• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.700-707
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• 2016

Recently, ammunition malfunctions of the 40mm grenade were reported during live fire training. When 72 40mm grenades were fired by the army, 11 duds were encountered. The dud ammunition rate was approximately 15%. Because ammunition is used a long time after its manufacture, it is necessary to ensure its performance after long-term storage. In this study, we attempted to decrease the dud ammunition rate of 40mm grenade (K200) fuzes through quality improvement. First, it was determined by the detonator performance test that abnormal explosions occurred due to the degradation of the detonator as a result of its aging characteristics. Second, we improved the fuze quality of the 40mm grenade. Third, we tested its shelf life to estimate its life expectancy. The shelf life of the 40mm grenade fuze obtained using the Arrhenius equation was 6.5 years for the existing grenade fuze and 45.5 years for the improved grenade fuze. This showed that the shelf life of the improved grenade was increased approximately 7 times. Therefore, the improved 40mm grenade fuze contributes to the quality improvement of the 40mm grenade by decreasing the dud ammunition rate during long term storage.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.328-334
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• 2020

At the recent practice test of the Remote Controlled Munition system (for practice), nine out of 125 samples were generated. Although 7.2 % misfires occurred, the acceptance test met the defense standards. Minimizing the probability of broken fuses is essential to reducing the number of samples and improving the AQL according to the process quality. In addition, it is necessary to increase military training and ensure user safety. In the case of practical grenades, hit-type detonators are applied. Unlike the normal design, which takes a hit by strikers, a different design of a hit by pressure from a pressure generator was used. This study analyzed the detonator surface through computational fluid dynamics. The results showed that the probability of functional weakness and retraction increased with increasing slope of the detonator surface. To overcome this, design changes were made to improve the fuse crimping process and increase the detonator holder seat. A performance test with the same number of samples from the whole quantity was operated. The probability of broken fuses was 0 %. Therefore, the reliability and performance of the ammunition can be improved and is expected to contribute to the drawing and process design when developing similar ammunition.