Kinetic Fireball Incendiary Munition Submunition Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional incendiary munitions fail to raise the temperature of target structures to over 1,000°F for an extended period without creating substantial overpressure or explosive effects, which is necessary to neutralize biological and chemical weapons while minimizing collateral damage.
Innovation Solution
An incendiary munition design featuring a submunition with a solid propellant and a rocket motor that ignites upon incendiary portion ignition, producing a gas cushion for levitation and propulsion within the target structure, achieving elevated temperatures without detonation through deflagration combustion and controlled gas generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional high explosive munitions with phosphorous are used, then high temperatures are achieved, but the temperature duration is only a fraction of a second and substantial overpressure is created
Solution Approach 1:
The munition is divided into multiple submunitions (at least two) that are dispersed throughout the target structure. Each submunition contains incendiary material and generates heat independently, ensuring continuous high temperature over an extended period without creating substantial overpressure. The segmented approach allows prolonged thermal exposure while distributing pressure effects across multiple smaller units rather than one large explosive charge.
2Temperature
If conventional high explosive munitions are used, then high temperatures are achieved, but explosive effects cause collateral damage and dispersal of hazardous materials
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful explosive effect into a beneficial non-explosive incendiary effect. Instead of using high explosives that cause overpressure and structural damage, the munition uses incendiary submunitions that generate sustained heat through combustion. This converts the harmful explosive shockwave into a beneficial thermal field that neutralizes NBC weapons while minimizing collateral damage and preventing dispersal of hazardous materials through controlled burning rather than violent explosion.
Solution Approach 2:
The incendiary submunitions act as intermediaries between the delivery system and the NBC weapons target. Rather than directly impacting with high explosives, the submunitions are dispersed and ignite to create a thermal environment that gradually neutralizes the threat. This intermediary thermal process avoids the immediate destructive shockwave of conventional explosives, reducing collateral damage to surrounding structures and minimizing the risk of dispersing hazardous materials.
3Temperature
If conventional incendiary munitions are used, then some heating is achieved, but uniform heat distribution throughout multi-rooms and large volumes is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The munition system is segmented into multiple independently dispersed submunitions that are distributed throughout the target structure's multi-rooms and large volumes. Each submunition acts as an independent heat source, ensuring uniform heat distribution across the entire target volume. This segmentation allows thermal energy to be evenly delivered to all areas, including hard-to-reach spaces, without relying on a single centralized heat source that would create uneven temperature distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point or localized heat source to a three-dimensional distributed heat field by dispersing multiple submunitions throughout the target volume. This dimensional approach ensures that heat is generated simultaneously across multiple locations, creating uniform thermal coverage throughout multi-rooms and large volumes rather than concentrating heat in one area, thereby achieving precise and uniform heat distribution.
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 effectively heats target structures to over 1,000°F for several seconds without significant overpressure, ensuring effective neutralization of biological and chemical agents while minimizing collateral damage and preventing the dispersal of hazardous materials.
Implementation Method 1
The submunition has a rocket motor which fires upon ignition of the incendiary portion
Implementation Method 2
the incendiary portion and rocket motor liberate sufficient heat to produce elevated temperatures inside of a target structure
Implementation Method 3
producing a gas cushion for levitation and propulsion within the target structure
Data Source
AI summary
A kinetic fireball incendiary munition is provided having an outer shell or bomb casing, one or more incendiary submunitions therein, and an igniter therefore. Each of the submunitions includes an incendiary portion and at least one rocket motor that propels the submunition inside of a target volume. The submunitions liberate sufficient heat to produce elevated temperatures inside of a target structure, without creating a substantial overpressure or explosive effect. The incendiary portion includes a solid propellant and, optionally, one or more energetic materials selected from the group consisting of phosphorous, boron, magnesium, aluminum, Fluorinert™-aluminum and BKNO3. The incendiary submunition may be in the shape of a ball or a circular disk with a rocket motor therein.