2,000-year-old Chinese technique found to double artillery gun lifespan

Chinese researchers have developed a technique inspired by a 2,000-year-old anti-corrosion method used on bronze weapons from the Qin dynasty Terracotta Army, significantly extending the lifespan of modern artillery barrels. The ancient method involved a thin chromium salt coating that preserved weapons underground for millennia. Building on this, the team at the Northwest Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Xianyang created a dual-layer chromium coating for artillery barrels: a soft, ductile inner layer applied at low temperature and current to reduce pores and internal stress, and a hard, wear-resistant outer layer applied at higher temperature and current. This layered structure acts as a barrier to crack propagation, similar to laminated safety glass. Testing showed that barrels with the dual-layer coating experienced 23% less wear at room temperature compared to standard single-layer chromium plating, and significantly less wear at elevated temperatures (33% increase versus 98% for conventional chrome at 600°C). Live-fire tests with 400 rounds revealed that dual-layer barrels maintained