EP3591332A1 - Penetrator comprising a penetrator body, a penetrator head and a shock absorber in between - Google Patents

Abstract

A penetrator comprises a penetrator body, a penetrator head, which is designed in a modular manner for detachable attachment to the penetrator body, and a flat shock absorber, which is designed between the penetrator body and the penetrator head to dampen impact loads of the penetrator head on the penetrator body.

Description

The present invention relates to a penetrator. The present invention relates in particular to a penetrator for a supersonic missile such as a guided missile, a guided or unguided missile, and / or a (ballistic) projectile or the like for acting on targets made of ultra-high-strength target material.

In recent years, the performance of armor made of concrete, reinforced concrete, steel fiber reinforced concrete or other reinforced materials has been increased continuously. Such a material is, for example, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), a material with ductile behavior that is characterized by particularly high tightness, strength and impact resistance. Steel fibers are added as high-strength components, which means that the concrete's compressive strength can be increased by up to 200 MPa. Added polypropylene fibers also improve fire resistance and prevent the UHPC from suddenly failing when exposed to fire due to a very high vapor pressure.

In order to effectively break through armor made of such materials, penetrators with very high impact speeds are proposed, among other things. The high impact forces that occur as a result, however, mean that the internal components of the penetrator, including the electronic elements, and in particular the active charge, are superior to the extremely high mechanical ones Shock loads are protected. Regardless of this, there are generally higher demands on the mechanical resistance of the penetrator and in particular on its housing, so that it can penetrate the target material as completely as possible without premature structural failure. In addition, the high compressive strength of such concrete materials can increase the risk of ricochets when struck at an angle.

The publication EP 2 002 197 B1 describes a missile with a missile head, in which electronic equipment is installed, which is sealed against the missile head via an O-ring, the O-ring being intended to dampen vibrations at the same time.

Against this background, the present invention is based on the problem of finding solutions for supersonic penetrators with improved impact damping.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a penetrator having the features of patent claim 1.

Accordingly, a penetrator is provided. The penetrator comprises a penetrator fuselage, a penetrator head which is modularly designed for releasable attachment to the penetrator fuselage, and a flat shock absorber which is designed between the penetrator fuselage and the penetrator head to dampen impact loads of the penetrator head on the penetrator fuselage.

One idea on which the present invention is based is to modularly design a penetrator, that is to say an active system for a missile, a missile and / or a projectile or the like, with an exchangeable head, the modular design provides a particularly suitable attachment area for cushioning between the head and torso of the penetrator. The damping is carried out over a large area in order to achieve the ideal compromise between the installation space required and the damping effect against pressure. The damping can protect shock-sensitive components of the penetrator, such as electronic components, active charges or the like. For example, an undesired premature detonation of an explosive charge can be avoided in this way. Such sensitive elements can, for example, be accommodated in the fuselage of the penetrator. In addition, the probability of failure and / or defect when using the penetrator can be reduced. This makes the penetrator of the invention particularly suitable for applications against ultra-high-strength armor, ie in versions in the supersonic range. Because of the damping, the system according to the invention is also able to withstand the considerable impact loads of an impact at supersonic speeds. Furthermore, the damping offers additional protection of the system against, for example, a detonation of a possible pre-charge or the like. The modular design of the penetrator offers the further advantage that the penetrator can be flexibly equipped with different heads, which can be designed differently, for example, depending on the specific application. Furthermore, separate active charges can be provided, which can be divided between the two modules (ie the head and the body), it being possible for the separate charges to be ignitable independently of one another or under different conditions. In principle, the penetrator fuselage can be subdivided into further modules, which can also have separate active charges and / or can carry different payloads and / or other components. Such multi-stage active charges can in particular be designed with delayed ignition to one another, for example in combination with an ignition system which determines a depth of penetration and Building on this, certain active charges ignite. With such split charges, the size of the individual active charges in particular can be reduced.

Advantageous refinements and developments result from the further subclaims and from the description with reference to the figures.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can comprise a first damping disk. The damping disk can have, for example, low-density materials with a low modulus of elasticity and a high yield point, or be made from these, e.g. As magnesium and / or aluminum alloys, glass fiber reinforced plastic, etc., to ensure sufficient elastic deformation and high elongation rates.

According to a further development, the first damping disk can be designed to be closed and arranged axially. In this development, the damping system can thus be designed particularly simply in the form of a single disk.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can comprise at least one second damping disk. The second damping disc can be annular and axially concentric with the first damping disc. In principle, additional damping disks can also be provided, which, for example, can also be arranged in a ring and axially concentric with the first and second damping disks. In principle, it is alternatively or additionally provided that further closed or ring-shaped damping disks are integrated in the shock absorber. In a specific example, several closed and / or annular damping disks can be arranged axially one behind the other.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can be made of a solid material at least in some areas. In particular, the shock absorber can be made entirely of a solid material. In a specific example, the shock absorber comprises one or more damping disks that are made of the same or different solid materials. For example, a closed first damping disc can be made of a metal material such as a metal, a metal alloy or a combination of materials, e.g. a magnesium alloy and / or an aluminum alloy.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can have a honeycomb structure and / or wave structure at least in some areas. In principle, complex internal geometries or internal structures of the shock absorber or of its damping disks are provided. For example, the shock absorber can comprise one or more damping disks, which are made of a honeycomb-like material and / or form a honeycomb structure. Alternatively or additionally, differently shaped cavity structures can be provided, e.g. foam-like materials.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can have a light metal material, a fiber composite material and / or a plastic. For example, the shock absorber can comprise one or more damping disks, which have and / or are made of a light metal material, e.g. an aluminum material. Alternatively or additionally, plastics and / or fiber materials can be used, e.g. glass fiber and / or carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

According to a further development, the shock absorber can be designed in several stages to adjust the damping behavior. In particular, the shock absorber be designed in several stages for a progressive absorption of shock loads. For example, the shock absorber can comprise a plurality of damping disks arranged axially one behind the other, which have different mechanical damping properties, for example a number of damping disks with an incrementally increasing or decreasing elasticity module. As an alternative or in addition, damping disks can be provided which consist of several layers with corresponding properties.

According to a further development, radial fastening bores can be formed in the penetrator body and the penetrator head. The penetrator head and the penetrator body can be designed such that they can be plugged together in order to align the fastening bores with one another. For example, a plurality of screw bores can be formed azimuthally around the penetrator head and the penetrator body.

According to a further development, the radial fastening bores can be designed as elongated holes. Elongated holes are particularly suitable as mounting holes so that a relative axial movement of the penetrator head and the penetrator body can be compensated for without causing damage to the structure of the penetrator.

The above refinements and developments can, if appropriate, be combined with one another as desired. Further possible refinements, developments and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention described above or below with reference to the exemplary embodiments, which are not explicitly mentioned. In particular, the person skilled in the art will also add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic form of the present invention.

Fig. 1

schematische perspektivische Ansicht eines Penetrators von schräg vorne;

Fig. 2

schematische perspektivische Detailansicht eines Penetratorkopfes des Penetrators aus Fig.1;

Fig. 3

schematische perspektivische Seitenansicht des Penetratorkopfes aus Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

schematische perspektivische Ansicht des Penetratorkopfes aus Fig. 2 von schräg hinten;

Fig. 5

schematische perspektivische Seitenansicht des Penetrators aus Fig. 1; und

Fig. 6

schematische perspektivische Ansicht des Penetrators aus Fig. 1 von schräg vorne mit einem eingebauten Stoßdämpfer gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung.

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments given in the schematic figures. It shows:

Fig. 1

schematic perspective view of a penetrator obliquely from the front;

Fig. 2

schematic perspective detail view of a penetrator head of the penetrator Fig.1 ;

Fig. 3

schematic perspective side view of the penetrator head Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4

schematic perspective view of the penetrator head Fig. 2 from diagonally behind;

Fig. 5

schematic perspective side view of the penetrator Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 6

schematic perspective view of the penetrator Fig. 1 diagonally from the front with a built-in shock absorber according to an embodiment of the invention.

The accompanying figures are intended to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and, in connection with the description, serve to explain principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages mentioned result themselves with regard to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale with respect to one another.

In the figures of the drawing, elements, features and components that are the same, have the same function and have the same effect — unless otherwise stated — are each provided with the same reference symbols.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a penetrator 10 obliquely from the front.

The penetrator 10 is designed for use at supersonic speeds, eg Mach 2 or more, especially for acting on targets made of ultra-high-strength target material such as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). Upon impact at such a speed on such a material, the penetrator must withstand impact loads of more than 300,000 m / s ² in typical applications, acting in periods of less than one millisecond. In order to do justice to these extreme operating conditions and to be able to penetrate such high-strength targets, several different techniques are linked to one another in the penetrator shown, as will be explained in detail below. Previously known systems, on the other hand, are often not able to survive an impact at supersonic speeds, for example due to structural failure, destruction of the electronics, premature shock initiation of the explosive charge, etc. In addition, conventional systems are often inefficient with regard to failure mechanisms, friction, etc.

Even if the application in the supersonic area is dealt with below, the invention is fundamentally not limited to this application, but can also be used in the subsonic area. Farther the penetrator can be trained to fight targets from materials other than UHPC.

The penetrator 10 of the Fig. 1 comprises a penetrator head 6 and a penetrator body 7, which are of modular design and can be detachably attached to one another. The penetrator head 6 thus serves, as it were, as an attachment, which can be assembled for certain applications. Damping is provided between the penetrator head 6 and the penetrator body 7, as is the case with reference to FIG Fig. 6 is explained in more detail below. The geometric configuration of the penetrator 10, including the penetrator head 6 and the penetrator body 7, described as follows, is to be understood only as an example. In the Fig. 6 Damping shown can also be combined with differently designed penetrators 10.

Detailed views of the penetrator head 6 are in 2 to 5 shown, especially in Fig. 2 , The penetrator head 6 is made integrally with a penetrator tip 1 and a chisel ring 2 made of a tungsten-based solid carbide with a cobalt matrix. In general, however, these components can have any heavy metal-based alloy in other designs, in particular with a ceramic component in a ductile matrix. The penetrator tip 1 has an ogive nose shape and is axially upstream of the chisel rim 2 (cf. Fig. 5 ). The chisel ring has five chisel elements 3, which are arranged radially offset around the penetrator tip 1 at regular azimuthal distances from one another. Due to the upstream position of the penetrator tip 1, the individual chisel elements 3 are positioned axially back relative to the penetrator tip 1. Each chisel element 3 has a radially oriented radial cutting edge 4 and an azimuthally oriented azimuthal cutting edge 5 (cf. Fig. 3 ). Each radial cutting edge 4 stands radially from the penetrator tip 1 from. The respective azimuthal cutting edge 5 is in turn seated radially on the outside on the associated radial cutting edge 4. Here, the radial cutting edges 4 are arranged axially back relative to the azimuthal cutting edges 5, the chisel elements 3 specifically running axially obliquely backwards from the azimuthal cutting edge 5 via the radial cutting edge 4 at an angle of approximately 60 ° to the penetrator tip 1. Each radial cutting edge 4 is here ground on two sides, while the azimuthal cutting edges 5 are ground on one side with a cutting edge tapering axially towards the rear.

The penetrator tip 1 and the surrounding chisel rim 2 of the penetrator 10 shown are geometrically designed and arranged in such a way that a multi-stage penetration process is created, by means of which a greatly increased penetration capacity compared to conventional penetrators when applied to armor made of UHPC is achieved. The penetrator 10 initially impinges with the upstream penetrator tip 1 on a target object, a radially spreading pre-damage to the target object occurring in the impact area. Then the chisel elements 3 of the chisel ring 2 hit the target with the azimuthal cutting edges 5 and engage in this in a claw-like manner. Both the one-sided cutting shape and the arrangement of the azimuthal cutting edges 5 reduce the risk of ricochets at oblique turning angles. Due to the existing pulse, the penetrator 10 is then driven further into the target. Here, the radial cutting edges 4 smash the previously damaged impact point between the azimuthal cutting edges 5 and the penetrator tip 1, with reinforcement elements such as steel reinforcements or steel fibers being cut or cut through by the radial cutting edges 4. The double-edged design of the radial cutting edges 4 prevents an undesired rotation of the penetrator 10 from being generated. At the same time, resulting debris can flow freely between the chisel elements 3. The penetrator head 6 has a larger radial diameter than the chisel rim 2 (cf. Fig. 5 ), so that the rubble material is then displaced to the outside. As soon as a critical depth of penetration is reached, a rear side of the armor material can be pushed off due to a massive shear failure of the armor material (English: "scabbing"). The sensitivity of the armor material to shear loads had previously been significantly increased due to the targeted separation of the reinforcement structures.

The penetrator body 7 has a cylindrical basic shape, along which a total of four axially aligned slide rails 8 and four also axially aligned debris channels 9 are arranged alternately in azimuth. The debris channels 9 are used for the forwarding of debris, which is discharged along the penetrator head 6. For this purpose, the debris channels 9 have been milled into the penetrator body 7 as depressions. The debris channels 9 thus ensure hydrostatic pressure compensation during the penetration of the penetrator 10 into the target object. The slide rails 8, on the other hand, stiffen the penetrator 10 against bends and at the same time guide it further into the target object. Both the penetrator head 6 and the penetrator body 7, in particular the penetrator tip 1 and / or the slide rails 8, can be provided with a suitable low-friction and / or wear-resistant coating in order to further improve the penetration of the penetrator 10. In order to provide the penetrator hull 7 with sufficient strength and rigidity, this is made of cold work steel in this embodiment.

Out Fig. 4 and 5 it can be seen that radial fastening bores 11 are formed in the penetrator body 7 and the penetrator head 6. Here, the radial fastening bores 11 of the penetrator body 7 are incorporated into a fastening base 15 of the penetrator body 11, via which the penetrator body 7 can be inserted into a complementarily shaped receiving recess 16 of the penetrator head 6. The penetrator head 6 in turn has a fastening collar 17 through which its radial fastening bores 11 pass. For assembly, the penetrator body 7 and the penetrator head 6 can thus be plugged together in such a way that the fastening bores 11 are aligned with one another and then appropriate screws, bolts or similar fastening means can be introduced.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic perspective view of the penetrator from Fig. 1 obliquely from the front with a built-in shock absorber 12 according to an embodiment of the invention.

The shock absorber 12 is formed flat between the penetrator body 7 and the penetrator head 6 in order to dampen impact loads of the penetrator head 6 on the penetrator body 7 which arise during the impact on or the penetration into a target object. For this purpose, the shock absorber 12 comprises a first damping disk 13, which is designed to be closed and arranged axially. Furthermore, the shock absorber 12 comprises a second damping disc 14, which is designed as an annular disc axially concentric with respect to the first damping disc 13. The first damping disk 13 lies here on the mounting base 15 of the penetrator body 7 within the receiving recess 16 of the penetrator head 6. The second damping disk 14 is arranged around the fastening base 15 on the penetrator body 7 opposite the fastening collar 17 of the penetrator head 6. The geometries of the penetrator head 6 and of the penetrator body 7 ensure a linear guidance of these bodies to one another, which among other things prevents the entire system from buckling or bending. This also results in a uniform loading of the damping disks 13, 14.

The damping disks 13, 14 can be made of a solid material such as an aluminum alloy or a fiber-reinforced plastic. In principle, however, more complex damping materials or damping systems can also be used, e.g. Honeycomb structures, wave structures and / or the like. Furthermore, the damping disks 13, 14 can be of multilayer design in order to absorb impact loads step by step and / or progressively. In general, other complex internal geometries or internal structures of the damping disks 13, 14 are also provided in other versions.

The modular design of the penetrator 10 shown offers, due to its construction, an advantageous mounting area for the shock absorber 12 between the penetrator body 7 and the penetrator head 6. The shock absorber 12 is designed to be as flat as possible on the one hand to keep the installation space as small as possible and on the other hand to reduce the damping effect Maximize pressure stress. By means of the damping, shock-sensitive components of the penetrator 10, such as, for example, electronic components, active charges or the like, can be protected which, for example, can be accommodated in the penetrator body 7 (not shown). The damping offers in particular additional protection of the system against, for example, a detonation of a possible pre-charge or the like. This is a considerable advantage, since the shock loads that occur can in principle represent a technical challenge, for example for an ignition electronics. For example, an undesired premature detonation of an explosive charge can be avoided in this way. In addition, the probability of failure and / or defect when using the penetrator 10 can be reduced. This makes the penetrator 10 particularly suitable for the mentioned applications against UHPC armor. by virtue of the modular division of the penetrator 10, it is also possible to distribute an active charge to the two modules of the penetrator 10, which in particular can be fired independently of one another or at different times in order to further improve the effectiveness of the penetrator 10. In the embodiment shown, the fastening bores 11 are advantageously designed as elongated holes with a widened axial diameter along the penetrator axis, so that the fastening means have sufficient play when the penetrator 10 strikes and the penetrator head 6 deflects on the fuselage body 7 as a result.

In summary, the penetrator shown is an efficient, highly effective and supersonic system with improved impact damping for acting on ultra-high-strength targets, for example made of UHPC. Due to the modular design, the system can be converted particularly flexibly, quickly and in a targeted manner.

In the foregoing detailed description, various features to improve the stringency of the presentation have been summarized in one or more examples. However, it should be clear that the above description is only illustrative, but in no way limiting. It serves to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the various features and exemplary embodiments. Many other examples will immediately and immediately become apparent to those skilled in the art based on their technical knowledge in light of the above description.

The exemplary embodiments were selected and described in order to be able to best represent the principles on which the invention is based and their possible uses in practice. This enables those skilled in the art to practice the invention and optimally modify and use their various embodiments in relation to the intended purpose. In the claims and the description, the terms "including" and "having" are used as neutral language terms for the corresponding terms "comprehensive". Furthermore, the use of the terms “a”, “an” and “an” should not fundamentally exclude a plurality of features and components described in this way.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Penetratorspitze

2

chisel wreath

3

cutting element

4

radial cutting

5

Azimutalschneide

6

penetrator

7

Penetratorrumpf

8th

slide

9

debris channel

10

penetrator

11

radial mounting hole

12

shock absorber

13

first damping disc

14

second damping disc

D1

Chisel diameter

D2

Penetrator head diameter

D3

Penetrator tip diameter

Claims (10)

Penetrator (10), with: a penetrator body (7); a penetrator head (6), which is modular for releasable attachment to the penetrator body (7); and a flat shock absorber (12) which is designed between the penetrator body (7) and the penetrator head (6) to dampen impact loads of the penetrator head (6) on the penetrator body (7). The penetrator (10) of claim 1, wherein the shock absorber (12) comprises a first damping disc (13). Penetrator (10) according to claim 2, wherein the first damping disc (13) is closed and axially arranged. Penetrator (10) according to claim 3, wherein the shock absorber (12) comprises at least one second damping disc (14) which is annular and axially concentric to the first damping disc (13). Penetrator (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shock absorber (12) is made at least in regions of a solid material. Penetrator (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the shock absorber (12) has a honeycomb structure and / or wave structure at least in regions. The penetrator (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the shock absorber (12) comprises at least one of a light metal material, a fiber composite material and / or a plastic. Penetrator (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the shock absorber (12) is designed in several stages to adjust the damping behavior. Penetrator (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein radial fastening bores (11) are formed in the penetrator body (7) and the penetrator head (6), wherein the penetrator head (6) and the penetrator body (7) can be plugged together to form the Align the mounting holes (11) with each other. Penetrator (10) according to claim 9, wherein the radial mounting holes (11) are designed as elongated holes.

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