Warhead

Details Warhead Warhead

1990-05-07

1992-02-25

Hunt, Brooks H.

Ammunition and explosives

Blasting

Detonation wave modifying

102308, 102309, 102476, F42B 100, F42B 102

Patent

active

050903241

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a warhead provided with a shaped or projectile forming charge having a liner of a multiphase metallic material as a metal-metal laminate.
Such warheads are disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. 2,927,556. The liner is produced in that ultra-fine particles of heavy metal, for example tungsten, are embedded in a carrier matrix of an ultrafine grain mixture (e.g. Al-Zn alloy).
When such multi-phase materials, particularly, however, those composed of tungsten-heavy metal alloys, such as, for example, W-Cu, WNiFeCo, are reshaped, the liners are frequently destroyed already at the onset of the profile or jet formation. The reason for this is, among others, that due to the great differences in acoustic impedance between the individual phases, the shock waves are reflected at the phase interfaces.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to further improve warheads of the above-mentioned type so that their liners are not destroyed by the incoming shock wave and therefore a projectile, that is, a shaped charge jet, is formed.
This object is accomplished according to the invention by a warhead provided with a shaped or projectile forming charge arrangement including a casing containing an explosive and a liner of a multi-phase metallic material, with the material being a tungsten-heavy metal alloy; and wherein the surface of the liner facing the explosive is disposed on a first plastic layer which causes the shock wave front to be flattened and dampened and whose acoustic impedance is lower than that of the liner.
According to a further feature of the invention, a second layer formed of a material having a high acoustic impedance, e.g. Armco iron, is disposed between the first layer and the explosive to couple the shock wave into the first layer.
Further particularly advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
Thus, the invention is based on the idea of adapting the pressure profile of the shock wave to the material requirements of the liner by disposing a first layer in front of the liner on the side of the explosive. Particularly suitable are plastic layers. They exhibit favorable dispersion and absorption behavior for shock waves and therefore result in flattening of the otherwise very steep shock wave front. Additionally, they have a very low acoustic impedance.
Further details and advantages of the invention will be described below for embodiments thereof and with reference to the drawing figures.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a warhead including a prior art projectile forming liner.
FIG. 2 shows the warhead of FIG. 1 with a first layer according to the invention.
FIG. 3 shows the warhead of FIG. 2 with a second layer according to the invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a warhead according to the invention with a shaped charge.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 identifies the known warhead equipped with a projectile forming liner. It is essentially composed of a warhead casing 11, the explosive capsule with booster charge 12, the explosive 13 and the projectile forming liner 14.
In conventional P charges, the liner 14 is composed, e.g., of copper and, after detonation of explosive 13, is reshaped into a contiguous projectile. As tests have shown, such a projectile formation is not possible if the liner is produced of a multi-phase metallic material or a metal-metal laminate. For example, it has not been possible in the past to produce a contiguous projectile of tungsten heavy metal (WHM) by employing WHM as the projectile forming liner 14.
FIG. 2 shows a warhead 10' according to the invention which essentially differs from the warhead 10 of FIG. 1 only by the additional layer 15.
As already described above, the layer 15 not only causes flattening of the otherwise very steep shock wave front and damping of its amplitude, but also acoustic impedance matching to

REFERENCES:
patent: 3162121 (1964-12-01), Crawford
patent: 3224368 (1965-12-01), Hopkins
patent: 3621916 (1971-11-01), Smith, Jr.
patent: 3760729 (1973-09-01), Freeman
patent: 4498367 (1985-02-01), Skolnick et al.
patent: 4747350 (1988-05-01), Szecket

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