TOWARDS LOW-COST, HIGH-RELIABILITY ON-BOARD DATA LOGGING FOR LARGE-CALIBRE ARTILLERY EXTERIOR BALLISTICS MEASUREMENT

Abstract

During the development phase of large-calibre munitions, numerous firing tests are conducted to evaluate projectile dynamics and performance in flight. While exterior ballistic data is often collected using traditional methods, certain dynamic flight events are best captured through on-board sensors and data loggers, assuming the test range allows for projectile recovery. This paper presents a compact electronic logger designed to measure the arming time of 155 mm artillery fuze Safe Arming Device (SAD) and record in-flight data, enabling cost- and time- efficient testing. This study covers the embedded design, development, and optimisation of the data logger capable of digital and analog measurement. Key design aspects discussed include launch survivability of non-military specification electronic components, low-power optimisations, power source selection, setback switching, and potting methods. The arming time of an artillery SAD is determined, and the dynamic test data is presented. Finally, the reusability of the data logger is discussed, along with recommendations for future work.