EP2657126A2 - Submarine - Google Patents

Abstract

The submarine has an ejection tube (2), in which a closed expansion body (12) is arranged in the ejection direction in the front of an object that is mounted in the ejection tube. The ejection tube is a weapon tube for ejecting a weapon. The expansion body is partially formed from a flexible material. The expansion body is a bellows. The expansion body has a rigidly formed section which forms a contact area with the object mounting in the ejection tube.

Description

The invention relates to a submarine with the features specified in the preamble of claim 1

Particularly in military submarines, there is a need to suspend items during dive travel from the submarine in its outdoor environment. These items include u. a. Weapons such as torpedoes, missiles, or mines that are stored in exhaust pipes and ejected from these exhaust pipes into the submarine's ambient water.

A common measure for ejecting a weapon from the ejection tube is to introduce a pressurized fluid into the ejection tube at the rear of the weapon which pushes the weapon out of the ejection tube. Common fluids for this purpose are water and air, air having the disadvantage that when it comes out of the ejection tube in the outer environment of the submarine, like any gas bubbling up to the water surface and so betrays the position of the submarine.

Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a submarine with an ejector tube for ejecting an article, in which a gas is used to eject the article, without this gas can get into the water environment of the submarine.

This object is achieved by a submarine with the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous developments of this submarine result from the dependent claims, the following description and the drawings. In this case, according to the invention, the features specified in the dependent claims on their own but also in a suitable combination, the inventive solution according to claim 1 further.

The submarine according to the invention is preferably a military submarine. This has at least one ejection tube, over which an object such as a weapon, a decoy, an underwater drone and the like can be exposed in the water environment of the submerged submarine. The ejection tube can be arranged completely outside the pressure hull of the submarine. Preferably, however, the ejection tube is such a tube which is guided through the wall of the pressure body, so that objects can be brought from the interior of the pressure body into the outside environment of the submarine via the ejection tube.

For discharging the article stored in the ejection tube, a gas and preferably compressed air is used in the submarine according to the invention in a conventional manner. However, in order to ensure that this gas can not escape from the ejection tube and reach the water surface, it is provided according to the invention not to conduct this gas directly into the ejection tube, but rather into a closed expansion body arranged in front of the ejection tube in the ejection direction of the article. which is expandable when filled with the gas in the ejection direction of the object. D. h., In the ejection direction in front of the object to be ejected a closed hollow body is provided, which expands upon introduction of a gas in this in the ejection direction of the article and due to this expansion pushes the object out of the ejection tube. Here, the configuration of the expansion body and the material of which it is formed, typically selected such that the gas in the expansion body can not escape or only delayed in small quantities on the outer wall of the expansion body in the ejection tube. Furthermore, the expansion body in the ejection tube is expediently arranged so that it already contacts the object to be ejected in its unexpanded state. This ensures that the expansion body during its expansion can push out the ejected object over a maximum distance from the ejection tube.

Preferably, the ejection tube of the submarine according to the invention is a weapon barrel for ejecting a weapon. As a result, the ejection tube is such a tube through which torpedoes, missiles or mines are ejected into the outer environment of the submarine. These ejection tubes are commonly referred to in military submarines as weapons or Waffenausstoßrohre and z. B. bow side of the submarine, where they extend through the wall of the pressure hull.

The design of the expansion body is basically arbitrary as long as in addition to the gas-tightness of the expansion body is ensured that this can expand when filled with a gas in the ejection direction of the article. For example, the expansion body may be a telescopic cylinder which, when pressurized with gas, extends in the ejection direction of the object and in this way pushes the object out of the ejection tube. However, such a telescopic cylinder occupies comparatively much space in the ejection tube. In addition, the individual cylinders of the telescopic cylinder must be gas-tight sealed against each other in a complex manner.

It proves to be more advantageous embodiment of the expansion body, in which this is at least partially formed of a flexible material. This flexible material, which is particularly advantageous limp, forms expediently extending in the extension direction of the expansion body part of its wall. This wall of the expansion body is when the expansion body is not filled with gas, dimensionally unstable, so that the expansion body can be compressed or gathered by a corresponding folding against the ejection direction to a considerable extent and from this state only when the introduction of gas in unfolds the expansion body again and thus expands in the ejection direction of the object.

Particularly advantageously, the expansion body may be a bellows. D. h., In the expansion body may be a against the ejection direction of the article accordion-like folding hose body. This is formed closed at its end facing the object to be ejected. At the other end of the hose body or the bellows may be arranged a connection for introducing the gas.

In particular, in order to prevent damage to the expansion body by the article during ejection, the expansion body preferably has a rigidly formed portion which forms a contact area with the object mounted in the ejection tube. In this rigidly formed portion of the expansion body is expediently to the ejected object facing the end of the expansion body, which forms a thrust surface for the object.

To set the weapons in so-called weapon troughs have some weapons such. B. torpedoes on a loading pin on a Rear end of the weapon is arranged coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the weapon. In particular, when the ejection tube of the submarine according to the invention is provided for ejecting such weapons, advantageously a coupling can be formed on the rigidly formed section of the expansion body, which is designed to receive the loading pin formed on the stern of the weapon. By the loading pin engages in the formed on the rigid portion of the expansion body formed coupling, the weapon and the expansion body are also connected during storage of the weapon in the ejection tube in some way, wherein the rigidly formed portion of the expansion body has an orientation that its orientation in the expanded state of the expansion tank corresponds.

Advantageously, the rigidly formed portion of the expansion body is a circular disk whose diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the ejection tube. An object of the object to be ejected facing the end of the expansion body is thus formed by a rigid disc whose cross section substantially corresponds to the inner cross section of the ejection tube or in the case that in the ejection tube guide rails are provided for the ejected object, the free space profile of the ejection tube radially inside the guide rails equivalent. The peripheral portion of the expansion body which is adjacent to the disk and which is at least partially and preferably completely flexible, in its gas-filled state, expediently also has a cross-section which corresponds to the internal cross-section of the ejection pipe in the manner described above. In this embodiment, the ejection tube for the expansion body forms a guide, which ensures that the expansion body can expand only in the ejection direction of the object to be ejected.

If, in a guided through the Druckkörperwandung of the submarine discharge pipe of this invention, after an object has been ejected from the ejection tube by means of the expansion body to be loaded again with another object to be ejected, it is necessary to previously remove the expansion body from the ejection tube. This is expediently carried out in a non-gas-filled state of the expansion body and is particularly simple in the unexpanded state of the expansion body. In order to restore this state after the gas has been discharged from the expanded expansion body, means for recovering the expanded expansion body are provided according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention. This may be, for example, a return spring integrated in the expansion body, which independently transfers the expansion body in its compressed state after the gas has been discharged. In addition, at the end of the expansion body facing the object to be ejected, a leash or another traction means can also be fastened, with which the expansion body can be overtaken manually.

For filling the expansion body, it is advantageously conductively connected to a side facing away from the mounted object side via an opening formed on the peripheral wall of the ejection tube with a pressure gas source arranged outside the ejection tube. In a guided through the pressure hull of the submarine exhaust pipe, this compressed gas source is preferably in the interior of the pressure hull.

The line connection between the compressed gas source and the expansion body may be integrally formed in the form of a guided through the peripheral wall of the ejection tube compressed gas line. However, preference is given to a multi-part embodiment of the line connection, in which a part of the line connection is arranged within the ejection tube and at least one further part is provided outside the ejection tube.

Thus, advantageously arranged in the ejection tube portion of the line connection between the expansion body and the compressed gas source can be formed by a piece of pipe which is flanged to the inner wall of the ejection tube in the region of the opening. Both the design of the pipe section and the connections of the pipe section with the expansion body and the inner wall of the ejection tube are in this case gas-tight.

Further advantageously, a portion of the line connection between the expansion body and the compressed gas source, which is arranged outside the ejection tube, can be formed by a tube piece, which is connected to the compressed gas source and can be flanged to the outside of the ejection tube in the region of the opening. Again, the pipe section and the connections of the pipe section with the compressed gas source and the ejection tube gas-tight design.

Fig. 1

schematisch sehr stark vereinfacht in einem Längsschnitt ein durch den Druckkörper eine Unterseeboots geführtes Ausstoßrohr mit einem darin gelagerten Torpedo und

Fig. 2

das Ausstoßrohr gemäß Figur 1 nach dem Ausstoß des Torpedos.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing shows:

Fig. 1

schematically very much simplified in a longitudinal section through the pressure hull a submarine guided discharge tube with a torpedo and stored therein

Fig. 2

the ejection tube according to FIG. 1 after the emission of the torpedo.

The ejector tube 2 shown is the bow side of a submarine through a wall 4 whose pressure hull out, so that a in the Drawing left portion of the ejection tube 2 inside and a right in the drawing section of the ejection tube 2 outside the pressure hull is in free-flow foredeck of the submarine. In the exhaust pipe 2, a torpedo 6 is mounted ( Fig. 1 ).

At its end located outside the pressure hull, which forms the ejection opening of the ejection tube 2, the ejection tube 2 is closed by a mouth cover 8. This orifice cover 8 is pivotable in a position completely releasing the ejection opening of the ejection tube 2.

The located in the interior of the pressure hull end of the ejection tube 2 is closed by a bottom closure 10. After ejection of the torpedo 6 located in the ejection tube 2 and removal of the bottom closure 10, the ejection tube 2 can be loaded with another weapon. Previously, the mouth cover 8 is typically to pivot in its closed position.

For ejecting the torpedo 6 from the ejection tube 2, an expansion body 12 is arranged in the ejection tube 2. This expansion body 12 is arranged in the ejection tube 2 in the ejection direction of the torpedo in front of the torpedo 6. In the example shown in the drawing, the expansion body 12 is a bellows.

An end of the bellows facing the torpedo 6 is closed by a rigid disk 14. On the outside of the circular disc 14, a clutch 16 is centrally arranged. In this coupling 16 engages in the stored state of the torpedo 6 at the rear of the torpedo 6 trained loading pin 18 a.

In a section adjacent to the end of the bellows remote from the torpedo 6, the bellows tapers conically, as it does that this end has a smaller cross-section than the torpedo 6 facing the end of the bellows. At the end remote from the torpedo 6 of the bellows, a pipe section 20 is connected in the form of a pipe bend. This pipe section 20 is flanged to the inner wall of the ejection tube 2 in a region in which the ejection tube 2 has an opening not apparent from the drawing.

On the outside of the ejection tube 2, a further tube piece 22 is flanged to this in the region of the opening formed thereon. The pipe sections 20 and 22 form part of a line connection of the expansion body 12 with a compressed gas source, not shown in the drawing in the form of the compressed air supply of the submarine. In this line connection, the pipe section 22 is preceded by a manually operable valve 24.

The operation of the illustrated ejection tube 2 is as follows:

In the ejection tube 2, the torpedo 6 is stored dry, wherein it is secured by a guided through the ejection tube 2 holding pawl 26 which engages in a corresponding recess on the torpedo 6, against displacement in the ejection tube 2. The loading pin 18 formed at the rear of the torpedo 6 engages in the coupling 16 arranged on the circular disk 14 of the expansion body 12. The expansion body 12 is in its folded state ( Fig. 1 ).

For ejecting the torpedo 6 from the ejection tube 2 ( Fig. 2 ), the ejection tube 2 is first irrigated to provide a pressure equalization between the interior of the ejection tube 2 and its outer environment, the means required for this purpose are not shown in the drawing for clarity. After the pressure equalization between the interior of the ejection tube 2 and its outside environment it is possible to pivot the mouth cover 8 into a position releasing the discharge opening of the discharge pipe 2. After the holding pawl 26 is released from the torpedo 6, the valve 24 is opened. Now compressed air can flow from the compressed air supply of the submarine into the expansion body 12. The amount of air flowing into the expansion body 12 here is adapted to the water depth at which the ejection is to take place, the required ejection speed and the mass of the torpedo 6 taking into account the internal volume of the expansion body 12. As a result of the air flowing into it, the expansion body 12 expands in the ejection direction of the torpedo 6, until it finally has a length which is insignificantly smaller than the total length of the ejection tube 2. With increasing expansion of the expansion body 12, the torpedo 6 is pushed further and further out of the ejection tube 2 until it is completely outside of the ejection tube 2. In this ejection of the torpedo 6, the entire air required for the ejection remains in the expansion body 12, that is, from the exhaust pipe 2 escapes no air that would otherwise reveal the position of the submarine.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2 - discharge pipe 4 - wall 6 - Torpedo 8th - Mouth cover 10 - bottom closure 12 - Expansion body 14 - circular disk 16 - coupling 18 - Loading pin 20 - Pipe piece 22 - Pipe piece 24 - Valve 26 - holding latch

Claims (10)

Submarine with at least one ejector tube (2) in which in the ejection direction in front of a mounted in the ejection tube (2) object, a closed expansion body (12) is arranged, which is expandable when filled with a gas in the ejection direction of the article. A submarine according to claim 1, wherein the ejection pipe (2) is a weapon barrel for ejecting a weapon. Submarine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the expansion body (12) is formed at least partially from a flexible material. A submarine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the expansion body (12) is a bellows. A submarine according to any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the expansion body (12) has a rigidly formed portion which forms a contact area with the object stored in the exhaust pipe (2). Submarine according to Claim 5, in which a coupling (16) is formed on the rigidly formed section of the expansion body (12) and designed to receive a loading pin (18) formed on the stern of a weapon. Submarine according to one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the rigidly formed section of the expansion body (12) has a Circular disc (14) whose diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the ejection tube (2). A submarine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided for retrieving the expanded expansion body (12). Submarine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the expansion body (12) is conductively connected on a side remote from the mounted object via an opening formed on the peripheral wall of the ejection tube (2) to a compressed gas source located outside the ejection tube (2). Submarine according to Claim 9, in which a section of the line connection between the expansion body (12) and the compressed gas source disposed in the ejection tube is formed by a tubular piece (20) which can be flanged to the inner wall of the ejection tube (2) in the region of the opening.

Images