Ordnance – Automatic – Receiver closures and/or breech block return means
Patent
1991-06-03
1992-11-17
Brown, David H.
Ordnance
Automatic
Receiver closures and/or breech block return means
89 12, F41A 1300
Patent
active
051645378
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a small firearm having a receiver for accommodating the system, and a valve which connects the interior of the receiver with the outside and which is designed in such a way that overpressure occurring in the receiver can be evacuated to the outside. There is always a risk in known firearms of the described type that explosive gases may gather in the receiver which may ignite when the firearm is fired. This risk exists in particular when the firearm, which may be an automatic or a semi-automatic weapon, belongs to the class using caseless ammunition where the entire mechanism of the firearm is enclosed in a case which takes the form of the stock and which is in the closed condition when the weapon is ready to fire. If the overpressure occurring when the explosive components ignite in the case is evacuated to the outside through a valve in order to prevent the case from being destroyed, there is the risk that damage may be caused by the hot gases escaping through the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,972 describes a firearm with a closed receiver comprising a valve through which an overpressure arising inside the receiver can be evacuated to the outside. The flow path to be taken by the gas is designed as a labyrinth in which the gas is deflected several times and which guarantees that the flame of the burning gas will not emerge from the firearm. However, a labyrinth-like design of the flow path for the gas is very expensive and requires much space.
Further, it has been known from DE-C 25 44 995 to equip firearms having closed receivers with overpressure valves by means of which excessively high pressures occurring inside the firearm can be relieved. However, such relief valves are connected with the disadvantage that they are very sensitive to ingress of dirt, such as sand or the like, and that the cross-sectional surface available as gas outlet is relatively small. The receiver is dust-tight and water-tight, but not gas-tight. The rate of pressure rise inside the firearm is very high, in spite of such relief valves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Proceeding from this known state of the art, it is the object of the present invention to design a firearm of the kind described at the outset in such a way that in the event explosive components should ignite inside the receiver the resulting overpressure can be evacuated to the outside without any risk.
The invention achieves this object by the fact that a heat-dissipating solid medium which is permeable to gas is arranged in the area of the valve, in the flow path of the gasses escaping through the valve.
In particular, the medium may consist of a suitable metal, such as steel, which effects rapid cooling-down of the gas flow passing the valve so that the hot gas flow can no longer hurt the shooter. One must consider in this connection that the valve is passed by the hot gas flow not continuously, but only at longer time intervals so that the described medium is permitted to cool down sufficiently during such intervals. The cooling effect can be further supported by bringing the heat-dissipating medium in contact with larger metal parts. Or else the thermal energy can be removed from the gas flow passing the valve by giving the medium a sufficiently high heat capacity in which case it is not necessary for the medium to be in a position to carry off the heat with sufficient rapidity, for example to a holder of the medium. The design using a grate, meshes or a mat presents the advantage that the relatively space-consuming structure of a labyrinth can be avoided.
The advantage of the invention resides in the fact that the heat-dissipating medium, which according to one embodiment of the invention may take the form of a grid, of meshes or mats and which, in particular, may consist of a suitable metal, such as steel, effects rapid cooling-down of the gas flow passing the valve so that the hot gas flow can no longer hurt the shooter. One must consider in this connection that the valve is passed by the hot gas flow
REFERENCES:
patent: 2442773 (1948-06-01), Mason
patent: 2448382 (1948-08-01), Mason
patent: 2791940 (1957-05-01), Speake et al.
patent: 2807986 (1957-10-01), Howard et al.
patent: 2814972 (1957-12-01), Simmon
patent: 3005279 (1961-10-01), Brewer
patent: 3013355 (1961-12-01), Weatherby
patent: 3118342 (1964-01-01), Campione
patent: 3968727 (1976-07-01), Hyytinen
patent: 4007908 (1977-02-01), Smagghe et al.
Fluhr Norbert
Fritz Raimund
Weichert Berthold
Brown David H.
Hackler Walter A.
Heckler & Koch GmbH
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