Method and apparatus for launching a projectile at hypersonic velocity
First Claim
1. A method of accelerating a body to a high velocity, comprising the steps of:
- filling an oblong vessel with a compressed fuel-oxidizer mixture, said oblong vessel having initially closed ends and having a large inner diameter compared with outer dimensions of said body,propelling said body at supersonic velocity into said oblong vessel, said body generating bow shock waves and oblique detonation waves said bow shock waves and said oblique detonation waves intersecting and interacting within said oblong vessel prior to reaching an inner wall of said oblong vessel,detonating said fuel-oxidizer mixture with said oblique detonation waves causing forward thrust and acceleration of said body by pressure generated by denotation of said fuel-oxidizer mixture and expansion of high-pressure gases to the rear of said body.
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Abstract
A projectile is accelerated to hypersonic velocity in an initially closed barrel of a diameter considerably larger than the projectile diameter which is filled with a compressed fuel-oxidizer mixture. The projectile comprises a conical nose portion, an intermediate portion formed to generate oblique detonation waves, and a tapering tail portion provided with several radial vanes. The projectile is propelled by an initiator gun at supersonic speed through one of the intitially closed ends in the barrel, were the detonation waves cause detonation and combustion of the fuel-oxidizer mixture. The detonation results in a high pressure increase to the rear of the projectile accelerating it along the barrel and shooting it at the reached hypersonic speed through the other, initially closed end of the barrel into the open.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of accelerating a body to a high velocity, comprising the steps of:
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filling an oblong vessel with a compressed fuel-oxidizer mixture, said oblong vessel having initially closed ends and having a large inner diameter compared with outer dimensions of said body, propelling said body at supersonic velocity into said oblong vessel, said body generating bow shock waves and oblique detonation waves said bow shock waves and said oblique detonation waves intersecting and interacting within said oblong vessel prior to reaching an inner wall of said oblong vessel, detonating said fuel-oxidizer mixture with said oblique detonation waves causing forward thrust and acceleration of said body by pressure generated by denotation of said fuel-oxidizer mixture and expansion of high-pressure gases to the rear of said body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An acceleration system comprising:
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a first vessel filled with a combustible fluid; a projectile, said projectile including a first wave generation means for generating a first wave and a second wave generation means for generating a second wave, said first wave and said second wave interacting, prior to reflecting off an inner wall of said first vessel, to cause detonation of said combustible fluid; and a tail, attached to said projectile, which directs combustion products resulting from said detonation of said combustible fluid so that said projectile is accelerated. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of accelerating a projectile comprising the steps of:
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(a) injecting said projectile into a space filled with a combustible fluid in a first direction, said space being at least partially enclosed by a barrel; (b) generating a first wave from a first portion of said projectile; (c) generating a second wave from a second portion of said projectile, said second wave reacting with said first wave, prior to said second wave reflecting off an inner wall of said barrel and prior to said first wave reflecting off said inner wall of said barrel, to detonate said combustible fluid and to produce combustion products; and (d) directing said combustion products to accelerate said projectile in said first direction. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification