Non-Lethal Grenade Venting Balances Gas Forces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-lethal grenades, such as blunt trauma and flash bang grenades, often require multiple devices to achieve desired effects and face issues with fuze ejection, reliability, and safety due to the need for separate pyrotechnic fuzes and potential lethal fragments, which complicates design and increases lifecycle costs.
Innovation Solution
A multipurpose non-lethal blunt trauma grenade that combines blunt trauma and flash bang effects in a single device, featuring a main charge holder with vent openings to balance gas propulsive forces, eliminating the need for an ejectable fuze and incorporating a pyrotechnic mix of strontium nitrate, aluminum powder, sulfur, boric acid, and an anti-caking agent, with a fuze assembly that delays ignition to ensure accurate targeting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an ejectable fuze is used to eliminate lethal fragments, then safety is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to seal issues and complex ejection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the ejectable fuze mechanism entirely, extracting the problematic component that causes both safety concerns and reliability issues. The fuze is integrated into the grenade body in a fixed configuration, eliminating the need for ejection and associated seal problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuze assembly is merged with the grenade body structure, combining what were previously separate components (ejectable fuze and body) into a unified integrated design. This eliminates the interface problems between the fuze and body seal.
2Reliability
If a robust seal is used to prevent moisture entry, then reliability is improved, but the force to eject the fuze becomes too large creating lethal fragments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the ejection function entirely by removing the separate ejection charge and mechanism. The fuze remains fixed in the body, so the seal robustness issue no longer applies to ejection forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal serves multiple functions: it prevents moisture entry during storage and transport, and simultaneously provides the structural integrity needed to contain the fuze assembly during operation. The same robust seal structure addresses both requirements without creating harmful ejection forces.
3Ease of operation
If a separation charge is used to eject the fuze, then fuze ejection is achieved, but design complexity and net explosive weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the separation charge entirely, extracting the additional pyrotechnic component that increases complexity and weight. The fuze is activated directly without requiring a separate ejection charge.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuze activation and main charge functions are merged into a single integrated system. The same pyrotechnic composition serves both as the fuze activator and the main explosive charge, eliminating the need for separate ejection and main charge systems.
4Ease of operation
If fuze ejection is used, then the fuze can be removed from the body, but the grenade is diverted away from its course requiring multiple grenades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the ejection function that causes off-course deviation. The fixed fuze configuration eliminates the force impulse that would otherwise divert the grenade from its trajectory.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of ejecting the fuze from the body, the patent inverts the approach by fixing the fuze to the body structure. This reversal of the ejection concept eliminates the associated trajectory deviation problem.
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 reduces the need for multiple grenades, enhances safety and reliability by preventing lethal fragments, and allows for accurate aiming, while producing a blunt trauma, sound, and light effect in a single device, thereby reducing lifecycle costs and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a main charge comprising a pyrotechnic mix of about 50 to 55 wt. % strontium nitrate, about 35 to 45 wt. % aluminum powder, about 3 to 6 wt. % sulfur, about 0.5 to about 1.5 wt. % boric acid, and about 0.5% anti-caking agent
Implementation Method 2
The main charge holder further includes vent openings sized and oriented to balance the propulsive force of gases generated by a main charge such that the main charge holder is not propelled by the main charge
Implementation Method 3
a fuze assembly that delays ignition to ensure accurate targeting
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-purpose non-lethal blunt trauma grenade which produces both blunt trauma effects as well as light and sound effects. The non-lethal blunt trauma grenade comprises a main charge holder configured for not fragmenting upon ignition of the main charge and which includes a plurality of vent holes sized and oriented to balance the propulsive force of gases generated by a main charge.