US2693147A

US2693147A - Land mine

Info

Publication number: US2693147A
Application number: US254997A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold H Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-11-06
Filing date: 1951-11-06
Publication date: 1954-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 1971-11-02

Description

Nov. 2, 1954 Filed NOV. 6, 1951 H. H. JoHNsoN LAND MINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l FVG. 3.65

/ l l l l l l l l l l l l l INVENTOR H4204@ H. JoH/vso/v,

fm/naman v ,49mm

ATTORNEYS Nov. 2, 1954 l H H JOHNSQN 2,693,147

LAND MINE Filed NOV. 6, 1951 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hneo H dof/SOM BY Q/Qyz/M//wmvmm ATTORNEYS United States Pate This invention relates to land mines, and more particularly to a non-magnetic land mine having a non-detachable fuse.

lt is among the objects of the invention to provide a land mine having no parts of magnetic material, such as metal; which has a non-detachable fuse and tiring mechanism disposed within the casing or shell of the mine; which uses a receptacle of compressed air for the ring spring; which can be armed and disarrned as desired; and which is simple and durable in construction, readily adaptable to mass production, and positive and elfective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a land mine illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 2--2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View on the line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 5 5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

With continued referencel to the drawings, the land mine comprises a receptacle, generally indicated at 10, having an annular and preferably cylindrical side wall 11 and a flat bottom wall 12 enclosing the receptacle at one end of the side wall, the other end of the receptacle being open. The side wall 11 is provided adjacent the open end of the receptacle with an internal annular groove 13, and the portion of the side wall between this groove and the end of the side wall at the open end of the receptacle is provided with spaced apart notches 14 providing inwardly directed and spaced apart tongues 15 betlween the groove 13 and the adjacent end of the side wa A cover 16 in the form of a ilat disc is provided with a central aperture or opening 17, and with peripheral notches providing tongues 1S spaced apart distances equal to the width of the tongues 15 on the side wall and having a width substantially equal to the width of the notches between the tongues 15, so that the tongues on the cover can be passed through the notches in the side wall of the receptacle and, upon a slight rotation of the cover relative to the receptacle, engage under the tongues on the receptacle side walls to releasably lock and cover to the side wall, ln the arrangement illustrated, the groove 13 has a width somewhat less than the thickness of the cover 16, and the tongues 18 on the covers have a thickness substantially equal to the width of the grooves and less than the thickness of the remainder of the cover, and a gasket 19 of resilient material is disposed between the marginal portion of the cover 16 and the side of the groove 13 remote from the adjacent end of the side wall 11 of the receptacle. Spaced apart recesses 20 are provided in the cover 16 and open through the top or outer surface of the cover for receiving the pins of a spanner wrench by means of which the cover can be rotated relative to the receptacle.

The receptacle 1l) and cover 16 are formed of a nonmagnetic material, such as tempered glass, and a tube 21 of the same material extends from the inner side of the tube.

2,693,147 Patented Nov.. 2, 1954 end wall 12 at the center of the latter into the opening 17 in the cover 16, but does not extend entirely through the cover.

While the tube 21 has been described as formed of tempered glass, the same as the receptacle and the cover, it is to be undertsood that this tube may be formed of other material, such as synthetic resin plastic, if found more convenient, without in rany way exceeding the scope of the invention.

The tube is provided intermediate its length with an aperture 22, and is provided between the aperture 22 and the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle with a series of angularly spaced apart apertures 23 which may be somewhat smaller than the aperture or opening 22.

A pair of lugs 24 and 25 project perpendicularly outwardly from the tube 21, one at each side of the opening 22 in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other and together constitute a bracket for pivotally supporting a lever 26. The lever 26 is in the form of a ilat bar disposed between the lugs 24 and 25, and is pivotally mounted on the lugs by a pivot pin 27 which extends through registering apertures in the lugs adjacent the outer ends of the latter and in the lever 26 intermediate the length thereof. The lever extends through the opening 22 and has one end disposed in the tube 21.

A fuse and tiring mechanism assembly, generally indicated at 30, is mounted on the inner side of the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle below the outer end of the lever 26, and a link 31 connects the outer end of the lever 26 to the tiring mechanism.

The firing mechanism, as particularly illustrated in Figure 5, comprises a lirst tube 32, preferably formed of glass, having one end seated in a recess in a lug 33 projecting upwardly from the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle. The lug 33 has an opening 34 therein substantially concentric with the recess in which the tube 32 is received, and an abutment formation 35 is disposed adjacent the side of the lug 33 remote from the recess therein and supports a plate 36 having an aperture therein, and a tiring cap or detonator 37 mounted in the aperture in the plate 36 in registry with the opening 34 in the lug 33. At its other end the tube 32 is telescopically received in one end of a second tube 38 of somewhat larger diameter than the tube 33, and the tube 38 is provided with diametrically opposed projections received in the internal grooves of a pair of grooved brackets 39 and 40 projecting upwardly from the inner surface of the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle. The projections on the tube 33 and the grooved brackets 39 and 4l) are provided with registering apertures which receive

dowel pins

41 and 42 which positively hold the tube 38 in predetermined positions relative to the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle, the end of the tube 32 remote from the tube 38 being positively held in predetermined positions relative to the bottom wall by the lug 33.

A tiring pin 45 of non-magnetic material is slidably mounted in the bore of the tube 32 and has a pointed end 46 directed toward the detonator 37. This ring pin is provided in its other end with a recess which receivels a weight 47 of a suitable heavy, non-magnetic materia A pair of

arms

48 and 49 are mounted on the tube 32 at respectively diametrically opposite sides of the tube and are secured to the tube at corresponding ends by suitable means, such as band or ring 56, extending through apertured lugs on the arms and surrounding the At their other ends the arms 43 and 49 are provided with perpendicularly extending tongues which project through apertures in the tube and engage the opposite sides of the tiring pin 45 to releasably hold the ring piu at the end of the tube 32 remote from the detonator 37.

A lug 52 extends upwardly from the inner side of the bottom wall 12 at a location spaced from the brackets 39 and 40 in a direction away from the lug 33, and an abutment block 53 is pivotally mounted on the end of the lug 52 remote from the bottom wall. A small flask 55 has one end received in the abutment block 33 and engages the adjacent end of the tube 33 near its other end. This ask is provided in its end disposed within the tube 38 with a formation 56 providing a vent opening and a valve seat surrounding the vent opening, and a valve is mounted in the tube 38 adjacent this end of the flask.

The valve comprises an elongated body 57 pivotally mounted in the tube 38 by a pivot pin 58 which extends transversely through the body and is received at its ends in notches 59 provided in the tube 38. A valve washer 60 of rubber or other suitable resilient material is pivotally mounted on the body 57 at the end of the latter adjacent the ask 55 and held in sealing engagement with the valve seat formation 56. The body 55 contains compressed air when the mechanism is in operative condition, which air may be admitted to the body through an opening normally closed by a Suitable plug or check valve 61, and is held in the body by the valve washer 60.

Near its end remote from the lever 26, the link 31 is provided with a notch 62 in which the valve body 57 is engaged at its end remote from the washer 60.

With this arrangement, if the ond of the lever 26 within the tube 21 is moved toward the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle 1t), the link 3l will pull on the end of the valve body 27 engaged thereby rotating the valve body about the pivot pin 5S and withdrawing the valve washer 60 from the adjacent end of the flask 55 and permitting the compressed air to escape from the flask into the tube 38. The compressed air from the ask will act on the tiring pin 45 and force this firing pin through the tube 32 and against the detonator 37 detonating the latter and firing the explosive charge 63 disposed in the receptacle 1.0 around the tube 21. A suitable vent 64 is provided in the tube 32 adjacent the detonator 37 to prevent the ring pin 45 from becoming airlocked in the tube.

A stem or plunger 65, preferably of cylindrical shape and formed of a non-magnetic material, is received in the tube 21 and has a notch or recess 66 intermediate the length thereof in which the end of the lever 26 projecting into the tube 21 is received. This notch 66 is connected at one side to the end of the stern adjacent the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle by a groove 67, the groove and recess 66 together constituting a bayonet slot connection so that the stem can be moved downwardly past the inwardly projecting end of the lever 26 and then slightly rotated to engage the inwardly projecting end of the lever in the recess.

Deformable or breakable stop members 68 are secured to the outer side of the tube 21 and project through the apertures 23 in the tube into engagement with they end of the stem 65 adjacent the bottom wall of the receptacle and hold the stem against movement inwardly of the tube an amount suflicient to move the lever 26 and release the above-described ring mechanism until these stop members 68 are subjected to a predetermined force exerted on them by the stem.

The stem 68 projects through the central opening 17 in the cover 16, and a tread plate 70 in the form of a thin disc of non-magnetic material is secured at its center to the corresponding end of the stem and is spaced outwardly from the outer side of the cover 16. This tread plate 70 has an annular marginal flange 71 which projects substantially perpendicularly from the plate and overlaps the outer side of the side wall 11 of the receptacle adjacent the open end oi the latter.

Compressible elements 72 formed of a suitable resilient material, such as sponge rubber, are disposed between the cover and the tread plate 70 and hold the tread plate in spaced relationship to the cover until they are subjected to suicient force to compress them and permit the tread plate to move toward the cover.

The bracket lugs 24 and 25 are provided with mutually registering apertures between the pivot pin 27 and the adjacent side of the tube 2i, and the lever 26 is provided with an aperture registering with these apertures in the lugs when the lever is in its non-firing position. The side wall lll of the receptacle is provided with an aperture 74 in alignment with the above-described apertures in the lugs 24 and 25 and the lever 26, and an elongated safety pin 75 extends through the aperture 74 in the side wall of the receptacle and through the lugs 24 and 25 and the lever 26 at a location between the pivot pin 27 and the adjacent side of the tube 21 to hold the lever 26 against movement. When the safety pin 75 is in place, the mine is unarmed,'and when the stem 6 5 is positioned in they tube 21 in engagement with the lever 26 and the safety pin 75 is withdrawn, the mine is armed 4 and ready to lire when suiicient pressure is exerted on the tread plate 70.

In order to disarm or unarm the mine, the safety pin 75 is reinserted through the lugs 24 and 25 and the lever 26 to hold this lever against movement and the tread plate 70 is then slightly rotated and pulled away from the cover 16 to remove the stem 65 from the tube 21, the inwardly projecting end of the lever 26 passing through the notch 67 in the stem as the latter is removed from the tube.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

l. A non-magnetic land mine comprising a receptacle having an annular side wall open at one end and a bottom wall closing the other end thereof, a fiat cover closing the open end of said receptacle, said side wall having locking formations at the open end of said receptacle and said cover having a central opening therein and peripherally disposed locking formations engageable with the locking formations on said side wall for releasably locking said cover to said receptacle upon rotational movement of the former relative to the latter, a tube extending from said bottom wall into the central opening in said cover and having an opening therein intermediate length thereof, a bracket extending laterally from said tube adjacent the opening therein, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its length on said bracket and having one end disposed within said tube, a firing mechanism mounted on said bottom wall, a link connecting the other end of said lever to said firing mechanism for releasing the latter when said one end of said lever is moved toward said bottom wall, a stem extending through said tube and engaging said one end of the lever, a tread plate mounted on one end of said stem and spaced outwardly from said cover, and deformable means carried by said tube and engaging said stem resisting movement of said stem toward said bottom wall until subjected to a predetermined force, all of said parts being formed entirely of non-magnetic materials and said mine being en tirely free of metallic parts.

2. A land mine comprising a receptacle having an open end and a bottom wall closing the other end thereof, a dat cover detachably secured to said receptacle in closing relationship to the open end of the latter and having a centrally disposed opening therein, a tube extending from said bottom wall into the opening in said cover, a stern slidably mounted in said tube and extending at one end through said cover, a tread plate mounted on said one end of said stem and spaced outwardly from said cover, deformable means carried by said tube and engaging said stem to releasably hold the latter at a predetermined position longitudinally of said tube, said tube having an opening intermediate the length thereof and said stem having a recess therein registering with the opening in said tube, a bracket projectinfr outwardly from said tube adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its length on said bracket and extending at one end through the opening in said tube into the recess in said stem, tiring mechanism mounted on the inner side of said bottom wall, and a link connecting the other end of said lever to said ring mechanism for releasing the latter, said firing mechanism including a tube, a detonator disposed at one end of said tube, a compressed air ask disposed at the other end of said tube and having a valve seat formation within said tube, a valve mounted in said tube in engagement with said valve seat formation and connected to said link for releasing compressed air from said ilask into said tube when said stern is moved toward said bottom wall beyond said predetermined position, and a ring pin slidably mounted in said tube between said valve and said detonator, all parts of said mine being of non-magnetic and said mine being entirely ree of metallic components.

3. A non-magnetic land mine comprising a receptacle havmg an open end and a bottom wall closing its other end, a` cover releasably secured to said receptacle in closing relationship to the open end of the latter and having an opening therein, a tube extending from the bottom wall of said receptacle into the opening in said cover and having an opening therein between said bottom Wall and said cover, a stem mounted in said tube for longitudinal movement relative thereto and projecting at one end through the opening in said cover, said stem having a recess therein intermediate the length thereof, a tread plate mounted on said one end of said stem in spaced relationship to said cover, means acting between said stem and said bottom Wall maintaining the recess in said stem at a predetermined position relative to the opening in said tube until said tread plate is subjected to a predetermined force, firing mechanism mounted on said bottom wall and including a compressed air flask having a discharge opening in one end and a movably mounted valve closing the vent opening in said ask, a bracket mounted on said tube adjacent the opening in the latter, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its length on said bracket and having one end engaged in the recess in said stem, and a link connecting the other end of said lever to said valve, said mine being entirely free of magnetic materials.

4. A non-magnetic land mine comprising a receptacle having an open end and a bottom Wall closing its other end, a cover releasably secured to said receptacle in closing relationship to the open end of the latter and having an opening therein, a tube extending from the bottom wall of said receptacle into the opening in said cover and having an opening therein between said bottom wall and said cover, a stem mounted in said tube for longitudinal movement relative thereto and projecting at one end through the opening in said cover, said stem having a recess therein intermediate the length thereof, a tread plate mounted on said one end of said stem in spaced relationship to said cover, means acting between said stern and said bottom wall maintaining the recess in said stem at a predetermined position relative to the opening in said tube until said tread plate is subjected to a predetermined force, firing mechanism mounted on said bottom wall and including 'a compressed air ask having a discharge opening in one end and a movably mounted valve closing the vent opening in said ask, a bracket mounted on said tube adjacent the opening in the latter, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its length on said bracket and having one end engaged in the recess in said stem, a link connecting the other end of said lever to said valve, said lever and said bracket having apertures therein between said lever and said bracket, which apertures are in registry when the recess in said stem is in said predetermined position relative to the opening in said tube and said receptacle having an aperture therein in alignment with the apertures in said bracket, and an elongated pin extending through the apertures in said receptacle, said bracket and said lever to hold said lever against movement relative to said bracket, said pin being removable to arm the mine, said mine being entirely free of magnetic materials.

5. A non-magnetic land mine comprising a receptacle having an open end and a bottom Wall closing its other end, a cover releasably secured to said receptacle in closing relationship to the open end of the latter and having an opening therein, a tube extending from the bottom wall of said receptacle into the opening in said cover and having an opening therein between said bottom Wall and said cover, a stem mounted in said tube for longitudinal movement relative thereto and projecting at one end through the opening in said cover, said stem having a recess therein intermediate the length thereof, a tread plate mounted on said one end of said stem in spaced relationship to said cover, means acting between said stem and said bottom wall maintaining the recess in said stem at a predetermined position relative to the opening in said tube until said tread plate is subjected to a predetermined force, tiring mechanism mounted on said bottom wall and including a compressed air flask having a discharge opening in one end and a movably mounted valve closing the vent opening in said flask, a bracket mounted on said tube adjacent the opening in the latter, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its length on said bracket and having one end engaged in the recess in said stem, a link connecting the other end of said lever to said valve, and an explosive charge in the space within said receptacle surrounding said tube, said mine being entirely free of magnetic materials.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v1,682,560 Gruber Aug. 28, 1928 2,377,174 Parker May 29, 1945 2,438,307 Taylor et al Mar. 23, 1948 2,450,407 Bartgis Oct. 5, 1948 2,514,401 Lilijegren July 1l, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 866,769 France June 9, 1941