Artillery Smoke Body Drag Elements Prevent Exhaust Clogging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional smoke bodies for artillery and mortar applications often have exhaust openings pointing in the direction of flight, leading to potential clogging with dirt or snow upon impact, which can result in malfunction and high assembly and material costs due to the use of parachutes or brake cloths.

Innovation Solution

Integration of air resistance-increasing elements, such as discs, ropes, or belts with weights, on the smoke body base that deploy after ejection to prevent deep sinking and clogging of exhaust openings, utilizing springs or air resistance for deployment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If smoke bodies are mounted with exhaust openings pointing in the direction of flight, then the manufacturing and assembly process is simplified, but the exhaust openings become clogged with dirt, dust, or snow upon impact, causing malfunction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly effortVSAvoidexhaust opening functionality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Air resistance-increasing elements are pre-integrated into the smoke body structure before deployment. These elements are prepared in advance to deploy automatically upon ejection, preventing the exhaust openings from contacting ground debris before the smoke body can be properly positioned in the air.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The air resistance-increasing elements act as intermediary components between the smoke body and the environment. By increasing drag, they create a buffer zone that prevents direct contact between the exhaust openings and ground debris, allowing the smoke body to decelerate gradually without clogging.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If parachutes or brake cloths are added to reduce impact speed, then the smoke body's reliability on wet or snowy ground is improved, but the assembly effort and device complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveperformance on wet/snowy groundVSAvoidassembly effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The air resistance-increasing elements are merged with the smoke body structure itself, integrating the drag-increasing function into the existing design. This eliminates the need for separate parachutes or brake cloths, reducing assembly effort while maintaining reliability on difficult terrain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The smoke body serves its own deceleration needs through integrated air resistance-increasing elements. These elements automatically deploy and provide the necessary drag without requiring external parachute systems or additional brake mechanisms, simplifying the overall system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If air resistance-increasing elements are integrated into the smoke body, then the exhaust openings are protected from clogging and reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexhaust opening protectionVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The smoke body is segmented into functional zones, with air resistance-increasing elements positioned at specific locations (front, rear, or sides) depending on the desired drag characteristics. This segmentation allows for targeted complexity only where needed to achieve the reliability benefit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of adding complex external deceleration devices like parachutes, the invention inverts the approach by integrating simple drag-increasing elements directly into the smoke body structure. This reverses the traditional problem-solving approach, achieving reliability through structural integration rather than added complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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

Enhances reliability and functionality on wet or snowy ground without altering the smoke body structure or manufacturing process, reducing assembly effort and material costs while maintaining existing resources.

Implementation Method 1

there is at least one element increasing the air resistance on the bottom side of the smoke body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAir resistance: Drag

Implementation Method 2

driven by springs or twists

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic potential energy conversion: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP3460380B1Smoke-generating body
Publication Date: 2020.06.03 RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION GMBH
  • EP3460380B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3460380B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A fog body (2) is proposed, comprising a fog body shell (11) and an embedded fog mass (13), a fog body base (1), and a fog body top, wherein the fog body has at least one discharge hole in its fog body top. To prevent the at least one discharge hole from becoming clogged with dirt, dust, grime, soil, etc., upon impact of the fog body in the target area, at least one drag-increasing element (3, 5, 8, 9) is located on the fog body base (3). This drag-increasing element (3, 5, 8, 9) reduces the degree to which the fog body (2) sinks, particularly on damp ground or upon hard impact on stony ground.