Fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile that can be fired from a rifled barrel, and method for the production thereof

Abstract

A fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile adapted to be fired from a rifled barrel, the projectile having a penetrator with a tail fin assembly, a sabot arranged on the penetrator and having at least two sabot segments circumferentially joined to one another that are separated from one another after leaving the barrel by centrifugal forces acting on the projectile during firing. The sabot includes a main body and a front guide flange that is adapted to be supported on an inner wall of the barrel and a rear guide flange arranged at an axial distance. A connecting section of the sabot is arranged between the front guide flange and the rear guide flange and has a smaller outer diameter than the front guide flange or the rear guide flange. The sabot and the penetrator are joined together in a positive manner in a region of the rear guide flange.

Claims

1. A fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile adapted to be fired from a rifled barrel, the projectile comprising: a penetrator with a tail fin assembly; and a discardable sabot arranged on the penetrator, the discardable sabot having at least two sabot segments circumferentially joined to one another, the segments being separated from one another after the projectile leaves the barrel due to centrifugal forces acting on the projectile during firing, wherein the discardable sabot includes a main body made of a light metal alloy, the main body having a front guide flange that is adapted to be supported on an inner wall of the barrel and a rear guide flange arranged at an axial distance from the front guide flange, wherein a connecting section of the discardable sabot is arranged between the front guide flange and the rear guide flange and has a smaller outer diameter than the front guide flange or the rear guide flange, wherein the discardable sabot and the penetrator are joined together via a positive connection in a region of the rear guide flange, wherein a sealing and rotating band is fastened onto the outer circumference of the rear guide flange, and wherein the main body has axially-extending, longitudinal grooves uniformly distributed over a circumference of the main body, each of the longitudinal grooves extending continuously through the front guide flange and the rear guide flange, and the main body has axially-extending, longitudinal bores that pass axially through an interior of the front guide flange and extend towards and terminate at a surface of the rear guide flange that faces the front guide flange, each of the bores being disposed radially inward from a respective one of the longitudinal grooves, such that at least within the front guide flange, the longitudinal grooves extend into the bores, and wherein the longitudinal grooves and the bores laterally border the sabot segments.

2. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the bores is chosen such that a region of the main body between the penetrator and each of the bores has a smaller wall thickness than other regions of the main body and acts as a predetermined breaking point along which the sabot segments separate from one another after leaving the barrel.

3. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the main body is made of an aluminum alloy.

4. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the positive connection between the discardable sabot and the penetrator is a threaded connection.

5. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the sealing and rotating band is made of plastic.

6. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the bores are positioned radially inward from the longitudinal grooves, such that in the radial direction of the main body, the bores are positioned between the longitudinal grooves and the penetrator.

7. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the main body further includes a central bore, the penetrator extending through the central bore.

8. The fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to claim 1, wherein the bores have a larger cross-sectional area than the longitudinal grooves.

9. A method for producing a fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile that is adapted to be fired from a rifled barrel, the projectile having a penetrator with a tail fin assembly, a discardable sabot arranged on the penetrator, the discardable sabot having at least two sabot segments circumferentially joined to one another, the discardable sabot including a main body made of a light metal alloy, the main body having a front guide flange that is adapted to be supported on an inner wall of the barrel and a rear guide flange arranged at an axial distance from the front guide flange, a connecting section of the discardable sabot is arranged between the front guide flange and the rear guide flange and has a smaller outer diameter than the front guide flange or the rear guide flange, a sealing and rotating band is fastened onto the outer circumference of the rear guide flange, and the main body has axially-extending, longitudinal grooves uniformly distributed over a circumference of the main body, each of the longitudinal grooves extending continuously through the front guide flange and the rear guide flange, and the main body having axially-extending, longitudinal bores that pass axially through an interior of the front guide flange and extend towards and terminate at a surface of the rear guide flange that faces the front guide flange, each of the bores being disposed radially inward from a respective one of the longitudinal grooves, such that at least within the front guide flange, the longitudinal grooves extend into the bores, the method comprising: providing the penetrator; providing a blank that already has the outer contour of the main body, the outer contour including the front guide flange, the rear guide flange, the connecting section and the longitudinal grooves, and the blank also including a central bore for the penetrator to extend therethrough and a thread for a positive connection of the penetrator and the discardable sabot; introducing the bores from a front side of the front guide flange to extend in the axial direction through to and terminating at the rear guide flange; after introducing the bores, screwing the penetrator into the central bore of the discardable sabot until the penetrator rests against a thread stop of the discardable sabot; introducing the sealing and rotating band into a recess provided in the outer circumference of the rear guide flange; introducing a rear seal via a plastic injection molding method; and connecting the tail fin assembly to the penetrator.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the introduction of the sealing and rotating band and the introduction of the rear seal takes place substantially simultaneously.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 the perspective view of a sub-caliber projectile according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 a longitudinal cross-section through the projectile shown in FIG. 1, and

(4) FIG. 3 an enlarged front view of the projectile shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) Labeled with 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a fin-stabilized sub-caliber projectile according to the invention that includes a penetrator 3 joined to a tail fin assembly 2, and a discardable sabot 4 arranged on the penetrator 3.

(6) The sabot 4 includes a main body 5 made of an aluminum alloy, which is joined to the penetrator 3 by a threaded connection 6. This threaded connection 6 achieves the result that the thrust and spin forces acting on the sabot 4 within a weapon barrel during firing of the projectile 1 are transmitted to the penetrator 3 without slip.

(7) The main body 5 has a front guide flange 7 and a rear guide flange 8 arranged at an axial distance. Both guide flanges 7, 8 serve to support the sabot 4 on the inner wall of the applicable weapon barrel when the projectile 1 is in the loaded state. The two guide flanges 7, 8 of the sabot 4 are joined by a connecting section 9, which for reasons of weight saving has a smaller outside diameter than the guide flanges 7, 8.

(8) On the outer circumference of the rear guide flange 8, a sealing and rotating band 11 made of plastic is located inside a circumferential recess 10 of the main body 5.

(9) In addition, the main body 5 has multiple axially-extending, longitudinal grooves 12 uniformly distributed over the circumference, which in this embodiment laterally border four sabot segments 13-16 of the sabot 4 that are connected circumferentially to one another.

(10) For further weight saving in the sabot 4, the main body 5 contains four bores 17 that pass axially through the front guide flange 7 and extend to the rear guide flange 8 along the longitudinal grooves 12. These bores also serve to create a predetermined breaking point 18. To this end, the diameter of the bores 17 is chosen such that the resulting region 18 between the penetrator 3 and the relevant bore 17, where the main body 5 has its smallest wall thickness, can act as a predetermined breaking point along which the sabot segments 13-16 can separate from one another after leaving the barrel. Alternatives for incorporation of predetermined breaking points are known from practice.

(11) At the rear side, the main body 5 is provided with a rear seal 19 made of plastic to ensure propellant gases cannot enter the central bore 20 that accommodates the penetrator or enter the longitudinal grooves 12.

(12) When the projectile 1 is fired, the sealing and rotating band 11 is pressed into the rifling grooves of the applicable weapon barrel by the force of the propellant gases, and causes a rotary motion of the sabot 4 as well as a corresponding rotary motion of the penetrator 3 via the threaded connection 6. As soon as the projectile 1 has left the barrel, the predetermined breaking points 18 tear along the longitudinal grooves 12 as a result of the centrifugal forces acting on them, and the sabot segments 13-16 are discarded at high speed and symmetrically with regard to the flight path of the projectile 1.

(13) A preferred method for producing the projectile disclosed above is described below.

(14) Starting from a blank that already possesses the outer contour of the main body 5 as well as the central bore 20 for the penetrator 3 and the thread for positive connection of the penetrator 3 and sabot 4, the four bores 17 for weight reduction are, if desired, introduced from the front side of the front guide flange 7 in the axial direction to the rear guide flange 8. To prevent slip during transmission of spin between the rotating band 11 and the sabot 8, the base of the recess 10 of the rotating band preferably is provided with knurling on the entire circumference. To protect against sinking into the land/groove profile in the barrel, the sabot is coated by means of an anodic oxidation method. This coating is primarily important at the two guide flanges 7 and 8, and is distinguished by its hardness and abrasion resistance.

(15) The prefabricated penetrator 3 is now screwed into the sabot 4 via threads until it rests against the thread stop 22 of the sabot 4 in a positive manner.

(16) Next, the sealing and rotating band 11 is introduced into the recess 10 of the rear guide flange 8, and at the same time the rear seal 19 is introduced by means of a plastic injection molding method. This is made possible because the rotating band region 10 is connected to the region of the rear seal 19 by means of longitudinal slots 21.

(17) The tail fin assembly 2 is subsequently screwed onto the penetrator as a complete unit.

(18) It is a matter of course that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment described above. Thus, the sabot can be composed of only two or three sabot segments, for example. Moreover, the sealing and rotating bands can also be made of a different suitable material, such as sintered metals, instead of plastic.

(19) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.