Shaped charge and method of firing the same

Claim 1

A SHAPED EXPLOSIVE CHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING: A CHARGE OF DETONATING EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING HIGH-ORDER DETONATION AND LOW-ORDER DETONATION THEREIN, SAID CHARGE HAVING A FRONT END AND A REAR END OPPOSITE SAID FRONT END AND BEING SYMMETRICAL ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ENDS, SAID CHARGE PROVIDING A CAVITY IN ITS FRONT END SYMMETRICAL ABOUT SAID AXIS, SAID CAVITY HAVING SIDEWALLS CONVERGING TO THE REAR; A LINER OF INERT MATERIAL LINING SAID CAVITY; MEANS FOR INITIATING HIGH-ORDER DETONATION IN SAID CHARGE AT THE REAR END THEREOF AND SYMMETRICALLY OF SAID AXIS; AND A BARRIER SYMMETRICAL ABOUT SAID AXIS EMBEDDED IN SAID CHARGE, ALL PORTIONS OF SAID BARRIER BEING POSITIONED REARWARDLY OF SAID CAVITY AND SPACED FORWARDLY FROM SAID INITIATING MEANS AND INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CHARGE, SAID BARRIER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER WIDTH THAN ITS AXIAL THICKNESS AND HAVING THE CHARACTERISTICS THROUGHOUT AT LEAST AN AXIALLY SYMMETRICAL CENTRAL PORTION OF SUBSTANTIAL LATERAL EXTENT OF BLOCKING TRANSMISSION OF HIGH-ORDER DETONATION-INITIATING ENERGY FORWARDLY THERETHROUGH AND TRANSMITTING LOW-ORDER DETONATION-INITIATING ENERGY FORWARDLY THERETHROUGH TO INITIATE A LOW-ORDER DETONATION IN THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL ON THE FORWARD SIDE OF SAID BARRIER IN RESPONSE TO HIGH-ORDER DETONATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL AT THE REAR OF SAID BARRIER, SAID LOW-ORDER DETONATION AND THE HIGH-ORDER DETONATION THAT TRAVELS FORWARDLY AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BARRIER MERGING IN THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID BARRIER AND THE REAR END OF SAID LINER TO FORM A COMPOSITE DETONATION WAVE THAT ATTACKS SAID LINER.