USH769H - Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen - Google Patents

Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen Download PDF

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Publication number
USH769H
USH769H US07/389,195 US38919589A USH769H US H769 H USH769 H US H769H US 38919589 A US38919589 A US 38919589A US H769 H USH769 H US H769H
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
particles
cloud
titanium dioxide
screening
atmosphere
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US07/389,195
Inventor
William G. Rouse
Michael J. Burnham
Erica R. Riley
Janon F. Embury
Robert H. Frickel
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
US Department of Army
Original Assignee
US Department of Army
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by US Department of Army filed Critical US Department of Army
Priority to US07/389,195 priority Critical patent/USH769H/en
Assigned to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY reassignment UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: BURNHAM, MICHAEL J., EMBURY, JANON F., FRICKEL, ROBERT H., RILEY, ERICA R., ROUSE, WILLIAM G.
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of USH769H publication Critical patent/USH769H/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C06—EXPLOSIVES; MATCHES
    • C06D—MEANS FOR GENERATING SMOKE OR MIST; GAS-ATTACK COMPOSITIONS; GENERATION OF GAS FOR BLASTING OR PROPULSION (CHEMICAL PART)
    • C06D3/00—Generation of smoke or mist (chemical part)
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
    • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
    • F42B12/02—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
    • F42B12/36—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
    • F42B12/46—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information for dispensing gases, vapours, powders or chemically-reactive substances
    • F42B12/50—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information for dispensing gases, vapours, powders or chemically-reactive substances by dispersion

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a minimum hazard visual screening cloud and a method of forming such a cloud.
  • Various military vehicles are conventionally equipped with smoke grenades and suitable launchers, such as launching tubes or barrels, singly or in clusters, whereby the grenades are launched to provide a visual screen relative to the vehicle.
  • Screening effectiveness is optimized by bursting in mid-air a high explosive central burster surrounded by densely compacted special titanium dioxide composition, compatible with the high explosive enabling the use of a volume-limited device such as a conventional screening grenade which may be launched form a conventional launch tube.
  • a further object is the forming of a minimal hazard screening cloud of substantial effectiveness.
  • a minimum hazard visual screening cloud is formed in the atmosphere by projecting one or more burstable containers, such as conventional screening grenades, into the atmosphere at the desired location for formation of a screening cloud. This may be effected by launching grenades from a screening vehicle, as by use of conventional multiple launch tubes in a launcher mounted on the vehicle.
  • the screening cloud is formed of fine titanium dioxide particles in which the particles are of submicron diameter. It has been found that coated and sized titanium dioxide particles provide an effective, minimum hazard, visual screening cloud, and that an effective aerosoling of such particles may be accomplished by using particles of approximately 0.3 microns in diameter.
  • Titanium dioxide particles with siloxane coating similar to those which are employed as pigments in the paint industry have been found to be highly suitable for practice of this invention.
  • These particles are suitably compacted as by wetting with 1, 1, 1-dichloroethane and subsequently drying a desired mass of such particles to form a compact generally cohesive mass of particles, in a configuration which enables ready explosive bursting to effect aerosoling of the particles in the atmosphere to thereby form the desired screening cloud.
  • a hollow cylindrical or tubular shape is a desirable configuration to enable both adequate bursting of the compact particles, and also to enable its use in a conventional launchable grenade form.
  • the compacted hollow cylindrical mass of titanium dioxide spheres is explosively burst in the atmosphere by an HE explosive charge mass which is disposed within the hollow cylindrical compacted mass of particles.
  • HE is generally accepted as being a composition whose consumption rate is 20,000 feet per second or more.
  • a ratio of the weight of the compacted mass of particles relative to the HE explosive charge mass may be employed within the general range of approximately 15:1 to 30:1, with an optimum ratio being approximately 25:1, particularly for titanium dioxide. This yields maximum visual screening attenuation over an adequate area to screen the source vehicle and surrounding personal or vehicles from enemy vehicles and enemy personnel, consistent with the conventional grenade volume constraints imposed by launching from a conventional launch tube of relatively small size.
  • a particular advantage of the treated titanium dioxide composition, for the compacted particles is the ability of these particles to provide a highly effective minimum hazard visual screening cloud while not flashing or igniting as a result of the explosive bursting of the compact mass by the HE explosive.
  • clouds 7 to 10 meters in diameter may be readily formed according to the invention with excellent attenuation throughout the visible wavelength regions.
  • a suitable vehicle for carrying out the method and forming a screening cloud according to the invention is a conventional self-propelled grenade which is launchable from a conventional launch tube mounted on a vehicle or otherwise as desired.
  • the conventional grenade has a frangible plastic body within which is a hollow cylinder or tube of compacted titanium dioxide particles as previously described.
  • a hollow cylindrical mass of compacted particles Within the hollow cylindrical mass of compacted particles is a cylinder of HE explosive, which may be of any conventional HE composition.
  • a guide tube and support tube may be employed between the hollow cylindrical mass and the cylindrical HE mass with a plastic cover suitably secured over the end thereof, as by ultrasonic welding.
  • the grenade is self-propelled by a propellant charge which may be ignited as by an electric squib or electric match.
  • the propellant gases produced vent through conventional side vents leading from the propellant chamber and out through thin-walled blow-outs in a propellant cover.
  • a suitable pyrotechnic time delay may be ignited directly by the burning propellant to enable a desired time delay after launch before burst of the HE charge.
  • One or more percussive detonators which may be of successively increasing power, may be employed in the ignition/detonation path leading to the HE mass.
  • an ignitable relatively low power detonator would activate a higher power conventional booster lead, which in turn would set off an explosion of the HE explosive mass, to thereby effectively break up the particles and aerosolize the fine mass and thus form a desired minimum hazard visual screening cloud in the atmosphere at the desired location.
  • a screening cloud of desired size may be formed so as to screen a relatively wide area from enemy vehicles and enemy personnel.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Botany (AREA)
  • Pest Control & Pesticides (AREA)
  • Plant Pathology (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)

Abstract

A minimum hazard visual screening cloud is formed comprised of an aerosol fine spheres of a titanium dioxide composition, in which the particles are of submicron diameter. The cloud is formed by aerosolizing a compact mass of titanium dioxide spheres of submicron diameter through the action of explosively bursting such compact mass in the atmosphere at the desired cloud location.

Description

GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for Governmental purposes without payment to us of any royalties thereon.
FIELD OF USE
This invention relates to a minimum hazard visual screening cloud and a method of forming such a cloud.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Efforts to develop a minimum hazard visual screening cloud that will protect military equipment from visual detection and allow safe training have been under way for a number of years. Various military vehicles are conventionally equipped with smoke grenades and suitable launchers, such as launching tubes or barrels, singly or in clusters, whereby the grenades are launched to provide a visual screen relative to the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for dissemination of visual screening composition in a manner compatible with current vehicle mounted smoke grenade launcher systems, so as to form an effective minimum hazard visual screening cloud.
Screening effectiveness is optimized by bursting in mid-air a high explosive central burster surrounded by densely compacted special titanium dioxide composition, compatible with the high explosive enabling the use of a volume-limited device such as a conventional screening grenade which may be launched form a conventional launch tube.
A further object is the forming of a minimal hazard screening cloud of substantial effectiveness.
Still other objects, features and attendant advantages will become more apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment and mode of practice of the invention.
A minimum hazard visual screening cloud is formed in the atmosphere by projecting one or more burstable containers, such as conventional screening grenades, into the atmosphere at the desired location for formation of a screening cloud. This may be effected by launching grenades from a screening vehicle, as by use of conventional multiple launch tubes in a launcher mounted on the vehicle.
The screening cloud is formed of fine titanium dioxide particles in which the particles are of submicron diameter. It has been found that coated and sized titanium dioxide particles provide an effective, minimum hazard, visual screening cloud, and that an effective aerosoling of such particles may be accomplished by using particles of approximately 0.3 microns in diameter.
Titanium dioxide particles with siloxane coating, similar to those which are employed as pigments in the paint industry have been found to be highly suitable for practice of this invention.
These particles are suitably compacted as by wetting with 1, 1, 1-dichloroethane and subsequently drying a desired mass of such particles to form a compact generally cohesive mass of particles, in a configuration which enables ready explosive bursting to effect aerosoling of the particles in the atmosphere to thereby form the desired screening cloud.
It has been found that a hollow cylindrical or tubular shape is a desirable configuration to enable both adequate bursting of the compact particles, and also to enable its use in a conventional launchable grenade form.
In forming the minimum hazard visual screening cloud, the compacted hollow cylindrical mass of titanium dioxide spheres is explosively burst in the atmosphere by an HE explosive charge mass which is disposed within the hollow cylindrical compacted mass of particles. The term HE is generally accepted as being a composition whose consumption rate is 20,000 feet per second or more.
A ratio of the weight of the compacted mass of particles relative to the HE explosive charge mass may be employed within the general range of approximately 15:1 to 30:1, with an optimum ratio being approximately 25:1, particularly for titanium dioxide. This yields maximum visual screening attenuation over an adequate area to screen the source vehicle and surrounding personal or vehicles from enemy vehicles and enemy personnel, consistent with the conventional grenade volume constraints imposed by launching from a conventional launch tube of relatively small size.
A particular advantage of the treated titanium dioxide composition, for the compacted particles is the ability of these particles to provide a highly effective minimum hazard visual screening cloud while not flashing or igniting as a result of the explosive bursting of the compact mass by the HE explosive.
It has been found that clouds 7 to 10 meters in diameter may be readily formed according to the invention with excellent attenuation throughout the visible wavelength regions.
A suitable vehicle for carrying out the method and forming a screening cloud according to the invention is a conventional self-propelled grenade which is launchable from a conventional launch tube mounted on a vehicle or otherwise as desired.
The conventional grenade has a frangible plastic body within which is a hollow cylinder or tube of compacted titanium dioxide particles as previously described. Within the hollow cylindrical mass of compacted particles is a cylinder of HE explosive, which may be of any conventional HE composition. A guide tube and support tube may be employed between the hollow cylindrical mass and the cylindrical HE mass with a plastic cover suitably secured over the end thereof, as by ultrasonic welding.
The grenade is self-propelled by a propellant charge which may be ignited as by an electric squib or electric match. The propellant gases produced vent through conventional side vents leading from the propellant chamber and out through thin-walled blow-outs in a propellant cover.
A suitable pyrotechnic time delay may be ignited directly by the burning propellant to enable a desired time delay after launch before burst of the HE charge.
One or more percussive detonators which may be of successively increasing power, may be employed in the ignition/detonation path leading to the HE mass. In one embodiment, an ignitable relatively low power detonator would activate a higher power conventional booster lead, which in turn would set off an explosion of the HE explosive mass, to thereby effectively break up the particles and aerosolize the fine mass and thus form a desired minimum hazard visual screening cloud in the atmosphere at the desired location.
By launching multiple grenades from launchers over a desired area, it will be appreciated that a screening cloud of desired size may be formed so as to screen a relatively wide area from enemy vehicles and enemy personnel.
While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a single embodiment, it will be appreciated that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by the particular embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.
The foregoing disclosure is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and is not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the described because obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims (8)

We claim:
1. In an improved method of screening against visual light transmission, the improvement comprising injecting into the atmosphere a screening cloud of fine particles comprised of titanium dioxide composition, in which the particles are coated and of submicron diameter, said cloud being formed by bursting a compacted generally cohesive solid mass of said particles in the atmosphere to there aerosolize and disperse said particles in the atmosphere.
2. The method according to claim 1, in which said particles are formed of a titanium dioxide compound.
3. The method according to claim 1, in which said particles are coated with siloxane to retain their individual identity.
4. The method according to claim 3, in which said particles are generally of a size of between about 0.2-0.5 microns in diameter.
5. The method according to claim 4, in which said particles are generally spherical in size and shape.
6. The method according to claim 1, in which said bursting is effected by bursting an HE explosive charge within said compacted cohesive mass of titanium dioxide powder.
7. The method according to claim 6, the ratio of the weights of said compacted cohesive mass of particles relative to said HE explosive charge being within the range of approximately 15:1-30:1.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the screening cloud is minimally hazardous to people, animals and the environment.
US07/389,195 1989-08-03 1989-08-03 Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen Abandoned USH769H (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/389,195 USH769H (en) 1989-08-03 1989-08-03 Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/389,195 USH769H (en) 1989-08-03 1989-08-03 Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
USH769H true USH769H (en) 1990-04-03

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US07/389,195 Abandoned USH769H (en) 1989-08-03 1989-08-03 Method of forming a safe visual smoke screen

Country Status (1)

Country Link
US (1) USH769H (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2669625A1 (en) * 1990-11-22 1992-05-29 Giat Ind Sa EFFECTIVE MASKING MATERIAL IN THE INFRA RED DOMAIN.
US6047644A (en) * 1998-03-18 2000-04-11 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Propellant based aerosol generating device and method of use
DE10013398A1 (en) * 2000-03-17 2001-09-20 Comet Gmbh Pyrotechnik Appbau Pollutant-free colored smoke, consists of fine metallic particles which absorb light, and whose size can be altered.

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2669625A1 (en) * 1990-11-22 1992-05-29 Giat Ind Sa EFFECTIVE MASKING MATERIAL IN THE INFRA RED DOMAIN.
WO1992009544A1 (en) * 1990-11-22 1992-06-11 Giat Industries Masking material effective in the infrared
US5340395A (en) * 1990-11-22 1994-08-23 Giat Industries Material for efficient masking in the infrared region
US6047644A (en) * 1998-03-18 2000-04-11 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Propellant based aerosol generating device and method of use
DE10013398A1 (en) * 2000-03-17 2001-09-20 Comet Gmbh Pyrotechnik Appbau Pollutant-free colored smoke, consists of fine metallic particles which absorb light, and whose size can be altered.

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Owner name: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE, AS REPRESENTED BY T

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:ROUSE, WILLIAM G.;BURNHAM, MICHAEL J.;RILEY, ERICA R.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:005142/0299;SIGNING DATES FROM 19890727 TO 19890731

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