Firearms

• US 6,085,630 A
• Filed: 08/26/1998
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John R. Manis
• Original Assignee: John R. Manis
• Inventors: Manis, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wesson, Theresa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/168,323
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 89/8, 89/14.05, 89/14.3, 89/14.4, 102/433, 102/434, 102/430, 102/524, 102/525, 102/526, 102/527, 42/78, 42/76.01
• US Class Current: 89/8
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 1/02 Hypervelocity missile propulsion using successive means for increasing the propulsive force, e.g. using successively initiated propellant charges arranged along the barrel length; Multistage missile propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/00 Barrels; Gun tubes; Muzzle attachments; Barrel mounting means F41A25/00 takes precedence; barrel attachments for firing grenades or riot-control ammunition from smallarms F41C27/06
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/28 Gas-expansion chambers; Barrels provided with gas-relieving ports F41A1/06, F41A13/08 and F41A21/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 10/24 with inclined grooves
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 14/00 Projectiles or missiles characterised by arrangements for guiding or sealing them inside barrels, or for lubricating or cleaning barrels
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 30/02 Bullets
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/02 Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile

Abstract

The construction and arrangement of the projectile bearing surface interfaces rearward and forward of a recessed surface chamber of the projectile interface conjointly with the interfaces of bore wall areas segmented by recessed bore chambers which in conjunction effect the deployment/transport/dispersement/development/modulation and transformation of explosive propellant charges sequentially primed and activated rearward and forwardly of the projectile along the bore and in bore wall chambers captively converting high static gas pressure to expansively relieved dynamic propellant gas pressure directly at the projectile reducing firearm barrel recoil while energizing projectile movement along the bore in a closed-system of thermodynamic propellant energy for free flight purposes.

Claims

1. A cartridge system round of ammunition for launching a projectile and pushing a propellant charge at the front of the projectile out of the cartridge and along a bore of a gun barrel, said cartridge system round of ammunition comprising:

a cartridge casing having a casing bore defining a projectile passageway and a casing sidewall having an interior surface, said cartridge casing containing;

(a) a projectile having a rear end and a front end, and a bearing surface defining an interface in association with said casing;

(b) a first propellant charge placed at said rear end of said projectile; and

(c) a second propellant charge placed across the frontal area of said projectile forward of said bearing surface, said second charge being disposed in a transverse positional arrangement extending inward from the interior surface of said casing sidewall and nested within said casing bore and directly in the path of said projectile.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said projectile further includes a front ogive surface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the projectile includes a helicoidally structured rear end.

4. The system of claim 1 and further including at least one gas channel extending along said bearing surface of said projectile.

5. The system of claim 1 and further including means for preventing forward movement of said first primer propellant charge along said projectile body.

6. The system of claim 1 and further including means for allowing forward movement of said first primer propellant charge along said projectile body.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said projectile further includes a chamber opening into said bearing surface.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said first propellant charge operates as a primer for said second propellant charge.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said cartridge casing includes a seal between said first and said second propellant charges.

10. The system of claim 1 and further including at least one gas channel extending along said inner surface of the sidewall of said cartridge casing.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges selected from the group consisting of layered and stacked charges.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges of different compositions.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges having differing characteristics selected from the group including differing grain and web characteristics.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a recess in said interior surface of the sidewall for primer charging through said chamber opening into the bearing surface of said projectile.

15. A cartridge system round of ammunition for launching a projectile and pushing a propellant charge at the front of the projectile of a cartridge along a bore of a gun barrel, said cartridge system round of ammunition comprising:

a cartridge casing having a casing bore defining a projectile passageway and sealing means and a casing sidewall having an interior surface, said cartridge casing containing;

(a) a projectile having a rear end and a front end, and a bearing surface defining a bearing surface interface in association with said casing, and at least one chamber opening into said bearing surface interface;

(b) a first propellant charge placed at said rear end of said projectile;

(c) a second propellant charge placed across the frontal area of said projectile forward of said bearing surface, said second charge being disposed in a transverse positional arrangement extending inward from the interior surface of said casing sidewall and nested within said casing bore and directly in the path of said projectile; and

(d) at least one gas channel extending along said interior surface of the sidewall of said cartridge casing.

16. The system of claim 15 and further including at least one gas channel extending along said obturator surface of said projectile.

17. The system of claim 15 and further including means for preventing forward movement of said first primer propellant charge along said projectile body.

18. The system of claim 15 and further including means for allowing forward movement of said first primer propellant charge along said projectile body.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said first primer propellant charge operates as a primer charge for said second propellant charge.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein said at least one gas channel extending along said interior surface of said casing sidewall, in association with said casing bore sealing means associated with said interface bearing surface of said projectile, provides an access between said first propellant charge and said second propellant charge for primer-igniting said second propellant charge after it is displaced from said cartridge.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein said at least one gas channel allows primer charging of said chamber opening into the bearing surface of said projectile.

22. A projectile system round of ammunition for launching a projectile and pushing an associated propellant charge from a cartridge system along a gun barrel bore having a plurality of spaced barrel recessed chambers of predetermined length and spaced apart at a predetermined spacing distance therebetween, said round of ammunition comprising;

a) a hollow cartridge casing having a casing bore with a longitudinal axis defining a projectile passageway

b) a projectile located in said cartridge casing, said projectile having a longitudinal axis, a rear end, a front end, a rearward obturator bearing surface, a forward obturator bearing surface, and a projectile recessed chamber formed between said rearward and forward obturator bearing surfaces;

c) a seal on said cartridge casing, said seal in contact with said projectile;

d) a first propellant charge positioned in said cartridge casing and rearward of said projectile; and

e) a second propellant charge placed across the frontal area of said projectile forward of said bearing surface, said second charge being disposed in a transverse positional arrangement extending inward from the interior surface of said casing sidewall and nested within said casing bore and directly in the path of said projectile.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said forward obturator surface has a length less than said predetermined length of said spaced barrel recessed chambers of said plurality of recessed chambers of said bore of a gun barrel.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said forward obturator surface has a length greater than said predetermined length of said spaced barrel recessed chambers of said plurality of recessed chambers of said bore of a gun barrel.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein said rearward obturator surface has a length less than said predetermined length of said spaced barrel recessed chambers of said plurality of recessed chambers of said bore of the gun barrel.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein said rearward obturator surface has a length greater than said predetermined length of said spaced barrel recessed chambers of said plurality of recessed chambers of said bore of the gun barrel.

27. The system of claim 22 wherein said projectile recessed chamber has a length greater than said predetermined distance between said plurality of spaced barrel recessed chambers of said bore of the gun barrel.

28. The system of claim 22 wherein said projectile recessed chamber has a length less than said predetermined distance between said plurality of spaced barrel recessed chambers of said bore of the gun barrel.

29. The system of claim 22 wherein said second propellant charge is larger than said first propellant charge.

30. The system of claim 22 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges selected from the group consisting of layered and stacked charges.

31. The system of claim 22 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges of different compositions.

32. The system of claim 22 wherein said second propellant charge comprises a plurality of charges having differing characteristics selected from the group including differing grain and web characteristics.

33. The method for launching a projectile and propellant charge from a cartridge round of ammunition along a main bore of a gun barrel having a cartridge receiving chamber and a bore wall and a series of spaced recessed bore wall chambers of predetermined length and spacing along said bore wall, said method of launching said projectile and propellant charge comprising the steps of:

a) providing a projectile with a longitudinal axis, a rear end, a front end, a rearward obturator surface, a forward obturator surface, and a recessed projectile chamber recessed between said rearward and forward obturator surfaces;

b) providing a cartridge case having a bore with a longitudinal axis, a sidewall and a case seal in said cartridge case;

c) placing a first propellant charge and locating, said projectile in front of said first propellant charge in said cartridge case, said projectile being in contact with said case seal; and

d) placing a second propellant charge in said cartridge case across the frontal area of and in the path of said projectile and securing the front end of said cartridge case;

e) placing said cartridge case in said cartridge receiving chamber of a gun barrel;

f) igniting said first propellant charge;

g) launching said projectile and forward propellant charge; and

h) deploying and igniting portions of said second propellant charge along said main bore of said gun barrel and in said series of recessed bore wall chambers of said main bore of said gun barrel.

34. The method of claim 33 and including the step of providing friction-sensitive explosive film lubrication of said main bore of said gun barrel and said projectile, material of said explosive film lubrication being contained in said second propellant charge, said explosive film operating as a primer for said second propellant charge.

35. The method of claim 33 and further including the step of allowing said first propellant charge to travel along the projectile body and ignite said second propellant charge.

36. The method of claim 33 and further including the step of preventing said first propellant charge to travel along said projectile body and ignite said second propellant charge.

37. The method of claim 33 and further including the steps of developing peak pressure of each said portion of second propellant charge in each subsequent said recessed bore wall chamber of a gun barrel of said series of bore wall chambers greater than developed peak pressure of each preceding said bore wall chamber of said series of bore wall chambers.