US2579323A - Rocket projectile - Google Patents

Description

Dec- 18, i951 G. J. KE-ssENlc'H ROCKET PROJECTILE Filed Feb. 14., 1944 me/who@ EPEHDLL Kes5eru' ch @fw cmdfmmw Patented Dec. 18, 1951 Gregory J.

ROCKET PRQJECTILE Kessenich, Madison, Wis., assigner of one-sixth to Pauline C. Kessenich, one-sixth t William H. Kessenich, one-sixth to Rose Mary C. Kessenich, one-sixth to Thomas G. Kessenich, and one-sixth to Christopher J. Kessenich, the shares of Thomas G. Kessenich and Christopher J. Kessenich, minors, to he held in trust for their benefit by the co-owners Application February 14, 1944, Serial No. 522,293

(Cl. B-49) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to` a projectile for a rearm and particularly to a rocket projectile capable of carrying a large charge of explosive, which may be transported and fired by one man.

Modern warfare has demonstrated the need for a weapon of great destructive properties which may nevertheless be transported and operated by an individual soldier. This is particularly true of infantrymen who are opposed by tanks or other armored vehicles orvwho must reduce fortied positions without supporting artillery. To destroy such vehicles or positions requires a substantial quantity of explosive charge which generally requires a projectile of at least several inches in diameter. To re a projectile of such size, of course, requires an artillery piece of a size much in excess of that transportable by an individual soldier. the individual soldier had to depend upon hand thrown grenades or other types of bombs which, of course, required that he be so close to the enemy target as to render his position very precarious.

Rie grenades have heretofore been used with effectiveness but whether projected by gases from a blank cartridge or by-passed gases from a live round their range is not great especially where the grenade is of some Weight. Further, maximum range has only been obtained by high angle rin'g and as a consequence of the inherent inaccuracy the rie grenade was not suited for ring at high speed targets. Attempts to increase the weight of the riiie grenade have resulted in decreased range, ballistic inaccuracy and in causing damage and breakage of the ries.

With a view to obviating these disadvantages it is proposed in this invention to provide an improved projectile having great destructive properties which may be launched as a rocket from a projector capable of being transported and fired by an individual soldier. The projectile may be initially launched as a rocket or it may receive initial impulsion by a mechanical source or by the gases passing thru the bore of a rearm, the initial impulsion means being utilized to ignite the rocket charge. A low trajectory projectile is thus obtained which will present more favorable angles of impact and which will permit eye-aiming of a shoulder piece at a rapidly moving target.

The specic nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown a rocket projectile in longitudinal section embodying this invention.

In the drawing there is shown a projectile embodying this invention. The projectile comprises a hollow cylindrical body I on the rear end of which is secured a plurality of projecting ns 2 which serve to stabilize the projectile in flight. The forward end of body I is threadably secured to a second hollow cylindrical lbody 20. The rear end of body is provided with an integral partition 2I which has an integral raised boss I8 centrally provided thereon. Parts I and 20 when united as shown. form a body portion or casing. An impact fuse 3 of any Well known type is axially mounted in a suitable recess 23 in the boss I8. A disk 4 of suitable heat insulating material is placed adjacent the rear side of partition 2I and is held in such position by body I when such body is threaded into the second cylindrical body 20 Hence prior to this invention as shown in the accompanying drawing.

A rocket propulsion charge 5 is mounted within 20 the interior of the hollow body portion I. While such charge may comprise any one of various well known arrangements of powder charges, it is here shown as comprising a compacted mass of powder grains pressed into the hollow body portion, preferably around a long corneal arbor (not shown) so as to deiine a central conical recess 6 extending into charge 5. The gases developed by ignition of powder charge 5 exhaust thru a nozzle 'I provided on the extreme rear end of body I. Nozzle 1 is preferably of conventional Venturi construction and effectively produces a gas blast, the reaction force of which acts as a propellant force for the projectile.

Powder grains 5 are ignited by an ignition charge Il of black powder. The ignition charge 8 is contained within a cup 9 mounted in the orice of nozzle l. The powder 8 is retained within cup 9 by a thin disk I0 of combustible material cemented to the top of such cup. Ignition of charge 8 is effected by a conventional small arms primer II. The cup 9 is iitted` into nozzle l in such manner that the gas pressure developed after ignition of propellant charge 5 will forcibly eject cup 9 from nozzle l.

An ogival nose I3 is mounted on the forward end of body I. The nose I3 is preferably formed from thin sheet metal so that it will readily collapse upon impact with the target. The forward chamber in body 20 defined between partition 2l and ogive I3 is arranged to receive an explosive charge constructed similar to that disclosed in British Patent No. 28,030 of 1911 which has a cavity in its front face and a liner of rigid material tting the cavity and retaining the explosive charge. Such an arrangement comprises an explosive charge I4 packed into the forward 3 chamber behind a partition or liner IS extending between the walls of body 20 and formed as a reentrant surface having its central portion rearwardly disposed with respect toits edges. In accordance with the teaching of the aforementioned British patent thepartition I5 is preferably conically shaped but may be spherical,4

prismatic, or cylindrical. The main requirement is that a cavity I6 be produced in the front of explosive charge Il, the reentrant surface of the explosive receiving and tt'ing the reentrant surface of the liner IS as shown in the drawing.

The explosive charge I4 is arranged to be detonated by the fuse 3 which may be one of several well known types of impact fuses and need not be further described. A primer I1 is' mounted in such fuse and is arranged to be' set of! by the inertia forces arising out of the impact of the projectile on the target. Prefereably the fuse 3 will be adjusted to operate at or before the instant when the ogive I3 has collapsed back to a point where it is flush with the end of body 20. Under this condition there is still a substantial c avity IB-in front of explosive 'charge I4 and accordingly the great explosive effect produced by the arrangement of the above cited British patent will be obtained.

This improved projectile may be launched'in any o! a number of well known rocket launchers of a type shown in a book entitled Ammunition published by the British Government in 1870. The launcher may be a hollow tube open at both lends plus some conventional form of firing -mecnusually iiat trajectory may be obtained at the relatively slow velocity of the projectile. Hence the aiming of the projector by eye is quite feasible and the rocket projectile may be accurately directed at many targets.

I claim-z 1. In a projectile for a shoulder-med rocket projector. a smooth, generally cylindrical rocket casing having its rear portion tapering to a rear- Wardly-directed nozzle and a forward reduced externally threaded neck, a cylindrical explosive container having its rear end wall internally threaded to engage the threads of said neck to unite said casings into a continuous smoothwalled cylindrical projectile, a transverse wall integral with said explosive container immediately forwardly of the internal threads thereof. a thin-walled hollow ogival nose section attached to and closing the forward end of said explosive container, said nose having a conical re-entrant portion extending into said explosive container and forming therewithl a closed chamber, an explosive chargefllling said chamber, a disc oi Aheat-insulating material having its rim clamped between said Wall and the threaded neck" of said rocket casing, and an impact fuze having an enlarged head clamped between said wall and disc and a reduced body portion extending through an aperture in said wall into' vsaid explosive charge.

2. In an aerial missile, a rocket, airfpil means on the rocket to control it in iln--stabilzed flight, an explosive charge carried at the front of the rocket, said charge having a cavity in its forward end and operable on impact, and a liner of rigid material fitting in the'cavity oi' the explosive charge.

3. In an aerial missile, a rocket, airfoil means on the rocket to control it in fin-stabilized night,

now Patent No. 2,494,562. Furthermore the entire apparatus, both launcher and projector, are light enough to be carried by one man. At the same time the great explosive effect produced on the target by this type of projectile is equivalent to that produced by artillery of substantial caliber.

The' combination of the arrangement of the explosive charge disclosed in the above cited patent with a rocket type projectile is particularly advantageous since the particular arrangement of the explosive charge does not require penetration of the target for maximum eiectiveness and further because the low velocity of impact of the rocket type projectile coupled with the collapsing of the ogive I3 insures that the projectile will remain in contact with the target long enough to accomplish the full igintion of the explosive charge I4.' Furthermore, due .to the generation of propulsion force during night, an

an explosive charge carried by said rocket forwardly thereof, said explosive charge having a forwardly-divergent recess opening through the forward end thereof, a liner of rigid material iitting said recess, an ogival nose forwardly oi the linerand spaced therefrom and a fuze carried by said rocket in detonating relation with said explosive charge.

' GREGORY J. KESSENICH.

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