Armour-piercing high-explosive projectile with cartridge

An armour-piercing high-explosive projectile comprising a body portion attached to a cartridge case, a nose portion including a nose fuse affixed to said body portion and means on said body portion for engaging a rifled gun barrel and stabilizing the gyration of said projectile after said projectile has been fired,

• said body portion defining an inner chamber containing a secondary stabilized explosive material mounted about an empty duct having a forward open end and a rearward open end, said inner chamber having its end closest to said nose portion defined by a slightly conical liner element having a large vortex angle and forming a flat charge, said liner element having a central opening receiving said forward open end of said duct,
• said rearward open end of said duct communicating with said secondary explosive material, centrifugal safety means within said duct for blocking the passage of metal slivers through said duct before firing of the projectile, said centrifugal safety means including a collar disposed about said duct, a bolt slidable within said cavity, a spring within said cavity urging said bolt into blocking position within said duct to prevent passage of metal slivers through the length of said duct, said bolt adapted to slide witin said radial cavity and away from said duct upon firing and gyration of the projectile due to the centrifugal force of said projectile gyration so as to unblock said duct,
• said nose portion enclosing along its longitudinal axis a hollow tubular sheath element having a forward open end and a rearward end fitted with a metal closing element, said hollow tubular sheath being fitted with a secondary stabilized explosive material in contact with said metal closing element and forming an explosive column, said explosive column being in axial alignment with said empty duct and having its rearward end near the forward end of said duct, said metal closing element having a concave surface facing said forward open end of said duct, said metal closing element shattering into a plurality of metal slivers entering said forward open end of said duct upon the explosion of said explosive column,
• said nose fuse comprising a primer of primary explosive material capable on impact of igniting said secondary explosive material within said tubular sheath, said tubular sheath extending from said primer to a point adjacent to and forward of the forward open end of said duct.

An armour-piercing high-explosive projectile comprising a body portion attached to a cartridge case, a nose portion including a nose fuse affixed to said body portion and means on said body portion for engaging a rifled gun barrel and stabilizing the gyration of said projectile after said projectile has been fired,

• said body portion defining an inner chamber containing a secondary stabilized explosive material mounted about an empty duct having a forward open end and a rearward open end, said inner chamber having its end closest to said nose portion defined by a slightly conical liner element forming a flat charge, said liner element having a central opening receiving said forward open end of said duct,
• said rearward open end of said duct communicating with said secondary explosive material, centrifugal safety means within said duct for blocking any passage through said duct before firing of the projectile,
• said nose portion enclosing along its longitudinal axis a hollow tubular sheath element having a forward end and a rearward end fitted with a metal closing element, said hollow tubular sheath being fitted with a secondary stabilized explosive material in contact with said metal closing element and forming an explosive column, said explosive column being in axial alignment with said empty duct,
• said nose fuse comprising a primer of primary explosive material capable on impact of igniting said secondary explosive material within said tubular sheath, said primer mounted forwardly of said tubular sheath and in axial alignment with said sheath, a collar supported above said primer by deformable means spaced from said primer, said collar having a point element directed toward and spaced from said primer for subsequent engagement with said primer on impact of said projectile, said collar provided with a cavity extending substantially through its axial length and having a thin connecting zone between said point element and the axially extending body of said collar, an axial bar of hard material disposed within said collar cavity collar, whereby on impact of said projectile said bar shears said thin connecting zone of said collar and drives said point element to strike said primer.

An armour-piercing high-explosive projectile comprising a body portion attached to a cartridge case, a nose portion including a nose fuse affixed to said body portion and means on said body portion for engaging a rifled gun barrel and stabilizing the gyration of said projectile after said projectile has been fired,

• said body portion defining an inner chamber containing a secondary stabilized explosive material mounted about an empty duct having a forward open end and a rearward open end, said inner chamber having its end closest to said nose portion defined by a slightly conical liner element forming a flat charge, said liner element having a central opening receiving said forward open end of said duct,
• said rearward open end of said duct communicating with said secondary explosive material, centrifugal safety means within said duct for blocking the passage through said duct before firing of the projectile, said centrifugal safety means including a collar disposed about said duct and defining a radial cavity in communication with said duct, a bolt slidable within said cavity, a spring within said cavity urging said bolt into blocking position within said duct to prevent passage through the length of said duct, said bolt adapted to slide within said radial cavity and away from said duct upon firing and gyration of the projectile due to the centrifugal force of said projectile gyration so as to unblock said duct,
• said nose portion enclosing along its longitudinal axis a hollow tubular sheath element having a forward open end and a rearward end fitted with a metal closing element, said hollow tubular sheath being fitted with a secondary stabilized explosive material in contact with said metal closing element and forming an explosive column, said explosive column being in axial alignment with said empty duct, said metal closing element having a concave surface facing said forward end of said duct, said metal closing element shattering into a plurality of metal slivers entering said forward open end of said duct upon the explosion of said explosive column,
• said nose fuse comprising a primer of primary explosive material capable on impact of igniting said secondary explosive material within said tubular sheath, said tubular sheath extending from said primer to a point adjacent to and forward of the forward open end of said duct, said primer mounted forwardly of said tubular sheath and in axial alignment with said sheath, a collar supported above said primer by deformable means spaced from said primer, said collar having a point element directed toward and spaced from said primer for subsequent engagement with said primer on impact of said projectile, said collar provided with a cavity extending substantially through its axial length and having a thin connecting zone between said point element and the axially extending body of said collar, an axial bar of hard material disposed within said collar cavity, whereby on impact of said projectile said bar shears said thin connecting zone of said collar and drives said point element to strike said primer.