Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess

Energy
By Copyright 2015, J.D. Neal, All Rights Reserved
When developing tungsten-cored ammunition the U.S.A. assigned the
acronym HVAP which stood for Hyper/High Velocity Armor Piercing Ammunition.
The British began their program using the acronym SVDS which stood for Super
Velocity Discarding Sabot. Eventually it was changed to APDS which stands for
Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot.
These rounds fired saboted projectiles containing a tungsten core at
extremely high velocities. None other than the main author of Ordnance
Department; Planning Munitions for War CMH Pub 10-9 stated on page 372:
Hardly had the new APC high-explosive ammunition reached the
battlefields when the even more heavily armored Panther and Tiger tanks
made their appearance. They could not be knocked out even by the 90mm. M82 or the M62 APC provided for 3-inch and 76-mm. guns. This new
threat called for a shell of radically different design. The Ordnance
Department's answer was "HVAP." The principle underlying the
effectiveness of HVAPhypervelocity armor-piercing ammunitionwas
that the energy of a projectile is a function of the square of the velocity.
Light-weight, hard-cored projectiles could attain hypervelocities, that is,
from 3,000 to 4,000 or more feet per second, and thus have more than
double the energy and hence penetrating power of those fired at ordinary
velocities, which seldom exceeded 2,600 feet per second.
The author of said statement never did any of the related math. If they had,
they would not have made said statement, which more than one person has
parroted as fact. It is not fact: just check the math.
Tungsten is not in itself necessary for saboted ammunition. The French had
developed one of the earliest implementations of modern saboted ammunition
firing the 57-mm steel shot at 2,900 f/s from their 75-mm gun.
In 1942 the USA Ordnance Department developed its own HVAP round using
a 37-mm gun firing tungsten cores. Not only was tungsten a vital war material (and
hence they were not allowed to produce any such rounds until the war machine
was winding down in 1944) but the Ordnance Department had some distrust for
tungsten which in their tests blew to dust on penetration without doing much
damage. Thus, in 1942 they contracted the University of New Mexico to develop a
discarding sabot and in 1943 and 1944 they had them develop rounds firing
modified versions of the USAs own 57-mm M86 projectile from the 75-mm M3 gun,
and 75-mm pack howitzer. Both an HE shell and steel shot based on the 76-mm/3inch gun projectiles was developed as a saboted round for the 105-mm M3
howitzer. The 105-mm M3 howitzer was the light weight airborne version
designed for paratroops and also used by the infantry. It weighed about the same

as the 57-mm gun and hence the infantry was interested in the possibility of
replacing the 57 with the 105 as the AT gun if a saboted steel round could be
produced.
All of these efforts succeeded to a degree. But in the end the using arms
decided they didnt have a need for them and thus they went nowhere. They
offered more velocity than the standard rounds but generally only a bit more
penetration. Estimates of increased penetration made at the time were way off or
were based on an estimate of very poor performance for the USAs 75-mm M3 gun.
Thus, these steel0cored sabots generally did not offer anything over standard steel
shot except a higher velocity for the mid-velocity 75-mm M3 and low velocity 75mm and 105-mm howitzer.
Tungsten provided two characteristics that steel did not: the first was a
higher caliber-to-weight ratio than steel shot. This would allow much improved
performance; indeed, multiplying the projectile weight to caliber weight (caliber in
inches cubed divided by 2) ratio times the shot caliber in millimeters times the
velocity divided by 2,000 feet per second gives a good estimate of basic
penetration. Most steel shot functions at a ratio of 15% to 30% after which it
suffers issues with stability or fracturing on impact (the author hasnt seen any
tests but those seem to be the reason steel is not used at higher ratios); tungsten
can function at 200% to 300% or more and bee stable and rigid.
Tungsten, though, is a vital war material; it wasnt wise nor cheap to shoot
umpteen pounds of tungsten at opponents. Thus, rather than firing heavy tungsten
at lower velocities, they used light tungsten penetrators at hyper velocity. A
characteristic of tungsten (especially early in 1940) was that it could withstand
impacts over 3,000 f/s much better than steel. Most steel shot of the era had to be
excessively heat treated to withstand impacts at 3,000 to 3,200 feet per second;
most was designed for velocities of 2,900 f/s or less; if it was too brittle it would
shatter an too malleable it would deform against heavy armor plate at excessive
velocities.
One British 6-pounder load was a 6.3-pound steel projectile at 2,950 feet per
second generating 426 foot tons of energy. The 6-pounder APDS round fired a 3.1
pound saboted shot at 3500 f/s generating 295 foot tons of energy. The last the
author looked, 295 tons was less than 426 tons. Moreso that is the weight of the
complete sabot; the actual penetrator weighed something like 1.5 pounds and
would only have 143 foot tons far less than 790 foot tons.
The 17-pounder gun fired a 17-pound projectile at 2950 f/s for 1,149 foot
tons energy. The 7.9 penetrator for its APDS round travelled at 4000 f/s and
generated 981 foot tons of energy while the tungsten penetrator had only 484 foot
tons energy when it left the sabot. Again, the hyper-velocity round generated LESS
energy than the standard steel shot.
The US 76-mm HVAP round fired much the same sabot at 2,600 f/s: the
complete sabot generated the 709 foot tons of energy compared to the 787 foot
tons of the 15-lb. APC projectile but the penetrator generated only 350 foot tons.

Neither the HVAP round nor the APDS (SVDS) worked on a basis of having
more energy than a steel round. They functioned from a different principle:
allowing a higher weight to caliber ratio backed up by a high velocity.
For example, a 3.93 pound 35-millimeter shot would have a weight to bore
ratio of 300% (3.93 / (1.38 * 1.38 x 1.38 / 2) = 1.31. Fired at 4000 fps it has a
velocity ratio of 2 (4000 /2000). Thus, potential penetration is 35-mm x 3 x 2 =
210mm; at 3,400 f/s the potential penetration would be 35 x 3 x 1.7 = 178-mm =
7-inches.