US1821521A

US1821521A - maqkine

Info

Publication number: US1821521A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1931-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 1948-09-01

Description

Sept. l, 1931. f w. L. MAQKINE' 1,821,521

GUN MOUNT Filed Mann 15, 193o 2 sheets-sheer. 1

Septi, 1931. w. L. ACME 1,821,521

GUN MOUNT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 File'd March 15', 93o

lNvENT-O ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1931 WILLIAM L. MACKENE, OF BALTIBIGBE, MARYLAND GUN-TLIOUNT Application filed March 15,

rl`his invention relates to a gun-mount and is particularly useful for mounting a gun in connection with aeroplanes and elsewhere in which the conditions for mounting and L handling the gun are similar thereto or analogous in whole or in part. In' this connection the gun to be mounted will ordinarily be of the machine gun type but the invention is not limited to the mounting of any .3 particular type of gun nor to any particular use such as for aeroplanes except as specifically required by the claims.

An object of the invention is to provide a gun-mount whereby the gun can be readily trained and elevated and wherein the act of training the gun does not interfere with or disturb the degree of elevation at which the gun may have been set and vice versa.

Another object is to provide a. gun-mount wherein the adaptations are such that the gunner, in the aeroplane for instance, is not exposed to the wind pressure in order to operate the gun, but on the contrary1 can do so perfectly from a protected position in the f plane.

Another object is to provide a gun-mount wherein the means for training the gun and for elevating it are non-interferinvly independent of each other and wherein the hand-controls for said means are conveniently mounted in two adjacent concentrically mounted hand-wheels adapted to be located for Operation by the gunner from a protected position in the plane.

Another object is to provide a gun-mount and operating mechanism thereforl whose construction enables the gun to be operated from an upright position relatively to the fuselage of the pla-ne or from an inclined position over either side of the fuselage, and to enable these changes to be made quiclrly at will, thereby greatly increasing the field of action and range of usefulness of the gun,

Another object is to provide a gun-mount having some or all of the foregoing charaud which will accomplish these by a s`mple, easily operated and dependable mechanism. and wherein the total weight is adapted to be kept down to a minimum.

1930. Serial No. 436,991.

Other objects will be in part apparent to those skilled in the art or in part pointed out hereinafter.

rllhe invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

ln order that the invention may be readily understood and its advantages from a practical standpoint fully appreciated, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings showing one of the preferred forms of embodiment which the gun-mount of the present invention is adapted to take. The preferred illustrative embodiment which I have chosen for this purpose is one which is especially adapted for use in connection with aircraft such as aeroplanes, and on this account the drawings show an aeroplane in connection therewith.

ln the drawings, Fig. l is a vertical midsection partly in elevation of said gun-mount within my invention;

Fig. 2 is the saine except that the section is taken at right angles to that in Fig. l, in other words, making comparison with Fig. l, the section in Fig. Q, is taken in a direction which is transversely across the fuselage of the plane;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section partly in plan on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4l is a side. elevation of an aeroplane equipped with the gun-mount, the side of the fuselage being broken away to reveal the otherwise hidden portion of the gun-mount; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through the fuselage in front of the gun-mount looking rearwardly and showing the gain-mount in elevation.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the machine gun l (Fig. ll) is mounted and rigidly secured in a gun carrier 2 which in turn is supported on a hollow head generally designated 3 which in turn is supported on a hollow body port-ion generally designated 4 provided with means for rotatably supporting the hollow head 3 on said body portion so as to be rotatable about the axis indicated by the dotted line 5 in Fig. 1. The hollow body portion 4 is in turn supported on a stein 6 whose lower end is pivoted by pivotal connection 7 to a foot 3 which is secured to the floor construction 9 (Fig. 4) of the fuselage, said pivot being arranged to permit the gun-mount to be swung in a plane transverse to the fuselage from the upright position shown in the drawings to a position at either side of the fuselage.

The gun carrier 2 consists of an open-ended metal trough of lJ-shaped cross-section within which the gun is adapted to be received and secured therein by means of clamps or bolts not shown. The bottom of the carrier is provided with a lug 10 having trunnions 11 `journalled in bearings in the upper ends of the parts 12, the latter being secured by their foot portions to the top 13 of the head 3. The aforesaid side bearing parts 12 are shown in vertical. cross-section in Fig. 2 and in elevation in Figs. 1 and 4, in Fig. 1 the part being merely indicated by the dotted line 12. In Fig. 2, 12a is a vertical rib for stiffening and strengthening the bearing parts 12.

rlhe rotatable head generally designated 3 consists of a metal cylinder 14 to which the top 13 is secured by the angle irons 15. The lower end of this cylinder is received down through a stationary sleeve 16 securedV by its flanged foot portion to the top of the aforesaid body portion, generally designated 4, of the gun-mount. It will be understoodL that the cylindrical head 3 is supported by the bodj.7 portion 4 and that the cylinder 14 of the former is rotatable within the sleeve 16 of the latter.

A worin wheel generally designated 17 is secured to the lower end of the cylinder 14 of the head 3. rlhis consists of a flat ring 13 having at its inner periphery two oppositely directed flanges 19 and 20. The flange 19 fits within the lower end of the cylinder 14 and is rigidly screwed, bolted or riveted thereto. The outer periphery of the ring 13 projects radially beyond the wall of the cylinder 14 and is provided with the gear teeth which makes of the member a worm wheel 17. The lower flange 2O is received with bearing fit into a cylindrical walled recess in a horizontal plate 21 supported between the walls of the body portion 4, and the edge of said flange rests upon a shoulder 21a of said plate, forming the bottom of said recess. To hold the cylinder 14 of the head down in its described proper position relative to the body portion 4, I provide the member 46 secured to the plate 21 adjacent the worm wheel 17, said part 46 having an inwardly directed flange 46a which overlies the top of the worm wheel and has sufficient annular length to prevent said wheel and the attached cylinder 14 of the head 3 from becoming displaced vertically relatively to the body portion 4, but does not interfere with` the free rotation of the cylinder and the worm wheel relatively to the body portion 4. In mesh with the worin wheel 17 is a worm 22 on a shaft 23 whose ends are journalled in suitable bearings provided therefor in the side walls of the body portion 4.

The means for operating the worm shaft 23 and worin 22 to rotate the worm wheel 17 and attached head 3 compri-ies the following. 52 is a hand wheel whose hub is secured to a shaft 22a turning in a sleeve 24 mounted to turn in a cylindrical boss 25 on the wall of the body portion 4, the inner end of said shaft v22a being journalled in a bearing supported by the opposite wall 26 of the body portion 4. The gear 27 on this shaft is in mesh with the gear 23 on a stud 29 supported by the wall 26, and the gear 23 is in turn in inesh with a pinion 30 on the before mentioned shaft 23, Thus by turning the hand wheel 5., the gunner through the described gearing can rotate the head 3 about its axis 5 and thereby train the gun carried by said head through any angle in either direction.

The means for elevating the gun comprises the following. 31 is a hand wheel whose hub 31a is secured to the sleeve 24 between the other hand wheel 52 and the outside of the body portion 4. (32 is a washer surrounding the shaft 23 and located between the hub of the wheel and the outer end of the sleeve 24 to serve as a spacing .vasher between the hubs ofthe two

wheels

52 and 31.) This sleeve 24 projects through and turns in the stationary cylindrical bofs 25. rh-e free end of this sleeve 24 within the body portion 4, carries a bevel gear 33 secured thereto by the hub 33a of said gear. 34 is a bevel gear pinion in mesh with 33, said pinion being mounted on the lower end of the flexible shaft generally designated This flexible shaft consists of a middle and two end portions joined by universal joints 35a. lThe lower end portion of the flexible shaft is our nalled in a bearing provided for it in the heretofore described horizontal plate 21 across the interior of the bot y portion 4. The upper end of the flexible shaft is journalled in a bearing provided for it in the top 13 of the rotary head 3. 3G is a bevel gear disi posed flatwise relatively to the top 13 of the head 3 secured by its hub 33a to the free upper end of the flexible shaft. lt will be noted that the rotary axis of said gear 3G is eccentric relative to the axis 5 about which the head 3 rotates. 37 is a bevel gear pinion in mesh with the aforesaid gear 36 so that said pinion 37 and the bite between the pinion and said gear are preferably, substantially or approximately in the rotary axis 5 of the head 3. For support this pinion 37 is secured to a shaft 33 paralleling the top portion 13 of nemesi the head 3 and having its ends ournalled in bearings supported by upstanding lugs 39 from said top portion 13. 40 isa worm `carried bythe shaft '38, said worm bein-g in mesh with the worm wheel 41, the latter being an 180 .segment of a worm wheel rigidly Secured .to the heretofore v.described lug l0 ofthe gun carrier 2.

Thus by operating 'the hand wheel 3l, the gunner can Agive any desired degree of elevation to the gun by means of the just described mechanism, comprisinglbriefly the aforesaid .bevel gears .33 and 34,'the lflexible shaft 35,the bevel gears 3G and 3?' on top of the rotary head A3 and iinally the worm 4.0 .and worm wheel 4l, the latter tilting :the .gun carrier 2 on its trunnions ll to point the gun with the desired angle of elevation.

It will be especially noted that the respective mechanisms with their hand controls 3l and 52 for respectively elevating and training the gun, do not interfere with each other. Thus if the gunner has operated the hand wheel 3l .to give the gun a `desired elevation, the subsequent operation of the training hand wheel 52 will not 'affect said elevational adjustment. l have devised my present invention to :secure this non-interference between the respective controls and for this .purpose in the illustrative embodiment I have located the axis of rotation of :the gear supported rby the top ofthe head 3 so as 'to be eccentric relative to said rotary axis of the head. The result is that rotating the head 3 in order to train the gun does not cause the bevel gears 37 and 36 to 'turn relatively to cach other. @n the contrary, they are merely carried around along with the head 3, the gear being carried in a circular orbit about the rota-ry axis 5 and about the gear 37 which preferably is substantially coincident with said axis. The result is that no matter to what extent or in which direction the head 3 is rotated, it produces no relative turning -n'iovement between the bevel gears 36 and 3?., and therefore vthe worm 40 and worm wheel 4l remain stationary and hold the gun fixed in whatever elevational adjustment it may have.

rThe foregoing is a very different condition from that which would exist if Vthe axis of rotation of the gea-r 36 instead oit being eccentric were to be placed substantially or approximately concentric with the rotary axis 5 of the heat 3. The result would be that whenever the head 3 was rotated, .the pinion 3? would be carried by the head in a circular orbit about the rotary .axis 5. @n the other hand, the gear 36 would yremain stationary in .spite of the rotation of the head because inv accordance Awith the assumption it is at the center of motion or in the rotary axis 5 of the head. In short, the rotation of the head would carry the pinion 37 .about the .axis of the stationary gear 36, which latter would act like a stationary rack and would necessarily cause the pinion 37 to rotate and there- .by operate the worm 40 and worm wheel v4l lto .change the 'elevation of .the gun and throw it out of any elevational adjustment which may have been previously .given to it.

Further .i'ft will .be noted thatthe invention provides not only for the hand controls 52 and 3l to -be .conveniently vclose together for :operation .by .the gunner, but also provides the gun-mount are located below the sides vof the fuselage and this is accomplished by keeping the body portion 4 lof the gun-mount low relatively to the bottom of the'fusela-ge and .by making the rotary head portion k3 fof the gun-mount relatively high so as to support the gun sufficiently .above the fuselage for effective operation. lfith the protected location of the han-d controls provided 'by my invention, the gunner is not exposed to vany win-d pressure much less tothe terrific wind pressure created by an aeroplane in flight, which often becomes `so great tha-t .a gunner in an exposed .position attempting to operate exposed controls is seriously handicapped in operating them accurately and indeed is often prevented 'from operating them at all, by being glued by the pressure, body and arms, .against the gun.

Finally., the `preferred embodiment of the invention provid-es for swinging the guni mount from the upright position shown in the drawings, such as Fig. 4,y into inclined posi- 'tions at either .side vof the .fuselage so that the gun overhangs the side of the fuselage and can 'be fired up and down and in other directions from that position. This swinging` of the gun-'mount in a plane transverse to the fuselage is permitted as heretofore described by the pivotal connection 7 between thev stem 6 of the gun-mount and the foot 8 ysecured to the floor construction 9 of the aeroplane at 'the bottom of the fuselage. To support and transversely guide the gunmount, I provide two arcuate members supported transversely relatively to the fuselage ff with the body portion 4 of the gun-mount between them. These arcuate members 42' are in Vturn supported from the floor-construction ofthe aeroplane by 4legs 43 which are inclined as shown in Fig. 4, to act as braces for giving increased rigid support tothe guides 42. The body portion 4 of the gun-mount has -a pin 44 (Fig. 5) projecting from its front -wall and preferably a similar pin, not shown, 'project ing from its rear wall, adapted t'o ride along ico the arcuate upper edge of the members 42 and to be received into engagement with the spring clips 45 carried by the members 42. Fig. 5 shows three of these spring clips positioned respectively at the middle portion of the arcuate member 42 and at the two end portions thereof. Each spring clip is adapted to releasably engage the pin 44 of the gunmount and to hold the gun-mount in that position until the gunner desires to shift the mount into another firing position by swinging it as aforesaid in a plane transverse to the fuselage.

It will thus be seen that the foregoing gunmount has a relatively simple construction and embodies easily operated and dependable mechanism and that the total weight thereof is adapted to be kept down to a minimum, which is especially necessary in a gun-mount for use in connection with aeroplanes.

As a number of possible embodiments may be made of the above invention., and as numerous changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The bevel pinion 4G (Fig. l) shown in mesh with the gear 47 on the opposite end of the shaft 38 from the pinion 37, is an idler pinion loose on said shaft. It balances the thrusts or" the gear 36 andpromotes smoother operation.

I claim:

l. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; and means for elevating the gun comprising a driving ejear and a driven gear operatively supported in mesh with each other by said head, the axis of rotation of the driving gear being eccentric to the rotary axis of the head; operative connecting means between the driven `gear and the gun for elevating it; and means for operating the driving gear.

Q. ln a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun and means for elevating the gun comprising two bevel gears operatively supported in mesh with each other by said head, one of said gears lying in a plane transverse to the rotary axis of the head and the other gear paralleiing said axis, the rotary axis of said transverse gear being eccentric to the rotary axis of the head; means for operating said transverse gear; and operative connecting means between the other gear and the gun for elevating said gun.

3. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotatlng said head and thereby training t-he gun; and means for elevating the gun comprising gears operatively supported in mesh with each other on said head, the axis of one gear being eccentric to said rotary axis of the head; means for rotating the eccentrically mounted gear and through it the second gear; and means between said second gear and the gun for elevating the gun.

4. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; a base upon which said head is rotatably supported; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; means for elevating the gun comprising a driving gear and a driven gear operatively supported in mesh on said head, the axis of the driving gear being eccentric to said rotary axis of the head; and rotary hand wheels operatively supported by said base in adjacent concentric relation to each other and respectively operatively connected with the aforesaid rotary head and said driving gear.

5. in a mount for a gun, in combination, a rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; a base upon which said head is rotatably supported; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; and means for elevating the gun comprising a driving gear and a driven gear operatively supported in mesh with each other by said head, the axis of rotation of the driving gear being eccentric to the rotary axis of the head; operative connecting means between the driven gear and the gun for elevating it; and means for operating the driving gear, said driving gear operating means comprising a flexible shaft inside the aforesaid head which is hollow, said driving gear being mounted on the end of said shaft, and a hand control operatively supported by said base and operatively connected with the other end of said shaft.

6. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; and means for lelevating the gun comprising a worm wheel on the gun, a worm in mesh therewith on a shaft which is transverse to the rotary axisiof the head and is operatively supported by said head; a bevel gear and pinion, the pinion being on said shaft and the bevel gear being in a plane transverse to the rotary axis of the head and being supported by said head in a position eccentric to said' rotary axis; and means for operating the eccentrically positioned gear.

7. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; and means for elevating the gun comprising a worm wheel gear on the gun, a worm in mesh therewith on a shaft which is transverse to the rotary axis of the head and is operatively supported by said head; a bevel gear and pinion, the pinion being on said shaft and the bevel gear being ina plane transverse to the rotary aXis of the head and being supported by said head in a position eccentrie to said rotary axis; and means for operating the eecentrioally positioned gear; and another bevel gear pinionloose on said shaft in mesh With the eeeentrically positioned gear opposite to the first named pinion, the aforesaid Worm being located on the shaft intermediate said pinions.

8. In a mount for a gun, in combination, a suitably supported rotatable head upon which the gun is mounted; means for rotating said head and thereby training the gun; and means for elevating the gun comprising gearing operatively supported by said head and positioned relatively to the rotary axis thereof to be given a motion of translation along With said head but Without operating the aforesaid gearing supported by the head.

9. In an aeroplane gun mount, in combination, a support for the gun pivotally secured to the bottom of the fuselage of the aeroplane supporting the gun above said fuselage, said support being pivotable transversely relatively to the fuselage to position the gun either above the bottom or over the side thereof; a stationary member extending transversely across the fuselage for guiding the transverse pivoting of the gun support; and releasable means for locating the gun support stationary in various positions along the stationary member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 18th day of February, 1930.

WILLIAM L. MACKINE.