US2372383A

US2372383A - Projectile

Info

Publication number: US2372383A
Application number: US435323A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin L Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-03-19
Filing date: 1942-03-19
Publication date: 1945-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1962-03-27

Description

M. L. LEE

PROJ ECTILE March 27, 1945.

Filed March 19; 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Wea/Q15@ BY? @wmf March 27, 1945. MQ l.. LEE 2,372,383

PROJECTILE Filed March 19, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 27, 191:15

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE moments.

Martin L. Lee, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 19, 1942, Serial No. 435,323

2 Claims. v(C1. 1oz-63) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in projectiles, and relates more particularly to an improved projectile designed primarily, lthough not exclusively, for anti-,aircraft work, the projectile being so arranged as to spread what maybe properly termed a net or screenv over a very considerable area, upon the projectile reaching a predetermined altitude, which screen is formed of a number of components in the nature of the exible cables, chains, elongated flat steel strips, and the like.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a projectile of the character described which will spread a metal screen over a sufficient area as to entangle aircraft, destroying i its covering and rendering its controls useless.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a projectile having a novel casing formed in a plurality of intertting or articulated sections firmly held together by suitable retaining means, such as a clamping element extending longitudinally of the projectile, such projectile further being provided with suitable timed means for releasing the clamping elements and thus freeing all sections of the projectile, to each of which are attached one ormore of the cables, hat cc-iled springs, and the like. The releasing means may constitute an explosive charge which is detonated by the time-controlled means. is initially applied to the projectile by means of the usual rotating band which is engaged by the ri'iling of the gun barrel, and when a time fuse detonates the relatively small explosive charge,

certain frangible` portions of the clampingele-` ment are broken, thus causing the many sections of the projectile casing to travel in many directions, drawing with' them streamers of various kinds.

The devices of the art having tightly wound steel bands or cables have proved generally unsatisfactory for the reason that they have been built around the general idea of the shrapnel type of projectile which carries a very considerable explosive charge, and when the charge was denoted, the principal damage was the destruction of the streamers themselves, which thus had no opportunity of uncoiling and performing their intended function. Moreover, the bursting charge did not even convert the steel bands or cables into eiective shrapnel.` Y

A projectile constructed in accordance with the present invention will have the effect of throwing a huge net over a very considerable area, and being formed, as it with a. variety of elcmgated'l Gyratory motion elements, it will serve a plurality of destructive functions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved integrated casing structure, the component parts of which' will instantly ily in all directions due to centrifugal action, immediately on being released.

It will be appreciated that the projectile of the present invention may be utilized not alone for anti-aircraft purposes, but will have a variety of other important uses as well. For instance, it may be used in connection with both land and naval fighting, and because of the wide screen its component parts will form, it can be used in surprise tactics and will deal destruction as well as demoralization to the enemy. When the projectile is fired into a wooded section, the stream ers Iwill entwine themselves about trees, parts of tanks, etc. The streamers will thus foul moving parts on mobile structures, and will reduce their effectiveness if not render them useless. When fired into the air, the streamers form an eiective barrage which will not only become entangled in an aircraft at which the same is fired, but will prove equally destructive for other craft following.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a central longitudinal section taken through the preferred embodiment of the present invention. p

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the position of the several parts of the projectile upon the release of the clamping elements supporting the projectile casing.

Fig. 5 is another exploded view taken generally transversely of the View shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is still another exploded View showing the position of several parts of the projectile when they have reached substantially their outermost limit.

Fig. 7 is a broken plan view showing a section of the nat steel spring having a serrated edge.

into its cylindrical form, is provided with an annular recess at its lower end which is received within an annular flanged portion 2| in an afterbody 22. On the outer periphery of the afterbody 22 the usual rotating band 23 is provided.

A continuous annular recess 24 is formed around the top of lowermost section l0, and within this recess a continuous annular flange 25 formed around the lower edge of section is received. .A similar recess 26 around the upper end of section vr|| receives a continuous annular flange 21 around the lower end of uppermost section I2, which section is tapered, as shown at 3|. At its upper end this section is formed With a flange 32 which is received within an annular recess 33 in a nose section 34. At its .forward end, the nose section is provided with a plurality of time-setting bands 35, and Within the nose section a conventional time fuse is positioned. The details of this time fuse are not shown'herein for the reason that its construction is well known in the art. The time fuse is set in operation in a well known manner. just before the firing of the projectile and is adapted to explode the charge at a later fixed time. The time fuse portion .is received in a threaded aperture .3B in .the nose section.

Afterbody

2,2 is connected Vwith nose section 34 by means of a tubular .member '31 which may contain a relatively light .explosive charge 4|. .If desired, Vthe upper end of tubular member 31 may be formed integrally with :nose section 34, and adjacent to its upper end, tubular `member 431 is provided with an internal or external annular recess 42 forming a weakened portion which permits the tubular element to break vwhen the explosion takes place as a result of the .detona'tion At its lower end, tubular element 31 .is received, as at 43, in a central screw element `44 in afterbody 22. It will thus be seen that when the sev eral parts of the device are assembled n vthe manner shown .in Fig. l, the entire projectile .is a rigid unit .and will maintain its rigidity prior to the .explosion of charge 4|.

It will accordingly be appreciated .that there is formed a continuous bore in the casing ex tending from afterbody 22 to nose element $34, and at thelower end of this chamber one or more lengths of cable 46 are positioned. These cables may be stranded, or otherwise, and may 'be of varying 'thickness ydepending .upon the particular work which it is desired to accomplish.v Rather than have such cables coiled around tubular member 31, it is preferred to have the cablecoiled back and forth upon itself, kand to have the opposite terminals of each length secured to opposite sides of the quarter sections I3 to I6, as shown at 48. v

Within that portion of the bore enclosed by section a plurality of lengths of hat spring steel 55, or other similar metal, are Itightly coiled around tubular element 31. At their outer' terminals these strips may be secured to one ofthe quarter sections to I5, as shown at 56, and at their inner terminals they may be secured to 'the tubular member, as shown at 51. The number of such coiled spring members 55 is, vof course, a matter of choice, although in Fig. 1 four Yof such elements are positioned within section Il, the outer terminals of each being secured to the several quarter sections to |5, respectively. Within the forward section I2, a plurality of cable elements 46 are also positioned and are connected `at their terminals with the respective quarter sections.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be noted that rotation due to the cooperation between rotating band 23 and the riiiing of the gun barrel is imparted to the projectile in the direction indicated by the arrow.. When the time fuse is detonated, the terminals of tubular member 31 are severed at the weakened

portions

42 and 45, as shown in the exploded view of Fig. 4. At this instant, nose section 34 and afterbody 22 are separated from the balance .of the projectile, thus permitting all of the quarter sections to become released for free flight. Due to centrifugal action, these quarter sections will fly outwardly, and at the same time tubular element 31 will continue rotating, thus unwinding the tightly coiled springs 55. At the same instant the other quarter sections connected with cables 46 likewise fly outwardly, drawing with it the cables, and eventually assume substantially the position indicated schematically in Fig. 6.

IThere vis thus thrown up a plurality of net-like structures which cover a very considerable area, and it will be appreciated that an aircraft passing through the area covered by these net-like structures will almost of necessity encounter one 4or more -of the streamer elements which may foul the propeller or propeller shaft, become entangled .in the rudders, ailerons, and other oontrol elements, and will also tend to rip the covering off the wing and fuselage. order :to 'make the damage even more .eectiva :the flatzspringlike structures 6| showninFig. '1 .maybegformed with serrated or saw-.tooth edges, as Ishown ,at `|52.

A modification in the casing is .shown at 1| .in Fig. 8 wherein the vforward section is formed in two .half-

sections

12 and 13 the intermediate section being formed in two half-sections 14, only one of which can ybe seen in the view shown, and the after section likewise lbeing composed .of .two half-sections 15 and 1B. The afterbody 11 `also includes the usual rotating ring 18. .The meeting edges 19 and 80 joining the two half-sections of each section are staggered in the manner shown,

and accordingly a greater stability and rigidityv wise, the particular arrangement .of streamers in the several sections may be very considerably mod-ined Without departing .from the vspirit of the invention. In .some'instances, it may be desirable t0 eliminate the cables entirely and employ only the at steel spring-like elements, and in other instances .only the cables may be used. 'I'heflat coiled elements are nevertheless very effective in providing a high order of .destructibility to .any aircraft passing through the area covered thereby. Moreover, they uncoil very rapidly due to their tight winding. All of the coiled spring elements may be wound vin the same direction and in the same direction as the projectile rotates, as

indicated in Fig. 5, or lthey maybe coiled in `different directions, as indicated in Fig. 4.

What I claim is:

1. A projectile of the character described `comprising a casing formed from va plurality 4of axially aligned, generally cylindrical sections, .and including an afterbody section and a tapered forward section, each of the cylindrical sections 'in' cluding a; plurality of quarter sections, which.'

when joined together, forrn a cylindrical section, the several cylindrical sections being provided with interlocking, complemental edges, retaining means extending axially between the aftcrbody and the tapered sections comprising a vtubular element, an explosive charge contained in such tubular element, such element having weakened portions adjacentto its points of connection with the afterbody and the tapered sections, means for detonating the charge to release the sections and the portions thereof,.a plurality of elongated, flexible, coiled elements positioned within the casing and secured at their terminals to the quarter sections,` and means for imparting rotation to the projectile during flight.

2. A projectile of the character described comprising a casing formed from a plurality of axially aligned, generally cylindrical sections, and including an aterbody section and a tapered forward section, each of the cylindrical sections including a plurality of smaller sections, which,

when joined together, form one cylindrical sec' tion, the opposed annular edges of several cylindrical sections being provided with complemental Vtongue-and-groove joints, retaining means extending axially between the afterbody and the tapered sections comprising a tubular element, an explosive charge contained in such tubular element, such element having. weakened portions adjacent its points of connection -with the afterbody and the tapered sections, time-actuated means in the tapered section for detonating the charge to release the sections and the portions thereof, and a plurality of elongated, flexible elements positioned within the casing and secured at their terminals to the smaller sections.

MARTIN L. LEE.