Protective cover for a missile nose cone

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference is now made to FIG.
1 of the drawing which shows a missile nose cone 10 mounted on an attachment ring 12.
The nose cone may be made of a rigid plastic, a ceramic material or other material.
The nose cone has a protective cover 14, with a rigid outer shell 16 and a foam backing 18.
A shaped linear charge 20 is positioned between the outer shell 16 and backing 18, in a serpentine path, as shown in FIG.
2.
A detonator, not shown, is located in a junction box 22.
The shaped linear charge lines have their ends pinch cut, so as to seal the ends.
The ends are placed in contact with the detonator in junction box 22 and held in place with an adhesive.
Electric power for detonating the charge is supplied over lines 24.
The outer shell 16 is vacuum formed cross-linked polyethylene.
In the device tested, the thickness of the outer shell was 0.
10 inches.
The backing material 18 was made of a polyurethane foam with a minimum thickness of 0.
30 inches.
The polyurethane foam can be either preformed and cut in sections and fitted into place around the nose cone or it can be formed in place between the nose cone and the outer shell.
By forming in place, production costs are reduced.
If preformed cut sections are used, the shaped linear charge 20 can be positioned in slots formed in the polyurethane foam as shown in FIG.
2.
When the backing is formed in place, the shaped linear charge would be secured to the outer shell before the shell is placed over the nose cone.
The serpentine pattern used, as shown in FIG.
2, solves problems which occur when crossover junctions are used.
The shaped linear charge used was three grain per linear foot RDX, encased in lead.
Five grain per linear foot charge was tried and found not to damage the nose cone.
However, since the three grain per linear foot was found to cut the outer shell, the five grain charge was not needed.
The shape used for the shaped linear charge was a triangular shape, as shown in FIG.
3, with the apex of the triangle away from the outer shell