US1223598A

US1223598A - Grenade and the like.

Info

Publication number: US1223598A
Application number: US3423215A
Authority: US
Inventors: William Mills
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-06-15
Filing date: 1915-06-15
Publication date: 1917-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1934-04-24

Description

w. MIILLS.

GRENADE AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE15. 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

W. MILLS.

GRENADE AND. THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1915.

Patented SHEET 2.

..W. MILLS.

SRENADE AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION nun JUNE 15. 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WILLIAM MILLS, or BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

GBENAIDE Ann THE LIKE}.

Speciflcationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 191 '7.

Application filed .Tune 15, 1915. Serial No. 34,232.

To all wkomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM MILLS, a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at Atlas Aluminium Works, Grove street, Birmingham, in the county of VVarwick, England, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Grenades and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises certain improvements in, or relating to,-grenades, and the like, and is applicable to an explosive grenade which can be thrown by hand, or by means of-a sling, catapult, gun, or grenade projecting machine, or which can be thrown or dropped from air-ships or aeroplanes.

The type of grenade to which the present invention refers is that in which the grenade comprises or involves a hollow body adapted to contain the explosive charge, within which body a springimpelledstriker is incorpo-, rated, which is normally retained in its retracted condition by a lever disposed externally and adapted to be retained in relation thereto normally by retaining means, and, when such means have been released, by the hand grasping the grenade, so as to be released in the act of throwing the grenade.

-- leased by the hand.

In grenades of this type heretofore proposed the external lever has. been adapted to rock on the edge of the opening in the grenade body from which the striker pro- 3ects'-this arrangement I have found unsatisfactory in action and the lever 15 liable to fail to release the striker. My present invention has for its pur ose to provlde for a free and particularly e ective and certain operation of the lever and with this object in view the external member is mounted with a pivot advantageously constituted by trunnions adapted to-work in bearings provlded upon or in connection with the body of the grenade.

The member fornormally retalmng the lever in relation to the body of the grenade is according to the present inventlon advantageously incorporated in connectlon with the part or half of the lever 1n the vicinity of the striker or member which it controls, so that during the operation of releasing the lever, the other part or half thereof can be grasped by the hand, whereby in this grasping operation the greatest POSSlble leverage is obtained which reduces the possibility of the lever being accidentally re- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a hand grenade according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 1s a perspective view of shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates separately in perspective the external lever of the grenade shown in Figs. 1 and 2. a

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified hand grenade according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates in perspective, separately, the external lever of the grenade shown in Fig.4.

Fig. 6 is-a sectional elevation of a further modification of the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates in. sectional elevation a still further modified embodiment of the present invention.

In aconvenient embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the drawings, a is the hollow body of the grenade which may be of any suitable shape or form, adapted to contain an explosive charge. Within this body a tubular housing I) is incorporated, in winch a spring-impelled sliding or longitudinal hammer c is disposed, adapted to operate upon a cap d, which latter is in communicatlon with a time fuse ewhich leads to the detonator f, the latter being contained in a second tubular housing 9 and-being adapted to fire the explosive contained in the body of the grenade.

The hammer-c is retained in its retracted position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings by an external lever 72., the extremity z' of which is adapted to engage with the under side of a flange or enlargement 7' provided at or upon the outer extremity or part of the hammer, this lever being extended around the exterior of the body of the grenade, so that it can be retained in relation to the latter by the hand grasping the grenade, the lever being adapted to release the hammer the grenade when it is itself released by hand or the throwing appliance in the act of throwing.

One method of retaining the lever in its normal position in relation to the grenade is shown in the drawings, and comprises a split pin is adapted to be passed through perforations in the lever, and also through perforations in lugs or projections Z provided upon or integral with the body at positions one mal position,

the enlargement j on each side of the lever. It will be noted that the provision for incorporating this pin is conveniently disposed near to the extremity of the lever in the vicinity of the hammer c, or in the partor half of the lever associated'with such hammer, so that the end we of the tail of the lever can be retained by the hand grasping the grenade, a high standard of leverage being thereby insured during the operation of removing the split pin it. The split pin Z: is conveniently composed of metal of a pliable character, so that the sections of the pin may be opened to prevent the possibility of accidental separation of the pin at a time before it is desired to throw the grenade. The two split portions of the projecting part of the pin may, how-- ever, be collectively bent, as for instance in a direction toward the body of the grenade, as shown in Fig. 2. A ring may be incorporated to assist removal of the pin.

While I have described with particularity one device for retaining the lever in its nor- 1 wish it to be understood that the retaining means may be varied considerabl 'I he lever 72. may conveniently be of channel form, and the part of the lever at the base of the channel adjacent to the head of the striker with which the lever engages may be formed to a concave or recessed shape so that the base part of the channel lever may engage with the head of the striker around a substantial part ofthe circumference.

At a position near to the head of the striker the lever is furnished with a fixed pivot n so incorporated as to project in the form of trunnions, one on each side of the lever, which trunnions are ada ted to work in grooves provided in lugs, ri s, or projec tions 0 integrally provided upon the-external surface of the body.

As shown in the drawings, the lever 71, is of such form and so incorporated in relation to the external surface'of the grenade that when the tail of the-said lever h fiies or moves away from the body of the grenade, the extremity of the lever in the vicinity of of the striker can not come into contact-with the body of the grenade in a manner which would foul the action of the lever.

The form ofgrenade which has been described is adapted to be thrown by hand, or by a throwing appliance. In thelatter case the throwing appliance is furnished with a ring, socket or the like for the reccption of the body of the grenade, and such ring, socket or the like is adapted to receive the tail of the lever it, so that the latter is retained in its normal position until, the grenade actually leaves .the throwing appliance,

p is a socket which may if desired be suitably furnished in the closure member 9 of The socket p may be alternatively utilized" for the reception of a rod, lug, or projection adapted to be inserted into the barrel of a rifle when itis desired to utilize the latter for the purpose'of projecting the grenade, or such a rod, lug or projection may be formed integrally with the closure member 9. A socket orring such as has been described in connection with the throwing appliance is suitably secured to the barrel of the rifle, and is adapted to engage with the lever and retain it in relation to the body of the grenade when the grenade is assembled in the barrel of the rifle, so that when the grenade is projected from the rifle the lever is automatically released.

- In cases in which the grenade is projected by a throwing appliance or by a rifle, it is desirable to assemble the grenade in' relation to the ring or socket pertaining to the, throw ing appliance or rifle before the split pin is or other equivalent means for retaining the lever is removed.

In cases in which the grenade is furnished with a shaft or handle by which the grenade may be thrown, the lever may, if desired, be applied to the handle as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 6, the tubular housing 6 for containing the spring-impelled striker o is contained within the handle, and other characteristics of the grenade will be understood from the foregoing description, which substantially applies equally to Fig. 6. In Fig. 7, the lever 1" is disposed in relation to the handle, but its point of pivotal movement in relation to the latter is near to, or at the end of, the handle adjoining the body of the grenade, instead of near to, or at the end of, the handle remote from such body. The lever 9" upon being released, is adapted torelease the striker 0. The lever 7* may be permanently pivoted to the handle at s or it may be furnished with trunnions working in bearings comprised of grooves or slots suitably incorporated in the handle. Other characteristics of the grenade shown in Fig. '7 will be understood from the foregoing description, which substantially applies equally to Fig. 7. In Figs. 6 and 7, the detonator housing is disposed in alinement with. the housing for the striker, instead of being disposed to the one side of the housing for the I may also employ in connection with the present invention, the invention comprised in my concurrent application Serial No. 34,234, filed of even date herewith, but I do not in this application make any claim to anything claimed in my said concurrent application.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A grenade or the like, said grenade comprising in combination means for firing or exploding the grenade, an externally disposed lever adapted to control the firing means, and retaining means for said lever arranged in connection with the part or half of the lever in the vicinity of the said firing means which it controls.

2. A grenade or the like, said grenade comprising in combination means for firing or exploding the grenade, an externally disposed lever adapted to control the firing means, and manually removable retaining means for said lever arranged in connection with the part or half of the lever in the vicinity of the said firing means which it controls, the half of said lever remote from said firing means being exposed to the grasp of the hand when being removed.

3. A grenade or the like, said grenade comprising in combination means for firing or exploding the grenade, an externally disposed pivoted lever adapted to control the firing means, and manually removable retaining means for said lever arranged in connection with the part or half of the lever in the vicinity of the said firing means which it controls, the half of said lever remote from said firing means being exposed to the grasp of the hand when said retaining means is bemg removed. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MILLS.

said retaining means is Witnesses: ARTHUR H. BBOW'N,

CHARLES RIGBY.