GB133076A - Improvements in or relating to artillery projectiles - Google Patents

Abstract

133,076. Soc. Anon. Meccanica Lombarda. Jan. 15, 1916, [Convention date]. Projectiles; fuses.-Relates to combined shrapnel and common shell of the kind in which a highexplosive charge is located in a central casing and the shrapnel bullets are in an annular chamber formed between the inner and outer casings of the projectile, with the bullet-expelling charge in the rear of the annular chamber adapted to be ignited by a nose time-fuse, and consists in the particular combination and arrangement of parts described and shown. The shell comprises two concentric casings A, B rigidly connected together, the inner casing containing a high-explosive charge y, a detonator R<1>, and a percussion fuse P. The annular chamber for the bullets X has channels L at its outer end, so formed that the bullets are expelled, when a charge E is exploded by a nose fuse T, in directions diverging from the shell's trajectory. A collar D screwed on the head of the inner casing normally closes the bullet chamber. In the shell shown in Fig. 1, the inner and outer casings are connected by means of screw-threads formed on longitudinal ribs W on the casing B. Between these ribs, grooves are formed for accommodating the bullets X, as shown in Fig. 3. The bullets may be oblong, spherical, or rectangular, but are preferably formed as shown, being partly hollow so that they fit one into another. The ignition of the base charge E is obtained from the time fuse T by transmission through powder-charges N, S, the charges S being in longitudinal grooves formed between the walls of the casing B and an innercontainer C. Valves V on a ring G close the holes. F through which the flash passes from S to E. After the expulsion of the bullets, the two casings A, B remain connected together, and the highexplosive charge y is subsequently exploded, either by a percussion fuse, or, after a given interval, by the operation of an auxiliary time-fuse. These fuses are shown separately in Fig. 7, which represents the parts at the moment of impact. The striker s of the percussion fuse, normally held in the safe position by a spring c, sets back on discharge into the position shown. The inertia, pellet n carrying a cap x is normally locked in the safe position by an inertia-ring a and a deformable collar r; these devices are rendered inoperative at the moments of discharge and of impact respectively. A delay column o is provided. Theauxiliary time-fuse by which the high-explosive charge is fired in the event of the failure of the percussion fuse comprises a small column y<1> of compressed powder communicating with the magazine R' and ignited by the flash from the time-fuse T. Modifications are described in which the inner and outer casings of the shell are united by screw-threads at the base. One of these is shown in part in Fig. 10. In this construction, the flash from the time-fuse is transmitted to the base charge E through tubes S.