EP4283245A1 - Tool and method for producing a projectile, and projectile - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm for ammunition, in particular deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or tracer bullet, the projectile being made from an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness, which makes up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate, is produced by cold forming, in particular extrusion.

Description

The present invention relates to a tool and a method for manufacturing a projectile with a caliber in the range from 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in particular a deformation bullet, partial decomposition bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or a tracer bullet. Furthermore, the present invention provides a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in particular a deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or a tracer bullet.

From the German patent application DE 10 2017 011 359 A1 The applicant knows how to produce a projectile by deep-drawing with the help of a so-called intermediate or intermediate product, the deep-drawing being used using a punch-die arrangement. According to DE 10 2017 011 359 A1 the wall to be formed into the ogive in the later forming process of the intermediate has a plurality of slots extending in the axial direction of the intermediate, which form a corresponding number of tines or wall sections separated in the circumferential direction by the slots. In the case of the intermediate and also the projectile made from it, it is only when the slotted wall is formed into an ogive section that the ogive-side cavity is at least partially closed in the circumferential direction by pressing the structurally separate tines together. To produce the intermediate, a mandrel-shaped punch with a blade similar to a slotted screwdriver is used, which is pressed into a blank made of solid material inserted into a cylindrical die.

The intermediate and the projectile according to DE 10 2017 011 359 A1 have generally proven themselves, as they are extremely easy to implement, but Uniform deformation of the blank can be achieved, so that a precise projectile can be provided that is optimized in terms of the deformation properties in wound ballistics, in particular for a specific area of application. The intermediate/projectile cold-formed in this way has proven to be advantageous, especially with regard to the desired partial decomposition-deformation behavior in wound ballistics, especially for an often limited speed range. However, it has turned out that the intermediates and projectiles are only partially suitable for bullet types other than deformation bullets. Furthermore, it was found that the mandrel tools are subjected to very high loads and can be improved, particularly for mass production.

The heavy and/or unfavorable load on the mandrel tools comes about in particular due to the inaccurate centering of the tools and the increased forming work. Inaccurate centering can create not only compressive stresses in the mandrel, but also bending moments, which can ultimately lead to tensile stresses. Since mandrel tools in particular are made of hard metal or hardened steel, even small tensile stresses can lead to violent breakage of the mandrel, as these materials are very susceptible to violent breakage under tensile stresses.

For manufacturing reasons, in particular due to the intermediate-punch combination, the intermediate and the projectile are in accordance with DE 10 2017 011 359 A1 structurally limited in terms of the length-diameter ratio of the cavity. The cavity on the ogive side may only be approximately as deep as the diameter of the cavity. This means that a deep cavity results in a thin-walled ogive section. A thick-walled ogive section can therefore only have a minimal cavity depth. Due to these constructive constraints, the projectile is designed in such a way that it is only suitable for a limited speed range and only deforms as desired in a limited speed band. It can even be the case that a certain speed leads to an uneven deformation of the projectile in wound ballistics and, in extreme cases, this leads to an unwanted and arbitrary decomposition of the projectile, with the projectile ultimately no longer being considered a mass-stable deformation bullet.

It is the object of the present invention to improve the disadvantages of the known prior art, in particular to provide a method and a tool for producing a projectile and such a projectile that is easier to produce.

This task is solved by the features of the independent claims.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a projectile having a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm for ammunition is provided. The projectile can be a deformation bullet, a partial decomposition bullet, a partial or full jacket bullet, a hard core bullet or a tracer bullet. Caliber is generally referred to as a measure of the outside diameter of projectiles or bullets and the inside diameter of a firearm barrel.

In the case of partial jacket bullets or partial fragmentation bullets, the core on the nose side of the bullet is not surrounded by jacket material and is exposed. When it hits a target, the front of the bullet deforms due to the high pressure when it hits and penetrates the target. For example, the projectile can deform into a mushroom shape (mushrooming) or at least partially deform. The projectile can therefore deliver its energy to the target medium much more effectively than a full-jacket bullet, in which the jacket completely surrounds the core, but has a lower penetrating power. Such bullets are used in particular as hunting bullets because, when shot appropriately, they lead to a quicker death of the game being shot at due to the effective energy release in the game's body than full metal jacket bullets. Partial decomposition bullets are usually designed in such a way that they disassemble in a controlled manner down to a defined residual body. The suction effect of the remaining body ensures that the fragments of the front, dismantled core part largely leave the target. Deformation bullets expand when they hit the target and remain stable in mass. As a rule, deformation bullets are designed in such a way that they hardly lose any weight at the target. The effect is primarily achieved by increasing the cross-section of the evenly expanding projectile and maintaining the same weight.

Hard core bullets are also known as penetrators or AP bullets (armor piercing) and are suitable for military use against armored targets, such as armored vehicles or protective vests. Hard core bullets consist of usually consists of a bullet jacket and a hard core inserted and/or embedded in it. The hard core usually consists of pure tungsten, tungsten carbide or hardened steel with a hardness greater than 550 HV. Tungsten and tungsten carbide are ideal for penetrating ammunition for two reasons. Due to the high specific density, the tungsten core or tungsten carbide core has a high kinetic energy, which promotes penetration. Furthermore, the material is very hard, which means that the abrasive penetration process causes less damage to the core itself. Due to the core hardness, barrel wear is significantly increased. That's why the core of the projectile is often constructed in two parts. The front part is made of hard material and the back part is made of softer material in order to make the projectile's guide band as gentle as possible when running. Another hard core bullet construction principle is only two parts, with a hard core being placed in a thick-walled bullet shoe. The bullet shoe is made of soft material, which means that the barrel-friendly aspect only comes into play because of the bullet shoe.

Solid floors are also called solid floors or monolithic floors and are made in particular from one material. The bullet material is usually a soft, ductile material, preferably metal with a density of more than 5 g/cm ³ Copper, tombac, brass or even pure lead can be used as solid bullet material. The intended use of solid bullets is often found in special applications. For example, to be able to hit targets behind glass panes. The projectile nose is flattened so that penetrating the glass pane does not lead to a change in the trajectory. In terms of production technology, solid bullets can be massively formed or produced by machining. This makes this structure suitable for small and large series.

Full jacket bullets usually have a bullet jacket made of deformable material, such as tombac, and a bullet core arranged therein, which is manufactured separately from the bullet jacket. The bullet core is usually made of a softer material compared to the deformable material of the jacket. The core represents the majority of the weight of the projectile and is preferably made of a high-density material. With a full jacket bullet, the jacket transfers the twist transmitted by the barrel to the core. The jacket allows a low-friction Pressing through the firearm barrel must be ensured. The jacket also has the task of protecting the core, which is usually made of soft material, from the considerable forces that arise when the projectile is launched and in flight. The full frontal enclosing of the core with the jacket prevents the projectile from opening in the wound ballistic medium and ensures a certain penetration ability on hard targets. The precision of the projectile as well as the aerodynamics of the full jacket bullet are reduced by the frontal enclosure of the core compared to the partial jacket bullet. With a partially jacketed bullet, the bullet core is not completely covered by a jacket material, but is exposed in the area of the bullet front, which leads to the desired deformation of the projectile after it has penetrated a target.

Tracer bullets or tracer bullets are usually used exclusively for military purposes, as they are used to mark a target to be fired at or a direction to be fired at in a training or war zone. The basic structure of a tracer bullet corresponds to that of a full jacket bullet. In contrast to the full jacket bullet, a pyrotechnic set is pressed into the rear. This set burns during projectile flight, ignited by the hot propellant powder when fired. This burn serves to visualize the projectile flight.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the projectile is made from an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness, which makes up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate, by means of cold forming, in particular extrusion. The pipe section can also make up at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the intermediate. For example, the intermediate is tubular, in particular it consists of the intermediate. It was shown that with such an intermediate with a pipe section of significant length, a particularly precise production of projectiles using much more delicate tools is possible purely through a cold forming process in a technically simple manner, with a significantly lower working pressure being able to be used for the forming process. which improves the possibility of mass production. In addition, the manufacturing tolerances have been significantly improved. A particular advantage that turned out to be that the initial outside diameter of the intermediate was essentially corresponds to the caliber of the projectile to be manufactured, so that the metal material in the area of the outer diameter, especially near the surface, is hardly solidified or deformed on the finished projectile. This makes it possible to achieve a significantly more homogeneous metal structure, which has a positive effect on precision and/or a desired deformation in the case of a deformation bullet. The tube section also makes it possible to penetrate very deeply into the intermediate with very delicate tools, whereby very long service lives can be achieved compared to the solid body, since the tools are little affected due to the tube shape of the intermediate, especially in contrast to a solid material intermediate, as has been the case so far.

The pipe section is particularly characterized by the fact that the outer diameter is based on the permissible tension dimension according to CIP, SAAMI or STANAG. The tension dimension defines the intermediate outside diameter in the range from -0.15 mm to +0.05 mm.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which is combinable with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm is provided.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, the projectile is made from an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness, which makes up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate, in particular by means of cold forming, in particular extrusion. The pipe section can also make up at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the intermediate. For example, the intermediate is tubular, in particular it consists of the intermediate.

Furthermore, according to the further aspect of the present invention, an inner tube diameter of the intermediate is at most 50% of an outer tube diameter of the intermediate. The outside diameter of the tube serves as a reference for the inside diameter of the tube, since this can be chosen so that it essentially corresponds to the caliber of the projectile to be manufactured, so that no further forming is necessary to obtain the desired dimensions. This means that work steps and thus forming steps that generate material stresses and increase hardness can be saved. According to this According to the aspect of the invention, the thick wall thickness of the pipe section is crucial, since the pipe section is quite massive and resistant to the pressing forces that occur.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which is combinable with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm is provided.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, the projectile is made from an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness, which makes up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate, in particular by means of cold forming, in particular extrusion. The pipe section can also make up at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the intermediate. For example, the intermediate is tubular, in particular it consists of the intermediate.

Furthermore, according to the further aspect of the present invention, an internal cross section of the intermediate is point-symmetrical, deviates from a circular shape and is constant in the longitudinal direction. The internal cross section of the intermediate can therefore have any regular or irregular point-symmetrical shape. The outer surface of the tube forms a cylindrical surface. In this respect, the internal projectile geometry can be easily and flexibly realized by appropriate design of the internal tube cross section, while otherwise maintaining the projectile geometry, the particular forming manufacturing process and the external shape of the projectile. In particular, any internal geometries with different deformation properties can be produced in a simple manner.

A significant advantage of the fact that the defined inner contour of the intermediate is retained even after forming, in particular cold forming, of the intermediate into a projectile is that further cost reduction potential arises since simple, for example purely conical stamps can be used. The bullet cavity can be notched either with a segmented mandrel in a round tube-shaped intermediate or with a defined inner contour and a cone-shaped punch.

Defined inner contours of the tubular intermediate can, for example, be star-shaped, like a non-convex regular polygon and, for example, have 10 to 100 edges of equal length. The projectile made from the star-shaped intermediate has a quick response at low impact speeds, due to the strong notch effect. Another defined inner contour is a polygon, also called a polygon, which comprises a closed line and in particular whose 5 to 50 edges are all the same length. The internally polygonal intermediate described previously leads to a projectile that deforms at increased impact speeds because the notch effect is weaker compared to the star-shaped intermediate. A projectile made from an intermediate that has an internal hexagonal shape as a defined inner contour has an even lower notch effect. This shape is also called polylobular and consists of 3 to 40 circular elements of equal length connected together. Further options for controlling the responsiveness as well as the susceptibility to decomposition are conceivable using tubular intermediates with V-shaped notches. The notch depth, the notch angle and/or the number of notches can vary and be adapted to the ballistic requirements. Since the intermediate according to the invention is an extrusion profile, delicate constructions with 5 to 10 deep grooves or 5 to 20 ribs are also conceivable.

According to an exemplary development of the projectile according to the invention, an outer diameter of the intermediate essentially corresponds to the caliber of the projectile. A significant advantage of this embodiment is that the external dimensioning of the intermediate is already selected such that the intermediate already has the external dimension of the projectile to be manufactured. In this respect, the dimension-sensitive caliber of the projectile can be adjusted in a simpler and more precise manner during the blank or intermediate production, without the outer skin of the intermediate having to be changed during the subsequent, particularly cold-forming, production of the projectile shape. It has turned out that from a manufacturing perspective it is much easier to preset the outer diameter and not just during the much more complex projectile production or shaping.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which is combinable with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm is provided.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, the projectile is made from an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness. The pipe section can make up at least 50%, in particular at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90%, of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate. For example, the intermediate is tubular, in particular it consists of the intermediate.

The pipe section has a projectile casing surrounding a central cavity, which has a projectile front that tapers in particular in the manner of an ogive and an adjoining projectile rear with a solid rear area which opens into a floor. In particular, the pipe section, i.e. the bullet casing with the bullet rear, bullet front and bullet base, is made in one piece.

According to this aspect of the invention, an average hardness on the floor of the projectile corresponds to at least 103%, in particular at least 105%, of the average hardness if the projectile were made from a solid intermediate, and / or an average hardness in the area of a jacket area of the rear of the projectile surrounding the cavity is at most 90 %, in particular at most 85% or at most 80%, corresponds to the average hardness if the projectile were made from a solid intermediate. The average hardness is an average value of the individual hardness values at the corresponding points or sections and is intended to indicate the trend, although it may be that the conditions described do not apply to individual values. For example, the hardness values can be determined using the Vickers hardness test (HV). The inventors have identified individual characteristics in the hardness curve in order to distinguish a projectile produced according to the invention from previously known projectiles, which reveal numerous advantages of the present invention. The softer area in the rear of the bullet has a positive influence on the barrel life of the firearm and results in a longer tool life. A soft intermediate area of the projectile is particularly relevant for long tool life. The softer the intermediate area of the final projectile remains due to the previous operations, the The tools had to do less forming work during the operations. This results in a longer tool life.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hardness values are values close to the surface. For example, these can be measured a few millimeters below the outer surface of the projectile.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the casing area of the tail of the projectile surrounding the cavity has a guide band defining a maximum outer diameter of the projectile for engaging in a pull-field profile of a firearm barrel. A soft guide band particularly increases the advantages described in terms of barrel life of the firearm and tool life. According to an exemplary development, an averaged hardness of the guide band over its entire radial depth, in particular up to the cavity, is softer, in particular at least 10%, at least 15% or at least 20%, softer than the averaged hardness when the projectile is made of a solid intermediate would be produced.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the tail of the bullet in the axial projection of the cavity, i.e. at the rear of the cavity, has a solidified core region which extends in the longitudinal direction of the projectile, in particular to the floor of the bullet, with a higher average hardness than the tail of the bullet areas adjacent to the core region, the average hardness of which is at least 140%, in particular at least 150% or at least 160%, corresponds to the average hardness if the projectile were made from a solid intermediate.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which can be combined with all of the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, the material of the projectile and/or the intermediate is copper, aluminum, iron, such as soft iron, silver, titanium, tungsten, tin, zinc, magnesium , lead, cadmium or alloys thereof.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, there is a tool for pressing an intermediate used in a particularly cylindrical die, which has a pipe section with a cavity with a substantially constant Diameter in order to produce a projectile designed in particular according to one of the previously described aspects or exemplary embodiments with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm.

The tool can in principle be made of a rigid, in particular inelastic, material and can, for example, consist of one piece.

The tool includes a holding section where an operator or a machine can hold and operate the tool. Furthermore, the tool has a shaping section that tapers in the direction away from the holding section with a tip, an elongated, at least partially curved, in particular concavely shaped, or conical guide part adjoining the tip for guiding the tool within the cavity of the intermediate and a projection-free part thereon subsequent at least partially curved, in particular concavely shaped, or conical pressed part with a different inclination as the guide part to the tool longitudinal axis. The guide part of the shaping section arranged adjacent to the tip serves to guide the tool within the cavity of the intermediate. Guiding the tool within the cavity of the intermediate has several advantages. On the one hand, there is a kind of self-centering involved, which results in a particularly high level of precision. On the other hand, the aligned tool movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cavity reliably ensures that an essential aspect of the present invention, namely the ability to use lower pressing forces and more delicate tools, is retained.

According to an exemplary development, the inclination of the outer surface of the pressing part with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool is greater than the inclination of the outer surface of the guide part with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool. In particular, this makes it possible to produce a particularly delicate tool in which the guide part is thin and very elongated, so that it is possible to reach deep into the cavity of the intermediate. By means of the tool according to the invention, it can withstand a large number of pressing processes, in particular at least 100, 300, 500, 700 or at least 1000 pressing processes.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the tool according to the invention, an axial length of the guide part is based on an internal dimension of the intermediate coordinated so that the tool at the transition from the guide part to the pressed part has an external dimension of up to 1.4 times the diameter of the cavity. This geometric coordination ensures particularly good guidance of the tool within the cavity of the intermediate.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the tool according to the invention, an axial length of the guide part and/or the pressing part is at least 80% of a maximum radial distance of the cavity. In particular, the axial length of the guide part can be at least as large, at least 1.5 times as large or even at least twice as large as the maximum radial distance of the cavity of the intermediate.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the tool according to the invention, its cross section is point-symmetrical, particularly in the area of the guide part and/or the pressing part, and deviates from a circular shape. In other words, any regular or irregular point-symmetrical shapes can be considered for the outer cross section of the guide part and/or the pressed part, which can be selected depending on the desired internal geometry of the projectile to be manufactured.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, there is a method for producing a projectile with a caliber in the range of 4, which is designed in particular according to one of the previously described and according to one of the aspects or exemplary embodiments according to the invention. 6mm to 20mm provided.

According to the method according to the invention, an intermediate with a tube section of essentially constant wall thickness is inserted into a particularly cylindrical die and the intermediate is cold-formed, in particular by pressing, by means of a tool designed in particular according to one of the previously described and, for example, according to one of the previously mentioned aspects of the invention or exemplary embodiments cold formed, in particular formed by extrusion, so that at least in sections the outer diameter of the intermediate remains essentially constant and determines the projectile caliber. By means of the method according to the invention, it is possible to select the intermediate for producing the projectile in such a way that its initial external dimension essentially corresponds to the caliber of the projectile to be produced comes so that the metal material in the area of the outer diameter, i.e. close to the surface, is hardly solidified and deformed, so that an unsolidified metal structure results, which improves the precision and / or the desired deformation and / or ballistic properties of the projectile.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a method is provided which is designed to produce a projectile according to the invention.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a tubular metallic intermediate is made in particular from copper, aluminum, iron, such as soft iron, silver, titanium, tungsten, tin, zinc, magnesium, lead, cadmium or an alloy thereof for producing a projectile in particular according to the invention, such as a deformation bullet, a partial fragmentation bullet, a partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or a tracer bullet, with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm for ammunition.

The basic idea underlying the present invention, in particular using a substantially exclusive cold forming process for producing a projectile, is to use a tubular intermediate, that is to say an intermediate which comprises a pipe section which essentially makes up 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate, can be simple in terms of manufacturing technology Way a particularly precisely manufactured projectile that can be produced with delicate tools can be created, with a lower working pressure being required than is the case in the prior art.

In an exemplary embodiment, a tool designed according to the invention is used.

Preferred embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

Figur 1

eine Schnittansicht eines rohrförmigen Intermediats zur Herstellung einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils;

Figur 2

eine Schnittansicht eines angesenkten rohrförmigen Intermediats zur Herstellung einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils;

Figur 3

eine Schnittansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Presslings in einer erfindungsgemäßen Matrize;

Figur 4

eine Schnittansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in der Ausführung als Deformationsgeschoss;

Figur 5 - 8

ein schematischer Stadienplan zur Herstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in der Ausführung als Vollmantelgeschoss ausgehend von einem rohrförmigen Intermediat;

Figur 9 - 12

ein schematischer Stadienplan zur Herstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in der Ausführung als Teilmantelgeschoss ausgehend von einem rohrförmigen Intermediat;

Figur 13 - 16

ein schematischer Stadienplan zur Herstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in der Ausführung als Teilzerlegungsgeschoss ausgehend von einem rohrförmigen Intermediat;

Figur 17

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in einem deformierten Zustand nach dem Auftreffen auf ein Ziel mit parallel zur Geschosslängsrichtung ausgebildeter Segmentfahnenausbreitung;

Figur 18

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils in einem deformierten Zustand nach dem Auftreffen auf ein Ziel mit rechtwinklig zur Geschosslängsrichtung ausgebildeter Segmentfahnenausbreitung;

Figur 19

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Werkzeugs mit einem polygonalen Querschnitt und einem konkaven, kegelförmigen und konvexen Formgebungsabschnitt;

Figur 20

eine Seitenansicht des Werkzeugs gemäß der Figur 19;

Figur 21

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Werkzeugs mit einem polygonalen Querschnitt und einem konvexen Formgebungsabschnitt;

Figur 22

eine Seitenansicht einer weiteren beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Werkzeugs mit einem runden Querschnitt und einem konvexen Formgebungsabschnitt;

Figur 23

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer weiteren beispielhaften Ausführung eines erfindungsgemäßen Werkzeugs mit einem hexagonalen Querschitt und einem konvexen Formgebungsabschnitt;

Figuren 24-33

perspektivische Ansichten von rohrförmigen Intermediaten mit einem punktsymmetrischen Innenquerschnitt;

Figur 34a, b

Härteverlauf eines Projektils ausgehend von einem Draht-Intermediat gemäß Stand der Technik;

Figur 35a, b

Härteverlauf eines erfindungsgemäßen Projektils ausgehend von einem Rohrintermediat mit im Wesentlichen konstanter Wandstärke.

Further properties, features and advantages of the invention will become clear below by describing preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings, in which:

Figure 1

a sectional view of a tubular intermediate for producing an exemplary embodiment of a projectile according to the invention;

Figure 2

a sectional view of a countersunk tubular intermediate for producing an exemplary embodiment of a projectile according to the invention;

Figure 3

a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a compact according to the invention in a die according to the invention;

Figure 4

a sectional view of a projectile according to the invention in the design as a deformation bullet;

Figures 5 - 8

a schematic stage plan for the production of a projectile according to the invention in the design as a full jacket bullet starting from a tubular intermediate;

Figures 9 - 12

a schematic stage plan for the production of a projectile according to the invention in the design as a partial jacket projectile starting from a tubular intermediate;

Figures 13 - 16

a schematic stage plan for the production of a projectile according to the invention in the design as a partial fragmentation bullet starting from a tubular intermediate;

Figure 17

a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a projectile according to the invention in a deformed state after hitting a target with segment vane spread parallel to the longitudinal direction of the projectile;

Figure 18

a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a projectile according to the invention in a deformed state after hitting a target with segment vane spread perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the projectile;

Figure 19

a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a tool according to the invention with a polygonal cross section and a concave, conical and convex shaping section;

Figure 20

a side view of the tool according to Figure 19 ;

Figure 21

a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a tool according to the invention with a polygonal cross section and a convex shaping section;

Figure 22

a side view of a further exemplary embodiment of a tool according to the invention with a round cross section and a convex shaping section;

Figure 23

a perspective view of a further exemplary embodiment of a tool according to the invention with a hexagonal cross section and a convex shaping section;

Figures 24-33

perspective views of tubular intermediates with a point-symmetrical internal cross section;

Figure 34a, b

Hardness curve of a projectile based on a wire intermediate according to the prior art;

Figure 35a, b

Hardness curve of a projectile according to the invention starting from a pipe intermediate with essentially constant wall thickness.

In the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a projectile according to the invention is generally provided with the reference number 1, a compact according to the invention is generally provided with the reference number 10 and a tool according to the invention is generally provided with the reference number 100.

Referring to the Figures 1 and 2 an exemplary embodiment of an intermediate 3 or a countersunk intermediate 5 is shown with a pipe section 4 which serves as a bullet blank. The starting material for the intermediate 3 is preferably rod or wire material. The inner tube surface 39 of the intermediate 3, which has a tube section 4 with a substantially constant wall thickness, is defined in particular by the central cavity 45 of the tube section 4. The pipe section 4 is produced in particular by means of shearing, cutting, vibratory grinding or adiabatic separation. The resulting, preferably cleanly separated, intermediate flat surfaces 25 limit the intermediate length Longitudinal direction L. The intermediate flat surfaces 25 of the intermediate 3 can have different or identically shaped intermediate flat surfaces 25 due to one-sided or double-sided countersinking 19 ( Figure 2 ). A basic idea of the present invention is to produce a projectile 1 from a tubular intermediate 3, instead of from a solid wire blank as was previously the case. In Figure 1 the thick wall thickness of the intermediate 3, which according to the exemplary embodiment consists entirely of a pipe section 4, can be seen, with a pipe section inner diameter making up approximately 1/3 of a pipe section outer diameter and being essentially constant. The pipe section represents at least 50% of the longitudinal extension of the intermediate 3.

Referring to the Figure 3 an exemplary embodiment of a cylindrical die 7 for producing a pre-press 9 or for pressing the floor 17 to form the rear bevel 61 is explained.

The die 7 includes a rotation-shaped die cylinder inner surface 93 with a central front side 101. As shown Figure 3 As can be seen, the front side 101 of the cylindrical die 7 and the taper 95 towards the ejector side of the die 99 are responsible for the shape of the pre-press 9 and for closing the inner tube surface 39 of the rear of the projectile 51. As in Figure 3 As can be seen, the compact 10 already has a deformed, in particular convexly shaped, inner wall surface 71, which is produced by means of a tool 100 according to the invention.

A projectile 1 according to the invention is in Figure 4 shown in a sectional view. The projectile 1 comprises a projectile body 13, which is made in one piece and in particular consists of a homogeneous material, for example of iron material or non-ferrous material, in particular a non-ferrous metal, in particular a copper alloy. The one-piece structure of the in Figure 4 Visible projectile 1 has a positive effect on the manufacturing tolerances, this has a positive effect on the imbalance and thus on the projectile precision. The projectile body 13 comprises a conical projectile tail 51 and a projectile front 53 that tapers like an ogive. The projectile front 53 is formed by a circumferential bow wall 41 which encloses a central cavity 45 that is open towards the front of the projectile 1. By bending the ogive-shaped floor front 53, a bow fold 33 is created in the bow wall 41.

With regard to internal ballistics, the guide band 63, the design of the cavity 45 and the choice of material and its hardness are of particular interest. The choice of material is preferably a material that fits into the tensile field profile of the firearm barrel with little resistance so that the projectile can be accelerated efficiently. The guide band 63, which is in contact with the actual tension field profile, is important here. In addition to the obvious material parameters such as hardness and temperature resistance, the diffusion coefficient of the guide band 63 should also be as impermeable as possible to the partner material of the barrel so that cold welding is prevented. The low-resistance penetration of the projectile into the tensile field profile can be achieved not only by the material properties but also by the design of the cavity 45. The cavity 45 creates an elastic deflection possibility, which further reduces the press-through resistance.

Regarding the external ballistics of the in Figure 4 Visible projectile 1, the tail 51 and the tail bevel 61 are of particular interest. The tail of the projectile can be designed in geometrically narrow tolerances through the manufacturing process in a die 7; reproducible, geometrically narrow tolerances in the tail mean high precision during projectile flight. The tail bevel 61 influences the aerodynamic vortex shedding during projectile flight and can thereby influence the aerodynamic resistance. The projectile front 53 and the tip 29 also influence the aerodynamics. A narrow ogive and a thin tip mean a variant with less aerodynamic drag.

This in Figure 4 Projectile 1 shown can include a deformation bullet, a partial decomposition bullet or a partial jacket bullet, which can be designed to meet the application-specific requirements, in particular terminal ballistics. Despite the one-piece construction of the projectile 1 Figure 4 There are structural and geometric modification options. The diameter of the opening 35 of the projectile 1 has a significant influence on the hydrostatic pressure inside the cavity 45 of the projectile, which occurs when the projectile 1 penetrates a wound ballistics, also called gelatinous mass. This hydrostatic pressure ultimately has an influence on the deformation properties of the projectile 1 and thus on the energy release in the target. A large opening diameter means a high hydrostatic pressure and a rapid response in the gelatinous mass, whereas a smaller diameter means a slightly delayed response. The wall thickness of the tip 29 counteracts the opening diameter 35; the stronger the wall thickness, the stronger the hydrostatic pressure must be in order to be able to achieve an increased energy release effect in the gelatinous mass. The number and shape of the wall slots 43 determines the breaking behavior of the projectile 1, the more acute the wall slots 43 are, the stronger their notch effect, which leads to a radial weakening of the projectile front 53 and to a faster deformation of the projectile 1 in the gelatinous mass. The design of the cavity 45 has an influence on the increase in diameter of the projectile 1 after it hits the gelatinous mass. A short cavity 45 leads to a smaller deformation on the projectile nose 53, which leads to a reduced energy release in the gelatinous mass. With an elongated cavity 45, which, as in Figure 4 As can be seen, extending in the longitudinal direction L from the opening 35 to the rear of the projectile 51, an increased energy release and thus reduced penetration depth in the gelatinous mass is realized.

With reference to the Figures 5 to 8 , which represent a stage plan for the production of a projectile 1 according to the invention, the individual manufacturing steps of the in Fig. 8 shown finished projectile 1 can be seen.

First, an intermediate 3 made of metal is provided, preferably made of a non-ferrous metal or ferrous metal ( Figure 5 ), which is obtained from continuous tube raw material or bar material such as a tube by cutting. The intermediate 3 consists in particular of a homogeneous material and is constructed in one piece.

In a first manufacturing step, the intermediate 3 is formed into a pre-press 9 by setting, in particular cold formed, for example by pressing or extrusion ( Figure 6 ). As from a comparison of the Figures 5 and 6 As can be seen, when the intermediate 3 is placed, the length of the intermediate 3 expands, with the outer diameter essentially corresponding to the caliber of the projectile 1. The increase in length and diameter results from the central tapered cavity section 75 introduced during setting, which extends from an end face 31 of the pre-compression 9 through the pre-compression 9 to the opposite end face 37 of the pre-compression 9. The introduction of wall slots 43 A segmented tool 100 causes a material shift, which manifests itself in a longitudinal expansion, in particular in the direction of the end face 31. The tapering cavity section 75, which is located on the opposite end face 37, is formed by a particularly convexly shaped inner wall surface 71. The setting can take place via a tool-die arrangement, with the external geometry of the tool 100 determining the geometry of the hollow space section 65. At the same time, wall slots 43 oriented in the longitudinal direction L of the pre-press 9 or a pressed part 10 are cold-formed on an inner wall surface 71 of the pre-compression 9, which will be explained in detail later.

After setting, the pre-compression 9 is pre-pressed to form the compact 10 according to the invention ( Figure 7 ). Between the stage of the pre-press 9 and the intermediate 3, i.e. after setting and before pre-pressing, the blank is turned. This requires a mechanical turning operation. To form the compact 10, the pre-compression 9 is cold-formed in the direction of the end face 31 of the pre-compression 9, so that an ogive-like projectile front 53 is formed by compressing the front wall 41. During pre-pressing, the bow wall 41 is also cold-formed on the outside, in particular with the formation of bow folds 33, of a bow wall 41 which tapers at least in sections in the shape of an ogive. Due to the bow wall 41 tapering towards the tip 29, the wall thickness of the section forming the later floor front 53 increases compared to the original bow wall 41 of the pre-press 9.

The compact 10 produced in this way consists of a metal body 113 made of a particularly homogeneous material, preferably made of iron or non-ferrous material, and is then further cold-formed to form an in Figure 8 projectile body 13 shown, which largely already has the complete geometry of the final projectile 1. The projectile body 13 is sharpened starting from the compact 10 in the longitudinal direction L, so that the narrowest possible tip 29 of the projectile is created, the internal geometry of the central cavity 45 being changed directly behind the opening 35, in particular widened in the direction of the rear of the projectile 51, in particular being formed into a thin channel becomes. By pressing in a second, in particular convex, tool 100, a rear cavity 21 is additionally formed, which is delimited in the longitudinal direction of the projectile in the direction of the projectile front 53 by a rear cavity base section 59. Through the pressing process By means of tool 100, the material of the hollow cylinder 65 flows along the tool 100 and thus defines the rear cavity wall thickness b in Figure 9 . The rear cavity 21 is formed by a hollow cylinder 65 and delimited by a hollow cylinder inner surface 67. In a later stage, not shown, the rear cavity 21 can be filled with another material. This material can include a ferrous metal, a non-ferrous metal, a polymer or a mixture of polymer and metal powder and is used to tare the weight and center of gravity or to increase penetration. It is also conceivable to introduce a tracer mixture, a pyrotechnic device or explosives into the rear compartment 21, thereby enabling the optical tracking of the projectile trajectory and/or the target marking. Due to the small volume of the rear compartment, nano-explosives such as nanothermite are used as explosives.

With reference to the Figures 9 to 12 , which represent a further stage plan for the production of a projectile 1 according to the invention, the individual manufacturing steps of the in Fig. 12 shown finished projectile 1 can be seen.

First, a pipe intermediate 3 made of metal, preferably made of a non-ferrous metal or ferrous metal, is provided ( Figure 9 ), which is obtained from continuous tube raw material or bar material such as a tube by cutting. The intermediate 3 consists in particular of a particularly homogeneous material and is constructed in one piece.

In a first manufacturing step, the intermediate 3 is formed into a pre-press 9 by setting, in particular cold formed, for example by pressing or extrusion ( Figure 10 ). As from a comparison of the Figures 9 and 10 As can be seen, when the intermediate 3 is placed, the length of the intermediate 3 expands, with the outer diameter essentially corresponding to the caliber of the projectile 1. The increase in length and diameter results from the central, initially cylindrical, then tapering cavity section 75 introduced during setting, which extends from an end face 31 of the pre-compression 9 through the pre-compression 9 to the opposite end face 37 of the pre-compression 9. The introduction of the wall slots 43 by the segmented tool 100 causes a material shift, which manifests itself in a longitudinal expansion, in particular in the direction of the end face 31. The cavity section 75, which is initially cylindrical in the longitudinal direction L and then tapers, and which extends to the opposite end face 37, is formed by a concavely shaped inner wall surface 71. Setting can be done using a tool-die arrangement, with the external geometry of the tool 100 determining the internal geometry of the hollow cylinder 65. The central cavity 45 Figure 10 owns compared to Figure 6 a larger volume, which results in other ballistic properties such as penetration properties similar to full metal jacket bullets. At the same time, wall slots 43 oriented in the longitudinal direction L or in the pressing direction P of the pre-press 9 or the pre-press 10 are cold-formed on the inner wall surface 71 of the pre-press 9, which will be explained in detail later.

After setting, the pre-compression 9 is pre-pressed to form a compact 10 ( Figure 7 ). Between the stage of the pre-pressing 9 and the pressing 10, that is after setting and before pre-pressing, the blank is turned over in a turning operation. To form the compact 10, the pre-compression 9 is cold-formed in the direction of the end face 31 of the pre-compression 9, so that an ogive-like projectile front 53 is formed by compressing the front wall 41. During pre-pressing, the bow wall 41 is also cold-formed on the outside to form a bow wall 41 that tapers at least in sections in the shape of an ogive. Due to the bow wall 41 tapering towards the tip 29, the wall thickness of the section forming the later floor front 53 increases compared to the original bow wall 41 of the pre-press 9 and the cavity 45 created when setting is due to the concave design of the tapering cavity section of the pre-press 9 constructed in an ellipsoidal manner.

The compact 10 produced in this way consists of a metal body 113 made of a particularly homogeneous material, preferably of iron or non-ferrous material, and is then further cold-formed to form an in Figure 12 projectile body 13 shown, which largely already has the complete geometry of the final projectile 1. The projectile body 13 is sharpened starting from the compact 10 in the longitudinal direction L, so that the rotationally ellipsoidal cavity 45 of the projectile 1 in Figure 12 is narrower than in Figure 11 . By pressing in a second, in particular concave tool 100, an additional one is created Rear cavity 21, which is delimited in the longitudinal direction of the floor in the direction of the floor front 53 by a rear cavity base section 59, is formed. Due to the pressing process using tool 100, the material of the hollow cylinder 65 flows against the pressing direction P along the tool 100 and thus defines the rear cavity wall thickness b of Figure 12 . The rear cavity 21 is formed in the radial direction by a hollow cylinder 65 and delimited by a hollow cylinder inner surface 67. The cylindrical rear cavity 21 is delimited from the central cavity 45 by a central constriction 27. In a later stage, not shown, the rear cavity 21 can be filled with another material. This material can include a ferrous metal, a non-ferrous metal, a polymer or a mixture of polymer and metal powder and is used to tare the weight and center of gravity or to increase penetration. Furthermore, it is conceivable to introduce a tracer mixture, a pyrotechnic device or explosives into the rear compartment 21, thereby enabling the optical tracking of the projectile 1 trajectory and/or the target marking. Due to the small volume of the rear compartment, nano-explosives such as nanothermite are used as explosives.

With reference to the Figures 13 to 16 , which represent a further stage plan for the production of a projectile 1 according to the invention, the individual manufacturing steps of the in Fig. 16 The finished projectile 1 shown can be seen, with only the differences from the previous versions being described.

The increase in length and diameter results from the central cavity section 75, introduced during setting, which tapers in the direction of the opposite end face 37 and which extends from a sharp edge 23 of the pre-compression 9 through the pre-compression 9 to the opposite end face 37 of the pre-compression 9. Pressing in the conical tool 100 causes a material shift, which manifests itself in a longitudinal expansion, in particular in the direction of the end face 31. The tapered cavity section 75, which is located on the opposite end face 37, is formed by a conically shaped inner wall surface 71. The setting can take place via a tool-die arrangement, with the external geometry of the conical tool 100 determining the geometry of the hollow space section 65.

Between the stage of the pre-pressing 9 and the pressing 10, i.e. after setting and before pre-pressing, the blank is turned. This requires a particularly mechanical turning operation. To form the compact 10, the pre-compression 9 is cold-formed in the direction of the sharp edge 23 of the pre-compression 9, so that a preliminary stage of a projectile front 53 is formed by compressing the front wall 41. During pre-pressing, the front wall 41 is also cold-formed on the outside to form a front wall 41 that tapers at least in sections. Due to the preferably symmetrically introduced, front and rear conical cavities, the insertion process of the stamp causes material buildup on the front side of the conical tool 47. A central constriction 27 is created which completely separates the two preferably conical cavities.

The compact 10 produced in this way consists in particular of a metal body 113 made of homogeneous material, preferably of iron or non-ferrous material, and is then further cold-formed to form an in Figure 15 projectile body 13 shown. Starting from the compact 10, a material is filled into the cavity sections 75 on the front and rear sides, which is preferably soft and ductile and has a high material density. The rear filler 117 can influence the penetration properties of the projectile 1; for example, if a hard rear filler is used, the projectile 1 can penetrate deeper. The front filler 119 is preferably made of a ductile metal such as lead or tin and can influence the front deformation mechanism. The projectile body 13 is sharpened in the longitudinal direction L starting from the compact 10, so that a tip 29 of the projectile is realized.

A schematic representation of a fired, deformed projectile 33, which results from firing a projectile 1 according to the invention and striking the projectile 1 on a target, in particular a standard target, such as a gelatinous mass, is shown in Figures 17 and 18 pictured.

The deformed projectile 49 differs from the prior art projectiles in particular in the formation of segment vanes 111 which are bent radially outwards upon impact with a target. As in Figures 17 and 18 can be seen, the front wall 41 is torn open along the wall slots 43 and the outer surface 87 is turned outwards, with the cavity base section 57 remaining intact. This creates a Spider-like deformed bullet that is greatly expanded in relation to the longitudinal axis of the bullet, which causes increased resistance when penetrating the gelatinous mass and thus increases the energy release and reduces the penetration depth.

The deformation behavior results, on the one hand, from the cold forming and the geometry of the central cavity 45 and, on the other hand, from the wall slots 43 made in the inner wall surface 71 of the pre-pressed part 9, which remain as slots on the finished projectile 1 on the inner wall surface 71 of the projectile front 53. The cold forming increases the strength of the inner wall surface 71 transversely to the longitudinal direction L compared to the strength of the inner wall surface 71 in the longitudinal direction L and the deformation behavior can be controlled in a targeted manner through the wall slots 43. The impact speed at which the projectile 1 begins to deform, also called the response behavior, is determined by the diameter of the opening 35. As in Figure 17 can be seen, the projectile points 1 in Fig. 17 bent segment flags 111. When hitting a target, the front wall 41 opens along the wall slots 43, during which only the rear of the projectile 51 with the cavity base section 57 remains largely undeformed. The length, number and depth of the wall slots 43 can be used to specifically adjust how wide the bow wall 41 opens and thus how large the expansion and bending of the segment flag 111 is. In this way, the deformation behavior of the projectile 1,33 can be changed independently of the strength of the bow wall 41. This means that expensive heat treatment processes, such as annealing, after cold forming can be dispensed with and the projectile 1 according to the invention can therefore be produced particularly easily and cost-effectively.

In addition to the geometric effects, which cause different deformation behavior when penetrating the gelatinous mass, the impact speed of the projectile 1 on the gelatinous mass is also responsible for the final shape of the deformed projectile 49. Figure 17 For example, shows a deformed bullet that hit at high speed. The segment flags 111 are bent more strongly due to the hydrodynamic pressure. In Figure 18 a projectile 1 is shown with an impact speed typical of a projectile, which reshapes the segment flags 111 to a smaller mass upon impact. At a different impact speed the Segment flags 111 are deformed more parallel to the longitudinal direction L, which is what the Figure 17 corresponds.

When the projectile impacts the gelatinous mass, a large hydrodynamic projectile opening pressure is created, which leads to the deformation of the projectile in the gelatinous mass. If this projectile opening pressure is maintained over longer distances, this can lead to one or more segment flags 111 tearing off. To prevent this, the distance between the floor 17 and the cavity base section 57 can be designed so that a rupture disk-like pressure relief valve is implemented, with which the excess floor opening pressure can be reduced. The resulting hole in the floor of the bullet not only reduces the bullet opening pressure, but also has stabilizing effects in the gelatinous mass.

Referring to the Figures 19 to 33 Examples of embodiments of tools 100 according to the invention are explained. In the statements according to Figures 19 to 23 the tool 100 is cylindrically shaped and rotationally symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis L of the tool 100. Tools 100 according to the invention basically have a holding section 107 for gripping, clamping or the like of the tool 100 and a tapering shaping section 108 adjoining the holding section 107, which can also be referred to as a press head, with a press tip/guide tip 85, one on the press tip/guide tip 85 adjoining elongated, at least partially concave or conical guide part 79 for guiding the tool 100 within the cavity 45 of the pipe section 4 and an adjoining at least partially concave or conical pressed part 80 with a different inclination to the longitudinal axis of the tool.

In the side view Figure 20 It can be seen that the conical pressing part 80 and the conical guide part 79 of the tool 100 have six segment edges 77 on an outer lateral surface 87 which are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction and are polygonal in the radial direction from the outer lateral surface 87, and are therefore polygonal in cross section. The pressing part 80 merges into the guide part 79 without any projections. The segment edges 77 extend to the concave shaping section 89 and the convex shaping section 91 along the longitudinal direction L at the plan areas 105 of the press head 108. The segment edge 77 of the press head 108 can each According to the design, they have concave shaping section 89 and convex shaping section 91 ( Figures 19 and 20 ), exclusively concave shaping section 89 ( Figure 21 ) or have exclusively convex shaping section 91.

In Figure 19 to Figure 21 It can be seen that the tool shank 83 of the tool 100 transitions in the longitudinal direction L from a round area 107 forming a holding section via a transition area 103 into a flat area 105 forming a pressing flank. In order to ensure the centering of the press head 108 in the tube cavity 55 of the intermediate 3, the press head 108 is equipped with a press tip/guide tip 85, which can be segmented analogously to the number of segment edges 77. In the tool 100 according to the invention, the axial length of the guide part 79 is matched to the inner dimension of the pipe section 4 in such a way that the tool has an outer dimension of up to 1.4 times the diameter of the cavity at the transition from the guide part 79 into the pressed part 80. Furthermore, the part of the tool 100 that is in contact with the intermediate 3 is designed such that the axial length of the guide part 79 and/or the pressing part 80 is at least 80% of a maximum radial distance of the cavity.

Figure 22 shows an unsegmented press head 108 according to the invention, with an unsegmented press tip/guide tip 85. In Figure 23 A tool 100 can be seen, which has a polygonally shaped end face 97 and rectangularly shaped segment flanks 81.

In the Figures 24 to 33 schematic cross-sectional views of intermediates can be seen, from which the internal cross-sectional shape of the pipe cavity 55 emerges. The pipe cavities 45 are point-symmetrical in cross section and deviate from a circular shape and are constant in the longitudinal direction.

In the Figures 24 and 26 a star-shaped inner wall surface with a different number of partial segments 73 is shown.

In the Figures 25 and 27 a polygonal inner wall surface with a different number of partial segments 73 is shown.

In the Figures 28 and 30 an inner wall surface with arcuate partial segments 73 with a different number of partial segments 73 is shown.

In the Figures 29 and 31 A V-shaped notched inner wall surface with a different number of partial segments 73 is shown.

In the Figures 32 and 33 a rectangular notched inner wall surface with a different number of partial segments 73 is shown.

A general advantage of the present invention is that the internal shape can be adjusted very flexibly during pipe extrusion. In particular, any internal geometries with different deformation properties can be produced in a simple manner in conjunction with the press head.

Metals, especially non-ferrous metals, have the property of becoming harder due to deformation. That is, a large deformation leads to a large increase in the hardness of the raw material. Using hardness curves, as in Figures 34 and 35 shown, one can indirectly draw conclusions about the degree of forming and the production process.

In Fig. 34a, b and 35a, b is a sectional view of the projectile 1 according to the invention Figure 4 pictured. A Vickers hardness distribution is shown on the sectional view surface, and a corresponding color scale with reference values is located between the Fig. 34a, b and 35a, b . The Figures 34a and 34b represent a projectile 1, which is made from a solid material intermediate, this solid material can be, for example, a wire section and is cylindrical, the material is also holeless, which is why it is also called a solid intermediate. The Figures 35a and 35b represent a projectile 1 made from a tube, the tubular intermediate 3 preferably consists of a tube section 4 made from the tube, whereby the tube can be either in rod form or wound up and is separated by machining or by cutting, squeezing or grinding.

The Figures 34a and 35a show the hardness distribution of a projectile 1, manufactured from hard intermediate material. The projectile 34a is made of solid intermediate material, the projectile in Figure 35a is made from a tubular intermediate 3 with wall thickness a.

The Figures 34b and 35b show the hardness distributions of a projectile made of soft copper. The projectile 34b is made of a solid material intermediate manufactured, the projectile in Figure 35b is made from a tubular intermediate 3 with wall thickness a.

According to the illustration Fig. 34a, b and 35a, b is to be understood as meaning that the absolute material hardness according to Vickers was determined on the finished projectile 1. Once with hard copper ( Figures 34a and 35a ) and once with soft copper ( Figures 34b and 35b ). The selected copper hardnesses differ measurably from one another; this can be done with non-destructive material testing, for example ultrasound, or with destructive material testing, for example with indenters. Such differences in hardness can arise due to different alloys, different raw material production or different post-processing, such as annealing. If one only refers to the relative hardness curve, in other words to the uniform hardness distribution in the bullet, without taking the absolute hardness values in the bullet into account, then it is impossible to compare the hardness curves between Figure 34a and Figure 34b given. Furthermore, the comparability of the hardness curves, neglecting the absolute hardness, between the Figures 35a and 35b given. Therefore, the differences between the tubular intermediates 3 and the solid material intermediates will be discussed in more detail below.

The hardness values of the tip 29 and the hardness values of the projectile front 53 of the projectile 1 are increased compared to the rest of the projectile body 13. Due to the reduced deformation during the pressing process, the projectiles 1, which are made from the tubular intermediate 3, are softer in the area of the guide band 63, compared to the projectiles which are made from a solid material intermediate, also called a wire blank. This softer area has a positive influence on the barrel life of the firearm and results in a longer tool life for the die 7 and the tool 100. A soft intermediate area of the projectile 1 is particularly relevant for long tool life. The softer the intermediate area of the final projectile 1 remains due to the previous operations, the less forming work the tools had to do during the operations. This results in a longer tool life. Accordingly, a conclusion can be drawn about the tool life from the hardness curve in the pipe projectile according to the invention.

The area of the tip 29 marks all projectiles in the Figures 34 and 35 the hardest part due to the high degree of forming. With hard copper, there is a Vickers hardness of approx. 230 HV in the area of tip 29, regardless of the type of intermediate. For soft copper it is approx. 170 HV, regardless of the intermediate type. The majority of the projectile front 53, indicated by the reference number 39, experiences a significant increase in hardness of approximately 60-100% compared to the intermediate hardness. A second increase in hardness can be seen in the area of the cavity base section 57. In the case of the projectile 1, which was made from the tubular intermediate 3 ( Figure 35a, b ) an increase in hardness can be seen from the cavity base section 57 through the floor to the rear constriction 11.

However, if the blank consists of a solid intermediate material ( Figure 34a, b ), the increase in hardness can be seen particularly on the cavity base section 57. The floor 17 of the projectile 1 made from the tubular intermediate 3 has an average hardness which corresponds to at least 103%, in particular at least 105%, of the average hardness if the projectile 1 were made from a solid material and holeless intermediate. This increase in hardness has a positive influence on the ability of the firing shock to withstand, which leads to improved ballistics. The average hardness in the area of a jacket area of the tail of the projectile 51 surrounding the cavity 45 corresponds to at most 90%, in particular at most 85% or at most 80%, of the average hardness if the projectile 1 were made from a solid material, i.e. a solid and holeless intermediate. This has a positive effect on the load on the firearm barrel. The projectile 1 based on the tubular intermediate 3 has an average hardness at the tail of the projectile 51 of at least 140%, in particular at least 150% or at least 160%, which corresponds to the average hardness if the projectile were made from a solid intermediate. The average hardness, in particular of the cylindrical region of the guide band 63 of the projectile 1 based on the tubular intermediate 3, is softer over the entire diameter, in particular at least 10%, at least 15% or at least 20%, softer than the average hardness when the projectile 1 would be made from a solid and holeless intermediate.

It is particularly advantageous for projectiles 1, made from an intermediate 3 according to the present invention, that in the area of the guide band 63, only a small amount There are increases in hardness. so that in the area of the tensile field dimension of the projectile 1 and in the central area of the engagement of the pressed part 80 there is a substantially low Vickers hardness, the hardness values are values close to the surface. According to the invention, it was found that the homogeneous hardness distribution formed in this way has a positive effect on the ballistics and precision of the projectile 1 and, in particular, has a positive effect on the tool life of the delicate pressed part 80.

The projectiles 1, made from solid material intermediate 3, shown in Figure 34 , in the area of the bullet tail 51, in particular in the area of the tail bevel 61, have a homogeneous hardness over the entire bullet diameter that is largely comparable to the original material. In Figure 35 The projectiles 1 made from pipe intermediate 3 are hard and inhomogeneous, particularly in the area of the tail constriction 11. This inhomogeneity of the hardness curve in the tail of the projectile 51 has the technical effect of stiffening the floor of the projectile 17, which has a positive effect on the internal ballistics during the acceleration process of the projectile 1. The hardening of the tail constriction 11 of the tail of the bullet also creates a kind of predetermined breaking point, which reduces excess hydrodynamic pressure when penetrating the gelatinous mass of the wound ballistics and stabilizes the projectile during penetration.

A subdivision of the hardness levels is in Fig. 34a and Fig. 35a visible. The reference symbol w indicates zones with low hardness 120 HV. The reference symbol m indicates zones with medium hardness, approx. 190 HV. The reference symbol h denotes zones of the projectile 1 with increased hardness, approximately 230 HV. In Fig 35a The surfaces enclosed by w represent the guide band 63 of the projectile 1 and, due to their soft design, can perform the function of reducing the press-through resistance through the firearm barrel. The hard zones on the bow wall 41 and the tail constriction 11 define the projectile according to the invention Fig 35a the deformation properties. The transition region, also called the medium-hard zone m, prevents the segment vanes 111 from tearing off in the projectile 1 according to the invention, made from a tubular intermediate 3.

The hardness zones in Project 1 made from a solid intermediate material only have limited ballistically optimized properties. The medium-hard zone m extends up to the guide band 63. The hard zone h extends over the bending point of the segment flags 111. The soft zone w is located exclusively in floor 17.

On the projectile front side, the projectiles 1, which are made from the tubular intermediate 3, differ from those which are made from solid material intermediates in that the projectile front 53 has a shorter transition phase starting from the hard tip 29 with respect to the soft guide band 63. In Figure 35 It can be seen that the hard bullet front 53 begins to become softer towards the rear of the bullet after approx. 2/3 of the ogive section and approaches the initial hardness of the intermediate. The bullet, made from solid material ( Figure 34 ) has an evenly distributed hardness on the projectile front 53; only after the section of the projectile front 53 does the transition phase of the hardness begin, which extends over the entire guide band 63. The technical effect of the short hardness transition phase in the floor front 53 according to Figure 35 is that the segment flags 111 can bend to the maximum without cracks occurring in the bent segment flags 111. Unloaded or unhardened material can usually be deformed/bent more without damage than loaded material.

The features disclosed in the above description, the figures and the claims can be important both individually and in any combination for the implementation of the invention in the various embodiments.

Reference symbol list

1

projectile

3

Intermediate

4

pipe section

5

countersunk intermediate

7

die

9

Pre-compression

10

Pressling

11

Rear constriction

13

bullet body

17

floor

19

sinking

21

Rear cavity

23

Edge

25

Intermediate plan area

27

central constriction

29

Great

31

face

33

Bow fold

35

opening

37

opposite end face

39

inner tube surface

41

bow wall

43

Wall slots

45

cavity

47

conical tool

49

fired, deformed bullet

51

bullet tail

53

floor front

55

pipe cavity

57

Cavity base section

59

Tail cavity base section

61

Rear bevel

63

Guide band

65

Hollow cylinder

67

Hollow cylinder inner surface

71

inner wall surface

73

Sub-segment

75

tapered cavity section

77

Segment edge

79

leadership part

80

Pressed part

81

Segment edge

83

tool shank

85

Press tip/guide tip

87

outer surface

89

concave shaping section

91

convex shaping section

93

Die cylinder inner surface

95

rejuvenation

97

front side

99

Ejector side die

101

Front

103

Transition area

105

Plan area

107

Holding section/circular area

108

Shaping section

100

Tool

111

Segment flag

113

Metal body

117

Rear filler

119

Front filler

L

Longitudinal direction

P

Pressing direction

a

Blank wall thickness

b

Rear cavity wall thickness

H

hard zone

m

middle zone

w

soft zone

Claims (16)

Projectile (1) with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm for ammunition, in particular deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or tracer bullet, the projectile (1) consisting of an intermediate (3) with a pipe section ( 4) essentially constant wall thickness (a), which makes up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate (3), is produced by cold forming, in particular extrusion. Projectile (1), in particular according to claim 1, with a caliber in the range from 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in particular deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or tracer bullet, the projectile (1) consisting of an intermediate (3) with a pipe section (4) of essentially constant wall thickness (a), the pipe section (4) making up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate (3) and an inner pipe diameter being at most 50% of an outer pipe diameter of the pipe section (4). Projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, with a caliber in the range from 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in particular deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, hard core bullet or tracer bullet, wherein the projectile (1) consists of an intermediate ( 3) is produced with a pipe section (4) of essentially constant wall thickness (a), the pipe section (4) making up at least 50% of the longitudinal extent of the intermediate (3) and an internal cross section of the pipe section (4) being point-symmetrical, deviating from a circular shape and is constant in the longitudinal direction. Projectile (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an outer diameter of the intermediate (3) essentially corresponds to the caliber of the projectile (1). Projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in particular deformation bullet, partial fragmentation bullet, partial or full jacket bullet, Hard core bullet or tracer bullet, wherein the projectile (1) is made from an intermediate (3) with a tube section (4) of essentially constant wall thickness (a) and comprises a bullet jacket surrounding a central cavity (45), which has a bullet front that tapers in particular in the manner of an ogive (53) and an adjoining rear floor (51) with a solid rear area which opens into a floor (17), an average hardness on the floor (17) corresponding to at least 103%, in particular at least 105%, of the average hardness, if the projectile (1) would be made from a solid intermediate (3), and/or wherein an average hardness in the area of a casing area of the rear of the projectile (51) surrounding the cavity (45) is at most 90%, in particular at most 85% or at most 80%, corresponds to the average hardness if the projectile (1) were made from a solid intermediate (3). Projectile (1) according to claim 5, wherein the hardness values are values close to the surface. Projectile (1) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the jacket area of the tail of the projectile (51) surrounding the cavity (45) has a guide band (63) defining a maximum outer diameter of the projectile (1) for engaging in a tensile field profile of a firearm barrel , in particular an averaged hardness of the guide band (63) over its entire radial depth being softer, in particular at least 10%, at least 15% or at least 20%, softer than the averaged hardness when the projectile (1) is made of a solid intermediate (3 ) would be produced. Projectile (1) according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the rear of the projectile (51) in the axial projection of the cavity (45) has a solidified core area with a higher average hardness than that which extends in the longitudinal direction (L) of the projectile, in particular up to the floor (17). has projectile rear areas adjacent to the core area, the average hardness of which corresponds to at least 140%, in particular at least 150% or at least 160%, of the average hardness if the projectile (1) were made from a solid intermediate (3). Tool (100) for pressing an intermediate (3) inserted in a particularly cylindrical die (7), which has a pipe section (4) with a Cavity (45) with a substantially constant diameter in order to produce a projectile (1), designed in particular according to one of the preceding claims, with a caliber in the range from 4.6 mm to 20 mm, comprising a holding section (107) and a tapered one Shaping section (108) with a tip (85), an elongated, at least partially curved, in particular concavely shaped, or conical guide part (79) adjoining the tip (85) for guiding the tool (100) within the cavity (45) of the pipe section (4) and an at least partially curved, in particular concavely shaped, or conical pressed part (80) adjoining it without projections and with a different inclination to the longitudinal axis of the tool (L). Tool (100) according to claim 9, wherein an axial length of the guide part (79) is matched to an internal dimension of the pipe section (4) such that the tool (100) has an external dimension at the transition from the guide part (79) into the pressed part (80). of up to 1.4 times the diameter of the cavity (45). Tool (100) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein an axial length of the guide part (79) and/or the pressing part (80) is at least 80% of a maximum radial distance of the cavity (45). Tool (100) according to one of claims 9 to 11, the cross section of which is point-symmetrical, particularly in the area of the guide part (79) and/or the pressing part (80), and deviates from a circular shape. Method for producing a projectile (1) designed in particular according to one of claims 1 to 8 with a caliber in the range from 4.6 mm to 20 mm, in which an intermediate (3) with a tube section (4) of essentially constant wall thickness (a ) is inserted into a particularly cylindrical die (7) and the intermediate (3) is cold-formed, in particular formed by means of extrusion, by means of a tool (100) designed in particular according to one of claims 9 to 12, in such a way that at least in sections the outer diameter of the intermediate ( 3) remains essentially constant and determines the projectile caliber. Method, in particular according to claim 13, which is designed to produce a projectile (1) designed according to one of claims 1 to 8. Use of a tubular metallic intermediate (3), in particular made of copper, aluminum, iron, such as soft iron, silver, titanium, tungsten, tin, zinc, magnesium, lead, cadmium or alloys thereof, for producing a projectile designed in particular according to one of claims 1 to 8 , in particular deformation bullets, partial fragmentation bullets, partial or full jacket bullets, hard core bullets or tracer bullets, with a caliber in the range of 4.6 mm to 20 mm for ammunition. Use according to claim 15, wherein a tool (100) designed according to one of claims 9 to 12 is used.

Images