How do tandem charges work?

How do tandem charges work?

The first stage of the weapon is typically a weak charge that either pierces the reactive armour of the target without detonating it leaving a channel through the reactive armour so that the second warhead may pass unimpeded, or simply detonates the armour, causing the timing of the counter-explosion to fail.

What is a tandem Atgm?

A tandem-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation. It is effective against reactive armour, which is designed to protect an armoured vehicle (mostly tanks) against anti-tank munitions.

How does Tandem heat work?

A tandem HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) warhead uses two shaped charges. The first one is typically a smaller charge that is intended to trigger any explosive reactive armor (ERA) panels on the target. The second is a larger charge intended to penetrate the armor.

What is meant by shaped charge?

A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive’s energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, initiating nuclear weapons, penetrating armor, or perforating wells in the oil and gas industry.

What are Nera elements?

NERA usually consists of two metal (steel, aluminium or titanium) layers with a confined/compressed layer of an elastic material such as rubber sandwiched inbetween. Upon impact, the rubber will expand and the armor will bulge.

How does tank reactive armor work?

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. Essentially all anti-tank munitions work by piercing the armour and then either killing the crew inside, or disabling vital mechanical systems, or both.

What is reactive tank armor?

Who invented shaped charges?

Shaped charge warheads were promoted internationally by the Swiss inventor Henry Mohaupt, who exhibited the weapon before World War II. Before 1939, Mohaupt demonstrated his invention to British and French ordnance authorities.

When was Heatfs made?

The round in question is the BK-5M HEAT-FS-T round. The cartridge dates to 1955.

What are shaped charges made of?

A shaped charge normally consists of a cone made of metal or glass surrounded by a high-strength, high-density explosive and means to obtain the proper standoff,…

Who invented the shaped charge?

Who invented era armor?

The idea of counterexplosion (kontrvzryv in Russian) in armour was first proposed by the Scientific Research Institute of Steel (NII Stali) in 1949 in the USSR by academician Bogdan Vjacheslavovich Voitsekhovsky (1922–1999). The first pre-production models were produced during the 1960s.

How does a tandem warhead work?

‘The tandem warhead is fitted with two shaped charges: a precursor warhead to initiate explosive reactive armour and a main warhead to penetrate base armour.’ ‘The claim that a plutonium bomb, with shaped charges and digital timers and the precise machining of the plutonium sphere, is ‘much easier’ is questionable.’

What is the purpose of a shaped charge?

The shaped charge is used to bore a hole for a cratering charge. A typical device consists of a solid cylinder of explosive with a metal-lined conical hollow in one end and a central detonator, array of detonators, or detonation wave guide at the other end.

When were shaped charges first used?

One of the earliest uses of shaped charges was by German glider-borne troops against the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael in 1940. These demolition charges – developed by Dr. Wuelfken of the German Ordnance Office – were unlined explosive charges and didn’t produce a metal jet like the modern HEAT warheads.

What are the uses of small shaped charges in steelmaking?

In steelmaking, small shaped charges are often used to pierce taps that have become plugged with slag. They are also used in quarrying, breaking up ice, breaking log jams, felling trees, and drilling post holes.