Motion state of fuel within shell in projection acceleration process

The fuel-air explosive (FAE) warheads are charged with the liquid-solid mixture fuel. The fuel is different from conventional solid explosives in physical and mechanical properties. The mass centre of the charged fuel changes during projecting the projectile. In this study, a method to calculate the mass centre change of the charged fuel is suggested and the influence of this change on the projectile motion state in the projection process is discussed. The results show that in projection, the fuel mass centre varies with the projection acceleration and the deformation characteristics of the mixture fuel. The higher is the acceleration, the larger is the displacement of the mass centre. This displacement also increases with the compressibility of the fuel. It constitutes an influence on the state of motion for the whole projectile in the projection process, whose calculation approach is also proposed. The result provides a theoretical basis for the design of the FAE weapons.