The present invention relates to a missile body and a related method, and more particularly to an improved missile body of composite materials having utility for jet, rocket, and rocket-ramjet missiles.
Composite materials such as graphite/epoxy have been investigated for use in missile bodies to increase missile performance. Composite materials weigh less than conventional metallic materials, and weight savings in the missile body directly increase missile range and performacne. The application of composite material technology to many missile designs, however, presents fabrication problems.
For example, conventional fabrication of rocket-ramjet missile bodies requires the fabrication and hand assembly of many component parts. Rocket-ramjet missiles include a rocket solid propellant system and, in addition, carry liquid fuel that is burned when the solid propellant is exhausted. Thus, provision must be made in the rocket-ramjet missile for storage of liquid fuel. In a typical rocket-ramjet design, the fuel is stored between the outer skin and an inner wall of the missile, and the inner wall defines a motor case/combustion chamber. The outer skin and inner wall are supported by longerons and bulkheads.
Conventional fabrication of rocket-ramjet missile bodies using composite materials requires that the outer skin, inner wall, longerons, and bulkheads be separately fabricated and cured. For example, in the case of the outer skin, a mandrel must be constructed around which the outer skin is fabricated and cured. The outer skin is then cut from the mandrel into two halves for hand assembly with the other components. The assembly of the various components is particularly difficult because the missile design requires close tolerances to ensure structural integrity. The tight tolerances combined with the hand lay up fabrication make such conventional fabrication labor intensive and expensive. As a result, composite materials have not yet been incorporated into a production rocket-ramjet missile or into many other missile designs.