Conventional Warhead Systems Physics and Engineering Design (Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics) [Hardcover]

R. Lloyd (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563472554 | ISBN-13: 978-1563472558 | Publication Date: January 1, 1998

In this exploration of the mathematical equations and logic behind antiballistic missiles (ATBMs), the author examines theatre missile defence as well as warhead design and concepts for ATBMs. The book demonstrates the system aspects needed as a systems warhead engineer designing complex tactical and defence warheads under tight budgetary constraints. The text features an investigation of energy, momentum and methods for estimating damage on very complex ballistic missile payloads, such as submunitions of chemical and biological nature. Direct hit, missile debris and fragmentation are discussed. High strain rate, explosives, thermodynamics, heat transfer, chemistry, penetration mechanics, statistics, dynamics and finite element equations are also covered.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Lloyd is current manager of the Warhead Lethality Group of the Raytheon Company Electronic Systems Division. He has extensive hands-on experience with advanced state-of-the-art interceptor missiles, having served as principal investigator on a such noteworthy missile projects as the Patriot PAC-3 and, more recently, the MEADS Warhead. A practicing engineer with more than 15 years experience, Mr. Lloyd holds three patents on warhead concepts as well as two engineering degrees.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 636 pages
• Publisher: AIAA (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563472554
• ISBN-13: 978-1563472558
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,394,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique, I like it, needs to be re-editioned though, December 16, 2009

By 

John E. Field "jfield" (san francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conventional Warhead Systems Physics and Engineering Design (Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics) (Hardcover)

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got this, but I like it a lot. Richard Lloyd does a good job of describing the concepts behind all sorts of methods of increasing warhead lethality, both in the physics of the warheads and the statistics of how to use the warhead capabilities to their best advantage. The concepts are very thought provoking and lead the reader into imagining all sorts of other ways that the concepts could be used and combined to increased effect. It sort of feels like a useful and big toolbox of tricks that provides the reader with plenty of practical wherewithal to cook up solutions to whatever real problems might come up. I could sort of see the book in a fabrication shop where things were getting designed and built quickly. So, in that sense, I think the book succeeds very well. And, I doubt there is anything else out there like it. I think I'd recommend it with something like Zukas "High Velocity Impact Dynamics" or maybe "Explosives Engineering" by Cooper. For the stout at heart and if you're interested in the computational aspects of this, match it with Wen Ho Lee's "Computer Simulation of Shaped Charge Problems."

Taking the opposite point of view, the book seems to be full of equation and text description errors. And, it interminably repeats things like formulas to calculate the mass of a cylinder or basic trigonometry and so forth. If you need to know that, you shouldn't be reading this book. Once, twice, ten times, sure, but the hundreds of these derivations in weird messy situations just grinds the reader down while he's trying to understand the deeper concepts. Meanwhile, there are very complex concepts which just pop out of the blue, often without deeper insight about where they come from and frequently with the variables left undefined or sometimes even incorrectly. In that sense, it is kind of like he took a sheaf of notes out of his file cabinet and poured them into his word processor, and it's very distracting and wastes a lot of time.

I wish I got a coupon for $50 off the 2nd edition when it comes out, because that book will really be nice. As it is, I feel I have to struggle a little with this edition.