Pilot scale coke ovens are widely used to produce coke samples for characterisation and also to assess the coking behaviour of coal blends. The Newcastle Technology Centre of BHP Billiton has built a sophisticated 400 kg oven, which can produce cokes under a range of carefully controlled bulk densities and heating rates. A freely movable heating wall allows the thrust generated at this wall at the different stages of coking oven to be determined. This paper describes comparative work carried out to determine a laboratory stabilisation technique for laboratory cokes. The strength of stabilised cokes are characterised using a number of tumble tests, and correlations between different drum sizes are also given since a major constraint in laboratory testing is the limitation in the mass of sample available. Typical oven wall pressure results, and results obtained from embedded temperature and pressure probes in the charge during coking, are also presented.

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The emphasis on lightweight large caliber weapons systems has placed the focus on the use of advanced composite materials. Using composite materials not only directly removes weight from the gun tube but, by better balancing the tube, allows the use of smaller drive systems, thus further enhancing the system weight loss. Additionally the use of high stiffness composites helps with pointing accuracy and to alleviate the dynamic strain phenomenon encountered with high velocity projectiles.Traditionally there were two issues with composite jackets: the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the steel substrate and the composite jacket causing a gap, and the lack of favorable prestress in the jacket. Dealing with these issues greatly complicated the manufacturing process to the point where mass-producing the barrels would have been problematic at best. By using a thermoplastic resin, a "cure on the fly" process and winding under tension the manufacturability of the barrels has been greatly improved, the gap has been eliminated, and a favorable prestress has been achieved. This paper will present the design, manufacture and testing of a 120mm barrel utilizing this process with IM7 carbon fibers in a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) matrix.