Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01D—CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES, ELEVATED ROADWAYS OR VIADUCTS; ASSEMBLY OF BRIDGES
  • E01D15/00—Movable or portable bridges; Floating bridges
  • E01D15/12—Portable or sectional bridges
  • E01D15/122—Inflatable or unreelable bridges ; Bridges with main load-supporting structure consisting only of non-rigid elements, e.g. cables
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
  • E01C19/00—Machines, tools or auxiliary devices for preparing or distributing paving materials, for working the placed materials, or for forming, consolidating, or finishing the paving
  • E01C19/52—Apparatus for laying individual preformed surfacing elements, e.g. kerbstones
  • E01C19/522—Apparatus for laying the elements by rolling or unfolding, e.g. for temporary pavings
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41H—ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
  • F41H11/00—Defence installations; Defence devices
  • F41H11/08—Barbed-wire obstacles; Barricades; Stanchions; Tank traps; Vehicle-impeding devices; Caltrops
  • F41H11/11—Clearing or neutralising barbed wire obstacles
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41H—ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
  • F41H7/00—Armoured or armed vehicles
  • F41H7/02—Land vehicles with enclosing armour, e.g. tanks

Definitions

• the present invention relates to fascines and more particularly to means for the deployment of fascines.
• Fascines are structures comprising at least one, and usually several, elongate members which are used to fill ditches or to level or smooth other discontinuities in or on the ground sufficiently to facilitate the passage of personnel or vehicles across the discontinuity, and sets of such members are commonly carried by tanks and other military vehicles when in the field for the temporary levelling of such discontinuities which would otherwise halt or impede the passage of the vehicles and/or of others which follow.
• Fascines comprising bundles of high density polyethylene or similar pipes are known from US4312601 and US4566821 and fascines including inflatable members are known from US5122400, US5215401 , US5406662, GB2401640, WO2006/027559 and WO2008/056102.
• Inflatable fascine members have the advantage over rigid pipes of reduced weight and of much reduced bulk whilst uninflated; they can be stored and carried uninflated and need be inflated only when required for use, e.g. by a suitable compressor or from cylinders of compressed air or other gas (such as an inert mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen) carried for the purpose.
• fascine members Another known method of deploying fascine members is from a rack mounted on top of a vehicle which can be tilted to allow the fascine members to slide off at the front. This is a special-to-role vehicle, however, and it would be more advantageous to provide a deployment system that could be fitted to existing vehicles and without interfering with their existing functions.
• a deployment system for inflatable fascine members where a container for such members is normally stowed at the side of a tank or the like and is mounted on a pivot located at a front corner of the vehicle to swing round through substantially 270° to lie at the front of the vehicle when the fascine members are to be released.
• This requires a free space at the side of the vehicle to accommodate the movement of the container, however, which may not always be available and can present difficulties when operating in wooded areas for example.
• the present invention therefore seeks to provide a particularly simple form of apparatus which can be fitted to existing vehicles to enhance their functionality by laying fascines but without requiring that they are manoeuvred side on to the discontinuity and without interfering with their existing functionality.
• the invention accordingly resides in apparatus for the deployment of fascine members comprising a framework adapted to be mounted to the front region of a vehicle and including a leading portion carrying releasable support means adapted to support one or more fascine members generally transverse to the vehicle and to allow such members to fall to the ground on release of said support means.
• the framework is preferably mounted in a fixed position on the vehicle and is itself preferably a fixed framework in the sense that it is not articulated nor otherwise comprises any moving parts in normal use of the apparatus. It may comprise a first portion adapted to be mounted to a sloping surface at the front region of a vehicle, such as the usual glacis plate of a tank or the like, and a second portion, including the leading portion, adapted to extend forwardly from and at an angle to such sloping surface when the first portion is mounted thereon.
• the releasable support means may comprise at least a pair of straps each adapted to releasably pass around one or more fascine members.
• the apparatus may further comprise a winch adapted to lift one or more fascine members into a position to be supported by the support means, and the support means may comprise release means connectable to the winch whereby to release the support means by operation of the winch.
• the invention resides in a vehicle having apparatus as defined above mounted to the front region thereof.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front and one side of an armoured fighting vehicle fitted with a preferred embodiment of deployment apparatus in accordance with the invention supporting a bundle of fascine members;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view from the rear and one side of the basic framework of the deployment apparatus of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view from the rear and other side of the completed deployment apparatus incorporating the framework of Figure 2.
• FIG. 1 there is shown an armoured fighting vehicle exemplified as a tank 1 with a fascine deployment apparatus 2 according to the invention fitted to the glacis plate 3 in the front region of the vehicle to one side of a driver's position (of which the visor is indicated at 4) and below the arc of its turret-mounted weapon 5.
• a fascine deployment apparatus 2 according to the invention fitted to the glacis plate 3 in the front region of the vehicle to one side of a driver's position (of which the visor is indicated at 4) and below the arc of its turret-mounted weapon 5.
• the apparatus 2 incorporates a fixed (in use) framework the construction of which is more clearly seen in Figures 2 and 3.
• a base portion of the framework comprises a pair of side members 6 and 7 and three cross members 8, 9 and 10, the front cross member 8 being elevated with respect to the rear cross member 10 (in the sense as viewed in Figures 2 and 3), being carried in this respect by a pair of strut members 11 and 12 attached to the side members 6 and 7.
• the cross members 8 and 10 of the base portion mount a projecting portion of the framework comprising a pair of side members 13 and 14 and a pair of cross members 15 and 16.
• the projecting portion is thus placed at an angle to the base portion so that when the base portion is mounted to the glacis plate 3 - for example by means of lugs (not shown) welded or bolted to the glacis plate and to which the framework is pinned or bolted e.g. at positions 17 on the side members 6 and 7 - the projecting portion extends forwards from the vehicle closer to the horizontal than at the angle of the glacis plate, as indicated in Figure 1 , to maintain adequate ground clearance for its intended load of fascine members (having regard also to the likely need for the vehicle to negotiate substantial changes in gradient).
• the leading cross member 15 of the framework extends across and to one side of the side members 13 and 14 and carries a pair of flexible webbing straps 18 and 19 (Figures 1 and 3), of similar material to conventional cargo lashing straps, for supporting a bundle of fascine members, exemplified in Figure 1 as a trio of inflatable fascine members 20, which may be linked together as described in WO2008/056102. As shown the fascine members 20 are supported in front of but somewhat laterally offset with respect to the vehicle 1 so as not to restrict the driver's view through visor 4.
• each member 20 is carried in an uninflated or only partially inflated condition and when fully inflated will expand both in length and in diameter as compared to the condition shown in Figure 1 , being held in the illustrated compact condition prior to inflation by a respective valise (not separately shown) encasing each member 20 and which is adapted to burst open (being closed e.g. by releasable fastenings of Velcro ® material or breakable plastic cable ties) when the fascine members are inflated, in known fashion.
• the package will also include a cylinder of compressed air or other gas (not shown) for inflation.
• the central cross member 9 of the base portion of the framework mounts a winch 21 which may be powered electrically from the vehicle's supply.
• the winch cable 22 can pass over a pair of pulleys 23, 24 and down beneath the projecting cross member 15, between the straps 18 and 19.
• the fascine package can be loaded onto the vehicle 1 , being raised from the ground or from a delivery vehicle up to the open straps 18, 19 which are looped around the package and fastened by respective pins 25, 26.
• Each pin 25, 26 forms part of a quick release mechanism for the respective strap.
• the winch cable 22 is released from the package and connected to a pair of short cable lengths 27,28 leading from the pins 25, 26.
• the winch 21 is controlled from within the vehicle to simultaneously pull the pins 25 and 26 from the straps 18 and 19.
• the straps therefore open under the weight of the fascine package which drops into position and inflation of the members 20 can be initiated by any suitable known means, for example in response to an electrical command signal over a wired or wireless link from the vehicle, or by means of an electronic or mechanical delay timer actuated by releasing the package.
• the release mechanism for the straps 18,19 may incorporate a so-called "three ring circus" as typically used with parachutes, to facilitate an easy release while under load.
• the crew can remain within the protection of the vehicle throughout this operation. It is unnecessary to manoeuvre the vehicle to place it side on to the discontinuity in order to deploy the fascine members as is required for some prior art deployment systems.
• the side of the vehicle (which is typically less heavily armoured than the front) need not therefore be exposed and the tempo of the operation can remain high.
• Similar deployment apparatus can be fitted to other types of vehicle than the one illustrated by appropriate adaption of the framework which supports the straps 18, 19 and winch 21.
• altering the lengths of the struts 11 and 12 allows adaptation of the angle of the projecting portion relative to the glacis plate or similar and altering the lengths of the cross members 8-10 allows adaptation to different vehicle widths or prospective mounting points.
• Similar apparatus of appropriate load carrying capacity can also be used for the deployment of non-inflatable fascine members, such as those constituted by plastic pipes.
• the members 6-16 may be of any suitable engineering material such as steel or aluminium alloy, or some of each for an optimum combination of stiffness, cost and weight saving, or of fibre-reinforced polymer composite if weight saving at the front end of the vehicle is of particular importance.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (11)

• 2008
  • 2008-08-09 GB GBGB0814633.4A patent/GB0814633D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2009
  • 2009-07-15 US US13/058,163 patent/US20110126365A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2009-07-15 WO PCT/GB2009/001747 patent/WO2010018354A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2009-07-15 EP EP09784703A patent/EP2313555A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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