GB125072A - Illuminating Projectiles. - Google Patents

Abstract

125,072. Ordnance Engineering Corporation, (Assignees of Bergman, A. G.). Feb. 17, 191'7, [Convention date]. Projectiles; projectile fuses.-Relates to illuminating projectiles provided with parachutes or like sustaining-devices, and consists in providing means for checking the speed of the illuminant after it has been discharged from its casing during the flight of the projectile, and before the sustaining-device comes into operation. The main object of the invention is to enable the illuminant to be discharged at any point in the trajectory, irrespective of the speed of the-projectile. The projectile shown in Fig. 1 comprises an inner casing C containing the illuminant 0 and a sustaining parachute P attached to it, and an outer casing B enclosing the casing C together with a smaller and stronger parachute L which acts as a speed-checking device. A time-fuse enclosed in a tube E, which can be punctured at an appropriate point for the purpose of setting the fuse, is provided in the base D of the outer casing, in addition to an expelling-charge J. A fuse T and a charge S for expelling the illuminant are provided in the base R of the inner casing. The container V of the illuminating-charge is preferably made of sheet zinc, wound with iron wire. A fibre disk W closes the container at the top, and a fibre disk X<1> and a perforated metal disk X are placed below the container. The casings C and B are closed by covers Y and Y<1> respectively. The parachute cords are wound round the parachute bodies, the retarding parachute L being connected by a chain (not shown) to the base R of the inner casing. The fuse E is ignited by the gun-gases when the projectile is discharged. When the charge J is fired, the inner casing is expelled and the retarding-parachute operates. At the same time, the fuse T is ignited and subsequently fires the charge S. This expels and ignites the illuminating- charge which is then sustained by the main parachute P. Fig. 4 shows a modification in which there is only one casing a around the illuminant container. This casing has a charge p in its nose, which is connected by quick-matches s to a fuse h. In operation, the base c is first blown out by a charge e when it is fired by a time-fuse f. Almost at the same time, both the fuse h and the quick-matches s are ignited, and the charge p is fired, blowing the illuminant-container k backwards. A cup o thereupon drops off, allowing the retarding-parachute n to operate. Subsequently, a charge j, ignited by the fuse h, blows off the base-plug g, and the illuminant container k with its sustaining-parachute l are released from a cup m, with the illuminating charge ignited. The retarding-parachute is, in this construction, assisted by the backward action of the charge p, and may in some cases be dispensed with. Tail-wings d are provided.