Method for producing a fragment / reactive material assembly
A method for the manufacture of a composite fragmenting material having exothermic properties includes the steps of packing a mold with preformed metal fragments; filling interstitial spaces surrounding the metal fragments with a reactive metal powder to form a mixture; and then sintering the mixture at a temperature effective to both coat the metal fragments with the reactive metal powder and to bond the metal fragments together. In one embodiment the composite fragmenting material is formed into a nosecone for a warhead.
1. A method for the manufacture of a composite fragmenting material having exothermic properties, comprising the steps of:
packing a mold with preformed metal fragments;
filling interstitial spaces surrounding said metal fragments with a reactive metal powder to form a mixture; and
sintering said mixture at a temperature effective to both coat said metal fragments with said reactive metal powder and to bond said metal fragments together, wherein the reactive metal powder is a material that is exothermic on fragmentation of a warhead.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said reactive metal powder is selected to be pyrophoric in the presence of oxygen at temperatures reached during detonation of the warhead.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said reactive metal powder is selected from the group consisting of zirconium, niobium, hafnium, aluminum, titanium, magnesium and alloys of those metals containing more than 50%, by weight, of those metals.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said reactive metal is selected to be zirconium or a zirconium-base alloy.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said mixture is sintered at a temperature of between 1200° C. and 1500° C.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein a vacuum of between 10 −3 torr and 10 −6 torr is applied to said mixture during the step of sintering.