CN110325814B

CN110325814B - Self-luminous material, tracer ammunition and lighting device

Info

Publication number: CN110325814B
Application number: CN201780084669.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·J·鲁瑟; P·E·肖克罗斯; C·M·克克斯; R·L·洛泽; J·R·里奇; J·E·保基; E·M·泰尅特; J·D·刚芭斯克
Original assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute Inc
Current assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute Inc
Priority date: 2016-12-01
Filing date: 2017-12-01
Publication date: 2022-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-01
Also published as: WO2018102784A1; IL267032A; CA3045649A1; BR112019011338A2; EP3548834B1; EP3548834A1; ZA201904329B; CN110325814A

Abstract

A self-luminescent solid material comprising an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal. The material can induce self-luminescence of yellow to red (577-700 nm wavelength) by flame ignition. A stealth tracer projectile includes a projectile body having a tip and a base, and a solid core block disposed in the base. The core may be formed of the self-luminous solid material described above or other suitable material. When the tracer bullet is fired, the pellet is incandescent due to heating. When the tracer bullet is launched and flies towards the launching direction, the white heat pellet emits light which can be observed from the back only.

Description

Self-luminous material, tracer ammunition and lighting device

Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development

The invention was made with government support under contract numbers CON00011161 and CON00020616 awarded by the American army and military Equipment research, development and engineering center (ARDEC). The government has certain rights in the invention.

Background

The present invention relates generally to luminescent materials, and more particularly to novel self-luminescent solid materials and their use in novel tracer charges. The invention also relates in particular to a novel luminous body and to the use thereof in a novel lighting device.

Tracer ammunition includes warheads and other projectiles that include mechanisms to provide visible objects that enable a shooter to see the path of the ammunition after firing. The tracer charge may comprise a small pyrotechnic powder charge filled into a cavity made in the base. Such a charge can be ignited by burning the gun powder and, once ignited, burns brightly enough to be seen by the naked eye. The tracer allows the shooter to see the projectile trajectory and make aiming corrections as required.

A disadvantage of conventional tracer ammunition is that not only the shooter but others can see the trajectory of the projectile, including potential targets or enemies. This allows the enemy to identify the source of the gun shot and return fire power to the shooter. Conventional tracer charges also have the following disadvantages: when the pyrotechnic powder charge burns and leaves the cavity, the mass of the projectile decreases, as a result of which: the ammunition has an unstable tip trajectory, which reduces target accuracy.

The pyrotechnic powder materials commonly used for tracer ammunition create environmental and hazardous material problems. They are hazardous and difficult to transport, handle and process, which increases costs. The exothermic combustion properties of pyrotechnic materials make them a fire hazard. Thus, for example, tracer ammunition often causes fires within the training area.

These patent documents include inventions relating to tracer ammunition. For example, U.S. patent No. 8,402,896 (university of louisiana) to Hollerman et al, "Hybrid-Luminescent Projectiles" relates to small firearm tracers and their observability. U.S. patent No. 7,661,368 to Riess et al (RUAG amotec) "Hard Core jacket warhead with Tracer composition. (Hard-Core plugged bulb with Tracer composition.)" discloses a Tracer warhead containing a luminophore composition. These patents differ from the present invention in the materials used, the mode of action, and other aspects.

There remains a need for an improved tracer ammunition which avoids the performance and safety disadvantages of conventional tracer ammunitions and which is suitable for military and recreational shooting.

Luminescent chemicals (also known as luminophores) are widely used in the pyrotechnic and defense industries to increase the luminous effect of an application or event. For example, military bases often use "positioning" wheels when training gunshot personnel. These wheels include fully populated bullets containing lights that produce a flash of light upon impact, thereby enabling the shooter to track the proximity of the bullet hitting a predetermined target and make any desired aiming adjustments.

The ability to detect or "see" the direction of travel of the wheel or the location of the hit is crucial to training. This requires the use of a light that produces a bright signal that is seen with the naked eye at range distances that lasts for a sufficiently long duration (e.g., ≧ 1 second). Existing luminaires are not always ideal in terms of the visibility or duration of their signal.

In addition, the existing luminophores contain environmentally harmful chemical substances, such as chlorine derivatives (perchlorates). Upcoming new environmental regulations require the use of such toxic substances and polluting chemicals to be eliminated.

The patent literature includes inventions relating to military training rounds that generate visual signals to mark their impact points. For example, U.S. patent application No. 2013/0199396 to Kroden (Amtec), et al, discloses a military Training Cartridge with a "Non-dumb Signature Training Cartridge and Projectile" containing pyrotechnic powder that ignites and burns to provide a detectable indication of a pellet impacting an object. U.S. patent No. 8,783,186 to Scanlon (Alloy Surfaces) et al, "Use of pyrotechnic Payload Material in Ammunition Training Rounds" discloses an Ammunition containing pyrotechnic metal powder that produces a bright flash of light when the round strikes a target. These patent documents differ from the present invention in the materials used, signals obtained and other aspects.

There is still a need for improved "green" luminophores to make them comply with environmental regulations, in particular luminophores suitable for use in pellets, and to maintain or exceed the luminescence properties of the chemicals replacing them.

Summary of The Invention

A self-luminescent solid material comprising an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal. The material can induce self-luminescence of yellow to red (577-700 nm wavelength) by flame ignition.

A covert tracer ammunition comprising a projectile body having a tip and a base, and a solid core block disposed in the base. The core block may be formed of the self-luminescent solid material described above or other suitable material. When the ammunition is fired, the pellets are incandescent due to heating. When the ammunition is launched and flies toward the launching direction, the white heat pellet emits light which can be observed only from the rear.

A luminophore comprising a bimodal mixture of artificial metal mixtures comprising iron oxides and at least one rare earth metal. The bimodal mixture is a mixture of smaller size chips and larger size pellets. The light emitters are capable of ignition and dispersion in response to ballistic energy to produce illumination. For example, the ballistic energy may be energy emitted and/or applied to the luminary upon impact with an object, and the illumination may be streamer light or flashing light.

A lighting device comprising a body having an internal cavity, the body being configured to be launched as a projectile or to contain a projectile. For example, the illumination device may be a projectile or a shotgun shell (shotgun shell) to be used as a path or as a scout round for objects. The light emitter is disposed in the cavity of the body. The luminophores comprise a bimodal mixture of suitable luminescent materials. For example, the luminophore material may comprise the aforementioned artificial metal mixture or another artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal. The light emitters are capable of ignition and dispersion in response to ballistic energy to produce illumination.

Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1A is a side cross-sectional view of the discreet tracer bullet of the invention, which includes a straight cylindrical disk shaped as a self-illuminating solid material.

Fig. 1B is a schematic view illustrating that a light emitting area of the disc of fig. 1A decreases as a lower range distance of the bullet increases.

Fig. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the concealed tracer bullet of the present invention comprising a conical disk shaped from a light-emitting solid material with the tip of the cone pointing outward from the back of the bullet.

Fig. 2B is a schematic diagram showing that the light emitting area of the disc of fig. 2A increases as the distance of the range of the bullet increases.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the discreet tracer bullet of the invention including a central perforated right circular cylindrical disk shaped as a self-illuminating solid material.

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of a light emitter of the present invention comprising a bimodal mixture of cerium iron.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting device of the present invention, which is a projectile having a cavity filled with a light emitter.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of illumination in the form of streamers of light or flashes of light that may be produced by the illumination device of the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows an ammunition containing a bullet, a propellant, and a primer.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The invention relates to a novel self-luminous solid material and application thereof. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to novel tracer charges made using these materials.

The invention also relates to novel luminophores and to the use thereof. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to novel lighting devices, e.g., projectiles or bombs, comprising the light emitter.

The present invention also relates to a method of coordinating firing, which in certain embodiments includes the use of variable color tracer charges or scintillation tracer charges.

Various embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below.

Self-luminous solid material

The present invention relates to an artificial solid material which, when exposed to a flame having a sufficiently high temperature, "self-luminescence" results not only from heating but also from chemical reactions, in particular exotherms. These materials provide a form, adaptability and functionality that addresses the problems with the use of existing tracer ammunition and other applications.

The self-luminescent solid material comprises an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal. The iron oxide may be Fe₂O₃、Fe₃O₄Possibly other oxides or mixtures of different oxides. The material can be induced to be self-luminous with yellow to red (577-700 nm wavelength) by flame ignition. In some embodiments, the self-luminescent solid materialIs a misch metal that contains an oxide of iron (as opposed to a misch metal that contains an oxide of iron in place of iron), and in particular embodiments is cerium iron.

"misch metal" (german "mixed metal") is an alloy of rare earth metals. Cerium iron is a misch metal containing the rare earth metals cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium plus hardness-enhancing iron and/or magnesium oxides. For example, commercial off-the-shelf cerium iron contains about 20% iron oxide (Fe)₂O₃) About 39% cerium, about 18% lanthanum, about 14% neodymium, and 7% praseodymium.

Cerium iron is used as a spark generating/igniting element in cigarette lighters in the form of cylindrical particles with a lacquer coating. The "materials safety data sheet" for this form of cerium iron indicates that it is "nonflammable" and "nonflammable", and that the cerium iron particles are nonflammable after a prolonged treatment at 927 c (1700F). Thus, the skilled person cannot find any reason to expose the cerium iron to the flame. Because cerium iron is not flammable, one skilled in the art would not have any idea or question why a material could be used to ignite instead of being exposed to a fire.

Surprisingly, the inventors found in exploratory experiments that there was a threshold flame temperature required to induce self luminescence of cerium iron. The threshold temperature is considered to be about 1600 ℃ (2912 ° F). This was demonstrated by exposing the ferro-cerium particles to the butane/air diffusion flame of a lighter (-1300 ℃; 2372 ℃ F.) without causing self luminescence. However, when the particles were exposed to a premixed butane/air flame (-1900 ℃; 3452 ℃ F.), self-luminescence was induced. This temperature threshold is believed to be the reason why the cerium iron self-luminescence ability has not been previously known.

In this test, 0.12 grams of cerium-iron particles (. about.1 second) with a diameter of 2.3 millimeters, a length of 4.7 millimeters, and a mass were exposed to the tip of a premixed butane/air torch flame (peak temperature 1900 ℃; 3452 ℃ F.). After removal of the flame, the particles first "red" and then "yellow-hot" for about 5 seconds and then darkened/cold. The luminescence is determined by the physical shape and size of the particles. After cooling, the granules remained intact but brittle with no weight loss.

Further tests evaluated the effect of the aspect ratio (L/D) of the particles on the ease of induced luminescence and maximum brightness, with lower values being found to be better for both. The following sizes of particles were tested: d is 2.3mm/L is 4.7 mm; d4.5 mm/L1.5, 2.0 or 2.5 mm; d8 mm/L1.5, 2.0 or 2.5 mm. In certain embodiments, particles having a relatively low aspect ratio are used to optimize self-luminescence; for example, the aspect ratio (L/D) is about 1 or less, more specifically about 0.9 or less, more specifically about 0.8 or less, or more specifically about 0.7 or less. The relatively low aspect ratio distinguishes the particles from rods having a larger aspect ratio.

The inventor finds that: after the flame is evacuated from the particle, the luminescence continues. In certain embodiments, self-luminescence lasts at least about 5 seconds, or at least about 10 seconds, and up to about 30 seconds after exposure to a flame having a temperature of about 1600 ℃ (2912 ° F) or hotter. In some embodiments, self-luminescence begins after exposure to flame is complete. This spontaneous emission is believed to be caused by an internal exothermic chemical reaction. Self-luminescence can be induced in an oxygen-free environment and the particles continue to luminesce in an oxygen-free environment. Upon flame exposure, the luminescence self-propagates through the particle.

Consider that: the content of iron oxide in the self-luminous solid material influences the self-luminous chemical reaction. The increase in iron oxide content is believed to increase the ease of initiation, brightness and persistence of self-luminescence. The more oxygen in the iron oxide, the less oxygen needs to be adsorbed from the ambient air for the reaction in the particles, so that the chemical reaction starts earlier and burns longer. Furthermore, an increase in the iron oxide content increases the hardness of the material, which is advantageous in many applications. In certain embodiments, the self-luminescent solid material has a content of iron oxide of at least about 20 wt%. In certain embodiments, the material is also rich in iron oxides, having an iron oxide content of at least about 23 wt.%, at least about 25 wt.%, at least about 27 wt.%, or at least about 30 wt.%.

In certain embodiments, the material has an increased iron oxide content, but the rare earth metal content is maintained at a proportional level, allowing the hardness of constructions made therewith to be increased so that they are subjected to a more severe environment (e.g., acceleration forces from ammunition fired in a barrel). For example, the misch metal of the invention may have an iron oxide content of at least about 20 wt%, a cerium content of about 37 wt% to about 41 wt%, a lanthanum content of about 16 wt% to about 20 wt%, a neodymium content of about 12 wt% to about 16 wt%, and a praseodymium content of about 5 wt% to about 9 wt%.

The present invention relates generally to the class of man-made materials, misch metal, and aueralloy, including but not limited to cerium iron, which can be ignited by a flame to induce self luminescence with a yellow to red color (577-700 nanometers wavelength). In certain embodiments, the material is a metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal.

The invention also relates to a material as described above, wherein said self-luminescence is sufficiently bright to be visible to the naked eye in daylight and to be visible at night using thermal or infrared visual observation instruments, when using small caliber ammunition and at a distance of at most about 800 meters.

The invention also relates to the self-luminous material. The self-luminescence has a shape, size, duration and visibility defined by the geometry and dimensions of the material construct. The construct of material includes, but is not limited to, a solid or hollow right circular cylinder or disk.

The invention also relates to a self-luminous material as described above, which is ignited by a flame, but whose visibility is not by means of an external flame plume, but by means of white heat.

The present invention also relates to a material as described above, wherein the material retains its original physical form (structure) and does not reduce mass during self-luminescence.

The invention also relates to a material as described above, wherein the material is configured as a conical or pyramidal disc having a tip and a base. When the tip is pointed at the observer, the self-luminous area increases as the material moves in the emission direction, visibility is maintained as the distance between the material and the observer increases, and the light emission is actually reduced in diameter.

These features and advantages associated with covert tracer ammunition are described in more detail in the following sections.

Concealed tracing ammunition

In another embodiment, the invention relates to a tracer cartridge containing a material that glows whitish and enables a shooter to trace a projectile after firing.

The tracer charges of the present invention overcome the aforementioned disadvantages associated with prior tracer charges. In flight, the ammunition emits light, such as a "tail light" for an automobile, visible to the naked eye from a distance of several hundred meters away, but only from behind in the direction of firing, thereby providing privacy to the shooter's location. In addition, the ammunition glows during flight without losing its mass, enabling it to be matched to the terminal ballistic/aiming accuracy of corresponding non-tracer or warhead ammunition.

Unlike current tracer charges, the luminescent materials used to make tracer charges are harmless and environmentally safe. The material is easy, safe and inexpensive to transport, handle or machine. The material is non-flammable and therefore does not cause a fire hazard when ammunition is manufactured or used.

The technique of the present invention can be used with many different types of projectiles for ammunition. This includes, for example, projectiles ranging from small projectiles for handguns, rifles or shotguns to large projectiles for mortars, cannons or howitches. This may include small caliber (0.22 inch to 0.50 inch), medium caliber (30 to 40 mm) or large caliber (105 to 155 mm) military and civilian ammunition.

For example, cartridge 100 is an ammunition commonly used with rifles or handguns ("firearms"). As is well known, a bullet carries the warhead 10, propellant 102 and primer 104 in a shell 106, the shell 106 being precisely mounted within the firing chamber of a firearm. When the shooter pulls the trigger, the striker strikes and ignites the primer, which produces a jet of combustion gases that ignites the propellant. The hot gases generated by the burning propellant pressurize the case and propel the bullet through the barrel and toward the target.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1A depicts a covert tracer warhead 10 of the present invention. It has a body 12 including a tip 14 and a base 16. The base 16 of the bullet 10 is disposed at the opening at the leading end of a cartridge case (not shown) containing propellant, and is loaded with primer to form the bullet as described above.

There are a variety of unitary warhead designs that allow the warhead to achieve a wide range of functions: such as a containment warhead or an integral warhead, a solid warhead, or an empty warhead. The covert tracing technique of the present invention is applicable to any of these designs.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1A, the warhead 10 includes a jacket 18 surrounding a warhead core 20. The envelope 18 is elongate and generally cylindrical. The envelope 18 tapers toward the tip 14 and has a reduced diameter ("stern") at the base 16. The cladding 18 may be made of copper, a copper alloy, or any other suitable hard metal or material. The bullet core 20 may be made of any suitable metal or other material, and is typically a relatively dense metal such as lead, copper, tungsten, iron, or alloys thereof.

Bullet 10 also includes a solid core block 22 of the present invention disposed in its base 16. When the ammunition is fired, the core block 22 turns white hot due to being heated. In the above embodiment, the pellet 22 is heated by burning the propellant in the ammunition casing, but the pellet may be heated by any other suitable heat source.

The core block 22 may be made of any suitable material that produces a whitish glow. In certain embodiments, the core block 22 is made of the self-luminescent solid material of the present invention as described above. This material enables the production of relatively dense, hard and lightweight pellets. The mass of the pellets may be less than about 25-75% of the mass of existing tracer materials. In certain embodiments, the mass of the pellet is about 0.1 to about 75 grams, or more specifically about 0.5 to about 3 grams. The core is sufficiently hard to withstand barrel firing without breaking.

The material used to make the solid core block is processable, non-hygroscopic, odorless/non-gaseous and solid. No special tools, techniques or additional safety are required for processing the material. The pellets may be manufactured by any suitable method. In certain embodiments, the solid material is formed using slow machining processes and techniques that allow for high precision.

When the bullet 10 is shot to fly in the shooting direction, the white heat pellet 22 shoots dim light which can be observed only from behind. By "viewable only from behind" is meant that the angle of visibility is less than 180 degrees (where the "angle of visibility" is defined as the angle at which a bullet is at its apex and the line between the bullet and the shooter is the centerline). In certain embodiments, the angle of visibility is not less than about 90 degrees.

The solid core 22 may be disposed in the base 16 of the bullet 10 in any suitable manner to provide the stealth characteristics described above. In some embodiments, the core 22 is embedded and/or recessed into the bottom of the base 16. In the embodiment shown, the casing 18 of the warhead 10 extends downwardly a short distance beyond the bottom of the warhead core 20, leaving a recessed area or cavity 24 in the bottom of the casing 18. The core block 22 may be press fit or otherwise securely disposed within the recessed area or cavity 24, a feature that is incorporated into the bullet during manufacture by either drilling into the bullet core or encasing it in a copper shell. The pellet 22 remains attached to the bullet 10 during acceleration and flight of the bullet after launch.

The solid core blocks 22 may have any suitable size. The core 22 is telescopic so that it is dimensionally configured with different sized ammunition. For example, it may be sized to fit directly into the base of a warhead having a caliber in the range of 0.22 inches to 0.50 inches. In certain embodiments, the core block 22 has a diameter of about 85% to about 95% of the diameter of small to medium caliber ammunition ranging from 0.22 inches to 40 millimeters, or about 15% to about 25% of the diameter of large caliber ammunition ranging from 105 millimeters to 155 millimeters.

Additionally, the solid core blocks 22 may have any suitable shape. In some embodiments, the core block 22 is generally disc-shaped and may be referred to as a disc. In some embodiments, the disk is shaped as a cone, pyramid, straight cylinder, or a centrally perforated straight cylinder. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1A, the core block 22 is a disc shaped as a right circular cylinder. In a second embodiment of the bullet 30 shown in fig. 2A, the core block 32 is a conical disk shaped with the point 34 pointing outward from the rear of the bullet. In a third embodiment of the bullet 40 shown in fig. 3, the core block 42 is a straight cylindrical disk shaped as a perforation with a circular hole 44 through its center.

The core block 22 remains solid during light emission. This allows the shape and size of the emitted light to be defined by the geometry/size of the core 22. In some embodiments, the diameter of the luminescence is from about 5mm to about 25 mm. In certain embodiments, the luminescence is visible to the naked eye by the shooter at a distance of up to about 800 meters for small caliber ammunition, up to about 1200 meters for medium caliber ammunition, and up to about 4000 meters for large caliber ammunition.

Fig. 1B and 2B show one way in which the shape and size of the luminescence may be defined by the geometry and size of the pellet. In each figure, the left-to-right shape shows the state of the pellet as the shot distance increases, which is viewed off-line at a slight angle from behind the bullet. The optical area in the center of the core is the light emitting area. In fig. 1B, the straight cylindrical core 22 causes the light emitting area 50 to decrease as the warhead's firing distance increases. In fig. 2B, the taper of the core 32 with the tip pointing backwards results in an increase in the light emitting area 52 as the warhead firing distance increases. The increased light-emitting area 52 maintains visibility as the shooter increases in distance from the warhead.

The glow of the pellet continues after the bullet is removed from contact with the burning propellant in the barrel. In certain embodiments, the pellet glow duration is about 1 second to about 30 seconds after exposing the pellet to the burning propellant. In certain embodiments, the luminescence is seen after the ammunition is fired for a time of from about 1 second to about 10 seconds. The duration of the illumination is not limited and may extend into the range of various weapons.

The covert tracing technique of the invention can have many markets and product applications. The market for such tracer ammunition is global, with emphasis on united military services (army, navy, air force, navy army and special operations) and law enforcement agencies. Another market is tracer ammunition for world recreational civilian shooters.

Luminous body

In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a light emitter and a method for making the same that meet performance and environmental requirements.

The light emitter may be made of any of the self-luminescent solid materials described above. In some embodiments, the luminophores are made of cerium iron. For the sake of simplicity, although the following description refers to cerium iron, it is understood that it may be applied to any material.

It has now been found that: the non-obvious combination of alternative ignition sources and special particle size mixing processes can produce bright illumination in the form of streamer and/or flash from cerium iron (also known as artificial flint). It has been reported that cerium iron cannot do so. As described above, the "safety Table for Material data" of cerium iron shows that: the cylindrical cerium core block is "non-combustible" and non-combustible. But surprisingly found that: not only can bright light be ignited by ballistic launch or impingement, but the occurrence, brightness, duration and magnitude of the light is dependent upon the use of a bimodal particle size distribution mixture.

Specifically, the bimodal mixture comprises purposely sized "reduced-size" pieces of cerium iron (a first mode of bimodal distribution) and "raw" cerium iron pellets that are not reduced in size (a second mode). Fig. 4 shows a luminaire 60 of the invention comprising a bimodal mixture of fragments 62 and pellets 64.

It is also not obvious to find: the gun firing or ballistic impact ignites the cerium iron without the need for a second material (without abrasive friction). Off-the-shelf cerium core blocks are not sensitive to knock ignition. In a "flint impactor," such as found in lighters, the cerium iron pellets must be quickly abraded with an abrasive steel striker to obtain a white hot spark to ignite the lighter fluid. Surprisingly, the inventors were able to ignite the bimodal cerium iron mixture in the plastic shell at a low rate (< 1,000 ft/sec) when it was shot or impacted. Such ignition can be achieved even if the barrel or case does not contain any abrasive striking material and the only source of ignition energy is the burning propellant or the low velocity flight to or impact with soft (wood) targets.

The inventor finds that: upon launching, impacting and dispersing the bi-modal mixture of cerium iron, the reduced size fragments immediately ignite and burn rapidly, which in turn, surprisingly ignites the larger original pellets. The diameter of the resulting long-life illumination is defined by the dispersion path length of the individual cerium-iron particles. Due to the low aerodynamic resistance, the reduced size fragments are spread further from the point of impact than the whole pellet. Due to this distributed dispersion of the size of the white hot cerium-iron particles, a bright streamer or intense bright flash of light is obtained.

In contrast, upon emission or impact, a diffuse cloud containing only reduced-size cerium-iron fragments results in instantaneous ignition, but produces relatively short-lived, diffuse (low intensity) illumination. Whereas a payload containing only the initial cerium core blocks results in a very low probability of ignition; if the ignition does occur, only a few very dark stripes of glow pellets and an un-bright flash are observed.

As noted above, a bimodal mixture of cerium iron or other self-luminescent solid material contains a mixture of smaller sized chips and larger sized pellets. The chips and pellets may have any suitable size and shape. For example, the chips may be fine chips prepared in irregular shapes by pulverization as described below, and the pellets may be commercially available cylindrical pellets. An example is a straight cylindrical pellet with a length of 7mm and a diameter of 3.5 mm.

In certain embodiments, the fragments have a Ferrett diameter of from about 0.7 millimeters to about 1.8 millimeters, more particularly from about 0.8 millimeters to about 1.7 millimeters, or more particularly about 1.25 millimeters.

In certain embodiments, the core block has a feret diameter from about 2 millimeters to about 10 millimeters, more particularly from about 4 millimeters to about 6 millimeters, or more particularly about 5 millimeters.

In certain embodiments, the felast diameter of the core block is about 2 to about 12 times, more particularly about 4 to about 10 times, or more particularly about 4 times the felast diameter of the chips.

The Ferrett diameter of an object, also known as the caliper diameter, is the distance between two parallel tangent lines that contact opposite sides of the object. The Ferrett diameter is a standard measure of particle size, but it can also be applied to larger objects. The diameter of an asymmetric object varies from one orientation to another, so the maximum, minimum and average values of the Ferrett diameter are typically determined. These diameters may be obtained from images of the object using image analysis software. As used herein, the feret diameter is defined as the average feret diameter.

The bimodal mixture may comprise any suitable amount of chips and pellets. In certain embodiments, the bimodal mixture comprises, in mass percent, about 60% to about 90% of fragments and about 10% to about 40% of pellets, more particularly about 70% to about 85% of fragments and about 30% to about 30% of pellets, or more particularly about 81% of fragments and about 19% of pellets.

In certain embodiments, the mass ratio of fragments to pellets of the bimodal mixture is about 2: 1 to about 8: 1, more specifically from about 3: 1 to about 5: 1, or more particularly about 4: 1.

the total mass of the fragments and pellets in the bimodal mixture may vary depending on the specific application of the luminophore used. In certain embodiments, the total mass of the bimodal mixture is from about 10 to about 100 grams, more specifically from about 20 to about 50 grams, or more specifically about 25 grams. In one embodiment, a bimodal mixture contains about 22 grams of chips and about 5 grams of pellets.

The bimodal mixture of cerium and iron or other self-luminescent solid material may be made by any suitable method. In certain embodiments, the fragments can be made by grinding cerium iron particles into smaller sized fragments. Such grinding may be accomplished using pulverization or particle-to-particle grinding to process several very hard cerium iron particles to a size smaller than that achievable by pulverizing one pellet at a time. This sizing method produces asymmetric cerium iron chips of finer or "reduced" size than the off-the-shelf or "virgin" pellets. These reduced size chips combine with the original pellets to form a bimodal mixture of widely differing sizes.

The luminaire of the invention can be used in many different market and product applications, in particular any kind of application where it is desired to produce lighting. This may include some applications where the light is contained in a projectile, some applications where the light itself is a projectile (e.g. a shotgun), and other applications where the projectile is not concerned.

Device comprising a luminous body

The invention also relates to a device comprising a luminous body and capable of producing extremely bright illumination. The illumination may include visible light in the form of a streamer, flash, or other form.

The luminophores used in the lighting device of the present invention comprise a bimodal mixture of suitable luminophor materials. For example, it may comprise a mixture of the artificial metals mentioned above, or other artificial materials containing at least one rare earth metal, or any other suitable material.

The lighting device includes a body having an interior cavity and a light emitter disposed in the interior cavity. The body of the device is configured to launch as a projectile or to contain a projectile. For example, the illumination device may be a projectile such as a path or target observation circuit that is emitted and produces a streamer in flight and/or flashes of light upon impact with a target. Or the lighting device may be a projectile comprising a shell containing a pellet and fragments of projectile emitter material.

The light emitters can ignite and disperse in response to ballistic energy, thereby producing illumination. "ballistic energy" refers to any energy applied to the luminophore when the luminophore is contained in a projectile or the luminophore itself is a projectile. This may include the energy applied during the time from firing until the projectile leaves the barrel (inner trajectory), the energy applied after the projectile leaves the barrel and before the projectile hits the target (outer trajectory), and/or the energy applied when the projectile hits the target (terminal trajectory).

For example, when the device of the invention is a projectile, the light is broken and ignited due to the forces obtained during ballistic acceleration. The released material ignites and effectively illuminates streamers of the target's shot-lines in flight, e.g., mud-made flying targets.

Figure 5 shows an example of an embodiment of projectile 70 of the present invention. There are a wide variety of projectile ensemble designs and the luminary of the present invention may be adapted for use with any of these designs. Projectile 70 includes a projectile body 72 designed to withstand the energy applied upon firing while simultaneously being designed to fragment upon the application of ballistic energy to the projectile 70. Ballistic energy is, for example, external energy applied during firing or terminal energy applied upon impact with a target.

In some embodiments, the projectile 70 may be placed at the forward end of a shell (not shown) containing a propellant and used to launch the projectile. In other embodiments, the projectile 70 may be fired with a bag-in-cannon propellant (not shown) rather than a shell. In other embodiments, the projectile 70 may be fired using "caseless" ammunition, wherein the caseless is not made of metal, plastic or composite materials, but rather is made of a high energy material having suitable mechanical integrity but which burns during firing to withstand the pressures and forces experienced during ignition and firing. Any suitable means may be used to launch projectile 70.

The projectile body 72 may have any suitable construction and may be made of any suitable material. The body 72 may be configured with multiple calibers. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the projectile body 72 comprises two components: a container 74 and a ogive 76. Or the body may have a single-piece construction.

The illustrated container 74 is cylindrical with a closed rear end and an open front end. The container 74 may be made of a relatively strong material.

The ogive 76 is an arcuate cap at the front of the projectile body 72. The ogive 76 is secured to the front end of the container 74 by any suitable means, such as threads, snap-fit, interference fit, or adhesive.

The ogive 76 is made of a frangible material, such as a frangible plastic, ceramic, or brittle metal, so that it breaks apart (cracks up) when the projectile 70 is fired or impacted with a target.

As shown in fig. 5, the container 74 and the ogive 76 are hollow and have an interior cavity 78. The light emitter 60 of the present invention is disposed in the cavity 78. In the embodiment shown, the light emitter 60 substantially fills the cavity 78. As mentioned above, the luminophor 60 comprises a bimodal mixture of cerium and iron or similar materials.

The projectile body 72 disintegrates when the projectile 70 is launched or impacted with a target. When the projectile body 72 is broken, the lights 60 diffuse and produce a streamer or flash as a very bright illumination.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a two-dimensional divergent streamer or flash 90 as seen by a shooter, which is produced by a projectile 70 in flight or impacting a target. The characteristics of the streamer or sparkle 90 may be tailored to a particular application by modifying the luminophores 60 and/or projectile bodies 72.

In some embodiments, the illumination has a brightness that is visible to the naked eye during daylight at a distance of up to about 4000 meters.

In certain embodiments, the illumination has a duration of about 0.1 seconds to about 5 seconds, or more particularly about 1 second to about 2 seconds.

In certain embodiments, the illumination has a Ferrett diameter of about 0.1 meters to about 3 meters, or more specifically about 0.5 meters to about 1 meter.

The lighting devices of the present invention have many applications, including those relating to military, law enforcement, and civilian use.

Color-variable self-luminous solid material

In certain embodiments, the self-luminescent manufactured materials of the present invention have "variable color properties," i.e., a different color that preserves all of the functionality of the tracer ammunition after firing. In current use, the firing of existing tracer projectiles not only reveals the target path, but also alerts the near depletion of ammunition or assists the team director in focusing the fire when/if prompted. By loading the tracer prior to the last round (ball rounds) in the cartridge or belt, the shooter is warned that reloading of ammunition or adjustment of the direction of ammunition firing is required when the luminescence is observed. If, according to the invention, the tracer round can be made as accurate and inexpensive as a ammunition round, it is possible to consider firing all tracer cartridges in the cartridge holder and the belt. If this occurs, all of the fire lights up, and the functions of the tracer cartridge for a warning of the exhausted ammunition and the cooperative fire are lost. By loading a different self-illuminating tracer projectile before the last other coloured covert tracer projectile in the cartridge or band, two auxiliary functions of the (overcom) tracer projectile can be obtained. When a different colored glow is observed, the shooter is again alerted to the need to reload the ammunition or change the direction of fire.

In some embodiments, the self-luminescent material is misch metal or cerite, which emits yellow to red (577 nm to 700 nm wavelength). By uniformly concentrating the concentration of at least one component (particularly the rare earth elements) in the metal composition, this spectral range can be extended to whiter light (380-750 nm wavelength) consisting of all visible colors (red, yellow and green). Since enrichment of the core block requires a different, more complex manufacturing process, which results in increased costs, a yellow-red cryptic tracer ball with a balanced amount of metal is desirable for most launches, whereas a white tracer ball or other colored tracer ball will be launched when the signal of spent ammunition or concentrated fire is to be launched.

The color-variable self-luminous solid material comprises:

a modified artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal capable of inducing color-changeable self-luminescence in the wavelength range of 380-750 nm; modifying the metal mixture by uniformly thickening the concentration of at least one metal in the original artificial metal mixture with self-luminescence of primary colors; wherein the variable color is different from the primary color.

The variable color tracer ammunition of the present invention comprises:

a projectile comprising a variable colour solid material that glows when the projectile is in flight; the variable color material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal which can induce self-luminescence of variable color with wavelengths in the range of 380-750 nm; the metal mixture is modified by uniformly thickening the concentration of at least one metal in the original artificial metal mixture with self-luminous primary colors; wherein the variable color is different from the primary color.

In certain embodiments of the variable color tracer ammunition, the variable color maintains the function of the ammunition, i.e., the function associated with at least one of a target path, an ammunition depletion, and a synergistic fire, when the variable color tracer ammunition is used with other tracer ammunitions that emit light in different colors. In other words, the self-luminescence has a different color capable of maintaining the function of tracing the ammunition after firing, which is used for revealing a target path, exhaustion of ammunition and cooperative fire.

The variable color lighting device of the present invention comprises:

a device configured to be fired as a projectile or to contain a projectile, the device comprising a light emitter responsive to ballistic energy capable of being ignited and dispersed to produce illumination, the light emitter comprising a bimodal mixture of variable colour materials; the variable color material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal that can induce self-luminescence with variable color having wavelengths in the range of 380-750 nm; the metal mixture is modified by uniformly thickening the concentration of at least one metal in the original artificial metal mixture with self-luminescence of primary colors; wherein the variable color is different from the primary color.

Flashing self-luminous solid material

In certain embodiments, the self-luminescent man-made material of the invention has "blinking properties", i.e. a luminescence that intermittently extends the visible range of the emitted tracer ammunition. In current use, existing tracers provide continuous luminescence, typically emitting over short distances (100-300 meters); more so at night and more often under less bright ground conditions (snow cover or white sand). Even under these favorable conditions, the reliability with which these luminescence is observed is much lower than 100%. If the present invention enables tracer rounds to be as accurate and inexpensive as ammunition rounds, greater distances are possible; more often during the day; and more often to launch tracer bullets in bright sand or snow conditions. If this occurs, the reliability with which the light emission is observed is reduced. The observability of the tracer projectile is improved by modifying the self-luminescence so that the self-luminescence is intermittent or displays "blinking" or "sparkling". This phenomenon can be evidenced by a candle flame: when burning under high wind conditions to make it flicker, the candle flame can be observed by the naked eye at a much greater distance than when burning under stationary wind conditions and glowing motionless.

In some embodiments, the self-luminescent material is a misch metal or cerium-iron that is uniformly mixed and continuously emits a yellow to red color (577 to 700 nm wavelength). By heterogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one component of the metallic composition, in particular the rare earth elements, the spectral output will be interrupted by periodic flashes of brighter, darker or differently colored light (red, yellow and green). This will produce a flickering effect which can be more reliably observed by the naked eye at great distances under very bright conditions. Since the heterogeneous enrichment of the pellets requires a different, more complex manufacturing process, which may lead to increased costs, a constant self-luminous covert tracer bomb with a homogeneous mixture of components is preferred in most cases, while a scintillation tracer is emitted at a distance and under extremely bright conditions as required.

The flickering self-luminous solid material comprises:

a modified artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal inducible to scintillating self-luminescence; the metal mixture is modified by heterogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one metal in the original man-made metal mixture; wherein the blinking luminescence increases the visibility of the luminescence compared to a constant luminescence.

The scintillation tracer ammunition of the present invention comprises:

a projectile comprising a solid material that scintillates light when the projectile is in flight; the solid material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal that can be induced to scintillate spontaneously glow; the metal mixture is modified by heterogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one metal in the original man-made metal mixture; wherein the blinking light emission increases the visibility of the light emission compared to a constant light emission.

In some embodiments, the blinking luminescence increases the distance over which the luminescence can be observed and/or improves the reliability with which the luminescence can be observed.

In some embodiments, the invention relates to covert tracer ammunition wherein the self-luminescence is discontinuous, intermittent, wherein the visible light flashes to increase the distance over which the luminescence shines and the reliability with which the luminescence is observed.

The flicker lighting device of the present invention includes:

a device configured to be fired as a projectile or configured to contain a projectile, the device comprising a luminophore capable of igniting and diffusing in response to ballistic energy to produce illumination, the luminophore comprising a bimodal mixture of solid materials that produce scintillation illumination; the solid material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal that can be induced to be scintillating and self-luminescent; the metal mixture is modified by heterogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one metal in the original man-made metal mixture; wherein the flickering illumination increases visibility of the illumination compared to a constant illumination.

Synergistic fire power

The method for coordinating fire of the invention comprises the following steps:

firing ammunition against a predetermined target by a plurality of shooters, said ammunition comprising a solid man-made metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal, said ammunition emitting light when fired in flight in the firing direction only as viewed from behind; the illumination provides a visual cue that is not seen by the predetermined target that the plurality of shooters collaborate to incorporate fire without verbal communication.

In some embodiments, the method of coordinating fire comprises the use of a self-luminescent material, wherein the luminescence is blinking or the luminescence is a variable color.

The principles and modes of operation of the present invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.

Claims

1. A covert tracer ammunition, comprising:

a projectile body having a tip and a base; and

a solid core block disposed in the base of the projectile body;

when the tracer ammunition is fired, the pellets are white hot from heating;

when the tracer ammunition is launched and flies towards the launching direction, the white heat core block emits light which is only observed from the back,

characterized in that the pellets comprise an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

2. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the cerium iron is iron cerium iron rich in iron oxides comprising at least 23% by weight iron oxides.

3. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, further comprising a casing having an open end, said casing being a metal, polymer, composite, or energetic material casing, said projectile body fitting into said casing open end, said casing containing a propellant that burns to produce propulsive force to said projectile body when said ammunition is fired, said combustion of the propellant heating said core to whiten said core.

4. The covert tracer ammunition of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mass of the white hot pellets does not decrease when the ammunition is launched for flight in the launch direction.

5. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the shape and size of the luminescence is defined by the shape and size of the core block.

6. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the light is visible to the naked eye by a shooter at a distance of up to about 800 meters for small caliber ammunition, up to about 1200 meters for medium caliber ammunition, and up to about 4000 meters for large caliber ammunition.

7. The covert tracer ammunition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duration of luminescence is about 1-10 seconds.

8. The covert tracer ammunition as claimed in claim 3, wherein luminescence persists after the propellant ceases to burn.

9. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the lighted area increases as the range distance of the ammunition increases to maintain visibility as the distance increases.

10. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the luminescent diameter is about 5-25 millimeters.

11. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the core block is from about 85% to about 95% of the diameter of medium caliber ammunition between 0.22 inches and 40 millimeters, or from about 15% to about 25% of the diameter of large caliber ammunition between 105 millimeters and 155 millimeters.

12. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the pellet is a disc.

13. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 12, wherein the disc is shaped as a cone, pyramid, straight cylinder, or a centrally perforated straight cylinder.

14. The covert tracer ammunition of claim 1, wherein the pellet is embedded in the base.

15. A self-luminescent solid material, comprising:

an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal;

the material can induce self-luminescence with the wavelength of 577-700 nanometers through flame ignition,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

16. The self-luminescent solid material of claim 15, wherein the self-luminescence lasts from about 10 seconds to about 30 seconds after exposing the material to the flame, the flame having a temperature of at least about 1600 ℃ (2912 ° f).

17. The self-luminescent solid material of any one of claims 15-16, wherein the self-luminescence is sufficiently bright to be visible to the naked eye during daytime and to be visible using thermal or infrared visual observation instruments at night time at a distance ranging from about 300 meters to about 800 meters.

18. The self-luminous solid material according to claim 15, wherein the shape, size, duration and visibility of the self-luminous is defined by the shape and size of the metal.

19. The self-luminous solid material according to claim 15, wherein the self-luminescence is caused by an exotherm.

20. The self-luminescent solid material according to claim 15, wherein the material retains its original physical form and does not reduce its mass during self-luminescence.

21. The self-luminous solid material according to claim 15, wherein the material is a conical disk or a pyramidal disk having a tip and a base, the self-luminous area increases when the material moves in an emission direction when the tip is directed to an observer, and visibility of an emission position is maintained when a distance between the material and the observer increases.

22. An illumination device, comprising:

a body having an internal cavity, the body configured to be launched as a projectile or configured to contain a projectile; and

an emitter disposed in the cavity, the emitter comprising a bimodal mixture of luminescent materials;

wherein the luminescent material comprises an artificial metal mixture comprising an oxide of iron and at least one rare earth metal;

the light emitters are capable of ignition and dispersion in response to ballistic energy to produce illumination,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

23. The illumination device of claim 22, wherein the illumination comprises a streamer and/or a flash of light.

24. The lighting device of any one of claims 22-23, wherein the ballistic energy is applied to the luminophore during emission and/or upon impact.

25. The lighting device of any one of claims 22-23, wherein the body is configured to be launched as a projectile, the illumination comprising in-flight streamers and/or flashes of light upon impact.

26. The lighting device of any one of claims 22-23, wherein the body is a sabot containing a projectile light emitter, the illumination comprising streamers in flight.

27. The lighting device of any one of claims 22-23, wherein the bimodal mixture is a mixture of smaller size fragments and larger size pellets.

28. The lighting device of claim 27, wherein the fragments have a ferter diameter of about 0.7 mm to about 1.8 mm, and the pellets have a ferter diameter of about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

29. The lighting device of claim 28, wherein the ferter diameter of the pellets is from about 2 to about 12 times the ferter diameter of the chips.

30. The lighting device of any one of claims 28-29, wherein the bimodal mixture comprises, by mass percent, about 60% to about 90% chips and about 10% to about 40% pellets.

31. The lighting apparatus of claim 28, wherein the mass ratio of fragments to pellets of the bimodal mixture is about 2: 1 to about 8: 1.

32. the lighting apparatus of claim 28, wherein said fragments are prepared by comminution.

33. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the illumination is visible to the naked eye at a distance of up to about 4000 meters during the day.

34. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the illumination has a duration of about 0.1 seconds to about 5 seconds.

35. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the illumination has a ferter diameter of about 0.1 meters to about 3 meters.

36. A luminaire, comprising:

a bimodal mixture that is an artificial metal mixture comprising iron oxide and at least one rare earth metal;

wherein the bimodal mixture is a mixture of smaller size chips and larger size pellets;

the light emitters can ignite and diffuse in response to ballistic energy to produce illumination,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

37. The luminaire of claim 36, wherein the illumination comprises a streamer and/or a flash of light.

38. The luminaire of claim 36, wherein the fragments have a ferter diameter of about 0.7 mm to about 1.8 mm, and the pellets have a ferter diameter of about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

39. The luminescent body according to claim 36, wherein the ferter diameter of the pellet is about 2 times to about 12 times the ferter diameter of the chips.

40. The luminophore of claim 36, wherein the bimodal mixture comprises, in mass percent, about 60% to about 90% fragments and about 10% to about 40% pellets.

41. The luminaire of claim 36, wherein the mass ratio of fragments to pellets of the bimodal mixture is about 2: 1 to about 8: 1.

42. a variable color self-luminescent solid material comprising:

a modified artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal that can induce self luminescence in variable colors having wavelengths in the range of 380-750 nm;

the metal mixture is modified by uniformly thickening the concentration of at least one metal in an original artificial metal mixture which can induce self-luminescence in a primary color;

wherein the variable color is different from the primary color,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

43. A variable color tracer ammunition comprising:

a projectile comprising a variable colour solid material that glows when the projectile is in flight;

the variable color material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal which can induce self-luminescence of variable color with wavelengths in the range of 380-750 nm;

wherein the variable color is different from the primary color,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

44. The variable color tracer ammunition of claim 43, wherein the variable color maintains the function of the ammunition, i.e., the function related to at least one of target path, ammunition depletion and synergistic fire power, when used with other tracer ammunitions that emit light in different colors.

45. A variable color illumination device, comprising:

a device configured to be fired as a projectile or to contain a projectile, the device comprising a light emitter responsive to ballistic energy capable of igniting and diffusing to produce illumination, the light emitter comprising a bimodal mixture of variable color materials;

the variable color material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal that can induce self-luminescence with variable color having wavelengths in the range of 380-750 nm;

the metal mixture is modified by homogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one metal in an original artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal, which can be induced to self-illuminate in a primary color;

wherein the variable color is different from the primary color,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

46. A scintillating self-luminescent solid material comprising:

a modified artificial metal mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal inducible to scintillating self-luminescence;

the metal mixture is modified by heterogeneously enriching the concentration of at least one metal in the original man-made metal mixture;

wherein the blinking self-luminescence increases visibility of the luminescence compared to a constant luminescence,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

47. A scintillation tracer ammunition, comprising:

a projectile comprising a solid material that scintillates light when the projectile is in flight;

the solid material comprises a modified artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal that can be induced to scintillate spontaneously glow;

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

48. A scintillation tracer ammunition according to claim 47, wherein said scintillating self-luminescing increases the distance over which luminescence can be observed and the reliability with which luminescence can be observed.

49. A flashing lighting device, comprising:

a device configured to be fired as a projectile or configured to contain a projectile, the device comprising a light emitter responsive to ballistic energy capable of igniting and dispersing to produce illumination, the light emitter comprising a bimodal mixture of solid materials that produce flickering illumination;

wherein the flickering illumination increases visibility of the illumination compared to constant illumination,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

50. A method of synergizing a fire, comprising:

ammunition to be fired by a plurality of shooters against a predetermined target, characterised in that the ammunition comprises a solid artificial metal mixture containing at least one rare earth metal, the ammunition emitting light which is only visible from behind when the ammunition is fired in the direction of firing;

the illumination provides a visual cue that is not seen by the predetermined target, the predetermined target being one for which the plurality of shooters collaborate to incorporate fire without verbal communication,

wherein the artificial metal mixture comprises cerium iron.

51. A method of synergizing a fire as set forth in claim 50 wherein the luminescence is blinking or is variable color.