US 9,103,641 B2 · Reactive material enhanced projectiles and related methods

Abstract

A munition, such as a projectile formed of at least one reactive material. In one embodiment, the projectile includes a body portion formed of at least one reactive material composition wherein the at least one reactive material composition defines at least a portion of an exterior surface of the projectile. In other words, a portion of the reactive material may be left “unbuffered” or exposed to the barrel of a gun or weapon from which it is launched and similarly exposed to a target with which the projectile subsequently impacts. In one embodiment, the projectile may be formed with a jacket surrounding a portion of the reactive material to provide additional structural integrity. The projectile may be formed by casting or pressing the reactive material into a desired shape, or the reactive material may be extruded into a near-net shape and then machined into the desired shape.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A projectile, comprising:

a first reactive material;
and
a second reactive material disposed at a first end of the first reactive material and proximate an intended leading end of the projectile;
wherein the second reactive material is more sensitive to initiation upon impact of the projectile than is the first reactive material, the first reactive material comprising a tip extending into the second reactive material, the second reactive material directly contacting the first reactive material along a non-planar interface and along substantially all of the tip, wherein all surfaces of the second reactive material directly contact at least one of the first reactive material and an inner surface of a jacket disposed about the second reactive material.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

13/372,804Filed 14 Feb 2012 · continuation

Priority

4 Oct 2005

Published

US 2012/0167793 A15 Jul 2012

Granted

11 Aug 2015

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

F42B 12/44
For dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information: of incendiary type
C06B 45/00
Compositions or products which are defined by structure or arrangement of component
C06B 45/12
Compositions or products which are defined by structure or arrangement of component of product: having contiguous layers or zones
F42B 5/02
Cartridge ammunition, e.g. separately-loaded propellant charges: cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile

Family

Application60/723,465Us provisional application · filed 4 Oct 2005

Application11/538,763Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Oct 2006

US 8,122,833 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Feb 2012

US 2012/0167793 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Jul 2012

US 2008/0035007 A1Published application

US 9,103,641 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Reactive material enhanced projectiles and related methods

Life of this patent

Reactive material enhanced projectiles and related methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29