Rear-Loading Recoilless Gun with Polymer Case and Ballast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recoilless guns face design challenges due to the need for a barrel that breaks open to load ammunition, leading to increased complexity and weight, which complicates manufacturing and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A recoilless gun system with an integral barrel and a rear-loading mechanism that uses a ballast mass within the ammunition round to counteract recoil, eliminating the need for a break-open barrel and simplifying the design while reducing weight, employing a laser initiator for ignition and a polymer cartridge case that resists high pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a break-open barrel is used to load ammunition, then the weapon can be loaded, but the device complexity increases and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of opening the front of the barrel to load ammunition conventionally, the patent inverts the loading approach by using a break-open rear barrel design. The rear barrel section breaks open to allow cartridge insertion from the rear, eliminating the need for complex front-loading mechanisms while maintaining loading capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrel is segmented into a front barrel section and a rear barrel section that can separate from each other. The rear barrel section acts as a removable cover that breaks open for loading, while the front barrel remains intact. This segmentation allows simple loading functionality without requiring the entire barrel structure to be complex.
2Ease of operation
If a break-open barrel is used to load ammunition, then the weapon can be loaded, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel is divided into separate front and rear sections that can be manufactured independently using standard machining processes. The rear barrel section functions as a simple cover piece that breaks open, allowing each segment to be produced with conventional manufacturing methods rather than requiring complex integrated barrel construction.
Solution Approach 2:
By inverting the conventional front-loading approach to rear-loading with a break-open rear barrel, the patent simplifies the manufacturing requirements. The rear barrel section is a straightforward structural component that can be fabricated independently, reducing overall manufacturing complexity compared to integrated break-open front barrel designs.
3Ease of operation
If a break-open barrel is used to load ammunition, then the weapon can be loaded, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented barrel design with a separate rear section allows for optimized material distribution. The rear barrel cover can be made from lighter materials or thinner sections since it only needs to provide cover and break-open functionality, reducing overall weapon weight while maintaining loading capability.
Solution Approach 2:
By inverting the loading mechanism to use a break-open rear barrel instead of a heavy-duty front barrel opening mechanism, the patent reduces the amount of material required in critical stress areas, thereby reducing overall weapon weight while preserving full loading functionality.
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 recoilless gun system is simpler, lighter, and easier to operate, with reduced weight and complexity, enabling effective counter-UAS and anti-personnel capabilities, and can be adapted for various applications including unmanned aerial systems and shoulder-fired configurations.
Implementation Method 1
The laser initiator is mounted to the exterior of the barrel such that a laser light from the laser travels through an opening defined by the barrel and extending from the exterior surface into an interior cavity of the barrel
Implementation Method 2
said laser ignitable primer is initiated by the laser light through the polymer cartridge case
Implementation Method 3
the rear cavity of the ammunition cartridge is of sufficient length to allow the ballast mass to counteract the force of the ejecting payload
Implementation Method 4
The primer charge is ignited by the initiation device to initiate the payload propellant
Data Source
AI summary
A recoilless gun system, comprising a gun assembly and associated ammunition for use with the gun assembly employs an integral barrel and a rear inserted ammunition round. The recoilless gun system may combine a laser initiator and a polymer cased ammunition to enable a lightweight system. In such embodiments, the cartridge case is made from a polymer that resists high pressure before extruding into small gaps.