Title:
ARMOR PIERCING ROCKET
United States Patent 3566793
Abstract:
An armor piercing rocket-type projectile having a drill-type penetrator embedded within the forward nose portion thereof so that upon impact the penetrator is driven forward from the projectile, into the target and displaces material as it moves therethrough.
US Patent References:
Armor-piercing projectile
Ryan - August 1924 - 1503769
Projectile rotating band
Zisman et al. - March 1960 - 2928348
Plastics sabot
Prosen et al. - October 1961 - 3005408
Reaction type missile
Kruzell - November 1966 - 3283721
MINIATURE ROCKET NOZZLE
Biehl et al. - April 1969 - 3437289
Armor-piercing projectile
Ryan - August 1924 - 1503769
Projectile rotating band
Zisman et al. - March 1960 - 2928348
Plastics sabot
Prosen et al. - October 1961 - 3005408
Reaction type missile
Kruzell - November 1966 - 3283721
MINIATURE ROCKET NOZZLE
Biehl et al. - April 1969 - 3437289
Application Number:
04/763321
Publication Date:
03/02/1971
Filing Date:
09/27/1968
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
102/518
International Classes:
F42B12/06; F42B15/00; F42B12/02; F42B13/28; F42B13/06
Field of Search:
102/49.3,49.7,52,92.2,92.3,93
Primary Examiner:
Pendegrass, Verlin R.
Claims:
I claim
1. A reaction-type missile capable of being projected from the missile launcher comprising a cylindrical hollow body open at its rearward end and having an integral, solid conical forward end, a nozzle plate positioned within said body near said rearward end, means on said body for maintaining said plate securely therewithin, a propelling charge of rocket fuel within said body, a cylindrical booster charge affixed rearwardly of said plate as a coaxial extension of said body, a resilient plastic cover completely covering said body, including said forward end, so as to reduce the friction of the missile as it is forced through the launcher, an outwardly extending annular rifling ring provided solely on said cover near said body rearward end, the outer surface of said cylindrical body, including the outer surface of said forward end, being provided with a plurality of intersecting circumferential and longitudinal grooves thereon to solely prevent any twisting or tearing of said cover therefrom as the missile is forced through the launcher, and an elongated cylindrical armor-piercing penetrator axially embedded within said solid conical forward end, said penetrator having spiral grooves along its outer surface extending from the forward end to the rearward end thereof whereby, upon impact of the missile with a target, said penetrator will be driven forward from the missile and deeply penetrate the target with a drilling motion as a continuation of missile spin caused by said rifling means in engagement with rifling within the missile launcher.
1. A reaction-type missile capable of being projected from the missile launcher comprising a cylindrical hollow body open at its rearward end and having an integral, solid conical forward end, a nozzle plate positioned within said body near said rearward end, means on said body for maintaining said plate securely therewithin, a propelling charge of rocket fuel within said body, a cylindrical booster charge affixed rearwardly of said plate as a coaxial extension of said body, a resilient plastic cover completely covering said body, including said forward end, so as to reduce the friction of the missile as it is forced through the launcher, an outwardly extending annular rifling ring provided solely on said cover near said body rearward end, the outer surface of said cylindrical body, including the outer surface of said forward end, being provided with a plurality of intersecting circumferential and longitudinal grooves thereon to solely prevent any twisting or tearing of said cover therefrom as the missile is forced through the launcher, and an elongated cylindrical armor-piercing penetrator axially embedded within said solid conical forward end, said penetrator having spiral grooves along its outer surface extending from the forward end to the rearward end thereof whereby, upon impact of the missile with a target, said penetrator will be driven forward from the missile and deeply penetrate the target with a drilling motion as a continuation of missile spin caused by said rifling means in engagement with rifling within the missile launcher.
Description:
This invention relates generally to reaction type missiles and more particularly to an armor-piercing, plastic coated rocket-type projectile having a penetrator within the forward nose portion thereof which frees itself from the missile upon impact and deeply drills into the target.
Therefore, a wide variety of projectiles have been designed for increased penetration of those heavy and densely thick targets such as tanks, ships and the like. Also, it may become desirable to achieve deep penetration in some areas as construction and demolition. Such designs normally involve a specially elongated and slender-shaped projectile or a spherical or cylindrical one so as to enhance its penetrating capability against heavily armored targets. These type projectiles, which are normally solid throughout their design, are usually launched while directly in contact with the gun barrel or launcher and, because of their density, deterioration of the gun barrel or launcher bore will result thereby reducing firing efficiency and accuracy and even the useful life of the gun barrel or launcher. Also, where gun barrel rifling is preferred in order to stabilize the shell as it leaves the launcher, tearing and rifling damage is likely to occur after only a short interval of continued use. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an armor-piercing projectile which is not only spin stabilized for extremely deep penetration of the target but is designed to minimize damage to the gun barrel or launcher bore as it travels therethrough.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an armor-piercing projectile having a penetrator embedded within the nose portion thereof so that upon impact, the penetrator is driven forward into the target and displaces material as it moves therethrough.
A further object of the present design is to provide an armor-piercing projectile of the character described wherein the penetrator has spiral grooves along its outer surface so that as it leaves the projectile upon impact it will deeply penetrate the object with a drilling motion as a continuation of missile spin caused by rifling in the gun or launcher bore.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a rocket-type armor-piercing projectile as aforedescribed having a booster charge and a propelling charge for self-propelling the projectile out of the gun or launcher.
A still further object of the instant invention is to provide an improved rocket-type armor-piercing missile of the character referred to wherein a nozzle plate is provided between the booster and propelling charges which is of an extremely efficient and simple design.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a rocket-type armor-piercing projectile encased in a resilient plastic coating so as to reduce the friction of the rocket body as it is forced through the rifle barrel or launcher.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an axial section through a generally cylindrical missile constructed in accordance with the invention, a portion of the booster charge of the missile being shown in elevation;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the rocket body of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the penetrator shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views there is shown in FIG. 1 a missile or projectile particularly adapted for use with shoulder-type missile guns or launchers of the class exemplified in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,508, issued Aug. 1, 1967. The missile illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises hollow cylindrical missile body 10 open at its ward end and having a solid conical forward end 11. Near the rearward end a nozzle plate 12 is secured within the missile body 10 and held against axial movement forward and aft by means of projections 13, 14 respectively. Projection 13 is formed as by crimping after the body 10 has been shaped and formed which is then filled with a solid fuel charge 16. The nozzle plate 12 is then inserted in the rearward end of the body and held from going forward by annular projection 13 after the nozzle plate is butted thereagainst. The body 10 is then crimped at its open end to produce the projection 14 thereby preventing the nozzle plate from moving rearward. A consumable booster cartridge 15; cylindrical in shape and filled with a booster charge 17, is secured to the aft end the body 10 in a suitable manner such as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.
The solid fuel 16 within the body 10 functions as the sustaining or propelling charge and may consist of any conventional solid rocket fuel adapted, when ignited to discharge a jet of gasses rearward through the nozzle plate. The booster charge is of cylindrical shape axially aligned with the body 10 and preferably housed within and bonded to the booster cartridge 15. Also, the booster charge may consist of a composite of a slow burning powder and a fast burning powder bonded together to the nozzle plate 12 similar to that shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,721, issued Nov. 8, 1966. The arrangement of the propellant and booster charges is such that, in operation of the missile, when the timer or igniter (not shown) is detonated in a conventional manner, such as by concussion created through impact of the firing pin on the missile gun as disclosed in my first mentioned patent, this will ignite both the powder charge or charges 17. Ignition of the fast burning powder will serve to eject the missile from the launcher while ignition of the slow burning powder will act to ignite the propellant charge 16 within the body 10 after the missile is launched.
It should be noted that the nozzle plate 12 is disclike in its overall shape and is of arc-shaped cross section which is uniform between its perimeter and its nozzle tip. Such a disc or nozzle plate may be formed by piercing and shaping in one easy operation.
In order to prevent excessive wear and damage to the launcher bore and its rifling therein, a plastic resilient coating 18 is provided about the body portion 10 of the rocket. In this way, friction of the rocket body as it is forced through the rifle or launcher bore is significantly reduced while efficiency during the launching operation is, on the other hand, vastly improved. Integral with the cover, an external encircling rifling ring 19 may be provided to extend outward thereof so as to engage with rifling where such is provided within the launcher or gun bore. Of course, such a ring could alternatively be formed onto the rocket body 10.
Embedded within the forward conical nose portion 11 of the projectile, a penetrator 21 is provided, shown more clearly by FIG. 3, in the form of an elongated cylinder having its own forward conical portion and provided with a series of spiral grooves 22 along its outer surface extending from the conical nose end to its rearward end. The grooves 22 are formed so as to cause an axial spin of the penetrator 21 and the same direction as that extended to the projectile itself by means of the rifling rings or lenses 19 in engagement with the gun bore rifling. In this way, as the penetrator 21 is freed from the nose portion 11 upon impact with its target, it is not only spin stabilized to ensure a constant forward motion, but will act to drill itself deeply into the target-displacing material as it moves forward by means of its spiral grooves 22 coming into contact with the material and assisting in its continuing spin.
Returning to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it can be seen that the resilient plastic cover 18 is actually molded onto the surface of body portion 10 by means of circumferential grooves 22 intersecting with longitudinal grooves 24, more clearly depicted by FIG. 2. In this way, twisting and tearing away of the resilient cover or coating 18 from the rocket body 10 is prevented. Accordingly, the effectiveness of such a coating is not diminished while the projectile travels through the gun or launcher as would most likely occur in other plastic coated rocket bodies of this type.
Also, it should be noted that the aft portion of the cartridge 15 is of a shape similar to that of the missile shown in my first mentioned patent so that an extractor for removal of unfired ammunition from the firing may be provided in which the overhanging rearwardly presented face of its recess functions in the manner of hooks to engage behind the rear end rim of the booster cartridge casing 15.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that a reaction type missile has been described which is not only quite simple in operation and easy to manufacture but is very effective in deeply penetrating heavy and thick targets in a stabilized drill-type fashion but without the possibility of damaging on unduly wearing the launcher or gun bore as the projectile travels therethrough. Also, the manner of using an array of annular and longitudinal grooves involves a simple technique for ensuring the integrity of the coated missile body during handling and launching.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise as specifically described.
Therefore, a wide variety of projectiles have been designed for increased penetration of those heavy and densely thick targets such as tanks, ships and the like. Also, it may become desirable to achieve deep penetration in some areas as construction and demolition. Such designs normally involve a specially elongated and slender-shaped projectile or a spherical or cylindrical one so as to enhance its penetrating capability against heavily armored targets. These type projectiles, which are normally solid throughout their design, are usually launched while directly in contact with the gun barrel or launcher and, because of their density, deterioration of the gun barrel or launcher bore will result thereby reducing firing efficiency and accuracy and even the useful life of the gun barrel or launcher. Also, where gun barrel rifling is preferred in order to stabilize the shell as it leaves the launcher, tearing and rifling damage is likely to occur after only a short interval of continued use. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an armor-piercing projectile which is not only spin stabilized for extremely deep penetration of the target but is designed to minimize damage to the gun barrel or launcher bore as it travels therethrough.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an armor-piercing projectile having a penetrator embedded within the nose portion thereof so that upon impact, the penetrator is driven forward into the target and displaces material as it moves therethrough.
A further object of the present design is to provide an armor-piercing projectile of the character described wherein the penetrator has spiral grooves along its outer surface so that as it leaves the projectile upon impact it will deeply penetrate the object with a drilling motion as a continuation of missile spin caused by rifling in the gun or launcher bore.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a rocket-type armor-piercing projectile as aforedescribed having a booster charge and a propelling charge for self-propelling the projectile out of the gun or launcher.
A still further object of the instant invention is to provide an improved rocket-type armor-piercing missile of the character referred to wherein a nozzle plate is provided between the booster and propelling charges which is of an extremely efficient and simple design.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a rocket-type armor-piercing projectile encased in a resilient plastic coating so as to reduce the friction of the rocket body as it is forced through the rifle barrel or launcher.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an axial section through a generally cylindrical missile constructed in accordance with the invention, a portion of the booster charge of the missile being shown in elevation;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the rocket body of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the penetrator shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views there is shown in FIG. 1 a missile or projectile particularly adapted for use with shoulder-type missile guns or launchers of the class exemplified in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,508, issued Aug. 1, 1967. The missile illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises hollow cylindrical missile body 10 open at its ward end and having a solid conical forward end 11. Near the rearward end a nozzle plate 12 is secured within the missile body 10 and held against axial movement forward and aft by means of projections 13, 14 respectively. Projection 13 is formed as by crimping after the body 10 has been shaped and formed which is then filled with a solid fuel charge 16. The nozzle plate 12 is then inserted in the rearward end of the body and held from going forward by annular projection 13 after the nozzle plate is butted thereagainst. The body 10 is then crimped at its open end to produce the projection 14 thereby preventing the nozzle plate from moving rearward. A consumable booster cartridge 15; cylindrical in shape and filled with a booster charge 17, is secured to the aft end the body 10 in a suitable manner such as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.
The solid fuel 16 within the body 10 functions as the sustaining or propelling charge and may consist of any conventional solid rocket fuel adapted, when ignited to discharge a jet of gasses rearward through the nozzle plate. The booster charge is of cylindrical shape axially aligned with the body 10 and preferably housed within and bonded to the booster cartridge 15. Also, the booster charge may consist of a composite of a slow burning powder and a fast burning powder bonded together to the nozzle plate 12 similar to that shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,721, issued Nov. 8, 1966. The arrangement of the propellant and booster charges is such that, in operation of the missile, when the timer or igniter (not shown) is detonated in a conventional manner, such as by concussion created through impact of the firing pin on the missile gun as disclosed in my first mentioned patent, this will ignite both the powder charge or charges 17. Ignition of the fast burning powder will serve to eject the missile from the launcher while ignition of the slow burning powder will act to ignite the propellant charge 16 within the body 10 after the missile is launched.
It should be noted that the nozzle plate 12 is disclike in its overall shape and is of arc-shaped cross section which is uniform between its perimeter and its nozzle tip. Such a disc or nozzle plate may be formed by piercing and shaping in one easy operation.
In order to prevent excessive wear and damage to the launcher bore and its rifling therein, a plastic resilient coating 18 is provided about the body portion 10 of the rocket. In this way, friction of the rocket body as it is forced through the rifle or launcher bore is significantly reduced while efficiency during the launching operation is, on the other hand, vastly improved. Integral with the cover, an external encircling rifling ring 19 may be provided to extend outward thereof so as to engage with rifling where such is provided within the launcher or gun bore. Of course, such a ring could alternatively be formed onto the rocket body 10.
Embedded within the forward conical nose portion 11 of the projectile, a penetrator 21 is provided, shown more clearly by FIG. 3, in the form of an elongated cylinder having its own forward conical portion and provided with a series of spiral grooves 22 along its outer surface extending from the conical nose end to its rearward end. The grooves 22 are formed so as to cause an axial spin of the penetrator 21 and the same direction as that extended to the projectile itself by means of the rifling rings or lenses 19 in engagement with the gun bore rifling. In this way, as the penetrator 21 is freed from the nose portion 11 upon impact with its target, it is not only spin stabilized to ensure a constant forward motion, but will act to drill itself deeply into the target-displacing material as it moves forward by means of its spiral grooves 22 coming into contact with the material and assisting in its continuing spin.
Returning to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it can be seen that the resilient plastic cover 18 is actually molded onto the surface of body portion 10 by means of circumferential grooves 22 intersecting with longitudinal grooves 24, more clearly depicted by FIG. 2. In this way, twisting and tearing away of the resilient cover or coating 18 from the rocket body 10 is prevented. Accordingly, the effectiveness of such a coating is not diminished while the projectile travels through the gun or launcher as would most likely occur in other plastic coated rocket bodies of this type.
Also, it should be noted that the aft portion of the cartridge 15 is of a shape similar to that of the missile shown in my first mentioned patent so that an extractor for removal of unfired ammunition from the firing may be provided in which the overhanging rearwardly presented face of its recess functions in the manner of hooks to engage behind the rear end rim of the booster cartridge casing 15.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that a reaction type missile has been described which is not only quite simple in operation and easy to manufacture but is very effective in deeply penetrating heavy and thick targets in a stabilized drill-type fashion but without the possibility of damaging on unduly wearing the launcher or gun bore as the projectile travels therethrough. Also, the manner of using an array of annular and longitudinal grooves involves a simple technique for ensuring the integrity of the coated missile body during handling and launching.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise as specifically described.