US1347803A - Ordnance - Google Patents

Description

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' ORDNANCE.

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Invefor.

@ZW @e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE ALEXANDRE LOUIS BOURDELLES, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T0 SOCIETE ANONYME DES ETABLISSEMENTS DELAUNAY BELLEVILLE, 0F SCR-DENIS, SEINE,

FRANCE, A CORPORATION 0F FRANCE.

ORDNANCE.

Application led January 6, 1919.

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, EMILE ALEXANDRE LoUis BoURDELLEs, citizen of the French Republic, residing at Paris, Department of the Seine, in France, and whose post-office address is 39 Rue Galile, in the said city, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Ordnance; and I 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.

This invention relates to ordnance in which springs or buffers absorb the energy of recoil of a sliding barrel and which by their subsequent expansion, return the barrel to the firing position.

Guns of the kind referred to are known in which part of the energy of recoil is absorbed by a brake and which are also provided with brakes or buffers that deaden the shock of the return movement of the barrel when, in consequence of percussion failure, the forward movement of the barrel is not stopped by the discharge of the following shot.

rlhe present invention consists mainly in the provision of a recoil spring or springs concentric with the barrel, which, by their disposition and arrangement also serves as a shock-absorber in cases of percussion failure and likewise in cases of retarded firing; a special recoil brake only entering into connection with the barrel, when the latter passes beyond the normal position of discharge of the shot, the brake at such a moment rendering the barrel completely stationary until the discharge, when effected, returns the barrel, thc said brake then offering a supplementary resistance to the recoil of the sliding barrel in addition to the normal effort of the recoil spring, for the purpose of controlling the backward movement of the barrel in such a manner as to again position it for normal working, it being necessary in this case to have greater braking power as the kinetic energy to be neutralized is greater than in normal working.

The invention is described hereunder in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawing, representing diagrammatically by Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1920.

serial No. 269,863.

way of example one constructional form of the improved devices and in which:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a back view and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan showing the method of actuating the striker.

In accordance with this invention, a barrel 1, sliding in a bearing ring 2 and in a tube 3 is urged forward by one or more springs 4, bearing at one end on the muzzle 5 of the barrel through the medium of a movable ring G and at the other end on the bearing ring 2, through the medium of the movable ring 7, as shown in the position of maximum recoil in Fig. 1. The springs urge the barrel forwardv as soon as it is liberated from its rearward position, in which it is held stationary by means of a ball-brake arrangement 8, or other suitable locking means such, for instance, as a rack and pawl device.

In normal firing, the striker is actuated by the passing of the finger 9 over the disappearing stop 10, at a moment before the tenons 1l approach the bearing ring 2. At that moment the barrel recoils toward the rear at a reduced speed by reason of the resistance offered by the springs 4. The stop 10 is mounted to rotate upon its axis from left to right when actuated by the f linger 9 in its recoil movement. An axial spring is carried by the stop 10 which returns said stop to its original position, as shown in Fig. 3, after the finger 9 has passed thereover.

In the event of a misire, the barrel continues its forward movement, the stops l1 passing through corresponding slots 12 in the bearing ring 2 and carrying with them the ring 7, while the ring 6 contacts with the ring 13 and the springs 4 in this way retard the further forward movement of the barrel.

Security against retarded firing is attained in the following manner:

The barrel, passing beyond the position at which the tenons 11 bear upon the ring 7 and continuing to move forward to a maximum extent equal to the stroke C, the catches 14 become engaged in the teeth formed on the projecting part 15 of the The catches are small rectangular plates mounted for transverse sliding movement in diametrical opposite slots formed in the member 14. In order to release the catches when necessary there is provided a hand operated screw 19 having right and left hand threads. These threads carry nuts having projections adapted to engage the plates or catches 14% so that upon the turning of the screw the said catches will be forced apart against the action of the spring 14". FIt is, of course, to be understood that after the catches have become disengaged and removed from the projecting part 15, the screw is re-adjusted to its normal position and the spring 14e then returns the catches to their normal or operative position.

The effort of the springs 4, which at this moment tends to return the barrel toward the rear, is annulled by the resistance of the liquid in the loaded-valve brake 16, the spring 17 of which isof such a tension as to oppose, at this moment, the flow of the liquid, while absolute fluidtightness is moreover insured by means of a cup leather 1S although the cup leather 18 prevents leakage between the valve and the cylinder during a movement from left to right, the liquid then passing through the loaded valve apertures, the cup leather does not prevent a slow flowing out of the liquid between the valve and the walls of the brake during the slow movement of the brake from right to left.

At the end of the retarded fire, when the shot is discharged, the barrel is forced toward the rear by the action of the springs 4, in addition to its own recoil movement. At this moment the loaded valve 16 rises to the desired extent to permit of the recoil of the barrel, at the same time braking it.

When this rare incident of firing occurs, the screw 19 enables the catches 14 to be subsequently released and the barrel disconnected :from the fiuid controlled brake. A light spring 2() returns the brake piston to its normal position neai the front, in a manner as hcreinbefore stated.

I claim:

1. Ordnance of the class described, comprising a gun barrel, a support or casing for said barrel, a fixed bearing therein for slidably supporting the barrel, an annular flange or fixed stop on the end of the barrel, coil springs concentric with said barrel, a pair of slidable washers mounted on the barrel for retaining the springs there between, one of said washers adapted to bear against the fixed bearing in the casing and the other against the fixed stop on the barrel, said springs comprising a recoil mechanism when the gun is fired, and a buffer in case of mis-fire or retarded firing.

2. Ordnance of the class described, comprising a gun barrel, recoil mechanism carried by said barrel, a buffer to retard the forward movement of said barrel in case of retarded firing, a brake mechanism to prevent the backward movement of said barrel until after retarded firing. said brake mechanism also acting as an auxiliary recoil mechanism after the charge is finally fired, and means for releasing said bake mechanism.

3. Ordnance of the class described, comprising a gun barrel combined recoil and buffer mechanism carried by said barrel, a brake mechanism for automatically stopping and holding said barrel in its forward position in case of misfire or delayed firing, and means for releasing said brake mechanism.

4. Ordnance of the class described. comprising a gun barrel, a support or casing for said barrel, a fixed hearing therein for slidably supporting the barrel, an annular flange or fixed stop on the end of the barrel, coil springs concentric with said barrel, a pair of slidable washers mounted on the barrel for retaining the springs there between, one of said washers adapted to bear against the fixed bearing in the casing and the other against the fixed stop on the barrel7 a brake mechanism carried by the casing.` a projection on the barrel, catches also carried by said barrel, said projection adapted to strike against the inner spring-retaining washer to check the forward movement of the barrel, and the catches adapted to engage and interlock with the brake mechanism to retain the barrel in its forward position, in case of mis-fire or delayed firing, and means for releasing said catches.

l'n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EMILE ALEXANDRE LOUIS BOURDELLES.

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