MULTI COMPONENT REACTIVE METAL PENETRATORS, AND THEIR METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

• US 20080047458A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ats Mer, LLC
• Original Assignee: Materials and Electrochemical Research Corporation
• Inventors: Loutfy, Raouf, Shapovalov, Vladimir, STORM, Roger, Withers, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,573,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/501
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 19/0063 finned exchangers cylinders B22D19/0018
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2003/145 by warm compacting, below debindering temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/00 Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/10 Sintering only
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/14 simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/15 Hot isostatic pressing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/00 Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the special shape of the product
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/045 Alloys based on refractory metals
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/06 with hard or heavy core; Kinetic energy penetrators F42B12/16, F42B12/74 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/74 of the core or solid body

Abstract

A penetrator comprising a layered composite of at least one high density metal and at least one reactive metal material such as a reactive metal.

Claims

1. A penetrator comprising an alloy of at least one high density metal and at least one reactive material.

2. The penetrator of claim 1, wherein the high density metal is Ta and the reactive material is Zr.

3. The penetrator of claim 1, wherein the high density metal is selected from the group consisting of Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, U, and Hf, and an alloy thereof, and the reactive material is a reactive metal selected from the group consisting of Zr, Mg, Al, Li, Be, Ti, Sc, V, H, Sr, Y, Si, and Ge, and an alloy thereof, a rare earth element and an alloy thereof, hydrogen, carbon and a metal carbide.

4. The penetrator of claim 3, wherein the rare earth metal is selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu.

9. A process for forming a penetrator as claimed in claim 1, which comprises heating at least one high density metal and at least one reactive metal to a temperature sufficient to form a molten pool, and allowing the molten pool to solidify.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a plasma transferred arc welding torch.

11. The process of claim 9, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a furnace.

12. The process of claim 9, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a vacuum arc.

13. The process of claim 9, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a laser.

14. The process of claim 9, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a welding torch, wherein said welding torch comprises a plasma transferred arc, a TIG, a MIG or an E-beam torch.

21. The penetrator of claim 1, wherein the penetrator has a shape of a cube.

22. The penetrator of claim 1, wherein the penetrator has a three-dimensional curvature and is produced by an explosive forming process.

5. A penetrator comprising a particulate composite of at least one heavy metal and at least one reactive material.

6. The penetrator of claim 5, wherein the high density metal is Ta and the reactive material is Zr.

7. The penetrator of claim 5, wherein the high density metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, U, and Hf, and an alloy thereof, and the reactive material comprises at least one reactive metal selected from the group consisting of Zr, Mg, Al, Li, Be, Ti, Sc, V, H, Sr, Y, Si, and Ge, and an alloy thereof, a rare earth element and an alloy thereof, hydrogen, carbon and a metal carbide.

8. The penetrator of claim 7, wherein the rare earth metal is selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu.

15. A process for forming the penetrator as claimed in claim 5, which comprises heating at least one heavy metal and at least one reactive metal to a temperature sufficient to melt at least one of the metals, but below the melting point of at least one other of the metals.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a welding torch.

17. The process of claim 15, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a furnace.

18. The process of claim 15, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a vacuum arc.

19. The process of claim 15, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a laser.

20. The process of claim 15, wherein the heating is effected by the use of a welding torch, wherein said welding torch comprises a plasma transferred arc, a TIG, a MIG or an E-beam torch.

23. The penetrator of claim 5, wherein the penetrator has a shape of a cube.

24. The penetrator of claim 5, wherein the penetrator has a three-dimensional curvature and is produced by an explosive forming process.

25. A process for forming the penetrator as claimed in claim 5, including the step of consolidating the at least one high density metal and the at least one reactive metal by powder metallurgical processing.

26. The process of claim 25, wherein the powder metallurgical processing comprises pressureless sintering, hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing.

27. A penetrator comprising at least one high density reactive component.

28. The penetrator of claim 27, wherein the high density, high reactive component is selected from the group consisting of Ta—

H, U—

H and Pu—

H, and a mixture thereof.