Drag separating reduced dispersion pusher

Abstract

A sub-projectile carrier which uses aerodynamic drag to delay the release of a payload in a tailorable manner to control the spread of the payload over a desired range. A 40 mm shotgun style cartridge is shown for use for counter unmanned aerial systems, and for short range anti-personnel applications.

Claims

1. A gunshot delivery system round comprising: a payload containment device which comprises a carrier which pulls off of its payload to release it, due to aerodynamic drag acting upon the carrier, thereby increasing the time and distance from launch where the payload is released to reduce its dispersion, wherein the round is a sub caliber projectile comprising multi-piece sabots which feature a groove (201) to retain a lid which contains the payload inside of the carrier, and which lid is released after launch of the round solely due to aerodynamic forces opening up the sabots, and wherein only release of said lid thereafter allows the payload to be released.

2. The round of claim 1 wherein the carrier's center of gravity, mass, aerodynamic profile can be altered to tailor the distance that the carrier releases its payload.

3. The round of claim 1 wherein the round is a sub caliber projectile comprising: multi-piece sabots further comprising longitudinally joined sabot petals which are sized to mate with an enclose the carrier.

4. The round of claim 1 wherein the round is a large caliber projectile.

5. The round of claim 1 wherein the round is a shotgun caliber projectile.

6. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a carrier made of steer.

7. The round of claim 1 the round features a carrier made of aluminum.

8. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a carrier made of titanium.

9. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a carrier made of magnesium.

10. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features sabots made of steel.

11. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features sabots made of aluminum.

12. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features sabots made of titanium.

13. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features sabots made of magnesium.

14. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of round balls of steel.

15. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of round balls of tungsten.

16. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of cubes of tungsten.

17. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of round balls of rubber.

18. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of cubes of rubber.

19. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of round balls of polymer or composite.

20. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of cubes of polymer or composite.

21. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of a powder substance.

22. The round of claim 1 wherein the round features a payload of a liquid substance.

Description

LIST OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a drag dispersal shot round according to this invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a front end view of the drag dispersal shot round according to this invention.

(3) FIG. 3 illustrates an outer side view of an assembled drag dispersal shot round according to this invention.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a left downward looking isometric view of an assembled drag dispersal shot round according to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a gunshot delivery system 100 according to this invention. The gunshot delivery system 100 is launched through a gun barrel (not shown). The gunshot delivery system 100 has a shot pellet containment device 103, which is mounted within a sabot device, which sabot device comprises four sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107. The gunshot delivery system and/or sabot may be made of plastics, metals, composites, or other suitable materials. The shot pellet containment device 103 may be made of various polymers or titanium or aluminum or steel or other materials. The shot pellet containment device 103 comprises a hollow cavity 108 which is used to contain pellets 104. The pellets may comprise round balls or cubes of steel, tungsten, titanium, magnesium, polymers or composites, or various alloyed metals, or other hard materials, they may include, subprojectiles, or they could include buckshot similar to a shotgun shell or rubber pellets or a powder substance, a liquid substance. The front end of the shot pellet containment device 103 is closed by a round shaped lid 101 which further contains the pellets. Round shaped lid 101 in held firmly in place by a groove 201 in the four sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107. Groove 201 shown in FIG. 1 and (partially) by hidden line circle 202 in FIG. 2, is a notch of rectangular cross section and annularly formed throughout all the sabots (102, 105, 106, and 107) sized to receive and hold lid 101 in position before and during launch. As may be described further, after firing, the mating boss on four sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107 are retained by the groove in the shot pellet containment device 103 and at muzzle exit are free to separate in flight due to onrushing air acting on the four sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107 further allowing the sabots to separate and the lid 101 to detach and drop away. Without lid 101, the pellets will become free to be dispersed. Dispersal may be over time as the gunshot delivery system 100 flies, or in flight to various degrees. The shot pellet containment device, payload 103 is aerodynamically shaped for flight. The front areas 109 are curved, while the aft end has a drag inducing flared out area 110 to slow the shot pellet containment device 103 in flight. There is a crimping means within the sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107 which holds the projectile assembly together, also the shot pellet containment device, 103 has recessed ring grooved areas 111 through which the sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107 may further grip the shot pellet containment device 103. FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view A-A taken along section lines A-A found in front end view FIG. 2. FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of the assembled gunshot delivery system 100 of this invention, with the front end pointing downward to the left. FIG. 3 is a side view of the assembled gunshot delivery system 100 of this invention. There are open longitudinal slots 114 in the sabot petals 102, 105, 106 and 107 in order to decrease the mass of the assembly however these openings are not essential. There are barrel like rings on the outside surface of the sabot(s) of this gunshot delivery system 100. As seen in FIG. 1, at the forward end of the sabot(s) there is a ring 118 and a ring 117 at the aft area of the sabot(s), which as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 could be multiple rings such as 117 and 116. These rings are intended to stabilize the projectile as it travels down the surface. The rear ring is intended to be the same diameter as the forward ring to create a surface to ride the lands of the barrel, thereby decreasing spin. As may be seen, the saboted pusher 102, 105, 106 and 107 of this invention acts as a containment device that discards from the carrier 103 due to the force of the air and spin after the projectile exits the barrel. The payload containment lid is also discarded as it is released by the sabots discarding. The carrier and its payload then fly uninhibited until the drag forces on the carrier earlier cause it to slow down at a different rate from the payload. At this point the payload exits the carrier in a cylindrical manner. In this way the pellets are also contained until a much greater distance from the barrel, extending the effective range of the projectile and reducing the dispersion of the pellets. In addition to this the pellets 104 may be released more cleanly, and in a contained manner, causing the pellets to disperse from the shot line at a slower rate. The momentum of the carrier and the aerodynamic drag on the carrier determine how quickly and at what distance the payload will be released.

(6) While the invention may have been described with reference to certain embodiments, numerous changes, alterations and modifications to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.