USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Gerrit T Sutherland

Harold W Sandusky

Phillip J Miller

Charles Stevens Coffey

Frederica A Coffey, Legal Representative

A warhead fuse mechanism is used to prevent an accidental explosive event of a warhead by separating the booster lead into a plurality of booster lead segments, with each of the individual booster lead segments having a diameter less than the failure diameter of the booster lead explosive. A separating device separates the booster lead segments from each other to maintain the failure diameter until detonation is desired.

Warhead fuse

Molten droplets of a metal fuel, such as aluminum, are dispersed into air or water for a reaction releasing energy for military or other purposes. In one warhead embodiment, a cylinder of solid metal is disposed within a ceramic heat insulator; heaters of thermite-like material are embedded in the metal; and an explosive dispersing charge is disposed around or at one end of the cylinder. On activation, the heaters are ignited to melt the metal, and the charge then detonated to disperse droplets of the molten metal. In a related embodiment, the metal and heaters are within a containment having an atomizing nozzle at one end and, oppositely of the metal from the nozzle, a piston and gas generator. When the metal is melted, the gas generator is activated to expel molten metal droplets from the nozzle. The fuel may be pressed particles heated below the melting point and then dispersed by a charge providing enough heat to melt the particles; may be a single component, fuel-rich thermite compound; and may include droplet surface tension reducing additives. Advantages are that the weight and volume of a warhead do not include explosives, binders, and underwater-use oxidizers employed with fuel particles in conventional energetic materials. A warhead may thus have greater density for effective penetration; and, since the fuel is not incorporated in an explosive, dispersing charges can be removed until use, and metal fuels hazardous when incorporated in an explosive can be used.

Melted metal dispersal warhead

A warhead fuse mechanism is used to prevent an accidental explosive event of a warhead by positioning a booster lead carrier, having a booster lead segment, positioned between the warhead detonator and warhead explosive. In a safe position the booster lead segment is off-set from alignment with the warhead detonator and warhead explosive. The warhead fuse is armed by rotating either the warhead detonator or booster lead carrier to align the warhead detonator and booster lead segment to form a detonation chain between the warhead detonator and warhead explosive.

Growing community of inventors

White Plains, MD, United States of America

Gerrit T Sutherland