Laser effects simulator

US4645448A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army · US

Inventors

• William F. Otto · Huntsville, US
• Thomas G. Roberts · Huntsville, US
• Andrew H. Jenkins · Huntsville, US
• Thomas E. Honeycutt · Somerville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 16, 1985
• Grant date: Feb 24, 1987
• Expiry date: Dec 16, 2005

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F23C15/00
• WIPO field: Thermal processes and apparatus
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A laser effects simulator having inner and outer cylinders which serve as parate plenums for two gases--a fuel and an oxidizer. Each plenum contains a multiplicity of small release ports or holes. An inner cylinder serves as a combustion chamber. The inner cylinder contains two sets of small release ports or holes arranged to simultaneously match or line up with the multiplicity of ports in the two plenums. Thus, allowing both fuel and oxidizer to be admitted to the combustion chamber and become mixed. On one end of the inner cylinder is an igniter that starts the combustion process. The reaction creates a high temperature mixture which expands to a low density hot gas that simulates the results that are produced when a high energy laser beam interacts with a solid surface.