Conventionally the fork type structure has been used in towed guns to transmit loads from the top to the bottom structures. Large weight and big size of this structure often decreases the overall efficiency of the conventionally used gun system. In recent times, there is a continuous research to reduce the weight of the gun saddle without compromising on strength and overall efficiency. In order to reduce the weight of the gun saddle special techniques by using perforation and rib enforcement have been suggested in this paper without compromising the strength and integrity of the structure. Three dimensional non-linear stress analysis based on finite element method has been carried out to assess the effect of perforation and rib enforcement on the structural behavior of gun saddle. Based on finite element simulation, the structural integrity based on stress and displacement of a gun saddle has been suggested.

Keywords: Finite element analysis, Gun saddle, Rib reinforcement, Structural integrity.