Enhanced performance ammunition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11035654-B2
Application number	US-201816652143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2018
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

This invention relates to a combination of a gun having a rifled barrel and a round of enhanced performance ammunition, and to a projectile for use in the combination. The invention is especially, but not exclusively related to an improved form of projectile for small arms ammunition. There is provided a projectile with a nominal calibre, for use in a rifled barrel, the projectile comprising: a monolithic body, said monolithic body comprising
a. an ogival portion forming the front of the monolithic body; said ogival portion at a point of intersection abuts with b. an elongate cylindrical core, said elongate cylindrical core comprising at least three bands located circumferentially thereon, said bands protruding radially outward therefrom; and said elongate cylindrical core abuts c. a boat tailed portion, forming the rear of the monolithic body, wherein a first band is located at the point where the elongate cylindrical core abuts the boat tail section, wherein a third band is located rearwardly, from the point of intersection, at a distance in the range of from 80% to 120% of said nominal calibre, wherein a second band is located between the first and third bands on said elongate cylindrical core; wherein the monolithic body is formed from a metal having a Vickers Hardness of at least 550 HV, wherein a deformable jacket or coating, surrounds the monolithic body, which defines an outer diameter of said projectile.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projectile with a nominal calibre, for use in a rifled barrel, the projectile comprising:
a monolithic body comprising a metal having a Vickers Hardness of at least 550HV, said monolithic body including
a boat tailed portion, forming the rear of the monolithic body,
an elongate cylindrical core, said elongate cylindrical core abuts said boat tailed portion and comprises at least three bands located circumferentially thereon, said bands protruding radially outward therefrom, and
an ogival portion, said ogival portion at a point of intersection abuts with said elongate cylindrical core, forming the front of the monolithic body,
wherein a first band of the at least three bands is located at the point where the elongate cylindrical core abuts the boat tailed portion,
wherein a third band of the at least three bands is located rearwardly, from the point of intersection, at a distance in the range of from 80% to 120% of said nominal calibre, wherein the third band is a forward-most band of the at least three bands, and
wherein a second band of the at least three bands is located between the first band and the third band on said elongate cylindrical core; and

a deformable jacket or coating, surrounding the monolithic body, which defines an outer diameter of said projectile.

2. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein each of said first band, second band, and third band protrudes radially outward from the elongate cylindrical core a height in the range of from 0.5% and 4% of the nominal calibre of the projectile.

3. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein the monolithic body is made from one of steel, tungsten, alloys of tungsten, or tungsten carbide.

4. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein the third band is located at a distance from the point of intersection, in the range of from 85% to 95% of the nominal calibre of the projectile.

5. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein the projectile has a length that extends in a direction from said ogival portion to said boat tailed portion, and each of the first band, second band, and third band has a width, extending is said direction, in the range of from 17% to 23% of the nominal calibre of the projectile.

6. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein the second band is located a distance from the third band in the range of from 17% to 23% of the nominal calibre of the projectile.

7. The projectile according to claim 1 , wherein said outer diameter of said projectile is substantially equal to an internal barrel diameter defined by a land of a rifled barrel, and wherein during firing of the projectile the land deforms the deformable jacket or coating into a cavity defined between the third band and the point of intersection.

8. The projectile as claimed in claim 7 , wherein upon firing deformation of the deformable jacket or coating provides the projectile with an interference fit with the land so as to provide effective obturation by restricting or preventing the escape of propellant gases past the projectile via the cavity.

9. A combination of a gun having a rifled barrel and a round of ammunition according to claim 1 ; the barrel comprising rifling grooves which are separated by lands extending helically along a length of the barrel; the outer diameter of the projectile substantially equal to or less than an internal diameter of the barrel defined by the lands, and wherein during firing of the projectile the deformable jacket or coating is deformed by the lands of the barrel into cavities formed between the at least three bands and the point of intersection on the elongate core.

10. The combination according to claim 9 , wherein upon firing deformation of the deformable jacket or coating provides the projectile with an interference fit with the lands so as to provide effective obturation by restricting or preventing the escape of propellant gases past the projectile via the rifling grooves.

11. A projectile with a nominal calibre, for use in a rifled barrel, the projectile comprising:
a monolithic body including
a boat tailed portion, forming the rear of the monolithic body,
an elongate cylindrical core that abuts said boat tailed portion and comprises at least three bands located circumferentially thereon, said bands protruding radially outward from said elongate cylindrical core, and
an ogival portion that abuts with said elongate cylindrical core at a point of intersection, forming the front of the monolithic body,
wherein a first band of the at least three bands is located proximate a location where the elongate cylindrical core abuts the boat tailed portion,
wherein a third band is a forward-most band of the at least three bands and is located rearwardly, from the point of intersection, at a distance in the range of from 80% to 120% of said nominal calibre, and
wherein a second band of the at least three bands is located between the first band and the third band; and

a deformable jacket, surrounding the monolithic body, which defines an outer diameter of said projectile.

12. The projectile according to claim 11 , wherein each of said first band, second band, and third band protrudes radially outward from the elongate cylindrical core a height in the range of from 1.5% to 2.5% of the nominal calibre of the projectile, and wherein the projectile has a length that extends in a direction from said ogival portion to said boat tailed portion, and each of the first band, second band, and third band has a width, extending is said direction, in the range of 0.85 mm to 1.15 mm.

13. The projectile according to claim 11 , wherein the monolithic body is made from one of steel, tungsten, alloys of tungsten, or tungsten carbide.

14. The projectile according to claim 11 , wherein the third band is located at a distance from the point of intersection, in the range of from 80% to 120% of said nominal calibre.

15. The projectile according to claim 11 , wherein the second band is located a distance from the third band in the range of 0.85 mm to 1.15 mm.

16. A projectile with a nominal calibre, for use in a rifled barrel, the projectile comprising:
a monolithic body including
a boat tailed portion, forming the rear of the monolithic body,
an elongate cylindrical core that abuts said boat tailed portion and comprises at least three bands located circumferentially thereon, said bands protruding radially outward from said elongate cylindrical core, and
an ogival portion that abuts with said elongate cylindrical core at a point of intersection, forming the front of the monolithic body,
wherein a first band of the at least three bands is located proximate a location where the elongate cylindrical core abuts the boat tailed portion,
wherein a third band is a forward-most band of the at least three bands and is located rearwardly, from the point of intersection, at a distance in the range of from 80% to 120% of said nominal calibre, and
wherein a second band of the at least three bands is located between the first band and the third band; and

a deformable jacket, surrounding the monolithic body, which defines an outer diameter of said projectile, wherein there are cavities between the jacket and the monolithic body.

17. The projectile according to claim 16 , wherein each of said first band, second band, and third band protrudes radially outward from the elongate cylindrical core a height in the range of from 1.5% to 2.5% of the nominal calibre of the projectile, and wherein the projectile has a length that extends in a direction from said ogival portion to said boat tailed port

Assignees

• Bae Systems Plc

Inventors

• Mclaren Lawrence Neil
• Parker Simon France

Classifications

• F42B12/74

  of the core or solid body · CPC title

• F41A21/18

  Grooves-Rifling · CPC title

• F42B14/02 Primary

  Driving bands; Rotating bands (F42B14/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F42B12/78

  of jackets for smallarm bullets {; Jacketed bullets or projectiles} · CPC title