U.S. patent application number 13/086569 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-20 for armor-penetrating two-part bullet.
Invention is credited to Jeff Hoffman.
Application Number | 20110252997 13/086569 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44787154 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110252997 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hoffman; Jeff |
October 20, 2011 |
ARMOR-PENETRATING TWO-PART BULLET
Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a "two-part
bullet" consisting of a projectile body and penetrator. In an
embodiment the penetrator is composed of steel, hardened steel or
tungsten carbide. The bullet projectile body is homogenously
composed of copper, gilding metal alloy (copper and zinc), brass,
bronze, or similar material.
Inventors: |
Hoffman; Jeff; (Rapid City,
SD) |
Family ID: |
44787154 |
Appl. No.: |
13/086569 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61324225 |
Apr 14, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
102/439 ;
102/517 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 12/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
102/439 ;
102/517 |
International
Class: |
F42B 12/04 20060101
F42B012/04; F42B 12/06 20060101 F42B012/06; F42B 5/02 20060101
F42B005/02 |
Claims
1. An ammunition cartridge comprising: a casing to enclose the
cartridge; propellant charge; a primer to ignite the propellant
charge; a two-part bullet consisting of; a projectile body; and a
penetrator forming a tip and mounted to the projectile body in an
exterior position, wherein the penetrator is selected from carbon,
sulfur, manganese, phosphorous, silicon, chromium, molybdenum,
nickel, copper, cobalt and tungsten carbide and combinations
thereof.
2. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, wherein the projectile body
is selected from copper, zinc, lead, tin, and phosphorous and
combinations thereof.
3. The ammunition cartridge of claim 2, the projectile body
composed of copper.
4. The ammunition cartridge of claim 2, the projectile body
composed of copper, tin, and phosphorous.
5. The ammunition cartridge of claim 2, the projectile body
composed of copper, zinc, and tin.
6. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
tungsten carbide and cobalt.
7. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
calcium, manganese, phosphorus and sulfur.
8. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
carbon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, chromium, and
molybdenum.
9. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
chromium, carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and
copper.
10. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
tungsten carbide and cobalt.
11. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
carbon, manganese, phosphorous, sulfur, silicon, nickel, chromium,
and molybdenum.
12. The ammunition cartridge of claim 1, the penetrator composed of
chromium, carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorous, sulfur, and
copper.
13. A two-part bullet consisting substantially of: a projectile
body; and a penetrator forming a tip and mounted to the projectile
body in an exterior position, wherein the penetrator is selected
from carbon, sulfur, manganese, phosphorous, silicon, chromium,
molybdenum, nickel, copper, cobalt and tungsten carbide and
combinations thereof.
14. The two-part bullet of claim 13, wherein the projectile body is
selected from copper, zinc, lead, tin, and phosphorous and
combinations thereof.
15. The two-part bullet of claim 14, the projectile body composed
of copper.
16. The two-part bullet of claim 14, the projectile body composed
of copper, tin, and phosphorous.
17. The two-part bullet of claim 14, the projectile body composed
of copper, zinc, and tin.
18. The ammunition cartridge of claim 13, the penetrator composed
of tungsten carbide and cobalt.
19. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
calcium, manganese, phosphorus and sulfur.
20. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
carbon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, chromium, and
molybdenum.
21. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
chromium, carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and
copper.
22. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
tungsten carbide and cobalt.
23. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
carbon, manganese, phosphorous, sulfur, silicon, nickel, chromium,
and molybdenum.
24. The two-part bullet of claim 13, the penetrator composed of
chromium, carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorous, sulfur, and
copper.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e)
of U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/324,225 entitled
"ARMOR-PENETRATING TWO-PART BULLET" and filed on May 7, 2010, the
entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
INTRODUCTION
[0002] Firearms remain important both for military and self-defense
purposes as well as for sporting purposes. The performance of
firearms for specific tasks can be improved or altered by changing
the ammunition used. For the military, the improvement of
ammunition for specific tasks such as improved ability to penetrate
armor or barriers (such as vehicle skins, personal body armor and
residential walls and doors) and injure targets behind such
commonly found battlefield protection is a priority.
Armor-Penetrating Two-Part Bullet
[0003] Most bullets are commonly composed of a bullet jacket made
of a copper alloy, which covers the outer part of the projectile,
and a core contained within, generally composed of lead. Military
small arms projectiles often also contain a third component known
as a penetrator. The penetrator is generally made of steel, and is
contained within the bullet jacket. Its purpose is to enhance
penetration of barriers.
[0004] The bullet contained in a common military cartridge is
typically a "three-part bullet" consisting of a bullet jacket,
penetrator, and core. A bullet jacket encloses the bullet core and
penetrator.
[0005] In a typical three part bullet, the penetrator has always
been located inside the jacket of the bullet. An early effort to
break away from this trend utilized a Bismuth alloy in a
conventional bullet jacket, with the tip of the penetrator located
in an exposed, unjacketed position. This was the US military's
first attempt at using an exposed penetrator tip. Exposed tips
however, have been commonly used on sporting ammunition prior to
the military's design. Bullets designed for commercial use
previously have utilized tips made of bronze, aluminum, and most
commonly, different types plastic. These designs focused on
improving bullet expansion, and, to a lesser extent, improving
aerodynamics, minimizing tip damage and improving accuracy.
Alternatively, the two-part bullet of the present disclosure
consists of materials designed to maximize penetration. There are
current "two-part` designs utilizing a copper projectile with a
plastic tip, however these designs utilize a non-steel tip
(plastic), rather than as a penetrator to enhance barrier
penetration
[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a "two-part
bullet" consisting of a projectile body and penetrator. In an
embodiment the penetrator is composed of steel, hardened steel or
tungsten carbide. The bullet projectile body is homogenously
composed of copper, gilding metal alloy (copper and zinc), brass,
bronze, or similar material.
[0007] These and various other features as well as advantages which
characterize the systems and methods described herein will be
apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a
review of the associated drawings. Additional features are set
forth in the description which follows, and in part will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
technology. The benefits and features of the technology will be
realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in
the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended
drawings.
[0008] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The following drawing figures, which form a part of this
application, are illustrative of described technology and are not
meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed in any manner,
which scope shall be based on the claims appended hereto.
[0010] FIG. 1 is an illustrative embodiment of a ammunition
cartridge. Specifically, FIG. 1 depicts a cartridge consisting of a
bullet, casing, gunpowder, and primer.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an illustrative embodiment of a "Three-Part
Bullet" as is commonly used in the art comprising a penetrator,
core, and bullet jacket.
[0012] FIG. 3 depicts "Two-Part Bullet" as discussed in the present
disclosure consisting of a penetrator composed of steel, hardened
steel, or tungsten carbide and a homogenous projectile body
comprised of copper, gilding metal, or similar material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The present disclosure describes an embodiment of a
"two-part bullet" consisting of a penetrator and a homogenous
projectile body. The two-part bullet of the present disclosure is
designed to improve metal and armor penetration. A key distinction
between the present disclosure and previous designs is 1) the type
of material used in the body of the projectile, combined with 2)
the exterior placement of the penetrator, rather than placement
within the confines of the bullet jacket 3) the use of a solid
homogenous material as the core material, rather than the typical
jacket (typically copper alloy) and core (typically lead).
[0014] FIG. 1 depicts a traditional ammunition cartridge 100. A
typical ammunition cartridge 100 contains a bullet 102, casing 104,
gunpowder 106, and primer (not depicted). The bullet 102 is the
actual projectile fired from a gun. A bullet 102 can be composed of
a variety of materials, including but not limited to lead, lead
alloy, aluminum, bismuth, bronze, copper, plastics, rubber, steel,
tin, and tungsten.
[0015] When the trigger of a loaded gun is pulled, a firing pin
strikes the primer, and ignites it. The spark from the primer
ignites the gunpowder 106. Burning gases from the gunpowder 106
expand, creating gas pressure which causes the casing 104 to seal
the chamber of the firearm (the rearmost part of the gun barrel
which houses the round to be fired) and then propel the bullet 102
down the barrel and out of the firearm As such, the gunpowder 106
serves as a propellant charge for the bullet 102.
[0016] FIG. 2 depicts a typical three part bullet 200. The three
part bullet 200 comprises a penetrator tip 202, a penetrator base
204, a core 206, and a bullet jacket 208. The bullet jacket
encloses the bullet core 206, penetrator base 204, and penetrator
tip 202. The bullet jacket 208 is commonly composed of a copper
alloy, which covers the outer part of the projectile, and a core
206 contained within, generally composed of lead. Three part bullet
projectiles often comprise a penetrator consisting of a penetrator
tip 202 and a penetrator base 204. The penetrator is generally made
of steel, and is contained within the bullet jacket. Its purpose is
to enhance penetration of barriers.
[0017] FIG. 3 depicts a two-part bullet 300 as disclosed in the
present application. The two-part bullet 300 consists of a
penetrator 302 and projectile body 304. The penetrator 302 is
mounted to the projectile body 304 in an exterior position. In an
embodiment, the tip of the penetrator 302 extends axially away from
the projectile body 304. The base of the penetrator 302 resides
inside the projectile body 304 so that the projectile body 304 is
joined to the base of penetrator 302 and surrounds the penetrator
base. Alternative embodiments are possible, for example a portion
of the projectile body 304 could be contained within the penetrator
302 or the projectile body 304 and penetrator 302 could be attached
along a planar face so that neither part is within the other.
[0018] As described above, the projectile body 304 can be composed
of varying amounts of copper and other materials. The table below
describes some embodiments of projectile body 304 composition.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Trade Description Composition Oxygen-free
Electronic 99.99 Cu Electrolytic Tough Pitch 99.95 Cu Phosphour
Bronze 94.8 Cu, 5.0 Sn, 0.2 P Free-machining Brass 61.5 Cu, 35.4
Zn, 3.1 Pb Naval Brass 60.0 Cu, 39.2 Zn, 0.8 Sn
It is important to note that the above table exemplifies only some
embodiments of the present disclosure. Other materials and ranges
of materials are contemplated and are within the scope of the
disclosure. The present disclosure encompasses a projectile body
consisting of different combinations of one or more of the
following ranges of material: Cu ranging from 55%-100%, Sn ranging
from 0-10%, P ranging from 0-1.0%, Zn ranging from 30-40%, Pb
ranging from 0-5% and Sn ranging from 0-2%. The different
combinations of materials relate to different performance levels of
the projectile body 304. For example, the "Free Machining Brass"
composition may perform better than the "Naval Brass" composition
and may be more ideal in the field.
[0019] The penetrator 302 can be composed of steel or tungsten
carbide. The table below describes some embodiments of penetrator
composition.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Trade Description Composition Low Carbon
Steel C, Mn, P, S Low Carbon Steel C, Mn, P, S Medium Carbon Steel
C, Mn, P, S Free-cutting Low Carbon Steel higher sulfur content for
machining Free-cutting Medium Carbon higher sulfur content for
Steel machining Chome Moly Alloy Steel C, Mn, P, S, Si, Cr, Mo
Nickel Chome Moly Alloy Steel C, Mn, P, S, Si, Ni, Cr, Mo
Martensitic Stainless Cr, C, Mn, Si, P, S, Mo Precipitation
Hardening Cr, C, Mn, Si, P, S, Cu Stainless Tungsten Carbide Wc,
Co
It is important to note that the above table exemplifies only some
embodiments of the present disclosure. Other materials are
contemplated and are within the scope of the disclosure. The
different combinations of materials relate to different performance
levels of the penetrator 302. For example, the "Tungsten Carbide"
composition may perform better than the "Medium Carbon Steel"
composition and may be more ideal in the field. However, the
"Medium Carbon Steel" composition may still perform better than the
"Low Carbon Steel" composition and might be a suitable second
choice.
[0020] The tip of the penetrator 302 of the present embodiment can
be pointed. The point can be curved or it can come to an acute
point to increase penetration into the target.
[0021] The penetrator 302 and the projectile body 304 can be
created by any method known in the art, including but not limited
to stamping, casting, and swaging. Furthermore, the penetrator 302
and homogenous projectile body 302 can be joined together by any
method known in the art including but not limited to swaging them
together, casting one section on top of another, soldering, gluing
or electrical welding.
[0022] The "two-part bullet" 300 can be of any caliber or weight.
It can further be configured to have a heavier back end or deform
or break apart on impact. It can also utilize a flammable material
at its base as is commonly used in tracers. The flammable material
can also be placed at the tip to ignite a fire on impact
[0023] It will be clear that the apparatus described herein is well
adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as
those inherent therein. Those skilled in the art will recognize
that the methods and systems within this specification may be
implemented in many manners and as such is not to be limited by the
foregoing exemplified embodiments and examples. For example, in an
embodiment one or more payloads in the projectile body or
penetrator may be added. In yet another embodiment, the material in
the penetrator 302 or the projectile body 304 may not be exactly
homogenous, but may be smoothly varied axially or radially to
achieve a specific performance characteristic.
[0024] While various embodiments have been described for purposes
of this disclosure, various changes and modifications may be made
which are well within the scope of the present invention. Numerous
other changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to
those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in the spirit of
the disclosure.
* * * * *