Vacuum insulated warhead

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298115-B2
Application number	US-202318471828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2023
Priority date	Sep 21, 2023
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A vacuum insulation layer is wrapped around the length of a warhead to thermally insulate the warhead from fire or aerodynamic heating. The vacuum insulation layer may be integrally formed into the warhead casing or provided as a sleeve that may be permanently or removably positioned about the warhead casing. The vacuum insulation layer is held under vacuum with a pressure of less than 25 Torr and a thermal conductivity Tcond_vac of less than one-third of the thermal conductivity of air Tcond_air.

First claim

We claim:

1. A warhead, comprising:
an explosive material positioned inside a warhead casing; and
a vacuum insulated casing including inner and outer walls defining an annular void space around a length of the warhead casing and explosive material, wherein the annular void space is held under vacuum with a pressure of less than 25 Torr and a thermal conductivity Tcond_vac of less than one-third of the thermal conductivity of air Tcond_air to form a vacuum insulation layer around the length of the warhead casing and explosive material.

2. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein the pressure in the void space is a medium vacuum between 25 Torr and 10 −3 Torr.

3. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein the pressure in the void space is a high vacuum between 10 −3 Torr and 10 −6 Torr.

4. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein Tcond_vac is less than one-fifth Tcond_air.

5. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein Tcond_vac is approximately 1/6.6 that of Tcond_air.

6. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein the warhead casing is formed of a metal material and the inner and outer walls are integrally formed with the warhead casing.

7. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein the inner and outer walls are formed as a sleeve that fits over the warhead casing.

8. The warhead of claim 7 , wherein the warhead casing wall is formed of a composite material.

9. The warhead of claim 7 , wherein the sleeve is permanently affixed to the warhead casing.

10. The warhead of claim 7 , wherein the sleeve is removable.

11. The warhead of claim 1 , wherein the warhead casing is formed of a metal material that forms a fragmentation layer, which upon detonation of the explosive material fragments with the outer wall to form a fragmentation pattern.

12. A warhead, comprising:
an explosive material; and
an integrally formed vacuum insulated metal warhead casing including an inner wall around a length of the explosive that forms a fragmentation layer and an outer wall that defines an annular void space, wherein the annular void space is held under vacuum with a pressure of less than 25 Torr and a thermal conductivity Tcond_vac of less than one-third of the thermal conductivity of air Tcond_air to form a vacuum insulation layer around the length of the warhead casing and explosive material.

13. The warhead of claim 12 , wherein the pressure in the void space is a medium vacuum between 25 Torr and 10 −3 Torr.

14. The warhead of claim 12 , wherein the pressure in the void space is a high vacuum between 10 −3 Torr and 10 −6 Torr.

15. The warhead of claim 12 , wherein Tcond_vac is less than one-fifth Tcond_air.

16. The warhead of claim 12 , wherein upon detonation of the explosive material the fragmentation layer and outer wall fragment to form a fragmentation pattern.

17. A warhead, comprising:
an explosive material positioned inside a warhead casing; and
a sleeve including inner and outer walls defining an annular void space that slides around the warhead casing and explosive material, wherein the annular void space is held under vacuum with a pressure of less than 25 Torr and a thermal conductivity Tcond_vac of less than one-third of the thermal conductivity of air Tcond_air to form a vacuum insulation layer around a length of the warhead casing and explosive material.

18. The warhead of claim 17 , wherein the warhead casing wall is formed of a composite material.

19. The warhead of claim 17 , wherein the sleeve is permanently affixed to the warhead casing.

20. The warhead of claim 17 , wherein the sleeve is removable.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Rascon John
• Leach John Regis
• French Jonathan Charles
• Gonzales Manuel E

Classifications

• F42B12/22

  with fragmentation-hull construction · CPC title

• F42B12/207

  characterised by the explosive material or the construction of the high explosive warhead, e.g. insensitive ammunition · CPC title

• F42B39/18 Primary

  Heat shields; Thermal insulation · CPC title

• F42B15/34 Primary

  Protection against overheating or radiation, e.g. heat shields; Additional cooling arrangements {(thermal protection fitted in or to cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/58)} · CPC title