US007823510B1

( 12) Ulllted States Patent ( 10) Patent N 0. : US 7, 823, 510 B1

Hobart et a] . ( 4 5) Date of Patent: N ov. 2, 2010
( 54 ) EXTEN DED RAN GE PROJECTILE 3, 175, 4 94 A * 3/1965 Turner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102/4 4 0
3, 224 , 191 A 12/1965 Bratton
( 75) Inventors: Stephen Alan Hobart, Huntsvi lle, AL 3 282 54 0 A 11 966 Li pi nsk i
( US) ; Ti mothy S. Kok an, Madi son, AL , ,
( US) ; Alan B. Mi ni c k , Madi son, AL 3392396 A 7/1968 Ehr nsped
( US) ; F rederi c H. Massey, Tullahoma, 3 4 94 285 A 2/1970 Dons Jr
TN ( Us) 3, 54 7, 001 A 12/1970 Stoner
3, 628, 4 57 A 12/1971 Magnusson
( 73) Assi gnee: Pratt &Whi tney Roc k etdyne, Inc . , 3, 698, 321 A 10/1972 W311
Canoga Park CA( US) 3, 754 , 507 A 8/1973 Di lli nger etal.
( * ) N oti c e: Subj ec t to any di sc lai mer, the term of thi s 3 850 l02 A A974 Morrow
patent i s extended or adj usted under 35 3, 860, 199 A 1/ 1975 Dunne
U, S, C, 154 ( 1) ) by 302 days, 3, 886, 009 A 5/1975 Puc halsk i
3, 951, 038 A 4 /1976 Van Langenhoven
( 21) App1. N o. : 12/120, 34 5
( 22) F i led: May 14 , 2008
( Conti nued)
( 51) Int. C] .
F 4 23 12/20 ( 2006. 01) F OREIGN PATEN T DOCUMEN TS
( 52) US. Cl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102/4 90; 102/4 4 0; 102/4 73;
102/501 AR 13734 05 11/1974
( 58) F i eld of Classi ?c ati on Searc h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102/4 90,
102/4 4 0, 4 73, 501, 530
See appl1c at1on ?le f or c omplete searc h h1story. ( Conti nued)
( 56) Ref erenc es Ci ted OTHER PUBLICATION S
U. S. PATEN T DOCUMEN TS S 11 C Yb _ t_
ma 3. 1 erAl l un110n.
279, 539 A * 6/1883 Chamberlai n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102/375
4 12, 670 A 10/1889 Ross ( Conti nued)
1, 24 3, 54 2 A 10/1917 Moore _ _
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2, 090, 656 A 4 /1937 Wi lli ams ( 57) ABSTRACT
2, 090, 657 A 8/1937 Wi lli ams
2, 176, 4 69 A 10/1939 Mouei x
2 336 l4 6 A 8/194 4 Lf mmls A proj ec ti le and method of extendi ng the range of the proj ec
2 5 16926 A 8/1950 slmpsf m ti le. The proj ec ti le i nc ludes a storage tank operable to release
2, 579, 823 A 12/1951 Homri ghous - - -
. a Work 1ng ?u1d through an exhaust mamf old to at least par
2 84 7 787 A 8/1958 Wlnams ti all ?ll a Wak e af t of the ro' ec ti le duri n ro' ec ti le ?i ght
2, 920, 537 A 1/1960 Si mmons y P J g P J '
3, 018, 203 A 1/1962 Guth
3, 125, 313 A 3/ 1964 Soderberg 25 Clai ms, 8 Drawi ng Sheets
/24
524 A 32C 24 F
30
4 81 52 30A 38 / 30F 52
. / I \ .
52 & 8 \ \ 4 36
54 - J L4 2 4 O) \ 4 6\ 4 4 _
US 7, 823, 510 B1
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3, 961, 580
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3, 977, 629
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4 , 176, 814
4 , 179, 088
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4 , 712, 4 65
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4 , 84 6, 071
4 , 893, 815
4 , 899, 956
4 , 913, 029
4 , 925, 129
4 , 936, 216
4 , 965, 4 53
4 , 987, 832
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5, 058, 503
5, 076, 053
5, 099, 24 6
5, 131, 602
5, 163, 637
5, 230, 656
5, 280, 751
5, 282, 588
5, 309, 815
5, 372, 334
5, 374 , 013
5, 381, 4 4 5
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5, 4 14 , 4 30
5, 4 19, 982
5, 4 25, 514
5, 4 4 9, 136
5, 4 55, 587
5, 529, 262
5, 529, 4 58
5, 601, 255
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7/1976
8/1976
11/1976
1/1977
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12/1979
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7/1980
6/1982
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6/1983
10/1983
1/1984
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7/1984
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3/1985
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1/1995
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F OREIGN PATEN T DOCUMEN TS
DE 103774 3 5/1963
F R 510303 2/1920
GB 014 7104 7/1920
GB 1221203 2/1971
LU 1286723 8/1972
OTHER PUBLICATION S
Large- Area Elec trostati c - Valved Sk i ns f or Adapti ve F low Control on
Orni thopter Wi ngs, Li ger, Pornsi n- Si ri rak , Tai , Steve Ho, and Chi h
Mi ng Ho, Soli d- State Sensor, Ac tuator and Mi c ro systems Work shop,
Jun. 2- 6, 2002, pp. 24 7- 250.
Appendi x A, Gun Propulsi on Tec hnology, pp. 210- 224 .
Appendi x B, Esti mati on of Li qui d Jet Veloc i ti es, pp. 225- 232.
Appendi x C, Bac k ground Theory of Opti c al Method f or Compress
i ble F lows, pp. 233- 24 7.
Appendi x D, Shoc k Wave Theory, pp. 24 8- 259.
Bullet Composi ti on and Charac teri sti c s, pp. 1- 13.
RDT&E Budget Item Justi ?c ati on Sheet, F eb. 2007, pp. 351- 369.
A System- of - Systems Desi gn of a Gui ded Proj ec ti le Mortar Def ense
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Ender, and Di mi tri Mavri s, Ameri c an Insti tute of Aeronauti c s and
Astronauti c s, Inc . , pp. 1- 16.
Exac to, Lyndall Beamer, DARPO/IXO.
US 7, 823, 510 B1
Page 3
Inj ec ti on i nto a Supersoni c Stream, EX228, Appli c ati on Bri ef s f rom MSc Sui te Ammuni ti on Systems 2 Deli very Systems External Balli s
F luent. ti c s Drag, Dr. Derek Bray, DAPS, pp. 1- 37.
Gui ded Bullets: A Dec ade of Enabli ng Adapti ve Materi als R&D, Dr. Stabi li ty Deri vati ves, Z latk o Petrovi c , May 13, 2002, pp. 1- 63.
ROn Barrett, Dr. Gary Lee. U. S. Appl. N o. 12/120, 355, ?led May 14 , 2008, Gui ded Proj ec ti le .
Maxi mi zi ng Mi ssi le F li ght Perf ormanc e, Eugene L. F leeman, Geor
gi a Insti tute of Tec hnology. * Ci ted by exami ner
US. Patent N ov. 2, 2010 Sheet 1 of 8 US 7, 823, 510 B1
/1O
US. Patent N ov. 2, 2010 Sheet 3 of 8 US 7, 823, 510 B1
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36
32 30F 30
L4 6
30A
34 J L4 2
F IG. 4 A
US. Patent N ov. 2, 2010 Sheet 6 of 8 US 7, 823, 510 B1
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Sheet 7 of 8 US 7, 823, 510 B1 US. Patent N ov. 2, 2010
US. Patent N ov. 2, 2010 Sheet 8 of 8 US 7, 823, 510 B1
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US 7, 823, 510 B1
1
EXTEN DED RAN GE PROJECTILE
BACKGROUN D
The present appli c ati on relates to proj ec ti les, and more
parti c ularly to an extended range non- propulsi ve proj ec ti le.
Conventi onal non- propulsi ve proj ec ti les suc h as bullets,
shells, mortars, or other non- propelled aeroshell proj ec ti les
are range and termi nal energy li mi ted pri mari ly due to the
proj ec ti les drag. On a representati ve proj ec ti le, a f ore body
sec ti on generates approxi mately 65% of the total drag, sk i n
f ri c ti on generates approxi mately 5% of the total drag and a
base sec ti on generates approxi mately 30% of the total drag.
Base drag c ontri butes generally to a relati vely large part of the
total drag and depends upon the f ac t that the base pres sure due
to the resulti ng Wak e ?oW af t of the base sec ti on i s loWer than
the ambi ent ai r pressure.
Some hi gh veloc i ty proj ec ti les are shape opti mi Z ed to
mi ni mi ze drag. One suc h shape opti mi Z ed proj ec ti le i nc ludes
an af t sec ti on shaped to de?ne a reduc ed di ameter or boat
tai l shape to mi ni mi ze base drag. Although ef f ec ti ve, pro
j ec ti le shape opti mi Z ati on i s i nherently li mi ted by desi gn
obj ec ti ves of the parti c ular proj ec ti le suc h as mass, payload,
and termi nal energy.
SUMMARY
A proj ec ti le ac c ordi ng to an exemplary aspec t of the
present i nventi on i nc ludes: an exhaust mani f old de?ned
Wi thi n a proj ec ti le base; and a storage tank operable to release
a Work i ng ?ui d through sai d exhaust mani f old to at least
parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le
?i ght.
A method of extendi ng the range of a non- propulsi ve pro
j ec ti le ac c ordi ng to an exemplary aspec t of the present i nven
ti on i nc ludes: releasi ng a Work i ng ?ui d f rom a storage tank
c ontai ned Wi thi n a proj ec ti le through an exhaust mani f old
duri ng a ?i ght of the proj ec ti le to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e
af t of the proj ec ti le.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIN GS
The vari ous f eatures and advantages of thi s i nventi on Wi ll
bec ome apparent to those sk i lled i n the art f rom the f olloWi ng
detai led desc ri pti on of the di sc losed non- li mi ti ng embodi
ment. The draWi ngs that ac c ompany the detai led desc ri pti on
c an be bri e?y desc ri bed as f olloWs:
F IG. 1 i s a i s a parti al c ut aWay longi tudi nal c ross- sec ti onal
vi eW of an ammuni ti on round i nc ludi ng an extended range
proj ec ti le ac c ordi ng to one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the
i nventi on c hambered i n a Weapon;
F IG. 2 i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of a round of ammuni ti on;
F IG. 3 i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of a proj ec ti le ac c ordi ng to
one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 3A i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of the proj ec ti le of F IG. 3
af ter an i ni ti al ac c elerati on;
F IG. 4 i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of another proj ec ti le
ac c ordi ng to one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 4 A i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of the proj ec ti le of F IG. 3
af ter an i ni ti al ac c elerati on;
F IG. 5 i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of another proj ec ti le
ac c ordi ng to one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 5A i s a longi tudi nal sec ti on of the proj ec ti le of F IG. 3
af ter an i ni ti al ac c elerati on;
F IG. 6 i s a si de vi eW of a PRIOR ART c onventi onal pro
j ec ti le Whi c h produc es a turbulent Wak e ?oW;
20
25
30
35
4 0
4 5
50
55
60
65
2
F IG. 7 i s a si de vi eW of an extended range proj ec ti le Wi th
Wak e ?ll that reduc es turbulenc e and Wak e drag;
F IG. 8 i s an expanded sec ti on vi eW of a af t sec ti on of a
proj ec ti le Wi th an aperture type ac c ordi ng to one non- li mi ti ng
embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 9 i s an expanded sec ti on vi eW of a af t sec ti on of a
proj ec ti le Wi th an aperture type ac c ordi ng to another non
li mi ti ng embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 10 i s an expanded sec ti on vi eW of a af t sec ti on of a
proj ec ti le Wi th an aperture type ac c ordi ng to another non
li mi ti ng embodi ment of the i nventi on;
F IG. 11 i s a rear vi eW of a proj ec ti le Wi th an aperture
pattern ac c ordi ng to one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the
i nventi on;
F IG. 12 i s a rear vi eW of a proj ec ti le Wi th an aperture
pattern ac c ordi ng to another non- li mi ti ng embodi ment of the
i nventi on; and
F IG. 13 i s a graph of a c ompari son betWeen a c onventi onal
proj ec ti le speed vs di stanc e relati ve an enhanc ed range pro
j ec ti le Wi th Wak e ?ll.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
EXEMPLARY EMBODIMEN TS
F IG. 1 sc hemati c ally i llustrates an exemplary Weapon sys
tem 10 Whi c h generally i nc ludes a barrel 12 Whi c h extends
f rom a c hamber 14 to a muZ Z le 16. The barrel 12 extends
along a longi tudi nal axi sA and may i nc lude a ri ?ed or smooth
bore. The i llustrated Weapon i s i llustrated i n a hi ghly sc he
mati c f ashi on and i s not i ntended to be a prec i se depi c ti on of
an Weapon system but i s typi c al of a ?rearm or c annon Whi c h
?res an ammuni ti on round 20.
Ref erri ng to F IG. 2, the ammuni ti on round 20 generally
i nc ludes a c artri dge c ase 22 Whi c h ?res a non- propulsi ve
proj ec ti le 24 Wi th a propellant 26 i ni ti ated by a pri mer 28. The
proj ec ti le 24 i s generally at least parti ally seated Wi thi n a
mouth of the c ase 22 suc h that a proj ec ti le af t porti on 24 A
extends at least parti ally i nto the c ase 22 and a f orWard por
ti on 24 F extends out of the c ase 22 along a longi tudi nal axi s
A. Although a parti c ular c ased ammuni ti on round typi c al of a
hi gh veloc i ty ri ?e c artri dge suc h as . 50 Cali ber ( 12. 7 mm)
ammuni ti on i s i llustrated and desc ri bed i n the di sc losed non
li mi ti ng embodi ment, other c on?gurati ons i nc ludi ng other
c ased, c ase- less, bullets, shells, mortars, or other non- propul
si ve aeroshells ?red by vari ous Weapon systems Wi ll also
bene?t heref rom.
Ref erri ng to F IG. 3, the proj ec ti le 24 generally i nc ludes a
c ore 30 surrounded at least i n part by a j ac k et 32. The c ore 30
i s typi c ally manuf ac tured of one or more sec ti ons of a rela
ti vely heavy materi al suc h as lead, steel, tungsten- c arbi de or
other materi al. That i s, the c ore 30 may i nc lude vari ous sec
ti ons of vari ous metals suc h as, f or example only, an af t lead
c ore sec ti on Wi th a f orWard tungsten- c arbi de penetrator c ore
sec ti on. The j ac k et 32 i s typi c ally manuf ac tured of a gi ldi ng
metal suc h as a c opper alloy and i nc ludes a c annelure 32C at
Whi c h the proj ec ti le 24 i s seated Wi thi n the mouth of the c ase
22. The loc ati on of the c annelure 32C generally de?nes the af t
porti on 24 A and the f orWard porti on 24 F of the proj ec ti le 24 .
The proj ec ti le af t porti on 24 A i nc ludes a proj ec ti le base 34
and the proj ec ti le f orWard porti on 24 F i nc ludes a nose 36
Whi c h may be of a c losed ti p or open ti p desi gn. Although a
parti c ular proj ec ti le c on?gurati on i s i llustrated and desc ri bed
i n the di sc losed non- li mi ti ng embodi ment, other proj ec ti le
c on?gurati ons i nc ludi ng c ased, c ase- less, bullets, shells,
mortars, or other non- propelled aeroshells ?red by vari ous
Weapon systems Wi ll also bene?t heref rom.
US 7, 823, 510 B1
3
The proj ec ti le 24 f urther i nc ludes a storage tank 38, an
i ni ti ator 4 0, a di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 and an exhaust mani
f old 4 8. The storage tank 38 and the i ni ti ator 4 0 are enc losed
Wi thi n the j ac k et 32 and may be at least parti ally retai ned and
posi ti oned Wi thi n a c avi ty 4 4 f ormed i n the c ore 30. It should
also be understood that the di sc losure i s not restri c ted to
appli c ati ons Where the storage tank 38 i s ori ented and posi
ti oned only as i llustrated i n the di sc losed non- li mi ti ng
embodi ment and that the storage tank 38 may be alternati vely
ori ented and posi ti oned. The di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 pro
vi des a c ommuni c ati on path f or a Work i ng ?ui d suc h as a
c ompressed gas or li qui d c ontai ned Wi thi n the storage tank 38
though the exhaust mani f old 4 8 Wi thi n proj ec ti le base 34 to
reduc e proj ec ti le base drag by Wak e ?lli ng af t of the proj ec ti le
24 . Whereas the proj ec ti le 24 typi c ally i nc ludes a multi tude
of c omponents, the di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 and the exhaust
mani f old 4 8 are readi ly manuf ac tured i nto one or more of the
sec ti ons and assembled i nto the proj ec ti le 24 . That i s, the
proj ec ti le base 34 may i n part be f ormed by a sec ti on of the
c ore 30, the j ac k et 32 or some c ombi nati on thereof .
The Work i ng ?ui d i n one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment i s of a
loW molec ular Wei ght, a hi gh spec i ?c gravi ty, a loW latent
heat of vapori Z ati on and a loW spec i ?c heat. LoW molec ular
Wei ght to provi de an i nc reased volumetri c ?ll c apabi li ty per
gram of gas or vapor expended. Hi gh spec i ?c gravi ty pro
vi des a relati vely hi gh ?ui d mass Wi thi n the avai lable storage
volume. LoW latent heat of vapori zati on reduc es the ?ui d
temperature drop duri ng expansi on and retai ns the gas vol
ume ac c ordi ngly. LoW spec i ?c heat i nc reases the temperature
gai n duri ng adi abati c c ompressi on When the proj ec ti le i s ?red
at hi gh G loads. Vari ous c ombi nati ons of these f ac tors are
uti li zed to establi sh the Work i ng ?ui d state and c harac teri sti c s
both i n the storage tank 38, and i n the proj ec ti le Wak e to
opti mi Z e ef f ec ti veness. F or example only, a hi gher ?ui d tem
perature resulti ng i n a hi gher Wak e ?ll volume may be
ac hi eved by selec ti ng a hi gher CP propellant When launc hed
at a hi gh G load. Also, a hi gher temperature When stored
Wi thi n the storage tank 38 may alloW use of a hi gher spec i ?c
heat Work i ng ?ui d Whi c h may c ool over the proj ec ti le ?i ght
20
25
30
35
4
The Work i ng ?ui d may be stored Wi thi n the storage tank 38
as a c ompressed gas or li qui d i nc ludi ng but not li mi ted to
those of Table 1. In one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment, the Work
i ng ?ui d i s stored betWeen 5000 psi and 10, 000 psi . It should
be understand that other pressures c ommensurate Wi th pro
j ec ti le si Z e and range may alternati vely be provi ded.
The Work i ng ?ui d i s released ei ther by the i ni ti al ac c elera
ti on or at a desi gnated ti me af ter ?ri ng of the proj ec ti le 24 . In
one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment, the i ni ti ator 4 0 i s represented
as an ac c elerati on ac ti vated relati ve di splac ement betWeen the
storage tank 38 and the i ni ti ator 4 0 ( F IG. 3A) . The i ni ti ator 4 0
i n thi s non- li mi ti ng embodi ment i s a holloW punc h Whi c h
penetrates a plug 4 6 of the storage tank 38 to i ni ti ate ?oW of
the Work i ng ?ui d. That i s, ei ther or both of the storage tank 38
and the i ni ti ator 4 0 are relati vely movable Wi thi n the c avi ty 4 4
i n response to ?ri ng of the proj ec ti le 24 . Alternati vely,
dependi ng on the Work i ng ?ui d selec ted and the ac c elerati on
of the proj ec ti le, a burst di sk may be used to release the
propellant. The burst di sk may be ac ti vated by ac c elerati on of
the Work i ng ?ui d or by pressure i nc rease f rom adi abati c c om
pressi on of the Work i ng ?ui d, or by other means as appropri
ate to the ?ui d and embodi ment selec ted.
Alternati vely, the plug 4 6 i s di slodged f rom the storage
tank 38 i n response to ?ri ng of a proj ec ti le 24 ' . In one non
li mi ti ng embodi ment, the storage tank 38 i s posi ti oned suc h
that the plug 4 6 i s di rec ted toWard the nose of the proj ec ti le 24 '
and retai ned Wi thi n a f orWard c ore porti on 30F ( F IG. 4 ) . The
plug 4 6 may be bonded c ri mped, or otherWi se retai ned Wi thi n
the f orWard c ore porti on 30F suc h that an i ni ti al ac c elerati on
of the proj ec ti le 24 ' c auses the storage tank 38 to move af t
relati ve to the f orWard c ore porti on 30F ( F IG. 4 A) Whi c h
separates the plug 4 6 f rom the storage tank 38 and thereby
releases the Work i ng ?ui d. Alternati vely, the plug 4 6 bursts i n
response to ?ri ng Wi thout movement of the tank 38 bei ng
requi red.
Alternati vely, the plug 4 6 i s of an elec tro- mec hani c al or
c hemi c al c omposi ti on Whi c h opens i n response to ?ri ng of the
proj ec ti le 24 " . In one non- li mi ti ng embodi ment, the propel
but sti ll retai n the advantageous thermal properti es. Opti mi - 4 0 lant 26 ( F IG. 2) i s c ommuni c ated i nto the proj ec ti le 24 "
Z ati on of the extended range c apabi li ty c an be obtai ned through the exhaust mani f old and di stri buti on mani f old 4 2
through several vari ous Work i ng ?ui ds, some c andi dates of When the proj ec ti le 24 " i s ?red to essenti ally burn out the plug
Whi c h are detai led i n Table l: 4 6 ( F IGS. 5 and 5A) . As the plug 4 6 may be bumed- out, a
TABLE 1
Latent Heat
of Spec i ?c Boi li ng
Chemi c al Mol. Spec i ?c Vapori zati on Heat ( Cp) Poi nt
Work i ng ?ui d Symbol Wei ght Gravi ty BTU/lb BTU/LB F . O F .
Heli um He 4 0. 124 8. 72 1. 25 - 4 52. 06
N eon N e 20. 18 1. 207 37. 08 0. 25 - 24 4
Xenon Xe 131. 3 3. 06 4 1. 4 0. 038 14
Krypton Kr 83. 8 2. 4 1 4 6. 2 0. 06 - 76. 4
Argon Ar 39. 95 1. 4 69. 8 0. 125 - 302. 6
N i trogen N 2 28. 01 0. 808 85. 6 0. 24 9 - 4 10. 9
Ai r 4 28. 98 0. 873 88. 2 0. 24 1 - 317. 8
Oxygen O2 32 1. 14 91. 7 0. 2197 - 320. 4
Carbon CO 28. 01 0. 79 92. 79 0. 24 78 - 312. 7
Monoxi de
N i trous Oxi de N 20 4 4 . 01 1. 53 161. 8 0. 206 - 127
Sulf ur Di oxi de S02 64 . 06 1. 4 6 167. 5 0. 14 9 - 53. 9
Propane C3H8 4 4 . 1 0. 58 183. 05 0. 388 - 297. 3
Propylene C3H6 4 2. 08 0. 61 188. 18 0. 355 - 4 3. 67
Hydrogen H2 2. 02 0. 071 191. 7 3. 4 25 - 4 23
Ethylene C2H4 28. 05 0. 567 208 0. 399 - 154 . 8
US 7, 823, 510 B1
5
delay i s thereby generated between ?ri ng of the proj ec ti le 24 "
and release of the Work i ng ?ui d.
The Work i ng ?ui d ?oWs through the di stri buti on mani f old
4 2 to an exhaust mani f old 4 8 f ormed i n the proj ec ti le base 34
to Wak e ?ll behi nd the proj ec ti le base and thereby reduc e
proj ec ti le base drag ( F IGS. 6 and 7) . The Work i ng ?ui d i s
expanded to approxi mately one atmospheri c pressure or less
than one atmospheri c pressure though the di stri buti on mani
f old 4 2 and exhaust mani f old 4 8 to opti mi Z e Work i ng ?ui d
uti li Z ati on. The Wak e ?ll may be a f ull or parti al Wak e ?ll.
Work i ng ?ui d ?oW at a generally c onstant rate may also
provi de only a parti al Wak e ?ll at hi gh proj ec ti le veloc i ti es
and a f ull Wak e ?ll at reduc ed proj ec ti le veloc i ti es. It should
be understood that Work i ng ?ui d expansi on need only
exc eeds the base pressure to extend proj ec ti le range. The
momentum of the Work i ng ?ui d i n ac c ordanc e Wi th thi s di s
c losure i s relati vely loW and theref ore the f orc e of reac ti on on
the proj ec ti le 24 i s negli gi ble as c ompared to a roc k et- type
propulsi on.
A heat sourc e 50 or other c atalyti c may addi ti onally be
loc ated adj ac ent the storage tank 38 to i nc rease the tempera
ture of the Work i ng ?ui d ( F IG. 5) . The heat sourc e 50 may be
i gni ted by the propellant 26 ( F IG. 2) Whi c h i s c ommuni c ated
i nto the proj ec ti le 24 through the exhaust mani f old 4 8 and
di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 When the proj ec ti le 24 i s ?red.
Addi ti onal sourc es of heat and/ or i gni ti on of the heat
sourc e 50 may alternati vely or addi ti onally be provi ded f rom
adi abati c c ompressi on and f ri c ti onal heati ng as the proj ec ti le
24 travels Wi thi n the barrel 12 ( F IG. 1) . The propellant 26 may
alternati vely or addi ti onally c ause the Work i ng ?ui d to at least
parti ally c ombust and i nc rease opti mal usage thereof .
The exhaust mani f old 4 8 may i nc lude a multi ple of aper
tures 52 f ormed through the proj ec ti le base 34 . In one non
li mi ti ng embodi ment, the apertures 52A are strai ght- Walled
c yli ndri c al holes Wi th an area rati o of one ( F IG. 8) Whi c h may,
f or example only, be punc h manuf ac tured through the proj ec
ti le base 34 . In another on- li mi ti ng embodi ment, the apertures
52B are c oni c al shaped ( F IG. 9) or the apertures 52C are bell
shaped ( F IG. 10) . Although the apertures 52A are relati vely
unc ompli c ated to manuf ac ture relati ve the apertures 52B or
52C, the apertures 52B, 52C may provi de i nc reased perf or
manc e. Exhaust mani f old exi t pro?les are shoWn as c i rc ular i n
thi s non- li mi ti ng embodi ment but other exi t pro?le may be
appli ed.
The di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 f ac i li tates an arrangement of
apertures 52 i nto a desi red pattern. The apertures 52 may be
arranged i n a ri ng pattern ( F IG. 1 1) , shoWerhead pattern ( F IG.
12) or other pattern to provi de a desi red Wak e ?ll.
Ref erri ng to F IG. 7, Wak e ?ll reduc es turbulenc e and Wak e
drag relati ve a c onventi onal proj ec ti le Whi c h generates a tur
bulent Wak e ( F IG. 6) . The Wak e ?ll c an reduc e the total
proj ec ti le drag up to 30% and i nc rease the ef f ec ti ve range by
up to 50% , i nc rease proj ec ti le veloc i ty relati ve to di stanc e,
and thereby extend proj ec ti le range. Inc reased energy versus
di stanc e and i nc reases the ef f ec ti ve i mpac t of the proj ec ti le
even at standard ranges.
F or a gi ven Work i ng ?ui d ?oW, the c ompleteness of Wak e
?lli ng Wi ll i nc rease as the proj ec ti le veloc i ty dec reases.
Bec ause of thi s c harac teri sti c , delay of the Wak e ?ll i ni ti ati on
may extend the range f urther than Wak e ?ll i ni ti ated upon
launc h. The Wak e ?ll may be delayed through an erodi ng
throat f ormed i nto the di stri buti on mani f old 4 2 and/or the
apertures 52. Uti li zati on of a di f f erenti al erodi ng throat
Wi thi n eac h aperture 52 or pattern of apertures 52 f ac i li tates a
Wak e ?ll pattern Whi c h c hanges duri ng the proj ec ti le 24 ?i ght.
Ref erri ng to F IG. 13, the storage tank 38 c apac i ty avai lable
Wi thi n the proj ec ti ve determi nes the resultant range extensi on
20
25
30
35
4 0
4 5
50
55
60
65
6
Wi th ni trous oxi de as the Work i ng ?ui d. The range extensi on
i s expressed as a proporti on of the total proj ec ti le mass, Wi th
a proj ec ti le aspec t rati o of approxi mately 11 to l. The ef f ec
ti veness of the Work i ng ?ui d ?ll Wi ll i nc rease approxi mately
li near Wi th hi gher aspec t rati o and reduc e Wi th reduc ti on of
the aspec t rati o. As i llustrated, i nc reased Work i ng ?ui d stor
age c apac i ty i s related to range extensi on. Other f ac tors Whi c h
may af f ec t range extensi on i nc ludes Work i ng ?ui d uti li Z ati on
ef f ec ti veness as c ontrolled by the Work i ng ?ui d properti es
( temperature and densi ty) and noZ Z le ef f ec ti veness.
It should be understood that relati ve posi ti onal terms suc h
as f orward, af t, upper, loWer, above, beloW, and
the li k e are Wi th ref erenc e to the normal operati onal atti tude
of the vehi c le and should not be c onsi dered otherWi se li mi t
i ng.
It should be understood that li k e ref erenc e numerals i den
ti f y c orrespondi ng or si mi lar elements throughout the several
draWi ngs. It should also be understood that although a par
ti c ular c omponent arrangement i s di sc losed i n the i llustrated
embodi ment, other arrangements Wi ll bene?t f rom the i nstant
i nventi on.
Although parti c ular step sequenc es are shoWn, desc ri bed,
and c lai med, i t should be understood that steps may be per
f ormed i n any order, separated or c ombi ned unless otherWi se
i ndi c ated and Wi ll sti ll bene?t f rom the present i nventi on.
The f oregoi ng desc ri pti on i s exemplary rather than de?ned
by the li mi tati ons Wi thi n. Many modi ?c ati ons and vari ati ons
of the present i nventi on are possi ble i n li ght of the above
teac hi ngs. The di sc losed embodi ments of thi s i nventi on have
been di sc losed, hoWever, one of ordi nary sk i ll i n the art Would
rec ogni Z e that c ertai n modi ?c ati ons Would c ome Wi thi n the
sc ope of thi s i nventi on. It i s, theref ore, to be understood that
Wi thi n the sc ope of the appended c lai ms, the i nventi on may be
prac ti c ed otherWi se than as spec i ?c ally desc ri bed. F or that
reason the f olloWi ng c lai ms should be studi ed to determi ne
the true sc ope and c ontent of thi s i nventi on.
What i s c lai med i s:
1. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
and
an i ni ti ator operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d f rom a
storage tank i n response to an ac c elerati on of the pro
j ec ti le, the Work i ng ?ui d released through sai d exhaust
mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t of the pro
j ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght.
2. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 1, Wherei n sai d exhaust
mani f old c ompri ses an aperture.
3. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 2, Wherei n sai d aperture
c ompri ses a noZ Z le.
4 . The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 1, Wherei n sai d exhaust
mani f old c ompri ses a multi ple of apertures.
5. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 4 , Wherei n sai d mul
ti ple of apertures de?nes a ri ng pattern.
6. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 4 , Wherei n sai d mul
ti ple of apertures de?nes a shoWerhead pattern Wi th a multi ple
of ri ngs.
7. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 1, f urther c ompri si ng a
c ore c ontai ned at least parti ally Wi thi n a j ac k et, sai d c ore
de?nes a c avi ty Whi c h c ontai ns sai d storage tank .
8. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 1, f urther c ompri si ng a
di stri buti on mani f old betWeen sai d storage tank and sai d
exhaust mani f old.
9. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
US 7, 823, 510 B1
7
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
an i ni ti ator adj ac ent sai d storage tank , at lest one of sai d
i ni ti ator and sai d storage tank relati vely movable to the
other of sai d i ni ti ator and sai d storage tank to release the
Work i ng ?ui d f rom sai d storage tank i n response to an
ac c elerati on of the proj ec ti le.
10. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
a plug Whi c h seals sai d storage tank , sai dplug di slodgeable
f rom sai d storage tank to release the Work i ng ?ui d f rom
sai d storage tank i n response to an ac c elerati on of the
proj ec ti le.
11. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
a plug Whi c h seals sai d storage tank , sai d plug opens to
release the Work i ng ?ui d f rom sai d storage tank i n
response to an ac c elerati on of the proj ec ti le.
12. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
an i ni ti ator Whi c h ac ti vates upon i ni ti al ac c elerati on of the
proj ec ti le to release the Work i ng ?ui d.
13. A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
and
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
an i ni ti ator Whi c h ac ti vates at a predetermi ned ti me af ter
i ni ti al ac c elerati on of the proj ec ti le to release the Work
i ng ?ui d.
14 . A proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
and
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
a heat sourc e adj ac ent sai d storage tank , sai d heat sourc e
operable to i nc rease the temperature of the Work i ng ?ui d
upon i ni ti al ac c elerati on of the proj ec ti le.
20
25
30
35
4 0
4 5
50
55
8
15. A round of ammuni ti on c ompri si ng:
a c artri dge c ase;
a proj ec ti le seated Wi thi n sai d c artri dge c ase, sai d proj ec
ti les havi ng a proj ec ti le base;
an exhaust mani f old de?ned Wi thi n sai d proj ec ti le base;
and
a storage tank operable to release a Work i ng ?ui d through
sai d exhaust mani f old to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t
of the proj ec ti le duri ng proj ec ti le ?i ght; and
an i ni ti ator operable to release the Work i ng ?ui d f rom sai d
storage tank i n response to an ac c elerati on of the pro
j ec ti le.
16. The round of ammuni ti on as rec i ted i n c lai m 15,
Wherei n sai d proj ec ti le f urther c ompri ses:
a c ore Whi c h de?nes a c avi ty Whi c h c ontai ns sai d storage
tank ; and
a j ac k et Whi c h surrounds sai d c ore, sai d j ac k et de?nes a
c annelure at Whi c h sai d c artri dge c ase i s c ri mped to sai d
proj ec ti le.
17. A method of extendi ng the range of a non- propulsi ve
proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
ac ti vati ng an i ni ti ator to release a Work i ng ?ui d f rom a
storage tank c ontai ned Wi thi n a proj ec ti le i n response to
an ac c elerati on of the proj ec ti le, the Work i ng ?ui d
released through an exhaust mani f old duri ng a ?i ght of
the proj ec ti le to at least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t of the
proj ec ti le.
18. A method of extendi ng the range of a non- propulsi ve
proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
releasi ng a Work i ng ?ui d at a predetermi ned ti me af ter
?ri ng of the proj ec ti le f rom a c artri dge c ase f rom a
storage tank c ontai ned Wi thi n a proj ec ti le through an
exhaust mani f old duri ng a ?i ght of the proj ec ti le to at
least parti ally ?ll a Wak e af t of the proj ec ti le.
19. A method as rec i ted i n c lai m 17, f urther c ompri si ng
releasi ng the Work i ng ?ui d upon ?ri ng of the proj ec ti le f rom
a c artri dge c ase.
20. A method of extendi ng the range of a non- propulsi ve
proj ec ti le c ompri si ng:
releasi ng a Work i ng ?ui d f rom a storage tank c ontai ned
Wi thi n a c avi ty of a proj ec ti le through an exhaust mani
f old duri ng a ?i ght of the proj ec ti le to at least parti ally
?ll a Wak e af t of the proj ec ti le, the storage tank movable
Wi thi n the c avi ty to i ni ti ate release of the Work i ng ?ui d.
21. A method as rec i ted i n c lai m 17, Wherei n at least par
ti ally ?lli ng the Wak e af t of the proj ec ti le reduc es proj ec ti le
base drag.
22. A method as rec i ted i n c lai m 17, f urther c ompri si ng:
expandi ng the Work i ng ?ui d at a pres sure Whi c h exc eeds a
base pressure of the proj ec ti le.
23. A method as rec i ted i n c lai m 17, f urther c ompri si ng:
expandi ng the Work i ng ?ui d to beloW approxi mately one
atmospheri c pressure though the exhaust mani f old.
24 . A method as rec i ted i n c lai m 17, f urther c ompri si ng:
expandi ng the Work i ng ?ui d to beloW approxi mately one
atmospheri c pressure though the exhaust mani f old.
25. The proj ec ti le as rec i ted i n c lai m 1, Wherei n sai d Work
i ng ?ui d i s stored above 5000 psi .
* * * * *