US1502259A - Percussive firing mechanism for breech-loading guns - Google Patents

Description

July 22, 1924; r

. O. D. LUCAS rEncussxvn FIRING MECHANISM'FOR BREECH LOADING GUNS Fil ed March 5. 1925 Patented July 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES istazsa PATENT OFF-ICE,

OWEN DAVID LUCAS, OF BAYSWATER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

PEROU'SSIVE FIRING MECHANISM FOR BREEOI-I-LOADING GUNS.

Application filed March 5,

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN DAVID LUCAS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 49 Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Percussive Firing Mechanism for Breech-Loading Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to percussive firing mechanism for breech loading guns, particularly for guns used in projecting signal shells into the air for signalling to aircraft from an aerodrome or a ship.

According to the invention the firing mechanism comprises a hammer which normally occupies a position some distance behind the firing pin, a sear for holding the hammer in this position and a movable firing member which operates upon the hammer through the intermediary of a firing spring and which at a. predetermified point in its movement disengages the sear from the hammer to permit the latter to be impelled forward by the energized spring and strike the firing pin. A second spring operated upon by the firing member may also be provided for returning this member and the hammer to their original position when the said member is; released.

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, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively asectional plan, a rear elevation and a side elevation showing a constructional form of the firing mechanism in accordance with the invention.

Figure l is a rear elevation of Figure 1 with certain parts removed in order to show other parts more clearly, and

Figure 5 is a rear elevation showing more clearly the co-operation between the firing plunger, the scar and the hammer.

A is the aforesaid firing member which, in the example shown, is in the form of a plunger arranged to slide in a casing A transversely to the axis of the firing pin A and formed with a recess a to receive the firing spring a which is preferably of V shaped type and is normally only slightly stressed. B is the hammer which is in the form 1923. Serial No. 622,765.

posed some distance behind the rear end of the firing pm A and the other arm 6 extends forwardly and is forked to embrace 'a reduced portion of the firing plunger A.

One limb of the firing spring a bears against the ends of the forked arm 6 and the other end bears against the inner wall of the recess a in this plunger. C is the spring for returning the plunger A after firing and is also preferably V shaped with one limb disposed in a slot in the plunger and the other limb arranged in contact with a stop piece a on the casing A D is the aforesaid sear which lies parallel to the plunger A and is pivoted at D to the casing so as to rock about a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of the firing pin. The nose d of the sear engages with one of the limbs of the forked arm b -of the hammer and the sear is provided between its nose and its pivot with a projection al having an inclined surface. When the plunger A is moved to fire the gun, the two springs a C are energized and at a suitable point in the travel of the plunger A a shoulder a (Figure 5) comes against the aforesaid inclined surface of the projection d on the sear D and the latter is thereby rocked to bring its nose out of engagement with the forked arm 79 of the hammer which is then impelled, under the action of the energized firing spring a to cause the arm I) to, strike the projecting rear end of the firing pin A The plunge-r A is then released and is moved back to its original position by the other spring C, the hammer being returned to its original position by the engagement of a shoulder a on the plunger with the forked arm 6 During this return movement of the hammer the said forked arm bears against an inclined surface on the. outer portion of the nose (Z of the sear D and rocks the latter against the resistance of its spring (1 which, when the hammer reaches the end of its return movement, reacts to move the nose d into engagement with the said forked arm. The firing pin A is controlled by a separate spring a as is well understood and these parts are carried by the breech screw A which is preferably constructed and carried in the manner described in my copending application Ser. No. 622,516, filed March 3, 1923.

The plunger A may be moved in the firing direction by a bell-crank lever A pivoted about a vertical axis a to the casing A One arm of this lever extends forwardly and engages with a slot in the plunger A and the second arm extends transversely and projects beyond the casing A Firing movementis imparted to the plunger by a pull on the said second arm and this pull may be given by a lanyard. lVhen the herein described firing mechanism is used in conjunction with the improvements set forth in the specification of my above mentioned application, the said lanyard may operate upon a springcontrolled slide disposed in one of the tubular strut members supporting the gun or barrel, and this slide may have a pin projecting through a slot in the tubular member for engaging with the end of the said second arm of the bell crank lever A the lanyard may pass over a swivelling pulley carried at the lower end of the said tubular member. This arrangement is shown in the drawings of the complete specification of the said application Ser. No. 622,516.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Percussive firing mechanism comprising a firing pin, a pivoted hammer adapted when actuated to strike the firing pin, a firing member mounted to slide transversely of the firing pin, a firing spring operat-ively interposed between the firing member and a part of the pivoted hammer, a sear for normally holding the hammer in its inoperative position, means to actuate the sliding firing member, and means operative during the sliding movement of the firing member to disengage the sear from the hammer to permit the latter to be actuated by said spring.

2. Percussive firing mechanism compris ing a firing pin, a pivoted hammer adapted when actuated to strike the firing pin, a firing member mounted to slide transversely of the firing pin, a firing spring operatively interposed between the firing member and a part of the pivoted hammer, a sear for normally holding the hammer in its inoperative position, means to actuate the sliding firing member, means operative during the sliding movement of the firing member to disengage the sear from the hammer to permit the lat-- ter to be actuated by said spring, and a spring for returning said sliding firing member and the hammer to their original position.

8. Percussive firing mechanism comprising a firing pin, a pivoted bell crank lever constituting a hammer adapted when actuated to strike the firing pin, a plunger mounted to slide transversely of the firing pin said plunger being provided with a recess, a firing spring located in said recess, one end of which operates on the sliding plunger, and the other end of which operates on one arm of the bell crank lever, a sear for normally holding the bell crank lever in its inoperative position, means to actuate the sliding plunger, and means operative during the sliding movement of the plunger to disengage the sear from the bell crank lever to permit the latter to be actuated by said sprin 4. Percussive firing mechanism comprising a firing pin, a pivoted bell crank lever constituting a hammer adapted when actuated to strike the firing pin, a plunger mounted to slide transversely of the firing pin, said plunger being provided with a recess, a firing spring located in said recess, one end of which operates on the sliding plunger, and the other end of which operates on one arm of the bell crank lever, a sear having a projection engaging with one arm of the bell crank lever for normally holding the same in its inoperative position, and also having an inclined surface with which a part of said plunger cooperates to disengage said projection from the arm of the bell crank lever, and means for actuating said plunger.

OW'EN DAVID LUCAS.

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