Self-adaptive cleaning technology for artillery laser ignition windows based on current feedback

Laser ignition is a novel artillery ignition technology. However, residues from propellant combustion adhere to the surface of the laser ignition window, obstructing the laser beam. To ensure the reliability of subsequent ignition, the window must be cleaned using a wire brush within an extremely short time after firing. After repeated use, the bristles of the wire brush tend to bend and deform, leading to performance degradation and reduced cleaning effectiveness. To address this issue of weakened cleaning capability due to brush performance degradation, this paper proposes a self-adaptive cleaning mechanism for artillery laser ignition windows based on current feedback. First, a computational model was established between the compression of the wire brush bristles and the current, and the effective cleaning current range was determined based on experimental results. Subsequently, the adaptive cleaning process was defined. Finally, an experimental platform for the adaptive cleaning mechanism was constructed to validate its cleaning performance. The results indicate that the effective cleaning current range is 4.3 A to 5.5 A. The maximum error between the experimental and theoretical results for the total cam rotation angle was 1.9%. Furthermore, repeated cleaning did not cause damage to the window surface. This demonstrates that the proposed adaptive cleaning mechanism can achieve non-destructive cleaning of the window and provides theoretical guidance for the future design and optimization of cleaning methods.