US1172637A - Projectile. - Google Patents

Description

J. B.` SEMPLE.

PROJECTILE.

APPucATloN nLED fzs. a, 1915.

1, 172,637. Patented Feb. 22,l 1916.

FIEJ.

l. "l n y Edif jm@ ,55m mmm@ UNTTED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

JOHN B. SEMPLE, F SEWIGKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Appiieaaon mea February s, 1915. semi No. 5,886.

To all whom t may concern.' 1

. Be it knownl that I, J oHN. B. SEMPLE, residing at Sewickley, in the county of Alle'- gheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, of which improvement the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in projectiles. i

`It is illustrated] in the4 accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal central section of the posterior end of a projectile 153m which my present invention is embodied; Fig. 2 is a View in cross section of the fuse stock of the projectile of Fig. 1, the plane of section being indicated by the line II--II,`

Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a view in cross section illustrating a detail of construction, thev plane of section being indicated by the hne III-III, Fig. 1.

In a co-pending` apphcation, Serial No.

- 835,131, -filed Aprily 29, 1914, and allowed August 5, 1914, I have described and claimed a projectile including in its structure amovable member controlling detonation, a member which, when in normal inoperative position, does not afford the impartation of detonation from detonator to burster charge, but which, when under'the conditions of firing it has moved from its normal inoperative position to operative y position, establishes detonation communication from detonator to burster charge. In

that application I have shown and describedl and specically claimed one specific arrangement of such instrumentalities as I have just indicated.

In a second co-pe'igujling` application', filed January 29, 1915, Serial No. 5022, I have shown another specific form of such means. In this application I show and describe still j another specific means of the 4nature indicated.

Detonation is a phenomenon exhibited by certain substances termed highexplosives.

It is a sudden, substantially instantaneous,l

and tremendously powerful breaking down 5o of the whole body,- and is many times more powerful than the explosion of an equal amount of black powder. Detonation is imparted not by4 physical transfer of matter, like a iiash traversing a duct; it is an impulse, and is transmitted like electricity through a suitable conductor; it will not Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

traverse wide air gapsf (Under conditions tioned are, by reason of their insensitive` ness, Well adapted to use for the burster charges of explosive projectiles; the problem attending their use being how to effect their detonation at the proper time. 'lhe high explosives of the second class, though unsuitable because of their extreme sensi-v tiveness to be used in relatively large masses as burster charges for projectiles, are well suited to be use d in small masses and in intermedlate position'betweenthe percussion lcap of an explosive projectileand the burster charge of inert high explosive, to be detonated on the flash of the cap and to impart detonation to the burster charge. In such an arrangement the problem is to safeguard the burster charge against detonation in case of accidental and premature detonation of the intermediate charge (commonly called the detonator) Various expedients in the prior art involve the use of detonators which are movable from remote and innocuous to proximate and detonation-imparting position adjacent the burster charge. My application first referred to (Serial No.

835,131, now Patent No. 1,131,161) involves such an arrangement.

The invention of my application Serial No. 5022, is directed to the use of a stationary detonator together with suitable control of a Vpath of detonation transmission from detonator to burster"char,f ,e .f1 My present inventionl isa further improvement in that samearrangementgz.

In this case, asfn the case second mentioned above, B is the booster charge which, as in those other cases, I shallsimply consider as part of the burster charge. l

D is the detonator arranged within its safety chamber 14, and in this ca se having no lnormal motion of translation.' The mission, (which may be made or broken),

is e'ective to preserve the burster charge B safe from detonation in case of the lpremature explosion of the detonator D. The

.safety chamber 14 is provided to receive the gases of explosion and relieve the intensity of the stresses incident to a premature detonation of-detonator D. A

Through the heavy wall alluded to, which normally' separates the burster charge B and the detonator D, extends a column 13 of detonation-transmitting material, the continuity of whichl column is normally interrupted'by a space in which move two complementary bolts 6-6. These two bolts 6 are movable under 'stre or strain incident to theiring and flight of a projectile from a gun as, for example, conveniently by centrifugal force exerted upon them by the rotatlon of the projectile, and to this end the space in whichthey move is a runway which is more or less exactly radial. The members themselves are provided each with a column of detonation-transmitting material and the members 6 themselves are `spring-backed. as indicated, the springs normally holding the members 6 in position shown in Fig. 1.

When the parts are 1n the position shown in Fig. 1 it'will be observed of columns 12 of 'detonation-transmitting material with which the'two bolts are provided, that `they are remote one from another and from the main column 13; and it will be understood that when in the iight of the projectile from a rifled gun these bolts slide outward each against the tension ofits backing spring, these two columns 12 will be brought into register one with another and with the main column 13, to form a-continuous path of detonation transmission from detonator to burster charge. A plurality of these members is provided to this end.:I In case of a jar or shock vaccidentall imparted to the projectile when assemb ed, coinciding or substantially coinciding with' the direction of possible movement of one of these members, the member may yield aside, and so be accidentallyshifted to detonation-transmitting or armed position. With two members yie ding in different directions, no shock can: arm them both at once and so, by the provision of two, a secure provision is made against accidental` arming. v

With these general and prefatory explanations, it will be understood that the runway 3 in which the membersv 6 are movable will preferably be a single runway extending diametrically across the center of rotation of the projectile, and that the members 6 are so weighted that their centers of gravyity lie on opposite sides of the center 'of rotation. Means are provided `for holding the two members 6 when once they have been brought to operative or armed position against retraction. Any preferred locking means may be employed. I have found it well to provide a spring-backed-lo'ck 7 lying in a recess in one of the contacting faces upon which the two members 6 move, one with respect to the other, and in providing in the other and complementary member va recess 1 5 into which the locking block 7 under spring pressure will be thrown when the recess 16 comes into register with it, which will be when the two members 6 have moved to armed position, and their pathways 12 alined with and forming part of detonation .pathway .13.

With this explanation the operation will be fully understood. l When the parts are in the unarmed posi tion shown in Fig. 1, no shock communicated in any direction will be effective to throw both of the moving members 6 to armed position. So that always prior to firing the path of detonation transmission will be interrupted by at least one member,

and in case of premature explosion of de! tonator D the burster charge B'cannotf be detonated. When `hovvever the lprojectile has been red from a rlfled gun, both' members 6 will move outward, the `Sprngswhich normally hold them to inoperative position www:

As explained in the second of my pending I applications mentioned above, the pathway 13, and the pathways 12, in the movable mitting material such, for example, as trinitro-toluene.

I claim as my'invention:

1. In an explosivaprojectile the combination of a burster charge2 a detonator, a path of detonation transmission extending between said detonator and said burster charge, a plurality of detonation controlling members movable in different directions in a breakin said path from positions in which the path is interrupted to positions in which the path is continuous.

2. In an explosive projectile the combinal tion of a burster charge, a detonator, and a path of detonation transmission from said detonatorl to. 1said burster charge, a air of oppositely movable centrifugal bo ts arranged in a break in said path, each of said bolts provided with a supplementary path m parts 6 will be formed4 of detonation transof detonation transmission, the movement of said boltsypermitting the alinement of such supplementary paths'with one another and with the main path, and a locking means automatically securing said bolts against r`e' verse movement when once they have 1n.

Imeansarran ed in the overlapping faces o said bolts.

4. In an. exploslve projectile the comblnaisiolp of al burster charge and a detonator arranged on opposite sides, of .a dividing wall, a bore extending through said wall, a second P` Jb'ore crossing the bore first named and exfpdf/ald/Iilling the bores in the said pair of bolts.

to and on either side Erojectlle as a olts movable tendingstransversely mittingfniaterial filling the bore first named 5. In an explosive projectile the combination of a burster charge, a detonator, a wall separating said detonator from said burster charge, a pair of oppositely movable over- -lapping centrifugal bolts arranged in a runvvay formed in said Wall, and a detonation path formed in said wall from said detonator to said burster charge and'made continuous through said bolts when moved oppositely under `centrifugal force.

.6. In kan explosive projectile a burster charge the projectile and in its shane consisting of a larger main body and anvattenuated extension, and', in combination'witha burster charge soIShaped, a detonator arranged at the remote end of said extension, and a make-and-break device arranged in said'extension'of the bursterV charge, such'make- 'and-break device including'a plurality of parts movable each in a different direction from a position of interruption 4to a position in which the continuity of the`,said ex tension of the burster charge is established through it.

. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' JOI-IN B. SEMPLE.

Witnesses: vBAYARD H. CHRISTY, v FRANCIS J. ToMAssoN.

of high explosive arranged Within

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