Dynamic Characteristics of a Soft Recoil System

In order to reduce the level of recoil force, new recoil technology must be employed. The present study discusses a soft-recoil system that can reduce dramatically the recoil force. The firing sequence of the soft recoil system is radically different from that of a conventional system. The gun is latched and preloaded in its out-of-battery position prior to firing. When unlatched, the gun is accelerated and forward momentum is imparted to the recoiling parts. This momentum is opposed by the ballistic force imparted by firing and the recoil force and stoke will be reduced. In the present study, the soft-recoil system with hydraulic dampers is simulated and its characteristics are investigated theoretically. The results of the simulation show that the soft-recoil system could dramatically reduce the recoil force and the recoil stroke compared to the conventional recoil systems. However, the soft-recoil system was not able to perform well when the firing fault modes like prefire, hang-fire, and misfire happen. Hence, we need to employ a control algorithm to prevent the damage of the recoil system due to these fault mode.