Explosive separation system for composite materials

Claim 1

An explosive separation system for cutting through a missile shell made from composite laminate materials, said separation system cutting through said composite materials along a separation plane without causing delamination or fragmentation in areas of the shell adjacent to said separation plane, which comprises: (a) a flexible linear shaped charge for providing directional cutting along said separation plane; (b) a holder made of low-density, energy-absorbing material for holding said flexible linear shaped charge at a desired orientation and at a desired standoff distance from the surface of the missile shell at a region to be cut, (1) said holder having a first surface shaped to be disposed against the surface of the missile shell at the region to be cut, (2) said holder having a channel in said first surface, said channel being located over the separation plane when said first surface is disposed against the surface of the said missile shell at the region to be cut, (3) said channel having a depth and shape to hold said flexible linear shaped charge at the interior end of said channel and at the desired orientation and the desired standoff distance from the surface to be cut, and (4) said holder having sufficient volume to absorb the energy of the flexible linear shaped charge that is directed in directions other than toward the missile shell through said channel so that reflected products of the detonation of said flexible linear shaped charge do not strike the surface of the missile shell with enough force to damage the cut edges or the surface adjacent to the cut; and (c) means for securing said holder with said first surface being disposed against the surface of the missile shell at the region to be cut with said channel being located over the separation plane.