Stun grenades and methods of assembling stun grenades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989341-B2
Application number	US-201514692175-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2015
Priority date	Apr 21, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

Stun grenades may include a fuze configured to ignite a delay material secured to a housing including a delay chamber in which the delay material is located. A handle of the fuze may be located over a final payload chamber of the series of payload chambers, payload material in the final payload chamber being configured to ignite after ignition of payload material in each other payload chamber of a series of payload chambers. Methods of assembling stun grenades may involve positioning an obstruction in a port extending between a delay chamber and a payload chamber of a series of payload chambers surrounding the delay chamber in a housing. A delay material may be packed in the delay chamber. The obstruction may be removed, and a payload material may be positioned in the payload chamber and the port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stun grenade, comprising:
a housing comprising a longitudinal axis, a delay chamber defined in the housing proximate the longitudinal axis, a series of payload chambers defined in the housing and surrounding the delay chamber, each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers comprising openings at opposing ends of the housing and in communication with the delay chamber via a port extending between each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and the delay chamber, each port being longitudinally and circumferentially offset from each other longitudinally adjacent port;
a delay material located in the delay chamber;
a payload material located in each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and each port;
seals sealing the openings of each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers at the opposing ends of the housing, each of the seals comprising:
an elastically deformable material adjacent to the payload material;
a metal foil adjacent to the elastically deformable material on a side of the elastically deformable material opposing the payload material; and
a sealant material adjacent to the metal foil on a side of the metal foil opposing the elastically deformable material; and

a fuze secured to the housing in communication with the delay chamber, the fuze being configured to ignite the delay material, wherein a handle of the fuze is located over a final payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and the port extending between the delay chamber and the final payload chamber is located to cause payload material in the final payload chamber to ignite after ignition of payload material in each other payload chamber of the series of payload chambers.

2. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein the elastically deformable material is polystyrene.

3. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein the delay material comprises a binder material, the binder material occupying between about 0.5% and about 6.0% by weight of the delay material.

4. The stun grenade of claim 1 , further comprising a restrictor comprising a disc comprising holes extending through the disc positioned between the fuze and the delay material.

5. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein a circumferential offset between longitudinally adjacent ports is between about 170° and about 90°.

6. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein a longitudinal offset between longitudinally adjacent ports is between about 7% and about 15% of a total longitudinal length of the delay chamber.

7. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein each port further extends between a payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and an exterior of the housing and further comprising a plug positioned in each port, the plug being located between the payload material and the exterior of the housing.

8. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein a burn rate of the delay material is between about 0.6 inch per second and about 1.0 inch per second.

9. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein the delay material exhibits a different material composition from a material composition of the payload material.

10. The stun grenade of claim 1 , wherein the delay material exhibits a same material composition as a material composition of the payload material.

11. A method of assembling a stun grenade, comprising:
positioning obstructions in ports extending between a delay chamber defined in a housing proximate a longitudinal axis of the housing and respective payload chambers of a series of payload chambers surrounding the delay chamber defined in the housing, each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers comprising openings at opposing ends of the housing, each port being longitudinally and circumferentially offset from each other longitudinally adjacent port;
packing a delay material in the delay chamber under above-ambient pressure;
removing the obstructions;
positioning a payload material in the payload chamber and the port;
sealing the openings of each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers at the opposing ends of the housing with seals, each of the seals comprising an elastically deformable material adjacent to the payload material, a metal foil adjacent to the elastically deformable material on a side of the elastically deformable material opposing the payload material, and a sealant material adjacent to the metal foil on a side of the metal foil opposing the elastically deformable material; and
securing a fuze to the housing in communication with the delay chamber, the fuze being configured to ignite the delay material, wherein a handle of the fuze is located over a final payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and the port extending between the delay chamber and the final payload chamber is located to cause payload material in the final payload chamber to ignite after ignition of payload material in each other payload chamber of the series of payload chambers.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein positioning the obstruction in the port comprises temporarily securing an end of the obstruction to the housing.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein packing the delay material in the delay chamber under above-ambient pressure comprises packing the delay material in the delay chamber at a pressure greater than about 30 ksi.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising vibrating the housing while positioning the payload material in the port.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising positioning a restrictor comprising a disc comprising holes extending through the disc between the fuze and the delay material.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein each port further extends between a payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and an exterior of the housing and further comprising positioning a plug in each port between a payload chamber and the exterior of the housing before positioning the payload material in each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising selecting the delay material to exhibit a burn rate of between about 0.6 inch per second and about 1.0 inch per second.

18. A stun grenade, comprising:
a housing comprising a longitudinal axis, a delay chamber defined in the housing proximate the longitudinal axis, a series of payload chambers defined in the housing and surrounding the delay chamber, each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers comprising openings at opposing ends of the housing and in communication with the delay chamber via a port extending between each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and the delay chamber, each port being longitudinally and circumferentially offset from each other longitudinally adjacent port;
a delay material located in the delay chamber;
a payload material located in each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers and each port;
seals sealing the openings of each payload chamber of the series of payload chambers at the opposing ends of the housing, wherein each seal comprises:
an elastically deformable material adjacent to the payload material;
a metal foil adjacent to the elastically deformable material on a side of the elastically deformable material opposing the payload material; and
a sealant material adjacent to the metal foil on a side of the metal foil opposing the elastically deformable material;

a fuze configured to ignite the delay material secured to the housing in communication with the delay chamber; and
a restrictor configured to slow or otherwise interrupt the advancement of a flame front from the fuze

Assignees

• Robbins Steven M
• Duke Royce C
• Blau Reed J
• Hodgson James R
• Brockbank Dixon
• Orbital Atk Inc

Inventors

• Robbins Steven M
• Duke Royce C
• Blau Reed J
• Hodgson James R
• Brockbank Dixon

Classifications

• F42B12/42 Primary

  of illuminating type, e.g. carrying flares · CPC title

• F42B12/46 Primary

  for dispensing gases, vapours, powders or chemically-reactive substances (F42B12/70 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F42B12/48

  smoke-producing {, e.g. infrared clouds} · CPC title

• F42B27/00

  Hand grenades (F42B12/00 takes precedence; for practice or training F42B8/12) · CPC title