Braked Short-Range Projectile for Controlled Trajectory Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies struggle to achieve short firing ranges efficiently and cost-effectively, often requiring complex and costly solutions or high elevation angles to reduce projectile range.
Innovation Solution
Designing a projectile with a flat nose section, energetic material, and a fuze that can burst upon impact or at a predetermined altitude, combined with a braking device to control the trajectory, allowing for short-range engagements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional projectiles are used with minimal propellant for short firing ranges, then propellant consumption is reduced, but the firing range becomes insufficient and trajectory control is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The projectile incorporates a braking device with brake panels that can be deployed dynamically during flight to increase air resistance and reduce firing range. This allows the same projectile to adapt to different range requirements without changing propellant load, resolving the contradiction between minimal propellant use and sufficient range control.
Solution Approach 2:
The braking device changes the aerodynamic parameters of the projectile during flight by deploying brake panels that increase drag coefficient. This parameter change allows the projectile to achieve short firing ranges with standard propellant loads, eliminating the need to minimize propellant consumption at the expense of range control.
2Speed
If elevation is increased to achieve short firing ranges with high trajectory, then firing range is reduced, but air resistance increases and operational flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying solely on high elevation angles, the braking device provides dynamic control of air resistance during flight. The brake panels can be deployed at optimal points in the trajectory to achieve range reduction without the excessive air resistance penalties of high-angle firing, maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical solution of high elevation angles with an aerodynamic braking system. This substitution allows for more efficient range control by actively managing drag forces rather than passively relying on trajectory geometry, reducing the harmful effects of air resistance.
3Speed
If complex solutions like reverse rocket engines are used to stop projectile trajectory, then short firing range is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The braking device uses simple, inexpensive brake panels that create drag to slow the projectile. This disposable-like approach achieves trajectory stopping without the complex, expensive reverse rocket engine system, dramatically reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining the ability to achieve short firing ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex active propulsion systems, the patent converts the harmful effect of air resistance into a beneficial braking force. The brake panels harness drag, normally a detrimental force, to achieve trajectory stopping, eliminating the need for complex reverse thrust mechanisms.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If flat nose section is used to reduce air resistance, then aerodynamic efficiency improves, but fuze arrangement and sealing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The projectile features a predominantly flat nose section for reduced air resistance, but incorporates a localized threaded socket recess in the nose. This local modification provides a precise mounting location for the fuze and sealing surface without significantly compromising the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the flat nose design.
Solution Approach 2:
The nose section is segmented into an outer aerodynamic surface and an inner functional zone with the threaded socket. This segmentation allows the fuze and sealing components to be integrated into the nose structure without requiring a completely different nose geometry, maintaining both aerodynamic efficiency and manufacturing ease.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables cost-effective short-range firing with controlled trajectory and enhanced air resistance, reducing the need for excessive propellant and elevation adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
The projectile is arranged with a braking device which, upon initiation, creates an opposing force which affects the projectile and stops its trajectory at a certain predetermined point
Implementation Method 2
Barrel weapons, such as cannons, make use of projectiles that are fired by means of a propellant, frequently gunpowder, during the formation of gas pressure that propels a projectile out through the barrel
Implementation Method 3
a fuze arranged to burst at a certain time
Data Source
AI summary
A projectile for short firing ranges includes as a cylinder with a nose having a substantially flat surface arranged with a threaded socket allowing for the arrangement of, for example, a fuze a rear section designed with a substantially flat surface, as well as a projectile body arranged with energetic material enclosed by a casing.