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US 7,350,451 B2Granted
Apparatus comprising an exhaust duct and anti-fratricide shield
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorLawrence P. Barisciano, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A missile launcher that combines the functionality of a gas management system and an anti-fratricide shield is disclosed. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of gas-uptake ducts are arranged on a boundary that surrounds a missile, thereby providing a barrier to the propagation of blast energy and/or fragments across the boundary.
Claims9
A munitions launcher comprising:
- a first canister having a first cavity, wherein said first canister comprises a first physical-adaptation for receiving a first munition in said first cavity;
- a second canister having a second cavity, wherein said second canister comprises a second physical-adaptation for receiving a second munition in said second cavity, wherein said second munition is susceptible to detonation due to the explosion of said first munition;
- and
- a plurality of ducts for conveying gas from said first canister, wherein said plurality of ducts collectively define a substantially continuous shield that interposes and substantially separates said first cavity and said second cavity, and wherein at least one of said plurality of ducts comprises a third physical-adaptation for limiting damage to said second munition caused by an explosion of said first munition to a level below that required to detonate said second munition.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- a first canister having a first cavity, wherein said first canister comprises a first physical-adaptation for receiving a munition in said first cavity;
- a second canister having a second cavity, wherein said second canister comprises a second physical-adaptation for receiving a munition in said second cavity;
- and
- a plurality of ducts for conveying gas from said first canister, wherein said plurality of ducts compose a substantially continuous barrier for impeding the propagation of blast energy, and wherein said barrier interposes and substantially separates said first cavity and said second cavity, and wherein at least one of said plurality of ducts comprises a hollow tube having a duct wall having a first layer and at least one projection, wherein said projection is configured to explosively weld to said first layer when exposed to blast energy from the explosion of said first munition.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.