Calculation and Optimization of the Effective Extinction Cross Section of the Spherical Cold Obscuring Smoke

The smoke is often generated in the battlefield by the smoke ammunition to protect the personnel and equipment against the enemy's optoelectronic systems. The effective extinction cross section is an important parameter of the infrared smoke ammunition. In this paper, the relationships between the effective extinction cross section of a cloud of spherical smoke and the mass of the smoke agent, the radius of the screening smoke and the mass extinction coefficient are discussed. The expressions of the maximal effective extinction cross section is derived. This research will help us to achieve optimal design of the smoke ammunition and to appropriately evaluate the effectiveness of the smoke. Examples are given for two kinds of obscurants.