US1250410A - Shell-fuse. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 22. 1911.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR Ja/mM Many BY WITNESS ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. I917.

1,250,410. Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2. E 2

WITNESS INVENTOR ATTORNEYS WITNESS I. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. I9I7I Patented D00. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ym/2M gall/g ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1917.

Patented Dec. 18,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR ei/212M141 WITNESS ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1911.

1,250,410. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESS @mfl f/fw JJknM ma INVENTOR ATTORNEYS JOHN M. YOUNG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHELL-FUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 191 '7.

Application filed March 22, 1917. Serial No. 156,631.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I,-JOHN M. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shell- Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fuses for explosive shellsfor ordnance, and has for its object to provide a cheap and practical means for protecting or preventing the percussion elements from being distorted, broken or separated when the fuse and shell strike the ground or any other hard object, so as to insure that the percussion elements shall operate with their proper functions and explode the shell. Government specifications for fuses at the present time allow a percentage of failures of the percussion elements to explode the shell.

By my invention such percentage may be done away with or greatly lessened.

The design of the body portion of shell fuses as now made is such that when the shell is fired from a gun and the fuse strikes the ground the time train ring is ordinarily 'forced by the angle blow into the body of the fuse just above the percussion primer seat, and the body is thereby either broken ofi between the two percussion elements, which causes a failure of explosion, or the percussion primer housings are so distorted that the parts cannot function, and this also makes an explosion failure.

According to my invention the fuse is weakened at a point above both of the percussion elements, so that such an angle blow, when the shell strikes, will break the fuse at such a place as to leave the two percussion elements intact at the rear of such break. Furthermore, I do or may apply a relatively hard metal ring or wedge to the fuse immediately at or in the weakened part of the fuse, this ring being arranged to be acted upon by the exterior time fuse ring, so that the action of the time fuse ring, when the shell strikes, will be to force the said metal ring into the fuse body or stem with a cutting and disrupting action thereby insurin that the break shall take place in front of both of, andnot between, the two percussion elements. It will be understood that the deepest part of the weakening of the fuse, and the plane at which the said ring acts, will be suitably arranged on the body ,or stem of the fuse to produce the above described result.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood I have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting my improvements, in their useful applications, to the particular construction which, for the purpose of example, I have chosen for illustration. In the said drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a shell fuse and contiguous parts embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fuse-cutting or rupturing ring or wedge, shown as made in two sections.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a vertical section of the fuse body detached, showing the said ring in place thereon in the weakened portion of the fuse.

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly broken away, showing the fuse at the moment of impact, and ruptured at the said weakened place, leaving the percussion elements intact.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 1, but showing an ordinary form of shell, not embodying my invention.

Fig. 7 shows the manner of breaking, which frequently occurs, in the case of the ordinary form of shell shown in Fig. 6, whereby the percussion elements are disorganized and rendered inoperative.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the fuse, 2 the stem or socket of the same, 3 the percussion firing pin and 4 the detonating percussion element.

At 5 and 6 are shown the time fuse rings of any suitable construction and arangement. 7 indicates the concussion firing pin and 8 the detonating concussion element.

At a suitable point above or beyond the percussion elements 3 and 4 the fuse is weakened as indicated at 9 so that a glancing blow such as will cause a rupture or distorting of the fuse will produce a transverse breakage 10 (Fig. 5) at this point, thereby relieving the strain which would cause it to be broken at any other point which would involve a separation or disarrangement of the percussion elements 3 and 4.

. 11 is a ring of suitable material and shape to aid in producing the said fracture at the point or plane 9. This ring is preferably made in sections as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 and formed with an inner cutting edge 12 adapted to engage in the deepest part of the weakened portion 9.

The top plane of the ring 11 is or may be arrangedat the meeting plane of two time rings, as illustrated, whereby, according to the nature of the blow which the shell strikes, oneof the time rings may force the ring 11 across and into the metal of the fuse, or the other time ring may force a portion of the fuse relative to and against the ring 11.

It is preferable to have the ring sections of a harder metal than of the fuse body as they will cut deeper and easier than if of the same hardness. For instance, the fuse may be of aluminum, and the sections of the ring 11 may be of brass.

It is desirable to have the wedge-ring made in sections, as illustrated, in order that either section may freely cut into the fuse body when pressure is put on the section by a blow.

The invention also has relation to the concussion and time fuse, in that the fuse is disrupted at such a place that the time train rings are set free and disassembled when the shell strikes, and this prevents the enemy from finding a fuse intact and reading the setting of the time train rings, and knowirfigllthe distance of the gun that fired the s e In firing shrapnel, it is necessary that the shell explode directly over the soldiers heads in order to be effective; if they explode too far in front or at the rear, the sharpnel is ineffective: therefore, the object of firing 40 shells that will explode when they hit the ground'is to enable the gunner to determine the range quickly and they do this by firing at a rise of ound or some easily discerned object that hes in the range, so that the observer, through a telescope, is able to see the smoke from the explosion and determine whether the range at which they have fired is short or long, so that by firing two or three shells they are able to get the exact range. The rest of the shells fired are then set with the time ring to explode in the air; so that the only object for firing in the other manner is for range finding, and it is very important that the shell explode at the time it hits the ground or an ob ect with an angular blow.

What I claim is 1 A fuse havin its body weakened above the percussion e ements by reducing its metal at that point, combined with a wedge inserted at said weakened point between the time train ring and the body, whereby the fuse is disrupted above the percussion elements and the force of the blow is minimized on the housings of the percussion elements.

2. A fuse havingits body weakened above the percussion primer seat by reducing its metal at that pomt, combined with a separate metal element inserted into said reduced part between the time train ring and the body, thereby insuring the rupture of the fuse above the percussion primer seat, and reducing the force of the blow on the percussion parts housings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature hereto.

JOHN M. YOUNG.

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