GB2151190A - Stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons - Google Patents

Abstract

A stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons wherein the weapons are disposed in a container 14 in order to improve the use of the stowage space and to facilitate handling. The containers are suspended from a guided endless conveyor chain 9 in order to form a rotary magazine, which chain enables, via a drive 10, positioning of the containers in alignment with the torpedo tubes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons The invention relates to a stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons and has particular but not exclusive application to submarines, wherein the weapons, including the standby weapons, are disposed in mountings in support frames behind the torpedo tubes and wherein the supply and the loading of the torpedo tubes takes place via adjustable drive means.

Various embodiments of devices for stowing torpedo tube weapons are known. Support frames are provided, and the weapons are supplied manually to the stowing position or to the torpedo tube with the aid of hoisting devices or the like. W. German Patent Specification 27 57 185 discloses a stowing and conveyor device in which the weapons are supported in frames and are conveyed by mechanically or hydraulically operated lift and displacement slides.

Devices of this known type require considerable manual labour and corresponding skill and also are subject to the drawback that the standby weapons may only be disposed in upright or horizontal straight rows behind the torpedo tubes. This leads to restrictions of the spatial use of the stowage possibilities. In addition, there are difficulties in the selection of the discharge sequence for different weapons. In addition, the arrangement of the torpedo tubes is restricted; this must be located in a plane defined by the stowing and conveyor device.

Also, in the known arrangements the standby weapons must either be fixed directly to the stowage locations by support harnesses or disposed and harnessed in mountings having the form of cradles. This requires additional labour and different holding devices for different weapons.

An object of the invention is to provide a stowing and conveyor device enabling rapid availability of the weapons and to ensure the supply of different weapons at will and to enable the use of weapons having different dimensions and of different systems in a simple manner.

According to the invention there is provided a stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons, comprising a plurality of containers for receiving torpedo tube weapons respectively, each said container being provided with a respective weapon loading means, said containers being connected in a loop so as to form a rotary magazine such that the containers can be positioned sequentially in alignment with a torpedo tube for discharge of the weapon.

The invention also provides a stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons in launching units, wherein weapons, including standby weapons, are disposed in mountings in support frames behind the torpedo tubes and wherein the supply and the loading of the torpedo tubes takes place via controllable drive means, wherein the mountings are formed by individual containers with integral loading devices for the torpedo tubes and the containers are suspended via connection elements in a pendulous manner in endless conveyor chains which are guided in order to form a rotary magazine, said containers being positionable as an extension of a torpedo tube via a drive of the endless conveyor chain.

This arrangement enables a protected and shockresistant storage in a simple manner by means of the container in addition to the rapid availability for use of the weapons as selected. In addition, this has favourable effects on the stowage possibilities.

In order to prevent the possibility of the container moving, it is preferred that the lower areas of the front ends of the containers comprise two guide pins, at least one of which engages in the associated guides in each container position.

In addition it is preferred that the containers are constituted by monobloc tubes or by containers having the form of baskets which encase the weapons over their length and their periphery. This arrangement contributes greatly to the stability of the device on account of its high resistance to bending.

In order to achieve an almost automatic supply of the torpedo tubes with a high degree of operational safety, it is preferred that the loading device of the container is formed by guide carriages with rope or chain drives and comprises detachable coupling means for connection with the weapons to be received.

An advantageous embodiment is provided in that two endless conveyor chains are disposed in parallel and in that a control and weapon engagement path is formed therebetween. As a result of this division into two separate stowage devices, there is a shortening of the reloading and subsequent firing times and an increase of operational safety. In order to improve this arrangement it is proposed that there is disposed in the control and weapon engagement path a carriage with support cradles for containers which may be transversely displaced via drive elements, which carriage may be displaced into the area of the endless conveyor chains for coupling with the containers. This facilitates the transfer of the weapons from one part to another of the system.

In order to simplify the transfer of the weapons it is also preferred that the container is connected, in the control and weapon engagement path, with the carriage at one front end in a pivotable manner about an axis and may be lifted at the other end from the carriage and raised via servo-elements.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in diagram form in the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a submarine in the area of the torpedo tubes and the stowing and conveyor device, Figure 2 is a cross-section along the line ll-ll of Figure 1, Figure 3 shows the transfer of the weapons into the submarine, Figure 4 shows a basket-like arrangement of a container, Figure 5 is a cross-section along the line V-V of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a front view of the carriage for displacement with a drive system, Figures 7 to 9 show containers with weapons of different types, Figure 10 is a side view ot the area of connection of the container with the support frame, on an enlarged scale, Figures 10 to 13 show embodiments of one or more endless conveyor chains for containers.

In the arrangement shown a pressure hull 1 of a submarine is equipped with torpedo tubes 2, 3, 4 or 2', 3', 4'. Stowing and conveyor devices are disposed on an intermediate deck 5 behind the torpedo tubes 2 to 4 on both sides of a control and weapon engagement path 26. These devices consist of respective front and rear frames 6, 7 and have endless conveyor chains 9 guided via profiles 8, which chains are synchronously driven by gears 10 via a shaft 11, a reduction gear 12 and a motor 13.

Containers 14 housing the weapons are suspended in a pendulous manner on the endless conveyor chains 9 via respective front mountings 15. If the endless conveyor chains 9 are driven via the drive 10 to 13, the containers 14 move on conveyor paths in accordance with the course of the guide profiles 8. This course is designed such that the containers 14 may be positioned in alignment in specific positions behind the torpedo tubes 2, 3, 4 or 2', 3', 4'. In order to prevent the containers 14 from pivoting about their suspension points 16, the containers are guided by auxiliary guide bolts 17 in guides 18, 19. These tracks 18, 19 are located between the front ends of the containers and the guide profiles 8. In many cases it is sufficient to arrange the guides 18, 19 and the guide bolts 17 on one side only of the container 14.In order to increase stability it is advantageous, however, to equip both sides of the container accordingly.

In order to solve the overlap problem between the mountings 15 and the guides 18, 19, these are formed in two parts. The guides 18 receive the bolts 17 - at least one of the two bolts per side of the container - in the lower area of the conveyor path, and the guides 19 receive the bolts in the upper area thereof.

Obviously additional stowage possibilities to the mountings 20 which are rigid with the boat may be used at the free spaces at positions 21, 22, 23 and 21', 22'. 23'. The positions 22, 22' may also, for example, be used for the reception of empty containers 14 from the conveyor chains 9, and the chain positions which have become free may be filled from the positions 21, 23 or 21', 23' which are rigid with the boat. Transfer is generally carried out using the actual onboard equipment. It is advantageous, however, to use hydraulically operated carriages 24, 24', 25 on both sides of the frames 6, 7, or the control and weapon engagement path 26 with respect to the reduction of manual tasks.

The carriages therefore solve the object of conveying containers 14 from the stowage unit on one side to the stowage unit on the other side and bringing empty containers 14 into the path 26. In addiction, for the transfer of new weapons, the container 14 is disposed on the carriage 25 so that it may be pivoted about an axis 27 at one of its front ends, as can be seen from Figure 3, and may be adjusted obliquely via a lifting device 29 fastened to the pressure hull 28 of the submarine so that the container 14 is aligned with the transfer aperture 30 in the pressure hull.

The new weapon 31 is inserted into the boat via the aperture 30 and connected with a guide carriage 32 for the container 14 via a coupling 33. The guide carriage 32 is displaced into the containers 14 by means of a rope or chain drive 34 and a drive 35, and the weapon is therefore transferred.

The device may be used in the reverse sequence for the unloading of defective or non-required weapons from the boat.

The guide carriage 32 is also used for the loading and unloading of the torpedo tubes 2, 3, 4 or 2', 3', 4' in the case of horizontally disposed containers 14. Figure 4 shows a basket-like arrangement as an alternative to the container tube. In this respect four longitudinal rails 36 and a row of annular ribs 37 are provided. The mounting 15 and the guide bolts 17 are fastened to the ends of this container. The guide carriage 32 is guided in a groove 38 of the upper rail 36, see also Figure 5.

This carriage 32 is also supported on the rails 36 by runners 39 and may be displaced via the rope 40 forwardly into the container and may be displaced to the rear by the rope 41 which is attached by the guide rollers 42 to the rear of the carriage 32. The carriage 32 is consequently positively guided so that it maintains the weapons in all the loading and transfer positions without difficulty, even in the case of movements of the ship. The weapon may be coupled to a coupling 44 in the centre of the carriage via a coupling rod 43.

Figure 6 shows the operation of the carriage 25 which comprises a frame 45 with runners and guide rollers 46 attached to the ends and a receiver cradle 47 sliding on the carriage surface for the containers 14. This receiver cradle 47 is maintained in position for example by chains 48 which are guided around the rollers 46 and are fastened below the carriage 25 in the centre of the ship on the floor 5 via a holding element 49. If the carriage 25 is displaced transverse to the longitudinal axis of the ship by a hydraulic drive (not shown), the mechanism operates in such a way that the cradle 47 modifies its position shown by 50.

Figure 7 shows the arrangement of a weapon 51 to be driven by compressed air and the associated compressed air bottle 52 in the container 14. The weapon 51 is connected via a detachable coupling element 53 with the guide carriage 32 and the compressed air bottle 52 is connected via the coupling element 44, which is also detachable, with the guide carriage 32, during the various transport procedures.

The arrangement of a wire guided torpedo 54 with a wire spool 55 in the container 14 is shown in Figure 8. This weapon is also connected with the guide carriage 32 via the detachable coupling 44.

Figure 9 shows a further alternative, in which the weapon 56 which may be locked and moved with the guide carriage 32 via the detachable coupling 44, is disposed in the container 14. This weapon comprises mine bodies 56 which are interconnected by disengageable holding devices 57 and are locked in position during the various transport procedures.

The containers 14 are fastened in rotary eyes 16 via the mounting 15 at the front end and the pins 58. These eyes are in turn mounted in the chain 9.

The chain elements 59 are guided in the guide profile 8 by means of the rollers 60 and are driven by the gearwheel 10 via gear profiles 61. In order to prevent pendulum movements of the containers 14 two respective guide bolts 17 are provided, These guide bolts 17 run in guides 18, 19, at least one bolt running in one guide 18 or 19. In the horizontal areas of the guides 18, 19, cf. Figure 2, there are recesses at predetermined points of the upper side of the guides, so that the second guide bolt in each case may engage, in the case of pivoting of the container 14 in the horizontal portion of a track, in the guide or may be disengaged in the case of pivoting from the horizontal portion.

Figures 11, 12, 13 show variations of the stowing and conveyor device with respect to different torpedo tube arrangements.

In Figure 11, a total of eight torpedo tubes 62, which are disposed in two perpendicular rows, are serviced by two devices. In this respect each guide profile 8 is designed for eight containers. Sixteen containers 14 may therefore be stowed.

In Figure 12, eight torpedo tubes 63 are supplied by a single device which may be readily adapted to the position of these torpedo tubes. The device can handle a total of ten containers 14.

Finally, Figure 13 shows the arrangement of eight torpedo tubes 64 disposed in two horizontal rows, which tubes are also service by a single device. In this case, sixteen containers 14 may be handled by a device.

Claims (11)

1. A stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons, comprising a plurality of containers for receiving torpedo tube weapons respectively, each said container being provided with a respective weapon loading means, said containers being connected in a loop so as to form a rotary magazine such that the containers can be positioned sequentially in alignment with a torpedo tube for discharge of the weapon.

2. A stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons in launching units, wherein weapons, including standby weapons, are disposed in mountings in support frames behind the torpedo tubes and wherein the supply and the loading of the torpedo tubes takes place via controllable drive means, wherein the mountings are formed by individual containers with integral loading devices for the torpedo tubes and the containers are suspended via connection elements in a pendulous manner in endless conveyor chains which are guided in order to form a rotary magazine, said containers being positionable as an extension of a torpedo tube via a drive of the endless conveyor chain.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower areas of the front ends of the containers are provided with guide pins which engage in an associated guide for limiting oscillatory movement of the container.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the containers are constituted by monobloc tubes or basket-type containers which encase the weapons over their length and their periphery.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the loading device of the container comprises guide carriages with rope or chain drives, and detachable coupling means for connection with the weapons to be received.

6. A device according to any preceding claim including means for receiving a weapon and for transferring the weapon to the magazine.

7. A device according to claim 6 including two of said magazines, said weapon receiving means being disposed between the rotary magazines.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the weapon receiving means comprises carriage means for receiving one of said containers and transferring the containers to one of the magazines.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein in a portion between said magazines the carriage is longitudinally tiltable to receive a weapon.

10. A device according to any preceding claim installed in a submarine.

11. A stowing and conveyor device for torpedo tube weapons, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.