US1314663A - Gears - Google Patents

Description

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

J; HUBER.-

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. I9I8.

I I I H I I I I W5 1 f I 1 IIIIIIII IS III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE PREMATURE EXPLOSION 0F DEPTH MINE FIRING GEARS.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

' JAMES HUBER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED,

OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE PREMATURE EXPLOSION OF DEPTH-MINE FIRING- GEARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed February 12, 1918. Serial No. 216,817.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES HUBER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing in the city of Philadelphia and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means 7 it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a firing gear for a depth mine and particularly to means for preventing the premature firing of the mine, either because of the fact that it, is launched at high speed or because of the occurrenceof an explosion adjacent to the same.

Some difficulty has been experienced in launching these depth mines because of the fact that they often strike'the water in such position that they are immediately exploded.

This liability of exploding at this time is enhanced greatly because of the fact that the mines are usually launched from a ship which is proceeding at relatively high speed. Furthermore, it often occurs that amine will explode in sympathy with a previously dropped mine, because of the sudden increase of pressure produced by the explosion of the latter mine. Of course, the disadvantage of the mine exploding at either of the above referred to times is obvious.

It is, therefore, the primary object of my invention to construct a mine which may be thrown from a ship proceeding at any speed whatever, with the assurance that it will not explode upon its contact with the water, no matter in what position it strikes the latter and, furthermore, to so construct themine that it will be impossible for it to explode in sympathy with an adjacent-explosion.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a section View of a firing gear showing the same in place on a mine and showing the safet device thereon;

Fig. 2 is an en arged sectional v1ew of a safety device showing the same in its closed position; 1

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a firing gear, and

Fig. 4 is asection of the same.

portion of the the-tube 5 within the ignition charge case 3, a

is a detonator receiver 7 in which is located the firing pin. Communication between the tube 5 and the receiver 7 is normally destroyed by slides 8, which, however, are au-- tomatically moved up by the detonator in its downward movement. This detonator 9 is supported by a detonator carrier 10, which is normally maintained in place by a sup porting element 11, which element, however, is adapted to be sheared upon'the application of the proper pressure to the carrier.

A piston 12 is mounted in the upper end of the tube 5, and interposed between the piston and the carrier-10 is a spring 13, which normally is under no, or at least very little, compression. The upper end of the tube 5 is-attached to a body portion or casting 14 by means, such as screw threads. This body portion 14 is provided with a bore 15,whioh opens at 16 at its upper end and at its lower end communicates with the interior of the guide tube. A chamber 17 intersects the bore 15 and its axis extends transversely thereof. In this chamber 17 a barrel 18 is 'revolubly mounted, which barrel is mainment with the bore 15 to regulate the depth at which the water has access to the piston 12. The shank 20 carries an indicator 22 which cooperates with a dial 23 and indicates the position of the barrel and the depth I at'which the particular diaphragm which is being usedwill be ruptured. When the mine the diaphragm will permit the water to have access to the piston 12 to move this piston toward the detonator carrier 10 until the spring 13 is under such compression that the supporting element or wire 11 will be sheared, at which time the detonator will be projected against the firing pin and the mine fired.

The above described construction is similar to that described and claimed in my above referred to co-pending application and further description of the same is, therefore, deemed unnecessary and inadvisable.

In order that the diaphragms may be ruptured by the pressure of the water only after the mine reaches a predetermined and desired depth, I have provided the upper end of the body portion or casting 14 with an internally threaded collar 24:, with which a cap 25 is engaged. This cap is provided in its upperface with a plurality of openings 26, and in its peripheral face with a plurality of openings 27 through which latter openings the water may pass to the bore 16 in the body portion 14, communication being established through openings 28 in a spring support 29. This latter element is maintained in place by the cap 25. A valve 30 is located and operable in the cap 25 and is provided with a shank 31 which extends into a guideway in the spring support 29. This valve is provided with an upper face 32, against which the water which enters through the openings 26 in the cap acts, and with a lower annular face 33, against which the water entering through the openings 27 acts. It will be noted that the area of the face 32 is considerably greater than the area of the annular face 33, so that the pressure tending to move the valve downwardly will be greater than that tending to move the valve upwardly.

In order that the valve may be held in its uppermost position normally, a spring 34 is interposed between the spring support 29 and the valve 30. This valve 30 is provided with a depending flange 35, which when the valve is in its uppermost position is located above the openings 27, but when the valve is in its lowermost position abuts against an ppposing shoulder on the spring support 29.

n this position of the valve the openings 27, through which the water has access to the diaphragms 21, are closed and the pressure of the water is thus prevented rupturing the diaphragms.

Surrounding the peripheral wall of the cap 25 is a flange 36 which is adapted, upon the descent of the mine in the water to prevent the setting up of such eddies as will prevent the ingress of the water to the diaphragms through the openings 27.

The diaphragm 37 extends across the upper end of the bore 15 and is maintained in place by the cap 25. This diaphragm is made of frangible material, and is adapted to be ruptured at the same pressure as that required to rupture the diaphragms 21. An additional diaphragm 38 closes the lower end of the bore 15 and is maintained in place by the tube 5. This diaphragm likewise is madeof frangible material and is adapted to be ruptured at the same pressure.

When the mine is thrown overboard from a ship, or from any other suitable carrier, the valve 30 will remain in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 if the firing gear does not strike the water first or before the mine has lost its velocity. Furthermore, the plunger will remain in this position during the sink ing of the mine to a predetermined depth under normal conditions, that is to say, if the pressure of the water is not suddenly increased because of an adjacent explosion.

If the firing gear strikes the water first upon the launching of the mine, or if an explosion occurred adjacent to the planted mine, the sudden increase of pressure will counteract the efl'ect of the spring 34 and will cause the valve 30 to move downwardly until the flange 35 thereof closes the openings 27 and thus prevents the breaking of the diaphragm 21 by the increased water pressure. It will be readily understood that this downward movement of the valve takes place because of the fact that the area of the face 32 is greater than the area of the face 33 of the valve, and consequently the effec tive pressure tending to move the valve downwardly is greater than that tending to move it in the opposite direction. When the pressure again returns to normal, the spring 34 comes into operation and moves the valve to its initial or raised position, so that the water may have free access through the openings 27 to the diaphragm and rupture the diaphragm when the mine reaches the predetermined or desired depth.

It will be readily observed that the space within the Cap 25 is at all times filled with water, so that if the diaphragm 37 were omitted, the sudden downward movement of the valve 30 would be liable to cause the rupturing of the diaphragm 21, owing to the fact that very little of the water would be forced from the openings 27 and to the fact that the water is practically non-compres sible. The diaphragm 37 has, therefore, been provided for the purpose of protecting the diaphragm 21, so that the space between the two diaphragms will be filled with air alone, When the pressure of the water is suddenly increased so as to operate the valve 30, the force exerted on the diaphragm 37 will distend the same, or may, as a matter of fact completely rupture it. In either case there is such space between the diaphragm,

37 and the diaphragm 21 that the latter will not be effected. Of cOurse, if the diaphragm 37 is actually broken by the sudden increase of pressure, the water will then have access to the'diaphragm 21, and if this diaphragm is subjected to such an increase of pressure, subsequently that too may be broken, in which case the diaphragm 38 will still protect the spring operating piston 12. It is to be noted that if none of the diaphragms are ruptured by the sudden increase of pressure, the mine will still be fired at the proper depth, as all of the diaphragms'are arranged to be ruptured at the same pressure, so that the progress of the water through the bore 15 to the piston 12 will be interrupted only momentarily by the diaphragms.

It will be seen from the foregoing de scription of my invention that I have provided a very simple, and yet exceedingly efiicient device for preventing the premature explosion of depth mines and one which will be positive in its operation and which will overcome the very difiiculty which is 110w being experienced in the casting of mines from moving ships, and in the explosion of the mines before they have reached the proper depth by the explosion of a previously planted mine.

lVhat I claim is: y

l. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolating said detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to ruptureunder a predetermined Water pressure, and means for protecting aid diaphragm upon a sudden increase of the water pressure.

2. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, said detonator being constructed to operate upon the application of a predetermined water pressure, and means to prevent the operation of said detonator when the water pressure is suddenly increased.

3. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, including a waterpressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolating the detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to rupture under a predetermined pressure, and means to destroy the access of the water to the diaphragm upon a sudden rise of pressure to or beyond the point at which the diaphragm is constructed to rupture.

4. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, a dia-.

phragm for isolating the detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to rupture under the application of a predetermined pressure, and automatically operable means for preventing the rupturing of said diaphragm upon the sudden increase of the water pressure.

-5. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor including a waterpressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolating said detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to rupture when the mine reaches a predetermined depth, and means phragm until said depth is reached.

7. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear includinga water-pressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolating the same, which diaphragm is constructed to be ruptured by the water pressure at a predetermined depth, and an automatically operable valve for preventing the rupturing of said diaphragm until said depth is reached.

8. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water pressure operated detonator, of means for destroying communication between the detonator actuating mechanism and the water, said means being rendered inoperative by predetermined water pressure, and an automatically operable valve for protecting said means.

9. The combination with a depth mine,

of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water pressure operated detonator, a frangible diaphragm for protecting said detonator, a two-surface valve for destroying communication between the Water and the diaphragm upon a sudden increase of pressure, and means for rendering the valve inoperative under normal pressure.

10. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a guide tube, a water pressure operated detonator in said tube, a diaphragm closingsaid tube, but adapted to be ruptured upon the application of the predetermined water pressure, a valve beneath which the water has access to said diaphragm, the upper effective surface of'said valve being greater than the lower effective surface, whereby upon a sudden increase of pressure the valve will be lowered to destroy communication between the water and the diaphragm.

11. The combination with a depth mine, with a' firing gear including a guide tube, a water pressure operated detonator in said tube, a frangible diaphragm closing said tube, a cap mounted above said diaphragm and through which communication is established between the water and the diaphragm, the water openings being in the side of said cap, a valve located within the cap and having an upper efi'ective surface of greater area than its lower effective surface and directly accessible to the water, a spring for holding the valve in its predetermined position normally to permit the access of the Water to the diaphragm, said spring being, however, of such resistance as to per mit the lowering of the valve and the destroying of said access upon a sudden increase of water pressure.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- JA'IMES HUBER.

Images