Patent Publication Number: US-7717042-B2

Title: Wide area dispersal warhead

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/998,457 filed Nov. 29, 2004. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention relates to a warhead designed to simultaneously address multiple potential or actual threats. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are several scenarios where multiple potential or actual threats in a given volume of space are to be targeted. Conventional hit-to-kill and other missiles and warheads cannot typically be used to address multiple threats or targets in a given volume of space. Background information regarding hit-to-kill and other weapons is disclosed in textbooks by the inventor hereof: Chapters 2 and 5 of “Conventional Warhead Systems Physics and Engineering Design” (1998) and Chapters 3 and 6 of “Physics of Direct Hit and Near Miss Warhead Technology” (2001), incorporated herein by this reference. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a warhead designed to address multiple potential or actual threats simultaneously. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide such a warhead which can be used in conjunction with a conventional kill vehicle wherein the warhead is deployed first to address multiple potential threats and the kill vehicle is deployed second to target actual threats. 
     The subject invention results from the realization that by packaging a large number of small munitions in a housing and designing an internal explosive charge to have a conical shape, the munitions are deployed into a hemispherical dome shaped pattern to more comprehensively address multiple potential or actual threats. 
     The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives. 
     This subject invention features a warhead comprising a housing defining a cavity, an explosive charge in the housing, and a large plurality of individual munitions in the cavity of the housing about the explosive charge. The explosive charge is configured to deploy the munitions upon detonation into a hemispherical dome shaped pattern. 
     Typically, the warhead housing includes a cylindrical body with first (base) and second (nose) end plates attached to the ends thereof. The nose end plate is preferably dome shaped. The preferred explosive charge is conical in shape tapering from a larger first end at the base to a smaller second end at the nose. It is also preferred to include a buffer material such as foam about the explosive charge. 
     In one example, the housing is toroid in shape. The munitions can be made from materials including glass, metal, tungsten carbide, a phenolic material, and explosive materials and typically there are 1,000,000 or more small spherical munitions in the housing. The explosive charge may be an insensitive explosive. The housing typically has a wall thickness of less than 2 mils. 
     In one example, the munitions include a munition core and a plurality of particles adhered to an external surface of the munition core designed to release from the munition core upon impact of the munition with a target. The munition core may be made of a dense material such as a tungsten carbide composition. The particles can be micro particle in size and can be made of a brittle material such as glass. Typically, the particles are attached to the munition core with an adhesive. 
     A warhead in accordance with the subject invention includes a housing defining a cavity, an explosive charge in the housing, and a plurality of individual munitions in the cavity of the housing about the explosive charge. The munitions include a munition core and a plurality of particles attached to an external surface of the munition core designed to release from the munition core upon impact of the munition with a target. One example of a warhead in accordance with the subject invention includes a housing defining a cavity and a nose and a base of the warhead, a large plurality of individual munitions in the cavity of the housing, and an explosive charge in the housing having a conical shape tapering from a smaller first end proximate the nose of the housing to a larger second end proximate the base of the housing to deploy the munitions upon detonation into a hemispherical dome shaped pattern. 
     A warhead in accordance with the subject invention includes a housing having a longitudinal axis, an explosive charge in the housing extending along the longitudinal axis thereof and having a conical shape, and a large plurality of individual munitions in the housing about the explosive charge. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic three-dimensional exploded partially cut-away front view of one embodiment of a warhead in accordance with the subject invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view showing the munition pattern created in a volume of space when the warhead shown in  FIG. 1  is deployed; 
         FIG. 3  is a three-dimensional partial schematic front view of another embodiment of a warhead housing in accordance with the subject invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic three-dimensional exploded front view of another embodiment of a warhead in accordance with the subject invention including the toroid shaped housing shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the toroid shape warhead of  FIG. 4  being carried by a traditional rocket powered vehicle; 
         FIG. 6  is a graph showing the number of munitions as a function of the number of objects hit for a computer stimulation of three test cases involving the warhead shown in  FIG. 1  assuming a large pattern radius; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic three-dimensional view showing one example of a munition in accordance with the subject invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic conceptual view showing the individual particles associated with the munition shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic conceptual view of one embodiment of a munition core for the munition shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIGS. 10A-10D  are highly schematic side views showing the deployment of the munition shown in  FIG. 7  at a single target. 
     
    
    
     DISCLOSURE OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer. 
     Warhead  10 ,  FIG. 1  includes housing  12  defining a cavity therein filled with a large plurality of individual munitions  14  about lengthy centrally located explosive charge  16 . Explosive charge  16  is configured to deploy the munitions upon detonation into a hemispherical dome-shape pattern as shown in  FIG. 2  to address multiple potential or actual targets T. 
     In one example, cylindrical housing  12  is 3-5 feet long, 3 feet in diameter and has first  18  and second  20  end plates. First end plate  18  constitutes the base of warhead  10  and is typically secured to housing body  22  after munitions  14  and explosive charge  16  are disposed therein. Second end plate  20  may be integral with body  22 , is typically dome shaped, and constitutes the nose of the warhead. Thin (e.g., 1 mil) aluminum may be used for housing  12  rendering it expendable upon detonation of explosive charge  16 . 
     Munitions  14  may be small 0.15″ diameter spherical particles made of brittle material such as tungsten carbide, glass, or a phenolic material or they may also be made of metal or even explosive materials. Typically, there are between 1-5 million such munition particles disposed in housing  12 . In another embodiment, the munitions are composite in design as discussed infra. 
     Explosive charge  16  may be an insensitive explosive such as PBXN109. The preferred explosive charge is conical in shape having a ½″ diameter proximate base  30  and a ¼″ diameter proximate nose  32 . In this way, there is more explosive material at base end  30  than at nose end  32  creating a differential velocity of the particles along the longitudinal axis L of the warhead. In one example, explosive charge  16  is 3 feet long. Detonator  34  is typically a safe and arm initiation device. Foam buffer liner  36  may be disposed about explosive charge  16  to mitigate shock when explosive charge  16  is detonated by detonator  34 . Foam buffer  36  may be conical in shape to conform to conical shaped explosive charge  16 . 
     Warhead  10 ,  FIG. 2  is carried by a carrier vehicle such as a missile or other rocket powered vehicle into a position in space in front of multiple potential targets T,  FIG. 2 . The conical shaped centrally disposed explosive charge, when detonated, creates a differential velocity between the munitions as shown in  FIG. 2  so that the munitions proximate base  30  are deployed at a higher rate as shown in  FIG. 2  than the munitions proximate nose  32 . Conical shaped explosive charge  16 ,  FIG. 1  thus creates a hemispherical dome shaped pattern  40 ,  FIG. 2  of munitions 20 feet in radius or greater to address targets T when warhead  10  is deployed to a position in space in front of the trajectory path of a volume of targets as shown in  FIG. 2 . The spray pattern shown in  FIG. 2  can spread thousands of feet generating multiple hits on targets T. When brittle material such as glass is used for munitions  14 , they shatter upon impact with a target and break up into smaller particles which embed themselves. 
     Alternative housing  12 ′,  FIG. 3  is toroidal in shape as shown and includes cavity  60  which is filled with munitions  14  as shown in  FIGS. 4-5 . Toroid shaped explosive charge  16 ′ in this embodiment is also conical in shape due to the conical shape of cavity  60 ,  FIG. 3 . In this way, warhead  10 ′ can be carried by vehicle  62 ,  FIG. 5  with rocket motor  64 . A foam buffer material (not shown) may be incorporated in this design about explosive charge  16 ′ as well to generate an impedance mismatch so the munitions do not shatter upon detonation of explosive charge  16 ′. 
       FIG. 6  shows that in computer simulation, if approximately 1 million munitions are present in warhead  10 ,  FIG. 1 , at least one munition will strike each of 30 targets in a large radius. 
     In one embodiment, munitions  14  in housing  12 ,  FIG. 1  or  12 ′,  FIGS. 2-5  are composite in configuration and are configured as shown for munition  14 ′,  FIG. 7 . Small particles  70 ,  FIG. 8  in accordance with the subject invention are glued or otherwise adhered to the external surface of munition core  72 ,  FIG. 9  resulting in novel munition  14 ′,  FIG. 7 . Particles  70  may be micro particle in size 400 microns in diameter, for example, and munition core  72  may be 1.25 inches in diameter. But, munition core  72  may be of various sizes and spherical in shape or any other shape. The same is true for particles  70 : they may be spherical in shape but they also could be other shapes or random shapes or even flakes. 
     In accordance with the subject invention, the core  72  carries the many smaller particles to enhance the particle density upon impact. The smaller momentum particles  70  are typically epoxied on core  72  and fracture off during impact of the core with a target. Such a munition can be used for soft targets because the core has the overall mass to penetrate and provide a hole for the smaller particles to go through. The smaller particles then create a dense spray pattern upon release from the core. 
     Munition  14 ′,  FIG. 10A  is shown propelled to impact target  76  along path P. When munition  14 ′ impacts target  76 ,  FIG. 10B , the particles  70  break off munition core  72  as shown in  FIG. 10C  and create an exit opening generally larger than the entrance opening as shown in  FIG. 10D . 
     The munition of the subject invention can also be used to destroy items or structure internal to target  76  but not necessarily directly in the direct path P,  FIG. 10A  of munition  14 ′. Unintended collateral damage which can occur in the case where munitions include explosives is minimized in accordance with the subject invention. For example, the munition core can be made of a dense material such as a tungsten carbide composition and the particles are made of a more brittle material such as glass. An adhesive such as an epoxy may be used to adhere the particles to the munition core. The final selection of the particles or the munition is determined by the kill requirements. The requirements are based on target thickness, impact velocity and target vulnerability. 
     In one embodiment, munition core  72 ,  FIGS. 7 and 9  was a tungsten carbide composition 0.15″ in diameter. Particles  70  constituted 500-1,000 glass spheres each 400 microns in size attached to core  72  by an epoxy. The shockwave S produced when core  72  strikes a target causes particles  10  to dislodge from core  72  and form the spray pattern shown in  FIGS. 10C-10D . 
     The size, shape and composition of the core, however, as well as the size, shape, number, and composition of the particles will vary depending on the specific implementation, the deployment method, the lethality desired, and the type of target to be penetrated. 
     In this way, the warhead of the subject invention is designed to address multiple potential or actual targets. The warhead may be used in conjunction with a conventional kill vehicle wherein the warhead of the subject invention is deployed first to address multiple potential threats and the kill vehicle is deployed second to target any actual threats revealed when the individual munitions of the warhead strikes the potential threats. 
     Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments. Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims. 
     In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended.