Method of initiating external explosive charges and explosive-charged action elements for these.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of initiating explosive charges by means of splinter bodies ( 5 ) directed towards these at high speed by an external explosion. According to the invention, these splinter bodies ( 5 ) are given large surfaces or broadsides compared with their own mass and are forced to hit the explosive charge with their broadsides ( 5 ′) first in order thereby to transfer sufficient kinetic impulse energy to initiate the explosive charge. The invention also comprises splinter bodies ( 5 ) specially configured for the implementation of the said method of initiating explosive-filled bodies ( 2 ) and explosive charges ( 3 ′), intended for the implementation of the said method and provided with a splinter shell ( 7 ) comprising the type of splinter bodies ( 5 ) characteristic of the invention.

1 . Method of initiating at least one first S external explosive charge by means of a kinetic impulse which is transferred to the said first external explosive charge by splinter bodies, directed towards this first external explosive charge and flying freely at high speed, which have separated from a second explosive-filled action element (A), initiated on own initiative and provided with an outer shell which surrounds the explosive and, upon detonation thereof, forms splinters,
 characterized in that the splinter bodies released from the outer shell of the action element (A), upon detonation of the explosive charge forming part of the action element (A), have forcibly been given a shape having a large broadside in relation to their own mass, and in that these splinter bodies are accelerated evenly towards the said first explosive charge so that these splinter bodies will hit the said first explosive charge with their own broadside first and, in so doing, will supply a sufficiently high kinetic impulse to the first explosive charge over a sufficient area to initiate the particular explosive charge to detonation.   
   
   
       2 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the division of the splinter shell of the action element (A) into splinter bodies having a large broadside in relation to their own mass is ensured by the splinter shell being given different strength in its various parts, either by means of weak links in or by means of reinforcing counterstays against those parts of the splinter shell along which a division of the same gives the splinter bodies released from the splinter shell the desired shape. 
   
   
       3 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the said even acceleration of splinter bodies having a certain extent in the detonation direction of the explosive which accelerates the splinter bodies upon detonation is achieved by a retardation of the acceleration of the splinter bodies along that one of the edges (a) of the splinter bodies which will first be hit by a detonation wave from the detonating explosive, which retardation is tailored such that the detonation wave has time to reach the second edge (b) of the splinter body, which is not retarded in the same way, whereby the splinter body will be accelerated evenly away from the detonating explosive charge. 
   
   
       4 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the said even acceleration of splinter bodies having a certain extent in the detonation direction of the explosive which accelerates the splinter bodies upon detonation is achieved by the splinter bodies having been pregiven, by bevelling, a smaller thickness (t 13 ) along the edge (b) which is last hit by the detonation wave from the detonating explosive. 
   
   
       5 . Splinter body tailored to the implementation of the method according to  claim 1  and forming part of the herein utilized splinter shell characterized in that the splinter body has a broadside whose extent in the lateral direction substantially exceeds the thickness of the splinter body, and in that the said broadside, preferably, has the shape of a more or less flat circular, elliptical, rectangular or polygonal surface, alternatively in that the splinter body has the shape of a relatively flat or flattened ellipsoid, rounded or polygonal lamina, plate or disc. 
   
   
       6 . Explosive-charged action element (A), provided with a splinter-forming outershell, intended to release, upon detonation of its own explosive charge splinter bodies, flying freely at high speed and intended to be utilized according to the methods according to  claim 1  to initiate at least one external explosive charge by transferring a sufficient quantity of kinetic impulse to the said external explosive charge to initiate the same to detonation, characterized in that the said splinter bodies have been pre-guaranteed a configuration each having a large broadside facing in the acceleration direction of the splinter bodies. 
   
   
       7 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the splinter bodies forming part of its original shell which forms splinters upon detonation of the explosive have the shape of polygonal, rounded or oval plates, laminae or ellipsoids. 
   
   
       8 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according  claim 6 , characterized in that its shell which forms splinters upon detonation of the explosive is produced by powder-metallurgical methods comprising splinter bodies inserted in a matrix produced by sintering of a metallic powder material and each having a large broadside relative to the own mass of the respective splinter body and having a higher intrinsic strength than the matrix. 
   
   
       9 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the powder-metallurgically produced matrix of the splinter-forming shell, in which the splinter bodies are inserted, is configured such that it covers that part (a) of the respective splinter body which will first be reached by the detonation wave from the explosive charge detonating the action element (A) with a sufficient quantity of sintered powder material that the acceleration of this first part (a) away from the detonation point is delayed for a sufficient period of time to allow it (a) to be accelerated (a′) away from the detonation parallel with that part (b) of the same splinter body which is last reached by the same detonation wave and which is not correspondingly retarded, i.e. is unretarded in relation to the first part (a). 
   
   
       10 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 9 , characterized in that that part (b) of the same splinter body which is last reached by the same detonation wave is covered with a smaller quantity of sintered powder material than that part (a) of the respective splinter body which will first be reached by the detonation wave from the detonating explosive charge of the action element (A). 
   
   
       11 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that it further comprises counterstays disposed on the outside of the splinter shell and having such a thickness (t 12 , t 13 ) and extent that the acceleration (a′) of the splinter bodies forming part of the splinter-forming shell of the explosive charge away from the detonation is retarded along the edges (a) which are first touched by the detonation wave formed upon detonation of the explosive, for a sufficient period of time to allow the splinter bodies to be accelerated evenly away from the detonation. 
   
   
       12 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to any one of  claim 6 , characterized in that the individual splinter bodies are configured like disc plates bevelled along the edge (b) last hit by the detonation wave such that the acceleration (a′) of the splinter bodies forming part of the that the individual splinter bodies are configured like disc plates bevelled along the edge (b) last hit by the detonation wave such that the acceleration (a′) of the splinter bodies forming part of the splinter-forming shell of the explosive charge away from the detonation is retarded, in relation to the acceleration (b′) of the beveled edge (b), along the edges (a) which are first touched by the detonation wave formed upon detonation of the explosive for a sufficient period of time to allow the splinter bodies to be accelerated evenly away from the detonation. 
   
   
       13 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the shell which surrounds the explosive and forms splinters upon detonation of the explosive, on its inner side facing towards the explosive, has been provided with at least one shock wave trap, in the form of at least one shock-wave-influencing material lining, with a view to guaranteeing a predetermined division of the splinter shell into splinter bodies of the desired size and shape. 
   
   
       14 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that it comprises a detonator for initiating the explosive charge forming part thereof, this detonator, which is disposed at one end of the explosive charge, having been combined with a wave shaper. 
   
   
       15 . Explosive-charged action element (A) according to  claim 6 , characterized in that it comprises multi-initiation detonators having a plurality of initiation sites, disposed along the outer face of the explosive charge, for instantaneous initiation of the explosive charge. 
   
   
       16 . Method according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the said even acceleration of splinter bodies having a certain extent in the detonation direction of the explosive which accelerates the splinter bodies upon detonation is achieved by a retardation of the acceleration of the splinter bodies along that one of the edges (a) of the splinter bodies which will first be hit by a detonation wave from the detonating explosive, which retardation is tailored such that the detonation wave has time to reach the second edge (b) of the splinter body, which is not retarded in the same way, whereby the splinter body will be accelerated evenly away from the detonating explosive charge. 
   
   
       17 . Method according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the said even acceleration of splinter bodies having a certain extent in the detonation direction of the explosive which accelerates the splinter bodies upon detonation is achieved by the splinter bodies having been pregiven, by bevelling, a smaller thickness (t 13 ) along the edge (b) which is last hit by the detonation wave from the detonating explosive. 
   
   
       18 . Method according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the said even acceleration of splinter bodies having a certain extent in the detonation direction of the explosive which accelerates the splinter bodies upon detonation is achieved by the splinter bodies having been pregiven, by bevelling, a smaller thickness (t 13 ) along the edge (b) which is last hit by the detonation wave from the detonating explosive. 
   
   
       19 . Splinter body tailored to the implementation of the method according to  claim 2  and forming part of the herein utilized splinter shell characterized in that the splinter body has a broadside whose extent in the lateral direction substantially exceeds the thickness of the splinter body, and in that the said broadside, preferably, has the shape of a more or less flat circular, elliptical, rectangular or polygonal surface, alternatively in that the splinter body has the shape of a relatively flat or flattened ellipsoid, rounded or polygonal lamina, plate or disc. 
   
   
       20 . Splinter body tailored to the implementation of the method according to  claim 3  and forming part of the herein utilized splinter shell characterized in that the splinter body has a broadside whose extent in the lateral direction substantially exceeds the thickness of the splinter body, and in that the said broadside, preferably, has the shape of a more or less flat circular, elliptical, rectangular or polygonal surface, alternatively in that the splinter body has the shape of a relatively flat or flattened ellipsoid, rounded or polygonal lamina, plate or disc.