Explosive Practice Projectile Multi-Part Casing Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing need for cost-effective training and live ammunition has led to the challenge of replicating the signature of high-explosive projectiles with practice projectiles, while reducing production costs and maintaining the signature of explosive effects.

Innovation Solution

Converting the internal structure of a one-piece explosive projectile into a multi-part cargo projectile shell, allowing for the use of existing casings and enabling adjustable explosive signatures through the selection of detonating agents and ignition chains, including the use of bursting charges like compacts or black powder columns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a one-piece projectile casing is used for explosive practice projectiles, then the signature (bang, flash, smoke) of high-explosive projectiles is achieved, but the production cost is high and availability is low

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignature fidelityVSAvoidproduction cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The projectile is divided into a reusable cargo projectile casing and replaceable internal components (initiation chain, bursting charge). This segmentation allows the expensive one-piece casing to be replaced by a cheaper multi-part construction where only the consumable internal components need to be manufactured to high precision, while the casing can be produced more economically and reused across multiple projectiles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cargo projectile casing is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural containment, enables mass balancing, and can be reused across different projectile configurations. By selecting from available cargo projectile casings, the same casing design can serve multiple projectile types and configurations, reducing overall production costs through economies of scale.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional cargo projectile casings are used instead of one-piece casings, then production costs are reduced, but the availability of suitable casings may be limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidcasing availability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The cargo projectile casing is selected from existing designs that serve multiple purposes in other ammunition types. This universality allows the same casing to be used for explosive practice projectiles, enabling shared production lines and inventory across different projectile types, thereby improving availability while maintaining cost efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The initiation chain and bursting charge can be exchanged to modify the explosive signature and performance characteristics of the same cargo projectile casing. This parameter change capability allows a single casing design to accommodate multiple projectile specifications, effectively increasing adaptability without requiring multiple casing variants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If existing casings that are no longer used are utilized, then cost savings are increased and availability issues are counteracted, but additional processing or adaptation may be required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecost savingsVSAvoidadaptation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Cargo projectile casings from discontinued ammunition types are recovered and repurposed for explosive practice projectiles. Instead of allowing these casings to go into storage or scrap, they are reused in a new application, extracting continued value from existing tooling and manufacturing capabilities while reducing the need for new casing designs and tooling investments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

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

This approach reduces production costs by utilizing conventional cargo casings and existing casings, while maintaining the signature of high-explosive projectiles, and allows for flexible signature adjustment, addressing the issue of lower availability and cost savings.

Implementation Method 1

the bursting charge (3, 13 or 23) tears the multi-part projectile casing (5, 15, 25) and distributes the meaning or the meaning charge (4, 14, 24)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDetonation: Detonation

Implementation Method 2

using a column of black powder. Depending on the type of ignition / initiation, black powder charges react differently with regard to their energy development

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Data Source

PatentEP2671042B1Explosive practice projectile
Publication Date: 2016.04.20 RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION GMBH
  • EP2671042B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3

AI summary

The invention relates to, in particular, an explosive exercise projectile comprising a single-pieced casing and having the characteristic detonation, flash, smoke etc of an original explosive projectile. According to the invention, said explosive exercise projectile is transferred into a multi-part projectile casing (5, 15, 25) such that said newly configured projectile (1, 11, 21) also has the explosive projectile characteristics when being used.