Study on the rotary swaging formation of rifling in the barrels of 30mm gun

The rotary swaging process is widely applied in the manufacturing of various tubular workpieces. However, the understanding of the mechanisms and principles involved in the rotary swaging process for rifling small-caliber gun barrels is still at an empirical stage, based on practical production data, with a lack of detailed research. This paper employed finite element simulation and conducted multiple sets of simulation experiments to study the mechanisms and principles of rifling formation defects and forging permeability during the rotary swaging process of 30mm gun barrels. Through the analysis of the simulation results, it was found that the forging ratio was the primary cause of rifling formation defects in 30mm gun barrels. The key to preventing defect formation during the rotary swaging process of rifling in 30mm gun barrels lies in controlling the forging ratio, keeping it within an appropriate range. The reduction in radial plastic strain at key points could be used as a criterion to assess and calibrate the various defects. This deepens the understanding of the details of the process involved in using rotary swaging to manufacture the rifling of small-caliber gun barrels.