Driving cage

Abstract

Drive cage (20, 30) with a push and a pull function, wherein the drive cage (20, 30) comprises separate drive cage parts (5, 6, 14, 14', 15, 15'), and wherein at least one drive cage part (5, 14, 14') is designed such that it performs the pull function, and wherein at least one other drive cage part (6, 15, 15') is designed such that it performs the push function, characterized in that the drive cage parts (5, 6, 14, 14', 15, 15') are nested.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a sabot for sub-caliber ammunition or a sub-caliber projectile, for example, a kinetic energy projectile. The invention particularly relates to the division of the sabot into a push function and a pull function with the aim of reducing the weight of the sabot.

[0002] Cooling cages serve to seal the gap, usually ring-shaped, between a projectile and the inner wall of a firearm, allowing the propellant gases to be used effectively to propel the projectile. Furthermore, a cooling cage guides the projectile within the barrel, ensuring it follows the bore axis precisely without lateral deflection. With significantly undersized projectiles, a cooling cage must also support the projectile during acceleration within the barrel, distributing the force transferred to the projectile via the cooling cage over a larger portion of the projectile's length. Otherwise, such a projectile would collapse under the influence of inertia when subjected to a single point of force.

[0003] Detachment before the muzzle is made possible by frequently dividing the propellant cage into several segments, which detach radially from the projectile, starting from the tip, as soon as these segments are no longer held together radially by the inner wall of the barrel. Such segmentation does not negatively affect the axial force transmission, as this runs parallel to the force flow.

[0004] A well-known feature of high-performance kinetic energy ammunition is the use of sabots in which a pressure flange is positioned roughly in the middle of an elongated, arrow-shaped projectile. The portion of the sabot in front of this pressure flange accelerates the projectile through compression, while the portion behind it accelerates it through tension. The tension is further enhanced by the propellant gas pressure. The compression section, i.e., the section in front of the pressure flange, is free from external stresses. In practice, such sabots are also referred to as push-pull sabots.

[0005] Pure push-type or pure pull-type drive cages also exist. The pressure flange of the drive cage is located either behind or in front of the actual drive cage. To achieve the lowest possible drive cage mass, both push-type and / or pull-type drive cages are optimized for shape. Furthermore, high-strength materials are used. This results in the material being subjected to a high degree of stress, ideally evenly.

[0006] DE 38 43 566 C1 describes a segmented drive cage, which is designed as a conventional pull drive cage with only one front guide part and possibly rear guide struts.

[0007] DE 39 20 254 C2 designates a double-flange drive cage (push-pull drive cage) with a front caliber-sized guide flange and rear caliber-sized pressure flange as belonging to the prior art.

[0008] DE 39 30 255 C2 deals with a ballistic missile arrangement with a double-flange propellant cage (push-pull propellant cage) or with a pull propellant cage.

[0009] DE 10 2005 055 503 A1 discloses a segmented double-flange propellant cage. The propellant cage comprises a shell-shaped central propellant cage section that is positively engaged along the longitudinal axis of the projectile. To achieve a lower weight for the propellant cage compared to similar propellant cages while maintaining the same bending strength, it is proposed to connect the two flanges of the propellant cage to each other via lateral struts in addition to the central propellant cage section. Each propellant cage segment is assigned at least one strut.

[0010] DE 10 2005 055 504 A1 describes a segmented propellant cage with predetermined breaking points. The propellant cage has a front guide flange and a rear pressure flange. The predetermined breaking point creates a perforated threaded area. After the penetrator is screwed into the propellant cage, these axial predetermined breaking points or separation lines are sealed by vulcanization with a vulcanizate. The detachment behavior of the propellant cage segments is primarily determined by the properties of the vulcanizate during firing.

[0011] A guided missile is further described in DE 10 2008 029 394 A1. The guide cage is made of plastic. To ensure rigid radial guidance of the missile body, the guide cage consists of a fiber-reinforced plastic and a support wall made of a metal, preferably an aluminum alloy. Both parts are connected to each other by a form-fit and / or force-fit connection.

[0012] From DE 10 2013 006 498 A1 a projectile in a motor cage is known which is characterized by the fact that a narrow segmented steel disc is used as a guide element, which is connected on the side facing the guide cage to a segmented, hollow cylindrical cladding part made of plastic in a form-fit and / or force-fit manner.

[0013] The space beneath the pressure flange in a push-pull propellant cage is difficult to optimize in terms of shape, as this area is challenging to access with recesses during manufacturing. A casting solution is not feasible, as the resulting mechanical properties are inferior to those of a comparable wrought alloy. The push portion of the propellant cage itself is not very efficient. Because this propellant cage is made of a significantly more compliant material than the projectile for mass reasons, it must have a large cross-section to effectively support the projectile. This solution contradicts the mass optimization of the propellant cage.

[0014] The invention therefore aims to demonstrate a way to minimize the mass of a drive cage.

[0015] The problem is solved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims.

[0016] The invention is based on the idea of ​​designing a firing cage such that it has both a push function and a pull function, with these functions operating independently of each other. As a result of this design, the push and pull functions are separated within the firing cage. To achieve this separation, the firing cage is mechanically divided into sections such that at least one section performs the pull function and at least one other section performs the push function. The firing cage sections are connected to a projectile via a positive-locking connection. However, there is no positive-locking connection between the firing cage sections themselves.

[0017] US Patent 4,756,255A discloses a sub-caliber projectile with a relatively high length-to-diameter ratio. The projectile is held and guided in the barrel of a weapon by a sabot, which comprises at least a front section and a rear section spaced apart from it. The rear section has valves through which propellant gases pass when ignited. This loads the front section, which then absorbs the tensile forces transmitted to the projectile. When the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value, these valves close, so that only a compressive force acts on the rear section.

[0018] In contrast, the first embodiment of the drive cage consists of two nested drive cage parts: an inner and an outer part. The outer part encloses the inner part, forming an interface between them. This interface should preferably be cylindrical for ease of manufacturing, resulting in a cylindrical nesting of the drive cage parts.

[0019] The propellant cage components can themselves be segmented. A tangential segmentation of the propellant cage components for detaching the propellant cage segments from the projectile or penetrator remains unaffected by this, preferably cylindrical, nesting.

[0020] An advantage is that no axial forces are transmitted via the interface, so there are no high demands on the axial positioning of the propellant cage components. A radial gap between the inner and outer propellant cage components should preferably be kept small. This prevents leaks. Alternatively, an additional seal can be provided to withstand high propellant gas pressure.

[0021] The inner propellant cage section performs the pull function, while the outer section performs the push function. The propellant cage sections have independent surfaces upon which the propellant gases act. The surface area of ​​the push propellant cage section should be kept small or minimal. Preferably, these two surfaces form a single, seamless surface of the propellant cage upon which the propellant gases can act. This surface should be shaped to resemble a (centrally) truncated (single-shell) hyperboloid. Alternative shapes are also possible.

[0022] There is no exchange of forces between the two drive cage parts, except for minor frictional forces. This allows the load-bearing capacity of both drive cage parts to be fully utilized independently. The choice of the pitch diameter determines the load distribution between the two drive cage parts. This pitch diameter corresponds to the outer diameter of the inner drive cage part or the inner diameter of the outer drive cage part.

[0023] In another embodiment, a tangential nesting of the propellant cage components is preferred. The combinable push-pull propellant cage can typically be divided into three segments of 120° each, which allow separation from the projectile after it has passed through the muzzle.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, one push and one pull drive cage segment are nested alternately in the tangential direction. A practical number or quantity is, for example, three drive cage segments each. However, other numbers of drive cage segments are also possible.

[0025] Each propellant cage component or segment has its own surface upon which the propellant gases act, resulting in the thrust transmitted to the projectile. In the case of a push propellant cage or push propellant cage segments, these surfaces are flat and preferably smooth. The surface of a pull propellant cage component or pull propellant cage segment can be compared to a (centrally) truncated (single-shell) hyperboloid. However, alternative shapes are also possible.

[0026] With the exception of minor frictional forces, no force equalization takes place between the drive cage components or segments. This allows the full load-bearing capacity of each drive cage component to be utilized in this variant as well. The choice of the respective segment angles determines the load distribution between the two functional groups (sum of the pull and sum of the push drive cage segments). The interface is fundamentally the same as previously required divisions. However, the number of separation surfaces increases. The contact areas are smaller because the drive cage components or segments overlap only slightly. This overlap area is necessary for sealing.

[0027] Manufacturing and form optimization are now simpler and more efficient due to the division of the drive cage into a pull function and a push function. This simplification of manufacturing results, for example, from shorter drive cage components or segments. Only the preferably cylindrical fit or interface between the two drive cage components now requires high precision. The use of different materials for the pull and push function components is simplified. These materials can be selected based on their mechanical properties to suit the different requirements (pull function, push function) of each respective drive cage component.

[0028] Because the efficiency of the push-type drive cage, which operates independently of the pull-type drive cage, is increased, the (overall) drive cage in both versions can be constructed to be lighter than previous solutions. The potential for weight savings is therefore very high. This is also due in particular to the fact that only two "half" drive cages are used, and these are nested inside each other or alternately in the circumferential direction.

[0029] As with known drive cages, pockets can be incorporated into the push parts of the drive cage.

[0030] The result is a combinable push-pull drive cage that can be manufactured in a simple manner, designed according to its prioritized task or requirements, and which can also be executed more easily.

[0031] To reduce the mass of a drive cage with both pull and push functions, it is proposed that the drive cage comprise separate drive cage parts, with at least one drive cage part being configured to perform the pull function and at least one drive cage part being configured to perform the push function. For this purpose, the drive cage parts are nested. This can be implemented as a cylindrical or tangential nesting arrangement. In the cylindrical arrangement, the outer drive cage part encloses the inner drive cage part along an interface. In the tangential arrangement, the drive cage parts are divided into drive cage segments. These are nested alternately in the tangential direction, so that a pull drive cage segment and a push drive cage segment are always nested alternately in the circumferential direction.The drive cage parts or drive cage segments overlap to ensure sufficient sealing.

[0032] A combination of cylindrical and tangential nesting is also possible.

[0033] The invention will be described in more detail using an exemplary embodiment with a drawing. For the sake of clarity, the illustration of possible guide and / or sealing strips has been omitted.

[0034] They show: Fig. 1 a half-section view of projectile, sabot parts and gun barrel in a first embodiment, Fig. 2. A cross-sectional view of the firing cage and the projectile in the gun barrel. Fig. 1, Fig. 3 A representation of a projectile, a sabot and a gun barrel in a further embodiment, Fig. 4 a sectional view from Fig. 3.

[0035] The invention is in Fig. 1. Axis-symmetrical and sketchily represented. One axis of rotation is labeled 1. A sub-caliber projectile 2 has a significantly smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the gun barrel 3 ( Fig. 2) A remaining space 26 between the projectile 2 and the gun tube 3 is filled by a detonating cage 20.

[0036] The drive cage 20 consists of drive cage parts 5 and 6, or at least two. Drive cage parts 5 and 6 are not a single unit but separate from each other. They are nested within one another. Part 5 forms an inner drive cage, and part 6 forms an outer drive cage. The inner drive cage 5 performs the pull function, and the outer drive cage 6 performs the push function of the (overall) drive cage 20. This design allows the drive cage parts 5 and 6 to be made of different materials, for example.

[0037] An interface 24 of the two drive cage parts 5, 6 is preferably cylindrical. A radial gap 25 in the region of the interface 24 between the inner 5 and the outer drive cage part 6 is preferably chosen to be small.

[0038] The propellant cage sections 5, 6 have independent (separate) surfaces 21, 22 upon which the propellant gases act, resulting in the driving force to be transmitted to the projectile 2. The surfaces 21, 22 preferably merge into one another in such a way that a common, preferably smooth, surface 23 of the propellant cage 20 is formed. The surfaces 21, 22 of the propellant cage section segments 5, 6 form a (centrally) truncated (single-shell) hyperboloid. However, alternative shapes are also possible.

[0039] There is no exchange of forces between the two drive cage parts 5, 6, except for minor frictional forces. This allows the load-bearing capacity of both drive cage parts 5, 6 to be fully utilized independently of each other.

[0040] Between the two drive cage parts 5, 6 and the projectile 2, there is a positive-locking connection 8, 9, which is not shown in detail but could be in the form of a thread, as is frequently used in practice. However, there is no positive-locking connection between the drive cage parts 5 and 6; that is, there is no positive locking between the drive cage parts 5 and 6.

[0041] Due to a propellant charge pressure 4 acting behind the projectile 2, the projectile 2 is accelerated in the direction of fire in a known manner, as shown in the illustration according to Fig. 1 to the right. The projecting surface is decisive for the axial forces acting on the projectile parts 2, 5, 6. In the selected section plane 7, these surfaces correspond to the section surfaces. The sub-caliber projectile 2 ( Fig. 2) is driven to a small extent by the gas pressure itself. In addition, the projectile 2 is driven out of the gun barrel 3 via the inner propellant cage 5 and the outer propellant cage 6, on which the propellant charge pressure 4 also acts.

[0042] Another embodiment is in Fig. Figure 3 shows a sub-caliber projectile 10 with a sabot 30, viewed from the rear in the direction of fire. This sabot 30 comprises at least one sabot section 14' with a pull function and at least one sabot section 15' with a push function.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, these sabot parts 14', 15' are themselves composed of several sabot segments 14, 15. The sabot segments 14, 15 are located in the space between the projectile 10 and the gun barrel 11. The sabot segments 14 perform the pull function and the sabot segments 15 the push function of the sabot 30.

[0044] Preferably, in the tangential direction, one push and one pull drive cage segment 14, 15 are nested alternately, so that a pull drive cage segment 14 is always followed alternately by a push drive cage segment 15 in the circumferential direction.

[0045] The number and segment widths of the pull drive cage segments 14 and the push drive cage segments 15 are freely selectable. The choice of the respective segment angles determines the load distribution between the two functional groups (sum of the pull drive cage segments 14 or sum of the push drive cage segments 15). This allows the (total) drive cage 31 formed by the drive cage segments 14 and 15 to be individually adapted to the tasks or requirements placed upon it.

[0046] In the preferred embodiment, three drive cage segments 14 and 15, each with a 120° angle, are provided. In total, the drive cage 30 thus comprises three pull drive cage segments 14 and three push drive cage segments 15.

[0047] Fig. Figure 4 is a section view along a marked line 12 ( Fig.3) Shown are the weapon tube 11, the projectile 10, a pull propulsion cage segment 14 and a push propulsion cage segment 15 corresponding to line 12.

[0048] A positive-locking connection 18, for example via a thread, exists between the two drive cage segments 14, 15 and the floor 10. An overlap 17 of the drive cage segments 14, 15 is necessary for sufficient sealing. This overlap 17 must be large enough to guarantee the seal.

[0049] Each propellant cage segment 14, 15 has its own surface 31, 32, upon which the propellant gases 16 act, resulting in the driving force to be transmitted to the projectile 10. The propellant pressure 16 acts on the left side of the respective propellant cage segments 14', 15', thereby accelerating the projectile 2 to the right in this representation. The propellant pressure 16 acts on surface 31 of propellant cage segments 14 and on surface 32 of propellant cage segments 15.

[0050] In the push-drive cage segments 15, these surfaces 32 are straight and preferably smooth. The surfaces 31 of the pull-drive cage segments 14 can be compared to a (centrally) truncated (single-shell) hyperboloid. However, alternative shapes are also possible. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 axis of rotation 2 rounds (sub-caliber) 3 gun barrel 4 Propellant charge pressure 5 Drive cage part 6 Drive cage part 7 Section plane 8 connection 9 connection 10 rounds (sub-caliber) 11 gun barrel Line 12 14', 15' Drive cage part 14 Drive cage segment 15 Drive cage segment 16 Propellant pressure 17 Overlap 18 connection 19 connection 20 driving cages 21 area 22 area 23 Area 24 interface 25 gaps 30 driving cages 31 area 32 area

Claims

[1] Drive cage (20, 30) with a push and a pull function, wherein the drive cage (20, 30) comprises separate drive cage parts (5, 6, 14, 14', 15, 15'), and wherein at least one drive cage part (5, 14, 14') is configured to perform the pull function, and wherein at least one other drive cage part (6, 15, 15') is configured to perform the push function, characterized by , that the drive cage parts (5, 6, 14, 14', 15, 15') are nested. [2] Drive cage (20) according to claim 1, characterized by a cylindrical nesting of the drive cage parts (5, 6, 14, 14', 15, 15'). [3] Drive cage (20) according to claim 2, characterized by , that at least one drive cage part (5) with pull function forms an inner drive cage and at least one drive cage part (6) with push function forms an outer drive cage. [4] Drive cage (20) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, that the propellant cage parts (5, 6) have separate surfaces (21, 22) on which propellant gases (4) can act. [5] Drive cage (20) according to claim 4, characterized by , that the surfaces (21, 22) run towards each other in such a way that a common surface (23) of the cage (20) is formed. [6] Drive cage (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by , that the drive cage parts (14', 15') comprise drive cage part segments (14, 15). [7] Drive cage (30) according to claim 6, characterized by , that in the tangential direction, one push drive cage segment (15) and one pull drive cage segment (14) are nested alternately. [8] Drive cage (30) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by , that three drive cage segments (14) with pull function and three drive cage segments (15) with push function are provided. [9] Drive cage (30) according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by, that each propellant cage segment (14, 15) has its own surface (31, 32) on which propellant gases (16) can act. [10] Drive cage (20, 30) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by , that there is no positive locking connection between the drive cage parts (5, 14', 6, 15'). [11] Projectile (2, 10) with a propellant cage (20, 30) according to any one of claims 1 to 10. [12] Ammunition comprising a projectile (2, 10) and a sabot (20, 30) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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