Patent Application
20210247169
This invention relates to ammunition, specifically ammunition used in small arms having armor piercing capabilities having a secondary charge.
Prior art armor piercing projectiles have been developed for use on a variety of weapons specifically by the military in a number of user specific requirements. Such military projectiles use a depleted uranium core due to its dense properties. Examples of projectile ammunition can also be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,009,166, 6,105,506, 7,520,224, and 8,161,886.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,166 is directed to a low-cost penetrator projectile having a hard metal core with a hollow conical shape formed from low carbon steel in a series of progressive dies to achieve a Rockwell hardness of C50 and C55.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,506 claims a bullet body and a nonrotable sabot slug for shotguns with a jacketed bullet with a forward end hollow point and a metal sabot that comes in contact with the rifling in the gun barrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,224 discloses an advanced armor piercing projectile having a precision machine outer and inner component. The inner component is of a higher density than the outer and higher than that of armor plate such as tungsten.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,161,886 is directed to a short magnum shot shell cartridge and firing assembly wherein a sabot retaining shot shell cartridge chamber has a sub-caliber projectile.
Examples of armor piercing projectiles having a second projectile charge can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,102,271, 4,497,253, 4,574,702, 4,597,333 and 5,728,968.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,271, an armor piercing tandem shell or projectile can be seen having a rear shaped charge, hollow charge and a forward armor piercing device with a second hollow explosive charge to define a passageway in the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,253 claims an armor piercing projectile with a hard case and hollow charge with proximity fuse for activation before impact.
An armor piercing high explosive projectile with cartridge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,702 wherein a contact igniter point discharges and drives splinters into a secondary explosive during the projectile rotation after leaving the gun barrel.
A compartment armor piercing projectile is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,333 that uses a central positional explosive charge to separate front and rear parts by a proximity fuse.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,968 an armor penetrating projectile is disclosed with a rod penetration core for contact with a target for self-ignition of a thermite charge projecting a molten jet of material through the bore melting the armor plate at the point of impact.
A dual stage armor piercing projectile cartridge having an enhanced penetration core of high impact solid carbide hardened steel with a pyrotechnic cap extends from a conveyance steel housing form socket. A secondary propellant cartridge with primer within the conveyance housing fires on contact with the target providing enhanced armor piercing projecting capabilities. A stabilization sabot of synthetic resin material surrounds the steel housing defining a twelve-gauge projectile all within a conventional twelve-gauge cartridge hull with a propellant and primer.
Referring now to
The composite two-stage projectile cartridge 10 of the invention is capable of penetrating AR500 grade designated armor plate AP graphically illustrated for reference purposes in broken lines in
The projectile cartridge comprising a hardened steel projectile 16 having a pyrotechnic pure magnesium end contact igniter cap 17 thereon. The projectile 16 has a monolithic cylindrical body member 18 with oppositely disposed flat end surfaces 18A and 18B. The hardened steel projectile 16 is, in this example, high density cemented tungsten carbide steel 91.8-92.8 Rockwell A scale and is illustrated in a twelve-gauge shell dimension for illustration. It will be evident that the dimensional variances are not limited to the preferred embodiment designation but can vary depending on applicant's use venue. The end contact pure magnesium igniter cap 17 has a recessed cylindrical base 17A with a contoured dome end portion 17B. The cap base 17A has an interior diameter for register receiving the corresponding hardened steel cylinder projectile end 18A there within.
A second stage firing cartridge 19, best seen in
A brass conveyance housing 20 is provided having a cylindrical body member 20A with an integral closed base 20B and oppositely disposed open end 20C. The open housing end 20C has an area of increased interior diameter at 21 extending inwardly therefrom defining an annular support and positioning lip 21A for registerably receiving the projectile base 18B when inserted therein. In operation, the projectile assembly sequence is as follows. The second stage firing cartridge 19 is receivably positioned within the conveyance housing 20 with its firing primer 19B facing outwardly. A cartridge firing pin assembly 22 comprises of a steel firing pin ball 23 which is held centrally within an expanded flexible synthetic resin foam collar 24 which is positioned on top of the firing cartridge 19 in the assembly. The monolithic projectile 16 is then registerably received within the housing 20 on the interior support lip 21A as hereinbefore described. The projectile 16 is in direct contact with the igniter cap 17, in this example, which is magnesium which engages engaged the housing open end at 20C, edge 20D as best seen in
The projectile cartridge assembly, as hereinbefore described, is in turn fitted within a stabilization sabot 25 made from plastic, in this example, defining a shroud thereabout. The sabot 25 has an annular sidewall 25A with multiple spaced cuts C thereabout, an annular base 25B of increased dimension mass. The sabot 25 will thus support and stabilize the projectile cartridge assembly during its initial launch then separate and split open as seen in
The projectile conveyance housing 20 abuts the bottom of the sabot 25 during cartridge assembly, as noted, having with its bottom exterior surface 26 effacing the cartridge propellant charge 14 which in this application is smokeless gun powder infilling the remaining hull 11 interior area in direct contact with the hereinbefore described cartridge primer 13.
Referring now to
Upon projectile assembly impact with the target armor 27, the pyrotechnic magnesium cap 17 ignites indicated generally at 28 on the target armor plate 27. The kinetic impact force on the hardened steel projectile 16 compresses the cartridge firing pin assembly 22 with its firing pin ball 23 into the center firing primer 19B of the second stage cartridge 19 firing same. The simultaneous impact and cartridge 19 firing provides additional penetrating force of 500 ft. lbs. to propel the hardened steel projectile 16 as it exits the housing 20 shown graphically for illustration in
It will thus be seen that a new and novel composite two-stage armor piercing cartridge of the invention has been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, I claim:
