US2480834A - Cartridge belting machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 6, 1949. A. BUREAU CARTRIDGE BELTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1946 INVENTOR ARTHUR L. BUREAU ATTORNEY Sept. 6, 1949. L, QUREAU 2,480,834

CARTRIDGE BELTING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY ARTHUR L. BUREAU ATTORNEY A. BUREAU CARTRIDGE BEL-TING MACHINE Sept. 6, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 12, 1946 Patented Sept. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v f "2,480,834.. v f

CARTRIDGE BELTING MACHINE Arthur L. Bureau, United States Navy Application March 12, 1946, Serial No. 653,929

" dClaims. (01. 86-48) i,(Grante d under the act of March 31 883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) This invention relates to improvements in machines for forming ammunition belts of the disintegrating type, its particular purpose being to provide a very simple mechanism for belting small calibre cartridges. In furtherance of this purpose useis made of portions of the mechanism in each of the copending applications for patents for Belt loaders of Arthur L. Bureau, Serial Num-- bers 474,452 and 509,081, filed February 2, 1943 and November 5, 1943, now Patent N0. 2,474,218, dated June 28, 1949, respectively, and in the Patent No. 2,397,944, issued April 9, 1946..

These mechanisms generally comprise a ramming slide which is made to reciprocate on a base beneath the discharge spout of an upright ammunition hopper, whence successive rounds, whether ball or tracer ammunition, are thrust into the interfitted knuckles of belt links. Individually said mechanisms include novel means for periodically and at will arresting the movement of the ammunition, thereby to allow an idle stroke of the ramming slide and cause a break in the cartridge belt. Provision is also made in the foregoingbelting machines for changing the ratio of ball to tracer ammunition.

The simplification.ofstructure which'isa dis-:..

tinctive feature of the'instant machine is in fulfillment of a prevailing need for a belting machine capable of operation at high speed and of maintenance by personnel not necessarily accustomed to operating machinery; The provision, then, of'

such a machine is one of the objects of the invention, and another object isto provide a belting machine wherein the advancing cartridge belt is the'moving part which actuates the conveyor belt by' which the cartridges are delivered to the hopper from'the conveyor tray. 7 I

A'further object of the invention is to automatically move the conveyor belt a step to deliver a succeeding cartridge to the feed chute at'the end of every return stroke of the ramming slide, this action being accomplished by the car-' tridge belt which at that period of said stroke,

has moved forwardly the diametral distance of one cartridge.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine intended primarily but not exclusively for belting .30 calibre ammunition at a speed and with accuracy much greater than possible with any known type of hand-operated belt- 2 Figrl is a perspective view of the improved cartridge belting machine; g Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the care tridge conveyor;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the machine, parts being shown insection; Fig. 4 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is; a, detailsectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig; 3, parts being omitted. I Briefly clescribing the structure insofar, asit agrees with the preceding machines referred to, the instant apparatus consists of a base 2|, equipped with handles such as 22 bymeans of which the machine is readily lifted. .A motor 23,

mounted on the base, drives a speed reducer 24,

the final shaft of which carries the upper clutch,

plate 25. A spring 26 presses said plate against the lower clutch plate 21, slippage between the; plates occurring permissibly if there should be any jamming in the machine.

The lower clutch plate shaft 28 carries the crank 29 by which the connecting rod 30 actuates the ramming slide 3|. Said connecting rod is revolubly joined at its ends to the shaft 28 and to the stud 32 of the slide. The latter has a slidable ribbed connection at 33 with guide grooves 34 in the base 2|. The slide is thus guided in its requiredrectilinear motions. A wall 35 upstanding from and integral with the ramming slide 3| has a cam plate 36 attached thereto by means of screws 31. The cam plate 36 thus reciprocates with the ramming slide 3|, and as the latter drives succeeding cartridges into the link belt, the cam plate acts to forward succeeding links into the cartridge receiving position.

For the latter purpose the plate 36 has a camslot 38 which is occupied by the roller stud 39. This stud projects upwardly and into the slot from the underlying slide 40 which carries it. Ribs 4| and the intervening portion of a wall" of which they are a part guide the slide 40 at one side, while the ribs 43 and the intervening wall portionof a block 44 perform that function on the other side. Thus it is seen that the slide 40 side of slide 40 by hinge pin and is pressed against succeeding links 46 by the spring 8| during the advancing portion of the movement of slide 40 and slipping over said links on the reversing movement. The loading point is situated on the intersection of the axis of the oncoming cartridge 41 as driven by the ramming slide 3| and the respective link pair of links 46 then in position to receive it. The wall 42 and'block 44 have passageways 48, 49 into which each cartridge is driven in the ramming operation. That part of a the block 44 which defines the passageway 49 A chute 50 delivers the links to 'the foregoing I.

loading point. The hinge knuckles of the links are loosely inter-fitted while traversing the chute. The cartridges which are thrust through the knuckles at the ramming point connect the links and produce the cartridge belt 5|. Said belt moves along the belt chute 52 by its automatic lengthenin as successive cartridges'are thrust through the links attheramming point.

From here on the description concerns the specific improvement of the instant application, andlit begins with the movingcartridge belt 5| which comprises the power source for continuing the feeding of the cartridges automatically after the action has once been started manually. For this purpose a star wheel 53 rides the belt'-5| (Fig. 3) The valleys 54 and peaks 55 fit the uppermost contours ofthe links- 46, and as they progress toward the discharge end of the chute 52 the star wheel is given fractionalturnsagreeing with the step'motion' ofthc cartridge belt.

The resulting step-turns are imparted to the shaft 56 of the star wheel, thence to the inner roller '5!- of a conveyor belt 58 in the conveyor tray, the outer roller 59 of which tray (Fig. 2) completes the support of the belt. Sprocket wheels 60, 6| respectively on the shaft 55 and on the shaft 82 of the inner roller 51', have a chain 53 trained thereover as shown in Fig. 1. By these arrangements the foregoing step-turns are ;imparted to the belt 58, so that the cartridges '4'! laid on its upper flight are transported one by one to the throat 64 (Fig. 3) ofaieed chute 85.

This feed chute includes side plates 56 which in addition to providing'the bearings for the wheel trunnicns 61 also furnish the support for the inner end of the framework 68 of the conveyor tray in which the belt 58 operates. Most of the specific details of this framework are of relatively minor importance to the invention, but contribute to the-general organization thereof.

For example, the flared extensions 69 aid in the quick'emplacement of the cartridges 41 upon the belt 58, furnishing guidance both to the primer and bullet ends. Flanges Iii turned inwardly from the frame sides to overlie the cartridge ends prevent any possible riding ;up of the latter from the conveyor belt, especially prior to their entering the throat 64 at the cover platell oiwhich the flanges terminate. The cover plate has a slot 12 for the insertion of a pointed instrumerit to clear'a possible cartridge *jam in the throat 64. The throat includes a lip 13 which is 4 furnishes the support of the framework 68 upon the chute 52, the bracket being secured to the respective framework and chute as shown.

The operation is briefly reviewed as follows: Cartridges 4! are loaded by hand onto the conveycr belt 58 in any desired order of tracer and ball ammunition. Power forthe operation of the machine is derived from the motor 23 but said power is applied indirectly to the belt 58. The

- primary purpose of the motor drive is to actuate the ramming slide 3| and the link pusher slide 40, respectively to ram the cartridges into the links and to feed the links to the ramming point. .As long as this performance goes on there will be a continuous lengthening of the cartridge belt 5|, and the passage of this belt under the star wheel 53 is depended upon to supply the motion necessary to drive the cartridge conveyor belt 58.

Thus a failure of supply of either cartridges or links, which failure might be the absence or jammin g of either one, results in the stopping of the belt 58 and the automatic cut-off of the cartridge feed, Conversely, the orderl progression of the cartridge belt 5|under the star wheel 53 insures the automatic operation of the conveyor belt 58. Since the motion of the cartridge belt 5| is by stepsthere is 'a corresponding step-motion of the conveyor 58 and a one-by-one feeding of the cartridges 41 into the throat 64 as the leadingcartridgesroll over the'crest of the inner roller 51,

The 'inventionherein described may be manuiactured andused "by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royaltiesv thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. In a-loader, an article chute'to guide gravitating articles to a delivery point, a second article chute to guide other articles also gravitating' to said delivery point, means for uniting said'articles atsaidpoint to produce a lengthening belt of said articles, a conveyor belt for at least one of the kinds of articles, said'belt discharging its articles into the respectivechute for gravitation, and driving means coupled to the'conveyor belt including arevoluble' star wheel occupying an obstructing relationship to said article belt.

.2. In a loader, a pair of chutes for containing dissimilar articles and converging toward a commen gravitational delivery pointfor said articles, continuously driven means operating periodically u ite aid articles into a len thening chain,- an. article onveyor l adin o one .Of the chutes to. forward its. ar icl s to a. point where. the respective ravitation. be ins, and m ans animated y the hain d e the a of i len then n for overall,

ing the conveyor, said means consisting of an element extending into the pathof the chain and a. driving connection between said element and:

the, conveyor.

In a er, a pair of chutes for contain ng ing at regular periods. to unite said articles into a'lengthening chain, an article conveyor coasting with one of the chutes, and. means connected beeen he onveyor and the article chain, saidmean includin a member rid upon. the hain.

and spo n step motions due to l n thening, to op ate the conveyor with a step motion.

i. In a loader, a pair of chutes for containing dissimilar articles and converging toward a. common delivery point for said arti'cles,,means operat-: ing at regular periods to unite said articles into a lengthening chain, an article conveyor coacting with one of the chutes, said conveyor including a belt roller and trunnion, and means to operate the conveyor by the chain, comprising a star wheel riding the chain, and a shaft, sprocket wheel and chain connection from the star wheel to the trunnion.

5. A belt loader comprising a substantially erect link chute for guiding interfitted links to a delivery point, a second and also substantially erect cartridge chute for guiding cartridges to said delivery point, ramming means operating with periodic strokes to ram the cartridges into pairs of the links to unite them and produce a cartridge belt with a step-by-step lengthening motion, a conveyor by which the cartridge supply is carried, said conveyor including a roller journalled in proximity to the cartridge chute to cause the conveyor to discharge into said chute, a shaft having a driving connection with the roller, and a star wheel on the shaft, having its periphery in the path of the cartridge belt to respond to its motion.

6. An article forming machine comprising converging, plural guide means individually to direct respectively dissimilar article components to a substantially common delivery point, a positively operable component feeder embodied in one of the guide means, ramming means operating at said point successively to join adjacent dissimilar components and thus produce a lengthening line of assembled articles, and means coupled to the feeder, bearing upon the line of articles and depending for its operation on the motion of said line engendered by its lengthening, to drive said feeder and so positively feed its components into the respective one of the guide means.

ARTHUR L. BUREAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,335,646 Chalmers Nov. 30, 1943 2,372,399 Smith et al Mar. 27, 1945 2,397,944 Bureau Apr. 9, 1946

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