Projectile

Abstract

The invention relates to a projectile (1), which has a projectile body (2) featuring a recess (5) for receiving an explosive, wherein the projectile body (2) has a rotation-symmetrical shell surface (7), at least in sections, which is surrounded, at least in sections, by several ring-shaped elements (8) provided with predetermined break points, wherein fragments (12) formed upon breakup of the elements (8) are predefined via the predetermined break points, said fragments (12) being connected to one another in a ring-shaped connecting portion (11) for forming the ring-shaped element (8), and the freely projecting ends (13) of the fragments (12) being at least partially arranged in a common orthogonal plane (13) to a longitudinal axis (8) of the ring-shaped element (8), wherein this orthogonal plane (13) is arranged diverging from an orthogonal plane (11) defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion (11), as well as to a corresponding ring-shaped element (8) for the projectile (1).

Claims

1. A projectile, which has a projectile body featuring a recess for receiving an explosive, wherein the projectile body has a cylindrical shell surface, at least in sections, which is surrounded, at least in sections, by several ring-shaped elements provided with predetermined break points, wherein fragments formed upon breakup of the elements are predefined via the predetermined break points, said fragments being connected to one another in a ring-shaped connecting portion for forming the ring-shaped element, characterised in that freely projecting ends of the fragments are at least partially arranged in a common orthogonal plane to a longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped element, wherein this orthogonal plane is arranged diverging from an orthogonal plane defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, wherein a positioning ring is arranged between a first subset and a second subset of the ring-shaped elements and wherein the positioning ring has an upper and a lower contact surface extending inclined with respect to an orthogonal plane of the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical shell surface, with the positioning ring designed as a mirror image about a central orthogonal plane of the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical shell surface, and the ring-shaped elements are divided into two groups, wherein the fragments of the ring-shaped elements are each bent in a direction away from the orthogonal plane defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion and the ring-shaped elements of the two groups are disposed on the cylindrical shell surface in a different spatial orientation.

2. The projectile according to claim 1, characterised in that an upper and a lower surface of at least a number of fragments are formed substantially smooth and parallel to one another, wherein the two surfaces include an angle () other than 90 with respect to the orthogonal plane, defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, to the longitudinal axis.

3. The projectile according to claim 2, characterised in that all fragments include substantially a same angle () of inclination with respect to the orthogonal plane, defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, to the longitudinal axis.

4. The projectile according to claim 2, characterised in that a subset of the fragments include a first angle () other than 90 with respect to the orthogonal plane defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, and another subset include a second angle (), also other than 90 with respect to the orthogonal plane defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, wherein the second angle () is mirrored to the first angle () about a plane extending through a ring-shaped connecting portion.

5. The projectile according to claim 2, characterised in that the upper and the lower surface of the fragments include an angle () between 5 and 70 with respect to a plane defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion.

6. The projectile according to claim 1, characterised in that each of the ring-shaped elements has a plurality of grooves representing predetermined break points.

7. The projectile according to claim 6, characterised in that longitudinal extension axes of each groove are substantially in the radial direction of the ring-shaped element.

8. The projectile according to claim 6, characterised in that the grooves have a substantially rectangular cross-section.

9. The projectile according to claim 6, characterised in that the grooves have a ground in the shape of a circular arc.

10. The projectile according to claim 6, characterised in that the grooves have a ground in the shape of an acute angle.

11. The projectile according to claim 7, characterised in that the grooves extend outwardly from an inner surface of the ring-shaped elements defined by an inner radius.

12. The projectile according to claim 1, characterised in that the ring-shaped connecting portion has a substantially full-faced outer shell surface.

13. The projectile according to claim 12, characterised in that the outer shell surface of the ring-shaped connecting portion has an angle other than 90 towards both an upper and a lower surface of the ring-shaped connecting portion, wherein the outer shell surface extends substantially parallel to the cylindrical shell surface of the projectile body.

Description

(1) The invention is discussed in more detail by means of preferred exemplary embodiments, however without being limited to them, below. In the individual drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a projectile according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 1a shows a cross-section of an alternative projectile according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a ring-shaped element;

(5) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the ring-shaped element according to FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the ring-shaped element according to FIGS. 2 and 3;

(7) FIG. 5 shows a plan view of an alternative design of the ring-shaped element;

(8) FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a further alternative design of the ring-shaped element;

(9) FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a further alternative design of the ring-shaped element;

(10) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a ring-shaped element having fragments projecting in different directions;

(11) FIG. 9 shows a side view of the ring-shaped element according to FIG. 8.

(12) In FIG. 1 a projectile 1 according to the invention can be seen, featuring a projectile body 2 having a rear part 3 and a blasting pipe 4. The blasting pipe 4 has a recess 5 for receiving the explosive and an adjoining recess 6 for receiving a fuze (not shown). A direct-action fuze or a delay-action fuze may be provided, in particular.

(13) As can be seen in the cross-sectional view according to FIG. 1, the blasting pipe 4 in the exemplary embodiment shown has a substantially cylindrical shape, so in a section of the projectile 2 a rotation-symmetrical, in the present case cylindrical, shell surface 7 is formed, on which a plurality of ring-shaped elements 8 may be received in a simple manner. The outer diameter of the cylindrical shell surface 7 and the inner diameter of the ring-shaped elements 8 are chosen such that the ring-shaped elements 8 may be pushed and/or threaded over the substantially cylindrical pipe element with play in a simple manner. As a consequence, in assembled state, a longitudinal axis 7 of the cylindrical shell surface 7 of the blasting pipe 4 substantially coincides with a longitudinal and/or rotational axis 8 of the ring-shaped elements 8.

(14) Furthermore, it can be seen in FIG. 1 that the ring-shaped elements 8 are divided into two groups and/or subsets 10, 10 by means of a positioning ring 9. In the exemplary embodiment shown all ring-shaped elements 8 are of the same design, but the spatial arrangement of the ring-shaped elements 8 in the first group 10, which is located closer to the fuze receiving portion 6, is in opposition to the arrangement of the ring-shaped elements 8 in the second subset and/or group 10. By this, the scattering angle of the fragments upon explosion is further improved, as described in more detail below.

(15) In FIG. 1a an alternative embodiment of projectile 1 according to the invention can be seen, whereas this embodiment provides for a throughout convex shape of the outer shell surface 16. The outer shell surface 16 is achieved in a central section by providing ring-shaped elements 8 having substantially the same inner diameter as the cylindrical shell surface 7, yet having different outer diameters. The outer diameters of the ring-shaped elements 8 are defined such that the in the area of the positioning ring 9 advantageously projectile 1 has the largest diameter.

(16) By way of this convex shape of the outer shell surface 16 advantageously particularly favourable aerodynamics are achieved, which substantially correspond to the aerodynamic shape of other projectiles (without ring-shaped fragmented elements). Furthers by way of this arrangement additionally the enlargement of the scattering angle as aimed by the invention is further promoted.

(17) FIGS. 2 to 4 show a first possible design of the ring-shaped elements 8 according to the invention.

(18) As can be seen, a ring-shaped connecting portion 11 is formed on the outside here, from which a plurality of fragments 12, each having a freely projecting end 13, extends to the inside.

(19) As can best be seen in the side view according to FIG. 3, the orthogonal plane 11, defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion 11, to the longitudinal axis 8 is arranged diverging from the orthogonal plane 13 defined by the freely projecting ends of the fragments 12. According to this, the ring-shaped elements 8 designed according to the invention arein contrast to what is known from the prior artnot formed as substantially flat, disc-shaped elements, but according to the invention the ring-shaped elements 8 have fragments 12 inclined with respect to the orthogonal plane 11 and/or the shell surface 7 of the blasting pipe 4 in order to change the propelling direction of the fragments 12 upon ignition of the explosive provided in the recess 5 in such a way that the number of the effective fragments 12 is increased due to their propelling direction.

(20) Here, the ring-shaped elements 8 according to the invention are preferably made of ring-shaped discs, which ring-shaped discs are then deformed, preferably by means of a stamping method, in order to determine the inclination of the fragments 12 in the exemplary embodiment shown in an angle of substantially 30 with respect to an orthogonal plane 11 and/or 13.

(21) Before this deformation is carried out, preferably by means of stamping, it is advantageous to produce the predetermined break points in the form of grooves 14 in the (yet) ring-shaped discs, which represent an intermediate product in the production of the ring-shaped elements 8 according to the invention.

(22) Depending on the desired design of the grooves 14, different methods may be used for this. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the desired shape of the grooves may be produced in a particularly simple and efficient way by punching.

(23) Of course, the possible methods for groove production also depend on the material selection for the ring-shaped elements 8; preferably, a suitable iron material meeting the desired requirements in conjunction with the forming of fragments in terms of hardness and toughness is selected for the design according to the invention. Such an iron material has good basic punching capabilities, too.

(24) Moreover, the dimensions of the ring-shaped disc element, which serves as an intermediate product for the ring-shaped elements according to the invention, are selected such that a cuboid-shaped fragment design, in particular a cubist fragment design, is obtained.

(25) As shown in FIG. 2 to 7, milling or punching allow to produce grooves 14, in particular of substantially rectangular cross-section, in a simple manner, wherein the ground 15 of the grooves may, alternatively, be designed in the shape of a circular arc (cf. FIGS. 2 to 4), an acute angle (cf. FIG. 5) or, however, rectilinear (cf. FIG. 7).

(26) A particular material-saving production method has been used for element 8 shown in FIG. 6, in which grooves 14 having a comparably small cross-sectional width have been produced using wire erosion. As an alternative to wire erosion and/or milling or punching, the grooves may, of course, be produced by means of laser.

(27) A further alternative exemplary embodiment of the ring-shaped element 8 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, wherein the ring-shaped element 8 features two groups of fragments 12, with the one group of fragments 12 bent upwards with respect to an orthogonal plane 11 defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion and the other group of fragments 12 bent downwards.

(28) The different orientations of these fragments 12 are selected alternating in the circumferential direction, so that, advantageously, equally designed ring-shaped elements 8 may be stacked intimately into each other in an orientation turned around a fragment 12.

(29) As shown in FIG. 1, it is also possible, in particular, to allow different propelling directions, using ring-shaped elements 8 in which the fragments 12 are bent in only one direction with respect to the plane 11 defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion 11, by pushing the ring-shaped elements 8 over the cylindrical shell surface 7 in different spatial orientations. The two groups 10, 10 of ring-shaped elements 8 having different orientations are separated by the positioning ring 9, which has contact surfaces 9, 9 that are inclined according to the respective angle of inclination a of the fragments 12.

(30) Tests showed that, depending on the selection of the explosive and the material of the ring-shaped elements 8, those elements 8 of group 10 which are located closer to the fuze, i. e. closer to the ground, are propelled in a scattering angle of approx. 0 to 70 to the orthogonal plane 13, with the fragments 12 located near the positioning ring 9 and/or a central plane being propelled in a relatively small angle near the lower limit of the scattering angle . Then, the propelling angle increases for the fragments 12 further away from the positioning ring 9 and/or a central plane, so the fragments 12 further away from the positioning ring 9again depending on the selection of explosive and materialare propelled in an angle near the upper limit of the scattering angle . The ring-shaped elements 8 of group 10, which are located closer to the rear part 3 of the projectile 2, have a scattering angle with a value of preferably also approx. 0 to 70 to the orthogonal plane 13, but in the opposite direction. As has been described above, the propelling angle of the fragments 12 increases the further the fragments are away from the positioning ring 9 and/or a central plane here as well, so advantageously there will be an effective propelling angle of up to 140 altogether.

(31) As can be seen in FIG. 1, this leads to a considerably larger scattering angle for the fragments 12 of the ring-shaped elements 8 when compared to a uniformly orthogonal propelling direction, so the efficiency of the projectile 1 is clearly improved when compared to disc-shaped elements extending only in the orthogonal plane to the longitudinal axis 7 and/or 8.

(32) Furthermore, it can be seen in FIG. 1 that the ring-shaped elements 8 in their assembled state form a substantially smooth outer shell surface 16. Since, during stamping, the outer shell surface of the ring-shaped connecting portion 11 is initially also arranged inclined to the desired smooth shell surface 16 for inclining the fragments 12, the ring-shaped elements 8 are preferably glued to one another, and then sharp-edged protrusions having a substantially triangular cross-section are removed by a turning method, so the desired substantially smooth shell surface 16 is obtained. Afterwards, it may be provided with a paint layer or the like with regard to improved protection against corrosion.

(33) Of course, ring-shaped elements 8 having different angles and/or, to some extent, disc-shaped elements in which the fragments extend substantially in the direction of an orthogonal plane to the longitudinal axis 8 may also be provided in a projectile 2. The only substantial part is that at least some ring-shaped elements 8 are provided, in which the freely projecting ends 13 of the fragments 12 are arranged in an orthogonal plane 13 diverging from the orthogonal plane 11 defined by the ring-shaped connecting portion, so the scattering angle of the fragments 12 is increased.