Integral Structural Warhead Shell

Certain types of anti-ballistic missiles incorporate a warhead designed to scatter hundreds of metal pellets in a predetermined pattern. The pellets provide a kill mechanism against ICBM's by forming a pattern through which the ICBM must travel to impact with a target. Upon impact between the ICBM and some of the pellets, the kinetic energy is such that the ICBM is destroyed.

In some missiles, the structure surrounding the warhead must be removed before firing and releasing the pellets. This is very difficult. Or, the entire pellet/explosive structure must be located outside the missile shell. The latter option requires that the strutural shell outer diameter of the nose portion of the missile be reduced to pass beneath the external warhead layer. This causes increased strutural weight and loss of bending stiffness of the missile body.

In the present invention the pellets and explosives are incorporated within the structural shell of the missile. No added structure is required underneath the warhead layer. Therefore, a straight load path is retained in the shell, reducing structural weight and bending deflection. This also results in maximum internal volume.

FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of the forward portion of a missile showing a warhead section incorporating the structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the missile taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate surface patterns of a warhead incorporating square or hexagonal configurations for housing the warhead of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3 showing a bolted lap joint for joining sections of the warhead.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating the use of an ablative layer for covering the warhead pellets and also illustrating an initiator circuit emplaced in the structure.

As seen in FIG. 1, the forward section of a missile 10 is shown to include a guidance section 12, a warhead section 14, and a control section 16. Warhead section 14 is diagrammatially shown to include a plurality of annular assemblies 18 of pellets 20 which are disposed to be scattered in a predetermined pattern for impact with an ICBM. As seen in FIG. 2 the assemblies 18 are positioned around the missile intermediate the inner surface 22 and outer surface 24 which forms the missile shell 26.

FIG. 3 illustrates a square surface pattern of a container 28 which houses the pellets 20 in the warhead section 14 of the missile 10. FIG. 4 illustrates a hexagonal surface pattern of a container 28 which houses pellets 20 in the warhead section 14 of the missile 10.

Each pellet 20 is contained in a thin metal shell or container 28 and a sheet explosive 30 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is positioned in the container beneath the pellet. The pellet shape on the external surface may be triangular, square, hexagonal or round. Typically, the pellet depth will usually equal the average pellet diameter.

A cylindrical or conical tooling mandrel is used to lay up the inner skin 22 of the warhead section shell. After cure, the inner shell is removed from the mandrel and pellet containers 28 of the desired pattern or light weight spaces 32 are positioned on the shell surface and bonded or riveted in place. Tows of graphite fiber 34 are then wet wound into the slots in a continuous criss-cross (basket-weave) manner (FIG. 6) until the slots are filled to the outer surface. Fibers 34 are held in position by an epoxy adhesive. Steps 36 for a bolted lap joint (FIG. 5) are machined into the solid laminate area at the forward and aft end of the section.

After completion of all other manufacturing steps, the containers of explosive and pellet are inserted into the openings and retained by bonding with silicone rubber adhesive. An initiator system 37 will be installed on the inside of the inner shell. If required, external thermal insulation (ablative coating) will be added to the overall outside surface after final assembly. (FIGS. 5 and 6).

This method of construction permits the surface warhead area to occupy a large percentage of the total shell area. The warhead can also be located along only one side or segment of the shell, giving a focused effect to the fragment pattern. Light weight spacers may be used to form the basket pattern in the non-warhead areas, lowering structural weight. Selective arrangement of internal equipment will maintain a balanced center of gravity.