{"id":1706,"date":"2012-07-02T20:06:22","date_gmt":"2012-07-03T00:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2012-07-02T20:06:22","modified_gmt":"2012-07-03T00:06:22","slug":"part-3-of-a-ballistics-guide-for-geeks-writers-and-geeky-writers-stability-and-recoil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/clockdoc\/part-3-of-a-ballistics-guide-for-geeks-writers-and-geeky-writers-stability-and-recoil\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 3 of A Ballistics Guide for Geeks, Writers, and Geeky Writers: Stability and Recoil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back all!\u00a0 In last week&#8217;s episode we talked about external ballistics, and the forces that affect a projectile in flight.\u00a0 We also talked about those same projectiles flying around on Mars, in outer space, and on planets made of bubblegum.\u00a0 This week we&#8217;ll discuss stability of a projectile, and the things we can do to limit the effect those forces have on the projectile&#8217;s flight.<\/p>\n<p>So what can we do to help them out? obviously we want to hit our target and Mother Nature (or other resident natural deity on whatever sci-fi world you&#8217;re writing) is doing her damnedest to make sure we miss.\u00a0 We have to find some way stabilizing our projectile, to make it less susceptible to outside forces.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s what would happen if we fired a projectile with no means of improving stability, as it flies, minute disturbances and inequalities in forces applied cause it to tumble.\u00a0 This video comes from YouTube user <em>vidaday<\/em>, and is awesome.<\/p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Num9TR7wlrw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to do this is to increase the mass of a projectile.\u00a0 The heavier it is, the<\/p>\n<dl>\n<dt><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<p>less effect wind and atmospheric effects will have on the projectile.\u00a0 This comes at a serious price however.\u00a0 A heavier projectile requires a heavier propellant charge, which requires a bigger gun, etc.\u00a0 We could also increase the speed of the projectile, so it is exposed to the outside elements for a smaller period of time, lessening their effects.\u00a0 Of course, making something faster requires more power, or making it lighter.\u00a0 We&#8217;ve reached an impasse.<\/p>\n<p>So how else can we increase stability of a projectile?\u00a0 The two most popular methods are rotational stability, and Fin stability, or a combination of both.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" \" src=\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/b\/b2\/105mm_tank_gun_Rifling.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Instructional Cutaway of a tank barrel, showing rifling. From Wikipedia by baku13<\/p><\/div>\n<dl>\n<dt><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<dl>\n<dt><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<p><strong>Rotational<\/strong> &#8211; This one is easy to visualize.\u00a0 Turn on your TV on any Sunday and watch a football game.\u00a0 That football being thrown by my man, Quentin Barnes (GO KRAKENS!), is being thrown with rotational stability.\u00a0 Making the ball spin along its axis prevents it from tumbling end over end, and keeps it going where it was pointed.\u00a0 This is accomplished through a really complicated combination of forces, brought to you by another of Newton&#8217;s friends, Magnus.\u00a0 Rotational stability is usually accomplished by rifling the bore of the barrel.\u00a0 Rifling is a series of Helical grooves which engrave the surface of the bullet, and impart spin on the projectile as it travels up the bore.\u00a0 Generally speaking, lighter and faster projectiles will require less spin than heavier, slower projectiles, so the rate of twist of the rifling becomes important if the type of bullet is prone to change.\u00a0 Rate of twist is also dependant on the length of the projectline, not just the weight.\u00a0 Hunters and target shooters have to be conscious of the rate of twist as they select their bullets.\u00a0 Too fast a rate of twist, and the bullet may be over stabilized, causing it to not nose over at the top of the ballistic trajectory, and then causing it to tumble.\u00a0 It could also spin so fast that the jacket separates from the softer core of the bullet, causing the bullet to fragment in mid-air.\u00a0 Too slow, and the bullet will be destabilized and it might tumble from the get go.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/b\/bc\/DFRArrow_%281%29.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fletches on an Arrow, from Wikipedia by Dfrg.msc<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Fin<\/strong> &#8211; adding fins along the body of a projectile has been a tried and true method of adding stability for millenia.\u00a0 Just think of an arrow.\u00a0 Without the fletches at the end, there would be nothing keeping that arrow going straight. The drawback to fin stability is packaging.\u00a0 Due to their size and bulk it makes it hard to create a weapon that can shoot such a projectile.\u00a0 Of course, adding folding fins can take away that problem, but then it adds the problems of increased weight and complexity.\u00a0 Increased weight means reduced range unless we up the charge, and now we need a bigger gun to hold the increased charge.\u00a0 And a bigger gun comes with all kinds of added problems.\u00a0 See what kind of mess we open up here?\u00a0 The added perk of using Fin stabilization is that the bore does not need to be rifled, as the stability does not need to come from rotation.<\/p>\n<p>Now let&#8217;s see the difference on a projectile fired with both Rotational and Fin stability. From YouTube user <em>269armor<\/em>:<\/p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EqsqPOf5TCs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<p>Of course, both of these methods of stability assume that we are travelling through a medium like the air in the Earth atmosphere.\u00a0 If we remove the atmosphere, there is very little need for stability, as there is very little outside atmospheric force acting on the projectile.\u00a0 The bullet will merely keep going in whatever direction is was last aimed.\u00a0 Stability of aim, barrel whip, lock time and hundreds of other factors become more and more important than stability in a reduced atmosphere.\u00a0 More on those other factors later when we get into weapons design.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RECOIL IN REDUCED GRAVITY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is where our old pal Newton comes back to make our life complicated again.\u00a0 He taught us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.\u00a0 If the propellant charge causes a pressure build up which sends the projectile in one direction, it will send the gun in the other direction.\u00a0 In the case of most rifles, that&#8217;s straight back into your shoulder.\u00a0 The larger the charge, the heavier the recoil force.\u00a0 There are many methods of controlling the recoil force, the simplest being to increase the weight of the weapon being used.\u00a0 There are various muzzle attachments that can be put onto the barrel, controlling the expanding propellant gasses, but that&#8217;s back into Intermediate ballistics.\u00a0 We&#8217;ll deal with that later.<\/p>\n<p>So what happens if you Sci-Fi writers put a gun into outer space? or on some other planet?(bubblegum scented perhaps?)<\/p>\n<p>Well, shooting in microgravity would have our old pal Newton rear his ugly head again.\u00a0 Maybe not ugly.\u00a0 That powdered wig though? I dunno, I guess it&#8217;s a choice.\u00a0 Without anything to brace yourself against, the recoil forces of the gun would send you spinning like a top. Conventional Terran firearms on other planets would have severe problems.\u00a0 Most firearms use methods of recoil compensation that bank on a few constants, namely gravity and atmospheric pressure.\u00a0 (I know, I know, atmospheric pressure is not exactly constant, but it does tend to stay relatively stable enough to design around it).\u00a0 For example, a Heavy Sniper rifle uses its weight and a muzzle brake to absorb the recoil impulse.\u00a0 Some of these heavy sniper rifles weigh in excess of 35 pounds!\u00a0 With reduced gravity, the weight of the firearm would be less able to absorb the recoil impulse, imparting more of that force to the shooter.\u00a0 Shooting a large calibre rifle on Mars would be horrible.\u00a0 That being said, if we have the technology to send guys to mars with guns, something tells me we can design a recoil compensation system for the Martian atmosphere.\u00a0 Weapons systems using spring or hydraulic dampener to absorb the recoil energy would need to be calibrated for the reduced gravity of another world.\u00a0 Also, if using hydraulics, they would have to use a fluid designed to cope with the massive temperature extremes found outside of earth.\u00a0 Watch this YouTube Video to see a trained sniper handling a .50 Cal Barrett Rifle.\u00a0 This rifle weighs around 30 pounds, and is shooting one of the most powerful cartridges capable of being shoulder fired by a person.\u00a0 Brought to you by user <em>dsmluck<\/em>, notice how the heavy weight and the muzzle brake effectively tame this monster of a round, and make it possible to shoot comfortably and quickly.<\/p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/De1HZ4tSN1E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s simulate what happens if we go to another planet. What if we reduced the gravity, and that rifle only weighed 10 pounds? Here&#8217;s a video montage of people shooting the .577 T-Rex round, brought to you by A-Square from South Africa. This is a vicious round, made for up close Safari hunting against dangerous game. The recoil forces of the .50 cal and the .577 T-rex are similar, in the 200 pounds range. From user<em> boxgig<\/em>:<\/p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wrImp-ek3bI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<p>Let&#8217;s keep in mind though that in this case the rifle&#8217;s weight was reduced, but the user&#8217;s mass remained the same.\u00a0 I&#8217;m sure you can imagine what would happen if that rifle were given to someone weighing 60 pounds or so.<\/p>\n<p>Another alternative is a recoilless rifle.\u00a0 Newton teaches us that forces act and react equally.\u00a0 If the bullet is propelled in one direction with a certain force, then the gun is propelled in the opposite direction just as hard.\u00a0 Well, what if the gun absorbed none of the force, and it was free to travel on its own?\u00a0 Enter the venturi, and the recoilless rifle.\u00a0 Invented as a means of having infantry soldiers carrying anti tank and anti fortification weaponry in a light and simple package without the need for huge weights and complicated recoil systems.\u00a0 Their principle is simple.\u00a0 Instead of the explosion being contained inside the gun, it is controlled by a cone-shaped device known as a venturi.\u00a0 This system does have a few drawbacks though.\u00a0 For one, the blast of the explosion being propelled rearwards makes it impossible for anything to be directly behind the gun for fear of damage or injury.\u00a0 Placement becomes critical.\u00a0 inattention can lead to severe injury or death.\u00a0 Secondly, the large blast can kick up a large cloud of dust and smoke, which would act as an obscurant to the vision of the crew, and as an indicator to the enemy.\u00a0 Check out this YouTube video of troops firing an 84mm Carl Gustav Recoilless rifle, from user <em>NalteX<\/em>.<\/p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SIO9Si2babs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<p>Because a single soldier does not have to absorb the recoil of this weapon, the size of the projectile can be increased dramatically.\u00a0 The firepower that they give an infantry platoon makes up for its drawbacks, and employed smartly they can be a horrifying weapon to face.\u00a0 For our Sci-Fi writers, recoilless weapons of this type are my bang-for-your-buck choice for shooting on an alien planet with reduced gravity (the pun was a happy accident, I assure you).\u00a0 Sure energy weapons have a lot of advantages, but they can&#8217;t carry a payload.\u00a0 A laser is just light, and this could be anything from a flare, to smoke, to chemical weapons, to armour-piercing explosives or anti personnel fragmentation.<\/p>\n<p>Tune in next week for Terminal Ballistics!\u00a0 Let&#8217;s actually start hitting stuff!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back all!\u00a0 In last week&#8217;s episode we talked about external ballistics, and the forces that affect a projectile in flight.\u00a0 We also talked about those same projectiles flying around on Mars, in outer space, and on planets made of &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/clockdoc\/part-3-of-a-ballistics-guide-for-geeks-writers-and-geeky-writers-stability-and-recoil\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[696,695],"tags":[715,714,750,708,699,749,724,746,744,745,747,748,743],"class_list":["post-1706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gungeek","category-clockdoc","tag-ammunition","tag-ballistics","tag-bubble-gum-planet","tag-external-ballistics","tag-gun-geek","tag-krakens","tag-projectiles","tag-recoil","tag-recoil-energy","tag-recoilless-rifles","tag-rifling","tag-scott-sigler","tag-weapons-systems"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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What could this possibly have to do with me, you ask?\u00a0 It is an interesting science, and one that I have devoted many hours to studying. My goal in writing this down is simple: To keep learning as I write,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gun Geek&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gun Geek","link":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/category\/clockdoc\/gungeek\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"To the point","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4055\/4286914513_421135aeb1_m.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1584,"url":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/clockdoc\/an-introduction-to-ballistics-for-geeks-writers-and-geeky-writers-part-2-of-many\/","url_meta":{"origin":1706,"position":1},"title":"An Introduction to Ballistics for Geeks, Writers, and Geeky Writers: Part 2 of Many","author":"The Clockwork Doctor","date":"June 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back!\u00a0 Today, let's talk about external ballistics. Anything and everything on earth is affected by gravity.\u00a0 Objects fall towards the earth at a constant rate, known as the gravitational constant (9.8 m\/s\u00b2) .\u00a0 I hear those sci-fi writers again.\u00a0 Yes, if we were on the moon, or Mars, or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gun Geek&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gun Geek","link":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/category\/clockdoc\/gungeek\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/2\/23\/Bullet_coming_from_S%26W.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1861,"url":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/general\/part-4-of-a-ballistics-guide-for-geeks-writers-and-geeky-writers-terminal-ballistics\/","url_meta":{"origin":1706,"position":2},"title":"Part 4 of A Ballistics Guide for Geeks, Writers and Geeky Writers: Terminal Ballistics","author":"The Clockwork Doctor","date":"July 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back! So far we've talked about the flight of projectiles, and how things change as our projectiles and the atmosphere around them change.\u00a0 Now lets talk about what happens to our projectiles when they actually impact with something! 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It's a plane!\u00a0 IT'S SUPERMAN!!!!\" We should all remember those immortal words announcing the arrival of one of the world's most beloved superheroes.\u00a0 Like him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1915,"url":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/general\/a-sensible-guide-to-preparing-for-the-zombie-appocalypse\/","url_meta":{"origin":1706,"position":5},"title":"A Sensible Guide to Preparing for the Zombie Appocalypse","author":"The Clockwork Doctor","date":"July 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"World War Z.\u00a0 Z-Day.\u00a0 The Zombie Plague.\u00a0 The Horde.\u00a0 There are countless names to describe this horrifying scenario.\u00a0 The dead coming back to life to feast upon the remains of the living.\u00a0 One bite, and you'll become one of them?\u00a0 What hope do we have?\u00a0 We fight back, of course!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/4\/47\/SPAS_12_Fixed_Stock_and_Folding_Stock.JPG","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1706"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1774,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions\/1774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nimlas.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}