GB873640A - Improved de-reefing and/or release device for parachutes - Google Patents

Abstract

873,640. Cutting apparatus. AIRCRAFT MATERIALS Ltd. Sept. 8, 1959 [June 12, 1958; June 20, 1958], Nos. 18839/58 and 19866/58. Class 31 (1). [Also in Groups XXII and XXXIII] Means for severing a reefing or release line in a parachute system (see Group XXXIII) after a time delay following a manual or automatic release action, is shown. The line (not shown) passes through an aperture 35 in a housing (Fig. 5) containing a circular cutter blade 33 eccentrically mounted on a pinion 34 engaged with a rack 36 on a bolt 11. Fig. 1 shows the bolt-operating mechanism, but not the cutting means. The bolt is slidable in a housing 10, and surrounded by a sleeve 14 having a flange 14a engageable with a flange 11a on the bolt. A spring 16 is contained between flange 14a and a shoulder 10b in the housing. The sleeve has a rack 15 engaged with a pinion 17 in mesh with a time delay gear train 13 in a part 10a of the housing. Normally, the bolt and sleeve are retained in the position shown by a pin 19. On withdrawal of the pin, spring 16 urges the sleeve to the right at a slow rate, until displacement of the sleeve disengages rack 15 from pinion 17. The sleeve then moves to the right freely, and strikes the bolt flange 11a and moves the bolt rapidly, rotating the cutter blade 33. A sleeve 25 bearing a rack and acted on by a spring 26 is also slidably mounted on bolt 11, so that when rack 15 is disengaged from pinion 17, the rack on sleeve 25 engages the pinion. By this means, when the bolt and sleeve are returned to the position shown by a cocking plunger 18, rack 15 smoothly re-meshes with pinion 17. The part 10a may be swingable about an axis to obtain small changes in the time delay.