Gun barrels and similar tubular devices for repeatedly guiding fired projectiles are fabricated from superalloys, titanium metals, tantalum metals, and similar metal materials by a flowforming process. Combinations of these metals are also flowformed to produce gun barrels and projectile-guiding tubes. In addition, inner liners for such barrels and tubes are made with these metals and flowforming processes. These barrels and tubular devices can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. The flowforming process is efficient and produces strong, yet thin and/or light weight, gun barrels and similar tubular devices.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for accelerating projectiles at high velocity. A barrel may include one or more heaters configured to heat a bore of the barrel prior to launch of a projectile. The barrel bore may be formed in a tungsten sleeve and may be heated to high temperatures. Heat from the barrel bore may be transferred to expanding propellant behind a projectile as it travels through the barrel bore.

A weapon barrel has a barrel core composed of iron or nickel alloy and at least one barrel jacket made from a metal-matrix material encasing the barrel core. The jacket and core thereby form a metal-metal-matrix composite barrel. The metal-matrix material may have a specific tensile strength that is greater than or equal to 80 N.Math.m/g, and greater than or equal to the specific tensile strength of the barrels core material. The metal matrix material may include aluminum, titanium, beryllium and magnesium alloys, and composites, in addition to a filler material such as carbon nanotubes, graphite, diamond, carbides, and nitrides.

A weapon barrel has a barrel core composed of iron or nickel alloy and at least one barrel jacket made from a metal-matrix material encasing the barrel core. The jacket and core thereby form a metal-metal-matrix composite barrel. The metal-matrix material may have a specific tensile strength that is greater than or equal to 80 N.Math.m/g, and greater than or equal to the specific tensile strength of the barrels core material. The metal matrix material may include aluminum, titanium, beryllium and magnesium alloys, and composites, in addition to a filler material such as carbon nanotubes, graphite, diamond, carbides, and nitrides.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for accelerating projectiles at high velocity. A barrel may include one or more heaters configured to heat a bore of the barrel prior to launch of a projectile. The barrel bore may be formed in a tungsten sleeve and may be heated to high temperatures. Heat from the barrel bore may be transferred to expanding propellant behind a projectile as it travels through the barrel bore.

A process of eliminating friction and increasing structural hardness and durability and increasing longevity in the fabrication of metallic structures including at least one mechanical machining device with at least one cutting device, at least one element of material stock, and a reactionary lubricant, the process having the steps of placing the material stock on the working surface of a mechanical machining device, initiating the machining device wherein a cutting device will spin and be used to shape a firearm component, adding the reactionary lubricant to both the spinning drill bit engaged in shaping the firearm component and the firearm component's surface, and by an in situ chemical formation process the firearm component will obtain a layer of graphene formed through the friction, heat, and pressure bearing on spinning drill bit and firearm component surface, reducing the asperities in the material of the firearm component as the component is machined.

A process of eliminating friction and increasing structural hardness and durability and increasing longevity in the fabrication of metallic structures including at least one mechanical machining device with at least one cutting device, at least one element of material stock, and a reactionary lubricant, the process having the steps of placing the material stock on the working surface of a mechanical machining device, initiating the machining device wherein a cutting device will spin and be used to shape a firearm component, adding the reactionary lubricant to both the spinning drill bit engaged in shaping the firearm component and the firearm component's surface, and by an in situ chemical formation process the firearm component will obtain a layer of graphene formed through the friction, heat, and pressure bearing on spinning drill bit and firearm component surface, reducing the asperities in the material of the firearm component as the component is machined.

A testing device for study of a magnetized plasma artillery and gunpowder, comprising a pedestal, wherein a top end of the pedestal is provided with a sliding slot for mounting a buffer device, which penetrates through an upper part of the pedestal along a front-rear direction. The sliding slot for mounting the buffer device is internally provided with a buffering slider, which can slide back and forth along the sliding slot for mounting the buffer device. A top end of the buffering slider is provided with a gunpowder combustion chamber fixing groove, which penetrates through an upper part of the buffering slider along the front-rear direction. The gunpowder combustion chamber fixing groove is internally provided with a gunpowder combustion chamber, and an upper part of the gunpowder combustion chamber is provided with a positioning ferrule for fixing the gunpowder combustion chamber.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for accelerating projectiles at high velocity. A barrel may include one or more heaters configured to heat a bore of the barrel prior to launch of a projectile. The barrel bore may be formed in a tungsten sleeve and may be heated to high temperatures. Heat from the barrel bore may be transferred to expanding propellant behind a projectile as it travels through the barrel bore.

A method making a gun barrel liner includes depositing material on a mandrel that has ribs or ridges corresponding to the rifling grooves in the liner. The material may be deposited using plasma spraying, with sprayed splats of material re-melted after deposition for at least part of the deposition process to reduce or eliminate porosity in the deposited material. The mandrel may be made of metal, such as a high thermal conductivity metal such as copper. The mandrel may have a channel therein or therethrough. The channel may facilitate flow of liquid though the mandrel, one example of such a liquid being a coolant (such as water), used to remove heat produced during the material deposition. Another liquid passed through the channel may be an etchant (or other fluid) that is used to dissolve or otherwise remove the mandrel after the material of the gun barrel liner has been deposited.