1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a subcaliber projectile and discarding sabot assembly, referred to generally in the art as a sabot projectile. More specifically, the invention is directed to a sabot Projectile wherein the projectile body is locked within the discarding sabot and a discarding sabot base, the discarding sabot base being free of direct, positive coupling to the projectile.
2. Background Art
It is well known in the art to employ a subcaliber heavy metal projectile with a discarding sabot formed typically of light plastic to support the subcaliber projectile during launch. This allows the projectile to be fired from a large bore gun barrel, whereby the propelling force acts over a larger lateral area than that presented by the projectile alone. In this way the projectile undergoes greater acceleration and achieves higher velocity.
Typically, a sabot/projectile assembly further comprises a sabot base which is coupled to the aft end of the projectile. It is this sabot base which normally presents the rearwardly facing lateral surface to the propulsive forces generated during firing of the projectile. The base then transmits the forward acceleration forces to the projectile and main sabot body. Once the projectile leaves the gun barrel, however, both the main sabot body and the sabot base are discarded, that is, they separate from the projectile, whereby the aerodynamic projectile is free to continue traveling without the sabot and base.
Known designs for the sabot base, of which that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the attached drawings is typical, generally are relatively complicated. In particular, known designs for the sabot base typically include discardable petals to hold the heavy metal projectile to the sabot base. Discardable petals often are used to hold the projectile in place relative the sabot base during injection molding of the main sabot body around the projectile in a mold-in-place process. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,894 to Bunch, for example, such a mold-in-place process is disclosed. Specifically, the projectile therein is used as the core pin of a forming mold wherein the plastic sabot is molded directly onto the projectile. A sabot base, therein referred to as "a pusher plug 16" is seen to comprise axially forwardly extending discardable petals (shown without reference numeral) at the aft end of the projectile. Alignment between the projectile, referred to therein as "core 14" and the other components is said to be achieved by, among other ways, a force fit between the projectile and the recess defined in part by the discardable petals. Existing sabot base designs employing such discardable petals are not only disadvantageously complicated, both in design and in manufacture, but in addition, partly as a result of such complexity, entail design, manufacturing and quality control costs which could advantageously be reduced.
Another disclosure of a sabot projectile employing such discardable petals is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,466 to Rossmann et al, wherein a projectile 1 is shown mounted in a bore 8 of a sabot base 10. Discardable petals (shown without reference numeral) are seen to extend forwardly from the sabot base and to provide radially inwardly extending ridges seated in corresponding radially outwardly opening recesses in the aft portion of the projectile. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved discarding sabot projectile, particularly to provide a discarding sabot projectile wherein the sabot base is of less complex design. These and other objects of the invention will be better understood in the light of the following detailed disclosure of the invention.