Vacuum Casting Viscous Explosives Munition Bodies

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for loading explosive materials, particularly viscous ones, face challenges in achieving effective casting due to high viscosity, which complicates the process and results in poor loading quality.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that utilize a sealed pouring vessel with a funnel to create a vacuum both in the tank and the ammunition body, allowing for controlled vacuum casting by maintaining a deeper vacuum level in the body than in the tank, facilitating the flow of viscous explosive materials into the ammunition body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional gravity casting is used for viscous explosives, then the process is simple, but the loading quality is poor and filling is incomplete

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess simplicityVSAvoidloading quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies vacuum technology (pneumatic principle) to create a pressure differential between the casting tank and ammunition body. By maintaining a deeper vacuum level in the ammunition body than in the tank, the system overcomes the high viscosity of explosive materials and enables complete filling, thereby improving loading quality while maintaining process feasibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

2Manufacturing precision

If vacuum casting is applied to viscous explosives, then loading quality improves, but the process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveloading qualityVSAvoidprocess complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating different vacuum levels in different zones of the system. Specifically, a deeper vacuum is maintained in the ammunition body compared to the casting tank, which locally optimizes the pressure differential to drive viscous explosive material filling while avoiding excessive complexity in the overall system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If a sealed funnel connection is used, then vacuum control is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevacuum controlVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a sealed funnel as an intermediary component between the casting tank and ammunition body. This funnel enables controlled vacuum transmission and maintains the pressure differential necessary for filling viscous explosives, thereby improving vacuum control and reliability while adding only moderate structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 enables efficient and high-quality loading of viscous explosives by ensuring a consistent and controlled vacuum environment, overcoming the limitations of conventional casting methods and improving the homogeneity and filling of ammunition bodies.

Implementation Method 1

a method and device that utilize a sealed pouring vessel with a funnel to create a vacuum both in the tank and the ammunition body, allowing for controlled vacuum casting by maintaining a deeper vacuum level in the body than in the tank

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Data Source

PatentEP2215426B1Method of casting an explosive material and casting device employing such a method
Publication Date: 2013.07.10 NEXTER MUNITIONS SA
  • EP2215426B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2215426B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2215426B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The subject of the invention is a method of casting an explosive material into a munition body (2), in which method the explosive material is placed in the liquid or pasty state in the body (2) by means of a casting tank (4) placed above the munition body. This method is characterized in that the material is vacuum-cast into the munition body (2), the vacuum being created in the tank (4) on the one hand and in the munition body (2) on the other before the casting operation is carried out, the vacuum in the munition body (2) being higher than the vacuum in the tank (4). The subject of the invention is also a casting device for implementing such a method.