Device to puncture wing environmental seals and reduce deployment force

Abstract

A puncturing feature is provided on the deployable wings of a precision guidance kit of a rocket to facilitate breaking through the wing slot seal that protecting the wings prior to deployment. The puncturing feature may be a sharp region on the leading edge near the wing tip that first contacts the wing slot seal. The puncturing feature may be a sharp edge extended along the leading edge of the wing to provide a cutting action as the wing passes through the wing slot seal.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]Aerial rockets and missiles which include folded, deployable guidance wings, have been in use for many years. Some examples include the Hydra 70 family of WAFAR (Wrap-Around Fin Aerial Rocket) and APKWS® laser guided missile. For many such weapons, the guidance wings are folded in a stowed configuration within the main fuselage until the weapon is launched, at which point the wings deploy outward through slots provided in the fuselage.[0002]In one such example, the APKWS precision guidance kit is added to a 2.75″ (70 mm) diameter rocket such as the Hydra-70 (MK66). The APKWS has wings that start in a stowed position thus allowing the munition to fit inside existing launching tubes. When the rocket is fired it begins to spin to improve stability. Firing of the rocket awakens the APKWS system. Once the control system is initiated and operational, the four control surfaces, known as flaperons, are commanded to rotate to the zero position, thus unlatching them from their...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In one embodiment, the puncturing feature is a sharp edge extended along the leading edge of the wing to provide a cutting action as the wing passes through the wing slot seal. In one embodiment, the extended sharp edge puncturing feature has serrations to increase the cutting action.

Problems solved by technology

However, there is a practical limit to how rapidly a missile can be spun.

This amount of centripetal energy may not be sufficient by itself to enable the wings to burst through the frangible slot covers.

As a result, some weapons that include deployable folded guidance wings and frangible wing slot covers have demonstrated a tendency for the guidance system to fail due to a lack of proper guidance wing deployment.

However, this approach can be undesirable due to the violent forces produced by the explosives and due to concerns about the safety and the long-term chemical stability of the explosives during storage of the weapon.

However, there is only very limited space available for a wing deployment initiator to occupy.

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