EP0733876A1 - Safety container for self-propelled missile - Google Patents

Abstract

The container, parallelepiped in shape and having an inner support with shock absorbers (81), has walls made in sandwich form, with an inner steel skin (20), a core (21) of a lightweight wood such as balsa, and an outer skin (22) of a composition material such as fibreglass resin. The container has one end wall of reduced strength to allow gases to escape in the event of accidental combustion of the missile propellant. The inner skin of the container has a reinforced section in the region of the missile warhead to protect against shrapnel, and the outer surfaces of its side walls have a thermal protection layer (25), made from a coating and an ablative material. The whole outer surface of the container can be coated with an intumescent paint.

Description

The present invention relates to a container for self-propelled ammunition, in particular of the missile type.

The current missile containers make it possible to provide the conventional functions of transport, storage and handling of ammunition. They protect them against untimely shocks and the natural environment: high humidity, salty air, etc. On the other hand, they have the major drawback of not having a security function with regard to more severe aggressions such as fire, detonation by influence, impacts of bullets or shrapnel, etc.

The invention was carried out with the aim of overcoming this lack, that is to say of securing a container for ammunition and more particularly for missile, and it therefore relates to a container for missile which, while presenting the all the qualities of known containers, and while remaining within acceptable weight and size limits, ensures a safety function by preventing or at least limiting the reactions of the munition contained inside when it is attacked, as well as the effects on the neighborhood of an accidental initiation of this munition.

In other words, the main object of the invention is to secure such a container against attack. They can be external: impacts of fragments from the outside; local jet of combustion gas attacking the container on one of its walls; fire outside the container; free fall ; particle fields or magnetic field. Securing also concerns the internal aggressions generated by the missile itself by limiting the thrust in the event of the thruster's operation and by limiting, in the event of detonation of the military charge, the external effects and especially the risk of detonation by influence of the charges military stored in neighboring secure containers.

• les parois de l'enveloppe consistent en un sandwich comportant une peau interne en acier, une âme en bois léger tel que balsa et une peau externe en matériau composite tel que composite verre résine (CVR) ;
• l'enveloppe comporte un blindage balistique sur sa paroi de dessus ;
• l'enveloppe présente une paroi fragilisée pour l'évacuation des gaz en cas de mise à feu accidentelle du propulseur du missile ;
• l'enveloppe comporte intérieurement un dispositif pare-éclats consistant en un renfort de la peau interne en acier au droit de la charge du missile ;
• le berceau du missile est pourvu d'un dispositif anti-poussée.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a container for missile, comprising a sealed envelope of parallelepiped shape within which a chassis is mounted on shock absorbers to receive an assembly formed by a missile and its cradle, characterized in that :

• the walls of the envelope consist of a sandwich comprising an internal skin of steel, a core of light wood such as balsa and an external skin of composite material such as composite glass resin (CVR);
• the envelope has ballistic armor on its top wall;
• the envelope has a weakened wall for the evacuation of gases in the event of accidental firing of the missile propellant;
• the envelope internally comprises a splinter guard device consisting of a reinforcement of the internal steel skin in line with the missile load;
• the cradle of the missile is provided with an anti-thrust device.

In addition to a ballistic shield on its upper wall, the container preferably has a thermal shield on its two side walls. he it is advantageously a layer of ablative material, added, for example by gluing, on the outer skin of the envelope.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ballistic shielding consists of elements separated from the external layer of the envelope by an air space, in order to prevent the direct transmission of shocks to the envelope and to limit thermal transfer phenomena. The use of an intumescent paint as a finish increases the resistance of the container to thermal attack.

• la Fig. 1 est une vue schématique en coupe longitudinale d'un conteneur pour missile selon l'invention,
• la Fig. 2 est une vue schématique en coupe transversale selon la ligne II-II de la Fig. 1,
• la Fig. 3 est une vue schématique en coupe transversale selon la ligne III-III de la Fig. 1, et
• les Figs. 4 et 5 sont respectivement une vue en coupe et une vue en plan de la porte du conteneur.

These characteristics and advantages of the invention, as well as others, will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given in relation to the appended drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of a missile container according to the invention,
• Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1,
• Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line III-III of FIG. 1, and
• Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a sectional view and a plan view of the container door.

As it appears in the drawings, and in particular in FIG. 1, a secure missile container according to the invention consists of a sealed envelope formed by an elongated parallelepipedic body 2, closed at the rear by a removable panel 4, and at the front by a door 3 intended for loading and when the missile was unloaded. At its base, the body 2 of the container is provided with laying pads 5 ensuring the interface with the ground or another container during stacking, as well as palletizing tunnels 6. On the other hand, the reference 7 designates front and rear belts carrying accessories necessary for handling and stowage.

According to an important characteristic of the invention, the container body 2 is made of a sandwich, Figs. 2, 3, comprising an inner skin 20 of stainless steel, a balsa core 21 and an outer skin 22 of composite material such as glass-resin composite (CVR). The thickness of the internal skin 20 of stainless steel can be of the order of 2 mm. It provides sealing, mechanical resistance, electromagnetic protection and attachment of elements including a chassis which will be mentioned below. The thickness of the balsa core 21 can be close to 50 mm. It acts as a thermal insulator and gives the sandwich inertia allowing it to withstand the mechanical forces due to the pressure or the thrust of a jet of propellant. Finally, the outer skin 22 can have a thickness of the order of 5 mm. It protects the balsa climatically and serves as an interface for mounting the above-mentioned equipment on the outside of the container body 2. All these thicknesses are given by way of example but are in no way limiting.

In the front part of the latter, and more precisely in line with the charge of the missile intended to be admitted inside, the internal skin 20 is locally reinforced by another layer of highly resistant steel 23, FIG. 4, the layer 23 constituting a splinter protection device.

On its upper face, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the container body 2 is provided with ballistic shielding 24 made of metal or composite material, intended to ensure the impact resistance of fragments. Made up of planar elements fixed on profiles, the shield 24 is separated from the external skin 22 by an enclosed space of air, to prevent the direct transmission of shocks and limit the phenomena of thermal transfer.

The side faces of the container body 2 are coated with thermal shielding 25 intended to ensure the resistance to the secondary jet of a propellant. Advantageously, the thermal shielding 25 is an ablative coating such as phenolic carbon, phenolic glass or charged silicone, fixed for example by bonding to the external skin 22. In practice, it can have a thickness of the order of 5 mm.

The door 3 is made of a sandwich of the same kind as that constituting the container body 2. It is a door with multi-point closure controlled by a removable central handle 35.

Internally, the door 3 has a peripheral groove 31 into which a climatic seal 32 is inserted. The seal 32 cooperates with a seal plane 26 mounted at the end of the walls of the container body 2. A second thermal protection seal, not shown, is mounted externally relative to the climate seal 32.

We see in Figs. 4 and 5 that the door has externally a central hollow region or bowl 33 at the bottom of which are located the closure system as well as various organs such as pressure gauge, valve, humidity indicator, shock indicators, etc. On the other hand, the handle 35 of the door closing system can be pressed against the bottom of the bowl 33, in the storage position, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 4 and in broken lines in FIG. 5. It is therefore possible to provide a cover 34 for thermal protection of the various aforementioned members. Advantageously, the cover 34 is produced in a sandwich of the same kind as that constituting the door and the container body.

The same applies to the panel 4 closing the rear of the container, FIG. 1. Like the door 3, the panel 4 has internally a peripheral groove 41 containing a climate seal 42, while a thermal seal, not shown, is mounted externally relative to the climate seal 42. The rear panel 4 is fixed to the body of the container by a fixing system ensuring its embrittlement in the event of accidental firing of the missile's propellant. In practice, this fixing system can consist of a plurality of thermally protected screws.

The container is equipped to receive an assembly formed by a missile and its cradle. To this end, it is provided internally with a chassis 8 mounted on metal cable dampers 81, themselves mounted on supports 82 fixed to the internal steel skin 20. The chassis 8 essentially comprises two metal rails 80, FIGS. 2 and 3, providing support and guidance for the missile's cradle.

The cradle 9 comprises a central beam 90 on which are mounted a front collar 91 and a rear collar 92, FIG. 1, the collars 91 and 92 also being joined together above by a bar 93. The wedging material providing the interface between the missile and the front collar can provide additional thermal protection by wrapping the military load. According to the invention, the cradle 9 is provided with an anti-thrust device for the case of accidental firing of the missile thruster: the beam 90 of the cradle is extended beyond the rear collar 92 to carry a plate d stop 94 appearing in FIG. 1. A folding bar 95 provides the upper connection between the rear collar 92 and the stop plate 94. Preferably, there is a keying system preventing the establishment of the cradle 9 in the loading position on the chassis 8 if the link bar 95 has not been locked beforehand. The recovery of the forces generated by the thrust of the missile engine is obtained by the mechanical connection of the bars 93 and 95 with the hooking fittings of the missile under aircraft.

In the description, it was only a question of a missile, but it is understood that a container of this type can relate to any other type of self-propelled ammunition.

Claims (8)

Container for self-propelled ammunition, in particular for missile, comprising a sealed envelope of parallelepipedal shape within which a chassis is mounted on shock absorbers to receive an assembly formed by a missile and its cradle, characterized in that: the walls of the envelope consist of a sandwich comprising an internal skin (20) of steel, a core (21) of light wood such as balsa and an external skin (22) of a composite material such as composite glass resin (CVR) ; the envelope has ballistic shielding (24) on its top wall; the envelope has a weakened wall (4) for the evacuation of gases in the event of accidental firing of the missile's propellant; the envelope internally comprises a splinter guard device consisting of a reinforcement (23) of the internal skin (20) of steel in line with the missile load; the cradle (9) of the missile is provided with an anti-thrust device. Missile container according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a thermal shield (25) on its side walls. Missile container according to claim 2, characterized in that said thermal shielding consists of a coating of ablative material. Missile container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is entirely coated with an intumescent paint finish. Missile container according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the said ballistic shielding (24) consists of elements separated from the outer layer of the envelope by an air gap, in order to prevent direct transmission shocks to the envelope and limit the phenomena of heat transfer. Missile container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said envelope is closed at the front by a door (3) with multi-point closure controlled by a removable central handle. Missile container according to claim 6, characterized in that the door (3) has a hollow central region (33) on the outside, at the bottom of which are installed the closure system and various components such as a pressure gauge, valve, humidity indicator. , impact indicators, etc., protection of these members being provided by a cover (34) closing said hollow central region (33). Missile container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the weakened wall of said envelope is a panel (4) closing the rear opposite the door (3).

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