US1314665A

US1314665A - Fibincr-gear fob depth-mines

Info

Publication number: US1314665A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1936-09-02

Description

'1 M iv ii 5!. H 111M 32 I l J. HUBER.

FIRING GEAR FOR DEPTH MINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1918.

I Z9 Z6 Z 0/9 2/ I I J5 I PatmltcdSept. 2, 1919.,

\ place by JAMES HUBER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRING-GEAR FOR DEPTH-MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed May 8, 1918. Serial N 0. 233,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HUBER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F iring-Gears for Depth-Mines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a firing gear for depth mines.

'- The primary object of the invention resides in the provision of a firing gear of the same general character as that illustratcd, described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 216,816, filed February 12, 1918, and wherein the proper amount of water to cause the rupturing of the diaphragm which protects the detonator operating mechanism is admitted only after the gear has reached the proper depth for i 4 5 The casting 1 is'provided with firing the mine.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a gear'wherein the depth at which the diaphragm is ruptured maybe adjusted at the will of the operator before the mine is launched.

With these and other objects inview, such as will appear as the description progresses, my invention comprises the-combination and arrangement of parts as set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims. J

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a firing gear, constructed in accordance with my invention; I

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view;

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2; and I Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail.-

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawing, includes a casting 1 which is adapted to be attached to the minein the usual manner and which carries the detonator guide tube 2. A piston 3 is slidably mounted in this tube 2 and is normally lorated at the upper end thereof. Depending from the piston 3 is a sleeve 4: which is provided between its ends with an annular recess 5. A detonator carrier 6 is located within the sleeve 4 and is maintained in balls 7, the balls being carried by 'an annular cage 8, which is located between detonator will be mounted, tight, but so ,tion of the barrel.

the carrier and the innerI wall of the sleeve 4. It will be noted on an inspection of the drawing that the cage 8 extends to the lower end of the guide tube 2 and is secured thereto at 9. The balls 7 are adapted to ride upon the inner face of the sleeve 4, but fit in a recess 10 in the carrier 6. So long as the balls are located in the constricted portion of the sleeve'l, the detonator carrier'and detonator will be rigid with the cage 8 and thus the held retracted from the firing pin. When, i is depressed sufliciently to bring the balls 7 in alinement with theannuiar recess .5, the balls will be permitted to move outwardly in the cage and consequently release the det-- onator carrier. Upon the release of the detonator carrier, the detonator will be projected downwardly forcibly by a spring 11, which is located between the iston 3 however, the piston .3.

and the'carrier 6, and is placed un er com pression by the downward movement of the former in a manner which will later appear.

verse tapered chamber 12, in which a tapered barrel '13 is located, the barrel being held tightly in said 14, which passes through a cap 15 and into one end of the barrel. A spring '16 is disposed between the head of the screw 14 and the cap 15, so as to render the joint between the barrel and the chamber lllWlllCll it. is

as to permit the rota- The barrel 12 is provided with an inlet opening 17 with which a plurality of radial channels 18 of various sizes communicate. These channels are adapted upon the rotation oflthebarrel 13, to be brought .into alinement with a passage 19 formed in the wall of the chamber 12 and adapted to communicate with any one of a number of radial bores 20, which latter bores a" transrecess by means of a screw to the diameters of the bores and are held in i place by collars 22. Disposed between these collars and the diap'hragms are washers 21 which have perforatlons 21 therein, through which the water may have access to the dlaphragms. The aggregate cross sectional area of the perforations 21" in each washer is approximately equal. to the cross sectional area of the channel 18, through I water into the firing gear.

to a piston 27. This piston vided with a plurality which the water passes to the particular diaphragm. Thus an additional protection for the diaphragms is afforded and an adjacent explosion will be positively revented from affecting the diaphragms. passage 23 extends from the bores 20 to an annular recess 24:, the latter being formed adjacent to the inner end of the barrel 13 and communicating with the piston 3 through an opening 25 in the casting 1. "The passage 19 also communicates with an opening 26 at the upper side of the chamber 12 through which passage the water may have access 27 is mounted in a housing 28 extending from the upper end of the casting 1 and is normally held in its lowermost position by a, coil spring 29, which bears against the piston at its lower end and bears'a'gainst the upper end of the housing at its other end.

The outer face of the barrel 13 is proof designations 30, one. being in alinement with each of the channels18-and each indicating the depth at which the mine will be exploded by the entrance of a predetermined quantity of A separate designation. 31 is provided which, when alined with a corresponding mark 32 on the face of the casting 1, will indicate that none"of the channels 18 are in communication with r the passage 19, and consequently that the mine will be safe from explosion.

Before the mine is launched the barrel 13' will be. turned until thefproper channel 18 communicates with tosay, if it is desired to have the mine explode at 250 feet, for instance, the barrel will beturned until the designation 250 feet alines with the mark 32 on the face of the casting 1. At this time the corresponding channel 18 will communicate with the passage 19. This channel is of such .diame ter that the space within the housing 28 will be filled with water and the piston 27 will be in its raised position only after the mine has reached the depth of 250 feet. By rotating the 'barrel the desired channel may be brought into active relation with the passage 17 and the mine thus set to explode at any of the various depths.

After the mine is launched the 'water will enter through the opening 17, the channel 18 and the passage 19. As the mine travels downwardly the water will gradually fill thehousing 28 and that portion of the casting 1 to which it'has access, being excluded from the bores 20, however, by the diaphragm which is in operative position. When the mine reaches the ultimate depth for which it is set, the piston 27 will have been moved upwardly against the action of the spring or the air in the housing 28 which acts as a cushion, so that the pressure of the water will then rupture the dia the annular recess to force the of'the diaphragm 21 will a particular water nism, the passage 19; that is phragm 21 and will enter the port 20, from which it will pass through the channel 23 and the opening 25 to the piston 3. The pressure of the water will move the piston 3 downwardly against the action of the spring 11, the detonator carrier 6 remaining stationary during this initial movement of the piston 3, and the spring 11 being put under compression. When the balls 7 reach 5' they will be permitted to move outwardly and release the dot onator carrier 6, which will be projected detonator against the firing pin by the action of the spring 11 and the air compressed in the housing 28.

Inasmuch as the piston 27 is free to move upwardly, any temporary excess of pressure'caused, for instance, by the explosion of a previously launched mine, will be taken up by the piston and thus the rupturing be prevented until the mine has reached the proper depth.

While I have illustrated and described embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

What I claim is 1. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a diaphragm for excluding the from the detonator actuating mechaand means for permittin the continuous inflow of water to the iaphragm, said means being adjustable to vary of flow; 2. In a firing gear .for depth mines, the

combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and detonator actuating mechanism, and adjustable means for permitting the continuous inflow of water to the chamber at such a rate that the chamber will be filled in a predetermined time during the sinking of the mine.

- 3. In a firing gear for depth mines, the i combination with a -water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a frangible diaphragmdisposed between the chamber and detonator actuating mechanism, and means for permitting the continuous inflow of water to the chamber at such a rate that the chamber will be filled in a predetermined time during the sinking of the mine, said means being adjustable to vary the rate 4. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, and a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, the gear,

having a plurality of water inlet channels of various sizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber.

5. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water receiving chamber associated therewith, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, the gear having a plurality of water inlet channels of various sizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber, and means for varying the size of the chamber during the inflow of the water.

6,111 a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, means for admitting water to the chamber at various rates of flow, and means for absorbing the excessive water pressure caused by an external increase of pressure to prevent the rupturing of the diaphragm before the chamber is completely filled with water.

7. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a series of frangible diaphragms of various resistances adapted to be separately and selectively arranged to separate the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, and means for permitting the continuous inflow of water into the chamber at such a rate during the sinking of the mine that the chamber will be completely filled when the mine reaches such a depth that the operative diaphragm will be ruptured by the water pressure at such depth.

8. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a barrel disposed between the ,chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, and a series of diaphragms of various resistances mounted in said barrel and adapted to be separately and selectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, said barrel having also a plurality of channels of various sizes adapted to be selectively brought into communication with the waterreceiving chamber, one of said channels being associated with each of said diaphragms. 1

9. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a barrel disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuat mechanism, a series of diaphragms of various resistances mounted insaid barrel and adapted to be separately and selectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, said barrel having also a plurality of channels of various sizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber, one of said channels being associated with each of said diaphragms, and means for varying the size of the water-receiving chamber in proportion to the rate of inflow of the water.

10. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure-operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a barrel disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, a series of diaphragms of various resistances mounted in said barrel and adapted to be separately and selectively moved to separate the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, said barrel having also a plurality .of channels of various sizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber, one of said channels being associated with each of said diaphragms, and a spring actuated piston for varying the size of the water-receiving chamber.

11. In a firing gear for depth mines, the combination with a water-pressure operated detonator, of a water-receiving chamber associated therewith, a frangible diaphragm disposed between the chamber and the detonator actuating mechanism, the gear having a plurality of water inlet channels of various sizes adapted to be separately and selectively brought into communication with the water-receiving chamber, a movable piston operable in said water-receiving chamber, and a perforated element disposed between the diaphragm and said chamber.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.