USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

George R Evans

Fred W Watson, Jr

Robert G Lam

John W Hannick

Wayne Hannock

Joseph C Monolo

J Wayne Hannock

This invention is a non-fragmenting warhead casing prepared from at least one thermosetting epoxy resin and carbon fibers wherein the epoxy resin is characterized as a liquid, low viscosity resin at ambient temperatures, curable at temperatures ranging up to 175&deg; F. and further characterized has having a glass transition temperature T(g) ranging from about 200&deg; F. to 250&deg; F.

Process for preparing composite warhead casings and product

The present invention is a process and material for forming warhead casin The material itself consists of tightly wound carbon fiber bonded by a low temperature (room temperature) resin. This process of formation gives several advantages, including the ease of manufacturing and the elimination of the need to do inside threading as the interior of the casing can be totally formed during winding of the carbon thread. This also increases the speed of the formation process. The use of carbon thread and low temperature resins also gives several key advantages. First, the low temperature aspect of the resin allows the resulting casing to break down at temperatures significantly less than the ignition point of the munitions held within it. Because the fibers tend to separate as the ambient temperature increases, the casing will auto-ventilate at high temperatures. Additionally, since the casing is formed from carbon fibers, it maintains a high tensile strength while minimizing the weight of the casing.

Insensitive warhead casings

Process and material for warhead casings

Growing community of inventors

Woodford, VA, United States of America

George R Evans