Ammunition and explosives – Cartridges – Having liquid/gas propellent means
Patent
1996-02-13
1997-12-23
Tudor, Harold J.
Ammunition and explosives
Cartridges
Having liquid/gas propellent means
102444, 124 57, 124 74, 124 75, 222 3, F42B 502, F41B 1106
Patent
active
057009724
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pressurised gas cartridges of the type which may be used in place of conventional pyrotechnic cartridges.
2. History of the Related Art
Pressurised gas cartridges are known, one example being that disclosed in European Patent specification EP-A-499332, to which reference should be made. A disadvantage of the known types of gas cartridges is that they are incapable of generating sufficient rearward force to actuate recoil-operated automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Such weapons depend upon the breech block being moved rearwardly under force applied to it upon firing of a round of ammunition in order to set in train the reloading and recocking cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome this problem it is proposed herein that a gas cartridge should have a first part which is displaced on firing relative to a second part, so as to apply the necessary force to the breech block to recycle the weapon. In a preferred embodiment, gas used to eject a projectile from the cartridge disclosed in the above mentioned specification is admitted to an expansion chamber prior to being used to eject the projectile, where it acts on the rearwardly movable part.
Preferably the cartridge case is of telescopic construction and has a sleeve which is slidably mounted on a body housing the gas chambers and operating parts. The sleeve may have a forward end wall which overlies the forward end wall of the body, and the expansion chamber is defined between the two end walls. The pressure of gas in the expansion chamber acts on the end wall of the body and drives the body rearwardly in the manner of a piston. The sleeve is held in place by engagement with the wall of the chamber of the weapon. The gas is subsequently discharged from the expansion chamber and used to eject the bullet or other projectile. The moment at which the gas is discharged from the expansion chamber is preferably determined by the sleeve and body entering predetermined relative positions. To this end, the body may have an axially extending spigot which normally projects into and obturates an aperture in the end wall of the sleeve. The relative movement between the sleeve and body leads to the spigot being progressively withdrawn from the aperture until, in the predetermined relative positions, the spigot is withdrawn from the aperture and the gas from the expansion chamber exhausts through it. Although the bullet or other projectile may be held in place to the rim of the sleeve in a conventional way, it may alternatively be fitted to the spigot from which it is released at the instant the pressurised gas is applied to the projectile. Other arrangements for causing a part of a cartridge to be displaced rearwardly may be used in place of that described above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a pressurised gas cartridge in its charged state prior to firing,
FIG. 2 shows the parts in their relative positions shortly after firing,
FIG. 3 shows the parts in their relative positions at the end of the firing sequence, and
FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-section through a portion of a weapon loaded with a gas cartridge according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in the context of the cartridge disclosed in the above-mentioned specification to which reference should be made for a full understanding of the operating mechanism and its manner of operation.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the cartridge proposed herein has a two-part case formed from a body 10 and a sleeve 14 mounted telescopically on the body. A projectile "P" is disposed at the forward end of the cartridge. In use, the cartridge is loaded into the chamber "C" of a conventional gun having a barrel "A", breech block "B" and firing pin "F", all shown in FIG. 4. The sleeve has a radially inwardly extending wall 16 at its forward end which bounds an aperture 53. Because the cylin
REFERENCES:
patent: 387256 (1888-08-01), Pratt
patent: 2327653 (1943-08-01), Lisle
patent: 4531458 (1985-07-01), Saxby
patent: 5492063 (1996-02-01), Dittrich
Constantia (International) Limited
Tudor Harold J.
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