US1300708A - Projectile. - Google Patents

Description

T. A. EDISON.

PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. I916.

1,300,708, Patented Apr. 15; 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, 0F LLEWELLYN PARK, WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

rnoJncrmE.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 77,833.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, acitizen of the United States,-and a resident of Llewellyn Park, West Orange, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles,

of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to projectiles and especially to projectiles for use in guns of large caliber, being in some aspects an im.

provement on the inventions disclosed in my copending applications Serial No. 73868,

ing force, opposing the action of gravity, to be exerted on the projectile when in flight,

'to thereby render it possible to obtain with such a projectile a comparatively flat trajectory and a greatly increased range as compared with projectiles heretofore used when discharged under similar conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide the projectile with stabilizing means in addition to and preferably cooperating with the lifting or raising means above mentioned, for preventing the projectile, when in flight, from rotating about its longitudinal axis and from hurtling or turningend over end, to thereby render such lifting or 7 raising means much more effective.

-Other objects and features of my invention will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be. more clearly understood, attention is directed to .the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away, of a projectile constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing the same substantially in the position it occupies when in flight and with the wings or vanes thereof in operative or open position;

Fig. 2 is an' end view of the projectile looking from the right in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, showing the wings or vanes in inoperative or closed position.

Referring to the drawing, my improved projectile preferably comprises a main cylindrical body portion 1 and a forward end ed grooves portion having a pointed head or nose 2.

The forward end portion of the projectile has a rear cylindrical portion of slightly greater diameter than the body portion 1, whereby a shoulder 3 is formed on the projectile at the rear end of said forward end portion. The head end portion of the projectile is preferably made heavier than the rear end portion thereof, as by providing the latter with a cylindrical longitudinally extending recess or cavity 4, whereby the pro- V of the projectile. At. its rear end the projectile is preferably provided with a suitable collar 6, which may be integral therewith but which is preferably in the form of a copper ring suitably applied and secured to the I projectile- The copper-ring 6 is preferably slightly greater in diameterthan the main bore of the gun for which the projectile is designed, whereby when the projectile is forced through said main bore upon the discharge of the gun, the pressed so as to tightly fit the said main bore and will act as a packing to prevent the escape of gases past the projectile. A cylindrical collar 7 adapted to closely fit the main bore of the gun for which the projectile is designed, is suitably formed on or secured to the cylindrical portion of the forward end said ring will be com- I portion of the projectile with the rear end 1 thereof flush with the shoulder 3. The collar 7 is preferably provided with a cylindrical extension 8 projecting forwardly over the nose 2,'thereby forming an annular space 9 between the extension 8 and nose 2. The projectile is referably provided beneath the collar 2 with a plurality of straight longitudinally extending open-end- 10 which are equally spaced circumferentially of the projectile. The grooves 10 are preferably parallel to the longitudinal axis of the projectile, and the forward ends thereof preferably communicat with the annular space 9 and terminate in the nose 2. The grooveslO preferably extend a short distance rearwardly beyond the collar 7, such rearwardly extending portions gradually decreasing in depth and shown in the drawing is provided with only two grooves 10, it is to be understood that 11 normally. extending laterally therefrom;

the same may have any number of such grooves. When the projectile is in flight,

the air caught or entrapped in the annular space 9 is forced with great velocity through the grooves 10 and coacts with the walls ofsuch grooves to overcome ,anytendency which the projectile may have to hurtle or turn end over end, and also any tendency which the projectile may have to turn or rotate about its longitudinal axis, as described in my copending application Serial No. 77,832 referred to above. The air will also coact with the shoulder formed by the collar 6 on therear end of the projectile, to

revent tipping of said end and thereby the hurtlingtof the projectile when in flight.

In addition to the stabilizing means above described comprising the collar 7, annular space 9, grooves 10 and collar 6, I also provide the projectile with means preferably in the form of a plurality of wings or vanes which will cause a lifting. or raising force, opposing the action of gravity, to be exerted on the projectile when in flight, and thereby render it possible to obtain with such a projectile a comparatively flat trajectory and a greatly increased range. Preferably only two such wings-or vanes are employed, and these wings or vanes are preferably pivotally mounted on the cylindrical body portion 1 of the projectile just to the rear of the collar 7 and preferably substantially over the center of gravity of the projectile, by means of a pair of rods 12 to which the wings are respectively secured by lugs 13, the rods 12 being respectively loosely mounted inv pairs of lugs 14. and 15 formed on a supporting member or bracket 17 rigidly secured to the said body portion 1. Coiled springs 16 looselymounted on rods 12 and having their ends bearing against the projectile "and the wings 11 respectively, constantly tend to force the wings to operative or open position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The supporting member or bracket 17 is provided with outstanding stops 18 to limit the extent to which the wings open under the action of the springs 16. The pivots ofthe wings or vanes 11 are preferably symmetrically disposed on either side of and above the longitudinal axis of the projectile,

with reference to the normal position of the projectile-when in flight, as shown in the drawing. The pivots of the wings or vanes 11 and the wings themselves are preferably inclined away from the longitudinal axis of the projectile toward the head end of the latter as shown in Fig. 1, the wings or vanes being warped so as to he closely against the cylindrical body portion 1 when turned springs 16'to folded or closed position, as

shown in Fig. 3. At their rear end' the grooves 10 preferably respectively terminate beneath the forward end portions of the wings or vanes when thelatter are in closed position. v

When the wings or vanes 11 are-folded or closed, the same lie within the contourv of the collar 7, thereby permitting the projectile to be readily inserted in the gun for which it is designed. Vhen the projectile is discharged from the gun, the springs16 and the air emerging from the rear end of grooves 10 will at once force the vanes to open or operative position, as shown in Figs.

1 and 2. During the flight of the projectile .85 about its longitudinal axis, and also to cause a raising or lifting force to be exerted on the projectile.

The results due to providing the pro'ectile with the wings or vanes as described erein may be varied reatly without departing from this invention, by changing the number, size, disposition and inclination of these wings or vanes, The wings may also be so mounted on the projectile that the inclination thereof with respect to "the longitudinalaxis of the projectile may be varied; and sultable mechanism may be employed, operable by the air or by other means, to automatically increase the inclination of the wings during the flight of the projectile in such a manner as to compensate largely for the decreasing speed of the projectile.

While I have specifically described and shown but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications in addition to those above mentioned may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows r 1. A projectile having a plurality of wings mounted thereon, and a plurality of longitudinally extending open-' ended grooves extending forwardly from said wings and respectively terminating at their rear ends beneath the forward end portions of such wings, substantially as described.

2. A projectile provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending openended grooves and with a pair of wings or vanes normally extending laterally therefrom, said wings or vanes being symmetrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile substantially over the center of gravity thereof, substantially as described.

3. A projectile having a reduced forward end portion .or nose, said projectile having a cylindrical extension projecting forwardly over said nose and forming an annular space between said extension and nose, the projectile being provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending open ended grooves the forward ends of which communicate with said space, and with a plurality of Wings or vanes normally extending laterally therefrom, substantially as described.

4. A projectile having a plurality of wings mounted thereon, and a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves, said grooves respectively terminating at their rear ends beneath said wings, substantially as described.

5. A projectile provided with a plurality of grooves, and a plurality of vanes or wings, said grooves being so arranged that fluid passing therethrough due to the travel or flight of the projectile will 'be directed beneath said vanes or wings, substantially as described. I

6. A projectile provided with a plurality .of longitudinally extending grooves and with a plurality of vanes or wings movably mounted thereon, said grooves being so disposed that fluid passing therethrough due to the travel or flight of the projectile assists in openingsaid vanes or wings, substantially as described.

7. A projectile provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves and with a pair of vanes or wings movably mounted thereon, said vanes or wings being symmetrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile, and said grooves being so arranged that fluid passing therethrough due to the travel or fllght of the, projectile assists in; opening said vanes or wings, substantially as described.

'8. A projectile having a wing mounted thereon, and a longitudinally extending groove, said groove terminating at its rear end beneath said wing, substantially as described.

9. A projectile provided with a groove and with a, vane or wlng, said groove being

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