US2539643A

US2539643A - Apparatus for decelerating torpedoes

Info

Publication number: US2539643A
Application number: US668027A
Authority: US
Inventors: William R Smythe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-05-08
Filing date: 1946-05-08
Publication date: 1951-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1968-01-30

Description

Jan. 30, 1951 w. R. SMYTHE 2,539,643

APPARATUS FOR DECELERATING TOBPEDQES I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1946 INVENTOR WILLIAM R. SMYTHE Jan. 30, 1951 w, R, sMYTH 2,539,643 7 APPARATUS FOR DECELERATING TORPEDOES Filed May 8, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM R. .SMYTHE ATTORNEY n. 30, .951 w. R. SMYTHE 2,

APPARATUS FOR DECELERATING TORPEDOES,

Filed May 8, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet s SMYTHE ATTORNEY Patented 30, 1951 APPARATUS FOR DECELERATIN G TORPEDOES William R. Smythe, Sierra, Madre, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application May 8, 1946, Serial No. 668,027

6 Claims. (01. 114-20) This invention relates to apparatus for decelcrating torpedoes, that is, to apparatus for reducing the forward velocity of a torpedo so that it may enter the water without damage when launched at high altitude or from a fast moving airplane.

One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for decelerating torpedoes, which'employs rocket motors mounted around the torpedo body with their discharge jets directed forwardly parallel to the axis of the torpedo.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an I apparatusv 'of this character which is automatically thrown clear of the torpedo after eflecting the desired deceleration and before the torpedo strikes the water.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character which may be readily installed on conventional torpedoes and in no manner interferes with the normal operation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a torpedo deceleration apparatus in which the decelerating force is produced by rocket motors, and which includes altimer for initiating operation of the rocket motors after the torpedo is dropped and then initiating operation of mechspectively, of the discarding mechanism which initially joins the two deceleration units;

Fig. 8 is a side view, partly in section, of one of the timers for controlling operation of the rocket motors and the discarding mechanism, with the timer cover removed;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 99 in Fig. 8, but with the cover in place, and

Figs. 10 and 11 are sectional views on lines IIIII| and III I, respectively, in Fig. 9. l The deceleration apparatus, as illustrated, comprises a pair of deceleration units encircling a torpedo A near its rear end. Each deceleration unit employs a plurality of rocket motors III having propellant grains II, each motor being disposed with its axis parallel to the torpedo axis and having its nozzle or discharge end Illa directed toward the front end of the torpedo. The rocket motors I0 may be conventional and may be internally similar to the rocket motor disclosed in a copending application of C. C. Lauritsen, Ser. No. 481,645, filed Apr. 2, 1943,

'for Rocket Device now Patent No. 2,469,350.

anism for throwing the deceleration apparatus 1' clear of the torpedo before the latter strikes the .water.

An additional object is to provide a timer of the character described which is 50 arranged that the timing period between ignition of the rocket motors and operation of the mechanism for throwing the deceleration apparatus clear of the torpedo varies with' change in temperature at virtually the same rate that the burning periods of the rocket motors vary; that is, to provide a timer which automatically shortens or lengthens its time interval in accordance with the changes in burning time of the rocket motors insofar as such changes are due to changes in temperature.

- These and other objects of the invention may be better understood by reference to the accoms panying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a torpedo having one form of the new deceleration apparatus, showing the torpedo in flight during operation of the apparatus; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side -view of part of the torpedo, showing the deceleration apparatus thereon;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55, respectively, in Fig. 2;

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail side and top views, re-

The bomb case illustrated in said copending application is, of course, omitted and caps I2 substituted; The caps I2 are threaded or otherwise secured to the motor tubes In at their front ends, which are directed toward the rear end of the torpedo.

The tube of each rocket motor I0 is modified to fit closely in' a nozzle end yoke I3, an intermediate yoke I4 and a spacer cleat I5. One nozzle end yoke I3 is provided for each deceleration unit, each yoke being in the form of an arcuate plate having holes which receive the nozzle ends Illa of the rocket motors comprising the unit. There is also one intermediate yoke I4 for each set of rocket motors, each intermediate yoke being in the form of an arcuate plate having semicircular, peripheral recesses which receive the rocket motors. Retaining wedges I6 are inserted between adjacent rocket motors I0 and secured to the outer edge of the intermediate yoke I4, as by means of screws Ilia. As shown, each motor tube II] has spaced shoulders IOb between which the intermediate yoke I4 and adjacent wedges I6 are received. Also, the nozzle end portion Illa of each motor tube has a shoulder I00 engaging the outer face of the yoke I3.

The after body B of the torpedo, at the point opposite the rear or capped ends I2 of the rocket motors, is not truly cylindrical in cross section. Consequently, the spacer cleats I5 are made adjustable radially, as shown in Fig. 5. The yokes I3 and I4 and the spacer cleats I5 are arranged rocket motors parallel to the longitudinal axis of the torpedo. The intermediate yokes I4 transmit thethrust of the rocket motors to the torpedo from the shoulders lllb, suitable means being provided to secure the yokes lkand the torpedc against relative longitudinal movement. For example, the intermediate yokes ma have projections |4a (Fig. 3) which flt into the usual bolt recesses |1 provided in the after body B to receive the bolts for connecting the after body B to the main body A of the torpedo; or these connecting bolts (not shown) may hold suitable lugs engaging the yokes l4.

As shown, each deceleration unit employs six rocket motors l0, although my other desired number of motors may be used. The two units are joined by two identical discarding mechanism i8 shown assembled in Figs. 2. 6 and 7. Each discarding mechanism l8 comprises a socket member Ian and a, mating piston member I9 which are initially held together by shear bolts 29. .The socket member is adapted to contain a small charge of powder adapted to be ignited by that the explosive pressures are substantially relieved before the piston member I9 is fully'ejected from the socket member by explosion of the powder charge therein.

Each discarding mechanism I8 is joined by '

flexible links

23, 23a to the adjacent end portions of the intermediate yoke l4 of the two deceleration units. One of these links may include an adjustable and separable connection 24 so that the two deceleration units may be readily secured to or removed from the torpedo.

The deceleration units are each provided with a timer 25 which controls current supplied by batteries 25 supported across the capped ends l2 of the rocket motors. Each timer 25 is mounted on a suitable bracket 21 secured to one of the spacer cleats l5 of the corresponding deceleration unit. The timers 25 are identical in construction, so that a description of one of them will sumce.

The timer is contained in a housing comprising a flat base plate 32 and a cover 33 shaped to accommodate the timing mechanism therein. Within the housing and extending with its axis parallel to the base plate 32 is a cylindrical shell 34 having a partition 35 at one end and open at its other end. Within the shell is a latch carrier 35 in the form of a tube spaced from the shell 34. The latch carrier is provided with an internal flange 31 at its inner end which confronts the partition 35, and an external flange 33 at its other or outer end. A coil compression spring 39 surrounds the latch carrier 36 between the flange 39 and the partition 35 so as to urge the internal flange 31 away from the partition 35. I

The partition 35 is provided with a slot 40 which extends across the partition 35 parallel to The latch plate 4| is adapted to restrain the

toggle arms

44 and 45 of

toggle switches

46 and 41, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The toggle switches are supported by a bracket midway between the extremities of the latch car-' .rier 35 and isprovided with a plug 5| threaded therein.

Bellows 53 and 54 of the s'ylphon type are secured to the faces of plug 5| and extend in opposite directions therefrom. The forward bellows 53 is secured to an end fltting 53a which in turn issecured to the disk 4|a which supports the :latch plate 4|.

A stem 55 is secured to the end fitting 53a and extends through the plug 5| to another end fitting 54a secured to the extremity of the rear bellows 54. The

bellows

53 and 54, together with their end fittings 53a and 54a and the plug 5|, define respectively a forward chamber 51 and a rearward chamber 58. The'chambers are filled with a damping liquid and the clearance between the stem 55 and plug 5| is such that the fiow,oi the liquid between the two

chambers

51 and 58 is restricted so that the latch 4| moves slowly under urge of the spring 39.

Toluene serves admirably as a damping liquid for use with the deceleration apparatus, for the reason that its viscosity decreases with temperature at nearly the same rate as the burning time of the rocket motors I0.

A reel cage 59 is secured to the bottom of base plate 32 and supports a reel drum'fill. A hollow journal 5| is secured to the base plate 32 for supporting the inboard side of the reel drum 59, while the outboard side of the drum 59 has a boss 52 which is journaled in the cage 59.

The journal stem 5| is internally threaded and registers axially with a hole 63 extending through the partition 35. A latch pin 94 is slidable in the hole 63 and normally extends through a mating hole in the latch plate 4|. The intermediate portion of the latch pin 64 is threaded, as shown at 64a, to mate with the threads in the journal stem 6|, so that-the latch pin is moved axially when it is rotated. The outer end portion of the latch pin 64 is slotted, as indicated at 65, and extends through a central opening in the boss 62. A cross pin 65 fits into the slots 65 and extends through the reel boss 52 so as to rotate the latch pin when the reel drum 50 is rotated. I

A lanyard 51 is removably attached at one end to the reel drum 69 and is adapted to be wrapped about the drum several times so that when the free end of the lanyard is pulled, the drum is rotated sufllcicntly to withdraw the latch pin 64 from the latch 4|, whereby the latch is moved clear of the

toggle arms

44 and 45 by means of the spring 39 as restrained by the fluid in the

chambers

51 and 58. The free end of lanyard 51 extends through a slot 59a (Fig. 11) in cage 59 and is suitably connected to' the airplane, so that when the torpedo is released the lanyard is unwound from reel 60, thereby rotating the reel and withdrawing latch pin 54.

Springs 58 are attached to the

toggle arms

44 and 45 and anchored to the base plate 32 so as to snap the switches from one position to another as soon as the latchplate 4| clears the toggle arms. The

toggle switches

45 and 41 are preferably mounted-in the bracket by means oi adjustable connections 68, and the edge of the latch plate 4| may be stepped at a so that one toggle arm is released before-the other. The interval between release of the toggle arms is, of course, dependent upon the viscosity of the damping fluid.

Jacent timer, and wiring 12 and 12a to the normally closed

switches

46 and 41, respectively.

Extending from each plug and socket connector II are parallel connections 13 and 13a, the connection 13 leading to the usual e.ectrical igniters of the parallel connected rockets iii of the corresponding deceleration unit, and the other connection 130 lead.ng to the igniters of the rockets of the other deceleration unit. The switch 41 in eachtimer 25 is connected by wiring 14, in parallel with wiring 12a, to a plug and socket .connector 15 on the timer.

Branch connections

18 and 16a extend from each connector 15, the connection 16 leading to one of the ignltion plugs 2| on the corresponding side of the torpedo, and the other connection 18a leading to one of the ignition plugs 2| on the opposite side of the torpedo. The wiring I3, 13a is connected to the rocket igniters through conductors 11 extending through the nozzle ends Illa of the rocket motors.

From the foregomg, it will be seen that the toggle switch 46 of each timer is adapted to complete the circuits from the batteries 26 to all of the rocket motors i0, and the other switch 41 is adapted to complete the circuits to the electric igniter plugs 2| of the connecting means 18. The toggle switches are preferably arranged so that they short the electrical igniters in the rocket motors and the igniter plugs 2|, when the toggle switches are in their initial positions shown in Figs. 8 and 9, to minimize the possibility of accidental ignition.

The lanyards 61, which are connected to the airplane, must unwind from their respective drums 60 upon release of the torpedo, before the robket motor switches 46 are released. Thus, the rocket motors are not ignited until the torpedo is a safe distance from the airplane.

The propellant ll contained in the rocket motors has a burning speed which varies with temperature. It is desirable that the rocket motors complete their burning period before the deceleration units are thrown clear of the torpedo. In order to insure this, the damping fluid chosen for filling the

bellows

53, 54, namely toluene, varies in viscosity at nearly the same rate as the variation in burning speed. The interval between operations of the two

toggle switches

46, 41 should exceed the burning period of the rocket motors by approximately 25 per cent; The burning period of one type of rocket motor varies from 0.2 second to 0.8 second; consequently the timer used in conjunction with this motor shou.d vary from about 0.3 to 1.0 second within the same temperature range as that considered for the burning time of the rocket motor.

a 6 In order tofacilitate complete separation of the conductors which join the two deceleration units, one or the discarding mechanisms it may be provided with a conduit shearing means 80,

as shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7. v This comprises mating holes in one of the socket members Ila and its piston it, through which extends a conduit 8|, preferably of plastic material, carrying the necessary conductors.

Operation of the deceleration apparatus is as follows. The two deceleration units are secured around the torpedo A by the two sets of connections it, 23 and 24, the connection between the after body and the forward body of the torpedo cooperating with the projections Ma on yokes H to secure the units against longitudinal movement on the torpedo. The nozzle ends Illa of the rocket motors are directed toward the forward end of the torpedo so that the thrust of the rocket motors is directed rearwardly in opposition of the forward travel of the torpedo. The wiring is then connected as described.

When the torpedo is launched, the lanyards 61 rotate the drums 60,- so that the latch pins 64 are withdrawn from latch plates 4i after the torpedo has cleared the airplane a safe distance. The springs 39 then move the latch plates 4| outwardly against the restraining force of the liquid in bellows or

dashpot

53, 54, whereby the

switches

46 and 41 are operated in timed sequence. When the first switch 46 is operated, rocket'motors ID are ignited and their resulting action creates a substantial backward thrust to slow the forward velocity of the torpedo. Experimentation indicates that twelve rocket motors, of the type disclosed in said copending application Ser. No. 481,645, give a total thrust of fifteen tons lasting approximately a half a second, which is suflicient to reduce the speed of a one ton torpedo by 120 knots.

the rocket motors l0, approximately three-fourths to one second, the second switch 41 is operated to close the circuits to the squibs (not shown) 45 connected with the ignition plugs 2 I, causing the powder charges within the discarding mecha* nisms l8 to separate the piston members l9 from their socket members lBa with sumcient force to throw the two deceleration units clear of the torpedo. In the operation of the discarding mechanisms 18, the shearing device 80 shears the cable 8! by action of the piston i9, thereby facilitating separation of the deceleration units from the torpedo.

I claim:

' water-borne torpedo, a torpedo decelerating apparatus comprising a pair of arcuately shaped supporting yokes, explosively actuated means initially connecting said yokes together at their extremities to form a band encompassing the torpedo body and adapted when actuated to separate said yokes, rocket motors carried by said yokes. and a timing device for igniting said rocket g5 motors and thereafter actuating said connecting means. whereby said rocket motors and their yokes are thrown clear of said torpedo.

2. A torpedo decelerating apparatus comprising a pair of rocket supporting yokes adapted to be 7 mounted on a torpedo, a pair of separable links connecting said yokes at their extremities to form a band around the torpedo, at least one of said links comprising a piston and a socket member defining a chamber for receiving an explosive 1; which when ignited drives said piston and socket After the interval required for the operation of 1. In combination with an aircraft-launched,

with an aircraft-launched,

connecting means Joining said supporting devices to form a band around the torpedo body and hold said rocket motors with their discharge ends directed forwardly and generally parallel to the torpedo axis, each of said separable connecting means including piston and socket elements defining a chamber for an explosive'charge adapted when ignited to thrust said elements apart, thereby to throw said supporting devices and their rocket motors clear of said torpedo body, and a shear device initially restraining said piston and socket elements.

4. In combination with an aircraft-launched, water-borne torpedo, a torpedo decelerating apparatus comprising apair of decelerating units each including an arcuate supporting device conforming to the torpedo body and a plurality of rocket motors carried by said device, separable connecting means joining said supporting devices to form a band around the torpedo body and hold said rocket motors with their discharge ends directed forwardly and generally parallel to the axis of said torpedo, each of said separable connecting means including piston and socket elements defining a chamber for an explosive charge adapted when ignited to thrust said elements apart, thereby to throw said supporting devices and their rocket motors clear of said torpedo body, a shear device initially restraining said piston and socket elements, and a timing devicefor initiating operation of said rockets to effect deceleration of said torpedo body and thereafter operating said connecting means to efiect separation of said supporting devices and their rocket motors from the torpedo body,

5. In a torpedo deceleration apparatus having a plurality of electrically fired rocket motors, a discarding mechanism for throwing the deceleration apparatus clear of the torpedo and adapted to be 8 started electrically, and a source of electrical energy, a timer mechanism comprising a pair 01 switches for controlling the supply of 'energyi'rom said source to said rocket motors and said discarding mechanism, respectively, latch means restraining said switches and movable to release said switches in sequence, a spring urging said latch means free of said switches, a dashpot for controlling the rate of movement of said latch under urge of said spring thereby to control the interval between release of said switches, a pin initially restraining said latch, a drum, means connecting said drum with said pin to withdraw said pin from said latch upon rotation of said drum, and a lanyard for rotating said drum.

6. A timer mechanism comprising a hollow, cylinder closed at one end, a latch carrier mounted in the cylinder, a compression spring coiled around the carrier within the cylinder for urging the carrier toward the open end of the cylinder, 9. dashpot for restraining movement of the carrier by the spring, a latch on the carrier extending through the closed end of the cylinder, a pair of switches, biasing means for operating the switches, the latch normally holding the switches against operation by the biasing means and being movable by the spring to release the switches in sequence, a latch pin movable in the cylinder and normally locking the latch against movement, a drum connected to the pin and rotatable to withdraw the pin from the latch and thereby release the latch, and a lanyard wound around the drum for rotating the same.

' WILLIAM R.- SMYTHE.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Date