US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Faraday Technology Corporation

Eric L Kathe

E Jennings Taylor

Maria E Inman

Timothy D Hall

Brian T Skinn

Stephen T Snyder

Savidra C Lucatero

Robert Carson

Joseph Carter

Michael J Glennon

Michael D Gully

Robert E Dillon

A counter momentum generator is employed on a weapon system to manage horizontal recoil momentum of the weapon system. The counter momentum generator generates a counter momentum which that is not parallel to the recoil momentum. A horizontal component of the counter momentum negates a portion of the horizontal recoil momentum. A vertical component of the counter momentum combines with the vertical recoil momentum to aid in compression between the base of the weapon system and the ground.

Grounded and vehicular mounted weapons with improved recoil stability

A system for recycling machined metal produced by an electrochemical material removal process. The system includes a machining unit and an electrowinning unit. The machining unit includes an anode to receive a workpiece, a cathode tool, and a first pulse generator to provide a voltage or current waveform between the anode and the cathode tool. The electrowinning unit includes an electrowinning cathode, an electrowinning anode, and a second pulse generator to provide a voltage or current waveform between the electrowinning anode and the electrowinning cathode. The machining unit is in fluid communication with the electrowinning unit.

Apparatus for recovery of material generated during electrochemical material removal in acidic electrolytes

A method for recycling metallic material produced by an electrochemical material removal process. The method includes flowing an electrolyte solution between an anode workpiece and a cathode tool in a first electrolytic process, the first electrolytic process including applying a first electrolytic current and voltage between the anode workpiece and the cathode tool and thereby causing metal ions to be removed from the anode workpiece and dissolved and substantially retained in the electrolyte solution. The electrolyte solution with the metal ions therein is passed between an electrowinning cathode and an electrowinning anode in a second electrolytic process, the second electrolytic process including applying a second electrolytic current and voltage between the electrowinning cathode and the electrowinning anode and thereby causing the metal ions to be removed from the electrolyte solution and deposited onto the electrowinning cathode.

Apparatus and method for recovery of material generated during electrochemical material removal in acidic electrolytes

A method to attenuate the blast wave/blast overpressure from a weapon discharge by leaking an effective quantity of propellant gas from behind the projectile, into the precursor gas flow in front of the projectile, while the projectile is still in the weapon barrel&#x2014;whereby the exit pressure ratio of the projectile from the weapon is surprisingly reduced by about 95%&#x2014;resulting in a reduction of from about 51.6 to about 58.2% in the peak pressure level/sound wave which impacts the user or crew of the weapon.

Weapon blast attenuation

A method of electrically machining a hole in a conductive work piece may include providing a tool having a conductive tool head in close proximity to the conductive work piece. A voltage may be applied across the tool head and the work piece to create an electric field in the hole at the tool head. The electric field may be asymmetric with respect to the centerline of the hole. The orientation of the hole may be altered by removing material from the work piece using the asymmetric electric field.

Guide bore electrical machining methods

Methods and apparatus related to design and construction of lightweight and mobile rail gun barrels. The barrels comprise a pair of elongated, generally parallel conductive rails extending along opposite sides of the bore and being symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the bore; a pair of elongated insulators disposed generally coextensively with the rails and circumferentially between them and maintained in a compressed state; a circumferentially sleeve surrounding the insulators; a plurality of Belleville containment disk maintained in a stack that are compressed and surround the circumferential sleeve, each containment disk having a substantially hollow form with an outer surface, and an inner surface; and a plurality of longitudinal tension rods, disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of they bore and disposed external to the sleeve, the tension rods compress the plurality of Belleville containment disk. A protective sleeve and cooling channels can form part of the barrel.

Integral containment electromagnetic gun

A contained Davis gun system enables misfire and hang-fire handling for fire out of battery (also known as soft recoil). The gun system decreases structural dynamic activity of the gun barrel during launch with resulting increases in system accuracy. The gun system further presents synergistic advantages when combined with a conventional recoil system in a double recoil design. The gun system includes a non-recoiling barrel and a recoil system engineered to contain a recoiling inertial breechblock capable of translating within the gun barrel. The recoil system includes a brake and a spring secured to a mount fixture. The breechblock enables the loading of the propellant and the projectile within the barrel, and further enables pressure to be contained within the barrel during firing. The recoil system applies a load to the breechblock, which is a function of the breechblock position and its velocity within the barrel. A part of the kinetic energy imparted to the breechblock is stored as potential energy within the spring, and the remaining kinetic energy is dissipated by the brake as heat. Prior to firing, the barrel and the recoil system are coupled to the firing platform. When the propellant is ignited, propellant gases generated by the propellant propel the projectile forward along the gun barrel while propelling the inertial breechblock rearward within the gun barrel.

Inertial breechblock gun system

A muzzle brake vibration absorber for use on a gun barrel is used to store potential energy during gun firing and re-introduce the energy, in part, to the gun barrel out of phase relative to the gun barrel motion. As a result, the deviation of the gun barrel is mitigated to improve the overall accuracy of the gun system. Additionally, the muzzle brake vibration absorber may compliment the functions of a muzzle brake or fuze setting device for the gun system.

Muzzle brake vibration absorber

A low recoil and low bore heat gun system provides a delayed pressure release mechanism for fired propellant charges in the rear gun barrel section. The delayed pressure release of the exhaust gases causes a sonic rarefaction wave along the length of the barrel bore to arrive at the exist end of the gun barrel at a predetermined time, generally coincident with the fired projectile.

Sonic rarefaction wave recoilless gun system

A weapon system includes a gun barrel and a vibration absorber fitted onto a free end of the gun barrel. The vibration absorber includes a compliant energy storage device, such as a spring, and a mass secured to the energy storage device. The potential energy stored in the spring and the kinetic energy stored in the mass inertia are dissipated in part as friction, and re-introduced in part to the gun barrel such that the re-introduced energy is out of phase relative to the gun barrel motion. As a result, the vibration absorber does not totally dissipate the stored energy, but rather reshapes the receptance of the gun system so as to significantly reduce the vibration energy that migrates into the gun structure from known disturbances. This improves the overall accuracy of the gun system. In addition, the vibration absorber reduces the load between the gun barrel and the projectile during launch, thereby reducing the gun barrel muzzle wear and the exit yaw rate of the projectile.

Growing community of inventors

Ballston Lake, NY, United States of America

Eric L Kathe