GB2202316A

GB2202316A - Striker pin securing device

Info

Publication number: GB2202316A
Application number: GB08805967A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Egon Gampe
Original assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
Current assignee: Rheinmetall Industrie AG
Priority date: 1987-03-19
Filing date: 1988-03-14
Publication date: 1988-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-14
Also published as: DE3708930A1; JPS63251798A; DE3708930C2; IT1215864B; IT8819398A0; GB2202316B; GB8805967D0

Abstract

A striker pin securing device for an automatic propellant charge detonator movable on a breech wedge of a gun barrel ensures that on each opening stroke of the breech wedge (4) the striker pin (6) will be secured to the maximum extent by an intercepting bolt (5) before the firing position is reached. For this purpose, a rocker lever arm (13) of a rocker lever (8), required for the actuation of the intercepting bolt (5), contains a prolongation (16) which is so constructed that on each opening movement of the breech wedge (4), in the direction (17), it obstructs any sliding movement on a slide surface (18) provided in the base-piece (19) of the gun barrel until the other lever arm (12) has moved so far in the direction (14) about the pivot (11) that the intercepting bolt (5) has assumed the maximum securing position (10) for the striker pin (6). The surface (20) of the prolongation (16) then assumes a position (21) parallel with the sliding surface (18) and is able to slide thereon. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE Striker Pin Securin Device This invention relates to a striker pin securing device for an automatic propellant charge detonator mounted in the breech of an automatic weapon.

In known striker pin securing devices of this kind the striker pin is secured in position by an intercepting bolt controlled by a pressure spring. If the pressure spring is damaged or the intercepting bolt subject to increased friction it may happen that the striker pin is only partly secured by the bolt, thus rendering the firing state of the striker pin unstable. It is then possible for the weapon to be fired accidentally as a result of vibration. This insecure situation cannot be rectified by the crew because the striker pin is integrated into an automatic propellant charge detonator mounted on a breech wedge of a barrel weapon, and is movable transverse to the barrel bore axis, so that the extent to which it is supporting the striker pin cannot be detected.

This invention seeks to improve the striker pin securing device in such a way that in the opening stroke the maximum securing position of the striker pin is ensured by the intercepting bolt before the firing position is reached.

According to this invention there is provided a striker pin securing device for an automatic propellant charge detonator mounted on a breech wedge of a barrel weapon so as to be movable transverse to the barrel bore axis, with an intercepting bolt which)for securing a striker pin)accommodates a spring while for the release of the striker pin is connected by interlocking engagement with a rocker lever having a rocker lever bar, the rocker lever being mounted on one side of the pivot with a lever arm within the intercepting bolt and on the other side of the pivot with the other lever arm within the rocker lever bar, so that the movements of the intercepting bolt and of the rocker lever bar take place in opposite directions, the lever arm mounted in the intercepting bolt assuming)for securing purposes and through the force of the spring, a position pivoted in the direction of rotation towards the striker pin, wherein the rocker lever arm of the rocker lever, to verify that the intercepting bolt has sect end the striker pin to the maximum extent, has a prolongation which goes beyond the mounting of the lever arm in the rocker lever bar and which takes the form of an entrainment device so constructed that on each opening movement of the breech wedge, sliding movement on a slide surface provided in the base piece of the barrel weapon and extending in the same direction is prevented until the other lever arm has moved so far about the pivot until the intercepting bolt has assumed the maximum securing position for the striker pin.

The invention ensures that the maximum securing position of the striker pin is preferably controlled on an interlocked engagement principle. This is effected, without recourse to a separate control mechanism, by a unilateral prolongation of the rocker lever required for the release of the striker pin, while in a particularly advantageous and simple manner a prolonged rocker lever of this kind can also be built into existing automatic propellant charge detonators.

In the opening stroke of a breech wedge, according to the invention, the prolongation of the rocker lever is held against a contact edge of the base piece until the rocker lever has been turned about its pivot far enough to ensure that the said rocker lever has caused the intercepting bolt to assume tte maximum securing position for the striker pin.As the prolongation includes a sloping surface which does not assume a position parallel to a, slide surface of the base piece of the barrel weapon until the striker pin has reached the maximum securing position, and then does not deviate from its position parallel with the slide surface during the continued sliding movement of the lever moving with the automatic propellant charge detonator, the striker pin is secured by interlocked engagement as a further feature, independently of the pressure spring provided on the intercepting bolt.

According to a further preferred constructional characteristic the rocker lever is constructed as a toggle lever, the sloping surface being provided on one leg of the external side, so that the position which a rocker lever bar must occupy within the automatic propellant charge detonator in order to release the striker pin can remain unaltered and the sloping surface utilised as a stable contact surface of sufficient area without suffering wear.

The invention is explained in greater detail by reference to a constructional embodiment shown by way of example only in the drawings. In the drawings: - Figure 1 shows a side view of a base piece of a barrel weapon with a breech wedge and an automatic propellant charge detonator, Figure 2 shows a sectional view, according to the detail II in Figure 1, of a secured striker pin located in the automatic propellant charge detonator, Figure 3 shows perspective view of a known striker pin securing device according to Figure 2, Figure 4 shows an intercepting bolt of the striker pin, according to a section on IV - IV of Figure 1, position 'a" being that in which the striker pin is secured and position "b" that in which the striker pin is not secured, Figure 5 shows a sectional view of a known striker pin securing device not secured and associated with an automatic propellant charge detonator occupying position "a" according to Figure 4, and Figure 6 shows the arrangement of the rocker lever according to a section on VI - VI in Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows the arrangement of a rear end of a barrel weapon 1, which is preferably an integral part of a large-calibre barrel weapon, such as an ordnance weapon in accordance with DE 23 62 131. In a base piece 19 affixed to the rear end of the barrel weapon 1 a breech wedge 2 is provided which is opened and closed in the known manner transverse to the barrel bore axis 3 and in order to load and unload the loading chamber 26. The breech wedge 2 contains inserts 27, 28 of a known kind, of which the axes are positioned on the extended barrel bore axis 3 when the breech wedge 2 is closed. These inserts serve as a support for a packing ring and as a receiver of a propellant charge detonator required for the detonation of ammunition present in the loading chamber 26.The packing ring, the propellant charge detonator and the ammunition are not essential to the invention and are not illustrated or described in detail.

On the rear side of the breech wedge 2 an automatic propellant charge detonator 4 is provided which contains for example a magazine known from EP 0 103 219 accommodating a propellant charge detonator and which, for the introduction of the propellant charge detonator into the primer carrier 30 belonging to the breech wedge 2 and situated in the insert 28 of the breech wedge 2, is displaceable in relation to the opening and closing movements of the breech wedge 2 in a manner described in DE 23 62 131.

For the detonation of the propellant charge detonator in the primer carrier 30 the automatic propellant charge detonator 4 contains in the zone marked II in Figure 1 a striker pin system as shown in Figre 2.

To secure the striker pin 6 an intercepting bolt 5 is provided which in order to secure the striker pin 6 is moved transverse to the direction of movement 29 of the said striker pin 6 by a pressure spring 7 in a manner already known. To release the striker pin 6 the intercepting bolt 5 is connected by interengaging closure through a rocker lever 8 with a rocker lever bar 9 (Figure 3) of a firing mechanism (not shown in detail). The rocker lever 8, as shown in Figure 3, is mounted on one side of the pivot 11 and with one lever arm 12 inside the intercepting bolt 5 and on the other side of its pivot 11 and by the other lever arm 13 inside the rocker lever bar 9.The movements of the intercepting bolt 5 and of the rocker lever bar 9 take place in opposite directions, the rocker lever bar 9 being moved upwards in the direction 31 for the release stroke, for example, while the intercepting bolt 5 is moved downwards in the direction 32.

To secure the striker pin 6 in a securing position 10 the intercepting bolt 5 and the rocker lever arm 9 must move in reverse directions. To obtain the securing position 10 the striker pin 6, by means of tension cam 3 and by a movement of a roller 34 as described in DE 23 62 131, is moved far enough back in the direction 36 and against the force of a striker pin 35, to enable an intercepting surface 38 of the intercepting bolt 5 to engage the rear of a detent surface 38 of the striker pin 6.

In the conventional manner the sole means provided for moving the intercepting bolt 5 in the direction 40 of the securing position 10 of the striker pin 6 consists of the spring 7 and by which the disadvantages described at the beginning may nevertheless occur.

According to this invention and as shown in Figure 4, in position "a" the rocker lever arm 13 of the rocker lever 8, in order to control the maximum securing position of the striker pin 6 to be obtained by means of the intercepting bolt 5, includes a prolongation 16 which extends beyond the mounting system 15 (Figure 5) present in the rocker lever bar 9 for the lever arm 13, and which is constructed as an entrainment device and so designed.

that on each opening movement of the breech wedge it prevents, by interengagement, any sliding movement on a slide surface provided in the base piece of the barrel weapon and extending in the same direction, until the other lever arm has moved so far in the direction about the pivot that the intercepting bolt has assumed the maximum securing position for the striker pin.

The prolongation 16 of the rocker lever arm 13 is provided, on the side facing towards the slide surface 18 of the base piece 19, with a sloping surface 20, which does not assume, at a distance 22, a position 21 parallel to the slide surface 18 of the base piece 19 until the rocker lever 8 has been pivoted in the direction of rotation 14 and moved the intercepting bolt 5 into the maximum securing position. The slide surface 18 runs inside the base piece 19, parallel to the path of the automatic propellant charge detonator 4 as a result of which the sloping surface 20 is allowed to perform a sliding movement on the slide surface 18 and the securing position 10 of the striker pin 6 can be reliably controlled by interengagement.

In every position of the rocker lever 8 which differs from the maximum securing position 10 of the intercepting bolt 5 the sloping surface 20 assumes a different position in relation to the slide surface 18, as a result of which a point 23 formed by the sloping surface 20 prevents the sliding movement on the slide surface from taking place until the moment when, during the movement of the automatic propellant charge detonator 4 in the zone of the slide surface 18 in the opening direction 17, the rocker lever 8 has been pivoted by contact of the point 23 with the slide surface 18 in the direction of rotation 14 and the intercepting bolt has assumed the maximum securing position.

This avoids the risk which arises with a conventional rocker lever 8 having no prolongation and which is shown for example in Figure 5, that the connection between a detent surface 39 belonging to the striker pin 6 and only inadequately supported by the intercepting surface 38 of the intercepting bolt 5 will work loose during the movement of the breech wedge 2 and the automatic propellant charge detonator 4 or through other causes.

Position "b" in Figure 4 denotes a rocker lever 7 which has pivoted the intercepting bolt 5 out of the securing position 10 through the rocker lever bar 9. In this position the striker pin 6 is able to detonate the propellant charge detonator situated in the cartridge container 30. The sloping surface 20 of the rocking lever 8 has first of all moved away from the slide surface 18 of the base piece 19 at a considerably shorter distance a, than the stroke j, of the breech wedge 2.

The preservation of the securing position 10 is mainly ensured, within the zone "a" as far as the intended release of the striker pin 2, by the full support of the detent surface 39 by the intercepting surface 38 and assisted by the force of the spring 7 of the intercepting bolt.

Figure 6 clarifies the construction of the rocker lever 8 as a toggle lever. The prolongation 16 provided on the lever arm 13 forms a leg 24 directed towards the slide surface 18 of the base piece 19. This leg 24 enables the sloping surface 20 of the rocker lever 8 to be robustly constructed with an ample area without altering, for example, the position and method of operation of the present rocker lever bar 9 inside the base piece 19.

Claims

1. Striker pin securing device for an automatic propellant charge detonator mounted on a breech wedge of a barrel weapon so as to be movable transverse to the barrel bore axis, with an intercepting bolt whichJfor securing a striker pin1 accommodates a spring while for the release of the striker pin is connected by interlocking engagement with a rocker lever having a rocker lever bar, the rocker lever being mounted on one side of the pivot with a lever arm within the intercepting bolt and on the other side of the pivot with the other lever arm within the rocker lever bar, so that the movements of the intercepting bolt and of the rocker lever bar take place in opposite directions, the lever arm mounted in the intercepting bolt securing purposes and through the force of the spring, a position pivoted in the direction of rotation towards the striker pin, wherein the rocker lever arm of the rocker lever, to verify that the intercepting bolt has secured the striker pin to the maximum extent, has a prolongation which goes beyond the mounting of the lever arm in the rocker lever bar and which takes the form of an entrainment device so constructed that on each opening movement of the breech wedge, sliding movement on a slide surface provided in the base piece of the barrel weapon and extending in the same direction is prevented until the other lever arm has moved so far about the pivot until the intercepting bolt has assumed the maximum securing position for the striker pin.

2. Striker pin securing device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein: (a) the prolongation of the rocker lever arm is provided with a sloping surface on the side facing towards the slide surface of the base piece, (b) when the rocker lever has been pivoted in the direction of rotation, thus moving the intercepting bolt into the maximum securing position, the sloping surface assumes at a certain distance a position parallel to the slide surface of the base piece, (c) when the rocker lever occupies any position different from the maximum securing position of the intercepting bolt the sloping surface assumes a different position in relation to the slide surface, in which process a point formed by the sloping surface only allows the sliding movement to take place on on the slide surface when, during the movement of the automatic propellant charge detonator in the zone of the slide surface in the opening direction, the rocker lever has been pivoted by contact of the point with the slide surface in ,the direction of rotation and the intercepting bolt has assumed the maximum securing position.

3. Striker pin securing device in accordance with Claims 1 and 2, wherein the rocker lever is constructed as a toggle lever of which the prolongation forms one leg while the external side facing towards the base piece is constructed as a sloping surface.

4. A striker pin securing device constructed and arranged to function as described herein and exemplified with reference to the drawings.