PROJECTILE TRACER

• US 20150308802A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mercury Mission Systems LLC (Mercury Systems, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
• Inventors: Pradhan, Ranjit, Cole, Jerald A., Chua, Kang-Bin, Kim, Gibum, Rustick, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,739,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 19/18 Use of auxiliary physical effects, e.g. ultrasonics, irradiation, for disintegrating
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/38 of tracer type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/382 emitting an electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser beam or infrared emission

Abstract

Tracer ammunition is disclosed and includes a projectile having a body; a chamber in the body having a front end and a rear end, the rear end of the chamber being open; an aperture at a rear end of the body providing an opening to the open end of the chamber; and a tracer material disposed within the chamber, wherein the tracer material is configured to combust when ignited and emit optical energy through the aperture as a result of the combustion process. The tracer material may be configured to include a rear-facing surface having a concave contour to aid in directivity of light output from the tracer material.

Claims

1. A tracer ammunition, comprising:

a projectile having a body;

a chamber in the body having a front end and a rear end, the rear end of the chamber being open;

an aperture at a rear end of the body providing an opening to the open end of the chamber; and

a tracer material disposed within the chamber, wherein the tracer material is configured to combust when ignited and emit optical energy through the aperture as a result of the combustion process.

2. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material comprises an outer surface having a concave contour.

3. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material comprises a rear facing surface having a contour shaped such that the optical energy is emitted as a Lambertian or near Lambertian light source as a result of combustion of the tracer material.

4. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material comprises a rear facing surface having a contour shaped to confine an exit angle of the optical energy to a predetermined maximum angle.

5. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material comprises a surface contoured to reduce an axial normal area of the surface relative to a flat surface.

6. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material comprises:

an exothermic material; and

a luminescent material disposed on the exothermic material configured to emit optical energy in response to heat generated by the exothermic material.

7. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the exothermic material comprises a material chosen from a class of materials known as thermites or from a class of materials known as intermetallics.

8. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the luminescent material comprises a candoluminescent material.

9. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the luminescent material comprises nanocrystals chosen to produce light at a predetermined color of the visible spectrum.

10. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the tracer material further comprises a layer of light scattering material disposed on the luminescent material.

11. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the luminescent material comprises a dopant to cause the light emitting material to emit light at a predetermined wavelength upon heating of the exothermic material to impart a signature to the tracer ammunition.

12. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the luminescent material comprises a candoluminescent disc.

13. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, wherein the luminescent material is sufficiently dense to prevent ejecta of exothermic material during projectile flight.

14. The tracer ammunition of claim 6, further comprising a barrier material disposed between the exothermic material and the luminescent material.

15. The tracer ammunition of claim 14, wherein the barrier material comprises an allotrope of carbon.

16. The tracer ammunition of claim 15, wherein the allotrope of carbon comprises graphite.

17. The tracer ammunition of claim 15, wherein allotrope of carbon comprises a thin film diamond.

18. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material further comprises an igniter disposed in contact with the exothermic material.

19. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the tracer material is compacted into a pellet using sufficient pressure to prevent ejecta of exothermic material during projectile flight.

20. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, further comprising:

a casing;

powder disposed within the casing; and

a primer disposed at a rearward end of the casing;

wherein the projectile is at least partially disposed within the casing.

21. The tracer ammunition of claim 1, further comprising an insulating material disposed between the tracer material and walls of the chamber.

22. A process for preparing material for tracer ammunition, comprising the operations of:

receiving first particles of exothermic material of a first average size at a first ultrasonic processing station that includes an ultrasonic transducer;

applying ultrasonic energy to the particles by the first ultrasonic processing station to break down the received particles of exothermic material into reduced-size particles of a second average size that is smaller than the first average size;

transferring the reduced-size particles into one or more successive ultrasonic processing station, wherein each of the e or more successive ultrasonic processing stations applies ultrasonic energy to particles it receives to further reduce the average size of its received particles.

23. The process of claim 22, further comprising the operations of mixing the first particles of exothermic material with a solvent prior to the application of ultrasonic energy to reduce the particle size.

24. The process of claim 22, further comprising compacting the exothermic material into a pellet under sufficient pressure to prevent the exothermic material from breaking up and ejecting from the tracer ammunition during combustion thereof.

25. The process of claim 24, further comprising compacting a light producing material onto the exothermic material to form a tracer pellet comprising an exothermic layer capped by a luminescent layer.

26. The process of claim 25, further comprising providing a seal on the tracer pellet to form a sealed tracer pellet.

27. The process of claim 26, wherein the seal comprises an oxide layer.

28. The process of claim 25, wherein the pellet is formed in a die or other form separate from the ammunition and loaded into a chamber in the ammunition after formation.

29. The process of claim 25, wherein the tracer pellet is formed in a chamber of the ammunition by placing exothermic material and luminescent material into the chamber and compressing the exothermic material and luminescent material in place in the chamber.

30. The process of claim 25, wherein the tracer pellet is formed to include an outer surface having a concave contour.

31. The process of claim 25, wherein the tracer pellet is formed to include rear facing surface having a contour shaped such that the optical energy is emitted as a Lambertian or near Lambertian light source as a result of combustion of the tracer material.

32. The process of claim 25, wherein the tracer pellet is formed to include a rear facing surface having a contour shaped to confine an exit angle of the optical energy to a predetermined maximum angle.

33. The process of claim 25, wherein the tracer pellet is formed to include a surface contoured to reduce an axial normal area of the surface relative to a flat surface.