Ordnance – Loading
Patent
1985-09-20
1987-05-05
Bentley, Stephen C.
Ordnance
Loading
89 3302, F41D 1034, F41D 1038
Patent
active
046622667
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns devices for loading ammunition automatically in a cannon mounted on the turret of an armored vehicle and comprising a tube with a housing and a rotor placed in the housing, in which are arranged several recesses distributed uniformly about its axis, each intended to receive a shell. Means is provided for rotating the rotor of the tube step-by-step to bring each shell successively before a lateral opening in the housing and a door, when closed, prevents the shell from exiting the tube through the opening. A rammer is arranged on the side of the tube, at the rear of the cannon barrel, and intended to receive the ammunition coming out of the tube, through said opening, and to introduce them in the barrel of the cannon. The rammer is operated by springs cocked by the recoil of the breech, a bolt is arranged to hold the springs in the cocked position and means is provided to control the introduction of a shell in the cannon barrel by releasing the bolt.
In known devices, the operation of the door closing the opening in the housing, the rotation of the tube and the release of the bolt of the rammer are carried out manually. All these operations, particularly the rotation of the tube, require a physical effort made difficult by the small space available inside the turret and are time consuming, which may be detrimental to effective firing.
Furthermore, the mechanical linkages between the control elements directed by the operator and the driven linkages clutter up the inside of the turret and further reduce the available space.
To remedy these drawbacks, it has been proposed to motorize the tube. This motorization leads to a substantial improvement in firing conditions, but the gain in time remains small for the different operations are always controlled or performed manually one after the other.
The aim of this invention is to free the operator from any concern relating to mechanical operation by producing an automatic sequence of all shell loading operations at a single command and to permit an appreciable gain of time in these operations.
The loading device according to this invention comprises a first motor serving to rotate the tube step-by-step, a second motor serving to open the door closing the opening of the tube housing and to lock it in the closed position, a third motor serving to release the bolt of the rammer, means for controlling the second motor and opening the door at the loading command given by the operator, means for detecting the shell exiting from the tube, after the door is opened, and for commanding the second motor to close the door, means for detecting the closing of the door and for commanding the first motor to rotate the rotor of the tube, the third motor to release the bolt of the rammer, and means for stopping the first motor after the rotor of the tube has rotated through an angle equal to one step of the first motor.
The motors can be hydraulic and controlled by electric or electro-valves.
Emergency mechanical means are provided for manual control of the tube's rotation, the opening of the housing door and the rammer bolt.
The motor of the tube can consist of a hydraulic jack and a cam and roller system transforming the rectilinear reciprocating movement of the jack piston to a step-by-step rotation, of the type described in the French patent No. 83.01309.
The second motor can consist of a single acting hydraulic jack acting on the door of the tube housing, which is pivoted by means of a pushrod guided rectilinearly and a cam made solidary in rotation with the door. Return springs acting on said pushrod bring it and the jack piston back to the retracted position, when the jack is not under oil pressure, which makes it possible to close the door under the action of its own weight. To lock the door in the closed position, the pushrod is equipped with a tang preventing the rotation of the cam and hence the opening of the door when the pushrod is in the retracted position. A clutch coupling is provided between the cam and the door to permit manual opening of sa
REFERENCES:
patent: 1517758 (1924-12-01), Schneider
patent: 2460384 (1949-02-01), Haas
patent: 2474975 (1949-07-01), Goodhue
patent: 2700539 (1955-01-01), Aldrin
patent: 2809561 (1957-10-01), Edmund
patent: 2870678 (1959-01-01), Girouard et al.
patent: 2988962 (1961-06-01), Finn
patent: 3122967 (1964-03-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3134301 (1964-05-01), Even
patent: 3602089 (1971-08-01), Beau Frere
patent: 3618452 (1971-11-01), Smith et al.
patent: 4457209 (1984-07-01), Scheurich et al.
Bentley Stephen C.
Fives-Cail Babcock
Johnson Stephen
Kelman Kurt
LandOfFree
Device for automatically loading ammunition in a cannon does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for automatically loading ammunition in a cannon, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for automatically loading ammunition in a cannon will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2393337