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EP-3942249-B1 - FRAGMENTATION DEVICE AND METHOD FIRING SUCH A DEVICE

EP3942249B1EP 3942249 B1EP3942249 B1EP 3942249B1EP-3942249-B1

Inventors

  • HELLMAN, ULF

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200302

Claims (13)

  1. A substantially spheroidal fragmentation device (10) configured to be fired from a firearm, the fragmentation device (10) accommodating at least one warhead (9), the fragmentation device comprising i) a protective exterior layer (6) of resilient material ii) an inner core (11) protected by said exterior layer (6), the inner core (11) comprising ii.a) an insensitive munition (IM) ii.b) a polymeric, plastic and/or rubbery matrix embedding the insensitive munition (IM) ii.c) explosive material (5) enclosed within the matrix of ii.b) and/or surrounding the matrix of ii.b) wherein the ratio of the thickness of the protective exterior layer (6) to the radius of the fragmentation device (10) ranges from 0.25:1 to 0.4:1, and wherein the warhead (9) is accommodated within the protective exterior layer (6) or between the inner core (11) and the protective exterior layer (6), and wherein the protective exterior layer (6) is of elastic material and is configured for rebounding on a substantially inelastic surface without damaging the fragmentation device or trigger the device to prematurely detonate.
  2. The fragmentation device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the fragmentation device (10) is a shell.
  3. The fragmentation device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fragmentation device (10) is substantially sphere-shaped.
  4. The fragmentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the resilient material is selected from plastics, polymers and/or rubber.
  5. The fragmentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said at least one warhead (9) comprises heavy metal particles (2).
  6. The fragmentation device according to claim 5, wherein the heavy metal particles (2) are i) embedded uniformly or disposed in a fragmented metal sphere (7) in the exterior layer (6); or ii) disposed in a fragmented metal sphere (4) between the exterior layer (6) and the inner core (11).
  7. The fragmentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an SAI (Safety/Arming/Initiation) unit (3) is integrated with a fuze system.
  8. The fragmentation device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the heavy metal particles (2) have an average diameter ranging from 3 to 4 mm.
  9. The fragmentation device (10) according to claim 7, wherein a battery activating the fuze system is arranged in the inner core (11) of the fragmentation device (10).
  10. The fragmentation device (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a piezoelectric sensor is connected to the fuze system.
  11. The fragmentation device (10) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein a delay unit is connected to the fuze system.
  12. Method of firing a fragmentation device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a firearm is aimed and the fragmentation device (10) is fired at a surface enabling rebounding of the fragmentation device (10) whereby the fragmentation device (10) changes direction.
  13. Use of a fragmentation device (10) according to any of claims 1-11 in a firearm.

Description

The present invention relates to a fragmentation device, a method of firing a fragmentation device, and the use thereof. Background of the invention Fragmentation devices such as hand grenades used in urban combats where a line of sight is needed are well known in the art. Such devices must have a sufficient range to reach the intended target. Also, user safety must be provided for. Attempts to provide hand grenades are described in US 4,942,820. The devices disclosed therein typically include a munition core surrounded by a mesh of thin detonation wires in electrical communication with a detonator. Spokes radiating outwardly are incorporated into a rubberized shell surrounding the munition core. However, the hand grenade provided can only be used for short range targets since it is not fired from a firearm. This implies also a limited precision due to the lack of sight units. The design also imparts very limited target effects since the number of splinter elements is limited and the splinter as such is narrow and light which reduce the speed thereof considerably in the air. Also, the core of the hand grenade allows only for a limited volume of explosives. The manual setting of the ignition function of the device further results in difficult handling, more time consumption and risk of misalignment, especially at low temperatures. Moreover, the hand grenade being dropped by mistake renders the use thereof riskful. US 9528801 B1 discloses a fragmentation device of the known art. An objective of the present invention is to provide a fragmentation device, especially a shell, enabling use in urban combat environments in which a line of sight between the user and the target is unavailable. A further object of the invention is to provide a fragmentation device which can be fired and subsequently rebound off a surface such as a wall to eventually impact on a target out of sight. The invention further intends to solve the drawbacks of the prior art as described herein. The invention The present invention is a device according to claim 1, a method according to claim 12 and a use according to claim 13. Preferred devices according to the invention are disclosed in dependent claims 2-11. According to one embodiment, the fragmentation device is a shell. According to one embodiment, the fragmentation device is substantially sphere-shaped. According to one embodiment, explosive material surrounding the matrix described in ii.b) may be disposed in an outer matrix surrounding the matrix of ii.b). Explosive material may thus be present either in the matrix in which insensitive munition is embedded, in an outer matrix surrounding the matrix in which the insensitive munition is embedded, or in both matrices. The term "spheroidal" as used herein is meant to include substantially sphere-shaped as well as ellipsoidal shapes of the fragmentation device. Preferably, the insensitive munition is bound in a plastic matrix in the inner core of the fragmentation device. The explosive material of the insensitive munition may for example be embedded in the matrix by means of casting. By the term "protective exterior layer of resilient material" as used in the present application, is meant any layer of elastic material that may rebound on a substantially inelastic surface such as a wall or the ground without damaging the fragmentation device or trigger the device to prematurely detonate. By the term "heavy metal particle" is meant a metal particle having a density of at least 3 g/cm3, preferably at least 7 g/cm3, or at least 10 g/cm3. According to the invention, the resilient material is selected from plastics, polymers and/or rubber. According to the invention, the ratio of the thickness of the protective exterior layer to the radius of the fragmentation device ranges from 0.25:1 to 0.4:1. According to one embodiment, said at least one warhead comprises heavy metal particles. According to one embodiment, the heavy metal particles are embedded uniformly in the exterior layer or disposed in a fragmented metal sphere such as a steel sphere, e.g. in the exterior layer or between the exterior layer and the inner core. According to one embodiment, an SAI unit (Safety, Arming, Initiation) is integrated with a fuze system. This in order to prevent unintentional detonation of any explosive. According to one embodiment, the heavy metal particles have an average diameter ranging from 1 to 10 mm, for example 2 to 7 mm such as from 3 to 4 mm. According to one embodiment, a casing or matrix accommodates heavy metal particles in the exterior layer. The heavy metal particles may also be disposed in a fragmented metal sphere, e.g. a pre-fragmented metal sphere, such as a steel sphere which may be arranged in the exterior layer or between the exterior layer and the inner core. According to one embodiment, the casing or matrix for the heavy metal particles is pre-fragmented. According to one embodiment, a battery activating a fuze system is arranged in the i