Patent Publication Number: US-2005132922-A1

Title: Gun ammunition

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the priority of German Patent Application, DE 103 47 372.6 filed Oct. 11, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates to gun ammunition provided with a propellant charge that can be loaded from a closed ammunition hold into the loading chamber of a gun.  
      A negative oxygen balance frequently occurs during the combustion of high-performance propellant powders, such as the ones used for firing tank ammunition. A negative oxygen balance is when the oxygen contained in the propellant powder is not sufficient for a complete reaction with the propellant powder. As a result, the gas clouds contain poisonous gases and in particular carbon monoxide. During a rapid re-loading of the gun, the poisonous gases in part flow into the crew compartment of the respective combat vehicle when the breech is opened, thus endangering the crew.  
      German Reference DE 20 36 670 A1 discloses the use of liquid oxidizers for increasing the performance of conventional propellant powders with a negative oxygen balance, wherein these oxidizers are melted into thin-walled glass capsules. The glass capsules are embedded in the propellant powder and are influenced by the pressure and/or the temperature developing as a result of the firing such that their content is released for the desired oxidation of the powder clouds.  
      However, embedding oxidizers in the propellant powder does not prevent relatively high amounts of carbon monoxide from forming on the cartridge bottom side. This carbon monoxide is then released into the tank crew compartment when the breech of the respective gun is opened.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to provide gun ammunition of the aforementioned type which, when used as directed, allows only a relatively small amount of carbon monoxide to enter the crew compartment of the combat vehicle, even with high rates of fire.  
      This object is solved by providing gun ammunition having a propellant. The ammunition being for loading from a closed ammunition hold into the loading chamber of a gun. The ammunition has a tail region and an oxygen-releasing substance arranged in the tail region. The oxygen-releasing substance is for releasing oxygen after ignition of the propellant in the loading chamber of the gun, the release of the oxygen being for oxidizing carbon monoxide that forms during the firing in the loading chamber into carbon dioxide.  
      The invention is based on the idea of arranging an oxygen-releasing substance in the tail region of the ammunition so that, in particular, the carbon monoxide gases that develop after the firing in the area around the breech assembly are oxidized to carbon dioxide and cannot escape into the crew compartment following the opening of the breech.  
      The oxygen-releasing substance preferably is selected such that it releases the oxygen at the latest possible moment to help ensure that the oxidizer has an insignificant influence on the combustion behavior of the propellant powder. In particular, the use of this substance should not result in a reduction in performance.  
      With cartridge ammunition in particular, it has proven useful if the oxygen-releasing substance is arranged on the inside, near the case bottom.  
      According to one embodiment of the invention, comprising ammunition with a combustible case, the oxygen-releasing substance is preferably positioned between the combustible case and the case bottom and takes the form of a collar.  
      The oxygen-releasing substance according to a different embodiment of the invention, for which the ammunition is provided with a centrally installed propellant igniter, takes the form of a ring-shaped element which is arranged on, and encloses the lower portion of, the propellant igniter in the manner of a ring. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Further advantages and details of the invention follow from the exemplary embodiments and are explained in the following with the aid of the Figures, in which:  
       FIG. 1  shows a first exemplary embodiment of a case bottom region for a cartridge-type gun ammunition according to the invention, for which the oxygen-releasing substance consists of a collar that fits against the case bottom; and  
       FIG. 2  shows a second exemplary embodiment of the case bottom region for a cartridge-type gun ammunition according to the invention, for which the oxygen-releasing substance is a ring-shaped element, arranged around the lower portion of a propellant igniter. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  shows the bottom region  1  of a cartridge, having a case bottom  2  of metal and a combustible case  3 . The propellant powder  4  within the combustible case  3  can be ignited with a centrally located propellant igniter  5 .  
      According to the invention, a collar  7  that comprises an oxygen-releasing substance is arranged between the case bottom  2  and a cartridge-bottom region  6  of the combustible case  3 .  
      Thus, if the cartridge  1  is positioned inside a gun barrel (not shown), then the propellant powder  4  is initially ignited with the propellant igniter  5 , following the firing. The case  3  subsequently burns and sufficiently heats up the collar  7 , so that it begins to release oxygen into the bottom region of cartridge  1  and thus also into the breech area of the gun.  
       FIG. 2  shows another exemplary embodiment of the invention, for which an oxygen-releasing substance takes the form of a ring-shaped element  8  that is positioned on the bottom part  9  of the propellant igniter, again with reference  5 , and encloses the igniter in the shape of a ring. The loading of the respective cartridge  10  is particularly easy in that case since the ring-shaped element  8  only needs to be fitted onto the propellant igniter  5 .  
      Of course, the invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. For example, the oxygen-releasing substance for reducing the amount of carbon monoxide can also be used for non-cartridge ammunition. In that case, a corresponding module with an oxygen-releasing substance is inserted into the gun loading chamber, following the loading of the final charge module (propellant module), which then releases oxygen, for example after a predetermined gas pressure is reached in the gun barrel. The module can also be provided with one or several ignition channels, for example, such that the ignition of the propellant modules is not impeded in any way.  
      Of course, the invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiment and does not necessarily have to be in the shape of a pin. For example, it can also have a bracket-type design.  
      It will be apparent, based on this disclosure, to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.