US2363356A

US2363356A - Antiaircraft gun turret

Info

Publication number: US2363356A
Application number: US403283A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry M Pflager
Original assignee: General Steel Castings Corp
Current assignee: General Steel Castings Corp
Priority date: 1941-07-21
Filing date: 1941-07-21
Publication date: 1944-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1961-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1944. H, M. PFLAGER 2,363,356

ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN TURRET Filed July 21, 1941 HARRY M. PFLAGER ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 21, 1944 I 2,363,356 ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN TURRET Harry M. Pflager, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application July 21, 1941, Serial No. 403,283

2 Claims.

The invention relates to turret structure for 1 military use and more particularly to a turret structure for an anti-aircraft gun and its op.-

erating crew. The invention is adapted for but not limited to use on naval vessels.

The invention comprises a simple, effective turret consisting largely of a single one-piece casting of armor metal corresponding in contour to an inverted bowl of substantial semispherical shape but having portions modified for the projection therethrough of a gun barrel and the mounting of a supplementary shield, with adjacent portions flattened to better deflect projectiles striking the turret from a direction in front of the gun, the whole structure being mounted so that the gun may be fired in any direction.

The main object of the present invention is to afford protection to the men and equipment within the turret and to facilitate ready movement of the gun and turret to accommodate firing of the gun in any desired direction.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating a selective embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is a top view of the turret structure showing a gun barrel projecting therefrom.

Figure 2 is a similar view but indicating details of the base of the turret mounting, the turret being sectioned in part horizontally for better illustration.

Figures 3 and 5 are vertical sections through the structure taken on the lines 3-3 and 5-5 respectively of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the structure.

Figures 6 and '7 are detailed vertical sections Figure 2.

The turret proper comprises a single one-piece casting preferably of armor steel of sufficient thickness and hardness to offer substantial resistance to projectiles.

The casting is shaped like an inverted cup or bowl, rising from a circular base I, the rear portion of the bowl, indicated at 2, forming a quarter of a sphere and the remaining or forward portion having flattened areas 3 corresponding to the sides of a pyramid, these flattened portions converging forwardly and inwardly from the front edges of the quarter-spherical rear portion 2 and merging in a meridian zone 4 curving lengthwise forwardly and downwardly from the top center of the rear portion 2 to base I and flattened transversely of its length.

The median portion 4 is slotted longitudinally, as indicated at 5, to accommodate the barrel of a gun 6 mounted on a pedestal"! to swing thereon to different inclined positions, as indicated at Go and 6b, and to swing on the support S, with the pedestal, about the vertical axis of the structure.

Overlying slot 5 and extending beyond the ends of the same is an arcuate shield 8. Rollers 9 journalled in the shield ride on the flat face of zone 4 at the sides of slot 5. The shield is guided and its edges and rollers protected by an gular members I!) secured to zone 5 as shown or formed integrally therewith, if so desired.

Shield 8 has a restricted aperture H for receiving the gun barrel and, if desired, an aperture 12 for sighting the gun, which may be omitted or provided with a closure if the gun is to be directed by signal from an ofiicer stationed outside of the turret. Shield 8 has a length exceeding that of slot 5 sufliciently to cover the slot from end to end irrespective of the movement of the shield by the gun as the latter is shifted to different angles.

The turret is mounted upon a circular track I3 corresponding in diameter to the base of the turret and providing a support for antifriction bearing elements M. The turret base has a continuous inturned horizontal narrow annular rim or flange l5 resting upon the antifriction bearing elements, and the base projects downwardly beyond the bearing elements to protect the same. An upstanding flange IS on track l3 opposes the inner edge of flange I5 and prevents displacement of the turret laterally of the track.

Angular retainers I! attached to track l3 at intervals include legs extending over turret flange l5 and preventing relative vertical displacement of the turret and track.

The rigid turret casting is form sustaining and self-supporting above its rim, and hence the space beneath the casting, including the floor structure on which the track I3 is carried, is substantially unobstructed by turret parts from side to side and from rim to top of the turret.

A door IE on turret portion 2 provides for the entrance and exit of the crew and for the admission of supplies.

The gun and turret may be rotated to difierent positions by hand or by gearing, and the gun mounting and turret shell may be geared so as to rotate together. When the occupants of the turret are engaged in battle, they may swing the gun and the forward portion of the turret towards the enemy and the enemys gunfire will be directed against the converging flat siirfaces 3 3 will more effectively deflect the projectiles striking them than if the forward portion of the turret comprised a single fiat surface extending transversely of the gun or were a section of a sphere. However, the quarter-spherical rear portion of the turret provides better average deflection of enemy projectiles which may come from other sources and also provides increased space in the turret for occupants behind the gun.

The structure provides substantial protection as previously indicated and the casting of the turret in a single shell of substantial thickness eliminates the necessity of cross bracing within the turret, either for resisting the impact of projectile's or for providing support for any part of the shell,

The details of construction may be varied from those shown without departing from the spirit of the invention and some of the features may be omitted without afiecting the novelty and utility of other features which are retained, and the exclusive use of those modifications of the structure coming Within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimedisz.

1. In a turret 'for an anti-aircraft gun and crew, comprising a circular base, a rear body portion having the contour substantially of a quarter of a sphere curving upwardly from said base and inwardly towards a central vertical axis, and a forward body portion comprising fiat sections inclined upwardly and inwardly from said base and converging forwardly from the edges of said rear portion and merging in a narrow quartercircular vertically-disposed portion comprising an extension of the curvature of the spherical rear portion and slotted substantially throughout its length to receive the projecting barrel of a gun mounted interiorly of the'turret and to accommodate the tilting of the gun vertically over a wide range,

2. Ina structure of the class described, a circular track, antifriction bearing elements mounted thereon, a concavo-convex shell generally resembling an inverted bowl and havinga circular rim carried on said bearing elements, the rear half of said shell above said rim corresponding generally to a quarter of a sphere and the forward half of said shell above said rim corresponding generally to two sides of a pyramid with the corner between them opposite the center of the rear section flattened and curved to form a quarter-circular extension of the meridian portion of said rear half and provided with an upwardly and rearwardly extending slot continued into said rear half for accommodating a gun barrel projecting from the turret so that the gun may be inclined to different angles in a vertical plane.

H. M. PFLAGER.