Fragmentation warhead device
AssigneeHughes Missile Systems Company
InventorJaime H. Cuadros
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fragmentation warhead device has a fabric liner woven from high-strength fibers located between the explosive charge and the fragments. The liner has a maximum diameter larger than that of the overall warhead, and is compressed to fit closely around the explosive charge prior to detonation by forming one or more longitudinal folds or pleats in the fabric. The fragments are retained against the outer surface of the sleeve prior to detonation by a suitable outer enclosure, and may be located between adjacent pleats in the fabric. On detonation, the sleeve expands to contain the gases produced by the explosion for an extended period of time.
Claims9
A fragmentation warhead device, comprising:
- a central cylindrical core comprising an explosive charge;
- a sleeve of fabric material surrounding the cylindrical core, the sleeve having larger cross-sectional dimensions than the core and having an inner cylindrical surface fitting closely around the outer surface of the central core, and a series of spaced, radially outwardly directed pleats formed at spaced intervals around the periphery of said cylindrical surface to define a plurality of spaced, longitudinally extending channels between adjacent pairs of pleats, each pleat comprising a double fold of material having inner faces with no intervening material between the faces;
- a plurality of preformed fragments positioned in said channels between adjacent pleats around the outside of the sleeve;
- and
- retaining means for retaining the fragments against the sleeve prior to detonation of the explosive charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.