Ordnance – Shields – For fixed structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-09
2003-03-04
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Ordnance
Shields
For fixed structure
C273S410000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06526861
ABSTRACT:
Irrespective of their intended purpose, which can be the practicing of shooting sports or shooting training for the police, military and similar security organizations, shooting ranges are provided with projectile stopping devices. These devices can be used in closed rooms or out in the open and should prevent unintentional or uncontrollable projectile movements outside the shooting range in that contacting projectiles should be braked (decelerated) to a stop without any occurrence of ricochet, and should be stopped in this way within a defined space limited by the projectile stopping device. The projectiles should also be recoverable in a simple and, in particular, complete manner in order to enable them to be disposed of properly.
The disposal of projectiles, which include at least a considerable considerable lead content is of great importance not only for economically motivated recycling reasons. The penetration of lead into the environment, whether via the groundwater in chemically dissolved form or via the air as lead dust holds considerable potential danger not least because of the dispersion paths which are difficult to monitor and the immediate results which cannot be estimated at present, but also subsequent damage and the many ways in which it could manifest itself and the long-term effects still to be anticipated.
Along with the growing environmental sensitivity, which has also been reflected in an increasing number of official publications for the operators of shooting installations, but also motivated by reasons of cost, there is therefore a requirement for a projectile stopping device able to meet the above-mentioned requirements.
Projectile stopping devices are basically known in the form of simple earth or sand mounds which, however, both from the point of view of the avoidance of heavy metal penetration into the earth and also the costly cleansing of earth loaded with heavy metals, are to be regarded as extremely questionable.
German Pat. No. DE-PS 858 951 discloses a projectile stopping device which consists of a stopping box formed from wood which, on the firing side, is covered by a target disc. Behind the target disc are a plurality of projectile stopping curtains located spaced apart from each other in the firing direction. These curtains consist in part of foam rubber and in part of another soft material, such as rubber, and are disposed in a freely hanging manner. A part of these plate-like stopping curtains is provided with vertical slits. A fundamentally similar projectile stopping device is known from German Pat. No. DE 28 39 509 A1, wherein the individual stopping curtains which lie one behind the other in the firing direction are formed by plates of hard rubber, which is reinforced with synthetic fiber mats or with woven wire. Alternatively, the use of an earth wall as the projectile stopping device is also known from this document. The stopping curtains consisting of rubber materials are encumbered by the problem that, in dependence upon the absolute thickness, projectiles remain stuck therein and must be separated by a special working process for disposal purposes. In addition, in dependence upon the frequency of firing, the further problem occurs of more or less severe wearing and therefore the necessity for the complete exchange of individual stopping curtains.
From German Pat. No. DE 88 13 708.2 a projectile stopping device is known, of which the individual stopping curtains are formed by a side by side arrangement of pipes, the walls of which are intended to be shot through and inside which are located further stopping bodies in the form of strip-like inserts in order to improve the stopping effect. Both the pipes and the strip-like inserts can, according to this document, consist of a rubber material reinforced by a woven fabric, such as parts from worn out conveyer belts. The pipes can, however, also consist of aluminum. An essential feature of this known projectile stopping device is therefore specially produced stopping bodies, wherein as a result of their formation intended to be shot through, the problem of disposing of the projectiles, in particular the separation of projectiles and projectile stopping material is again present.
Finally, a further projectile stopping device is known from German Pat. No. DE 44 10 342 A1, which in the main region consists, by virtue of an arrangement of plates at a spaced disposition one behind the other, of mutually spaced plates of rubber material reinforced by woven fabric, e.g. used parts of a conveyor belt, whereas the other regions, which are not subjected to comparably intensive firing, are characterized by a layered arrangement of projectile stopping blocks consisting, for example, of thermoplastic materials.
With respect to the disposal of the projectiles, in particular the separation of projectiles and projectile stopping material and with respect to wear, the statements already presented above in connection with the other projectile stopping devices of the prior art are true.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the invention to form a projectile stopping device of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a way that in addition to an operation which is safe and which harms the environment as little as possible, it is possible to catch the projectiles in a reliable manner and to dispose of the projectiles in a proper cost effective manner. This object is achieved in such a projectile stopping device according to the present invention which provides a projectile stopping device having a first stopping curtain and a second stopping curtain disposed behind the first stopping curtain relative to a firing direction. Each of the stopping curtains comprises a side by side arrangement of steel cables.
The projectile stopping device consists, amongst other things, of a plurality of stopping curtains disposed one behind the other in the firing direction. The curtains are intended to exert a braking effect (decelerate) on the projectiles coming into contact with them. The number of these stopping curtains is selected in dependence upon the maximum caliber or the maximum value of the projectile energy of the projectiles used and the braking capacity of the individual stopping curtain. In accordance with the invention, the individual stopping curtains consist of a side by side arrangement of steel cables, which by reason of their mechanical properties are particularly suited to being projectile stopping bodies. The act of firing at a steel cable which preferably hangs in such a way as to be able to swing, by reason of its composition of individual wire elements which are in frictional contact and therefore have a strong damping effect, is linked to an only moderate propagation of noise. According to its respective strength properties and the projectile energy to be received, the individual steel cable has a long service life within the projectile stopping device before an exchange is required. Contacting projectiles are braked in succession by the stopping curtains and simply fall to the floor between these curtains so that in conjunction with receiving containers on the floor an extremely simple recovery and disposal of the projectiles is possible. An expensive working process relating to separation of the projectiles from the stopping device is therefore avoided. Steel cables as the starting material for a stopping device in accordance with the invention are also found as waste materials in many machines and installations and are therefore available as an inexpensive raw material which must merely be cut to a length corresponding to the dimensions of the firing field. Steel cables are frequently found in a condition heavily soiled with lubricants which makes them undesirable for otherwise simple disposal as scrap metal. Accordingly, use of steel cables in accordance with the invention also allows for improved use of waste materials.
The steel cables of a stopping curtain can be disposed spaced apart from each other. In this case, a large number of stopping curtains are required i
Gruber Heinz
Jordan Charles T.
Synnestvedt & Lechner LLP
Zerr John W.
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