Fuse Jerk Reduction and Optimum Deceleration from a Compliant Material System

The potential for structural failures in fuse assemblies on hardened-target penetrators results from both the high decelerations experienced and their short duration. Fuse survivability would be enhanced by lowering the magnitude, and extending the duration, of the deceleration pulse transmitted from the weapon to the fuse. LRK Associates proposes to model and analyze the shock-smoothing performance of a compliant material system that naturally smooths rise- and fall-times to reduce jerk, and then provides a constant, optimum deceleration lower than the shock peak in between. This latter level can be set by a simple mechanical adjustment. The system is passive, requiring neither electrical power nor logic, and should be constructible from commercially available materials. The system scales well to different fuse masses, and can be used during both impact deceleration and launch acceleration. Initial analysis predicts this system allows less than 20% of the fuse displacement produced by a damped linear system subject to the same maximum acceleration.