GB2062194A

GB2062194A - Armouring elements

Info

Publication number: GB2062194A
Application number: GB8029969A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MELOPTRONIC AG
Current assignee: MELOPTRONIC AG
Priority date: 1979-09-19
Filing date: 1980-09-17
Publication date: 1981-05-20
Also published as: GB2062194B; DE3034758A1; IT1132985B; IT8024795A0; FR2465988A1

Abstract

An armouring element 1 has at its upper end a generally rounded projection 4 capable of being positively engaged in a recess provided by an object 2 to be protected by the armouring element. The armouring element 1 then is detachably hung from the object, at its upper end, while its lower end 16 is additionally secured to the object 2 by a fixing means 7, 15. Surfaces 5, 6c, 6b, are provided for locating the element 1 in relation to the object 2. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fixing armouring elements This invention relates to armouring for objects to be protected from the action of weapons and more particularly to a fixing arrangement for fixing an armouring element to such an object.

It has been proposed that an object which is to be protected from the action of weapons, such as combat tanks, armoured vehicles and the like, may be suitably protected by an armouring element which is secured to the object by screw means such as bolts extending through the armouring element. In this kind of construction therefore, the armouring element is simply placed against a suitable substructure of the object to be protected, and the bolts, generally in relatively large numbers, are then inserted to hold it in position.As will be readily appreciated however, a multiple-bolt fixing of this kind means that the protection that can be obtained by means of such an armouring element is often very severely impaired by the presence of the bolts, while the amount of work and thus the expenditure involved in inserting and checking the large number of bolts required for suitably holding the armouring element in positions are considerable.

According to the present invention there is provided a fixing arrangement for fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby from the action of a weapon, wherein said armouring element has an engagement means disposed at a first position thereof, wherein said object has a receiving means capable of positively receiving said engagement means thereby to secure said armouring element to said object at said first position of the armouring element, said engagement means and said receiving means having locating means co-operable with each other to locate said armouring element relative to said object, and wherein a means is provided for fixing said armouring element to said object at a second position spaced from said first position.

The present invention further provides a method of fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby, wherein a projection at a first position on said armouring element is engaged into a corresponding recess of said object, with the armouring element in a position of being tilted about said projection away from the position that it will assume in its final condition of assembly to said object; wherein said armouring element is pivoted towards its said final condition of assembly, sliding surfaces on said projection and in said recess co-operating with each other during said pivoting movement; wherein, in said final condition of assembly, locating surfaces on said projection and in said recess co-operate with each other thereby to locate the armouring element relative to the object substantially without play at said first position; and wherein said armouring element is secured to said object at a second position remote from said first position.

Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the armouring element has a projection capable of engaging into a suitably shaped recess of the object to be protected. At a position spaced from the projection, the armouring element can be secured to the object to be protected, by at least one bolt which screws into the object, thereby to secure the armouring element firmly to the object.

Thus, the projection of the armouring element is first inserted into the recess of the object, so as to be form-lockingly or positively engaged therein, and the element is then put into its final position of assembly on the object, and finally secured to the object by for example a bolt or a weld. The projection on the armouring element and the recess of the object preferably have locating surfaces co-operable with each other to hold the projection suitably in position in the recess. The locating surfaces include at least one first pair of locating surfaces which are substantially horizontal in the usual position of the components, i.e., the position they occupy when the vehicle to which they are fitted is operational, and at least one second pair of locating surfaces which are substantially vertical in the above-mentioned usual position of the components.

Further locating surfaces may be provided for co-operation with each other, on the armouring element and the object, at a position outside of the above-mentioned recess of the object, thus providing for additional support and location of the armouring element relative to the object, at a position spaced from the above-mentioned projection.

At least one sealing member may be disposed between the object and the armouring element, more particularly in the region thereof which forms an upper region, thereby to prevent any moisture in the air or precipitation such as rain and the like, from flowing down into a gap between the armouring element and the object to which the armouring element is secured. The sealing member may be mounted in the object and cooperate with the armouring element, or mounted in the armouring element and co-operate with the object.

The armouring element may additionally be welded to the object in the region of co-operation between the projection on the armouring element, and the recess of the object.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a view in vertical section through part of an armouring element and an object to be protected thereby, Figure 2 shows a view in vertical section on a reduced scale of part of an upper fixing portion of the armouring element, in a modified form of the Figure 1 arrangement, and Figure 3 shows a view in vertical section of a lower part of a modified form of the fixing between the armouring element and the object to be protected thereby.

Reference will first be made to Figure 1 which shows a mode of fixing an adaptable armouring element to an object which is to be protected from the action of weaponry, illustrated by way of example in the form of a turret housing 2 of for example a combat tank or other armoured vehicle.

As shown, the housing 2 comprises an upper or roof portion 10, a lower portion or turret base 13 and a middle wall portion 11. Disposed between the upper portion 10 and the middle portion 11 is a mounting section 3 which is secured to the portions 10 and 11 by welding, as indicated by dotted lines at the appropriate positions in Figure 1. The section 3 provides a receiving portion in the form of a generally upwardly open recess defined by a projection which extends outwardly from the section 3 and then turns upwardly to form a lip or edge to the recess. The configuration of the recess on the section 3 can be clearly seen from Figure 1.

Disposed between the lower portion 13 of the turret and the middle wall portion 11 is a mounting section 12 which is secured to the respective portions 11 and 13 by welds, as shown by the dotted lines at the appropriate positions in Figure 1. The section 12 also has an outwardly extending projection disposed adjacent its lower edge and substantially in alignment with the lower portion 13, and, above the above-mentioned projection and at a small spacing therefrom, a further projection which provides a downwardly facing, substantially horizontal locating surface indicated at 9.

Figure 1 also shows the armouring element 1 which is in a position of being mounted to the object 2. More specifically, a first end of the armouring element 1, being the upper end as shown in Figure 1, has an engagement means or hook-in portion generally indicated by reference numeral 4. The engagement means 4 is formed by a projection from the surface of the armouring element 1 which faces towards the object 2, the projection 4 having an enlarged end portion of generally rounded or convex shape. It will be readily appreciated from viewing Figure 1 that the projection 4 is adapted to be inserted into the recess formed by the section 3 of the object 2.In particular, the projection 4 is capable of being inserted into the above-mentioned recess with the armouring element 1 in a non-vertical position, for example a position in which it extends downwardly and away from the object 2, towards the left-hand side in Figure 1. When the projection means 4 is thus disposed in the receiving recess, the armouring element 1 is pivoted or tilted, such movement possibly being of only slight extent, so that it is then hung on the section 3 by the interengagement of the projection 4 and the receiving recess. Co-operating sliding surfaces 6a are provided on the projection 4 and the inside wall of the receiving recess, such surfaces being of a curved configuration to permit the pivotal motion of the armouring element 1 .The projection 4 has suitable recesses or openings (not shown) to facilitate the pivotal movement of the element 1.

When the armouring element 1 has been hung in position in this way, the surfaces 6a, in conjunction with substantially vertical locating or bearing surfaces 6b and substantially horizontal locating or bearing surfaces 5, which co-operate with each other in the manner clearly shown in Figure 1, ensure that the element 1 is suitably form-lockingly or positively mounted to the object 2, at its upper end, substantially without play.

As shown also in Figure 1, the second end of the armouring element 1, being the lower end as shown in the drawing, is also shaped to provide a' projection, at a position in which it is capable of co-operating with the projections on the abovementioned section 12. Thus, the armouring element 1 has a projection indicated generally at 16, which provides a substantially horizontal locating or bearing surface capable of cooperating with the corresponding surface 9 as referred to above, on the section 12. It will be seen therefore that the armouring element 1 is located relative to the object 2, in a generally horizontal direction and in a generally vertical direction, by means of the surfaces 6a and 6b, and 5 and 9 respectively.

Finally, the armouring element 1 is locked in its position of engagement with the object 2 by fixing means, for example screw means in the form of one or more bolts 7 screwed firmly into the section 12 which for that purpose is provided with a suitable hole.

In order to seal the armouring element 1 to the object 2, more particularly at its upper surface which is more likely to be exposed to humidity, precipitation, rain and the like, at least one shaped resilient sealing member 8 is provided between the projection 4 and the section 3. The sealing member 8 in the illustrated embodiment is mounted in the section 3 and co-operates freely and detachably with the adjoining surface of the projection 4, although in an alternative embodiment this arrangement could be reversed so that the sealing member 8 is mounted in the armouring element 1 and co-operates with the object 2.

Reference should now be made to Figure 2 which shows a modified form of the upper end of the armouring element 1 in its co-operation with the section 3, showing that the adjoining surfaces of the projection 4 and the section 3 may be welded together as indicated at 14, adjacent to and above the co-operating locating surfaces 6b.

If the armouring element 1 is to be removed, the weld 14 may readily be ground out to permit removal of the element 1. It will be appreciated that, when a weld 14 is made between the projection 4 and the section 3, there is no need to provide the sealing member 8.

Reference is now also made to Figure 3 which shows that the bolt 7 forming the fixing means between the portions 16 and 12 may be replaced by a weld 1 5 which can be ground out for removing the armouring element 1.

It will be readily envisaged that this mode of fixing an armouring element to an object to be armoured permits the element 1 to be replaced as required, by a simple sequence of operations involving simply releasing the relatively small number of fixing bolts 7 and pivoting the armouring element 1 out of engagement with the object, and then fitting a fresh armouring element by reversing that sequence of operations. Where the armouring element 1 is welded to the object 2, as for example in Figure 2 and/or Figure 3, this may make it slightly more difficult or slower to replace the armouring element, but it is thought to enhance the degree of protection afforded by the armouring element and to allow longer periods of time to elapse between inspections of the armouring element fixing means.

It will be seen therefore that the abovedescribed armouring element can be easily fitted to an object to be protected thereby, and just as easily removed therefrom, so that it can be readily replaced or exchanged if required. This therefore increases the combat value of the object protected by such armouring, as the time for which it is out of action for armour repair or replacement can be substantially reduced, while also reducing the amount of work involved in installing and checking the armour fixing means.

Various modifications may be made in the above-described structure and manner of fixing same, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fixing arrangement for fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby from the action of a weapon, wherein said armouring element has an engagement means disposed at a first position thereof, wherein said object has a receiving means capable of positively receiving said engagement means thereby to secure said armouring element to said object at said first position of the armouring element, said engagement means and said receiving means having locating means co-operable with each other to locate said armouring element relative to said object, and wherein a means is provided for fixing said armouring element to said object at a second position spaced from said first position.

2. A fixing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said receiving means is a substantially concave recess and wherein said engagement means is a substantially convex projection capable of pivotal movement in said recess, whereby said armouring element can be engaged to said object with hooking-like interengagement by a pivotal movement about said engagement means in said recess.

3. A fixing arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2 including further locating means at a position spaced from said first position on said armouring element and said object, for locating said armouring element relative to said object.

4. A fixing arrangement according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 including at least one seal between adjoining surfaces of said armouring element and said object.

5. A fixing arrangement according to claim 4 wherein said at least one seal is carried by said object and is co-operable with an adjoining surface of said armouring element.

6. A fixing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said means for fixing said armouring element to said object at said second position comprises a screw means.

7. A fixing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said means for fixing said armouring element to said object at said second position comprises a weld.

8. A fixing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a weld is further provided between the armouring element and the object in the region of said first position.

9. A fixing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said locating means are operable to locate said armouring element and said object relative to each other in at least first and second mutually perpendicular directions.

10. A fixing arrangement for fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, or Figure 1 as modified by Figure 2 and/or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

11. A method of fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby, wherein a projection at a first position on said armouring element is engaged into a corresponding recess of said object, with the armouring element in a position of being tilted about said projection away from the position that it will assume in its final condition of assembly to said object; wherein said armouring element is pivoted towards its said final condition of assembly, sliding surfaces on said projection and in said recess co-operating with each other during said pivotal movement; wherein, in said final condition of assembly, locating surfaces on said projection and in said recess co-operate with each other thereby to locate the armouring element relative to the object substantially without play at said first position; and wherein said armouring element is secured to said object at a second position remote from said first position.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein a seal is additionally disposed between said projection and a portion of said recess.

13. A method according to claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said armouring element is secured to said object at said second position by at least one bolt.

14. A method of fixing an armouring element to an object to protect the object from the action of weaponry, the method being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, or Figure 1 as modified by Figure 2 and/or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

14. A method of fixing an armouring element to an object to be protected thereby, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, or Figure 1 as modified by Figure 2 and/or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

1 5. An assembly comprising an object to be protected from the action of weaponry and at least one armouring element detachably secured thereto for providing said protection, wherein: a) said object has a receiving recess at a first position thereon; b) said armouring element has an engagement means engaged into said recess thereby to mount said armouring element relative to said object at said first position; c) said object has at a second position spaced from said first position a fixing location for additionally fixing said armouring element; and d) means are provided to secure said armouring element to said object at said second position, said armouring element being moved into its final condition of assembly to said object by pivotal movement about the interengaged recess and engagement means whereby the armouring element is hung on said object at said first position and secured to said object at said second position.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 5th February 1981.

Superseded claims 1 to

1 5.

New or amended claims:

1. An assembly comprising an object to be protected from the action of weaponry and at least one armouring element fixed to the object to provide said protection, wherein; the object has a receiving means at a first position thereon; the armouring element has an engagement means engaged with the receiving means such that the armouring element is hung from the object at the first position; means is provided to secure the armouring element to the object at a second position spaced from the first position;; the receiving means and engagement means are such that they can be engaged, prior to securement of the armouring element to the object at the second position, with the armouring element and the object relatively pivoted with respect to a final assembly condition thereof, whereupon the armouring element and the object can be relatively pivotally moved to the final assembly condition; and the receiving means and engagement means have locating means co-operable with each other to relatively locate the armouring element and the object substantially without play in the final assembly condition.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means is a substantially concave recess and wherein the engagement means is a substantially convex projection capable of pivotal movement in the recess, whereby the armouring element can be engaged with the object with hooking-like interengagement by a pivotal movement about the engagement means in the recess.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, including further locating means at a position spaced from said first position on the armouring element and the object, for locating the armouring element relative to the object.

4. An assembly according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, including at least one seal between adjoining surfaces of the armouring element and the object.

5. An assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one seal is carried by the object and is co-operable with an adjoining surface of the armouring element.

6. An assembly according to any one of claims1 to 5, wherein the means to secure the armouring element to the object at the second position comprises a screw means.

7. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means to secure the armouring element to the object at the second position comprises a weld.

8. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a weld is provided between the armouring element and the object in the region of the first position.

9. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locating means are operable to locate the armouring element and the object relative to each other in at least first and second mutually perpendicular directions.

10. An assembly comprising an object to be protected from the action of weaponry and at least one armouring element fixed to the object to provide said protection, the assembly being substantially as herein before described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, or Figure 1 as modified by Figure 2 and/or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

11. A method of fixing an armouring element to an object to protect the object from the action of weaponry, wherein: an engagement means of the armouring element is engaged with a receiving means at a first position on the object to hang the armouring element from the object at the first position, the armouring element and object being so engaged in a condition in which they are relatively pivoted with respect to a final assembly condition thereof; the armouring element and object are relatively pivotally moved to the final assembly condition whereupon locating means on the receiving means and engagement means co-operate with each other to locate the armouring element and the object substantially without play in the final assembly condition; and the armouring element is secured to the object at a second position spaced from the first position.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein a seal is disposed between the engagement means and a portion of the receiving means.

13. A method according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the armouring element is secured to the object at the second position by at least one bolt.