US3459129A - Smoke ammunition containing liquid smoke producer and an absorption active powder - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 5, 1969 R. v. AKHAGEN 3,45 9

SMOKE AMMUNITION CONTAINING LIQUID SMOKE PRODUCER AND AN ABSORPTION ACTIVE POWDER Filed July 5, 1967 190 na ernerflkfia em United States Patent Oflice 3,459,129 SMOKE AMMUNITION CONTAINING LIQUID SMOKE PRODUCER AND AN ABSORPTION ACTIVE POWDER Rune V. Akhagen, Eskilstuna, Sweden, assignor to Forsvarets Fabriksverk, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed July 5, 1967, Ser. No. 651,114 Claims priority, application Sweden, July 13, 1966, 9,572/ 66 Int. Cl. F42b 13/44 U.S. Cl. 102-90 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Smoke ammunition containing a smoke composition, the main part of which is a liquid smoke producer, preferably titanium tetrachloride, -15 of weight of the composition consists of a well dried powder of synthetic calcium silicate, the pulverization degree of which corresponds to an adsorbing area of at least 50 m. g. The smoke composition brings about a spreading of the smoke over a larger area and facilitates the use of liquid smoke producers in spin stabilized shells.

The smoke ammunition which is used in the majority of the military forces concerns generation of momentary or continuous smoke. It usually takes more than one minute for generating the continuous smoke. During this time a rather constant quantity of smoke is emitted per unit of time from the smoke-producing object, which is spread by the wind only in the direction of the wind. This kind of smoke is in the first place suitable for undertakings requiring a comparatively long duration and a screened area of great width. The momentary smoke is characterized in this that the quantity of smoke is generated practically momentary, i.e., within a space of about one second. The smoke develops substantially into a spherical cloud of smoke, which, depending on its inherent heat, prevailing air temperature, air humidity and wind velocity etc. is spreading, rising and laterally moving. This kind of smoke is in the first place suitable for smoke-undertakings requiring a rapid screening-effect within a very limited area.

The momentary smoke-producers may be solids or liquids. Of the first-mentioned ones yellow phosphorous is considered to be most efiective but it has disadvantages because of its strongly exothermal reactions. This involves not only a considerable danger of fire but also a rapid rising of the generated cloud of smoke uncovering the target (so-called pillar-effect).

As liquid smoke-producers for a momentary smoke covering smoke-acid (HCISO +SO titanium tetrachloride and stannic chloride are used. An advantage of these smoke producers is, that they generate a very dense smoke, but it is a disadvantage, that the smoke cannot be fully utilized by the burst of the casing which burst is necessary for their spreading since they will be atomized to such a degree that the fluid particles will rapidly react with the water vapour of the air also when the air humidity is low. In this way the produced cloud will be of a small extent, and the fact that its density is higher than required cannot be utilized.

The present invention relates to ammunition having a liquid smoke producer, especially titanium tetrachloride for producing a momentary smoke covering and has for its purpose to bring about an improved spreading of the smoke covering while maintaining a required density of the same.

According to the principal characteristic features of 3,459,129 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 the invention the smoke producer is mixed with a well dried powder of a synthetic calcium silicate or another material having corresponding adsorption qualities and the powder makes between 5 and 15 percentage by weight of this mixture, whereby the pulverization degree corresponds to an adsorption area of at least 50 mF/g.

The explanation of the spreading eflect otbained by intermixing an adsorption active powder with the smoke producer may be, that the reaction of the latter with the moisture of the air will be delayed, so that the particles of the smoke producer adsorbed on the powder grains will have time to spread over a larger area before they react with the air moisture.

A powder which is particularly suitable for this purpose consists of a synthetic calcium silicate, which by high grade pulverization has been given an adsorption area of more than 50 mfl/g. A powder of this type, which is industrially produced in qualities having an adsorption area of up to m. g. is on sale under the trade name of Micro Cel. The fact is that within certain bounds the more fine-grained the powder is the smaller quantity of it needs be intermixed for the delay elfect to be obtained, which implies that a larger quantity of smoke producer can be retained. Made experiments have proved that a smoke composition, consisting of 515% of powder and for the remainder of a liquid smoke producer, will give a utilizable improvement of the smoke covering eflect of the smoke producer.

Of course even other powders than the above mentioned synthetic calcium silicate can be used, if they have adsorption qualities of the same order of magnitude.

Only a well dried powder can be used, since the smoke producer even when small quantities of water are present will be decomposed and give off corroding components, which, when titanium tetrachloride or stannic chloride is used as smoke producer, consist of hydrochloric acid. The latter attacks among other things aluminium, which is a usual ingredient of smoke shells or other objects, being charged with a smoke producer.

The suggested intermixing of an extremely fine-grained adsorption active material with a liquid smoke producer is also a contribution to the solution of another problem, namely to be able to use a liquid smoke substance in spin stabilized shells without withdrawing it from its participation in the rotation of the shell, the consequence of which would be lack of balance, impairing the steering of the shell. By the intermixed powder the viscosity of the smoke composition will be so high that the smoke composition will substantially participate in the rotary motion or can by simple means be made to do so. Such a means consists of lists or corresponding members, which serving as carriers are arranged on the inside of and coaxially with the casing of the smoke composition. For the above mentioned reason it is important that the percentage of powder in the smoke composition is high in spin stabilized shells. For natural reasons, however, the quantity of smoke producer must not be too small.

A powder of calcium silicate with an adsorption area of 50150 mP/g. has proved to give favorable results regarding the balance of the projectile as well as the density and the extent of the smoke covering, if its proportion of the smoke composition is 10-15 percentage by weight.

The present invention is illustrated in the acompanying drawing which shows a longitudinal section of a smoke shell. The shell comprises a shell body 1 having a container 2 housing a detonator 3. The space between the shell body 1 and the container 2 is filled with a smoke composition 4 consisting of titanium tetrachloride and pulverized calcium silicate as described above.

I claim:

1. Smoke ammunition for producing a momentary smoke generation with good density as Well as a broad spreading comprising, a hollow body containing a liquid smoke producer and a detonator for bursting the hollow body, characterized in that the smoke producer is mixed with a dry powder of synthetic calcium silicate and that said dry powder constitutes 5-15 percentage by weight of the mixture, whereby the pulverization degree corresponds to an adsorption area of at least 50 m. g. of said dry powder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,115,608 4/ 1938 Brandt 102-66 2,175,790 10/1939 Booker et al 10266 3,103,888 9/ 1963 Rosenthal 102-66 4 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,199,660 8/1965 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES The Condensed Chemical Dictionary by Rose, fifth edition, Reinhold Pub. Co. (1956), pp. 503 and 739.

Smiths College Chemistry by Ehret, sixth edition, D. Appleton, Century Comp. Inc., (1946), p. 451.

0 BENJAMIN A. BO-RCHELT, Primary Examiner J. FOX, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

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