Munition with directional projection explosive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024361110-A1
Application number	US-202318308994-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 28, 2023
Priority date	Apr 28, 2023
Publication date	Oct 31, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A munition has an explosive charge with direction explosive characteristics, such as a nonuniform detonation velocities. The explosive charge may have multiple portions of explosives with nonuniform characteristics, and/or may have portions with graded nonuniform characteristics. The explosive charge may be used to propel a material from the munition in a desired manner. For example the material may be fragments that are part of a fragmentation munition. Alternatively the material may be a layer of a material, such as a metal, that produces an explosively formed penetrator or shaped charge. The explosive charge may be configured to control the spread and/or direction of the material to be propelled from the munition.

First claim

1 . A munition comprising:
a first explosive with a relatively high detonation velocity; and a second explosive with a relatively low detonation velocity, the relatively low detonation velocity being lower than the relatively high detonation velocity, and the second explosive being in contact with the first explosive.

2 . The munition of claim 1 , further comprising fragments operatively coupled to the first explosive and the second explosive, detonation of the first explosive and the second explosive propelling the fragments, with the munition being a fragmentation munition.

3 . The munition of claim 2 , wherein the first explosive and the second explosive are configured to in combination propel the fragments in a desired pattern.

4 . The munition of claim 3 , wherein the desired pattern includes a desired spread of the fragments.

5 . The munition of claim 3 , wherein the desired pattern includes a desired direction.

6 . The munition of claim 2 , wherein the fragments are on a face of the explosive charge.

7 . The munition of claim 2 , wherein the fragments are on a perimeter of the explosive charge.

8 . The munition of claim 1 , further comprising a penetrator material layer operatively coupled to the explosive charge, with the munition being an explosively-formed penetrator or shaped charge munition.

9 . The munition of claim 8 , wherein the penetrator material is a metal.

10 . The munition of claim 8 , wherein the penetrator material is on a face of the explosive charge.

11 . The munition of claim 1 , wherein the first explosive surrounds the second explosive.

12 . The munition of claim 1 , wherein the second explosive surrounds the first explosive.

13 . The munition of claim 1 , wherein the first explosive is fully embedded inside the second explosive.

14 . The munition of claim 1 , wherein the second explosive is fully embedded inside the first explosive.

15 . The munition of claim 1 , wherein a boundary between the first explosive and the second explosive is sloped.

16 . A munition comprising:
an explosive charge that has a nonuniform detonation velocity; and a material that is propelled by the detonation of the explosive charge.

17 . The munition of claim 16 , wherein the material includes fragments.

18 . The munition of claim 16 , wherein the material includes a layer of materials that is propelled as an explosively formed penetrator or shaped charge.

19 . The munition of claim 16 , wherein the explosive charge has graded detonation velocity.

20 . A method of configuring a munition, the method comprising:
providing a material to be propelled from the munition; and
configuring an explosive charge of the munition with a nonuniform detonation velocity, the explosive charge being operatively coupled to the material, to achieve a desired configuration of the material when propelled from the munition by detonation of the explosive charge.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Sadler Coulton T
• Lukow Brian J
• Turner Christopher Matthew

Classifications

• F42B12/208 Primary

  characterised by a plurality of charges within a single high explosive warhead · CPC title

• F42B12/10

  with shaped or hollow charge (shaped or hollow charges per se F42B1/02 {; mines having hollow charges F42B23/04}) · CPC title

• F42B12/24

  with grooves, recesses or other wall weakenings {(F42B12/26, F42B12/28 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F42B12/22

  with fragmentation-hull construction · CPC title

• F42B12/32

  the hull or case comprising a plurality of discrete bodies, e.g. steel balls, embedded therein {or disposed around the explosive charge} · CPC title