SE541040C2 - Grenade with multiple impact loads and procedure therefore - Google Patents

Abstract

Grenade (1) for launching from a barrel, which grenade (1) comprises a grenade body (2) comprising at least two action parts (8) arranged axially one after the other in the grenade body (2), which action parts (8) comprise explosive charges (12) arranged for forward splitting action in the direction of travel of the grenade (1). The grenade (1) is designed to minimize the spread of shards in the radial direction when combating targets to prevent damage to civilians and civilian material. Characteristic of the grenade (1) is that the grenade body (2) also comprises launching devices (13) for launching the action parts (8) from the grenade body (2) according to a fixed time delay in the direction of travel of the grenade (1), and initiating devices (14) for initiating the action parts. (8) explosive charges (12) according to a fixed time delay.

Description

Grenade with multiple action charges and procedure therefore The present invention relates to a grenade for firing from a barrel, which grenade comprises a grenade body comprising at least two action parts arranged axially one after the other in the grenade body, which at least two action parts comprise explosive charges arranged for forward splitting action in the direction of travel of the grenade. The invention also relates to a method for firing said grenade.

Conventional grenade launchers are normally all-encompassing, which means that fragments formed when the grenade explodes are spread radially outwards from the entire body of the grenade. The fragmentation of the grenade body is "natural", which means that the grenade body, which is normally made of iron or steel, is blown to pieces with varying shapes and sizes. When fighting in built-up areas, you want to avoid damage to the civilian population. Grenades with all-around shattering effect make it difficult to limit the effect only to military targets. There is a great risk that splinters will spread in directions where undesirable effects can occur. Splits from naturally fragmented grenade bodies are uneven in shape and vary from very small to large pieces of the grenade body. Furthermore, naturally fragmented splinters with uneven shape mean strong air braking of the splinters and little effect on targets, especially when the grenade explodes at a long distance the target.

It is previously known to reduce the circumferential splitting action of a grenade by using explosive charges with forward-looking action (RSV charge). In order to increase the shattering action of the grenade, it is also known to arrange several RSV charges one after the other, in series, where each RSV charge is initiated with a certain time delay. US 5,191,169 figure 1 shows a side grenade 1 where a number of RSV modules 16, also called EFP (explosively formed penetrators) modules, are arranged one after the other. The RSV modules 16 comprise seven RSV charges 22 each, of which one RSV charge is arranged in the center of the RSV module while the others are evenly distributed around the central RSV charge 22. The RSV charges 22 comprise; an RSV liner 24, a burst charge 26 and a detonator 28. The direction of action of the central RSV charge is directed in the direction of travel of the grenade. The surrounding RSV charges, on the other hand, are angled, radially outward, relative to the central RSV charge, thereby preventing interference with a forward RSV module.

However, the arrangement in US 5,191,169 where the underlying RSV charges are radially angled or deflected does not solve the problem of scattering splinters from the surrounding grenade body.

A further disadvantage of the arrangement in US 5 1911 69 5 is that the spread of splinters from the RSV charges increases with the number of RSV modules in the grenade.

Object of the invention and its features A main object of the invention is a grenade comprising action charges arranged for forward splitting action in the direction of travel of the grenade where the spread of splinters in the radial direction has been greatly reduced and where the splitting effect on a well-defined target surface has been increased. A further object of the invention is a method for firing a grenade as above.

The said objects, as well as other objects not listed here, are satisfactorily fulfilled within the scope of what is stated in the present, independent patent claims.

Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a grenade comprising a grenade body comprising at least two actuating members arranged axially one after the other in the grenade body, which actuating members comprise explosive charges arranged for forward splitting action in the direction of the grenade. on a well-defined target area has been increased. Characteristic of the invention is that the grenade body also comprises launching devices for launching the active parts from the grenade body according to a certain order in the direction of travel of the grenade, and initiating devices for initiating the explosive charges of the active parts according to a fixed time order.

According to further aspects of a grenade according to the invention: that the launching devices and the initiating devices are arranged in the operating parts, that the action parts also comprise a programmable time delay unit for time-delayed launching and initiation of the action parts, that the grenade also comprises a sensor unit arranged in the nose portion of the grenade for activating the ejection devices of the action parts, that the rear part of the action parts comprises an end, which end is designed so that an action part behind it can at least partially be accommodated in a front action part, that the action parts comprise a splitter plate, which splitter plate comprises pre-fragmented metal splinters baked into a powder metallic material, that the pre-fragmented metal fragments comprise a heavy metal or a mixture of heavy metals, that the action part comprises a casing, which casing comprises a plastic matrix comprising a metal powder.

Characteristic of the method of firing a grenade as above are; that the active parts of the grenade are pushed out of the grenade body in the direction of travel of the grenade with the same time delay of the same meaning and that the explosive charges of the active parts are initiated simultaneously after a certain time delay.

Advantages and effects of the invention Invention has several advantages and effects. By separating the active parts from the grenade before the explosive charges of the active parts are initiated, splinters from the grenade body are prevented from spreading radially. By separating the action parts from each other before the explosive charges are initiated, the disturbing effect from an active action part on a front action part is minimized. The reduced spread means that the forward splitting effect on a well-defined surface increases. The use of several splitter plates compared to one or two splitter plates means an increase in the number of splinters that the grenade can produce. Furthermore, the use of pre-fragmented heavy metal chips means a lower scattering effect because pre-fragmented heavy metal chips are smoother in shape and have a higher density. The braking of the shards in the atmosphere will be lower at the same time as the impact force will be higher compared with naturally fragmented steel shards.

By varying the firing frequency and the bursting frequency of the action parts, the splitting spread and splitting action can be varied with regard to the position and character of a target.

Additional advantages and effects of the invention will become apparent upon study and upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, including a number of its most advantageous embodiments, claims and the accompanying drawing figures therein; Fig. 1, shows a longitudinal section of a grenade comprising four action charges arranged for forward action, Fig. 2, shows a longitudinal section of an action charge according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 schematically shows the splitter spread A from the action charges with a burst distance H.

Detailed description Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the grenade 1 according to the invention. The grenade 1 is designed as a conventional grenade launcher grenade 1 but could be another type of grenade, for example an artillery grenade. The grenade body 1 comprises a grenade body 2, a nose portion 3 and a tail portion 4. The grenade body 2 further comprises four axially successively arranged actuating charges 8, designed for forward splitting action. The grenade 1 is arranged for forward-facing splitting action with a well-defined action from the action parts 8 at target. The grenade 1 further comprises a tail portion 4 whose front tubular part 7 is designed for mounting conventional horseshoe-shaped propellant charges for projecting the grenade 1 from a barrel. On the rear part of the tail portion 4 a number of guide fins 6 are arranged for guiding the grenade 1 during the flight phase of the grenade 1.

The grenade 1 in figure 3 is primarily intended for air breezes above a target, which is located in an urban environment where one strives for effect in targets while at the same time wanting to avoid unwanted side effects on civilians and civilian materiel. The purpose is thus that splinters from the grenade (1) and its active parts 8 are to be spread in the forward direction of the grenade 1 and that no or possibly only splinters with a very short range are to be spread radially. The impact surface A of the grenade 1 at a target can be adapted to the position and character of the target in the event of an air breeze by choosing the appropriate breeze height H.

Small breeze height H gives a small action area A and large breeze height H gives a large action area A. To achieve this effect, the grenade 1 is provided with a sensor unit 5, which sensor unit 5 can be constituted by a time or zone tube 5, which can be programmed for suitable breeze height H, figures 1 and 3.

The action parts 8 of the grenade 1, figure 2, comprise a splitter plate 10 and an action housing 11, also called housing 11. Each action part 8 comprises an explosive charge 12 and a programmable activating device 13, also called fuse reinforcement and igniter (SAT) device 13, which activating device 13 comprises a gas generator 15 for launching the action part 8 from the grenade body 2 and a detonator 14 for initiating the explosive charge of the action part 8.

The rear part of the action part 8 preferably comprises a tubular end 16 to enable a rear action part 8, at least in part, to be accommodated in a front action part 8, i.e. the action parts 8 are thereby stackable to each other whereby valuable space can be saved in the grenade. The tubular shape of the ends 16 also has a stabilizing effect when the action parts 8 are ejected from the grenade body 2. The splitter plate 10 in figure 2 comprises pre-fragmented metal splinters, preferably comprising a heavy metal or a mixture of heavy metals, for example tungsten.

The metal splinters are preferably baked into a matrix material, which has the purpose of holding the pre-fragmented heavy metal splinters together and to function as a driving mirror when the explosive 12 explodes. The matrix material may, for example, consist of a powder metallic material which has been formed into its final shape by, for example, isostat pressing.

The splitter plate 10 is designed to, together with the explosive explosive 12, generate an even splitter spread over the target surface A.

The action part 8 comprises a casing 11 which is designed to provide a suitable dam when detonating the explosive charge 12. The casing 11 preferably comprises a material which gives a very small shattering effect when detonating the explosive. Splits that are still formed have a very short range. The explosive 12 is preferably a low-sensitivity explosive, for example of the nitramine type. The activating device 13 of the actuator 8, which may be a SAT device 13, handles the functions; securing, reinforcing and initiating the action part 8. The SAT device 13 also controls the gas generator 15 for separating the action parts 8.

The grenade 1 is fired from a barrel, from for example a grenade launcher, like a conventional grenade 1. When the grenade 1 approaches the target, the grenade's time tube 5 is activated and the action phase of the grenade 1 is initiated. The nose part 3 of the grenade 1 is pushed away with a separation charge (not shown in figure I), which separation charge is arranged in the rear part of the spark plug 5, alternatively an airbag can be used as a separation charge. Before the time tube 5 is similar to the grenade body 2, it has activated the SAT devices 13 in the action parts 8. After the nose part 3 with the time tube 5 has left the grenade body 2, the launching sequence of the action parts 8 starts. that the action parts 8 are separated from each other.

The action parts 8 are pushed out from the grenade body 2 starting from the main action part 8, closest to the nose portion 3 of the grenade 1, after which the other action parts 8 are pushed out in quick succession. At the same time as the action parts 8 leave the grenade body 2, the SAT devices 13 reinforce the explosive charges 12 of the action parts 8.

When all the action parts 8 have left the grenade body 2, the SAT devices 13 initiate the explosive charges 12 via the detonators 14, the action parts 8 bursting and splinters spreading forward in the direction of travel of the grenade 1. The time delay unit in the SAT devices 13 initiates the action parts 8 so that all the action parts 8 burst, preferably simultaneously. Alternatively, the time delay unit may be pre-programmed so that the action parts 8 burst with different time delays. For example, the time delay may be the side that all the action charges 8 burst at the same distance from a target. It is also possible to have different time delays for launching the action parts 8 and different time delays for initiating the explosive charges 12 of the action parts 8.

The purpose of the time-delayed firing is to provide a predetermined distance between the action parts 8 so that the action parts 8 do not interfere with each other when they burst. The distances between the action parts 8 should, preferably, be as small as possible but still large enough so that the action parts 8 do not interfere with each other. The flight time of the action parts 8 after firing from the grenade body 2 should be as short as possible so that the action parts 8 do not have time to change direction. The result is that all the splitter plates 10 in the action parts 8 simultaneously spread their splinters towards a well-defined target surface A.

The shape of the splitter plates 10 can also be adapted to provide a predetermined spreading pattern of the splitter at target. Furthermore, the surface spread A of the splitter at the target can be varied by varying the burst distance H Alternative possibilities for using the grenade When using the grenade 1 as a conventional grenade launcher 1, the entire grenade 1 can be detonated without the active parts 8 being pushed out of the grenade body 2. All the active parts 8 then explode simultaneously in the grenade body 2, which means that all explosive charges 12 are initiated simultaneously. The grenade 1 then has a circumferential splitting effect, partly of the bullet plates 10 which are scattered radially to some extent, and partly of splinters from the grenade casing 12 which are spread radially.

Another possibility is to separate the action parts 8 at a high height above the target and allow them to fly individually for a longer period of time and thus spread the action parts 8 over a large target surface A.

However, one then has no exact control over where each action part emits its action.

Figure 3 shows a grenade 1 heading towards a target in a path with a steep angle of impact, which is the traditional way of using a grenade launcher when firing indirect fire with high projectile trajectories. However, there is nothing to prevent the grenade 1 from being used to fire direct fire with a flat projectile trajectory.

Claims (9)

Patent claims A grenade (1) for firing from a barrel, which grenade (1) comprises a grenade body (2) comprising at least two action parts (8) arranged axially one after the other in the grenade body (2), which action parts (8) comprise explosive charges (12) arranged for forward splitting action in the direction of travel of the grenade (1), characterized in that the grenade body (2) also comprises launching devices (13) for projecting the action parts (8) from the grenade body (2) according to a fixed time delay in the direction of travel of the grenade (1), and ) for initiating the explosive charges (12) of the action parts (8) according to a fixed time delay. Grenade (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the launching devices (13) and the initiating devices (14) are arranged in the operative parts (8) of the grenade (1). 3. Grenade (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the action parts (8) also comprise a programmable time delay unit for time-delayed launching and initiation of the action parts (8). Grenade (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the grenade (1) also comprises a sensor unit (9) arranged in the nose portion (3) of the grenade (1) for activating the ejection devices (13) of the action parts (8). Grenade (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rear part of the action parts (8) comprises an end (16), which end (16) is designed so that a rear action part (8) can at least partially be accommodated in a front action part. (8). Garnet (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the action parts (8) comprise a splinter plate (10), which splitter plate (10) comprises pre-fragmented metal splinters baked into a powder metallic material. Garnet (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the pre-fragmented metal fragments comprise a heavy metal or a mixture of heavy metals. Grenade (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the action part (8) comprises in a housing (11), which housing (11) comprises a plastic matrix comprising a metal powder. Method for firing a grenade (1), which grenade (1) comprises a grenade body (2) comprising at least two action parts (8), which action parts (8) are arranged axially one after the other in the grenade body (2), which action parts (8 ) comprises explosive charges (12) designed for forward splitting action in the direction of travel of the grenade (1), characterized in that the action parts (8) of the grenade are pushed out of the grenade body (2) in the direction of travel of the grenade with the same meaning time delay. after a certain time delay.