US2317973A - Cartridge belt - Google Patents

Description

May 4, 1943. c. E. BALLEISEN CARTRIDGE BELT Filed Oct. 6, 1941 Chum]. ELS E. B11112 ilsen Patented May 4, 1943 CARTRIDGE BELT Charles E. Balleisen, Philadelphia, Pa. Application October 6, 1941, Serial No. 413.81

. -50laims.

(Granted under the act of March 3,

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 75'!) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a disintegrating cartridge belt intended for use in feeding cartridges to amachine gun or automatic rifle.

It is an object of this invention to provide a flexible link belt from which the cartridges may be removed either by a loading mechanism of the type which extracts a cartridge from the belt on rearward movement of the breech and inserts it into the barr'elon fgrward movement, or by a loading mechanism of the type in which a car tridge is pushed through the link into the barrel to the front by some element ofthe breech mechanism.

It is a further object to provide a belt of this character in which the cartridges may be accurately positioned and firmly held.

Broadly, these objects have been accomplished by providing links adapted to be joined by the cartridges in such a manner that the cartridge it-' self functions as a pintle, the links being individually so formed as to only partially embrace the cartridges and to have positioning means adapted to engage the shoulder formed adjacent the neck of the cartridge case.

The specific nature 'of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from the description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanyin drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a single link formed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a section of the belt with the cartridges shown in broken lines.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view similar to Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of a pair of links.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the finished link may be fabricated.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown in Fig. 5 a blank from which abelt link may be fabricated. This blank has a engaging ring, the axes of the tion to form a somewhat similar open cartridge rings being parallel laterally in'the region to prevent interference and the rings being oifset of the connecting strip 8 with adjacent link; when assembled into'a belt. The tongue H is bent inwardly to engage the shoulder formed by the neck of a cartridge case whereby the cartridge may be accurately posi-' tioned in the link. The finger I2 is bentoutwardly and so formed as to be adapted to engage a similar shoulder formed by the neck of an ad-' jacent cartridge in anassembled belt. The car-' tridge enga ing ring I is preferably formed to'have a smooth slidin r p on the body of the car'- tridge case while the cartridge eng ing ring I may have an. internal diameter slightly larger than the exterior diameter of the cartridge body.

The links are assembled into a completed belt by placing the ring I of one link between the ring I and the finger I: 'of an adjacent link and inserting a cartridge therethrough until the shoulder at the neck of the cartridge engages the tongue II and finger II of the adjacent links. The ofiset provided by the strip I allows the belt to be freely flexed without binding between adjacent links while the cartridge itself serves as a pintle. The assembly operation may be continued until a belt of the desired length has been formed.

In the event of a strain tending to separate the cartrid es in the belt at their head end the engagement of the fingers I! with the necks of the cases will prevent deformation of the belt while if a strain is applied tending to separate the point 7 of a cartridge from that of an adjacent cartridge the cases, being tapered somewhat toward the neck, will engage each other at the head end to prevent deforming the belt in the region of the connecting strip. l

Thislink may blamed in a fashion similar to the present standard link in an arm of the type of the conventional Browning machine gun wherein the link will be engaged by the cartrldgelink stripper and the cartridge removed to the rear by an extractor attached to the breech mech- Whenthebeltisusedinagunofthetypeemplaying push through loading. the cartridge'will be pushed through thelinkto the front by some element of the breech mechanism. Thetapering shoulder at the neck of the the gen-,

erally tapering form of the cartridge case com bine to exert a wedge-like action on the open cartridge engaging rings while llen' gaging the shoulder will bebent down out oflthe way as the cartridge is pushed therethrough,

The tendency to tilt the bullet end-o! the cartridge caused by engagement with the angel: ll maybeufliiledtoeleiltindirectingthetipor the cu'tridge into the position in which it may properiyentertheberrelottheweepon.

Iclnim:

Lheertflflebelt iink comprising an open ring, ee'eoond openxing, a

strip i formedintegnllywitheeidringzendjoiningsnid rinninoibetrelstionviththeirueeinpenllel relntim, a. tongue inturei with seid'eeoond ring, nidtonguebeingedlntedtoenmetheahoulder adapted to engage the shoulder formed by the neck ofsaid nretmentioned cei'ti'ldge.

andofleettherefronneconnectingltripintegnl 3. A cartx idge beltlink oomwiling e pair or open rings, on integral oonnecting member Joiningsaidrlnteinofieetrelntion,ltongue9nq withandextendingbetweeneeidringe,etongueonthei'orwerdedgeoi eeidnretmentionedrmg' bent'inwerdly genernliy' towerd the at the 7 0C seidflrstmentionedrinmende'flngerontheiorwerdedgeoieeidflretmentionedringbentoutwardly genereily toward the axis of enideeoond v mentioned ring.

a. A blank for. cartridge mum compriling a eubetmtinlly not, genereily deiiningbetweenthemeoonnectingportion joiningeaidemeilerportionemnextemionononeoi seid smaller portione-proiectinggn-om an edge permeltoeeideloteendecutinaidutemlon defining two" sections each extending genenliy transverselytotl'ieeaidelote.

I. max.

CHARLIB

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