Rheological fluids based firearms mechanisms
Encyclopedia
A rheological fluid-based mechanism (or RB-MECHANISM) is a method for designing and powering firearm
s and ordnance
. The mechanisms currently used by firearms and ordnance utilize combustion
of gunpowder
to propel ammunition. An RB-MECHANISM controls the recoil and the reloading process by altering the viscosity
of a rheological fluid
, or "smart fluid
," to control the force
necessary to accelerate a piece of ammunition to high speeds. This can be used in both small arms such as pistol
s and heavy ordnance applications, minimizing moving parts and streamlining the fire control system. A computer chip is needed to control the fire and other weapon “settings”. Typical power
requirements are approximately 1 ampere
/12 volt
s. If electricity is unsuitable or unavailable, a magnetic field may be applied to the fluid by the use of magnets.
or introducing a magnetic field
. Rheological fluids are thus considered valuable for the ease of manipulating viscosity without consuming or degenerating the substance, as might be necessary with other fluids.
, allowing a lighter and more compact gun carriage. A typical application for small arms would be to replace the bolt which is used to seal the firearm by keeping the bolt-head tight to the chamber as long as the projectile travels down the barrel. A RB-MECHANISM will be able to support the bolt-head in the same fashion, while being less prone to negative factors such as dirt, cold, heat or poor ammunition. Rheological Ammunition
may also require a weapon with a rheological fluids based mechanism to achieve a reliable function regardless of the projectile properties.
and grenade launcher (XM29/ OICW), there is a penalty in weight because each weapon requires separate systems for firing, reloading and recoil control. A single computer-controlled RB-MECHANISM, however, can support and control both weapons and thereby save weight as well as streamline the control system.
Old simple blowback
-type submachine guns like S&W 76, "Swedish K", Sten etc. are unsuitable for powerful rifle ammunition. With rifle ammunition a bolt with a mass nearing 10 kilogram
s would be necessary to safely absorb the recoil for the time the bolt-head must be locked to the barrel. This makes it impractical for use with higher-power ammunition. Instead, the computer-controlled RB-MECHANISM can absorb the recoil as effectively as a 10-kg bolt without the added weight disadvantage.
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s and ordnance
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. The mechanisms currently used by firearms and ordnance utilize combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
to propel ammunition. An RB-MECHANISM controls the recoil and the reloading process by altering the viscosity
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
of a rheological fluid
Electrorheological fluid
Electrorheological fluids are suspensions of extremely fine non-conducting particles in an electrically insulating fluid. The apparent viscosity of these fluids changes reversibly by an order of up to 100,000 in response to an electric field...
, or "smart fluid
Smart fluid
A smart fluid is a fluid whose properties can be changed by applying an electric field or a magnetic field.The most developed smart fluids today are fluids whose viscosity increases when a magnetic field is applied...
," to control the force
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...
necessary to accelerate a piece of ammunition to high speeds. This can be used in both small arms such as pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s and heavy ordnance applications, minimizing moving parts and streamlining the fire control system. A computer chip is needed to control the fire and other weapon “settings”. Typical power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
requirements are approximately 1 ampere
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
/12 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s. If electricity is unsuitable or unavailable, a magnetic field may be applied to the fluid by the use of magnets.
Smart fluids
Rheological fluids, or smart fluids, are fluids whose viscosity can be controlled by applying an electric currentElectric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
or introducing a magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Rheological fluids are thus considered valuable for the ease of manipulating viscosity without consuming or degenerating the substance, as might be necessary with other fluids.
Applications
A typical application for heavy ordnance would be to control the intense recoil forces generated when firing a howitzerHowitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
, allowing a lighter and more compact gun carriage. A typical application for small arms would be to replace the bolt which is used to seal the firearm by keeping the bolt-head tight to the chamber as long as the projectile travels down the barrel. A RB-MECHANISM will be able to support the bolt-head in the same fashion, while being less prone to negative factors such as dirt, cold, heat or poor ammunition. Rheological Ammunition
Rheological Ammunition
Rheological ammunition uses a rheological substance that can be controlled by injecting a current or introducing a magnetic field to the projectiles core, thereby changing some properties of the projectile. The idea is to create a projectile with a core that can be hard or soft depending on...
may also require a weapon with a rheological fluids based mechanism to achieve a reliable function regardless of the projectile properties.
Small arms applications
In devices that feature multiple weapons, such as a combined rifleRifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and grenade launcher (XM29/ OICW), there is a penalty in weight because each weapon requires separate systems for firing, reloading and recoil control. A single computer-controlled RB-MECHANISM, however, can support and control both weapons and thereby save weight as well as streamline the control system.
Old simple blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
-type submachine guns like S&W 76, "Swedish K", Sten etc. are unsuitable for powerful rifle ammunition. With rifle ammunition a bolt with a mass nearing 10 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s would be necessary to safely absorb the recoil for the time the bolt-head must be locked to the barrel. This makes it impractical for use with higher-power ammunition. Instead, the computer-controlled RB-MECHANISM can absorb the recoil as effectively as a 10-kg bolt without the added weight disadvantage.