SCDB propellant

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I meant to show this diagram for a long time. It's about one of those 'hidden values'. In this case, we see that some modern propellants might prove to be MUCH better in cold weather than older ones, and this isn't quite what's visible in descriptions of artillery pieces or tanks, even if there is a Jane's-like list of specifications in the description.

dark blue: muzzle velocity of DM63 (APFSDS for Leopard 2A6)
blue: maximum pressure of DM63
red: muzzle velocity of DM53 (old and not newest APFSDS for Leopard 2A5)
orange: maximum pressure of DM53

I did not check whether and how much the mass of the projectiles and sabots differ, the point here is the dependency on temperature, with consequences particularly for the -30°C...+10°C range where the new surface coated double base propellants appear to be much better. On the other hand, a reliably heated storage would make the old propellant powders look better.

source:

Rolf Hilmes: "Kampfpanzer - heute und morgen", 2007, page 246

ISBN-13: 978-3613027930

This book is comparable to Ogorkiewicz' "Technology of Tanks",

and this is what you miss if you cannot read German.

S O

defence_and_freedom@gmx.de

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