Psychlonic
November 1st, 2004, 11:33 PM
I have been toying with the idea of a cluster grenade which, when armed and thrown, will launch several bomblets in an area which in turn explode - causing a large radius of damage.
To achieve this, my initial design is to create a PVC pipebomb which will launch several other pipebombs surrounding the PVC one. These will more than likely need to be attached with either light glue or a some sort of tape.
In order for this to work properly, the PVC bomb MUST direct force towards the bomblets - not out the sides of the bomb. However, one must be cautious in not having too much force which will detonate the metallic clad bombs surrounding it.
The reason the center bomb is PVC is to allow for buildup of pressure, yet no armor piercing shrapnel is thrown.
It must be also stressed that in my design, the bomblets are not as long as the initiator bomb. The fuses in the bomblets will be slightly longer than that used in the initiator - giving just enough time for the bomblets to spread and then detonate.
At least 3 bomblets would be needed to sufficiently utilize the pressure from the initiator. It's a bit of a trade-off; the fewer the bomblets, the less area they cover but the more destructive they are (because they are bigger). The more bomblets you have, the more area they will cover but they will not be as destructive (since they are smaller). You want bomblets covering the entire circumference of the initiator bomb.
As you can see, the fuses are intertwined at the top so that they may all be lit at once. Simple, reliable, and puts the explosions in unison well.
Now there is another problem to be addressed. There is a chance that the explosion from the initiator may try to escape out of the endcaps of the PVC since there is the least amount of resistance there. To remedy this, the endcaps should be thicker than the pipe itself.
This brings us to the last step - actual charges used in the initiator and bomblets. For the initiator, blackpowder should be sufficient in propelling the bomblets. The bomblets themselves can contain just about anything you want. A good idea may also be to use some flashpowder in the initiator and/or create a flashbang to destract the enemy as the cluster grenade goes off. Just be careful the mixture isn't powerful enough to melt or punch a hole in your bomblets.
This cluster grenade need not be used only as a destructive device. You could also use smokebombs as your bomblets, and make the initiator catch these on fire so that a large area is covered in smoke in no time at all.
One may also be able to use thermite in the bomblets to spread it's destructive capability over a larger surface. Coupled with the "Thermite Fountain" idea, the bomblets would increase in efficiency even more.
Design Improvements and Variations:
+ To improve bomblet spread, one idea may be to use a spherical initiator and spherical bomblets. This would not only allow for the attachment of more bomblets, but it should also create an optimal volume for ease of transport. You could also try a cylinderical initiator with spherical, even cubical bomblets.
+ Another way to improve bomblet spread would be to place the grenade on a post in a vertical manner. This way, some of the bomblets aren't simply stopped by the ground underneath of it. You could also take this passive method farther by placing the device up in a tree or other tall object. In this manner, the grenade would make an excellent boobytrap with a high kill probability.
+ Yet another way to improve bomblet spread might be to variate the above method. Placing tassels onto the bomblet to improve flight and placing a point on the tip of the bomb, the grenade could be thrown like a football into a soft object, such as dirt, sod, or a wooden plank.
+ Bomblet spread could possibly be varied by placing them as certain angles. For example, placing wedges between the bomblets and the initiator could have effects ranging from throwing the bomblets in the air, to forcing them to penetrating an object - depending on the angles used and bomblet modifications.
This originally came from a text file I wrote on my computer, and there was an ASCII drawing of what it looked like (in general), but it doesn't transfer over well. I'll try to draw up a sketch in MS Paint or something and add it to the post when I get the chance.
So what do you think? Is my idea feasible or will it (quite literally) blow up in my face? Mind you I don't actually have access to the materials required to test this at the moment.
EDIT - Here's my MS Paint mock up. Excuse the crudeness.
http://img12.exs.cx/img12/4383/ClusterGrenade.jpg
As you can see, there are no dimensions. This is merely to give you a basic idea as to what it looks like and basic functions.
To achieve this, my initial design is to create a PVC pipebomb which will launch several other pipebombs surrounding the PVC one. These will more than likely need to be attached with either light glue or a some sort of tape.
In order for this to work properly, the PVC bomb MUST direct force towards the bomblets - not out the sides of the bomb. However, one must be cautious in not having too much force which will detonate the metallic clad bombs surrounding it.
The reason the center bomb is PVC is to allow for buildup of pressure, yet no armor piercing shrapnel is thrown.
It must be also stressed that in my design, the bomblets are not as long as the initiator bomb. The fuses in the bomblets will be slightly longer than that used in the initiator - giving just enough time for the bomblets to spread and then detonate.
At least 3 bomblets would be needed to sufficiently utilize the pressure from the initiator. It's a bit of a trade-off; the fewer the bomblets, the less area they cover but the more destructive they are (because they are bigger). The more bomblets you have, the more area they will cover but they will not be as destructive (since they are smaller). You want bomblets covering the entire circumference of the initiator bomb.
As you can see, the fuses are intertwined at the top so that they may all be lit at once. Simple, reliable, and puts the explosions in unison well.
Now there is another problem to be addressed. There is a chance that the explosion from the initiator may try to escape out of the endcaps of the PVC since there is the least amount of resistance there. To remedy this, the endcaps should be thicker than the pipe itself.
This brings us to the last step - actual charges used in the initiator and bomblets. For the initiator, blackpowder should be sufficient in propelling the bomblets. The bomblets themselves can contain just about anything you want. A good idea may also be to use some flashpowder in the initiator and/or create a flashbang to destract the enemy as the cluster grenade goes off. Just be careful the mixture isn't powerful enough to melt or punch a hole in your bomblets.
This cluster grenade need not be used only as a destructive device. You could also use smokebombs as your bomblets, and make the initiator catch these on fire so that a large area is covered in smoke in no time at all.
One may also be able to use thermite in the bomblets to spread it's destructive capability over a larger surface. Coupled with the "Thermite Fountain" idea, the bomblets would increase in efficiency even more.
Design Improvements and Variations:
+ To improve bomblet spread, one idea may be to use a spherical initiator and spherical bomblets. This would not only allow for the attachment of more bomblets, but it should also create an optimal volume for ease of transport. You could also try a cylinderical initiator with spherical, even cubical bomblets.
+ Another way to improve bomblet spread would be to place the grenade on a post in a vertical manner. This way, some of the bomblets aren't simply stopped by the ground underneath of it. You could also take this passive method farther by placing the device up in a tree or other tall object. In this manner, the grenade would make an excellent boobytrap with a high kill probability.
+ Yet another way to improve bomblet spread might be to variate the above method. Placing tassels onto the bomblet to improve flight and placing a point on the tip of the bomb, the grenade could be thrown like a football into a soft object, such as dirt, sod, or a wooden plank.
+ Bomblet spread could possibly be varied by placing them as certain angles. For example, placing wedges between the bomblets and the initiator could have effects ranging from throwing the bomblets in the air, to forcing them to penetrating an object - depending on the angles used and bomblet modifications.
This originally came from a text file I wrote on my computer, and there was an ASCII drawing of what it looked like (in general), but it doesn't transfer over well. I'll try to draw up a sketch in MS Paint or something and add it to the post when I get the chance.
So what do you think? Is my idea feasible or will it (quite literally) blow up in my face? Mind you I don't actually have access to the materials required to test this at the moment.
EDIT - Here's my MS Paint mock up. Excuse the crudeness.
http://img12.exs.cx/img12/4383/ClusterGrenade.jpg
As you can see, there are no dimensions. This is merely to give you a basic idea as to what it looks like and basic functions.