Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Christoffel Adrianus Van Driel

Michiel Hannes Straathof

Dinesh Ravindre Ramlal

Kjeld Jacobus Cornelis Van Bommel

Arnold Barend Leeuwenburgh

Adriana Petronella Martina Leenders

Martijn Zebregs

Elisabeth Schonewille

The invention is directed to a method for the preparation of an energetic material product such as a propellant or explosive charge or grain. The method includes additive manufacturing with co-extrusion of at least two materials to form a multi-layered filament and layer-by-layer deposition of the multi-layered filament. The multi-layered filament has a first material layer and a second material layer and at least one layer includes an energetic material. In another aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for use in this method, the apparatus comprising a co-extrusion nozzle.

Printing of energetic materials

The invention is directed to a co-layered propellant grain having an exposed outer surface, wherein said propellant grain comprises an outer layer comprising a slow burning propellant composition located on essentially the entire outer surface of the grain, and an inner layer comprising a fast burning propellant composition having a higher linear burn rate than said slow burning propellant composition; wherein said propellant grain has a structure such that after ignition, the inner layer becomes increasingly exposed at the outer surface.

Co-layered propellant charge

The invention is in the field of propellants. In particular the invention is directed to a propellant for ammunition, such as medium and large caliber gun ammunition, having improved performance. In accordance with the present invention a propellant charge comprises one or more longitudinally extending, progressive-externally burning grains having a number of perforations passing through the grains in the length direction and having a cross-sectional shape (perpendicular to the grain's length direction) that is elongated.

Propellant charge

Propellant charges or grains having printed layers of two or more energetic materials are described along with methods for preparing and using them.

Propellant charge or grain with printed energetic material layers

A composition for generating smoke, consisting essentially of at least one chlorine compound having a chlorine content of at least 56% by weight of the chlorine compound, and a mixture of at least one metal oxide and at least one metal. The metal oxide is an alkaline-earth metal oxide and the metal is an alkaline-earth metal. The molar fraction of alkaline-earth metal, based on the total number of moles of alkaline-earth metal and alkaline-earth metal oxide, is between 0.33 and 0.67. Preferably, the chlorine compound is hexachloroethane. Also preferably, the molar fraction of the mixture of alkaline-earth metal and alkaline-earth metal oxide in the composition is between 0.37 and 0.91. The alkaline-earth metal comprises particles having an average size of 50-100 &mgr;m and particles having an average size of 150-300 &mgr;m.

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Delft, Netherlands

Christoffel Adrianus Van Driel