Ordnance – Barrels – Recoil absorbers and climb arrestors
Patent
1994-11-07
1996-04-09
Bentley, Stephen C.
Ordnance
Barrels
Recoil absorbers and climb arrestors
89 4301, 89198, F41A 2500, F41A 2518
Patent
active
055051189
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an elastic oscillation or vibration damper to prevent natural vibrations which, when firing a shot, arise in a gun barrel having a muzzle brake, from propagation to a recoil brake for the gun barrel. The invention also concerns a damping device for a gun barrel with a muzzle brake, comprising a recoil brake and said vibration damper.
BACKGROUND ART
It is known to provide a gun with one or more damping devices to give the recoiling parts of the gun a controlled deceleration when firing a shot. Guns of a larger caliber are in addition often provided with a muzzle brake mounted at the muzzle end of the gun barrel, serving to reverse the direction of a part of the gas flowing out behind a launched shell and thus absorb a part of the recoil forces. However, when a projectile leaves the gun barrel, the pressure of gas against the muzzle brake causes the barrel to be stretched in its longitudinal direction and the barrel is then driven into longitudinal natural vibrations or oscillations. These natural vibrations, having a frequency depending directly on the geometric design of the gun barrel and the material from which the barrel is made, are transferred to the recoil brake of the gun.
Measurements have shown that the natural vibrations of a gun barrel may cause the momentary value of the force supplied to the recoil brake to vary nearly .+-.100% about an average value, which corresponds substantially to the recoil force from the shell discharge itself. As a result, the maximum material tensions are also increased accordingly. When exposed to a combination of oscillating force strain and high material tensions, the risk of material fatigue is always present.
Hence, an object of the present invention is to provide an elastic vibration damper for a damping device of the type initially described, to appreciably prevent the natural vibrations of the gun barrel from propagating to the recoil brake of the gun when firing a shot.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns an elastic vibration damper of the type initially described being designed to be connected to the recoil brake and a gun barrel breech in such a way that the force transfer coupling between the breech and the recoil brake is reduced with respect to the natural vibrations of the gun barrel when firing a shot; the vibration damper according to the invention being characterized in that the dimensions of the vibration damper are such that the damper along with the recoil brake form a damping device having a rigidity substantially less than the recoil brake alone and constituting a vibratory system with a natural frequency substantially lower than that of said natural vibrations of the gun barrel when firing a shot.
Advantageously, the elastic vibration damper consists of a plurality of Belleville springs, preferably of the same shape, and being assembled in such a number to form a spring column that, at maximum deflection, the springs are capable of elastically absorbing the maximum recoil force to which the recoil brake may be exposed, without the internal shearing forces in each individual spring exceeding its limit of elasticity.
The invention also concerns a damping device for a gun barrel having a muzzle brake; said device comprising a recoil brake, preferably in the form of a viscous damper, and a vibration damper to prevent natural vibrations in the gun barrel when firing a shot from propagating to the recoil brake; the vibration damper being coupled to the recoil brake and a gun barrel breech in such a way that the force transfer coupling between the breech and the recoil brake is reduced with respect to said natural vibrations. According to the invention the damping device is characterized in that the dimensions of the vibration damper, preferably being designed as a column of Belleville springs, are such that the damping device as a whole has a rigidity substantially less than the recoil brake alone and forms a vibratory system with a natural frequency substantially lower than that
REFERENCES:
patent: 430214 (1890-06-01), Maxim
patent: 2701963 (1955-02-01), Balleisen et al.
Arnesen, deceased Gert
Bergersen Bjorn
Bentley Stephen C.
Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt
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