US1311021A

US1311021A - Fixed ammunition for non-recoil guns.

Info

Publication number: US1311021A
Application number: US23656818A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence Y Spear; Gregory C Davison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1918-05-25
Filing date: 1918-05-25
Publication date: 1919-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1936-07-22

Description

L. Y. SPEAR AND G. C. DAVISON.

FIXED AMMUNITION FOR NON-RECOIL GUNS.

APPLICATION HLED MAYZS, I918.

. Patented July 22, I919.

lllll H! I. Illlllfl- I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR AND GREGORY C. DAVISON, OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

FIXED AMMUNITION FOR NON- RECOIL GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed May 25, 1918. Serial No. 236,568.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, LAWRENCE Y. SPEAK and GREGORY C. DAvrson, citizens of the United States, residing at New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fixed Ammunition for N on-li-ecoil Guns; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

Our present invention relates to improvements in fixed ammunition intended for use with non-recoil guns, that is guns of the general type shown in the U. S. patent to .Gleland Davis, No. 1,108,716, granted Auust 25, 1914:, and entitled Apparatus for ring projectiles from air craft.

This invention is especially intended to provide for certain improvements on the fixed ammunition shown in the U. S. Patent to Cleland Davis, No. 1,108,717, granted August 25, 1914, and entitled Fixed ammunition for use on air craft.

Accordin to the invention described in the patent ust referred to there was a cartridge case in which was mounted at one end the projectile, and at the other end the recoil charge or mass, and between the two the propelling charge which, when the gun was fired, propelled the projectile in one direction and the recoil mass in the other direction, and this recoil mass, being made of disintegratable material, such as birdshot, sand or the like, separated into fine particles after leaving the rear end of the bore of the gun, while the projectile moved forward in its flight.

With this arrangement, however, there was a metallic cartridge case left in the bore of the gun which had to be removed before the gun could be re-loaded, and while this removal would in any event require a certain amount of time, if the cartridge case jammed in the gun, it might seriously delay the operation of the gun.

In order to obviate the'necessity for the removal of the cartridge case incident to the operation of opening the breech, and in order to prevent the sticking of the cartridge case in the chamber of the gun, we have arranged that the cartridge case and the recoil mass shall be a unitary structure which is expelled from the open rear end ofthe barrel of the gun by the pressure of the saving of weight is of the utmost im-.

portance, we have also provided means for the saving of weight equivalent to that of the cartridge case previously used. We accomplish this by making the case herein described serve a two-fold purpose, namely, first as a container for the powder and second as an inertia mass.

We also provide means whereby the cartridge case in its rearward travel through the gun balances all friction forces imparted by the forward moving projectile. This friction force is caused principally by friction of the rifling band onthe projectile, acting in the rifling grooves. By rifling the rear barrel and by placing a corresponding rifling band on the cartridge case, these forces are exactly balanced, both with respect to rotational forces tending to twist the gun and. also longitudinal forces tending to tear the gun apart'longitudinally.

Our invention will be more fully understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through the powder chamber of the gun body and adjacent parts, the projectile being shown in elevation and the firing pin being shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 2 shows a section on a larger scale through the cartridge case, the projectile being shown in elevation and parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is an end view as seen from the left of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 1 and 5 show sections through the cartridge case along the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 2, and show the openings in the cartridge case to permit the escape of the products of combustion into the space between the cartridge case and the inner wall of the powder chamber.

A represents the forward barrel of the gun which is provided with a suitable powder chamber a, a compression slope a and rifling a. This forward barrel A is connected in any convenient way, as by means of the screw-threaded connection 6 shown in the Patent No. 1,108,716 above referred to, to. the rear barrel B which is rified, as at in the same direction as the barrel A, thus causing the case and projectile to rotate in opposite directions, as their travel is in opposite directions.

The two barrels are connected together and the gun loaded, as described in the Patent No. 1,108,? 16 already referred to, or in any other convenient way, and such details will not be further referred to herein as this application is primarily intended to cover the particular construction of fixed annnunition, which will be hereinafter more fully described. I

C represents the projectile which is provided with the usual ritliin band 0 adapted to engage the rifiing (L The projectile is shown as of the type illustrated and described in the application of A. J. Stone, Serial No. 178378, filed July 3, 1917, and entitled Projectiles for use against submarines and submer ed mines, but any preferred shape of pro ectile may be used as desired.

D represents the firing pin carried by the gun, and operated by the firing mechanism which, not being a part of our present invention, will not be further described herein. E represents the cartridge case which is of substantially cylindrical form adapted to fit into the powder chamber of the gun, and is provided with a series of ribs which may be annular as shown, projecting beyond the normal surface 6' of the cylinder to form an air space between said normal surface and the contiguous walls of the bore.

7 This cartridge case is provided with a number of perforations 6 to permit the escape of the powder gases from the interior of the cartridge case to the annular space between the cartridge case and the bore of the gun.

At the rear end of the cartridge case the base plu E is inserted, which may be connecte to the cartridge case as by means of the screw threads 6 and the parts should be securely locked together as by brazing, or otherwise. This baseplug is provided with a rifiing band 6 adapted to engage the rifling b on the rear barrel of the gun, and it is also preferably provided with a guide lug F which may be made of copper, or other soft metal, adapted to engage in the guide grooves 19 and e in the rear and front ends of the barrel respectively. This guide lug being made of soft metal is readily compressed'in the proper position and guides the cartridge in the gun barrel so that the primer G will always be opposite the firing pin D, when the gun is loaded.

While this particular construction has been minutely described, it is evident that the case could be built from a solid forg-' ing Without the use of a screw plug, and

firing pin 1) when the gun has been loaded and the breech is closed.

The gun now being fired, the projectile will fly forward, its rifiing band engaging the rifiing a of the gun barrel, while at the same time the cartridge case will fly rearward, its rifiing band a engaging the rilling 1; on the rear barrel, thus neutralizing any twisting efl'ect occasioned by the rotation of the projectile about its axis as it leaves the gun, and also neutralizing longitudinal friction forces.

As the powder charge H is consumed, the powder gases will not only tend to propel the projectile forward, and the cartridge case rearward, but will also pass through the holes 2 in the cartridge case, tending to create a balance of pressure outside of the cartridge case to that inside of the same, and thus preventing the cartridge case from expanding and sticking in the powder chamber of the gun.

Thus it will be seen that the cartridge case serves not only as a holder for the propelling charge, but also serves as a counterweight which neutralizes any tendency of the gun to move longitudinally in either direction when the gun is fired.

Furthermore, by having this cartridge case perforated, as shown ate, there is very little, if any, tendency of the same to stick in the bore of the gun when the gun is fired and consequently the same is expelled rearwardly at the same time that the projectile is expelled forward.

In the design shown, the weight of the cartrid e case E, with its base plug E, might )e substantially the same as the weight of the projectile, not including, of course, the weight of the powder charge; but if desired the weight of the cartridge case and parts carried thereby may be varied to suit variations in the relative lengths of front and rear barrels.

This same general form of cartridge case could also be used in that class of non-recoil guns where the frontbarrel is rifled and the tions might be made in the herein described apparatus, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Fixed ammunition for use in a rifled non-recoil gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case, of a weight approximately equal to that of the projectile, said cartridge case having its rear end normally closed and its front end closed by the projectile and said cartridge case and said projectile both being provided with rifling bands, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said closed end and said projectile, said case thus serving a two-fold purpose of acting as a container for the powder charge and also as a recoil mass to balance the inertia and friction of the projectile.

2. Fixed ammunition for use in a gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a heavy metal plug, and its front end closed by the projectlle, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said plu and said projectile, the said cartrid e case being provided with a series of ribs a apted to engage the bore of the gun with perforated reduced portions extending between said ribs, substantially as described.

8. Fixed ammunition for use in a rifled non-recoil gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, cartridge case having its rear end closed, and its front end normally closed by the projectile and said cartridge case and said r0- jectile both being provided with ri in bands, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case, the said cartridge case being provided with a primer projecting radially through the side thereof, and the said base plug being provided with a guide lug adapted to engage a ide groove on the gun and to cause the primer to register with the firing mechanism of the gun when the gun is loaded.

4. Fixed ammunitionfor use in a rifled gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, and the rifling in the rear portion of the gun being similarly disposed to that in the forward portion of the gun, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a heavy base plug, and its front end closed by the projectile, both base plug and projectile being provided with rifling bands adapted to engage said rifling, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said projectile, substantially as described.

comprising a closed by 'tween said ribs, and

plug and said 5. Fixed ammunition for use in a gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a heavy ngztal plug, and its front end closed by the projectile, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said plug and said projectile, the said cartridge case being provided with a series of annular ribs adapted to engage the bore of the gun, said ribs being tapered longitudinally. with perforated reduced portions (KXlQlltiliig' between said ribs, substantially as described.

(3. Fixed ammunition for use in a gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a base plug, and its front end closed by the projectile and said cartridge case and said projertile both being provided with rilling bands, with u propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said plug and said projectile, the said cartridge case being provided with a primer projecting through the side thereof, and the said base plug being provided with a guide lug adapted to engage a guide'groove on the gun and to cause the primer to register with the firing mechanism of the gun when the gun is loaded.

7. Fixed annnunition for use in a rifled non-recoil gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case closed at its rear end, and the projectile normally held in the front end thereof and said cartridge case and said projectile both being provided with ril'ling bands, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case, the said cartridge case being provided with a primer projecting through the side thereof, and the said cartridge case being provided with a guide lug adapted to engage a guide groove on the gun and to cause the primer to register with the firing mechanism of the gun when the gun is loaded, substantially as described.

8. Fixed ammunition for use in a rifled gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, and the rifling in the rear portion of the gun being similarly disposed to that in the forward portion of the. gun, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a base plug, and its front end the projectile, both base plug and projectile being provided with rifling bands adapted to engage said rifling, the said cartridge case being provided with ribs ada ted to engage the walls of the bore of the gun, with perforated reduced portions bea propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said plug and said projectile, substantially as described.

9. Fixed ammunition for use in a gun having its bore open both at the breech and the muzzle, comprising a cartridge case having its rear end closed by a base plug, and its front end closed by the projectile, with a propelling charge contained in said cartridge case between said plug and said projectile, the said cartridge case being provided with ribs adapted to engage the walls of the bore of the gun, with perforated reduced portions between said ribs, said cartridge case being also provided with a 19 primer pro ect1ng through one side thereof,

and the said base plug being provided with aguide lug adapted to engage a guide groove. on the gun and to cause the primer to register with the firing mechanism of the gun when the gun is loaded, substantially as 15 described.

In testimony whereof, We affix our signatures.

LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR. GREGORY C. DAVISON.