US3160098A

US3160098A - Missile separation system

Info

Publication number: US3160098A
Application number: US235584A
Authority: US
Inventors: William A Schulze; Gustav A Kroll
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-05
Filing date: 1962-11-05
Publication date: 1964-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-08

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 w. A. SCHULZE ETAL 3,160,098

MISSILE SEPARATION SYSTEM Filed Nov. 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.1

William A. Schulze Gustav A. Kroll,

Dec. 8, 1964 W. A. SCHULZE ETAL MISSILE SEPARATION SYSTEM Filed Nov. 5, 1962 H I! .l.

g I I e g j I \I; ll '1 l a g l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

William A. Schulze United States Patent Oliice 3,160,098 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 3,160,098 MISSILE SEPARATION SYSTEM William A. Schulze and Gustav A. Kroll, Huntsville, Ala, assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,584 3 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a missile separation system and more particularly to a separation system which utilizes simplified fluid actuated expulsion units to provide for the separation of the sections of a multi-section missile.

Previous separation systems were relatively complex in construction in that detonation of explosive charges contained in the expulsion units initiated the separation sequence. Also a high pressure fluid supply was carried by the missile as part of the separation system for the sole purpose of supplying a driving force to the expulsion units.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a missile separation system utilizing expulsion units that do not contain explosive charges.

Another object is to provide an extremely simplified missile separation system thereby eliminating complicated components and increasing reliability.

Still another object is to provide a missile separation system in which the expulsion units are integrated into an existing fluid system of the missile.

A still further object is to eliminate the need of a separate fluid system for actuating a missile separation system.

The foregoing and other objects will become more apparent udon consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic drawing partially broken away showing the missile separation system integrated into a missile;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional View of the separation system before missile separation; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the missile separation system after missile separation.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows the separation system 1 to include a first missile section 3, a second missile section 5, explosive bolts 7, fluid actuated expulsion units 9, fluid feed lines 11 and a fluid operated missile attitude control system enclosed by dotted line 14.

The expulsion unit (FIGURE 2) includes a cylinder 13, a cup-like base 15, and an elongate hollow piston 17. The cylinder is rigidly attached to the interior 19 of missile section 3 by brackets 16, and has a necked open end 18, the other end 20 of the cylinder is adapted for engagement with base 15.

The cup-like base 15 has a circular bottom portion 22 and an upstanding wall 24 which threadably engages one end of cylinder 13. The bottom portion 22 of base 15 has a central opening 26 therethrough adapted for mating contact with fluid feed line 11 thereby allowing fluid from the feed line to enter cylinder 13.

A gasket 30 is disposed between base 15 and cylinder 13 and is seated in an internal groove 32 in the wall 24.

A second gasket 34 is seated in an external groove 36 in the piston adjacent its end 38 and slideably engages the cylinder to provide a fluid tight seal between the piston and cylinder.

End 38 of piston 17 is open and is provided with a flanged portion 39 which engages necked end 18 of cylinder 13 to prevent the pistons separation from the cylinder. The other end 40 of piston 17 is generally conical in shape and abuts against the base 43 of second missile section 5.

Bolts 7 retain the two sections 3 and 5 in engagement with each other against the bias applied by the fluid pressure within cylinder 13 against piston 17 tending to separate the sections 3 and 5.

In actual missile systems, several expulsion units are aflixed to the periphery of the first section (FIGURE 1). These units are interconnected by feeder lines 11 which in turn are connected to main feed line 46. Line 46 is shown as being coupled to a pressurized fluid supply source 49 of a missile attitude controlling fluid system enclosed by dotted line 14. The main function of the attitude oontrolling system is to supply fluid under Pressure from source 49, through lines 50, to the missile attitude controlling fins 52.

In operation, the explosive bolts are ignited by conventional means (not shown) to fracture the bolts. The piston, being under fluid pressure bias, is thrust outward pushing second section 5 away from first section 3 of the missile (FIGURE 3). At the outermost projection of the piston, the flanged portion 39 of end 38 engages the necked open end 18 of cylinder 13 to prevent the ejection of the piston from the cylinder.

It is readily seen that the expulsion unit may be either pneumatically or hydraulically operated depending upon existing conditions. The units could, for example, be activated by the system supplying air to the missiles air hearing by a bleed off from the missiles engines rather than by hydraulic pressure as described.

It will be appreciated that this invention provides a vastly simplified separation system which is an integral part of the missile and which eliminates the necessity of a separate fluid system to actuate the separation system.

It is to be understood that various modifications of the invention described herein can be made without changing the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

The invention claimed is:

l. A separation system for a missile having first and second sections connected by explosive bolts, said missile also having a source of fluid pressure for an attitude control system, said separation system comprising: fluid actuated means including a plurality of expulsion units disposed in spaced relationship on the periphery of one of said sections for biased relationship of said sections; and means coupling said fluid actuated means to the pressure source for said attitude control system for continuous biased relationship of the sections.

2. An invention as set forth in claim 1 in which each of said expulsion units comprises: a cylinder; a base for said cylinder having a central opening therethrough; an elongate hollow piston slideably mounted within said cylinder and disposed for movement through an end thereof remote from said base; a first seal means mounted on said piston slideably engages said cylinder; and a second seal means seals between said cylinder and base.

3. A missile separation system for use in a missile having first and second sections connected by explosive bolts, said first section having a source of fluid pressure for actuation of a missile attitude control system, said separation system comprising: a plurality of fluid actuated expulsion units aflixed to said first section at spaced points about the inner periphery thereof adjacent said second section; conduit means coupling said expulsion units to said source of fluid pressure, said expulsion units mounted in biased relation with said first and second sections and disposed for exerting a force thercbetween for separation of said sections responsive to actuation of said explosive bolts.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,809,584 10/57 Smith 102-49 2,945,442 7/60 Adelman et al 10249 3,004,734 10/61 Radford.

FOREIGN PATENTS 116,430 5/46 Sweden.

SAMUEL FEINBERG, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A SEPARATION SYSTEM FOR A MISSILE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS CONNECTED BY EXPLOSIVE BOLTS, SAID MISSILE ALSO HAVING A SOURCE OF FLUID PRESSURE FOR AN ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM, SAID SEPARATION SYSTEM COMPRISING: FLUID ACTUATED MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF EXPULSION UNITS DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ON THE PERIPHERY OF ONE OF SAID SECTIONS FOR BIASED RELATIONSHIP OF SAID SECTIONS; AND MEANS COUPLING SAID FLUID ACTUATED MEANS TO THE PRESSURE SOURCE FOR SAID ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUS BIASED RELATIONSHIP OF THE SECTIONS.