EP0343389A1 - Core for a disintegrating projectile - Google Patents

Abstract

On the one hand, it will be desirable to produce the core (10) of a sabot projectile from as brittle a material as possible, in order to achieve a good radial effect at a target, whilst on the other hand the material should be sufficiently ductile to ensure that the projectile is capable of penetrating a plurality of armour plates. Consequently, a relatively ductile core rod (11) is inserted in a relatively brittle core middle part (14) and is anchored at its rear end in a core rear part (13) and at its front end in a core tip (12). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a projectile core for a sabot projectile, which has a projectile core tip, a projectile core rear part and a projectile core middle part which are connected to one another by a projectile core mandrel, the projectile core middle part being produced from relatively brittle tungsten.

It is known (see EP-A-0 051 375) to use a brittle material for such projectile cores, a mandrel being located in the interior of the projectile core. In this known projectile core, a pyrophoric material is used for the tip and the mandrel, in particular zirconium, titanium and their alloys. Brittle tungsten or a brittle tungsten alloy with a compressive strength of e.g. 15,000 kg / cm2 and with a tensile strength of e.g. 800 kg / cm2.

It is also known (see CH-A-305 149) to use an explosive device which has fragments embedded in a binder. The part containing the splinters is at least partially prestressed by an elastically tensioned tie rod. This part provided with splinters is preferably a cylindrical hollow body.

Furthermore, an armor-piercing projectile (see GB-A-2 113 810) is known which has a main penetrator and a pre-penetrator, which are connected to one another by a tie rod.

All these known projectiles have the disadvantage that they do not penetrate a first plate of the target have enough penetration to penetrate a second or third plate in the target.

The object to be achieved with the present invention is therefore to create a projectile core for a sabot projectile which is able to penetrate a number of plates of the target before it has completely disintegrated and lost its penetrating power.

The projectile core with which this object is achieved is characterized in that the projectile core mandrel has an armor-piercing tip and is made of a relatively ductile armor-piercing material. Tungsten is preferably used for the projectile core mandrel, which is ductile enough not to completely disintegrate when penetrating a first plate of the target.

The projectile core according to the invention has the advantage that the armor-piercing projectile core mandrel is able to penetrate several plates before it completely disintegrates and loses its penetrating power.

An embodiment of the projectile core according to the invention for a sabot projectile is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.

• Fig. 1 einen Längsschnitt durch einen Geschosskern;
• Fig. 2 einen bekannten Geschosskern beim Eindringen ins Ziel;
• Fig. 3 einen Geschosskern gemäss der vorliegenden Erfindung beim Eindringen ins Ziel; und
• Fig. 4 dasselbe wie Fig. 3 zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt.

It shows:

• 1 shows a longitudinal section through a projectile core.
• 2 shows a known projectile core when penetrating into the target;
• 3 shows a projectile core according to the present invention when entering the target; and
• Fig. 4 the same as Fig. 3 at a later time.

1, the projectile core 10 for a sabot projectile consists of a projectile core mandrel 11, a projectile core tip 12, a projectile core rear part 13 and a projectile core middle part 14.

• a) Für den Geschosskern-Mittelteil 14 eignet sich insbesondere frangibles Wolfram, bei dem die Druckfestigkeit beispielsweise 10 - 20 mal höher ist als die Zugfestigkeit. Daher muss dieser Geschosskern-­Mittelteil 14 - z.B. durch geeignete Legierungen - so ausgebildet werden, dass er beim Abschuss des Geschosses nicht bereits wegen seiner Sprödigkeit vorzeitig zerfällt. Bei sehr sprödem Material ist eine Vorspannung durch einen Zuganker erforderlich.
• b) Für die Geschosskern-Spitze 12 eignet sich Stahl, Zirkon, Titan, Aluminium oder eine Wolframlegierung.
• c) Für das Geschosskern-Heckteil 13 eignet sich duktiles Wolfram, Hartmetall, Stahl oder eine Wolframlegierung.
• d) Für den Geschosskern-Dorn 11 - der auch als Zugstange oder Zuganker bezeichnet wird, da er auch dazu dient, den Geschosskern-Mittelteil 14 vorzuspannen - eignet sich insbesondere duktiles Wolfram oder Hartmetall oder ein anderer panzerbrechender Werkstoff.

The following materials are preferably used for the individual parts of the projectile core 10:

• a) Frangible tungsten, in which the compressive strength is, for example, 10-20 times higher than the tensile strength, is particularly suitable for the projectile core middle part 14. Therefore, this middle section 14 of the projectile core must be formed, for example by means of suitable alloys, in such a way that it does not disintegrate prematurely when the projectile is fired because of its brittleness. In the case of very brittle material, pre-tensioning with a tie rod is required.
• b) Steel, zirconium, titanium, aluminum or a tungsten alloy is suitable for the projectile core tip 12.
• c) Ductile tungsten, hard metal, steel or a tungsten alloy is suitable for the projectile core rear part 13.
• d) Ductile tungsten or hard metal or another armor-piercing material is particularly suitable for the projectile core mandrel 11 - which is also referred to as a tie rod or tie rod since it also serves to prestress the projectile core middle part 14.

The projectile core 10 should be designed in such a way that it is suitable for combating targets which consist of a number of plates arranged at a distance from one another, as shown in FIG. 2-4.

According to FIG. 2, a relatively brittle projectile core 15 disintegrates, as it has been used so far, when penetrating a first plate 16 to the extent that it is no longer able to penetrate a second plate 17.

According to FIG. 3, the relatively brittle middle part 14 of the projectile core also disintegrates when it penetrates the first plate 16. Thanks to the inventive design of the projectile core mandrel 11, however, the projectile core 10 is still able to penetrate the second plate 17.

4, after penetrating the second plate 17, the projectile core mandrel 11 has already become significantly smaller, but the projectile core 10 is still able to penetrate a third plate 18.

It can thus be seen from FIGS. 2-4 and the above explanations that the storey core 10 according to the invention of a sabot projectile is particularly suitable for targets in which e.g. three plates 16, 17 and 18 or other plates are arranged one behind the other.

In the previously known projectile cores, brittle tungsten, so-called frangible material, with small elongation (against 0%) was used, which is arranged between the ballistic projectile core tip and the projectile core rear part. With such a projectile core, the desired end ballistic effect is only achieved with a soft target. This well-known storey core is unable to achieve inhomogeneous or heterogeneous targets - i.e. To penetrate targets consisting of several plates spaced apart from each other, because the brittle tungsten already fragments after penetrating the first plate.

According to the invention, the inside becomes brittle Projectile core middle part 14 made of tungsten uses an armor-piercing projectile core mandrel 11, which is also made of tungsten, but has a higher elasticity of, for example, 2-20%. This projectile core mandrel 11 does not fragment, but continuously degrades on the further plates, it thus forms a penetrator for targets which consist of several plates 16-18 arranged at a distance from one another. The projectile core 10 according to the invention thus achieves an excellent effect on soft, medium-hard and inhomogeneous or heterogeneous targets. The projectile is therefore suitable for anti-aircraft and final combat. The tip 19 of the projectile core mandrel 11 is shaped such that it is particularly suitable for penetrating plates 16-18.

Claims (3)

1. projectile core (10) for a sabot projectile which has a projectile core tip (12), a projectile core rear part (13) and a projectile core middle part (14) which are connected to one another by a projectile core mandrel (11), wherein the projectile core middle part (14) is made of relatively brittle tungsten, characterized in that the projectile core mandrel (11) has an armor-piercing tip (19) and is made of a relatively ductile, armor-piercing material. 2. projectile core (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the projectile core mandrel (11) is made of hard metal. 3. projectile core (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the projectile core mandrel (11) is made of tungsten.

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