Ordnance – Loading – Hoisting apparatus
Patent
1997-05-28
1998-12-01
Johnson, Stephen M.
Ordnance
Loading
Hoisting apparatus
89 47, F41A 942, F41A 976
Patent
active
058441638
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and a device for the preparation of propellant charges for automatic loading into artillery guns of the type which are loaded for different firing ranges with so-called modular charges. The charges consist of a predetermined number of propellant units in the form of combustible propellant modules of uniform section with stiff outer casings. It is a requirement for one type of these propellant units or modular charges that they are so designed that it is possible to connect them to larger charges without any special preparation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Propellant modules of modular charge type have many advantages over the conventional cartridged ammunition and the types which include soft, so-called bag charges. The drawbacks of the time-consuming cartridge handling procedures and the high cost and high weight of the cartridges are avoided, and one obtains propellant charges which are considerably easier to ram automatically than the soft charge bags. A further advantage is that the modular charges are comparatively easy to adapt for the different firing ranges and/or projectiles merely by choosing one or several of the charges.
It is not easy, however, to design a complete fully-automatic loading system even for modular charges as such complete systems must include the means for selection of the required firing range using the appropriate quantity of charge modules which can be of varying length, and also the means for combining the selected number of charge modules into one unit. In cases where the propellant modules are of the interconnecting type, the actual connection of the said modules must also be carried out. These operations make it possible to automatically load the propellant charges with the high loading velocities now required by modern artillery systems.
As referred to in the first paragraph, the combustible modular charges in at least one for the configurations are fitted with the means of interconnection in the form of a front protruding heel of somewhat smaller diameter than the charge itself and at the rear, a protruding ring-formed flange with an inner diameter which is adapted to the heel on another propellant module of the same type. This design allows several modular charges to be pressed together to form a more or less stiff unit which is well suited to be rammed by, for example a modern flick rammer. This type of rammer will probably be increasingly used since it is regarded as the best for increasing the rate of fire of barrel artillery systems.
We have, however, now discovered that not only the interconnectable modular charges can be used in the present invention, but also the charges which have no interconnection function and have only unconnected propellant modules which together form a composite charge and which, following preparation can be automatically rammed by a flick rammer. That this is possible seems to be a direct consequence of the fact that the propellant units, despite being comprised of several relatively independent modules, are sufficiently combined and aligned by the present invention when delivered to the flick rammer.
The principle features of the actual propellant modules or modular charges referred to in this context are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,640 and DE-A-7 000 615.4.
To connect manually the required numbers of modular charges and then carry out automatic rang as has been the case hereto does not constitute a good solution to the problem as in order to meet the requirement for high rate of fire, it is necessary to increase the gun crew by a number of loaders whose sole task is to prepare the charges. This leads to the problem of providing the increased personnel and consequently larger area with at least adequate protection against fragments.
The requirement for fully-automatic loading systems even for large caliber and medium caliber artillery has recently been accentuated due to the improvement in methods of locating enemy guns in operation. Modern artillery tactics now st
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patent: 5289754 (1994-03-01), Elspass
patent: 5458044 (1995-10-01), Delbos
Bofors AB
Johnson Stephen M.
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