Battery

Claim 1

A THERMAL BATTERY CONSTRUCTION FOR USE IN AN ORDINANCE PROJECTILE, SAID BATTERY CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A MATRIX CONSISTING OF A CYLINDRICAL BLOCK OF IGNITABLE THERMITE-TYPE MATERIAL HAVING LONGITUDINAL HOLES OF CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION EXTENDING THERETHROUGH; A PLURALITY OF METAL RODS INSERTED IN SAID BLOCKS; A B-STACK OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FORM MOUNTED IN ONE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL HOLES, SAID B-STACK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STACKED DISCOID CELLS CONNECTED IN SERIES AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTIVATED UPON APPLICATION OF SUFFICIENT HEAT THERETO; AN A-CELL OF GENERALLY TUBULAR FORM SURROUNDING AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL BLOCK SO AS TO FORM AN OUTER CASING FOR SAID BLOCK, SAID A-CELL HAVING INNER AND OUTER ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED SHEETS OF A FIRST METAL CONSTITUTING ONE ELECTRODE OF SAID A-CELL, A MIDDLE SHEET OF A SECOND METAL CONSTITUTING THE OTHER ELECTRODE OF SAID A-CELL, AND FIRST AND SECOND SHEETS OF INERT PERVIOUS ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MIDDLE SHEET AND SAID INNER AND OUTER SHEETS RESPECTIVELY, SAID NONCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BEING IMPREGNATED WITH AN ELECTROLYTE, SAID A-CELL BEING ADAPTED TO BE ACTIVATED UPON APPLICATION OF SUFFICIENT HEAT THERETO; MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID B-STACK AND SAID A-CELL TO ASSOCIATED CIRCUITRY; AND AN IGNITER MOUNTED IN ONE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL HOLES AND ADAPTED TO IGNITE SAID BLOCK IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED CONDITION; SAID BLOCK BEING SO FORMED THAT IT HAS GOOD COMBUSTION CHARACTERISTICS AND SUBSTANTIALLY MANINTAINS ITS MECHANICAL DIMENSIONS AND STRENGTH DURING AND AFTER BURNING, SAID METAL RODS ACTING TO INCREASE THE UNIFORMITY OF DISTRIBUTION OF THE HEAT PRODUCED BY SAID BURNING, THE HEAT THEREBY APPLIED TO SAID B-STACK AND SAID A-CELL BEING SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE ACTIVATION THEREOF.