EP0417387B1 - Armoured turret - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an armored turret with an armored turret housing and massive front armor, in which a pivotally mounted tubular weapon with a cover, cradle, return device and rear breech housing is arranged.

With new tank cannons, an ever greater projectile balance is required. As a result, the loading forces for the tower and the vehicle are getting bigger and the return paths are getting longer. To keep forces and travel small, the return mass must be increased. However, additional weights have an incompatible effect on the overall concept (dead load component). Ways must therefore be sought to include masses of functionally available components. However, since these parts are subject to high shock loads, there are few functional parts (e.g. interior fittings, optics / electronic components) that are suitable for this. Up to now, a heavy base piece, a heavy weapon barrel, the muzzle brake, or an additional brake cylinder instead of a piston rod on the base piece have been used as return mass in the usual way. However, these measures are not enough. You cannot avoid long return journeys. Long return paths make it difficult to balance the height-adjustable parts. A muzzle brake influences the mostly barrel-lengthened gun barrel and brings a large front load moment. Long return paths and shock loads prevent energy supply to any functional parts to be attached to the return mass (cable break).

It is therefore an object of the present invention to increase the return mass of an armored weapon in an armored turret of the known type mentioned at the outset, but without increasing the dead load proportion at the same time.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the turret housing armor or the massive front armor is at least partially, possibly together with the bezel, cradle and other peripheral weapons or. Front turret components, to increase the return mass is displaceable in the longitudinal or horizontal direction of the weapon barrel on a horizontal rotating device or within the rest of the armored turret housing. In the case of the invention, functional masses present in the tank turret are therefore included in the return mass.

Preferred features of the invention are the subject of dependent claims 2 and 3.

The armor represents a large part of the total weight of a main battle tank. It usually consists of layered packages that are welded to a housing. These existing layer packs or block packs to be created need to be stored movably (e.g. over sliding surfaces, lever parallelogram bearings or the like) and connected to the usual return mass or weapon barrel and braked together. This solution only makes it possible to increase the weight of the bullet.
As mentioned, the type of return bearing can take place via slide bearings, lever bearings or corresponding other bearings. A reverse braking of the displaceable masses can, for. B. hydraulic (centric or eccentric), via spring elements (ring or rubber springs) or corresponding damping elements.

The invention is explained and described in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

• Figur 1 einen erfindungsgemäßen Panzerturm in Frontansicht,
• Figur 2 einen Querschnitt durch die Frontpanzerung des Panzerturmes gemäß Linie II-II in Figur 1,
• Figur 3 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Panzerturmes in Teilschnittdarstellung und
• Figur 4 einen Längsschnitt durch den Panzerturm gemäß Figur 3.

Show it:

• FIG. 1 a front view of an armored turret according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the front armor of the armored turret according to line II-II in FIG. 1,
• Figure 3 shows another embodiment of an armored turret according to the invention in partial sectional view and
• FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section through the tank tower according to FIG. 3.

In Figure 1 , the reference numeral 20 denotes a tank tower, which is only shown schematically. The armored turret 20 is fastened by means of a rotating device 26 to an armored vehicle, not shown, or is rotatably mounted in the horizontal plane. The armored turret 20 has on the front in its armored turret housing a massive front armor 22, in which a vertically pivotable tubular weapon 24 with cover 28, cradle, return device and rear breech housing 34 is arranged.

A displaceably mounted, rectangular armor package 30 is inserted into the front armor 22. Within this armor pack 30, as can be seen from FIG. 2 , the barrel weapon 24 is now vertically pivoted by means of a shield pin bearing 32. The schematically illustrated turret bearing 36 is intended to indicate that the entire armored turret 20 with the barrel weapon 24 is mounted via its horizontal rotating device 26 on the housing of the armored vehicle, not shown, and is rotatably mounted.

The arrow 38 shows the horizontal displaceability of the armor package 30 together with the barrel weapon 24 and breech housing 34 between the upper roof armor 40 and the lower rotating device 26 within the remaining front armor 22.
With this measure according to the invention, the return mass connected to the barrel weapon 24 is considerably increased by including existing functional parts. The desired and adjustable increase in the return mass depends on the size or mass of the armor package 30 serving as additional return mass. The total mass determines the size of the effective braking force or the length of the return path.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a further armored turret in a partial sectional view. There the entire front armor is designed as a displaceably mounted block package 6. The weapon barrel 1 is fixedly connected to a cradle barrel 2 and a front panel 5 and is mounted vertically pivotable within the armor block package 6 via a cradle roller 3 and shield pin 4.
The block package 6 is slidably mounted on horizontal or almost horizontal sliding planes 10 - see FIG. 4 in this regard - within the lateral tower housing 9 or between the roof armor and the horizontal rotating device. A return device 7 is provided on the side of the block package 6 with fixed support against the tower housing 9. In the case of a shot, the total mass consisting of tube 1, cradle 2, cradle roller 3, shield pin 4, aperture 5, block package 6 and parts of the return device 7 moves in the horizontal or almost horizontal direction on the sliding plane 10, a vertical load also being caused by the sliding bearing is recorded.

The inventive increase in the total return mass increases the braking force very advantageously and significantly reduces the length of the return path.

Particularly for small armored turrets with heavy armament or high fire performance with high projectile masses, it is expediently provided that the entire armored turret housing is arranged displaceably on the horizontal rotating device and is used as an additional return mass.

Numerical example:

In a battle tank, e.g. B. Leopard II, the projectile balance of a certain ammunition is estimated at about 10 MJ. The previous return mass of weapon barrel, breech housing, muzzle brake etc. is approx. 2,500 kg. With a return travel of approx. 450 mm, a maximum braking force of approx. 400 KN must still be applied.
If the projectile balance is doubled to approx. 20 MJ, the required braking force is approx. 1,500 KN with the same return path of 450 mm or, conversely, with a braking force of approx. 1,000 KN the return path should be at least 600 mm. However, this is not justifiable. With the teaching according to the invention it is easily possible to multiply the return mass (from approximately 2,500) to 10,000 kg.
With a normal ammunition with a projectile balance of approx. 10 MJ with this increased return mass, the maximum braking force to be applied is only approx. 150 KN with a return travel of 450 mm.
For an ammunition with double bullet force of approx. 20 MJ, the maximum braking force to be applied with a return travel of 450 mm is only approx. 400 KN. In other words: With an applied braking force of approx. 500 KN, the required length of the return travel with the increased return mass is only approx. 335 mm.

With the increase in the return mass according to the invention, on the one hand, the return path can be shortened by a constant shot power or projectile weight about 50% can be achieved, on the other hand, with a constant return path of, for example, 350 mm, a reduction of the maximum required braking force by a factor of 4 is made possible. That is, ammunition with significantly higher propellant energy can be fired.

Reference symbol list

1

pipe

2nd

Cradle

3rd

Weighing roller

4th

Shield cones

5

cover

6

Block package (front armor)

7

Return device

8th

Return device

9

Turret housing (side armor)

10th

Sliding planes

11

inner bulkhead

12

Return path δ

20th

Tank tower

22

Front armor

24th

Barrel weapon

26

Horizontal turning device

28

cover

30th

Armor pack

32

Shield cones

34

Breech housing

36

Tower pivot bearing

38

Horizontal movement

40

Roof armor

Claims (3)

1. Tank turret with an armoured turret housing (9) and solid front armouring (22), in which is provided a pivotably mounted barrel weapon (1,24) with a shield (5,28) a cradle (2), a recoil device (7,8) and a rear breech housing (34), characterised by the fact that the turret housing armouring or the solid front armouring (22), at least partly and possibly together with the shield (5,28) the cradle (2) and other peripheral parts of the weapon or of the front turret components is displaceably mounted on a horizontal rotating device or within the remainder of the armoured turret housing in order to increase the recoil mass in the longitudinal direction or the horizontal direction of the barrel.
2. Tank turret in accordance with Claim 1, characterised by the fact that

   - the vertically pivotable barrel weapon (1,24) is mounted by a trunnion (4) within a horizontally or almost horizontally displaceable block assembly (6) or a displaceable armouring assembly (30) constructed as a part of the front armouring (22),

   - the displaceable block assembly (6) or armouring assembly (30) is provided with horizontal or almost horizontal slide planes, and

   - the recoil device (7) is provided in duplicate on the two sides of the block assembly (6) or armouring assembly (30) being firmly supported against the lateral turret housing wall (9) or remaining fixed to the front armouring (22).
3. Tank turret in accordance with Claim 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the entire armoured turret housing (9) is displaceably mounted on a horizontal rotating device (26) and is utilised as an additional recoil mass.

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