The Last Years of the Black Powder Era
In previous works, we developed a mathematical model of the internal ballistics of a muzzle-loading smooth-bore gun and made its software implementation. Model testing has shown that our understanding of the intra-ballistic processes of this type of weapon requires serious correction. One of the defining parameters is the geometry of the powder grain. This paper reviews the information available in the literature on this issue. It is concluded that in most works on the geometry of the grain is not reported, due to the fact that the grains had some kind of intuitively justified form. Based on the analysis of the technology for producing grain gunpowder in the first half of the 19th century, it was concluded that this shape is similar to the shape of pebbles on the beach.