Selectable effect warhead

• US 8,033,223 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2010
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Hugus, George D., Sheridan, Edward W., Metzger, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US12/814,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 102/473, 102/491, 102/492, 102/497, 102/476, 102/475, 102/306
• US Class Current: 102/473
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/207 characterised by the explosive material or the construction of the high explosive warhead, e.g. insensitive ammunition
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/36 for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/74 of the core or solid body
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/76 of the casing

Abstract

A munition includes a casing, the casing formed at least in part from a material comprising (i) a meltable or phase-changing material, and (ii) an energetic material; an explosive payload contained within the casing; and a fuze arrangement, the fuze arrangement comprising a main fuze configured and arranged to ignite the high explosive, and at least one secondary fuze configured and arranged to cause the casing material to melt or undergo a phase change. A method of selectively altering the mode of operation of a munition includes: forming a casing, the casing comprising a material comprising (i) a meltable or phase-changing material, and (ii) an energetic material; introducing an explosive payload into the casing; providing a fuze arrangement comprising a main fuse and at least one secondary fuze configured and arranged to cause the casing material to melt or undergo a phase change; and selectively activating the main fuze and the at least one secondary fuze in a manner that provided at least a first and a second mode of operation, the first mode of operation comprising blast coupled with fragmentation effects, and the second mode of operation comprising mainly blast effects.

Claims

1. A method of selectively altering the mode of operation of a munition, the method comprising:

forming a casing, the casing comprising a material comprising (i) a meltable or phase-changing material, and (ii) an energetic material;

introducing an explosive payload into the casing;

providing a fuze arrangement comprising a main fuze and at least one secondary fuze configured and arranged to initiate melting or phase change of the casing material; and

selectively activating the main fuze and at least one secondary fuze in a manner that provides at least a first and a second mode of operation, the first mode of operation comprising blast coupled with fragmentation effects, and the second mode of operation comprising mainly blast effects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the munition comprises a warhead.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the meltable or phase-changing material comprises a metal such as one or more of bismuth, lead, tin, indium, zinc and alloys thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energetic material is flaked, powdered, or crystallized.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energetic material comprises a thin layered structure, the thin layered structure comprises at least one layer comprising a reducing metal or metal hydride and at least one layer comprising a metal oxide.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the layers have a thickness of about 10 to about 10000 nm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the casing material comprises a matrix of metal with the energetic material dispersed therein.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the casing material comprises at least one layer formed from metal and at least one layer formed from the energetic material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation comprises activating the main fuze thereby igniting the high explosive.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode of operation comprises activating the at least one secondary fuze thereby causing the casing material to melt or undergo a phase change, and subsequently or simultaneously, activating the main fuze thereby igniting the high explosive.