US1102758A - Armor-piercing projectile. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. KEEN. ARMOR PIBRUING PROJEGTILE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1914.

1 1Q2 758 Patented July 7, 191$ the armor pierclng UNITED sTAtrns PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HERBERT KEEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF GOLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO WASHINGTON STEEL 8r, ORDNANCE COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ARMOR-PIERCING PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1914.

Application filed March 16, 1914. Serial N 0. 824,997.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HERBERT KEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of C0- lumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Armor-Piercing Projcctiles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference markedthereon.

The object of the present invention is to provide an armor piercing projectile which will be more efiicient than those heretofore provided at either normal or oblique imact. p The invention consists in certain novel details of construction with relation to the cap of the projectile, all as will be hereinafter described and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a conventional form of armor piercing projec tile having a cap thereon constructed in accordance with the present invention. Figs.

2 and 3 are diagrammatic viewsshowing the action of armor piercing projectiles on armor with which they come in contact.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The body A of the projectile is of the usual form and material best adapting it for penetration and the cap afiixed to its forward end has the contour which is considered best for exterior ballistics, it being understood that the superficial contour lines may be secured by providing thin Wall's forming extensions of theitrue cap which walls will be destroyed or dissipated animpact without influencing materially the ac=- tion of the body of the cap in its efiect'on qualities of the pro-f jectile.

In accordance with the 'present invention the effective portion of the cap which assists the penetration has a broad leading end of annular form, the major mass of metal being forward of the point of the projectile, whereby the area of the surface of the armor plate embraced within the contacting end of the cap will be large and will set up in the plate vibration along lines of cleavage which correspond to the lines of cleavage in forming an opening through which the body of the projectile will pass. Furtheremore, the area of contact is immediately increased by the flattening out of the mass of metal in front of the point of the body, both when the impact is normal and when oblique, to set up vibration in the armor plate along the lines of cleavage around an area of a size to permit the passage of the body of the projectile. The action is assisted by the provision of. an annular cavity in the cap in rear of the point of the projectile body into which cavity the metal may flow back over the og'ive of the body during the initial contact and spreading of the mass of the cap forward of the point.

The effect of setting up vibration in the plate to be penetrated will behest understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The plate is indicated at B and the projectile at C, while 0 is a small cap on the point of the projectile. The contact of the cap with the plate setsiup vibration along the shearing or cleavage lines D at 415 to the surface, but these lines inclosetoo small an area for the passage of the body-0f the projectile, with the result that the body of the projectile must remove or displace a large section of metal around the shearing line in which vibration has been established; In Fig. 3 on the other hand, a cap E is shown which will inclose a large area during initial contact and vibration will be set up in the plate B along shearing lines e to form an opening of such size as to permit the passage of the body of the shell with thedisplacement of a very small percentage of metal at the entering edge of the aperture.

\Vith the above explanation it is believed the construction and operation of the present invention will be readily understood from ithe illustration in Fig. 1, wherein it will be seen thatgback of the cont-our extension G which'has noappreciable influence on the penetration,"'theen of the cap is broad and provided withia central concavity H in the axial line of the-projectile, giving the end of the cap an annular formation at I, which is of largediameter well forward of the point of thebody of the projectile. The major mass of the metal of the cap is for- 'ward of thepoint of the body and an annular cavity K is formed in the cap around the body in rear of the said point into which cavity the metal of the cap will flow over the ogive by pressure, due to impact and during the spreading of the cap forward of the point.

The skirt L of the cap serves to give the proper contour to the base of the cap and' the usual securing means may be introduced between the skirt'a'nd the body of the shell, as shown at M.

The annular cavity K is shown as extend ing forwardly and outwardly from the interior wall of the cap which is the preferred construction, but it is'obvious that its particular shape and location is not essential and save when specified the claims,.it is not desired to restrict the invention thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. An armor piercing projectile embodying a pointed body, a broad-ended cap on the pointed end of the body having a concavity in its outer portion in line with the axisof the projectile and a massive body of metal forward of said point and around said concavity, said cap having an annular cavity in rear of said massive body of metal, whereby the impact area of the cap will be increased and impact will cause the cap to spread forward of the point of the body and rearwardly'into said annular cavity.

2. An armor piercing projectile, embodying a pointed body, a broad-ended cap on the pointed end of the body'and having a massive body of metal forward of said point, said cap having an annular cavity in its inner portion around the body of the projectile adjacent the point into whieh'the metal of the cap will flow under the pressure due to impac 3. An armor piercing projectile embodying a pointed body, a broad-ended cap on the pointed end of the body, having a mas-' sive body of metal beyond said point, said cap havin an annular cavity in its inner portion a jacent to and extending entirely around the body of the projectile in rear of the point and into which cavity the metal v located forward of the point with its leading portion for first contact of annular-formaround the axis of the projectile, and-an; annular cavity in the caparound the bodyin rear of the point into which cavity'the of impact.

5. An armorpiercing projectile embodying a pointed armor piercing body and "a contour cap aflixed to the pointed endof the body with a massive body of metal forward 60: metal of the cap will flow under the pressure p of thesaid point, there being a rearwardly ex tending concavity in the said bodyof metal whereby the leading portion of the cap metal annular cavity in the interior of the base of the cap extending around the body of the f projectile in rear of its point.

Witnesses I J. E. \VILLIAMS, H. \V. DAVIS.

is of annular form and there also being an

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