Patents by Inventor William McNicholas

William McNicholas has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Fragmentation pattern, optimized for drawn cup warheads with a dome and cylindrical wall
    Patent number: 11725916
    Abstract: Provided is a frangible munitions device optimized for a dome and cylinder that yields fragments having shapes corresponding to a predetermined embossment pattern upon explosive rupture. The embossment pattern includes a first set of inner regular hexagonal embossments formed into the dome and cylinder that are aligned with the axis of the cylinder, and a second set of outer pre-deformed hexagonal shapes that distort to produce regular hexagonal shapes after drawing into the cylinder wall. The second set of shapes are separated by sharp transition regions. The shapes are embossed in a repeated pattern around the hollow cylinder and the dome top. The dome yields a plurality of fragments having shapes corresponding to the first set of inner regular hexagonal embossments upon explosive rupture, while the cylinder yields a plurality of fragments having shapes corresponding to the second set of outer pre-deformed hexagonal embossments upon explosive rupture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: William McNicholas, Joshua E. Gwaltney, Eric Scheid, Matt E Cummings, Andrew Richard Davis
  • FRAGMENTATION PATTERN, OPTIMIZED FOR DRAWN CUP WARHEADS WITH A DOME AND CYLINDRICAL WALL
    Publication number: 20230032125
    Abstract: Provided is a frangible munitions device optimized for a dome and cylinder that yields fragments having shapes corresponding to a predetermined embossment pattern upon explosive rupture. The embossment pattern includes a first set of inner regular hexagonal embossments formed into the dome and cylinder that are aligned with the axis of the cylinder, and a second set of outer pre-deformed hexagonal shapes that distort to produce regular hexagonal shapes after drawing into the cylinder wall. The second set of shapes are separated by sharp transition regions. The shapes are embossed in a repeated pattern around the hollow cylinder and the dome top. The dome yields a plurality of fragments having shapes corresponding to the first set of inner regular hexagonal embossments upon explosive rupture, while the cylinder yields a plurality of fragments having shapes corresponding to the second set of outer pre-deformed hexagonal embossments upon explosive rupture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: William McNicholas, Joshua E. Gwaltney, Eric Scheid, Matt E Cummings, Andrew Richard Davis