US2074683A

US2074683A - Flare

Info

Publication number: US2074683A
Application number: US728830A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Louis L Driggs
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-06-04
Filing date: 1934-06-04
Publication date: 1937-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1954-03-23

Description

March 23, 1937.

L. L. DRIGGS. JR

FLARE,

s shets-sheet 2 Filed June 4, 1934 LOUIS 1"..DRIGG-5Jg :5w

March 23, 1937.

Fie.6.

L. L. DRIGG. .1YR 2,074,683

FLARE Filed June 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 www Patentes Mar. 23,` 'i937 FLARE' i v 'Louisl..nriggs,.ir.,'rippeanne Cimone Application June 4, 1934, serial No. '128,330

1o claims. (ci. 10a-24) This invention ,relates to improvements in flares', and vhas for its object to provide a, flare adapted to be discharged from an airplane in such a manner that the igniting of the nare will take s place at some distance from the airplane.

It i's an object of this invention to provide a flare tube, with means for discharging the candle .therefrom and causingv it to ignite after the candle has passed from the mouth of the tube some o distance.

It is also an object of theA invention to provide,

in' connection with an airplane, means for supporting and discharging a flare so there is first ig'- nited a time fuse, which :serves to. ignite the cani dle material which is supported by means'of a parachute, suitably attached to the candle material. It is my particular object toprovide a iiare` whi'ch is driven.'with its parachute, without being ignited from the tube; I particularly prefer an 3 explosiveiior driving the nare and its parachute from the tube.` I also particularly prefer a hermetically sealed tube which can bev only successfully opened by the explosion of the powder,- constituting the expelling means, and the flare candle and its parachute thrust member must be of such character as to drive off the hermetlcal seal of Vthetube. Y

4The second particular object of my invention isto'initiate the iiring of the ,nare only a'fter the, are and its 4parachute have completely cleared the tube so there can be no within 'the tube.

Thethird particular object of my invention, as a further' precaution, is to ignite only a time fuse by the ilring means, which is rst initiated after the tube has' been'evacuated. This fuse permits the parachute and its flare several seconds of travel .in order t'o completely clear the plane before the ignition composition i's ignited on the endy of the flare candle to blow oil the cap and ignite the candle. I thus insure absolute functioning and. delay of functioning to entirely clear the flare, notionly from thetube but also from the vicinity 'of the plane, before the iiare is ignited.` This sequence of operations is essential.

By using powder for expelling the are candle and its parachute I am 'enabled to operate the are on a remote place on the plane by using an electric current for initiating the explosion, and

ignitionV of the flare therefore avoiding the use of explosives whichl to securefa perfectly uniformly functioning piece of apparatus, uninfluenced by altitude and moisture conditions.

-These and other advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

"Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal. section for supporting the parachute in connection with the candle, together with the expelling and igniting instrumentalities.

Figure 2 is a view of the flare tube, similar to that shown in Figure 1 but with the ilare candle and the parachute in the rst position after being expelled. In this figure the candle and parachute are still connected' to the tube by means of a cable but are beneath the lower end of the tube about six inches.

lFigure3 showsthe upper end of the candle after the fuse has been ignited through the action of the cable and the weight of the candle. n

Figure 4 shows the candle supported by the parachute in open position after the candle material has taken iire.-

Figure 5 is a section substantially on the line 5`5 of Figure 6. y

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section with l parts broken away.

Fory the purpose of supporting and directing` the are and its parachute when it is expelled, there is provided a tube I, which is cylindrical in shape and has at its upper end a funnelshaped crown-piece 2, which extends upwardly. For the purpose of supporting the tube there is provided, on some suitable part of the airplane or other structure, a bracket 3 which has a top plate 4 provided with a hole or opening 5 through which the crown-piece 2 extends. l

Between the top plate 4 and the upper end of the tube and around the crown-piece is a rubber ring 6, adapted to de aden the recoil when the candle and parachute are expelled. The tube is held on the bracket by means of bolts 'l which pass through the upper part of the tube and the top plate ll.V In the crown-piece is a cylindrical hollow plug 8, which has therein an expelling charge 9 and suitable means for igniting the-charge for-expelling the are. Adjacent the upper end of the tube and spaced from the crown-piece is an 'annular gasket l0. In the upper end of the tube and spaced from'the'gasket I0 is a container Il having therein candle material I 2s Embedded in the upper end of the candle mathrough the flare tube, the candle and the tube l terlal are primer pellets I3, while on top of candle material and these pellets is a primer layer I4, which has thereon a Wooden block I5, in the center of which is a cavity I1. Between the cavity and the periphery of the wooden block are two or more pockets I8 connected to the cavity by means of holes I9. Theperipheral ends of the pockets I8 are connected to the cavity I1 by means of vent passageways 20.

over it a cap I B, which has an upper part extending inwardly between the wooden block and the gasket and spun at 2| over the gasket I0. The cavity I1 is covered by means of a round disc. or plate 22 held on the wooden block by means of small nails 23. Extending from the plate 22 are wires 24, one for each slot, extending from the cavity through the hole I9, into the slot.

The end of the wire within the slot is coiled and has thereon a striking composition 25, which ignltes the match head composition '26a when pulled through it. A quick match material 26 increases the flame to insure the ignition" of.. a

delay fuse 2I located in vertically disposed holes in the wooden block. These fuses are two-second fuses. That is, after burning two seconds they will ignite a quick match material 29 located in a channelway 28 in the bottom of the wooden 30 block adjacent the primer layer I4.

The plate 22 has attached thereto a clip 30 to which one end of a wire cable 3| is attached. The other end of this wire cable is attached to one end cf a piece of stranded wire flexible cable 32, which has its other end attached toa detachable metal head 33 supported in the upper end of the tube beneath the rubber ring 6. The exible cable prevents the kinking oi the cable 3i. The cables are positioned beneath the parts are in position for expulsion. The lower end of the container II is closed by means of a closure 34, which has attached thereto an eye 35 which extends through a hole in a felt partition 36.

To this eye 35 isattached one end of a cable 3l, to the other end of which is attached in the usual manner the parachute 38 housed in the lower end of the tube beneath the felt partition 36. This parachute in its folded condition is inclcsed within the lower end of the tube, and

has around it a tube or container composed of two semi-circular parts 39. These parts are made of pastebcard or some similar material, and serve as a thrust block for forcing the closure 4U from the lower end of the tube. This closure 40 has a peripheral liange 4I- provided with a groove 42 for containing a rubber washer or gasket 43, supported in the groove between the ilange 4I and the lower peripheral part of the tube. This washer pr gasket 43 is supported on the lower end of the tube by means of a shoulder 41S, which prevents the closure 4I) from being removed without the application 4'of force.

Figure l shows the are as supported by some part of the airplane, ready for expulsion. As

shown here the flare as a whole is housed within a tube. When it is desired to expel the flare the expelling charge is ignited. 'Ihis charge is sufiicient to force the candle and the parachute from the tube, and also sufficient to force the closure 40 from the lower end of the tube. After the candle and parachute have been expelled from the tube the parts assume the position shown in Figure 2. At this time thelpperend 'the ' materials within the slots. 'I'he upper end of the container II has tting crown-piece and above the gaskets I0 when theA of the candle is about six inches beneath the lower end of the tube, -and is ready for the match actionto ignite the fuse, and through the fuse the match material and the primer parts.

The force of the discharge and the weighto the are are sufllcient to draw the wires 24 through lthe holes Iii,l thereby igniting the match match materials causes the fuses to ignite, which after about two seconds, will-cause the match materials in the channelways 28 t ignite and also ignite the primer layer.. It requires several seconds to ignite the candle material after the are has been expelled from thetube. In these sev-7 eral seconds the airplane has left the flare some distance behind so that its burning will in no manner endanger the airplane. After the ilare material has become ignited the flare and the parachute assume the position shown in Figure 4.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modilications as come within the s cope of my. claims and my invention.

Having thus fully described x'ny invention,'what `I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination, a tube, a container in the tube, candle material in the container, primer pellets in the top of the candle material, a'primer layer on the pellets and the candle material, a block on the top of the container, lsaid`block having a central cavity, slots Aconnected at one end to the cavity and vent passageways from the other ends of the slots to the cavity, a fuse extending from each slot to the primer layer, means to expel the container and candle material from. the tube, and means to ignite` the fuses after the container has left the tube.

2. In combination, a tube, a container in the tube, candle material in the container, primer pellets in the top of the' candle material, a primer layer on the. pellets and the candle material, a block on the top of the container, said block having a central cavity, slots connected at one end -to the cavity and vent passageways' from the other ends of the s'lots to the cavity, a fuse extending from each 'slot to the primer layer,

means to expel the container and candle material from the tube, and means to ignite the fuses after the container has left the tube', said lastnamed means including match material in the slots and strikers extending from the tube through the cavity into the-slots.

3. In combination, a' tube, a ,container in the tube, candle material in the container, primer pellets in the top `of the candle material, a primer layer on the pellets and the candle material. a blockvon the top of the container, said block having a' central cavity, slots connected at one end to the cavity, and vent passageways from the other ends of the slots to the cavity, a fuse extending from each slot tothe primer layer, means to expel the container and candle material from the tube, and means to ignite the fuses after the container has left the tube, said lastnamed means including 4a plate on the cavity, means to connect the plate to the tube, match material in the slots, and strikers extendingfrom the plate into the slots.

4. In combination, a tube, a candle n 'laterial4 and container therefor in the tube, a block on the container, said block having therein a cavity. slots, each slot being connected at one end to the cavity, a vent passageway from the other The igniting of the 2,074,683 end of each slot to the cavity-.and a fuse extending from 'each slot to ignite the candle material, and means acting in the slots to ignite the fuses. 5. 'In' combination, a tube, a candle material and container therefor in the tube, a block on the container, said block having therein a cavity,

slots, each slot being connectedat one end to the cavity, a vent passageway from the other L)- end oi. each slot to the cavity and a fuse extending from each slot to ignite` the candle materiaL,

and means acting in the slots to ignite the fuses, said means, including' a match 'material in the slots and strikers connected to the tube.

5 6. In combination, a tube, a candle material and container therefor in the tube, a block on the container, said block havingvtherein a cavity, slots, each slot being connected at one end to the cavity, a vent passageway from the other end o of each slot to the cavity and a fuse extending from each slot to ignite the candle material, and means acting in' the slots to ignite the fuses, said means comprising a plate over the cavity, means to connect the plate to the tube and strikers ex- 5 tending from the plate into the slots.

'1. In a iare,a hermetically sealed tube, means for 'expelling the flare and a parachute connected thereto from the tube and simultaneously rupturing the hermetical sea1,means to ignite the 0 are after it leaves the tube and clears the plane by Atravelling a. predetermined distance from the p1ane, explosive means within the tube adapted to drive the flare and itsfparachute from the tube, thrustmeans protecting the parachute in- 5 terposed between the hermetical seal ofthe tube and the iiare, means .mechanically connecting i said iiare to the tube `adapted to initiate the ignition of the. :dare only after the flare has left the tube, and a delay action fuse ignited by said ignition means adapted toignite the flare afterA it has left a plane to which the tube is attached an appreciable interval.

8. In a flare, a tube attached to a plane, means in the tube to expel the contents thereof, a flare and parachute in the tube, said iare being connected by a cable to. the tube, the cable being longer than the tube, a. time fuse connected to the iiare, and means te ignite the fuse after the iiare leaves the tube and the cable is extendedA 'to' its full length, and an ignition means actuated only when the cable is extended to its full length and the flare is outside of thetube and a predetermined distance therefrom.

9. In a flare', a tube adapted to contain a llame;Y

a ilare and parachute in the tube, an explosive v adapted to drive the viiare and 4parachute from the tube without ignitlng the flare, means to prevent the ignition of the flare, and mechanical means attached.h to the tube and the are for initiating the lightingof the are afterit leaves theltube and .at a predetermined distance therefrom.,

l0. In a are, a tube adapted to contain a flare, a flare and parachute in the tube, an explosive adapted to drive the are and parachute from the tubewithout igniting the flare, means to prevent the ignition of the filare, mechanical means attached to the tube and the are for initiating the lighting of the' are after it leaves the tube, and a time fuse ignited by said -ignition means and adapted toignite the are after an appreciable interval of becoming detached from the tube and the mechanical means.

LOUIS L.' DRIGGS, Jn.