Pyrotechnic smoke composition for camouflage purposes
OwnerUwe Krone, Klaus Moller +1inventors
InventorsUwe Krone, Klaus Moller, Ernest Shulz
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Abstract
In a continuously burning pyrotechnic composition, compounds of graphite serve as additional components that are capable of thermal expansion in the C-axis perpendicular to the lattice plane and expand in the reaction zone of the pyrotechnic composition, being released with the reaction products of the burning pyrotechnic composition. This permits production of camouflage smokes that are effective in the optically visible range, the IR range and the MMW-RADAR range of electromagnetic radiation.
Claims20
A pyrotechnic smoke composition for camouflage purposes in which smoke arising during burn-off of the pyrotechnic smoke composition absorbs, reflects or disperses electromagnetic radiation within a broad wavelength spectrum, comprising:
- a basic pyrotechnic smoke composition which, when ignited, undergoes continuous burning in a reaction zone thereof to produce a camouflage cloud of burn-off reaction products thereof, and
- graphite compounds embedded in the basic pyrotechnic smoke composition, said graphite compounds being adapted to expand thermally in the direction of a C-axis perpendicular to a lattice plane thereof during burn-off in said reaction zone, the expanded graphite compounds being released together with the burn-off reaction products of the burning pyrotechnic smoke composition, whereby to enrich said camouflage cloud for broadband absorption, reflection and dispersion of radiation over visible, infrared and millimeter wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.
A method of making a pyrotechnic smoke composition for camouflage purposes in which smoke arising during burn-off of the pyrotechnic smoke composition absorbs, reflects or disperses electromagnetic radiation within a broad wavelength spectrum, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing a basic pyrotechnic smoke composition which, when ignited, undergoes continuous burning in a reaction zone thereof to produce a camouflage cloud of burn-off reaction products thereof, and
- embedding in the basic pyrotechnic smoke composition graphite compounds that will undergo thermal expansion in the direction of a C-axis perpendicular to a lattice plane thereof during burn-off in the reaction zone for release of the expanded graphite compounds as irregularly long, twisted particles of relatively small size together with the burn-off reaction products of the burning basic pyrotechnic smoke composition, in an amount sufficient to enrich the camouflage cloud for broadband absorption, reflection and dispersion of radiation over visible, infrared and millimeter wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.
For use in a smoke shell having escape orifices, a pyrotechnic smoke composition comprising:
- a basic pyrotechnic smoke composition which, when ignited, will burn in a reaction zone to produce a camouflage cloud of burn-off reaction products of the composition, and
- a graphite compound incorporated in the compacted pyrotechnic smoke composition, which will expand thermally in the direction of a C-axis perpendicular to a lattice plane of the graphite compound during burn-off in the reaction zone for release of the expanded graphite compounds as small sized, long, twisted particles within the camouflage cloud of burn-off reaction products of the burning pyrotechnic smoke composition, so as to flow through the escape orifices of the smoke shell as an enriched camouflage cloud for broadband absorption, reflection and dispersion of radiation over visible, infrared and millimeter wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.