RS51099B - SOON PROJECTILE - Google Patents

Abstract

Small caliber projectile (100) with a revived or conical front area, a cylindrical central part and a conical rear area, consisting of: - an outer shell (5) made of copper / zinc alloy, the shell (5) comprising an approximately cylindrical cavity, hard core (4) made of steel or sintered material inserted into the sleeve cavity (5) towards the top (1, 1 '), - core sleeves (8) made of copper / zinc alloy fastened by a connection provided with a hard core shape (4) with with a cylindrical cavity (10) open from the front, characterized in that the open side of the cavity (10) has a conical front which is connected to the hard core (4) by a provided shape and closes said hard core from the front of the sleeve. the core (8) is in peripheral contact along its entire length and at least in the rear area of the sleeve (5) is held by a pressed joint. The application contains 10 more patent claims.

Description

Description of the invention

The subject invention relates to a lead-free small-caliber jacketed projectile.

Various versions of this type of ammunition are known. They can be divided into those with hard cores made of steel, those with hard cores made of dense sintered material and those with an additional medium to the hard core, such as lead, aluminum and/or air. Common to this commercially available ammunition is a steel jacket, which is generally configured as a full jacket, ie. plated steel liner or liner made of copper/zinc alloy (tombak liner). At the same time, the jacket accepts one or more cores and an additional medium, and encloses said cores and the medium at least hermetically impervious to liquid.

Small-caliber ammunition and a process for its production are known from EP-A2-0 106 411. Appropriately optimized projectiles serve in principle as combat ammunition for infantry and already have good aerodynamic properties. However, this ammunition does not have the high enough ballistic energy required by shooters to penetrate armor plates. Its next drawback is the large amount of solid lead (98% Pb + 2% Sn) in the core, which has a toxic effect on the environment both in practice ammunition and in live ammunition, which is why today it is undesirable or even banned in some countries.

The jacketed projectile (WO 99/10703) with increased penetration performance and shooting accuracy has a hard core made of tungsten carbide, and as an additional medium it has a soft core made of lead (Pb/Sn 60/40) which is held by a pressed joint hermetically gas-tight by means of a brass disc in the jacket. In this way, the release of heavy metals and/or steam during firing is prevented; however, the toxic effect is still present in the target area. In addition, the production of such a projectile is complex and too expensive for mass use (infantry ammunition).

The following jacketed projectile for 9mm pistols is marked SVVISS P SELF 9mm Luger (RUAG Ammotec, Thun/Switzerland, formerly RUAG ammunition Thun/Switzerland). In this case, the projectile consists of two shells that are pressed into each other, with the inner shell being closed at the rear and open upwards, so that it includes a large air chamber together with the outer shell. However, this projectile is only designed for soft targets and in that case it can pass smoothly through the target; otherwise it can be produced as lead-free.

A jacketed projectile of caliber up to 15 mm known from DE-A1-107 10 113 consists of a flared or conical front area, a cylindrical central part and a conical rear area. A ductile metal jacket comprises a pointed hard core made of hardened steel or of sintered metal, which is more or less loosely supported by a horseshoe or plate support made of ductile metal or of synthetic material. In the region of its rectangular shoulder, the core has only linear contact with the jacket. The penetrating action of this projectile through plate-armored targets is good; however, its accuracy is significantly reduced. Namely, especially in the case of an oblique impact on the target, the front part of the projectile jacket breaks into pieces and deforms, which displaces the hard core from its initial axisymmetric position, which, as the effective cross-section becomes larger, at least reduces the penetration performance or even leads to ricochet. In addition, the production of this projectile is complex, and due to the more or less free positioning of the hard core, it cannot always be done with great accuracy.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to realize a small-caliber projectile (small-caliber = caliber less than 0.5") which is suitable for hard targets, which can be produced economically, which has high penetration performance and shooting accuracy and does not release heavy metals during firing or in the target area. The projectile to be realized should not contain lead in the core. The projectile jacket should also not shatter into pieces on hard targets.

The projectile according to claim 1 can be easily produced, and in hard targets (sheet metal) etc. it transfers almost all the kinetic energy to the hard core that penetrates the target. At the same time, the mass remains preserved 100%; and in the bullet hole, a mushroom-like rim formed from the tombac liner is formed, corresponding to the original weight of the liner. In this way, it has been proven that no heavy metals and/or metal vapors are released.

The above can be observed in the subject invention according to claim 2. It exhibits high final ballistic performance, despite the fact that it does not have a hard core over the entire cross-sectional area, and in practical tests no fragmentation on the target was detected.

Desirable improvements of the subject invention are described in the dependent claims.

From a ballistic point of view, a projectile with a revivable outer shape and an air chamber according to claim 3 is particularly desirable. As it turns out, the pressing of the hard core that is necessary can be done precisely and with relatively low forces. In addition, the transfer of the core's momentum, after a short displacement path, allows the penetration of the jacket with less energy loss.

The exemplary embodiment according to claim 4 is highly desirable for the central transfer of pulses from the cladding core to the hard core.

The behavior of the projectile in flight is ensured to a significant extent by the position of the center of gravity, according to requirement 5. The center of gravity can be optimized by the construction and dimensioning of the hard core, especially the cavity (air chamber) in the core jacket.

For the hard core, alloyed tool steels that can be machined and surface treated by the usual means, according to requirement 6, are very suitable.

The identical materials for the outer jacket and the core jacket according to claim 7 have been shown to be very economical and suitable in terms of density, assembly and thermal expansion.

The taper according to claim 8 improves the assembly of the projectile and enables its easy assembly.

The thickening of the liner in its front area described in claim 9 reduces ricocheting in the case of oblique firing at hard targets and also serves to determine the center of gravity.

The foregoing projectile embodiments have been shown to be particularly suitable for the calibers and types of projectiles specified in claim 10.

The current demand for lead-free projectiles is provided by the choice of materials specified in the requirements; see claim 11. The standard charge material in conventional projectiles made of heavy metal is also avoided, while the position of the center of gravity can be optimally adjusted by sizing individual components and cavities.

The invention will be described below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings.

On it:

Fig. 1 is a projectile according to the invention, placed in a shell which is known as such,

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-section of a preferred embodiment of the projectile of FIG. 1,

Fig. 3 is a partial section of a variant solution of a lead-free projectile,

Fig. 4a is a conventional projectile (from the state of the art) when it hits the target,

Fig. 4b is the projectile from Fig. 2 when it hits a target,

and

Fig. 4c is the projectile from Fig. 3 when hitting a target.

The tip of the projectile 100 is in FIG. 1 indicated by 1. A rim 21 is inserted into the reduced diameter of the peripheral taper 6, which is a component of the projectile shell 20 known as such. A standard explosive 24, which acts as a propellant for the projectile 100, is placed in the sleeve 20. A percussion cap 23 (SINTOX, trade name of RUAG Ammotec GmbH, Furth, DE) is inserted into the base of the sleeve 20.

A preferred rotationally symmetric projectile 100 is shown in FIG. 2 in enlarged partial section.

The current peak is fictitious; in reality it is a top in the form of a section of a ball, that is, a calotte 2. A small air chamber 3, which is formed between the hard core 4 and the outer jacket 5 as a result of their different diameters, is located inside the projectile 100. The jacket of the core 8 is attached to the hard core 4 by a connection provided by the shape and has a central cavity 10 in the form of a blind hole. The center of gravity of 7 projectiles is located in the upper part of the aforementioned cavity. The taper, i.e. the outer peripheral annular groove 6 is located above it, and is shown here as a diameter, see Fig. 1.

At the rear part, the liner 5 tapers conically and ends with a slanted part at an angle a of 30°, whereby the slanted part is connected to the end border 9 and holds the two cores 4 and 8 together by a pressed joint.

The diameter of the projectile 100 is marked with K, the caliber, in the current case, is 5.56 mm and is of type SS 109. The diameter of the taper 6 is 5.45 mm. The hard core 4 has a weight of 4 g and is made of hardened tool steel (material according to DIN 1.5511) and is phosphated after carbonization (penetration depth = 0.3 - 0.5 mm). The surface hardness is 570 HV1.

In this exemplary embodiment, the hard core 4 has a 90° conical tip which positively rests in a corresponding recess (complementary) in the upper part of the core jacket 8. This configuration can be varied as desired; however, a similar form with a central centering effect is preferred, as it facilitates the insertion or pressing, i.e. pressing of the core and ensures rotational symmetry of the projectile.

A hard core 4 made of tombac also proved to be handy; surprisingly it has similar final ballistic performance.

Projectiles can be manufactured using standard manufacturing equipment and are essentially made by deep drawing and pressing.

The hard core can also be made of other materials, for example sintered materials such as tungsten carbide. Other projectile jackets that have similar ductility to tombak can also be realized. The core cladding may also consist of other materials having a similar or higher density. However, with all alloys, care should be taken to deposit heavy metals during firing and at the target.

In Fig. 3 shows a variant of the aforementioned projectile, where the same functional parts are marked with the same call signs.

Contrary to the example of execution shown in Fig. 2, in this case the hard core is omitted. Instead of the hard core 4 only a single core jacket 8' similarly fills the space, in Fig. 2. The cavity 10 belonging to it is shorter compared to the cavity 10 and has a smaller diameter. As a result, the mass of the entire projectile 100' is increased, so that the final ballistic performance and effect are approximately the same on the target.

On the front side, the cavity 10' narrows and almost closes so that it forms a compact tip with the front part of the outer jacket when hitting the target.

With both variants, the results of measurements, theoretical considerations and comparisons with other projectiles (known from the state of the art) show extremely good results: Cavity 10 and/or 10' allows a transverse narrowing in the barrel of a revolver (rifle) compared to solid projectiles, which leads to a reduction of wear (abrasion), and especially of the barrel. At the same time, the initial velocity v0, i.e. the firing velocity of projectiles 100 and/or 100' at the exit from the barrel is higher than that of projectiles without cavity 10 and/or 10'.

The small drag coefficient cotp for a 5.56 mm projectile (SS 109 type) according to the invention after a flight length of 570 m (NATO target) still results in an impact velocity of 470 m/s; a steel plate Stanag 4172 with a thickness of 3.5 mm and a hardness of 55 - 70 HRB (400 N/mm<2>) was used, which was smoothly drilled.

Precise roll stabilization had a positive effect on the stability and reproducibility of the flight path, even with crosswinds. As a result of the choice of materials and the high rate of fire, the kinetic energy was greater than that of the projectiles with which it was compared, as it was shown in the tests. With the subject invention, the accuracy of standard weapons can be increased. Thus, for example, all fired shots (repeated burst fire) at a target distance of 25 m were located in a dispersion circle with a diameter of < 50 mm. At a target distance of 300 m, a standard deviation of SD < 35 mm can be detected. In practice, this means that out of 20 shots fired, 18 are located in a circular area with a diameter of 110 mm, and only two projectiles hit displaced from the center (target) by approximately 80 mm.

As ballistic soap firing tests have shown, ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) requirements for wound ballistics are also completely met, in contrast to numerous other state-of-the-art missiles.

In Fig. 4 shows a conventional hard-core projectile 200 (from the prior art) before and during impact on target Z (steel). The steel jacket 50 explodes in the target Z, and the hard core 40, which consists of tungsten or steel, penetrates the target Z, while thanks to the high kinetic energy, the lead core 30 that follows behind it partially turns into a liquid state and even partially vaporizes by sublimation upon impact. This can be seen as a vapor cloud 30' which after its condensation also leaves traces of lead on the target.

In projectile 200, a combination of elastic and plastic impact takes place with high deformability (fragmentation of material from all sides). The material of the projectile 200 that is fragmented at target Z and is still detectable, no longer corresponds to its initial weight at the exit of the barrel.

In contrast, in one projectile 100, in FIG. 4b, an identical mass can be detected on the target Z. In doing so, the hard core 4 (steel or tombac) also penetrates the target Z. The outer jacket 5 on the target Z changes shape into a mushroom-shaped deformed jacket 5' and transfers almost 100% of the kinetic energy to the hard core 4 via its similarly ductile jacket core 8; there is no fragmentation of the material, either on the jacket 5 or on the core jacket 8. The direction of the pulse remains preserved.

In Fig. 4c shows a similar layout: a projectile 100' which is modified from that of FIG. 4b is crushed on the target Z and penetrates with the tip 1' which is now flattened. The direction of the pulse also remains preserved, and the core jacket 8' is moved into the air chamber 3 on impact, compressed and crushed, which is here indicated by 8".

Callsign list

1 peak (fictitious)

1' flattened, crushed top

2 calotte (ball section)

3 air chamber (cavity)

4 hard core (hardened steel, tombak)

5 outer sheath (tombak)

5' deformed shell 5

6 taper/diameter

7 center of gravity

8 core shells

8' core jacket

8" crushed core liner 8'

9 border on 5

10 cavities in 8

10' cavity in 8'

20 shells

21 border on 20

22 bases of 20

23 percussion caps

24 explosive/propellant

30 lead core

30' vapor cloud consisting of Pb

40 hard core (tungsten, steel)

40' lead pair (sublimated Pb)

50 steel jacket

100, 100' projectiles

200 conventional hard core ammunition (projectile)

K caliber

Z target (steel plate)

a angle (base angle)

Claims (11)

1. A small-caliber projectile (100) with a flared or conical front area, a cylindrical central part and a conical rear area, consisting of: - an outer jacket (5) made of a copper/zinc alloy, wherein the jacket (5) includes an approximately cylindrical cavity, - a hard core (4) made of steel or sintered material inserted into the jacket cavity (5) towards the top (1, 1'), - core liners (8) made of copper/zinc alloy attached by a joint provided by a hard core mold (4) with a cylindrical cavity (10) which is open from the front, characterized in that - the open side of the cavity (10) has a conical front which is connected to the hard core (4) by a connection provided by the shape and closes said hard core from the front side and - the core liner (8) is in peripheral contact along its entire length and at least in the rear region of the liner (5) is held pressed connection. 2. A small-caliber projectile (100') with a live or conical front area, a cylindrical central part and a conical rear area, consisting of: - an outer jacket (5) made of a copper/zinc alloy, the jacket (5) comprising an approximately cylindrical cavity, - a jacket cavity (5) containing only a core jacket (8') with a cavity (10'), - a core jacket (8') which is in peripheral contact along its entire length with a liner (5) and held together by a pressed joint, characterized in that - the cavity (10') has an opening which narrows towards the front side, the inner edge areas of which are at least partially in contact with each other. 3. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 1, with a revivably shaped front area, the top of which is at least approximately configured in the shape of a dome, whereby - the cylindrical cavity in the front inner area is designed in the shape of a dome, - the hard core (4) at its tip also has the shape of a dome, - the radius of the dome of the cavity is greater than the radius of the top of the hard core, so that an air chamber (3) is located in the cavity of the liner, in its top. 4. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 3, wherein - the rear region of the hard core (4) is conical and - the conical tip extends into the cavity (10) of the core jacket (8). 5. A small-caliber projectile according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein - the center of gravity (7) of the projectile is located on the longitudinal axis and in the area of the cavity (10) of the core jacket (8). 6. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 1 or 3, wherein - the hard core (4) consists of an alloyed tool steel or a high-density sintered material, such as tungsten carbide. 7. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein - the outer jacket (5) and the core jacket (8) consist of an identical copper/zinc alloy. 8. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 1, 2 or claim 5, wherein - the outer jacket (5) has a circumferential peripheral narrowing, on which the front end (21) of the sleeve (20) is folded. 9. A small-caliber projectile according to claim 3, wherein - the material of the jacket (5) in its front area, in relation to its cylindrical area and its rear area, has a thickening of at least a factor of 2. 10. A small caliber projectile according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein - said projectile has a caliber of 5.56 mm (0.223" or 0.224"). 11. A small-caliber projectile according to at least one of the previous requirements, wherein - said projectile is lead-free.