P.G. Firing hecord P34104). These were

the only 76 -mm sabot projectiles of this type made by the Remington

AIArms Company that were fired.

CONFIDENTIAL
 - 133 -
CO NF I DEN TI AL

The behavior of these projectiles contrasts strongly with that

of the 50 similar 76-mm projectiles (3-76EH and 3-76J) that had been
4-!
fired at a-.P.G. in July, August, and September, 1944. A large pro-

portion of those projectiles had been fired with full (64 oz) charge

from guns that have previously fired various numbers of rounds up to

633. No mishap had occurred in those firings. The only important

design change that appears to have been introduced by the Remington Arms

Company was in the svbstitution of the garter spring for the threaded
ring to secure the subcaliber projectile to the sabot.

Attention was now directed to strengthening the forward support

of the 90-mm projectiles, as it was thought that failure there might

be the cause of the bore failures. This resulted in design 1-90-R8

Ordnance Department designation T38E1. The steel bourrelet band, which

bears against the bore, was thickened greatly so that engrating could

not cut through it to the less resistant Dowmetal. This band was cut

partly through from the outside so that it would be broken when the

bourrelet segments expanded. The length of the Dowmetal bourrelet that

is made the full diameter of the projectile was increased, both behind

the bourrelet band, and at the rear in front of the steel base plate.
The bourrelet was secured to the subcaliber projectile by a lock ring

of rectangular section that engaged corresponding grooves in the bour-

relet and in the subcaliber projectile. The subcaliber projectile was

held in the base plate by a snap ring exactly as in design 1-90-R5.

Two of these projectiles were fired on December 6 for recovery, using a

gun that had previously fired 1861 rounds. The charge was 115 oz (A.P.G.
Firing Record P-32190). The first round appeared to work satisfactorily.

Recovered pieces of the second showed that failure had occurred in the

CONFIDNTIAL

NFN TI A
CI 0DE
 -134 -
CONFIDENTIAL

bore. The subcaliber projectile had punched through the base plate

or sabot. The latter was deeply engraved, presumably from having been

expanded when the subcaliber projectile punched through it. The bnhur-

relet was badly eroded by powder gas, and one segment showed that the

bourrelet ring had moved back approximately 1/4" when the material

behind it had been eroded away. The core did not break up.

Some sabot projectiles of a radically different type had been made

up and taken to Aberdeen for firing at the same time as those made to

design 1-90-R8. These were of the deep cup type and were made to de-

sign 90-56-RI, Ordnance Department's designation T38E2. The cup was of

steel. The subcaliber projectile was supported axially in it. At the

rear end it bore directly against the metal of the cup and at the front

end against a Dowmetal ring which was supported by the rim of the cup.

As in the earlier projectiles, a tracer pocket projected through the

base of the sabot. The subcaliber projectile was retained in place in

the sabot by a garter spring engaging in a groove on the outside of the

tracer pocket, i.e., in the same manner as in the 76-mm projectiles

made to design 3-76-R2. "ith this construction, powder gas escaping

past the rotating band could not blow away the bourrelet or remove it

by erosion.

The first one of these projectiles fired (charge 100 oz) broke up

in the bore. Recovered pieces showed that the subcaliber projectile

had punched through the bottom of the cup, and that considerable erosion

of the Dowmetal ring had occurred. The firing of these two projectiles

T38EI (1-90-R8) and T38E2 (90-56-RlI) in both of which the subcaliber

projectile had punched through the base plate led to recognition of the

(, possibility that the means that had been employed to hold the subcaliber

C 0 TTI DTEN TI AiL

'/
 - 135 - .

C0 NF I DE N T I AL
projectile in the sabot, snap rings and garter springs, were inade-

quate, and that separation might be occurring in the first part of

travel. if this occurred, the might subseomentlv be driven for-

ward against the subcaliber projectile with sufficient force to punch

through the sabot. Powder gas would also have direct access to the

Dowmetal parts. In fact, all the failures that had occurred could be

accounted for in this way. Tb prevent this, a heavy steel locking-

ring in two parts, that engaged in a groove in the tracer pocket and

was held in place by three snap springs, was designed. A number of

projectiles of the deep cup type incorporating this feature were made

up. The cups were like those of design 90-56-R1, but the ring used to

center the forward end of the subcaliber projectile in the cups was

changed in some of the projectiles, (Ordnance Department designations

T38E3, T38E4, and T38E5).

These projectiles were fired at Aberdeen, December 8 and 9, 1944

(A.P.G. Firing Record P-32190). The tube uoud was thu unt that had

been used on December 6. The charges were from 116 to 119.5 oz. Eight
rounds in all were fired. No breakup occurred. It was concluded, by

the Remington representative at the firings, that the use of the heavy

locking ring had eliminated the bore failures hitherto experienced,

and that Dowractal appeared to be satisfactory so long as premature

separation did not occur.

Although the projectiles made to the University of iXew lexico de-

signs 3-76ER and 3-76J had shown up very well in the firings at the
University of New Mexico Proving Ground and at Aberdeen, and although

it was now concluded that the difficulties that the Remington Arms

4 Company had subsequently experienced with their modifications of the

C 0N VT D WTT A~I
 - 136 -
C IDENT IA L
University of New Mexico designs had been occasioned by the absence of

an adequate means of holding the subcaliber projectile to the sabot,

and althouah they had not. fir d a single proJectilc of this 'y-e i.. or-

porated such adequate means, this adequate means was not now applied

to these projectiles, but instead all further efforts were devoted to

cup type sabots. No further bore failures were experienced in the Rem-

ington work on sabots.

The following is taken from their Final Report p-9.

Under the heading "The Short Sabot Type (1-90 Series De-
signs)" it is said that this is the University of New Mexico
design with "an altered locking device and with other minor
alterations to facilitate mass production."

"The failure of this type Within the gun tube and the
erratic accuracy were felt to be caused by inadequate sup-
port afforded by the bourrelet surfaces within the tube.
Failure in the firings of later deep cup types showed that
the bore failures resulted from separation at the origin of
rifling and the subsequent set back of the subcaliber pro-
jectile against the Sabot seating surface.

"However, to effectively retain the bourrelet segments

thru the muzzle brake by hoop tension of the bourrelet ring
afforded many design problems and machining to tolerances not
compatible with good production practices. Unless complete
obturation was effected, the doymetal gaswashed badly in con-
tact with the powder gases and offered an unpredictable source
of failure for the shot. The light weight of the dowmetal seg-
ments offered a weak lever arm to break the bourrelet ring and
to accommodate this light force the ring was very thin in sec-
tion. Thus the thin section was very susceptible to any ec-
centric engraving and offered another source of bore failure.

"The deep cup Sabot sought to reduce the variables in the

short Sabot type by eliminating, or reducing the function of,
the doubtful parts.

B. The Deep Cup Type (90-56-iR1 To R9 Designs)

"The first design of the deep cup type did not have an
adequate locking device, as all previous bore failures had been
attributed to the bourrelet failures. Test firings of 90-56-R4
resulted in bore failure and a locking device was designed to
release at 200 r.p.s. This prevented separation and resultant
bore failures at the origin of rifling." (90-56-R4 is appar-
ently an error. It should be 90-56-Rl).

C.ON F I D E N T I AL

7;" 'V ,
 - 137 -
,C.O N F I D E..N T I, A L,

The paragraph beginning "However" may be taken to give the reasons

for stopping work on this projectile.

Now it is well known that both aluminum and magnesium alloys are

rapidly eroded when powder gases stream over them at high temperature,

pressure, and velocity. However, experience in the United States and

in Great Britain has shown clearly that aluminum alloys can be used in

projectiles in front of the ordinary rotating band. Less is known

about the use of magnesium alloys in this position. No difficulties with

its use was experienced in firing the 76 -mn sabot projectiles made to

design 3-76EH or 3-76J.at the University of New Mexico or at Aberdeen

Proving Ground. It is possible that difficulty might have been en-

countered if firings had been made from badly worn guns. However. that

may be, it is quite clear that the Remington experimental firings out-

lined above give no information on this question.

It is quite true that the steel bourrelet band on the original

University of Now Mexico design was thin, and that engraving was likely

to occur, and would change its strength. Although it worked satisfactorily

in the firings of projectiles made to designs 3-76EH and 3-76J and al-
though recovered bands showed only shallow engraving, it is possible that

if those projectiles had been fired from a badly worn gun, engraving

might have been so deep that the engraved band would have permitted the

bourrelet segments to separate at the muzzle. Had this difficulty been

encountered it might have been met by thickening- the band and cutting it

partly through from the outside so that the engraving would not change its

strength, This scheme was actually used in the Remington design 1-90-RS.

The thickness necessary with any given width and hardness of hand depends

on the depth of engraving that may occur. This can only be determined

"CON FI DE NT I A L

F1P
 -138 -
CON FI DEN TIAL
by recovery firing of properly assembled projectiles in a well worn

gun, and cannot possibly be arrived at from the Remington experiments.

It does not appear, therefore, to have been shown by the experLmental

work that the tolerances needed are not compatible with good production

practices, nor are any calculations in support of this statement given in

the report.

When the firing of the second lot of twenty-five 76-mm sabot pro-

jectiles (made to design 3-76J) had been completed on September 21, 1944,
the projectile appeared to have functioned satisfactorily in the tests

to which it had been subjected. However, much remained to be learned

about its behavior, especially when fired from well worn guns, and it

was to be expected that modifications would be necessary to produce a

completely satisfactory design. The Remington Arms Company's work em-

phasized the importance of securing the subcaliber projectile to the

sabot, but it does not appear to have otherwise contributed needed in-

formation. Thus the situation when they stopped work on this type of

projectile remained essentially what it had been after the firing of the

projectiles to design 3-76J.

After this compilation had been completed t:nd typed it was learned

that the Remington Arms Co. had prcpared Dowimetal parts to rcpl.%co the

plastic sleeves on some of the 75-mm/57-mm (APC MP-6) sabot projectiles

lfor the 75-mm pack howitzer that had been made to U.N.M. design 28-75D
Revised, and fu!)plied for test by tho hrmorcdc Board -.t Fort Knox, and jhat
sooie of the projectiles so ,.odified had been fired at Aberdeen Proving

Ground on November 23, 191/4., A.P.0 F.R. P-34113.

 - 139 -

C NF DENT IAAL

Table VIII
List of Reports by University of New Mexico

Progress Reports and Final Reports

Date Title

November 1942 First Progress Report, Contract O0sr-668, covers

work done to end of October 1942.

December 1942 Second Progress Report, Contract OEMsr-668, covers

work done November 1 to November 28, 1942.

December 1942 Special Report, Contract O0gsr-668, sunmary statement

of the position arrived at in the investigation.

April 21, ].943 Fourth Progress Report, Contract OnMsr-668, with

Progress Report on Supplement 1 as Appendix X.

This report summarizes the work done to date. In

of this report
later reports the first part/is sometimes referred

to as the final report on the original contract.

June 5, 1943 Report for the month of May. This is in the form of

a letter to Dr. L. H. Adams, Chairman, Division 1,

NDRC.

July 8, 1943 A letter to Dr. L. H. Adams, Chairman, Division 1,

NDRC covering the month of June.

September 7, 1943 A letter to Dr. L. H. Adams, Chairman, Division 1,

NDRC covering the months of July and August.

October 1, 1943 A letter to Dr. L. H. Adams. Chairman; livisfon ll,

NDRC covering the month of September.

November 3, 1943 Progress Report for October 1943, Contract OEMsr-668,

Supplement 2.

C ONF I DE-N TIAL

7~
'WI
 -140
-140- ONFIDENTIAL

* Table VIII (Contd.)

Date Title

December 10, 1943 1094,

forNovmbe -- 6"
.r.gv...eps
Contract wi

Supplement 2.

January 3, 1944 Progress Report for December 1943, Contract O0sr-668,

Supplement 2.

February 2, 1944 Progress Report for January, 1944, Contract OEMsr-668,

Supplement 2.

March 10, 1944 Final Report, Contract Osr-668, Supplements 1, 2,

and 3. The report summarizes the work done under

the contract and supplements. This icludes all

the work done in the development of sabot projectiles

for the 75-mm Gun and Howitzer and for the 105-mm

Howitzer.

April 8, 1944 Letter to Dr. L. H. Adams, Chairman, Division 1, NDRC

covering work done in March 19J4.

May 3, 1944 Progress Report for April, 1944, Contract O3Msr-668,

Supplement 4.

June 2, 1944 Progress Report for May 19"4, Contract OE1sr-668,

Supplement 4.

July 1, 1944 Progress Report for June 1944, Contract OMs2,-668,

Supplement 4.

August 1, 1944 Final Report, Contract OVsr-668, Supplement 4,

covers the work done on the development of a

sabot projectile for the 76-mm Gun MlA2.

December 1, 1944 Final Report, Contract OEMsr-668, Supplement 5,

covers work done after July 31, 1944.

CONFI DENTI AL

7), .
 - 141 -
0ON F I DEN T I A L

Table VIII (Contd.)

Date Title

Special Ifeports

June 1, 1944 "Application of sabot principle to large caliber

(approx.)
guns," Lincoln LaPaz and henry F. Dunlap.

July 24, 1943 "Sabot Cannon Projectiles," by W. D. Crozier, H. F.

Dunlap, C. E. Hablutzel, D. T. MacRoberts. This

report contains sketches of designs 48-57A, 25-75A,

and 28-75D, together with statements of the re-

sults obtained in experimental frings of projectiles

made to these designs. However, this report is not

primarily a report on experimental work done at the

University of New 'exico but rather a treatise on

selected phases ofthe subject of sabot projectiles.

Three of its chapters are devoted to considerations

entering into the mechanical design of sabots of the

types experimented with. These chapters cover stress

analysis, centrifugal release, and stability in

flight.

October 26, 1943 "Stability of the 57-mm M86 projectile saboted in the

75-mm Gun M3," by Lincoln LaPaz, W. D. Crozier,

C. E. Hablutzel, D. T. MacRoberts.

MDRC Reports

December 1, 1943 NDRC Report No. A-234 (OSRD No. 3010) Sabot projectiles

for cannon by W. D. Crozier, 1. F. Dunlap, C. E.

Hablutzel, Lincoln LaPaz, D. T. MacRoberts. This

is a revzsed edition of the rcport of July 24.

CONFIDENTIAL
 142 -
1-
QOJ..DNNT-IAL-
Table VIII (Concluded)

Date Title
July 10, 1944 NDRC Report No. A-283 (OSRD No. 3890) "Trajectory

determination by tracer photography," by W. D.

Crozier.

CON'FVI DEN TI AL
 Table IX
Dispersioa Firings NF E NT I AL

Ref. Design Date Na M.V. True Mean Dispersion Rectangle

No. No. Fired of Horizontal Vertical Her. Vert.
Rounds min nin. Reference
ft/sec in. arc in. arc in. in.
28-75 and modifications fired at Univ. of New exi.._Proving Ground, _75 Gun M3, Range 1000 yds.
1 28-.75D 26-5-43 18 2820 11.4 1.08 9.2 .90 68 45 A-234 1 10-3-44
2 28-75D 31-5-43 10 2820 10.6 l.OO 12.5 1.18 32 27 Report 10-3-44
3 28-75D 17-6-43 10 2820 1.00 - 0.60 Letter to JWG 23-6-43
-r'75D
4 .xodifie 14-7-43 10 2820 3.6 0.34 10.2 0.96 16 35 7-9-43, 10-3-44
5 28-75D 29-7-43 5 2820 10.9 1.03 2.8 0.26 24 9 7-9-43, 10-3-44
6 28--75E 22-6-43 10 2820 13.5 1.27 15.1 1.42 41 82 Letter to JWG 23-6-43, 10-3-4
7 28-75F 3-7-43 9 2820 5.8 0.57 7.8 0.75 28 35 7-9-43, 10-3-44
8 28-75H 18-9-43 6 2820 6.3 0.59 10.6 1.00 15 27 1-10-43, 10-3-44
P28-75D
9 (evised 17-4-44 10 2820 3.1 0.29 4.5 0.42 13 19 3-5-44, 1-8-44

28;-75D fired at Aberdeen Proving Ground front 75-m 2nM3,,

un target at 800 yards
10 20-75D 15-7-43 10 2800 9.2 1.10 5.8 0.69 47 31.5 A.P.G. F.R. M24862,A-234

28-75D fired at Aberdeen Proving Ground from 7 Pack Howitzer, target at 800 yards
11 28-75D 23-12-43 10 2048 15. 1.9 12. 1.5 56 60 A.P.G. F.R. M28827

7.1rM A.P.C. M61 fired at Univ. of New Mexico fr Z-nm Gun M3 in comparison with 28-75D target at 1000 Latds
12 AaCuM61 4-6-43 10 2050 7.4 0.70 5.1 0.50 25 15 10-3-44

7 A.P.C. M61 fired at Aberdeen Proving Ground from 75mm Gun Ma in comoartson with
_ 2.__hDtarget at 800 yards
13 A.P.C.161 15-7-43 10 2050 5.9 0.71 6.4 0.76 23,- 233Y A.P.G. F.R. M24862, A-234
HEAT M66 fired at Aberdeen Provin Ground from .- Pack Howitzer in comparison with 28-75D
14 KEAT 766 23-12-43 10 998 14. 1.75 6. 0.75 60 25J A.P.G. F.R. M28827

Sabot prolectiles fired at Univ. of New Mexico Proving. Ground .105-1 Howitze h3, 1000 yards
15 9-105A ito6/11/43 4 2400 15.5 1.55 10.8 1.02 40 31 Letter to JWG 6-11-43, 10-12-43, iO-3-44
16 2-105P 10/3/4 10 2660 '10.8 1.02 11.1 1.05 45 46 10-3-44
17 3-105A 25/11/43 9 2000 13.8 1.30 11.91.12 51 L44 10-12-43, 10-3-44
18 3-105B 16/2/44 10 2000 13.7 1.29 11.2 1.06 46 57 10-3-44
19 7-105A 15/12/43 6 2000 7.7 0.73 8.0 0.76 31 27 10-3-44, 3-1-44
Standard H.E. Yl fired at Univ. of New Mexico Proving Ground from I09 Howitzer M in comparison with 9-105A
20 HE MI] 4 1020 21.3 2.01 13.7 1.29 57 57 10-12-43, 10-3-44
6 . fired at Univ. of New Mexico Proving Ground, 76-rmn Gun IA2 with muzzle brake target at 1000 yards
21 3-76 EH 17287/-4 6 3500 14.0 1.32 10.6 1.00 69 37 1-12-"4

3 fired at Aberdeen Provinp Ground from 76-. m Gun .41A2, that had previously fired I rouncb, target at 1700 y ii
22 3-76 J 21/9/44 4 3600 16.75 .94 21.0 1.18 68 49 A.P.G. F.R. P-33805
_1 fired at Aberdeen Pvi Ground from J6 CunMM1 that had ore-uousl .. r -d rmincis

23 3-76 J 21/9/44 3 3600 13.75 .75 5.25 .30 53 17.5 A.P.G. F.H. ?-33805

28-75 fired at University of Ncw Mexico Proving Ground, U G ,0 iOO0

24 --28-75A 3/6/43 10 22;20 15.9 1.50 8.6 0.02 57.5 27.-'i0 A-234.
 -144-

"Notes for Table IX

Dates are given day, month year.

Rectb.nple - the rectangle containing the centers of all impacts.

References, a date standing by itself refers to a University of New

Mexico report to Division 1 of that date. A list of all University

of New Mexico reports is given in Table VZ A-234 = NDRC report

A-234.

Note that the range used was 1000 yards at the University of New Mexico

Proving Ground but 800 yards or 1700 yards at Aberdeen Proving

Ground. The dispersions have been given in minutes of arc so that

they can be compared directly.

A-234 = Sabot Projectiles for Cannon by ". D. Crozier, H. E. Dunlap,

C. E. Hablutzel, Lincoln LaPaz, and D. T. MacRoberts.

Report 10 March 1944 is the kinal Report, Contract OEMsr-668, Supple-

monts 1, 2, and 3.

1. A. P. caps and ballistic caps brazed on APCM86 projectiles at

University of New Mexicoa. These projectiles were from the first pro-

duction of the APC ,86, and were without groove for band-seat and with-

out being hardened. At that time the method of attaching the AP caps

and windshields by crimping or rolling had not been perfected, and con-

siderable trouble was being experienced with loose caps on the standard

projectile. Because a good many were loose when received, and more

might become so in firing, they were brazed on to avoid any trouble from

this source. The distribution of the brazing metal was never quite sym-

metrical. Subcaliber projectile empty, and plugged.

C0 NF I DE N T I AL
 - 145 -

Q-o NF I DEN T I AL

Notes for Table IX (Contd.)

2. AP caps and ballistic caps left as received. Subcaliber pro-

Jcctiles plugged, riot filled.

3- Sabot projectiles selected at random from the lot prepared for

test at Aberdeen Proving Ground. AP caps and windshields brazed on.

Subcaliber projectiles filled sand and shot and plugged. Weight of sub-

caliber projectiles 7.0 lb. Complete sabot projectiles weighed 8 lb

6 oz & 1/2 oz.

4. This design is the same as those of reference 1, 2, 3 except

that the threaded steel ring of the sabot has 4 instead of 8 breaking
in this case
slits, and the plastic, which'was macerated phenolic fabric (Celeron)

with two zones of weakness diametrically opposite each other, had no

breaking slits,

5. The subcaliber projectiles were fitted with mock-ups of fuze BD

M72. Weight of APO M86 with mock-up of fuze BD 172 7.3 lb. The sabots

were identical with those of references 1, 2, and 3.

6. t threaded steel base ring and the plastic sleeve of the sabot

have only 2 breaking slits instead of the A slits in 28-75D.

7. The plastic sleeves were the same as in the projectiles of refer-

ence 4. The threaded steel ring appears to have had 8 slits.

8. This design resulted fom modifying 28-75D along lines suggested

by engineers of the Mueller Co. to facilitate mass production. Drawing

is included in Final Report Contract 04sr-668, Supplements l, 2 and 3,

Aarch 19, 1944.

9. These projectiles were selected at random from the lot prepared

for test in te l5-mm Pack HoyItzer by the Armored Board. Subcaliber pro-

-jectiles probably filled ammoniumt alum and fuzed BD M72 inert. Drawings

CONFIDENTIAL
 - 146 -

CONFIDENTIAL

Notes for Table IX (Contd.)

are included in the Final Report Contract OFfsr-668, Supplement 4,

August I, 1944.

10. These projectiles were from the same lot as those of

reference 3.
11. These projectiles were from the same lot as those of

reference 3.

15. Subcaliber projectile 57-mm APC M86 from same lot as those

of reference l, filled with amnmonium alum and fuzed BD M72 inert. Sabot

is same as 9-105 except that plastic bourrelet is lightened by drilling

holes length-wise in it. Report of 10 March 1944 contains drawing of

9-105.

16. These Projectiles were the same as those supplied for test by

the Infantry Board, except that the 57-mm APC M86's were filled ammonium

u.Lum ana rized BD iW"72 inert. Windshields 2.9" long.

17. The subcaliber projectile was the HE shell M42A1, slightly modi-

lied, filled ammoniun alum and fuzed PD M48 inert. This design differs

from 3-105B only in that the diameter of the 142AlMbehind the shoulder

retaining the plastic sleeve or bourrelet,, is slightly less than in 3-105B.

18. These p-ojectiles wore picikd z. rndomn from the lot prepared

for test by the Infantry Board. Eleven rounds were fired. One projectile

went over the target. The data are for the other ten.

19. Seven rounds were fired. One tumbled. Data are for other six.

Drawings included in Report for November 1943 and Report of March 10,

1944.

C 0 N F I DE N T I A L
 -. 147 -
C-ON FI D EN T I AL
Notes for Table IX (Concld.)

20. The standard HE round for the 105-mm Howitzer h13, fired with
Iull service charge.

21. These projectiles were identical with the 25 projectiles, made

to dsign 3-76 El, app"ied to Aberdeen Proving Ground. except that the

cores were of copper Eakonite 5W3 instead of cemented tungsten carl ide.

The density of the Elkonite is almost identical with that of the

tungsten carbide.

Eight rounds were fired. The first was used as a ranger. It hit

the target but the elevation was changed after it hit. Round 5 hit

the outside the rectangle stated, but at about average height. "The

cut out on the target consisted of a hole the size of the base plate and

a partially superimposed hole the size of the subcaliber projectile."

The data stated in the table are for the other six.

These projectiles were fitted with Dowmetal sabot retaining rings

which were replaced in design 3-76J by split threadcd steel rings, to be

thrown by centrifugal force.

The MV stated is a nugh approximation. No MV is given in the re-|

port. Page 14 of the Report of August 1, 1944 gives velocity data for

two rounds identical with these. Velocities at the coils were 3480 ft/sec

and 3530 ft/sec.

24. This entry should follow 11, but was inadvertently dropped from

the table. It has been put in here to avoid rearranging the table.

28-75A is a base plate type sabot with plastic sleeve bourrelet.

Fig. 22, p. 91 of NDRC Report A-234 shows an assembly draving. Rcsults

of firing tests are given on p. 96 of that report. Vindshields and.

Ap cars of t+hn AP1 ',C6 su caliber projectiles were brazed on.

C 0 NF I DEN T I AL

'L , ;
 - 1148 -. ,

Table X
Determinatiofls of Stability Factors of Modifications of Projectile 57-amm APC M86(1)
of New Mexico Proving Ground
W(2)
r -4)
Date of Windshield Round Gun Observer\-" Muzzle Retardation Velocity,
Firing Length No. Used Velocity at point a Sta
inches-fL/see ft/sec/ft ft/sec at

11/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 1 2820 .116 2763

11/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 2 2820 .116 2763

11/10/43 Standard 4.3 1 75-imi 1 2820 .116 2805

11/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 2 2820 .116 2805
12/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-ram 1 2800 est. .116 2747
12/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 2 2800 .116 2747
12/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-m 1 2800 .116 2785
12/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-m 2 2800 .116 2785
13/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 1 2870 .116 2814
13/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 2 2870 .116 2814
13/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 1 2870 .116 2854
13/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 75-mm 2 2870 .116 2854
26/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 105-mm 1 2640 .116 2584
26/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 105-;am 2 2640 .116 2589
27/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 105-mm 1 2350 .116 2291 ]
27/10/43 Standard 4.5 1 105-mm 2 2350 .116 2297 ]
27/10/43 Standard 4.5 3 105-mm 2 2440 .a16 2377 1
21/10/43 No Windshield I 75-mm 2800 est. .32 2752 2
21/10/43 No Windshield 1 75-mm 2800 est. .32 2640 3
28/10/43 No Windshield I 105-m 3 2340 .274 2196 2
28/10/43 No Windshield 2 105-mm 3 2570 .291 .2423 2
29/10/43 No Windshield 1 105-mm 2 2300 .q11 6 2180 2
li/1/43 3.3 2 105-mm 9 4 .
05-
1.=2 3 2300 .146 9911I

10/11/43 3.3 3 105-mm 2 2300 .146 2230 l,

10/11/43 3.3 3 105-mm 3 22300 .146 2230 1.
10/11/43 3.3 4 105-mm 2 2300 .146 2230 1.
10/i1/43 3.3 4 105-mm 3 2300 .146 2230 1.

10/1/44 2.9 1 105-mm 3 2380 .16 2300 1.

10/1/44 2.9 2 105-mm 4 2620 l16 2540 1.
10/1/44
P 2.9 2 105-mm 3 2620 .16 2540 1.
10/1/44 2.9 2 in,-m_,, 2 2620 .i6 2540 1.:

11,/1/44 2.9 1 105-mm 1 2600 est. .16 2520 1.!

- lit8 .... "

-Table X C 0 NF I DE N T I A L
,ions of Projectils 57-mm APC M136)made at University
.co Proving Ground
e4)
Retardation Velocit Stability Factor Method Used Average Stability
at point , Standard Atmospheric Connit oks to Compute Factor if fireo
ft/sec/ft ft/sec at point a at the muzzleO) Sa from 105 How M3k 6 )

.116 2763 1.324 1.27 A.P;G.-7

.116 2763 1.331 1.28 A.P.G.

.116 2805 1.304 1.29 Fowler

.116 2805 1.333 1.32 Fowler

.116
us. 2747 1.345 1.30 A.P.G,
.116 2747 1.314 1.27 A.P.G; A.P.G. 1.05

.116 2785 1.230 1.22 Fowlef' Fowler 1.05

.116 2785 1.269 1.26 Fowler

.116 2814 1.250 1.221 A.P.G.

.116 2814 1.279 1.23 A.P.G.

.116 28.54 1.227 1.21 Fow,",er

.116 2854 1.276 1.26 Fowler
.116 2584 1.09 1.05 A.P.G.
.116 2589 1.00 .96 A.P.G.
.116 2291 1.04 .99 A.P.G. 1.00
.116 2297 1.04 1.00 A.P-G.

.116 2377 1.O6 1.00 A.P.G.

, .32 2752 2.97 2.86 A.P.G._ . 42

t. .32 2640 3.30 2.93 A.P.G.__ 2.42

.274 1, 2196 2.71 2.38 A. P.G.-

.291 .2423 2.61 2.32 A.?.O.
2.37
.246 2180 2.68 2.40 A.P.G ,| .

.146 2230 1.45 1.36 A.P.G.---

.146 2230 1.42 1.33 A.P.G.o

.146 2230 1.36 1.28 A.P.Go

.146 2230 1.36 1.28 A.M.G. 1.31

.146 2230 1.36 1.28 A.P.G.

.146 2230 1.37 1.29 A.P.G. I

.16 2300 1.46 1.:36 A.P..C--

.16 2540 1.58 1.48 A.P.G.
.16 2540 1.57 1.47 A.P.G. 1.44
.16 2540 1.59 1.49 A.P.G.

.16 2520 1.57 1.47 A.P.G._

 -149- _______________

CONFIDENTIAL

Notes for Table X

Dates are given day, mont4 year.

(1) The 57-amm APC M86 projectiles were all from the special lot

described on page 43. They were without rotating band and without the

groove or seat for the band. All were filled with ammonium alum and

were fitted with dummy fuzes made to simulate fuze BD W72. The mass dis-

tribution in the projectiles with standard windshields used in the 2875-D

Sabots was as follows:

APC 186 with st~mdard windshield, windshield and AP Cap brazed on,

base threaded for sabot ring,

empty 6 lb. 4.25 oz

Mock-up of fuze BD M72 13.5 oz

Ammonium alum filling 1.0 oz

Total assembled weights 7 lb 2.75 oz

2
A (longitudinal moment of inertia) 0.0299 lb ft
2
B(transverse moment of inertia) 0,Q2328lb ft

Ratio A/B "... 0.1%

(2) The length of the windshield 'sured along the

axis. The standard windshield is 4.50" o windshield is

used the equivalent length is 1.35".

(3) Designates the person who obtained the data from the yaw
cards.

(4) Computed using the value in the preceding column.

(5) This value is obtained from the value in the precedinp column

by use of the formula:

OP... \o-nt,~C L~Jrv0
+--SP-- {-al~ ee R. Kent, A....C.. Roport 1"1.'085, page 13.
O_ a
Vo

C0NFIDENT
C T AL /
 Notes for Table X (Concld.)

where Sip is the determined value of the stability factor down the

range, i.e., the stability factor at the point a corrected to standard

air density.

Sop is the stability factor at the muzzle at standard air density.

VA is the velocity at point a.

Vo is the velocity at the muzzle.

S is equivalent to the symbol S as used in the special report by

the University of New Mexico on the stability of the M86 in the

75-mm gun, referred to in the text.

Standard Atmospheric Conditions are:

Pressure 750-mm Hg (29.53 in. 0

Hg), Temperature 1500. (59 F), Humidity

78% saturation, Density 1.2034 k&/m 3 (525.9 gr/ft 3 ). (APG Report X-113, p. 40)

(6) This is the value that the stability factor, at the muzzle, would

have, if the projectile were fired from thelO5-mm Howitzer M3 at the KV of

the determination. It is computed from the average of the values in the

preceding column. This is done by multiplying that average by the square

of the ratio of the distance traveled in the Howitzer in making one turn

to the distance traveled in the 75-mm guns in making one turn, i.e., by
(5105 . It applies at the MV stated in the 5th column.

(7) A.P.G. The method in current use at Aberdeen Proving Ground. See

A.P.G. Report X-113. "Resistance and Stability of Projectiles," by H. P.

Hitchcock. Fowler - The method descrihed by Fowler, Gallop, Locke, and

Richmond in "The Aerodynamics of a Spinning bhell," Phil Trans. Royal

Society Vol. A-221, 296 - 397..

The figures in this table are taken from a table prepared by J. McG.
Millar, of the Geophysical Laboratory, who made the computations to reduce

the stabillty factors to the ;iuzzle, from the University of New Mexico data.

CONFIDENTIAL
I
-I
 Teblafli CONFIDENTIAL

Suar of Features of Designs of 105-m/57-= (APC U86 mod.) Sabot@

Design
Dei SeaPlastic Sleeve Sabot
total
Type Yaterial Rema.ts Remarks Holes intends Diameter night
ft
No. Diameter

inches inc;hes inches itb.

Extends .4" in f-eat None None 3.4 4.128 4.9 *

2-105 T.R. C.RNS. - -. 005
of band.
8 .875 3.4 4.125 3.8
2-105A T.8. C.RNS. As 2-105, but 8 holes
.565- dia. driled i" -. 005
deep from front.
8 .875 3.4 4.128 3.0
2-105B T.R. C.R.S. As 2-105, but all but -. 005
.05" in front of band
removed, 12 hole~s
drilled from f-ort.
8 .875 3.4 4.128 3.5
2-405C T.8. C.R.S. As 2-135, but no holes -. 005
drilled.
8 .875 3.4 4.128 3.1
2-105D T.8. C.R.S. As 2-105B, but lhaes
drilled from roN -. 005
after bending.
8 .75 3.3 4.128 3.2
2-105E T.R. C..NS. As 2-1053, but 8 holes
.5" dim. drilled from -. 005
rear after banding
Holes drilled, fro 8 .75 3-5 4.128 3.25
2-105F T.R. C.N.S. As 2-105E -. 005
rear 3" deep 8
treaking slits full
length.

2-105G T1.. C.R.S. As 2-1053 Hollow shell IMh None lons 4.12S 3.2
solid section at -. 005
each end.

2-105H T1.. C.R.S. As 2-105i . Solid except for None None 3.5 4t.131 3.8
bre-ldng slits -. 003

2-105J T.8. C.R.N. As 2-105%, but Solid except for None None 3.5 4.131 3.1
skirt omitted breaking slits -. 001

2-10K T.R. C.0R. . As 2-105B, but Solid except for None None 3.5 ? 3.7
8 segments breakLng slits

2-105L T.8. C.N.S. As 2-105E. Plastic in three None None 3.5 ? 3.7
rings

2-l05N T.F. C.R.S. As 2-105E, but Solid except for None None 3.3 4.131 4.2
skirt shortened breaking slits .8" -. 003
dural ring in front
of Plastic

2-105P T.8. CR.NS. As 2-105E .6" dural ring in None None ? 3.9
front of elastic

2-1054 T.R. C.N.N. As 2-105E .8n dural ring in None None 3.3 ? 3.a
front of plastic

2-105F T.R. C.R.S. As 2-105E .8" dural ring in None None 3.3 4.130(1) 4.1
front of plastic, -. 003
set screws in Aural

5-105 B.8. Steel Solid xcecct for 8 15/16 4.35 4.128 3.7
yield breaking slits -. 005
>100,000
p.s.i. 4

6-105 T.F. Doral & Dural ring fools band Solid except for None None 3.74 4.128 3.00
C.N.S. seat and extatks .- " in breaking slits -. 005
front of band,. skirted
steel disc behiod dural

9-105 T.R. Dlural & Dural ring fonas band Solid except for None None 2.90 4.128 3-1
Plastic seat, plastic :.-ing behind breaking olits -. 005
dural. Both 'ngs slit
from inside leaving outer
surface intact,.

9-105A T.P. Dural & Same as 9-105 None None 2.90 4.128 2.2
Plastic -. 005

9-105C T.R. C.R.S. & like 9-105 but doral re- 2.90 4.128 3.1
Plastic yiaced by C.F. 5. 12 9/16" .-.005
holes drilled Eru front
in steel ring

13-105 T.8. C.N.S. As 2-105E but arimping .6" Aural in front ? 3.5
skirt shortened and of plastic, plastic
band diameter decreased hollowed out in
center

T.8. Threaded base ring. ling sarrounds the rear end of the subcaliber projectile and is threaded
to it.
B.8. Base ring. This is a base ith a central hole. Thrust and torque are applied by it to the
base of the subcaliber prejectile.

C.NFS. Cold rolled steel.

(i) There are two drawings of Plate I, Design 2-105R, dated 1/31/44. The first, bound into the
report of February 2, 1944, shows the diameter of the sleeve as 4.131" -. 003". The second,
- I -N shows it as 4.13O" -. 003". The lot of projectiles
supplied to the Airy- were made to the latter dracing.
 Table XIB
C 0 N F I DEN T I A L
Summary of Features of Design of 105-mm/3" (HE M42A1) Sabots

Design Base Plastic Sleeve Diameter Total

No.
Type Material Remarks Remarks Extends in M2AI weight
frunt of under of
band to band sabot
inches inches lb.

3-105 T.R. C.R.S. Sabot is patterned on 28-75D. Solid except for 4.57 2.900 3.91
Threaded steel ring lightened by breaking slits
cutting a deep wide groove in
front of rotating band.

3-105A T.R. C.R.S. Like 3-105 but steel in front of Solid except for 4.48 2.900 3.25
rotating band eliminated, breaking slits

3-105B T.R. C.R.S. Like 3-105A Solid except for 4.48 2.965 3.2
breaking slits

4-105 B.P. C.R.S. Rear face of plate coned. Front Solid except for 5.30 2.980 4.2
face of plate has shallow cup breaking slits
tocenter the M42A1. No center
hole in plate.

7-105 G.R. Steel The groove for the band seat of the Solid except for 3.29 2.965 3.75
Plastic M42A1 was deepened, dip 2.645", breaking slits
and a oteol ring in 4 segments
fitted in it. The ring was held
together by the rotating band. A
plastic sealing ring was fitted
behing the steel ring.

7-105A G.R. C.R.S. The segmented steel ring was Solid except for 3.10 2.965 2.75
Plastic lightenedby cutting a deep breaking slits
groove in it from the rear face

7-105A G.R. C.R.S. Same as 7-lOSA but with .20" play Solid except for 3.10 2.965 2.75
Plastic between steel ring and ends of breaking slits
groove in M42A1

IO-105B T.R. C.R.S. The threaded steel ring is the Solid except for 4.48 2.965 3.25
length of the rotating band only, breaking slits
partially semn.nPed by 14 radinl
slits. Plastic sealing ring be-
hind steel ring.

11-105 B.R. Steel Ring coned on rear face, shallow Sleeve lightened 5.30 2.970
S.A.E. depression for M42AI on front by drilling 16
4.130 face. Threaded to hold plastic holes 9/16" dia
H. T. sleeve. Opening in ring 2.47" dia lengthwise.

I1-105A B.R. Steel Diameter of central hole Sleeve solid ex- 5.30 2.970 2.5
S.A.E. decreased cept for breaking
4130 slits
H. T.

T.R. Threaded base ring. Ring surrounds the rear end of the subcaliber nrojectile and is threaded
to it.
B.P. Base "plate". This Is a -alid bazc, ;-;t ouL cntral . Thrust and torque are ao'tied
by it to the base of the subcaliber projectile.

B.R. Base ring. Like the base "plate" but with central hole.

G.R. Groove and ring. bee remarks under /-LU5.

H.T. Heat treated.

C..S. Cold rolled steel

The outside diamneter of the bourrelet was the same in all designs, 4.128" -. 005".
 -153-

E-4)

r- 0 m kO 0

0~ 4a
0 'Q) 0)~)3 (Vif
0 010)P+ 0) H.
S 04 C E-4. 0

H 2 $.4 -01-+r cJ cr)~O

040
o- co fl 41 -
0

3) r- r4

'd0 d 0)90) 10r

A 0 0, 45i~

Q~ 0) C. (

0 4 4) 1
CH to) 8 ,r

~q
p r4
a) cd C.)
( ~~- .Jl. -pS

U3 ~) to U4C A .

2-4 -4 H
v-O 4Z0p 44' 0~(

H% 0)

) bbH -H (
E0 V 0
 " -154 -
-154CONFIDENC 0 T IAL

Table XIIB

Materials Used in Sabot Projectiles for the 76-mm Gun NIA2

Projectiles made by Projectiles made by Turbo Machine

Univ. of New Mexico Co. to design 3 -76J revised to
to design 3-76 EH 30/8/44 and plate IV dated 28/8/44.

Base or Sabot steel, heat treated 8744 N.E. H.R, steel. Machined
before heat treating. 363 - 365
brinel. 156,750 p.s.i, yield,
170,250 p.s.i, tensild.

Sabot retaining Dowmetal type 0-1 Xl020 steel, used as received from
ring mill

B6urrelet sleeve Dowmetal type 0-1 Cast Dowmetal H, heat treated and
aged (aging time was rather short() )
Bourrelet band Cold rolled steel Cold drawn seamless tubing, used
as received from mill

Sheath rear Steel, heat treated Same as used for base

portion

Sheath front Cold rolled steel Cold finish X1020 steel, used as
portion received from mill

Pad Aluminum alloy 17S-T Aluminum alloy 17S-T

Core Tungsten carbide, 13 Tungsten carbide, 13 percent cobalt,

percent cobalt, made by Kenametal
.arboloy 55A.

Total weight 7.97 lb 7.7 lb

Weight of WC 3.96 lb Slightly less than of core used

core in 3-76 EH.

(1) Dowmetal type 0-1 was preferred but type H was available, and was

used. The makers data show that aging increases the strength of this cast

alloy but decreases the elongation.

A'-''
 -155
-155- .CONFIDENTIAL

University of New Mexico Drawings

The following University of New Mexico design drawings have been

selected for inclusion in this report; and reproductions of them

follow:

28-75D, plates I and II dated 27 May 1943

28-75D, revised, plate III dated 6 May 1944

2-105R,, plates I and II dated 31 January 1944, plate III dated 6 March
1944, drawing of windshield, plate IV dated 6 May 1944.
3-105B, plates I and II dated 26 November 1943, plate III dated
6 Yay 1944
3-76J, plates I, II and III revised 30 August 191i.4, plate IV dated
28 August 194.

This list does not include all the drawings to which sabot projectiles

that were supplied to the U.S. Army for test were made, but with the notes

in the text it is sufficient to give a fairly detailed description of all

these projectiles. For greater detail the drawings contained in the

University ofd reports to Division 1 may be consulted. Draw-

ings of ere supplied to the Office of the Chief of

Ordnance ar ojectile- were delivered.

The following notes will serve to identify the drawings pertaining

to the different lots of sabot projectiles supplied to the U.S. Army for

test.

28-75D. Plates I and II show the design to which the 75-mm/57-mm

(APC M86) sabot projectiles for the 75-mm Gun M3 that were tested at

A.P.G. in 1943 were made. For some details see pages 42 and 43.

C0 NF I DF N T I A L
 -156 -
C-0 NF IDE N TI AL

28-75H, (not reproduced here) was 28-75D with the steel base ring

slightly modified to facilitate production - see pages 48 and 49.

Plate - .. March..-L,.. . .
--.
L uiLwa pUart
1 0.f .U. U.... neporT, 01 March U, '145.

28-75D Revised. Plates I and II dated March 2, 1944 (not repro-

duced here), show the design to which the 75-mm/57-mm (APO M86) sabot

projectiles for the 75-mm Pack Howitzer that were supplied in 1944

were made. For a description of this design see pages 98 and 99. These

plates form a part of U.N.M. Report of August 1, 1944. Plate III dated

May 6, 1944 shows the U.N.M. proposal for substituting light metal for

the plastic in this design, see page 104. This plate also forms a part

of the U.N.M. Report of August 1, 1944- Plate IV dated August 30, 1944

(not reproduced here) shows the design of light metal sleeve proposed

by the University of New Mexico for replacing the plastic sleeves on the

projectiles already made and furnished to the U.S. Army, see page 101.

2-105R. Plates I, II and III together with the drawing of the wind-

shield show the design to which the 105-mm/57-mm (APO M86 modified) sabot

projectiles for the 105-mm Howitzer M3 were made, see page 76 for some

details. Plate IV, dated May 6, 1944 shows the University of New Mexico's

proposal for substituting light metal for the plastic in this design,

see page 104.

3-105B. Plates I and II show the design to which the 105-MM/3"

(HE M42A1) sabot projectiles for the 105-mm Howitzer M3 were made, see

page 80 for some details. Plate III shows the Univerd ty of New '4exico~s

proposal for substituting light metal for the plastic in this design,

see page 105.

3-76EH (not reproduced here). The first lot of twenty-five tungsten

" carbide cored AP sabot projectiles for the 76-mm Gun MlA2 made by the

I,: =IrD V N T I AL
 -157 -
CON F ID EN TI AL

University of New Mexico and supplied to A.P.G. on July 23, August 1,

and August 13, 1944 were made to this design. The drawings 3-76E, plates

T. TT and III revised to July 1. 1944 and 3-76H dated June 27. 1944 form

a part of U.N.M. Report of August 1, 1944. The design consists of design

3-76E as shown on the three plates mentioned~but with the base or sabot

shown on 3-76H substituted for that shown on 3-76E. The design is very

similar to design 3-76J the drawings of which are reproduced here. The

main cdifferences between these two designs are given on pages 122 and

123.

3-76J. Plates I, II and III revised August 30, 1944 and Plate IV

dated August 28, 1944 show the design to which the second twenty-five

sabot projectiles for the 76-mm Gun MIA2 were constructed, see page 122

and 123. The weights of parts are as follows:

core 3.87 lb (4 weighed)

sabot banded 1.53 lb (1 weighed)

bourrelet 4 barld .521 lb (1 weighed)

base of sheath with tracer .500 lb (1 weighed)

front of sheath 1.125 lb (1 weighed)

pad .031 lb (1 weighed)

assembled projectile 7.66 lb (1 weighed)

S.I~/
 IL 7r

ktu

IQ ~/

I TIV
L41

Age

~ k,
 N t

96.

go --- - --
Lo

N ~ -x

* '7 9"
A ijz
 -F7
t77

US_
_ _ a ~ O YZj~_

:.i 4
~f I \ _

~~SVO

4-

Ai'oz-j
9cX~C _ ii *

-
___ ~ ~ 9Og'J4va-lk
IZ3

44~
5/- X-L
 L-71

04"

60 - b
-I f
_ IT -. 111 m
 isJ

I ~1- -'00 g',&z~

-44

Ni
 K rQ

.17

ccr3
V))NQ
 I -

r IS
 4LI~~
o [I2
I--. - ~ OD

N '~-e

K /K
0/0-0
 Q)i

-4
__- (j c

*14

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 c6,9c

00100 oo"'.

-~ZIP

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4'1

-?100- sl/.*
 Cii>

L.IjI
 CON F I DENT AL

Chart giving striking velocity and penetration of U.N.M.

sahot. mro, ctiies for the 76 -nmm Gun AIlA2.

This chart, the original of which was prepared by the Ballistic

Branch, Research and Materials Division, Research and Development Service,

Office of the Chief of Ordnance, is based on data obtained at Aberdeen

Proving Ground using several different projectiles. The form factor

used in computinp the striking -velocity 'VS range relationship was ob-

tained by firings of U.N.M. 3-76J. The Tpenetration data was obtA.ined

from firings of U.N.M. '-76EH, British 17-pr sabots, and other Drojectiles

hoving a 4 lb core of cemented tungsten carbide. The subcaliber pro-

jectiles of the two U.N.M. designs are so like that of the British 17-,r

sabot ,'rcjectile that the penetrations of all three should be identical

at any given striking velocity (assuming no yaw at the plate in all cases).

The construction of the other 1rojectiles was radically different but

I
the corcs were the smie as those in the sabot projectiles.

~ I..

'1g
 K n. -e

X- I r

1.0
0* 3
-k s;
tp j .

.1Q ~ C4

t r

-5--40
~~t,

t3 t

-10 7919V.WJl9

Qo s~N. 5 ~
-~ 'Q.IT
 -1- __________

C 0 N F ID E N T I AL
APPEEND!X I

EFFECT OF M1OISTURE ON DIMENSIONS OF PLASTIC PARTS

Some information about the changes in dimensions of laminated

phenolic plastics has been collected in this Appendix. This includes

test data selected from two papers and a short statement of the results

of some tests made at the Geophysical Laboratory.

First, however, it is desirable to have iii mind what expansion of

the diameter of the plastic sleeves of the University of New Mexico de-

signs is tolerable after machining. Table I shows this on the assumption

that no paint or other material that will increase the diameter is applied

over the plastic. If the limit of tolerable expansion is exceeded, the

projectile may not load. Af, to increase the amount of expansion that

can be tolerated, the design diameter of the sleeve is reduced, this

will presumably result in increased yaw and dispersion of projectiles

that have been well dried.

Table I

Design No. Diameter of sleeve Diameter of bore Limit of expansion

tolerable
inches inches inches percent

28 - 75D 2.945 - .005 2.950 + .002 .005 0.17

2 - 105R 4.130 - .003 4.134 4 .002 .004 0.097

3 - 105B 4-.28 - .005 4.134 + .002 .006 0.J.45

Nta from the Literature

Table II presents selected test data from a paper by Wakemanl/.

-V Wakeman, Reglalx d L. "Dimensional Changes in Boiling Water,

Modern Plastics, Vol. J.8, July 1941, p. 65 et seq.
- - -- - - - - - ------------------------
ON-FID-N-- -L---------

CC N FID E NT IAL1
Id
-
U'
~ c to*~

LH 4-,~~~
0 'S

H
r. N C
jg ,4:
4-3-

v
4a

0C '. d
o 0 0~ LC
P,4 4 I

0 r8 .,I

000

're Ho C'N LC\t- O0

1.00 ?00

0- c
0

H~ -~ H
OUc4
H~
0-0

00~
r-1'

4-) 00 G
HQ

N Cd C Vd

0 H C 0 OO)

U2 U' 0
bdN

ri M C~j cr
 CONFIDENTIAL7

Columns 3 and 4 give percentage increases in the length of test pieces

2 3/4" x 1" x 1/8" after being immersed in distilled water at room
temperature for 6 weeks and for 2 years. How representative these data

or those of Table III may be is not known to the writer.

Table III presents some data taken from a paper by Titus, . The

tests resulting in the figures given in the table were made on speci-

mens that had been dried by heating at 1490 C for 21 hours. The

specimens were then placed in glass desiccators containing water,

salt solution in equilibrium with solid salt, or desiccant, to give

the relative humidities noted in the table. The desiccators were

left at room temperature throughout the test. It should be noted that

at the beginning of their exposures to the relative humidities noted,

the specimens were drier than any machined part made from the same

plastic would be when it oame off the lathe, and that the expansion of

the machined part, if it were the same size as the test specimen,

would therefore be less, at 100 percent relative hunidity, than that

of the test specimen.

The ASTM tentative specifications for laminated thermosetting

materials (D 709 - rr T) specify maximum water absorption. However,,

the specifications are in terms of weight and for short term immersion

tests and give no information about the changes of dimensions to be

expected.

A recent paper by Burnsi" gives a good deal of interesting informa-

ticn on dimensional changes of plastics bhlt none of the dat"a pertain

directly to the particular plastics with which we are concerned.

2/ A. C. Titus, "Effect of High Relative Humidities in Producing

Changes in Dimensions of Plastics," Plastics and Resins Industry,
August 1944, p. 12 et seq.

Nk I DE NT I A L

'* 1 ... . .... . . .

 -4-C 0 M F I D EN T I A

Table III

PERCENTAGF INCREASE IN LENGTH OF LAMINATED PHENOLIC PLASTICS*

100% R.H. 27% R.H.

80 days 62 days 0% R. H.

Cotton cloth base 0.36 0.15 -0.025

Glass cloth base 0.15 0.075 0

Asbestos base 0.19 0.1 +0.025

The specimens were strips 4" x 0.9" x 0.07". They were dried
for 21 hours at 1490C before being exposed to the relative
humidities stated. All changes are relative to the lengths
after heating and subsequent cooling. The specimens were ex-
posed to the different relative humidities at room temperature,
* Data from Titus

It will be noted from the data of Tables II and III that the glass
.. t. 2. C. .,.t,. c,,.&...
.p much less than laminated

phenolic plastics with an organic fiber base, but that even this material

expanded 0.15 percent when exposed to a relative humidity of 100 percent

at room temperature. Still greater expansion is to be expected from

immersion in water. Now ammunition may be exposed to high relative

humidities, 90 percent or more, for long periods of time, and may stand

in the rain or be immersed in mud or water, or it may be used in desert

country and be exposed to high temperatures and low relative humidities,

under 10 percent, over long periods of time. Thus it is not certain

that even glass fabric base laminated phenolic material could be used

Y' Robert Burns, "Dimensional Stability of Plastics," ASTM

Bulletin, May 190, p. 27 et seq.

CONFIDE N TI AL

Mom~
 -5--
CONF T DEN TI AL
for sleeve bourrelets on projectiles that might be used in any part

of the world without allowing greater design windage than is allowed

by the University of New Mexico designs, even if the moisture content

at the time of machining were controlled.

It may also be noted in passing that plastics are subject to other

slight changes in dimensions in addition to those brought about by

moisture. The data of the last five columns of Table II reflect this.

The sliding bourrelet of Critchfieldl' provides one means of over-

coming the difficulty. Some of the objections to its use for service

projectiles would be removed by putting the sliding collar on the in-

side instead of on the outside of the sleeve.

Tests made at the Geophysical Laboratory

In January 1944, the Geophysical Laboratory began mlkin.- =nbcr

of tests of a design that had been proposed for a sabot for the 20-nmm

Hispano. This design utilized a sleeve of plastic surrounding the sub-

caliber projectile in the way that had been introduced by the University

of iNew exico. It was necessary to know how the dimensions of these

plastic parts would be affected by the most extreme moisture conditions

that they might be exposed to in ser~vice. Accordingly, long-term tests

in which specimens were immersed in water or exposed to high or to low

relative humidity were begun about the middle of January. After a few

preliminary tests had been carried out, the series of tests reported on

in the following article was begun. These tests were oonducted by J. MeG.
Millar. Portions of his summary of the changes in dimensions that occurred
have been appended to these notes, as they are pertinent to any consideration
of the use of plastics of these types in ammunition components.

.4/See footnote 51, e 74.

C0N F ID BN TI AL

Z 'D7
 -6--
CONFI DENTIAL

- Appendix to Appendix I -

EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF PLASTIC SLEEVES EXPOSED TO

DIFFERENT DEGREES OF HUMIDITY AND IMM.ER.SED IN WATER

by John McG. Millar

1. P_ o:

The tests described here were intended to show how much the plastic

sleeves would expand or contract when exposed to different degrees of

hurmidity, and when immersed in water.

2. Specimens used in tests:

For the most part the specimens were sleeves formed from phenol-

formaldehyde plastic with an organic fiber base, and intended for use

as bourrelets on 20-mm sabot projectiles. They were essentially short

tubes with an outside diameter of 0.784", and an inside diameter of

o.659... They are described in Table I, together with the material from

which they were made. The sleeves made from the first two materials

listed there were made by molding, the others were machined. The lengths

of specimens differed. In part this was due to the necessity of machin-

ing a smooth surface of some width on the front end of the sleeve to

permit accurate measurements of length to be made.

The Phenolite XX 21 and XX 25 paper base plastics could not be ob-

tained in 0.8" tubing. Therefore 0.5" tubing was used to make test

pieces. These were made 0.5" in diameter, 1" long, and had the same wall

thickness ac standard sleeves. Later, a few scraps of 0.78" tubing of

the same kinds, both rolled and molded, were obtained, and tested for

immersion only. The results of these tests show that the expansion of

the full size tubing is about 90% of that of the 0.5'" t.uing in the case

of inersion. It is p ul hitb the behavior under other humidity condi-

tions is also comparable.

CON F ID EN TI AL

Jzv;
 -7-.CONFIDENTIAL

3. Conditions to which exposed:

a. Immersion in water: The plastics were kept covered with dis-

LiAlledd..wtier at room teifperaLure, 68 0 F to 82 0 F.

b. High relative humidity: The sleeves were enclosed in a sealed

glass vessel over a saturated solution of cupric chloride in

water, and the vessel was kept in a thermostated oven at 1020 F

to 106 0 F (38 0 C - 400 C). The specimens were thus exposed to a

relative humidity of 89 - 904"/at 1021F and 106 0 F.

c. Low relative humidity: The sleeves were kept over potassium

hydroxcide sticks in a desiccator, and in the same oven, i.e.,

at a temperature between 102 0 F and 1060F. They were thus ex-

posed to a relative humidity of less than 1% at these tempera-

ture 2
.. Method of Measurement:

The outside diameter and the length were measured. Measurements

of all dimensions were carried out with a micrometer. Usually the test
sleeves were slightly out of round. In this case the maximum and minimum

diameters were noted, and the average was considered to be the value of

the diameter measured. Maximum and minimum lengths were similarly aver-

aged. The location of the maximum and minimum dimension was marked on

the sample on the first measurement. Subsequent measurements were carried

out on the same places as the first. The outside diameter of sleeves
machined from the molded Phenolite LE 75 plastic and the paper base plastics

were circular to within 0.0003", therefore only one diameter was measured.

ational Critical Tables,

l_/ Intern-- Vol. I, p. 67.

2_/ International Critical Tables, Vol. III, p. 385.

C 0 N F I D ;N T AL

0/ y

p.
 -8-- _________

CONFIDENTI AL

Later in the experiment it became apparent that the molding joint has

some effect on the expansion: Samples that were round after machining

bennmn out. ofrpa . The out,-of-r'ounLness is, however,

only 0.00111 or less. The error in each individual measurement is

S0.0005".
Measurements were made at 1 and 2 days, and at 1, 2, 3, 4 or some-

times 5, 8, and 13 or 14 weeks after the beginning of the tests. The

samples had, of course, to be removed from the containers for measurement

but were never left out for more than 90 minutes. The containers were

left in the oven while the measurements were being made. The temperature

of the oven was checked frequently and was always found to be 38 - 400C.
5. Results:

The results of the tests are shown in the attached graphs of change

in dimensions versus time. It has already been noted that the dimensions

of all the specimens were not identical. In plotting the changes in

dimensions, therefore, in order to assist direct comparison, all dimen-

sions have been reduced to a common standard by multiplying by the ratio;

dimension of standard / original dimension concerned.

"Back Diameters" (see attached graphs) are outside diameters; the

micrometer is held so that the rear edge of the sample coincides with

the edge of the micromet~er flats.

"Front Diameters" (only Bak. 1132 and Durez 1.905) are outside

diameters; the micrometer is held so that the edges of the micrometer

flats are 1/4" from the front edge of the sample.

Lengths were measured parallel to the axis of revolution of the sample.

Table II gives a summary of all tests and all final changes in dimensions.

This table is represented graphically in graph No. 11.

C 0 N F I I) B N T I AL
 C 0NF 1 DEN T IA L

It will be noted that in the case of the two sets of molded

sleeves the changes in the front and back diameters are different, and

both are different from the change in -nt Thi, __ u ge

at first sight. The changes in dimensions are closely related to the

organic filler. Both these molded materials have fiber fillers. .Ex-

amination of fractured surfaces under a Greenough binocular microscope

shows that the fibers tend to be arranged with their long dimensions in

planes perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve, and that their concentra-

tion is greater at the back end than at the front end of the sleeve.

This probably accounts for the differences in the changes in dimensions.

An uncertain factor in these tests is the initial condition of the

samples with respect to moisture content. We have, for instance, no

definite information as to the prevailing humidities at the time the tests

were started. (It may be roughly estimated to have been about 50% 10%)

The influence of the initial condition of the samples may be illustrated

by the following. Some preliminary tests were carried out on Bakelite

1132 and Durez 1905. Three and four pieces of each were exposed to the

high and low humidity atmospheres under the test conditions already des-

cribed. The results of these preliminary tests show a larger effect of

the desiccation than in the main test and a corresponcingly smaller effect

of the humidification. However, the total change in dimensions is the

same as in the main test. This situation is presumably due to a different

initial moisture content of the plastic.

6. Conclusion:

The mwanitudes ni. the e.x,.. sion and%contraction that must be taken

into account in using tho plastics tosted are shown. The magnitude of

theae effects, together with the difficulty of knovwng the moisture

CO N FIDEN T I AL

- i,'/
 10 -
CONFIDENTIAL

content of the plastic at the tine of machining, prohibits the use of

any of these materials for bourrelets unless some comnensating device

iO LLtd such as a sliding bourrelet.

The effect of ageing of the plastics on the dimensions of parts

made for them remains a question.

Note: Four diagrams, graphs 3, 4, 5 and 11, of Mr. Millar's report

have been selected for reporduction here. These will be
found following the tables.

9'i

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 -13 -
C0 N F I D E N T I A L

Figures from Mr. Millar's report reproduced here.

1. Perceentage change in outside diameter against time of exposure to

differz.t moisture conditions for hollow cylinders machined from

laminated cotton fabric base phenol-formaldehyde tubing. (Graph

3 of Millar's report)

2. Percentage change in outside diameter against time of exposure to

different moisture conditions for hollow cylinders machined from

laminated molded paper base phenol-formaldehyde tubing. (Graph 4

of Killar's report)

3. Percentage change in outside diameter against time of exposure to

different moisture conditions hoi.ol..w c.,Inders machined from

laminated rolled paper base pheo: ol-Yormaldehyde tiboing. (Graph 5 of

Millar's report)

4. Percentage change in dimensions o." hollow cylinders of various plastics

after being exposed for 92-98 days to different moisture conditions.

(Graph XI of Millar's report)

x/
F

f/

(I

I-J'
 CON F ID EN TI AL

APPENDIX II

PRESSURE MEASURFMENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NEVV MUEMLCO

All chamber pressure measurements made by the University of New

Iexico were made with copper crusher gauges. Prior to June 13, 1944

gauges employing copper balls were used. For measurement~s on that date,

and for all subsbquent -measurements standard U.S. Army medium caliber

pressure gauges employing copper cylinders were used. The copper ball

gauges used had a piston approximately 1/30 square inch in area. The

balls used were. 5/32" diameter and were supplied to the University of

New Aexico ready for use., No drawing of these copper ball gauges is

available but the gauges were based on the design introduced by Hickma4.

Gauges of this type bectuie widely used in NDRC contracts and many

small modifications of the ori) . design were introduced.

Thc targ--e. tabae,s ifc. .... Turith tho copper b,,a!l gauges are based

on mea~urementP ,.f the compression of the annealed copper b,hlls produced

by dl.f ,,,a*nt static loads, the measurements being made over the full

-eful range. The pressure indicated by a gauge, after having been used

in the chamber, is therefor,,, tb' stati, opressure that acting over the

'ea of the piston9 wo ,," produce the compresson of the copper hell

td. The chzm.,,- or pressures indicated r:y copper crasher gauges using

eithel 1
r' i~i or -aylinders are always less thar, the actual peak pressures
as *indic ,ed by piezo electric gauges.

Re )rt A-2a "'hie use of copper balla for measuring pres-

N
suresiNDRcombusti, chambers" by C. N. Hickman, Nov. 1941.

,..C 0' F ID E Ni T T AT

73 5
 -2-
C 0 NF I D FN T I AL

Copper crusher type pressure gauges have long been in use for

measuring chamber pressures ;and in spite of the. development of piezo

electric and strain gauges they are still used for most measurements

of chamber pressures in cuns.because of their simplicity and convenience.

It is current L1eS. Army, U.S. Navy, and British practice to state such

pressures in terms of the indications of a copper gauge unless otherwise

noted_. It is desirable therefore to know the relationship between

the indications c the copper ball gauges used by the University of New

Mexico in their firings, and those of the standard service copper gauge

for use in the same guns, in this case the U.S. Army medium caliber

pressure gauge using annealed copper cylinders. It is also desirable

to knob thu relationship to the indications of a piezo electric gauge

as that gauge presumably gives a close approach to the actual peak pros-

sure.

The University of New Mexico at no time used a piezo electric gauge

in their sabot work so no comparison was made of their copper ball gauges

with a piezo electric gauge. Nor is there any record of a comparison

with the standard U.S. Army medium caliber pressure gauge. Any com-

parison that can be made now must be a rather indirect one making use of

pressure data obtained with each gauge in different firings in which the

same powder was used. The records have been searched for such data and

what pertinent data have been found have been collected in Table i.

_/ U.S. Army and Navy gauges generally use annealed copper cylinders,
while British gauges use copper cylinders that have been annealed ind
then precompressed. For prcssures above 40000 p.s.i. annealed and Pre-
compressed copper cylinders are also used by U.S. Army (U.S. &rmyr
Specification NO 52-1-51A August 1944).

-- - -- ------------------- .-- -

C 0 N F I D E N T IALT
 Change of-the Outside Diameter of Molded Paper Base
X1as Pieces with Tine Under Differen~t .oisture.Conditions.
The Averages shown are the arithmetic averages of the change in outside
diameter of 5 piedes. The max..and min. change isi lso shown. The
-Diameter of the Pieces Is measured with the microlmeter just overth
one elid of the piece. These Test pieces were initially'.*50 In diamete.',
1. The scale a~tthe r-ight is drawn for an initial diameter of .7840.

in A9ter

.7 ;

.00.

_Ve 00

-4

.78,3:

T7im e In Da~y
20 4060 80 100

ki~n.

XaTemp,. 36-0 0.

'14
o.73
 Change of wit'
the Outside
U211-tece U Diameter of Rolled
dexfffer-ent Paper Base
Hoisturr

The Averages shown are the arithmetic averages of the change In outsid~
diameter' of 5 pieces. The~'Max. and Min. change is also shown. The
Diameter of the pieces is measured with the micrometer dust over the
one end'ot the piece. These Test pieces were initially .9idia-
meter. The scale at the right is drawn for an initial diameter of
.754'.

te

0Q

QU

K I -

.7i4

Lr * O SS h en 1 -1
 " y U . 7 . . . .. . ."

-.....

. r-4
'10

.-0
)

,-0 0 A,

-I .C ' 5 L 1.

* ~u (YL3~

. . '..
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5. C'.-. -.-.

. ,-- " " ., - .

, ,/ . '
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0 t

t4L4h.
... . .
a
 3-.
C F I DENT I AL,
It may bw said at once that no satisfactory comparison is possiblt

i(" from these data.

Part A of Table I pretents the available pertinent data from fir-

ings using FNHM2 lot 4254 in the 75-m gun M3. The only adequate

number of pressure data obtained with any one desigh of projectile is

that obtained at A.P.G. during the tests of the 75-nm/57-mm (APC M86)

sabot projectile in Aid summer 1943. To get a significant number of

pressure data to compare with these, data from 9 different designs

have been assembled. The comparison is unsatisfactory for starting

pressures may possibly be affected by the differences in design, and

temperature data is lacking. The pressure indications of the copper

ball gauges have a rather wide spread but do not average greatly dif-

ferent than those of the medium caliber gauges.

Part B of Table I lists the available pertinent date. from firings

using FNH Ml lot X-6099 in the 105-mm Howitzer M3. Here again the only

adequate number of pressure data obtained with any one design of pro-

jectile is that obtained at A.P.M. These data were obtained there during

the test of the 105-mm/3" (HE M42) sabot ammunition that had been filled

at Picatinny for trials by the Infantry Board. While the data are in-

adequate for a determination of the relationship between the indications

of the copper ball gauges used at the University of New Mexico and of

the medium caliber pressure gauge used at Aberdeen, they do show with-

out question that the University of New Mexico gauges read much lower

than the A.P.G. gauges.

Part C lists the available pertinent data obtained from firings from

the 105-mm Howitzer M3 using FNH M2 lot Rad-3004. Again the rhqt.q do

not
i permit a detenrd.nation of the relationship of the indications of

CONFI DFNTI AL
 CON F I D EN T I A L
the two gauges but do show that the copper ball gauges read much lower

( than the medium caliber pressure gauges.

Part D of Table I gives pressure data obtained in firings from a

nearly new 76-mm Gun NIA2 using charges of FNH M2 lot 4254. On June

2, 1944 a series of 8.0 lb slugs, made from standard HE shell M I

were fired. Four copper ball gauges were used in each cartridge case.

All the readings obtained (231 have been used in preparing the table.

Pressure data obtained with the medium caliber pressure gauge to com-

pare with this is available for only one round. This has been included

in the table. It will be seen that there is a large spread in the in-

dications of the copper ball gauges in the same round but that the

maximum indication from each round is fairly uniform, indicating that

the actual pressures developed were fairly uniform and that many dfthe

gauges did not work well mechanically. As medium caliber gauge readings

are available for only one round no valid comparison of the readings of

the two gauges is possible. The indication is, however, that the copper

ball gauges read lower than the other and this is consistent with the

indications from firings in the 105-mm Howitzer M3.

No survey of the relationship between the pressure indication of

the U.S. Army copper gauges and a piezo electric gauge will be attempted

here. It is appropriate, however, to mention comparisons carried out

in the 76-mu gun and reported in B.R.L. Reports 351 and 378. In the

work covered by the first mentioned report it wE-s found that at normal

temperatures with normal charges in this gun (pressures mostly a little

over 40,000 p.s.i. copper) the pressure indicated by the piezo electric

gauge was about 1.2 x that indicated by the medium caliber gauge. In

( "the work covered by the second mentioned report in which excess pressures

CONFI DEN TIAL

f9o
L-
 ! ..... C 0 NF D E N T I A L,

t.. temperature the relati onship was less consistent than in the work. at
i normal pressures, but the results d- d not demonstrate a change ir,

, this relationship.
 CYN0%0',H 0%to r4H i-4r

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 ~&&5C.ATIh
TITLE:Work on Sabot-Projectiles - 1942-1944 - and Appendix 1 2)
e. one
: Gr ei g , W
.. . ,/ /
A UTH Or 4S)
ORIG. AGENCY : University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque / /
PUBLISHED BY OSRD, NDRC, Div. 1, Washington, D. C. -X' M
-6499 NDRC-A-4
O41 COE 1=oO1m 1 '2UA
'03 :LImU-tIO hA.O
ABSTRACT:

The work conducted on sabot projectiles by the University of New Mexico from 1942 to 1944 is
summarized. Following a discussion of sabot mechanisms and materials of construction, several
7
projectiles are described. These include armor-piercing sabot projectile for the 5-mm Bun,
armor-piercing and high-explosive sabot projectiles for the 105-mm Howitzer M3, armor-
piercing sabot projectiles for the 75-mm pack Howitzer, armor-piercing sabot projectiles with 0
tungsten-carbide cores for the 76-mm gun MIA2, designs for the 76-mm and 90-mm guns for
construction by Remington Arms Co., Inc., and further developments in these designs.

DIVISION: Ordnance and Armament (22) , SUBJECT HEADINGS: Projectiles, Sabot - Development
SECTION: Ammunition (1) (75426.46)

ATI SHEETNO.: C-22-1-24