GB191510470A - Improvements in Explosive Shells for Artillery. - Google Patents

Abstract

10,470. McCann, J. July 19. Projectiles.-Consists in making shells in a number of sections arranged one within the other and adapted to burst in succession during flight, the explosion of the first section causing the expulsion therefrom of the other sections, and so on, and the whole, or the sections still unexploded, being exploded on impact. As shown in Fig. 1, the shell comprises three sections 1, 2, 3 each containing a bursting-charge 4, 5, 6 and a diaphragm 7, 8, 9. The shells 1, 2 are bored out at 10, 18 to form shoulders 11, 19 at their front ends, and a pair of split rings 13, 14 is disposed between the diaphragm 7 and the shell 2, and another pair of split rings between the diaphragm 8 and the shell 3, which contains an ordinary shrapnel filling. When the first charge 4 is exploded, the shells 2, 3 are expelled together from the shell 1, which is then burst into fragments as soon as the forward motion of the split rings 13, 14 and the diaphragm 7 is checked by the shoulder 11 and the explosion gases are thus confined within the shell 1. A short time after this first explosion, the second charge 5 is exploded with a similar effect. Finally, the shrapnel shell 3 bursts in the usual way. The several charges 4, 5, 6 may be made to explode more or less simultaneously during flight, instead of in regular succession. If impact occurs before the above series of explosions begins or is completed, the whole set of shells or those still remaining are burst simultaneously. Projectile fuses.-The fuse for bursting the compound shell described above comprises a pellet 22 which is normally held at safe by a ring 23 and a spring 26, but sets back when the shell is fired from a gun, and starts a timetrain 27, 28, which is connected by trains 32, 33, 34 to the charges 4, 5, 6 respectively. The first explosion is timed in the usual way by a setting of the train 28, and the other explosions follow at predetermined intervals. When it is desired to make the several shells burst more or less simultaneously instead of in the regular succession described, a screw 39, Fig. 3, provided with a part 40 is turned through a right-angle from the position shown to connect the trains 32, 34 together; the charges 4, 6 then explode simultaneously and the intermediate charge 5 soon after. The fuse also comprises a nose-plug 35 which is pushed in on impact and fires a fuse train 36 leading to all the charges 4, 5, 6.