Reactive munition in a three-dimensionally rigid state

• US 7,383,775 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Secretary of the Navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Holt, William H., Mock, Willis Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone; Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Klein; Gabriel J
• Application Number:
  US11/326,670
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 102/495, 102/363, 102/491, 102/494, 102/496, 102/497
• US Class Current: 102/363
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 27/00 Compositions containing a metal, boron, silicon, selenium or tellurium or mixtures, intercompounds or hydrides thereof, and hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 45/00 Compositions or products which are defined by structure or arrangement of component of product explosive charges of particular form or shape F42B1/00, F42B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/367 Projectiles fragmenting upon impact without the use of explosives, the fragments creating a wounding or lethal effect practice or training projectiles disintegrating upon impact F42B8/14; projectiles of high-explosive type with fragmentation-hull construction F42B12/22
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/46 for dispensing gases, vapours, powders or chemically-reactive substances F42B12/70 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/74 of the core or solid body
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/745 the core being made of plastics; Compounds or blends of plastics and other materials, e.g. fillers
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/76 of the casing
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/78 of jackets for smallarm bullets ; Jacketed bullets or projectiles

Abstract

A reactive munition uses a housing made from a housing in a state that is three-dimensionally rigid. The housing can be made of metal, such as aluminum. A reactive filler, such as powdered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fills the one or more cavities in the aluminum housing. A jacket encases the housing filled with the reactive filler.

Claims

1. A reactive sub-munition fragment in a warhead, said sub-munition fragment comprising:

a housing defining at least one cavity therein, said housing being three-dimensionally rigid;

reactive filler filling said at least one cavity, said reactive filler being non-metal having solid or powder form; and

a protective jacket completely encasing said housing so-filled with said reactive filler.

2. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said housing is made from at least one of aluminum, zirconium, hafnium, tantalum, titanium and magnesium.

3. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said housing is made from metal having a state selected from the group consisting of a solid, a rigid foam and a honeycomb.

4. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one cavity comprises a single contiguous cavity.

5. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one cavity comprises a plurality of cavities.

6. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one cavity extends through said housing.

7. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said reactive filler is selected from the group consisting of fluorinated polymers, copolymers, terpolymers, thermoplastics and epoxies, wherein said epoxies are selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), vinylidene fluoride, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, and other fluorocarbon materials fabricated from a fluorocarbon monomer, wherein said fluorocarbon monomer is selected from the group consisting of hexafluoropropylene, perfluorinated vinyl ether, and chlorotrifluoroethylene.

8. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said reactive filler is a powdered PTFE that comprises particles having sizes in the range of approximately 2-600 microns.

9. The fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective jacket comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of steel, tungsten, hafnium, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zirconium, tantalum and depleted uranium.

10. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective jacket has at least one cross-section that forms one of a square and a hexagon.

11. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective jacket has an outer shape selected from the group consisting of a shaped fragment and a bullet.

12. A reactive sub-munition fragment in a warhead, said sub-munition fragment comprising:

an aluminum housing defining at least one cavity therein;

powdered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filling said at least one cavity; and

a protective jacket completely encasing said housing so-filled with said powdered PTFE.

13. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said PTFE filling has a density that is in the range of approximately 1.03-2.15 grams per cubic centimeter.

14. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said at least one cavity comprises a single contiguous cavity.

15. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said at least one cavity comprises a plurality of cavities.

16. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said at least one cavity extends through said housing.

17. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said powdered PTFE comprises particles having sizes in the range of approximately 2-to-600 microns.

18. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said protective jacket comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of steel, tungsten, hafnium, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zirconium, tantalum and depleted uranium.

19. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said protective jacket has at least one cross-section that forms one of a square and a hexagon.

20. The reactive fragment as recited in claim 12, wherein said protective jacket has an outer shape selected from the group consisting of a shaped fragment and a bullet.