PROJECTILE FASTENING BOLT FOR A SHELL WITH A SUBCALIBER PENETRATOR WITH A CONICAL TAILPIECE AND A SHELL

• US 20100077934A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Original Assignee: Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Inventors: HEITMANN, Thomas, FREUDENTHAL, Klaus-Dieter, VAGEDES, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,800,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/523
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 14/064 Sabots enclosing the rear end of a kinetic energy projectile, i.e. having a closed disk shaped obturator base and petals extending forward from said base

Abstract

A shell with a subcaliber penetrator, which has a conical tailpiece, and with a basically disk-shaped propulsion element, wherein the conical tailpiece has a frustum-shaped recess that is open towards the rear end. The propulsion element is joined with the penetrator, preferably by a screw connection (projectile fastening bolt. To this end, a bolt element joins the propulsion element and the penetrator in the area of the tailpiece and has a borehole that is open at the rear end, into which propellant charge gases flow when the shell is fired and cause rending of the bolt element and thus separation of the propulsion element from the penetrator.

Claims

1. A projectile fastening bolt for a shell with a subcaliber penetrator, which has a conical tailpiece, and with an essentially disk-shaped propulsion element, wherein the conical tailpiece has a frustum-shaped recess that is open towards a rear end, the fastening bolt comprising a bolt element that has a borehole that is open at a rear end, into which borehole propellant charge gases flow when the shell is fired so that internal pressure that develops in the borehole due to the propellant charge gases leads to a rending of the bolt element and thus to separation of the propulsion element from the penetrator.

2. A projectile fastening bolt in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bolt element comprises a first subelement that is connected with the propulsion element, contains the borehole that is open at the rear end, has an internal thread at a front end, and screws together axially with an external thread of a second subelement.

3. A projectile fastening bolt in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first subelement comprises an axially extending insert, which contains the borehole that is open at the rear end, has an external thread, and is threadable into a corresponding threaded borehole of the first subelement.

4. A projectile fastening bolt in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first subelement of the bolt element comprises a head part and a shaft part.

5. A projectile fastening bolt in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first subelement of the bolt element comprises a cup-shaped fastening part for screwing onto the second subelement and a screw bolt, which has a through-hole, a bolt head, and a shaft with an external thread.

6. A shell comprising:

a subcaliber penetrator, which has a conical tailpiece;

an essentially disk-shaped propulsion element, wherein the conical tailpiece has a rearwardly open frustum-shaped recess; and

a projectile fastening bolt comprising a bolt element that has a borehole that is open at a rear end, into which borehole propellant charge gases flow when the shell is fired so that internal pressure that develops in the borehole due to the propellant charge gases leads to a rending of the bolt element and thus to separation of the propulsion element from the penetrator, wherein the bolt element is passed through the frustum-shaped recess and joins the propulsion element and a rear wall of the penetrator, which rear wall borders a front end of the tailpiece.

7. A shell in accordance with claim 6, wherein the bolt element comprises a first subelement that is connected with the propulsion element, contains the borehole that is open at the rear end, has an internal thread at the front end, and screws together axially with an external thread of a second subelement.

8. A shell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the second subelement is connected with the rear wall of the penetrator.

9. A shell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the second subelement is a tracer cup with an external thread.

10. A shell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first subelement of the bolt element comprises a head part and a shaft part, wherein the shaft part is passed through a borehole of the propulsion element into the frustum-shaped recess and screwed together with the second subelement and the head part projects laterally beyond the borehole of the propulsion element and is supported on a rear-end surface of the propulsion element.

11. A shell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first subelement of the bolt element comprises a cup-shaped fastening part for screwing onto the second subelement and a screw bolt, which has a through-hole, a bolt head, and a shaft with an external thread, wherein the shaft is supported in a threaded borehole that passes through the propulsion element so that an end of the shaft that faces away from the bolt head is turnable from a rear-end surface of the propulsion element, the bolt head being nonrotatably supported in a recess of the cup-shaped fastening part that faces the bolt element.

12. A shell in accordance with claim 6, wherein the bolt-shaped bolt element projects axially into the frustum-shaped recess and is screwed into an internal thread of the rear wall of the penetrator that bounds the recess.

13. A shell in accordance with claim 6, wherein an end of the disk-shaped propulsion element that faces the tailpiece of the penetrator has a recess for form-locking reception of a rear-end region of the tailpiece.

14. A shell in accordance with claims 6, wherein the disk-shaped propulsion element is made of metal.

15. A shell in accordance with claim 14, wherein the disk-shaped propulsion element is made of a light metal.