US3065695A - Shaped-charge cartridge - Google Patents

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Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
  • F42B12/02—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
  • F42B12/04—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect of armour-piercing type
  • F42B12/10—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect of armour-piercing type with shaped or hollow charge
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B5/00—Cartridge ammunition, e.g. separately-loaded propellant charges
  • F42B5/02—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile
  • F42B5/16—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile characterised by composition or physical dimensions or form of propellant charge, with or without projectile, or powder

Definitions

• Ciaims. (Cl. 102-38) (Granted under Title 35, U.S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.
• This invention relates to ammunition and more particularly to cartridges in which the projectile is energized by the shaped-charge phenomenon.
• the projectile is energized by the pressure of the gases produced by discharge of the propellant charge and, therefore, it is necessary that the cartridge be confined within a barrel to provide a space of time in which the gas pressure may be applied to the projectile as the propellant is relatively slow in burning. Because of this requirement for a barrel, weapons for discharging conventional type ammunition have considerable bulk and weight added to the firing mechanism.
• the initial acceleration of the projectile is relatively slow in comparison with that of the projectiles of cartridges fired in barreled weapons.
• the object of this invention to provide a cartridge type ammunition in which the propellant is energized by the shock Waves produced in the detonation of the propellant charge rather than by the pressure of the generated gases.
• the cartridge does not need the confinement of a barrel to prolong the time during which the projectile is subjected to the forces produced by the detonation as the full period of the shock wave effect lasts only about 20 micro, or .000020, second.
• 'It is another object of this invention to provide a kind of ammunition in which a fin-stabilized projectile is energized for flight by a Controlled utilization of the shapedcharge phenomenon.
• FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the shaped-charge cartridge
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the initiating charge detonated
• FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the initiation of the jet stream phenomenon and the beginning of the disintegration of the skirt;
• PIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 but showing the projectile propelled in flight by the jet stream phenomenon.
• a cartridge 12 comprised of a projectile 14, a skirt 16 and a base 13 fixed to the rear end thereof.
• Projectile 14 is provided with a plurality of radial fins 20 which extend longitudinally along the projectile to stabilize the flight thereof.
• a cylindrical cavity 22 extends concentrically into projectile 14 from the rear end thereof and such cavity is filled with a gas volume 24 comprised of a high density gas, such as Freon or uranium hexichloride, which has low compression Wave propagation of the order of about 500 feet per second.
• Diaphragm 26 is preferably fabricated from copper for a reason to be hereinafter explained.
• Skirt 16 is of cylindrical configuration and has a diameter similar to that of the rear end of projectile 14. Skirt 16 is fixed to the rear end of projectile 14 so as to extend axially rearward therefrom and is fabricated from plastic material which is readily disintegrated responsive to shock Waves created Within the skirt. Extending axially forward into skirt 16 from the rear end thereof is a cylindrical bore 28 which flares outwardly at the front to form a concentric conical recess 30. Conical recess 30 is filled with a shaped charge 32 having in the front a concave recess 33 which matingly receives a diaphragm 26 to provide a lining therefor. Shaped charge 32 is composed of a detonating material of high order which is vdetonated by an initiating explosive charge 34 in bore 28.
• Base 18 has a diameter similar to that of skirt 16 and is concentrically fixed to the rear end thereof.
• the rear end of skirt 16 is reduced in diameter to form forwardly, of base 13 an annular channel 36 which receives means 37 whereby cartridge 12 is supported for discharge.
• a conventional primer 38 is centrally disposed in base 18 to provide means for detonating initiating charge 34.
• FIG. 1 shows cartridge 12 mounted on a supporting and direction pointing means 37 which may be of hand, shoulder, tripod or vehicle supported type, depending upon the size of the cartridge.
• initiating charge 34 is exploded (FIG. 2) to cause detonation of shaped charge 32 which sets up a phenomenon discovered by Munroe in 1888 and is known in the art as the Munroe Effect? Munroe discovered that, when the front end of a detonating charge is shaped with a concave recess, the gases and the shock Waves produced by the detonation form a jet stream which ad- Vances along the axial line of the shaped recess at a terrifically high Velocity of the order of 16,000 f.p.s.
• jet stream 40 When the forward end of jet stream 40 contacts diaphragm 26, the diaphragm is projected thereby into cavity 22 With the shock waves caused thereby initially accelerating projectile 14 forwardly. The interference of diaphragm 26 prevents the perfect formation of jet stream 40 until projectile 14 is initially accelerated. Thereafter, jet stream 40 assumes its shape, as shown in FIG. 4, and thrusts axially against projectile 14 at the Velocity of approximately 16,000 f.p.s.
• Diaphragm 26 is preferably fabricated from copper which shows unusual resistance to the effect of jet stream 40. After projectile 14 is no longer under the accelerating infiuence of jet stream 40, diaphragm 26 springs back towards its normal position to provide further acceleration to the projectile. With the forces applied by jet stream 40 against projectile 14 being ax'ial thereto, the flight of the projectile is readily aimed at a target and during fiight the projectile is stabilized by the fins 20.
• a Cartridge comprising a projectile, a shaped charge for eifectng a jet stream from the gases and shock waves produced by detonation of said shaped charge, said shaped charge being disposed for directing said jet stream axially against said projectile, and means disposed as a buifer between said projectile and said jet stream to prevent plastic deformation of said projectile thereby.
• said bufer means includes a volume of gas having low compression wave propagation trapped in a concentric cavity extending into said projectile from the rear end thereof.
• a Cartridge comprised of a projectile with radial fins disposed longitudinally therealong, a skirt for housing a charge of detonating material, said skirt being coaxially fixed to the rear end of said projectile and disposed for disintegration by said charge when detonated, a spherical recess formed in the front end of said charge coaxial to said projectile to produce a jet stream phenomenon di rected axially against said projectile from the gases and shock Waves created when said charge is detonated, a cylindrical cavity extending forwardly into said projectile from the rear end thereof, a volume of gas having low compression wave propagation filling said cavity, a spherically formed diaphragm fixed to the end of said projectile for trapping said volume of gas in said cavity and providing a lining for said recess in said charge, a base coaxially fixed to the rear end of said skirt and a primer disposed in

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Description

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ID=22044940

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Cited By (10)

Citations (3)

• 1960
  • 1960-10-14 US US62806A patent/US3065695A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (3)

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