US 7,603,951 B2Granted

Reactive material enhanced projectiles and related methods

AssigneeAlliant Techsystems Inc.

InventorsMichael T. Rose, Daniel W. Doll, James R. Hodgson, Robert K. Goodell, Randall T. Busky, Edward J. Bray, II, Daniel B. Nielson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A projectile having a reactive material disposed therein is provided. The projectile includes a housing which defines a cavity, the cavity being open at one end of thereof. A reactive material is disposed within the cavity. A tip is coupled with the housing and substantially encloses the opening of the cavity. The housing, the reactive material and the tip are cooperatively positioned and configured so as to define a void space between a surface of the tip and a surface of the reactive material. Upon impact with a target, the tip of the projectile is designed to become displaced within the cavity until it contacts the reactive material and transfers kinetic energy thereto, thereby causing ignition of the reactive material. The void space may be defined to provide a desired amount of time between initial impact of the projectile with a target and the subsequent ignition of the reactive material.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A projectile comprising:

a housing having a cavity defined therein, the cavity being open at one end of the housing and having a surface feature including at least one discontinuity in an interior surface of the housing that defines, at least in part, the cavity;
a reactive material disposed within the cavity, the reactive material being arranged within the cavity to cooperatively interact with the at least one discontinuity so as to resist a change in an angular velocity of the reactive material relative to an angular velocity of the housing;
and
a tip coupled with the housing and substantially closing the cavity at the one end of the housing;
wherein the reactive material and the tip are cooperatively positioned and configured to define a selected void space between a surface of the tip and a surface of the reactive material, and wherein the void space is sized and configured to substantially provide an intended time of ignition of the reactive material subsequent to impact of the tip with an intended target.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/079,925Filed 14 Mar 2005 · us provisional application
Priority: 15 Mar 2004
Published: US 2006/0011086 A119 Jan 2006
Granted: 20 Oct 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F42B 12/06
Of armour-piercing type: with hard or heavy core; Kinetic energy penetrators
F42B 12/08
Of armour-piercing type: with armour-piercing caps; with armoured cupola
F42B 12/207
Of high-explosive type: characterised by the explosive material or the construction of the high explosive warhead, e.g. insensitive ammunition
F42B 12/22
Of high-explosive type: with fragmentation-hull construction