US2576613A

US2576613A - Metal cover

Info

Publication number: US2576613A
Application number: US628715A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lermont Basil
Original assignee: SUTTON PATENTS Inc
Current assignee: SUTTON PATENTS Inc
Priority date: 1945-11-15
Filing date: 1945-11-15
Publication date: 1951-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1968-11-27

Description

Nov. 27, 1951 B, LERMQNT 2 ,576,613

METAL COVER Filed NOV. 15, 1945 I 6 Sheets-rSheet l INVENTOR. BAs/L LER/vo/vT ,AQ, A TTWPA/EYJ.

Nov. 27, 1951 a. LERMONT 2,576,613

METAL COVER Filed Nov. 15, 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 WM W B. LERMONT Nov. 27, 1951 METAL COVER 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 15, 1945 INVENTOR. ZAJ/L LEF/Vfl/Vf 444 M A TTflR/VE v;

Nov. 27, 1951 Filed Nov. 15, 1945 B. 'LERMONT METAL COVER 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 5A5. LEE/70M? in Arne/vs m.

a. LERMONT METAL COVER Nov. 27, 1-951 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fil'd Nov. 15, 1945 INVENTOR. 5145/1. LERNo/VT B. LERMDNT Nov. 27, 1951 METAL COVER 6 Shee'ts-Sheec 6 Filed Nov. I5, 1945 INVENTOR.

jAJ/L LISP/VON? BY W @PW AM Arm/emery Patented Nov. 27, 1951 METAL COVER Basil Lermont, New York, N. Y., assignor to Sutton Patents, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 15, 1945', Serial No. 628,715

8 Claims. (01. 160-268) This invention relates to closures, cover or door members for buildings, vehicles, furniture and the like. It relates particularly to roll-like metallic closures that are useful as bomb bay doors for aircraft, sliding top and side panels for vehicles such as passenger automobiles and trucks, cover members for desks, disappearing types of awnings and for many other types of devices having areas that are adapted to be covered and uncovered.

An object of the invention is to provide satisfactory roll-type closure member formed of a continuous sheet of metal.

Another object of the invention is to provide self opening, continuous metal, roll-types of closure members.

A further object of the invention is to provide continuous metalclosure members that are of lighter weight than conventional metal doors.

An additional object of the invention is to provide continuous metal closure members that require a minimum amount of space when open and which correspond to and merge into the contours of the device to which they are applied, when closed.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of typical forms of closure members embodying the present form of the invention.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided sliding closure members which comprise inherently springy sheets of metal of a normally coiled form that can be drawn out into a longitudinally and transversely curved form. The normal tendency of such stretched out sheets is to revert to their initially coiled form, and I have taken advantage of this tendency to render the closure members substantially self-opening.

It has been recognized that when a sheet of metal is drawn through a die or roll device that bends a sheet of metal transversely and stretches it in unequal increments from its center to its edges, stresses are set up in the sheet that cause the .sheet to coil uptightly. The sheet may be uncoiled into a longitudinally and transversely curved form by the application of tension to opposite ends of the sheet, but it will return to its coiled form upon release of the tension.

In a typical closure or cover embodying the present invention, the coiled sheet of metal may be supported by a member located at about the axis of the coil. Tension applying elements may be connected to the outer free end of the sheet so that it can be uncoiled to assume the longitldinally and transversely curved form described a ove.

Guiding means may be provided for receiving or engaging the lateral edges of the sheet to prevent deformation of the sheet and to control the position of the sheet when it is drawn out.

When the tension on the end of the sheet is relieved, the sheet will coil itself up into its initial 7 form.

Closure members of the type described generally above are suitable for use in aircraft where space is limited, weight must be kept at a minimum, and curved aerodynamic surfaces are essential for economy and speed of operation of the aircraft.

The coiled sheets are also useful as sliding top or side closure elements for passenger vehicles and trucks and are adapted for use as roll-type awnings and the like for building structures and for many other purposes. 6

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a typical coiled sheet of metal used in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the coiled sheet of metal; I

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic and persepctive view of a typical closure member embodying the present invention used as a bomb bay door for an aeroplane as shown in dotted lines;

Figure 4 is an end view of the closure member of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an end view of the operating mechanism for the closure member with the supporting elements removed;

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the driving chain for the closure;

. Figure 7 is a view in side elevation and partially broken away of a latch for retaining the closure member in closed position;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a supporting, framework for a closure member useful in vehiclesv such as aircraft or passenger automobiles;

Figure 9 is a perspective View of a closure member forming a sliding top panel, with the supporting frameworkremoved, for a passenger vehicle, shown in dotted lines;

Figure 10 is a view in side elevation of the closure member disclosed in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a view in section taken through the guide channel on the supporting framework of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a top view of a portion of the drive chain and locking mechanism for the closure;

Figure 13 is a view partly in section of a catch for retaining the closure in closed position;

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a typical closure member applied to a truck, shown in dotted lines;

Figure 15 is a view in end elevation of the closure member; and V Figure 16'is a perspective view illustrating the closure member used as an awning.

A particularly important usage for closure members of the type embodying the present invention is for bomb bay doors for aircraft. The doors used heretofore have been hinged constructions consisting of a supporting framework formed of curved ribs and having a metallic skin secured to the ribs. These doors are usually opened and closed by means of hydraulic jacks or by electric motors.

In order to afford proper clearance for loading and dropping bombs, the doors normally swing outwardly. As the doors swing outwardly they impose an increasing drag on the aeroplane thereby decreasing its speed and rendering it more vulnerable to anti-aircraft and aeroplane gunf re. oftentimes the doors are damaged by such gunfire-and it is impossible to close them thereby decreasing the speed of the aeroplane when itis returning from a bombing mission and moreover requiring the use of more fuel to offset the drag of the open doors.

The bomb bay door embodying the. present invention consists of a sliding panel which may be arranged to fit substantially flush with the skin of the aeroplane. Inasmuch as the door is flush with the surface or skin of the aircraft, it does not impose a drag on the aircraft even when it is open. When the door is closed, the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft are preserved.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the door may consist of a coiled sheet of metal Ill which may be formed in accordance with the disclosure of the Lermont et a1. Patent No. 2,301,960, dated November 17, 1942. As described in this patent, when a sheet of metal I is drawn through the diesdisclosed in the patent, it is stretched unequally from edge to edge and stresses are s t up in thesheet which cause it to coil upon itself into a tightly curled or coiled substantially cylindrical form. Such a sheet is inherently springy even when it is formed'of a relatively nonspringy material such as Duralumin. Coiled stainless steel sheets are also highly resilient and springy and, therefore, this material may be used satisfactorily in closures of the type about to be described. Similar sheets can be formed on devices having forming rolls or they may be coiled and then heat treated to render them sprin y.

The sheet of .metal. In which is to be formed into a coil as disclosed in Figures land 2 may be drawn through dies in such a manner as to impart a predetermined longitudinal and transverse curvature thereto. When using the sheet metal as a closure fora bomb bay door, the sheet preferably will be formed so that its contours coincide with and carry out the aerodynamic shape of the fuselage of the aeroplane;

In a typical bomb bay door construction, the coiled sheet in may bemounted upon a cylindrical roller II which is journalled rotatably on a shaft 12. The shaft [2 may be secured at its opposite ends to frame elements of the aeroplane such as, for example, the member IS. The shaft it maybe located adjacent the edge M of the opening I ofthe bomb bay so that when the- 4 sheet is drawn out it coincides with and fits substantially flush with the edge of the opening [4.

The outermost edge Illa. of the sheet may be secured to and rendered substantially rigid by means of a longitudinally curved cross bar l6 as shown in Figure 6. The ends of the bar l6 are secured to a pair of

drive chains

11 and 18. The chain 11 is supported on a sprocket I9 which is mounted on the shaft I2 and upon another sprocket 20 that is carried by a shaft 2|. This latter shaft is driven by an electric motor 22. The chain I8 is supported on a sprocket 23 carried by the shaft I2 and a second sprocket 24 mounted on the left hand end of the shaft 2| as shown in Figure 3.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the shaft 2| may consist of three universally connected sections 2Ia, 2H), and 2Ic so that the

sprockets

20 and 24 are positioned substantially normal to tangents to the surface of the sheet I!) when it is drawn out into its fully closed position. i

As shown in Figure 5, the outer end of the shaft section 210 is journalled in a bracket 25 which is,

of the aircraft and the motor 22 is also mounted on a bracket 21 fixed to the skin 26 or other struc-- tural element of the aircraft.

When the motor 22 is operated it will exert a tension on the end Illa of the sheet thereby uncoiling the sheet from its supporting roll H and causing it to move along in a, direction to close the opening I5.

In order to guide the sheet during its move-- ment and impart increased rigidity to it, the

As illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the cross bar [6 has a rib or tooth l6a thereon which is adapted to engage the hook member 30 which is pivotally supported on the upper arm 3i of a bifurcated member 32. The arm 30a of the hook 30 is connected by a link 33 to a solenoid, not shown, so that the hook 30 can be actuated electrically to release the sheet for return to open position. Thus, when the sheet I0 is drawn out to close the 56 opening IS, the tooth IGa on the cross bar will displace the hook 30 and willengage behind it where it is held in' fixed position. The bar l6 can be released for opening the door by energization of the solenoid and counterclockwise rotation 60 of the hook 30 as viewed in Figure 7. The sheet ID will then return to its coiled form upon reversing operation of the motor, the springy action of the sheet tending to cause it to roll up as it moves to open position. To avoid damage'to the motor, the aircraft may be provided with a limit switch 35 which" cuts off the supply of electrical energy to the motor 22 when the closure has completely closed the opening l5.

While the invention has been described above with the guide and supporting elementsfor the sheet as forming a part of the aeroplane structure, a separate supporting element making theclosure a complete operative unit permitting its is ready attachment and detachment may be pro-k1 fixed to the skin 26 or other structural element the leading edge of the vided as disclosed in Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the sheet l8 may be supported upon a shaft I I which connects the

frame members

36 and 31 which are also connected at their opposite ends by means of a brace member 38. The operating elements such as the motor and the shaft 2| may be carried by the

frame members

36 and 31 as well as the

guide channels

28 and 29. In this way, the frame member forms a complete support for the entire unit and facilitates servicing and replacement.

The closures of the type described above are useful for many other purposes such as for example for a sliding panel top for a passenger automobile as shown in Figures 9 to 13 inclusive. In this construction, a frame member 40 like that described above is mounted in the top of the automobile 4] around the periphery of an opening 42 in the top of the vehicle. The coiled sheet of metal 43 is carried by a roller 44 and is mounted on the shaft 45 fixed in the end of the frame 40 which also carries the

sprockets

46 and 41 on which are supported the

drive chains

48 and 49. The drive chains are driven by means of a set of bevel gears 50 that are connected by means of a drive shaft 5| and suitable clutch element (not shown) to the engine of the vehicle. The side frame members of the supporting frame 40 may be formed as a double tube 40a and 401) as shown in Figure 11 of the drawings. The upper tube 40a is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 52 through which a cross bar 53 passes that is connected at its opposite ends to the

drive chains

48 and 49. The cross bar 53 is connected to the leading edge 43a of the sheet 43 so that as the cross bar 53 moves along with the

chains

48 and 49, the sheet will be coiled or uncoiled depending upon the direction of rotation of the sprockets. In order to reduce friction, the

chains

48 and 49 may be supported upon Micarta or

similar blocks

54 and 55 in the upper and lower tubes 40a and 48b of the frame. An effective seal between the sheet 43 and the remainder of the car body may be provided by means of a rubber gasket 56 which extends around the periphery of the opening 42 and is carried in the channel 51 between the skin 58 of the car and a downwardly turned flange 59 on the side frame member.

In order to latch the sheet 43 in closed position, the cross bar 53 may be provided with one or more apertures 53a (Fig. 12) which are adapted to be engaged by means of spring urged catches 68 affixed to the top of the vehicle at forward edge of the opening 4'2. As shown in Figure 13, each catch 60 may consist of a pin 6| having tapered upper end Sid and a ring 61b at'its lower end. The catch BI is mounted in a channel member 62 fixed to the vehicle body. The catch pin BI is urged upwardly by means of a coiled spring 63 interposed between a cross pin 64 that extends through the pin SI and a bracket 65 secured to the lower surface of the channel member 62.

Thus when the cross bar 53 advances into engagement with the pin 51 the latter is pushed downwardly until it comes into alignment with the aperture 53a at which time it snaps upwardly into the aperture 53a to lock the cross bar in position. The cross bar 53 may be released by pulling down on the ring fill) of each catch 60.

The closure member just described is equally applicable to trucks and other vehicles for use in closing the top or side panels of the truck. A typical installation is disclosed in Figures 14 and 15. In this construction-the coiled metal sheet 10 has a cross bar H at its outer end, the

opposite ends of the cross bar being connected to the

drive chains

12 and 13. The chains I2 and 13 are mounted at one end on sprockets which are mounted on a shaft (not shown) driven by means of an electric motor 14. The motor driven shaft also acts to support the coiled sheet of metal 18 for relative rotation. The opposite ends of the

chains

12 and 13 are supported by

sprockets

15 and 16 which are mounted upon a shaft 11 journalled in the truck body. The truck body also carries a pairof catches l8 and 19 like the catches 68 described above, the lower ends of the catch pins being connected to a cross bar 80 having chains at its opposite ends so that the catches can be released by pulling downwardly on the chains 8011.

While the invention has been described above as being applied to closures for vehicles, the closure members may be used for many other purposes. An example of such another usage is disclosed in Figure 16 of the drawings. In this form of the invention, a metallic sheet 8| is used as a roll-type awning which may be installed over a door or a window 82, as disclosed.

The coiled sheet of metal 8| may be supported upon a shaft 83 which is journalled in brackets 84 at its opposite ends which may be fixed to the building structure above the window 82. A pair of

arcuate guide members

85 and 86 project outwardly from the building structure and may be installed permanently and supported in angular relationship to the window 82 by downwardly extending braces 81. In order to project the closure 8|, a hand winch 88 may be fastened to the side of the building structure and is provided with a cable 89 which is threaded overa pulley 9| on the cross brace and through a pair of

pulleys

92 and 93 carried by a cross member 94. The end of the cable 89 may be connected to a strengthening bar 95 fixed to the leading or outer end of the sheet of metal Bl.

When the winch 88 is rotated, tension is exerted, on the outer end of the sheet BI, and it will uncoil and move along the guide rails 85 and 86 into extended position. When the winch is released as, for example, by freeing a pawl from a ratchet, not shown, the winch will unwind and the awning sheet 8| will coil up and retract itself.

Closure members of the type described above may be used with equal facility as doors for furniture, partitions in walls and for many other purposes. Their size and shape may be varied as the purpose demands and the guide members and actuating mechanisms therefor are susceptible to considerable variation. Therefore, the forms of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative only and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A closure for a bomb bay having an opening in the undersurface of an aeroplane comprising a coiled sheet metal spring, means supporting said coiled spring rotatably adjacent to one edge of said bomb bay opening, said spring resisting uncoiling, guide means extending along opposite edges of said opening adjacent to said one edge, and power driven means adjacent to said guide means and connected to the outer end of said spring for drawing said spring along said guide means and uncoiling said spring against the resistance thereof to close said opening, said spring normally tending to coil to uncover saidopening.

2. A roll type closure comprising a frame member having side elements, a coiled sheet metal spring, said spring normally resisting uncoiling' and tending to coil up when uncoiled, means connected to said side elements supporting said spring for free rotation at its axis, guide channels on said side elements for receiving the lateral edges of said spring, and means extending along said guide channels for exerting tension on said spring for uncoiling it and drawing it along said channels, said spring coiling up when relieved of tension.

3. A retractable covering device comprising a coiled sheet metal spring having outer and inner ends and opposite lateral edges, means rotatably supporting said spring for winding and unwinding movement, means connected to said outer end of said spring for pulling said outer end of said spring outwardly away from the supporting means to unwind said spring and store energy therein, and guiding means adjacent to and extending outwardly from said'supporting means for engaging the lateral edges of said spring to support the unwound spring, said unwound spring being urged to wound condition by the tension therein.

4. A roll type cover member comprising a coiled sheet metal spring, means to rotatably support said coiled spring for winding and unwinding movement substantially about the axis of said spring, guide rails extending outwardly from adjacent to the ends of said spring, and means connected to the outer end of said spring for subjecting said spring to tension along a line substantially parallel to said guide means to unwind and move said spring along said guide means, said spring returning to wound condition when relieved of said tension.

5. A roll type closure member for an opening comprising a coiled sheet metal spring, means for rotatably supporting said coiled spring for winding and unwinding movement, arcuate guide members extending outwardly from adjacent to said supporting means along said opening, and means connected to the outer end of said spring for subjecting said spring to tension to at least partially unwind said spring to draw it out along and in engagement with said guide members to at least partially close said opening, said spring resisting unwinding whereby release of said tension permits said spring to wind up and uncover said opening.

6. A roll type closure member for an opening comprising a coiled sheet metal spring, means rotatably supporting said coiled spring for winding and unwinding movement adjacent one edge of said opening, arcuate guide members extending outwardly from adjacent to said supporting means along the sides of said opening, and means connected to the outer end of said spring for subjecting said spring to tension to at least partially unwind said spring and. draw it out along and in engagement with said guide members to cover said opening and means for releasably looking said spring in at least partially unwound condition, said spring normally winding upon itself to uncover said opening upon release of said' locking means.

'7. A roll type cover member for an opening comprising a coiled sheet metal spring which upon uncoiling assumes a transversely and longitudinally curved form, curved guide means extending outwardly from adjacent to said coil along the sides of said opening, said curved sheet,

upon being extended, assuming a longitudinal curve substantially corresponding to the longitudinal curvature of said guide means, means rotatably supporting said spring adjacent one end of said spring substantially at its axis, and operating means connected to the outer end of said spring for drawing said end along said guide means and causing said spring to rotate and unwind to cover said opening, said spring normally resisting unwinding and tending to wind and uncover said opening.

8. A closure for an opening in a structure having a curved surface defining the edges of said opening, comprising curved guide means on said curved surface extending along opposite edges of said opening, a normally coiled sheet metal spring of greater width than said opening and having longitudinal edges engageable with said guide means and inner and outer ends, said spring resisting uncoiling and normally tending to coil, means rotatably supporting said coiled spring for free bodily rotation at its axis and means to exert tension on the outer end of said spring to uncoil it by bodily rotation thereof about its axis and draw said spring along said guide means to cover said opening, saidspring normally tending to coil up to uncover said opening when relieved of the tension exerted to uncoil it.

BASIL LERMONT.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Laddon June 19,