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A low cost, lightweight frangible wing slot seal can be applied to a guidance wing slot of a folding fin aerial rocket or missile, providing a barrier against exposure of internal missile components to external contaminants, while allowing unhindered deployment of missile guidance wings simply by bu

A low cost, lightweight frangible wing slot seal can be applied to a guidance wing slot of a folding fin aerial rocket or missile, providing a barrier against exposure of internal missile components to external contaminants, while allowing unhindered deployment of missile guidance wings simply by bursting through the seals. The simple design is nearly foolproof, and has no impact the likelihood of weapon failure. The seal is a flexible sheet which is sufficiently thin so as not to exceed the required volume envelope of the missile. The sheet includes a burst seam, which is breached when impacted by the leading edge of a deploying wing. No additional wing deployment force is required, and after deployment the seal has minimal impact on the aerodynamic performance of the wing.

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1. A frangible wing slot seal suitable for preventing penetration of contaminants through a wing slot provided in the fuselage of a folding fin aerial rocket or missile, the wing slot seal being frangible so as to permit deployment of a guidance wing through the wing slot by breaking of the guidance

1. A frangible wing slot seal suitable for preventing penetration of contaminants through a wing slot provided in the fuselage of a folding fin aerial rocket or missile, the wing slot seal being frangible so as to permit deployment of a guidance wing through the wing slot by breaking of the guidance wing through the wing slot seal, the wing slot seal comprising: a barrier sheet having an inner layer and an outer layer, the barrier sheet having dimensions sufficient for covering the wing slot and for overlapping a region of fuselage surrounding the wing slot, the barrier sheet having a curvature corresponding substantially to a curvature of the fuselage, at least one of the inner and outer layers being a stiff layer which is resistant to deformation;a burst seam formed in the stiff layer of the barrier sheet, the burst seam being configured so as to allow a guidance wing to separate and pass through the burst seam during deployment of the guidance wing, the burst seam being configured to close and resist penetration when a force is applied to the barrier sheet from outside of the rocket or missile; andan adhesive layer at least applicable to an inner surface of the barrier sheet, the adhesive layer being configured for adhering the barrier sheet to the region of fuselage surrounding the wing slot, the adhesive layer providing an adhesive strength which is sufficient to maintain the barrier sheet in position over the wing slot while the guidance wing breaks through the barrier sheet during deployment of the guidance wing. 2. The wing slot seal of claim 1, wherein the stiff layer is the inner layer of the barrier sheet. 3. The wing slot seal of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner layer and the outer layer of the barrier sheet is a resilient layer which tends to restore the barrier sheet to its original configuration after the guidance wing has broken through the barrier sheet. 4. The wing slot seal of claim 3, further comprising at least one cross-seam formed in the stiff layer and configured so as to cause the formation of a first pair of flaps and a second pair of flaps in the barrier sheet when the guidance wing breaks thorough the barrier sheet, the first pair of flaps being configured to rest against the guidance wing after the guidance wing is deployed, and the second pair of flaps being configured to return approximately to its original configuration and to thereby at least partly cover the wing slot after the guidance wing has been deployed. 5. The wing slot seal of claim 4, wherein the first pair of flaps is approximately triangular in shape, and the second pair of flaps is approximately rectangular in shape. 6. The wing slot seal of claim 1, wherein one of the layers of the barrier sheet is a layer of half-hard nickel sulfamate, and the other layer of the barrier sheet is a layer of full-hard nickel sulfamate. 7. The wing slot seal of claim 1, further comprising a burst initiating region which is contiguous with the burst seam and formed at a location of initial contact between the deploying guidance wing and the barrier sheet, the inner layer being absent from the burst initiating region, the burst initiating region including at least one burst assisting feature attached to the outer layer in the burst initiating region, the burst assisting feature, upon contact with the deploying guidance wing, tending to press against and perforate the outer layer of the barrier sheet. 8. The wing slot seal of claim 7, wherein the at least one burst assisting feature is formed of the material of the inner layer, and is shaped by exclusion of the inner layer material from a region surrounding the burst assisting feature. 9. The wing slot seal of claim 7, wherein the burst assisting feature is substantially co-planar with the inner layer of the barrier sheet, the burst assisting feature tending to tip out of the plane of the inner layer upon contact with the deploying guidance wing so as to press an edge of the burst assisting feature against the outer layer of the barrier sheet. 10. The wing slot seal of claim 9, wherein the edge of the burst assisting feature is at least one of sharp and pointed. 11. The wing slot seal of claim 1, wherein the wing slot seal is able to inhibit penetration of moisture through the wing slot. 12. The wing slot seal of claim 1, further comprising an alignment feature suitable for alignment with a compatible alignment feature provided on the fuselage of the rocket or missile, the alignment feature thereby facilitating attachment of the wing slot seal to the fuselage at a desired location and with a desired alignment.