Variable Thickness Flyer Plate for Penetration Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current penetration devices for flight termination systems face challenges in effectively piercing thicker targets with minimal weight and cost, as flyer plates made of dense materials are heavy and costly, while those made of compliant materials lack sufficient penetration ability and cause excessive residual damage.
Innovation Solution
The use of variable stiffness flyer plates, which have a center portion with a first stiffness and peripheral portions with a second stiffness less than the first, allowing for customized local stiffness and inertia adjustments through different thicknesses, material removal, or inserts, to alter the loading during impact and enhance piercing ability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If flyer plates made of dense materials are used, then penetration ability is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flyer plate incorporates regions of different densities - a dense central region for penetration and less dense peripheral regions for structural support. This local differentiation allows the plate to achieve high penetration ability through the dense core while reducing overall weight through the lighter peripheral materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The flyer plate is constructed as a composite structure combining materials of different densities in a single integrated component. The composite design enables the plate to exhibit both high strength penetration capability from the dense material and reduced weight from the less dense material, resolving the contradiction between penetration ability and weight.
2Strength
If flyer plates with larger thickness are used, then penetration ability is improved, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flyer plate features a thicker central region that provides the necessary penetration strength while thinner peripheral regions reduce the overall volume and weight of the device. This localized thickness variation allows the plate to maintain high penetration ability without increasing the total device size proportionally.
Solution Approach 2:
The flyer plate is segmented into functional zones with different thickness characteristics - a thick central penetration zone and thinner peripheral zones. This segmentation allows the device to achieve sufficient penetration ability through the thick central region while keeping the overall device volume small through the thinner peripheral sections.
3Weight of moving object
If flyer plates made of compliant materials are used, then weight is reduced, but penetration ability and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flyer plate uses compliant, less dense materials for the peripheral regions to reduce weight, while the central region employs dense, strong materials to maintain penetration ability and structural integrity. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction by assigning different material properties to different functional zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The flyer plate combines compliant materials with less dense structure in the periphery and dense strong materials in the center, creating a composite structure that achieves both weight reduction and maintained penetration ability. The composite design allows the light peripheral material to reduce overall weight while the dense central material preserves structural integrity.
4Ease of manufacture
If flyer plates with uniform thickness are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but ability to optimize local stiffness and inertia is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The flyer plate implements variable thickness and material density across different regions to customize local stiffness and inertia properties. The central region has different characteristics than the peripheral regions, allowing optimized performance for specific impact scenarios while still being manufacturable through modern fabrication techniques.
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 a smaller, lighter penetration device to effectively pierce thicker structures and generate more residual damage, reducing the weight and cost of rocket-propelled vehicles while terminating flight more quickly and efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a propellant configured to propel the flyer plate toward a target
Implementation Method 2
The center portion of the flyer plate may have a different stiffness than the peripheral portion of the flyer plate. In one embodiment, the peripheral portion of the flyer plate may be tapered from the first thickness to a second thickness that is less than the first thickness
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~3C
Figure 4A~5B
AI summary
A penetration device (110) including a casing (122), a propellant (124) positioned in the casing, and a flyer plate (126). The flyer plate is coupled to the casing and adjacent to the propellant. The flyer plate includes a center portion (214) having a substantially constant first thickness (262) and includes a peripheral portion (216) around the center portion and defining an edge (218). The peripheral portion tapers from the first thickness to a second thickness (264) at the edge, where the second thickness is less than the first thickness.