US2850946A

US2850946A - Muzzle clampend device for twin barreled artillery piece

Info

Publication number: US2850946A
Application number: US576125A
Authority: US
Inventors: Scavini Jean Francois
Original assignee: Societe des Forges et Ateliers du Creusot
Current assignee: Societe des Forges et Ateliers du Creusot
Priority date: 1956-04-04
Filing date: 1956-04-04
Publication date: 1958-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-09

Description

J. F. SCAVINI Sept. 9, 1958 MUVZZLE CLAMP END DEVICE FOR TWIN BARRELED ARTILLERY PIECE Filed April 4. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTO R JEAN FRANCOIS, SCAVINI BY C?0/W1W7L, mm VMW/ ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS J. F. SCAVINI Sept. 9, 1958 MUZZLE CLAMP END DEVICE FOR TWIN BARREL-ED ARTILLERY PIECE Filed April 4. 1195s Fig.3 11

United States Patent q MU ZZLE CLAMPEND DEVICE FOR TWIN BARRELED- ARTILLERY PIECE Jean Francois Scavini, Asnieres, France, assignor to Societe des Forges et Ateliers du Creusot, Paris, France Application April 4,1956, Serial No. 576,125

5 3 Claims. (CI. 89-14) This invention relates to improvementsin artillery pieces-comprising two identical twin barrels of not in- 1 considerable length, and fixed to a common sleeve in v and the return to'the firing position is quicker, which in automatic artillery pieces permits the increase of the rate of firing.

The two barrels may be arranged one by the side of the other or one above the other. In order to make things clear, the principle of the invention will be explained on the assumption that the two barrels are arranged'side by side and it will be understood that it appliesialso to the other case.

In this type of gun, where in order to allow the gun j v to be aimed a vertical pivot is arranged at equal distances from the axes of the barrels, an importantdilficulty has hitherto been encountered. Since the two barrels fire in fact one after the other, the assembly of the barrels has a tendency to swing to one side or the other depending on which barrel is being fired.

Fromthis a deviation of the directionof firing from each -b arrel results, a phenomenon which hitherto has not been inves'tigated, it seeming logical to believe that, when firing, the shot from the right gun would be deflected towards the right owing to a very weak partial rotation about the pivot and to the resiliency of the mounting, and the shot from the left gun would be deflected towards the left.

Thorough investigations have been able to show that on the contrary, if the barrels are not of a short length, the one on the right side has its shot deflected towards the left and vice versa.

The deviation in the sense opposite to what had been expected is probably due to a flexure of the barrels at the moment of the shot. The eifect of this flexure is combined with that of the partial rotation, but in the opposite sense.

According to the invention the total deviation can be reduced to zero by a reduction of the flexibility of the barrels in such a manner that this flexibility has only the efiect of compensating the partial rotation about the pivot. In this design a muzzle clamp is provided which connects the two barrels at their muzzles or at regions closely adjacent to their muzzles, the barrels being fitted into the muzzle clamp and the latter being practically indeformable.

When the two barrels are arranged one above the other, the deviations manifest themselves with respect to the horizontal axis for the deviation of the guns, i. e.

the axis of the trunnions, and would affect not the dibarrels 1 and 2 rection of the shots, but their height. The means proposed according to the invention for abolishing them would be exactly the same.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to particular embodiments given by wayof example and illustrated in the drawings.

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 relate to an embodiment where the two barrels are arranged side by side,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic horizontal section on the plane of the axes of the barrels of a twin-barrelled gun comprising the improvements according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a view in elevation and partly in section on the line IIII of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 2,;

Figure 4 is a section on the line IVIV of Figure 3,

Figure 5 shows a modification, the invention being here applied to an embodiment wherein the two barrels are arranged one above the other. 7 a

The gun illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 comprises two having a common sleeve or breech member 3.

The two barrels recoil simultaneously upon a cradle 4 (shown in chain dotted lines).

The two barrels may on the other hand swing upwardly or downwardly about the trunnions 5, and the.

assembly may turn about the vertical pivot 6.

As will be seen in Figure l, the pivot 6 is situated at.

equal distances from the axes of the barrels 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows that, when one barrel only fires, the: assembly of the two barrels has a tendency to turn towards the side on which is the gun which has been fired.

. absence of the improvements according to, the invention, overcompensated by "the flexure of the barrels.

According to the invention a muzzle clamp 7 is provided which reduces this flexure.

clamp, there is no longer any deviation of the shot.

Figures 3 and 4 show a particular embodimentof the muzzle clamp 7.

This muzzle clamp may in fact be a single piece pro-' vided simply with clamping means tokeep it inplace.

However, as shown in the drawing, a device for adjust-g ing the span of the muzzle clamp may be provided, in

order to make it possible for example to rectify errors of machining, or to correct the parallelism of the barrels, or, by a slight pre-deformation to perfect the parallelism of their shots, notably when it has been disturbed by an external cause, for example by a deficient functioning of the remote control system.

The muzzle clamp illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 comprises two parts or sleeves 8 and 9 in which the barrels 1 and 2 are fitted.

These parts are connected to one another by bolts 10 each of which has an eccentric portion 11. This portion 11 passes through a tail piece or shoulder 12 integral with part 9 of the muzzle clamp, whereas the non-eccentrical portions 13 of the bolts 10, disposed in the rings 14, pass through the portions or shoulders 15 of part 8 of the muzzle clamp.

Nuts 16 allow the rotary position ofthe bolts 10 to be fixed.

In addition a wedge 17 may be provided which is placed between the tail piece 12 of part 9 of the muzzle clamp and part 8 of the muzzle clamp. This wedge 17 fixes definitely the total span of the muzzle clamp.

The housing of the muzzles 1 and 2 in the muzzle clamp is attained, as regards the embodiment repre- Patented Sept. 9, 1958' The deviation due to this rotation is, in the.

3 sented in Figures 3- and 4, by the support of two abutments on the muzzle of the gun.

The parts 8 and 9 abut on the

ends

18 and 19 of the muzzles, and the

sleeves

20 and 21 slidably mounted on these muzzles are screwed by means .ofscrewv threads 22' and 231into the parts.8.. and 9'. Thesleeves 20. and 21 abut on shoulders constituted. byyrings: 24 and 25 each consisting of two. halves. The

rings

24 and 25 arelodged in corresponding grooves in-thebarrels.

The fitting of; the muzzle .cla-mp in place i veryteasy; it sufiices to engage the. parts. Sand 9-.on the muzzles separately from one another, thento: screw into the parts 8. and 9 the sleeves-2.0 and 2-1 whichhave been previously fitted onv the muzzles.

The. assembly can be. carried out easily owing to the

notches

26 and 27 provided at the back of the sleeves.

Inthe. course of-':the assembly.v the parts 8' and 9..abut on the

ends

18 and 19 of the barrels, and thesleeves 20 and.2'1. abut onthe rings Hand 25 which can be easily fitted before the engagementlot the parts 8' and 9 of the muzzle clamp, since they consist ofi two halves.

The parts 8 and 9- of the muzzle clamp can thenbe connected to one anotherbyfitting the bolts 10 and the rings 14.

When the adjustments have been made, it sufficesto fit the wedge 17 in a manner corresponding to the-adjustment in order-- to fix definitely the position of the muzzle clamp.

As will be seen in Figure 3, the parts 8' and 9 of the muzzle clamp and the

sleeves

2 and 2 1 are in contact with the muzzles of the barrels on which they slide with ubr rie o hi e. bein mu ht sto. os pn- Th n xse l nt siqs Q he ba n h muzzle clamp is attained.

Figure illustrates a modification concerning thecase Where two

barrels

28 and 29 are arranged one above alternately firing twinidentical barrels mounted for h other, e. Rive xi P rpend ul o ane at the axes oi the. barrels, i. e, here the trunnion 30, being atequal distances from thebarrelazes.

The deviations of aim which areab Iished owingto the. invention are; here vertical deviations. This is attained by means; of a muzzle clamp 31 analogous to the. muzzle clamp 7 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

I wi l e nderst d h t e inven io is 1 m e to the embodiments described hereinabove, and details thereof may, be modified without departing from the ope f. the nv n n. pat iwl h mounti qt he'mu z e. c am m y make u e o sc ew h ds] recfly u nt he arrels.

simultaneous recoil in acommonhreech member mounted on trunnions for elevation of the barrels, a ring mounted around and adjacent the muzzle of one of said barrels, a sleeve mounted on said barrel and bearing on the end otsaid bar-rel; means; engaging .said. sleeve. and: bearing OnLsaid ring atradially and axiallyextendingshouldersaid .sleever'a. second ringmounted. around andadjacent the.v muzzle ofathe. second .of said barrels, a second .sleeve mqunted on saidsecond barrel and bearing on .theend of said second barrel, second means engaging said seQ0nd-s1eeveand bearing .on said second ring,

spaced parallel shouldersion.saidsecondsleeve. receiving bet-weenathemisaid firste shoulder and means for locking said shoulders-togethen 3. A muzzle. clamp. as-described inclaim 2--in which said locking-means include bolts.- passing through said-- shoulders and eccentric portions on. said bolts'engaging" said first shoulder, notationiof said bolts adjustably spac ing and locking said sleves together.

B teren es teslzi i he fi e-Q15.- s te t-