US1449168A

US1449168A - Submarine mine

Info

Publication number: US1449168A
Application number: US409761A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elia Giovanni Emanuele
Original assignee: Vickers Ltd
Current assignee: Vickers Ltd
Priority date: 1920-09-13
Filing date: 1920-09-13
Publication date: 1923-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1940-03-20

Description

Mar. 20, 1923. 1,449,168

G. E. ELIA SUBMARINE MINE Filed Sept. 15, 1920 4 sheetssheet 1 Mar. 20, 1923.

1,449,168 G. E. ELIA SUBMARINE MINE Filed Sept. 15, 1920 4 sheets-sheet 2 W 'MM 6 QS MMZW. 0 pm mMi- 'ma,

Mar. 20, 1923. 1,449,168

G. E. ELIA SUBMARINE MINE Filed Sept. 15, 1920 4 sheets-sheet 5 llIIIIIII/I Mar. 20, 1923. 1,449,168 I G. E. ELIA SUBMARINE MINE Filed Sept. 15, 1920 4 sheets-sheet 4 Patented Mar. 29, 1923.

Mdtdt UNl'l'Efi PATENT OFFICE.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, OF VIESTBIINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND.

SUBMARINE MINE.

Application filed September 0 Mi whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, l/Vestminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful improvements in or Relating to Submarine Mines, of which the following is a specifica- 'tion.

This invention relates to submarine mines of the kind comprising an anchor connected to the flotation chamber or mine proper by a mooring cable. The invention has more especial reference to mines in which the paying out of the mooring cable is effected by the separation of the flotation chamber from the anchor after the mine has been launched and the parts thereof approach or reach the sea bed and in which a weight is provided for arresting the unwinding or paying out of the mooring cable, the said weight being normally held attached to the mooring cable and being released therefrom at a predetermined point in the ascent of the flotation chamber so as to regulate the depth of immersion at which the flotation chamber will be anchored.

In mines of this type a plummet or sound ing ball has usually been provided, which controls the separation of the flotation chamber from the anchor by preventing paying out of the mooring cable from the winch drum which carries the same until the mine approaches or reaches the sea bed and one feature of the present invention consists in dispensing with the aforesaid plummet or sounding ball and in providing retaining means (hereinafter termed anchor arms) carried by the anchor which normally form a cage or cradle for connecting the flotation chamber to the anchor until the mine has been launched and has reached the sea bed, said retaining means also assisting in anchoring the mine after the flotation chamber and the anchor have separated from each other to a predetermined extent.

To this end a number of anchor arms, for example four, may be pivotally connected to the base plate or lower casting of the anchor, which arms normally proiectvertically upwards so as to surround the flotation chant 1 13, 1920. Serial No. 409,761.

ber when the latter is in position on the anchor. At or towards the upper end of each of the aforesaid arms a tie rod may be attached, the ends of the several tie rods being brought together at the top of the mine and secured in a detachable manner to each other so as to retain the flotation chamber in contact with the anchor until it is desired that they shall separate. Such means may comprise a soluble plug which is adapted after the mine has been launched and has reached the seabed to dissolve and to release the retaining means for the tie rods so that owing to the buoyancy of the flotation chamber and its normal tendency to rise clear of the anchor the anchor arms are thrown radially outwards about their pivotal connections and the flotation chamber separates from the anchor. When the anchor arms have fulfilled their function as retaining means they rest upon the sea bed andserve as an additional anchoring means for the mine.

A further feature of the present invention consists in providing suitable means, hereinafter term tracks, which are carried by or form part of the anchor and the flotation chamber and which are of such a character as to permit the mine to be launched-by rollin the same upon the said tracks, thus dispensing with the necessity of providing wheels on the anchor and a special launching track on the ship or vessel which carries the mine.

Such special launching means may be formed by three circular metal tracks, which are of slightly larger diameter than the flotation chamber or the anchor. Two of these tracks may be constituted by circular cast ings which form respectively the top and bottom plates of the anchor. The third track may be constituted by a metal ring which encircles the flotation chamber at or about the centre of its periphery and which may be constructed in four separate or separable segments attached to the aforesaid anchor arms in such manner that when the anchor arms are released by the dissolution of the aforesaid soluble plug the upper segmental track is also released andfalls with the anchor arms to the sea bed.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example asubmarine mine constructed according to the present invention and in which Figure l is a part sectional elevation,

Figure 2 isan elevation with the aforesaid tie rods and the retaining means therefor in section so that the construction of these parts may be more clearly seen.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of the anchor.

Figure i is a sectional elevation,

Figure 5 is an outside elevation, and

FigureG is a. sectional plan view of the aforesaid weight,

Figure 7 is a partly diagrammatic view showing the mine resting on its side upon the aforesaid tracks in which position it is ready to be launched.

Figure 8 is a view of the mine after it has been launched and is entering the sea,

Figure 9 shows the mine a 'ter it has reached the sea bed,

Figure 10 shows the approximate position assumed by theparts of the mine after the soluble plug has dissolved and the flotation chamber and the weight have commenced to separate from the anchor, and,

Figure 11 shows the IQIHtlXQ position of the parts of the mine after the weight has been released and has operated to prevent continued paying out of the mooring cable, the flotation chamber being therefore anchored at the desired depth of immersion.

A is the flotation chamber, B is the anchor and C is the weight which is normally secured in a detachable manner to the mooring cable and which is. released at the proper moment to determine the final depth of immersion of the flotation chamber. D is the mooringcable and E is the mooring cable winch drum. F, F are the aforesaid tracks on which the mine is rolled from the ship or aeroplane during the act of launching. G, G are the anchor arms which in the example shown are four in number and g, g are. tie rods each of which is attached at g to the anchor arms G, the other ends of the tie rods being brought'together, as shown, at the top of the mine and secured Ito each other through the intermediary of a coupling member which engages with an eye 5/ on each of the tie rods 9. The coupling member is held in engagement with the upper ends of the tie rods ,r by means of a soluble plug disposed aroundan attaching bolt and by a nut carried by a plate 9 and engaging the end of thebolt 9 above the soluble plug 9 Owing to this arrangement the soluble plug 9 and nut normally serve to hold the parts together but when the plug is dissolved by the action of the sea water, the buoyancy of the flotation chamber A forces the member out of engagement with the eyes 0 in the tie rods H is a brake of the dash-pot type for controlling the speed at which the mooring cable is allowed to pay out from the winch drum E, the said brake being provided with a micrometer attachment so that the speed at which the flotation chamber A,and the weight C rises towards the surface of the water may be predetermined. The lower end of the winch drum E is formed with a ratchet toothed periphery c, and pivotally mounted on one of the uprights 7) which serve to connect together the upper and lower plates or tracks F, F, is a. pawl 0. At its front end the said pawl c is suitably shaped to engage when desired with the ratchet teth c and stop the rotation of the winch drum, and at its other end it is acted upon by a spring 6 which normally tends to oscillate it about its pivot and force it into engagement with the said ratchet teeth 0. The pawl e is normally held out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 6 by means of a vertical rod 2', the lower end of which engages within a recess 6" in the pawl, the rod 2' being attached at its upper end to a member I which is adapted to be acted upon by the weight G when the latter is released at the desired moment from the mooring cable D. The said member I is formed in two parts, i and '2 respectively, which are pivotally connected together by a link member 2' the part 2' being also pivotally connected at to the upper part of the anchor casing. The rod i is slidably mounted in guides b, .7) carried by one of the uprights 7) and a helical spring is provided which acts on a stop 73 attached to the rod 2' in such manner as normally to retain the lower end of the said rod within the opening 6'' in the pawl e. The upper end of the part c" of the member I is pro vided with a fairlead 7: through which the mooring cable D is passed.

The winch drum E is provided at its upper part with teeth J, with which a bevel wheel 7'. attached to a shaft having a handle j, is adapted to engage, these parts being operated when winding or unwinding by hand the cable D on or off the drum E.

T he shaft 7' is also provided with an extension j which engages the hollow spindle L around which the mooring cable drum is adapted to rotate. The mooring cable D which is to be attached to the flotation chamber is let off the winch drum E and passes around a pulley wheel (Z which is rotatably mounted upon the base plate F of the anchor. After passing round the pulley (Z the mooring cable is passed through the hollow spindle L and the fairlead 2' and attached to the flotation chamber at a.

The weight C is of the type described and illustrated in United States Patents Nos. 1,303,272- and 1,296,376; when the mine is out of the water and before it reaches the sea bed the hydrostat is maintained inoperative by means of aidevice. of the type referred to in the aforesaid prior patents which is withdrawn so as to release the hydrostat when the parts of the mine sepa rate after having reached the sea bed.

The weight is normally attached to a sleeve 0 which is fixed to the mooring cable D a short distance away from the flotation chamber A and it is retained in position on the sleeve 0 by means of a pivotally mounted cranked lever c which is located in a recess in the weight C and the'long arm of which engages within a recess 0 in the sleeve 0, the said recess 0 being bevelled at its extremities as shown. The long arm of the lever 0 is normally held in engagement with the aforesaid recess 0 by means of a compression spring 0 while the short arm 0 of the lever 0 normally engages a notch 0 in a second cranked lever c which is pivotally mounted at 0 to the weight C and is attached at 0 by means of an elongated slot to a pair of lugs c on the movable part 0 of a hydrostatic device 0 The short arm 0 of the lever c is acted upon by means of a movable piston or plunger 0 which surrounds the sleeve 0 and which is pressed downwards by means of a compression spring 0 the extent of the pressure being capable of being varied as desired so as to determine the pressure and consequently the depth at which the weight is to be released from the mooring cable. To this end an externally screw threaded plug 0 is provided which when rotated by a milled nut 0 compresses or relaxes the spring 0 by causing the plug 0 to advance or recede within a screw threaded opening 0 in the weight C. Owing to this arrangement and when the flotation chamber A, carrying with it the upper end of the mooring cable D and also the weight C, ascends from the sea bed towards the surface of the water the pressure of the sea water on the hydrostatic device and on the face of the piston or plunger 0 is gradually relaxed until it is reduced to such an extent that it is less than the pressure exerted by the spring .0 on the end 0 of the lever 0 this pressure corresponding to the depth at which the mine is to be anchored. Thereupon the lever moves about its fulcrum into a position in which the notch 0 disengages the extremity 0 of the lever 0, so that the weight of the weight 0 is thrown entirely upon the long arm of the lever 0, thereby overcoming the pressure of the spring 0 and forcing the lever c out of engagement with the notch 0 in the sleeve 0. The weight is thus released and glides along the mooring cable towards the anchor;

In operation, the mine with the parts locked together as shown in Figure 7 is launched by being located upon its side on the tracks F and rolled clear of the ship, aeroplane, or the like upon which it is sup ported. When the parts reach the sea bed as shown at Figure 9, the soluble plug 9 dissolves and frees the tie rods 9 so that the anchor arms G fall downwards into'the position shown in Figure 10 thus releasing the flotation chamber which by its buoyancy commences to ascend towards the surface of the water. The mooring cable at the same time commences to pay out at a speed which is determined by the brake H. As the cable D pays out through the fairlead 2" it raises the upper end i of the member 1 into a vertical position as shown at Figure 10. Then the mine ascends to the distance below the surface of the water for which the hydrostatic device has been set,

the weight C is released as aforesaid and in falling it strikes the upper end 2" of the member I and thereby oscillates the part 2' of the member I about its fulcrum i thus raising the rod 11 out of engagement with the opening 6 in the pawl e and allowing the pawl e to be forced by the spring 6 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 6 on the mooring cable winch drum E. The flotation chamber is thus anchored at a predetermined distance below the surface of the water while the pawl e effectually locks the winch drum against continued rotation thereby preventing further paying out of the mooring cable.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- l. A submarine mine comprising a flotation chamber, an anchor, rigid anchor arms pivotally attached to the base plate of the anchor which normally extend vertically upwards and form a cradle for the flotation chamber, tie rods connected at one of their ends to the anchor arms, the endsof the tie rods being brought together at the top of the flotation chamber, retaining means comprising a soluble plug for securing said tie rods together in a detachable manner until after launching of the mine, said anchor arms, when the tie rods are released, acting as anchoring means for the mine.

2. A submarine mine comprising a flotation chamber, an anchor, rigid anchor arms attached to said anchor which normally extend vertically upwards, and form a cradle for the flotation chamber, and launching tracks forming part of the anchor and of said anchor arms which permit the mine to be launched by rolling the same upon said tracks.

&

v 3. A submarine mine comprising a flotation chamber, an anchor, rigid anchor arms which normally extend upwards and form a cradle for the flotation chamber and .5 launching tracks which permit the mine to be launched by rolling the same upon the said tracks said launchlng tracks belng constituted by circular castings forming respectively the top and bottom plates of the an ch01 and by ring segments attached to the anchor arms and normally encircling the flotation chamber.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

(HOVAN-NI EMANUELE ELIA.