Igniter system and piece of ammunition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12228387-B2
Application number	US-202217902087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2022
Priority date	Mar 6, 2020
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

An igniter system for a piece of ammunition, having at least one propellant igniter and at least one igniter element designed for transmitting ignition power and extending away from the propellant igniter. The igniter element is arranged spaced apart from the propellant igniter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An igniter system for a piece of ammunition, the piece of ammunition comprising a penetrator having a tail unit and a sabot, the igniter system comprising:
at least one propellant igniter;
at least one propellant charge; and
at least one igniter element designed to transmit ignition power, which extends away from the propellant igniter, and the at least one igniter element is designed to transmit ignition power to the propellant charge,
wherein the at least one igniter element is arranged at a distance from the propellant igniter,
wherein the at least one igniter element has a greater flashover speed or burn-through speed, compared to the at least one propellant charge, and
wherein the at least one igniter element is arranged on the penetrator between the tail unit and the sabot.

2. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element extends away from the at least one propellant igniter in the at least one propellant charge.

3. The igniter system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one igniter element is arranged at a radial distance with respect to a center line of the at least one propellant charge.

4. The igniter system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one igniter element is situated an axial distance from the at least one propellant igniter with respect to a center line of the at least one propellant charge.

5. The igniter system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one igniter element extends in the direction of a propellant charge front or at least up to the longitudinal direction center of the propellant charge or up to the propellant charge front.

6. The igniter system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one igniter element is designed such that the at least one propellant charge is ignitable uniformly over the length of the at least one propellant charge or over the entire length of the at least one propellant charge.

7. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element is designed as a channel, tube and/or as a cylindrical element.

8. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one ignition boost charge is formed separately from the at least one propellant igniter and the at least one igniter element.

9. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element is arranged at a radial distance from the at least one propellant igniter.

10. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element is designed to transfer the flame, hot gases and/or particles generated by the propellant igniter and/or the at least one ignition boost charge.

11. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element is designed to generate a flame, hot gases and/or particles.

12. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one ignition boost charge and/or the at least one igniter element is/are designed in the form of an additional black powder, boron-potassium charge and/or igniter charger, in particular in pouch form or encapsulated.

13. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one igniter element has an elongated hollow space.

14. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the igniter element is formed of a combustible material.

15. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the igniter element contains pyrotechnic compositions in bound form, pyrotechnic compositions pressed into molded bodies, pyrotechnic compositions in loose bulk form or textile form, prefabricated pyrotechnic mixtures or propellant powder.

16. The igniter system according to claim 1 , wherein the igniter element is configured to be empty or filled with a pyrotechnic substance.

17. A piece of ammunition comprising:
a projectile, comprising a penetrator, comprising:
a sabot;
a tail unit; and

an igniter system, for a piece of ammunition, the igniter system comprising:
a propellant igniter;
a propellant charge; and
an igniter element designed to transmit ignition power, which extends away from the propellant igniter, and the igniter element is designed to transmit ignition power to the propellant charge,

wherein the igniter element is arranged at a distance from the propellant igniter,
wherein the at least one igniter element has a greater flashover speed or burn-through speed, compared to the at least one propellant charge; and
wherein the igniter element is arranged on the penetrator between the tail unit and the sabot.

18. The piece of ammunition according to claim 17 , wherein the piece of ammunition is a cartridged piece of ammunition.

19. The piece of ammunition according to claim 17 , wherein the igniter element is arranged in the propellant charge such that the igniter element runs through a region between two adjacent tail unit wings of the tail unit.

20. The piece of ammunition according to claim 19 , wherein the igniter element is one of a plurality of igniter elements, and
wherein each igniter element runs through a separate region between two adjacent tail unit wings in each case.

Assignees

• Rheinmetall Waffe Munition Gmbh

Inventors

• Schoetzig Frank
• Strenger Julia
• Brauer Beate
• Zimmermann Christopher

Classifications

• F42C19/0826 Primary

  comprising an elongated perforated tube, i.e. flame tube, for the transmission of the initial energy to the propellant charge, e.g. used for artillery shells and kinetic energy penetrators · CPC title

• F42B3/10 Primary

  Initiators therefor (percussion fuzes F42C7/00; percussion caps F42C19/10; electric primers F42C19/12) · CPC title