Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B30/00—Projectiles or missiles, not otherwise provided for, characterised by the ammunition class or type, e.g. by the launching apparatus or weapon used
  • F42B30/02—Bullets
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B5/00—Cartridge ammunition, e.g. separately-loaded propellant charges
  • F42B5/02—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile
  • F42B5/03—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile containing more than one missile
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B10/00—Means for influencing, e.g. improving, the aerodynamic properties of projectiles or missiles; Arrangements on projectiles or missiles for stabilising, steering, range-reducing, range-increasing or fall-retarding
  • F42B10/32—Range-reducing or range-increasing arrangements; Fall-retarding means
  • F42B10/34—Tubular projectiles
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B5/00—Cartridge ammunition, e.g. separately-loaded propellant charges
  • F42B5/02—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile
  • F42B5/03—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile containing more than one missile
  • F42B5/035—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile containing more than one missile the cartridge or barrel assembly having a plurality of axially stacked projectiles each having a separate propellant charge

Definitions

• the invention relates to munitions and firearms.
• This invention has particular, but not exclusive, application to a barrel assembly having a plurality of rounds stacked axially within a barrel together with discrete selectively ignitable propellant charges for propelling the rounds sequentially through the muzzle of the barrel.
• Such barrel assemblies will be referred to hereinafter as "of the type described”.
• This invention concerns barrel assemblies for munitions and firearms, particularly of the type described, such as illustrated in earlier International Patent Applications Nos. PCT/AU94/00124 and PCT/AU96/00459 filed by the present inventor. Whilst tubular rounds are known in certain limited applications such as supersonic projectiles, the applicant is unaware of any tubular rounds suitable for stacking within a barrel with selectively ignitable propellant charges, and particularly no tubular rounds suited to barrel assemblies of the type described.
• barrel assemblies for electronically controlled munitions and firearms particularly of the type described, that are adapted to firing tubular type rounds, and to provide tubular rounds for that purpose.
• this invention provides a barrel assembly of the type described including: a barrel having a muzzle; a plurality of tubular rounds stacked axially within the barrel and arranged for operative sealing engagement with the barrel; closure means interposed between the tubular rounds for effecting both an operative barrel closure between the tubular rounds; and a selectively ignitable propellant charge within each round and ignitable for propelling an adjacent leading round and associated closure means through the muzzle of the barrel.
• the tubular rounds are stacked in abutting relationship, although they could be spaced apart by the propellant.
• each round includes a tubular body having a closure means associated with at least its trailing end. The closure means may also act to close the leading end of the trailing round.
• closure means could be used for the leading and trailing ends of each round provide that the closure for the leading end is made inoperative upon ignition of the charge therein to enable the combustion effects to propel the leading round from the barrel.
• the closure means may be arranged to discard from the tubular body or it may be fixed to the leading tubular body.
• the tubular rounds may be configured to have desired flight characteristics by their aerodynamic form. The form of the inner face of the tubular body, when used with a discarding closure means, may act to maintain axial alignment of the round with the flight path. Alternatively the tubular body may be weighted whereby one end is heavier than the other end.
• the closure means is suitably a closure wall member sandwiched between adjacent tubular body portions.
• Each closure wall member may extend to and engages sealably with the barrel.
• the tubular rounds may have complementary outer end wall portions which abut or lie closely adjacent one another, with the closure wall member being sandwiched between inner end wall portions.
• the closure wall member may be sandwiched between end faces of adjacent tubular rounds.
• the closure wall member may be of a form which does not deform under operational conditions.
• the peripheral portion of the closure wall member may be formed so as to spread outwardly between the adjacent tubular rounds into operative sealing engagement with the barrel by axial compression applied by the end faces.
• the end faces of adjacent tubular rounds may extend radially of the barrel or the end faces of adjacent tubular rounds may be formed to engage with respective complementary wedging surfaces on the peripheral portion of the sandwiched closure wall member.
• the tubular bodies of adjacent rounds may overlap one another to provide a telescoped engagement between adjacent rounds.
• the rounds may include outer end wall portions which overlap inner end wall portions of the adjacent round and the closure wall members may be sandwiched between inner complementary end wall faces of the telescoped rounds.
• the telescoped portions of adjacent rounds may include a thin walled portion which may expand outwardly into sealing engagement with either the adjacent telescoped round portion so as to prevent escape of propellant into the barrel or blow by into the adjacent propellant charge.
• the outward expansion may be of the outer telescoped portion so as to enhance the sealing engagement of the round being fired and the barrel.
• Each sandwiched closure wall member may also be arranged to react to propellant charge pressure against its leading face to seal against the end face of the trailing round to prevent blow-by ignition of the charge contained in the adjacent trailing round. Such reactive sealing may also occur between abutting end face portions of the rounds and/or between the leading round and the closure wall member.
• each selectively ignitable propellant charge may include an electrically actuated primer connected to a pair of spaced annular contacts extending about the round and contacting respective electrical contacts protruding through the barrel and suitably associated with electronic control means.
• the closure means may be integral with the rounds and may include wall segments which may move, or a wall which may expand, forwardly from a closed attitude to an open attitude and substantially barrel conforming attitude. When in the closed attitude the wall segments may react to ignition of a leading propellant charge to maintain or enhance the closing effect of the closure means.
• each round with its propellant charge is prepared prior to loading into the barrel but if desired the barrel may be loaded by sequentially loading a round tubular body having on open leading end, propellant charge followed by closure of the open end, either as a separate operation or as a result of placing the next round tubular body into its located position.
• the invention resides in a round for firing from the barrel assembly of a munition or firearm, said round including: an open ended tubular body adapted for loading into a barrel of the barrel assembly and for operative sealing engagement with the barrel; a closure wall member adapted to be interposed between said tubular body and the tubular body of an adjacent round for effecting an operative barrel closure between rounds; and a selectively ignitable propellant charge within the tubular body of the adjacent round, which propellant charge is ignitable for propelling the tubular body of said round through the muzzle of the barrel.
• FIGS. 1A to 1D diagrammatically illustrate, in section, one form of the invention and its mode of operation
• FIGS. 2A to 2D diagrammatically illustrate, in section, a further embodiment of the invention and its mode of operation;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one round of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D;
• FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates, in section, another form of the invention.
• FIG. 5 diagrammatically illustrates, in section, yet another form of the invention.
• the barrel assembly 10 has a plurality of rounds 11 stacked in axial abutting relationship within the barrel 12 and which are adapted to be fired electrically or otherwise in sequence, such as is illustrated in the inventor's earlier International applications or as is otherwise known in the art.
• Each round 11 comprises a tubular body 13 associated with a barrel closure member 14 disposed between and separating adjacent tubular bodies 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d from one another, and with a propellant charge 15 arranged behind a closure member 14.
• the propellant charge 15a is, for example, supported within a trailing tubular body 13b between respective barrel closure members 14a and 14b.
• a further propellant charge 15d is contained in a rear extension 16 of the barrel assembly 10 for propelling the rearmost tubular body 13d.
• each body 13 extends inwardly and rearwardly to form a part conical end face 19.
• the part conical end face co-operates with a complementary part conical face 22 formed about the outer trailing peripheral portion of the barrel closure member 14, as shown in FIG. 1B.
• a further complementary part conical leading face 23 is formed about the outer edge of the closure member 14, as shown in FIG. 1C.
• the further complementary part conical leading face 23 is associated with a return face 24 so as to provide a recess 25 which receives the complementary shaped trailing end wall 26 of each tubular body 13.
• the end walls 26 return inwardly whereas the remainder of the tubular body 13 is of constant tubular section, although it could be formed to provide a venturi shape through the body 13 if desired.
• the return wall portion 26 is captured by the closure member 24 during firing of the leading body 13 from the barrel as illustrated in FIG. 1B.
• the closure member 14 may be discarded from the tubular body 13 during flight, such as the result of rotation of the body 13 due to rifling provided in the barrel 12 or it may stay with the body 13 during flight as depicted in FIG. 1D.
• the closure member 14 could be secured to the body 13 by screwing, pinning, gluing, swaging or otherwise as required.
• the barrel assembly 10 is stacked with rounds 11 wherein an empty tubular body 13a is the leading projectile.
• the leading propellant charge 15a is ignited in the next adjacent body 13b
• the resultant gas pressure will act upon both the leading and trailing end closure members 14a, 14b enclosing the ignited propellant charge.
• the action of the gas pressure causes the leading closure member 14a to be propelled from the barrel 12 together with the leading body 13a.
• the gas pressures will force the trailing closure member 14b into axial compression with the trailing body 13b, resulting in radial expansion of the part conical end face 19 of the trailing body.
• the empty body 13b as shown in FIG. 1B may be propelled from the barrel assembly 10 by ignition of the propellant 15b in the next trailing body 13c.
• each round 30 has a tubular body portion 31 provided with outwardly converging wall segments 33 which abut or overlap to form respective closures for the tubular body
• These segments 33 provide a central land portion 35 which mutually abut when the rounds 30 are disposed along the length of a barrel 36.
• the preferred form of wall segments 33 is an opposing pair of segments as illustrated in FIG. 3, disposed between body extensions 38 having end walls 39 which abut when disposed in the barrel 36.
• leading segments 33 open to lie alongside the barrel 36 upon ignition of the propellant 37 contained within the round 30.
• Propellant ignition also propels the leading round 30, shown partially in FIG. 2A.
• This action provides the next leading round 30 with a substantially tubular body 31 in the barrel, which body is closed only at its rear end by the trailing closure segments 33 which diverge rearwardly to provide a land portion 35, as shown in FIG. 2B.
• the land portion 35 abuts the land portion 35 formed at the front of the forwardly diverging segments 33 of the next adjacent trailing round 30.
• the segments could alternatively be a plurality of substantially triangular segments having their bases disposed about the periphery of the body 31 and extending inwardly to form a pyramid shaped closure. If desired, the trailing closure segments 33 may be coupled to the tubular body
• hinge means 32 which segments open upon exiting the barrel due to air pressure passing through the tubular body 31, as illustrated in FIG. 2D.
• these segments 33 may be provided with flights or other projections to stabilise the flight of the body 31 or make it spin as required.
• the closed rounds may be fired from multiple barrels against a buried land mine. Such a round would then act to scoop earth into the body 31 and carry it away from the mine location. That effect would be into addition to the usual disturbance of earth due to the kinetic impact of the round on the ground. Firing multiple rounds from multiple barrels thus has the potential to provide improved means of exposing and/or neutralizing buried land mines.
• the rounds make contact with each other while stacked in a barrel, and are positively located in their intended position. In effect, the rounds utilize a cartridge case which also doubles as the projectile itself.
• the barrel 41 is shown cutaway at its leading end or muzzle so that only the two rearmost rounds 42 and 43 are illustrated, a leading round (not shown) having been recently fired from the barrel.
• the rounds 42 and 43 are telescoped, with the outer leading end portion 44 of the trailing round 43 extending about the inner trailing end portion 45 of the intermediate round 42.
• All end face portions are part conical with the respective complementary outer end face portions 46 and 47 terminating adjacent one another, and the inner end face portions 48 and 49 terminating in spaced apart relation with one another and in abutting relationship with the closure wall member 50.
• the closure wall member includes a peripheral portion 52 also having a part conical end face 54.
• the telescoped wall portions 44 and 45 are relatively long and are formed as a close fit, one within the other.
• propellant pressure acts against the closure wall member 50 of the intermediate round 42 which contains the ignited propellant. This urges the end face 54 of the wall member 50 against the complementary inner end face portion 49 of the trailing round 43.
• pressure thus acts on the leading ends 47, 49 of the trailing round 43 and forces the intermediate projectile 42 outward and rearward to wedge the trailing face 46 into the leading outer face 47 effecting a seal therebetween.
• the outward pressure also expands the leading end 51 of the leading outer end portion 44 of the trailing round 43 into engagement with the barrel 41.
• the inner faces 48, 49 also wedge into sealing engagement with the peripheral portion 52 of the closure wall member 50, preventing blow by ignition of the propellant for the trailing round 43. Furthermore, the propellant pressure will tend to expand the inner trailing end portion 45 of the intermediate round 42 into tight engagement with the outer leading end portion 44 of the trailing round 43 so as minimise leakage to the barrel 41.
• a primer 55 is located within each selectively ignitable propellant charge 56 and connected to positive and negative slip ring type contacts 57, 58 spaced along the outer periphery of the rounds 42, 43.
• the barrel 41 is provided with correspondingly located spring contacts 53, 59 protruding into the barrel for effecting a contact with the respective contact rings 57, 58.
• Suitable electronic controls are provided for actuating the primer and igniting the propellant charges 56. These peripheral contacts 57, 58 are suitably utilised on all the illustrated rounds such as is shown in FIG. 3.
• the barrel assembly 60 illustrated in FIG. 5 is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the difference being reversal of the rounds 61 and the annular skirt portion 63 provided in the barrel 64. That is in the FIG. 4 embodiment, the rounds 42, 43 have an inner wall which reduces rearwardly whereas the inner wall 62 of the rounds 61 is of constant diameter throughout the majority of its length and then expands outwardly. It is believed that this arrangement will provide a more aerodynamic configuration but less effective sealing than the embodiment of FIG. 4.
• each barrel closure may cooperate with the leading annular end of the adjacent tubular round, either by forcing the annular end outwardly into contact with the bore of the barrel and wedge a barrel closure into sealing engagement with the barrel or the leading annular end, or by causing the closure member to wedge into close sealing contact with the part-conical inner end of the tubular round and without significant expansion of that leading end into engagement with the barrel.
• This wedging may be achieved by maintaining the wedging angles relatively steep, by providing a stop on the leading end which stops rearward movement of the closure at a point at which sealing between the closure and tubular round is effected but prior to radial expansion of the leading end of the tubular round occurring.
• the leading end may be formed sufficiently robust to resist outward splaying under the influence of the wedging action created by the propulsion force from a leading round. Such a sealing action is more suited to low pressure, low muzzle velocity applications.
• each round may include the closure wall suitably fixed to the trailing end of the round and a wad closure or the like for securing the propellant in the round.
• the barrel assemblies of this invention which utilise open tubular rounds may also be useful for firing from underwater locations such as from ships, submarines or as concealed land based surface piercing defence installations.
• submarines may utilise such barrel assemblies for self-defence, for underwater mine destruction or anti-torpedo or missile activity.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• Portable Nailing Machines And Staplers (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)

Priority Applications (9)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=3829258

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (14)

Citations (8)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2001
  • 2001-05-25 AU AUPR5280A patent/AUPR528001A0/en not_active Abandoned
• 2002
  • 2002-03-11 KR KR10-2003-7015384A patent/KR20040044181A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-03-11 CN CNA028141415A patent/CN1527930A/zh active Pending
  • 2002-03-11 MX MXPA03010773A patent/MXPA03010773A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-03-11 EP EP02719554A patent/EP1390685A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-03-11 IL IL15902902A patent/IL159029A0/xx unknown
  • 2002-03-11 RU RU2003136146/02A patent/RU2336488C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-03-11 CA CA002448269A patent/CA2448269A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-03-11 JP JP2003500495A patent/JP2004526937A/ja active Pending
  • 2002-03-11 BR BR0210084-3A patent/BR0210084A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-03-11 WO PCT/AU2002/000273 patent/WO2002097357A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2002-03-11 US US10/478,748 patent/US20040231219A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2003
  • 2003-11-25 ZA ZA2003/09157A patent/ZA200309157B/en unknown

Patent Citations (8)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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