US3370507A

US3370507A - Structure for sealing a gun shield in a gun turret

Info

Publication number: US3370507A
Application number: US533058A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fammler Karl; Domke Gustav
Original assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
Current assignee: Rheinmetall Industrie AG
Priority date: 1965-03-11
Filing date: 1966-03-09
Publication date: 1968-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 1985-02-27
Also published as: GB1077642A; BE677621A; NO117106B; DE1274474B; NL6602961A

Description

K. FAMMLER ET L Feb.27, 1968 STRUCTURE FOR SEALING A GUN SHIELD IN A GUN TURRET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1966 dz/pa,

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STRUCTURE FOR SEALING A GUN SHIELD IN A GUN TURRET Filed March 9, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

United States Patent 3,370,507 STRUCTURE FOR SEALING A GUN SHIELD IN A GUN TURRET Karl Famrnler, Dusseldorf, and Gustav Domke, Ratingen, Germany, assignors to Firma Rheinmetall G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Mar. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 533,058 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 11, 1965, R 40,086 2 Claims. (Cl. 89-36) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A gun turret for an automatic weapon having a shield with a mounting for the shield to permit movement in a vertical plane relative to the turret and having a sealin g structure to seal the shield in the turret.

The invention relates to gun turrets or armoured cupolas, more particularly for armoured vehicles, which are equipped with automatic weapons. The weapon can be swivelled together with a shield on which the weapon is mounted in the vertical direction, and the invention concerns the sealing of the movable shield in relation to the gun turret or cupola.

The invention is characterised by a slide of telescopically variable length, one end of which is held on the gun turret, while the other end carries a sealing bar which is constantly urged against the shield. A spring may be used to press the sealing bar against the shield.

An advantageous subsidiary feature of the invention is the provision of an entrainment member on the periphery of the shield and which couples the slide to the shield for movement therewith when a certain elevation of the weapon is exceeded.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show the embodiment in simplified form and in which:

FIG. 1 is a section through the gun turret and shield,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding plan view,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views showing the sealing slide in different positions, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the slide in accordance with FIG. 2 on a larger scale.

In a gun turret 1, for example, the turret or cupola of an armored vehicle, an automatic weapon 2 is mounted so that it can be swivelled together with a curved shield 3 in the vertical plane about a pivot 4. The shield 3 has parts of different radii of curvature r and R in the region where it projects through the wall of the turret. The radius r lies in the region where the shield projects through the roof of the turret and is substantially smaller than the radius R of the part below that region. As a result, it is possible to move the shield pivot 4 further back as compared with existing turrets and so obtain a large range of elevation whilst keeping the turret low and of small dimensions.

An opening 5 for ejection of spent cartridge cases is provided in the shield above the weapon.

In an aperture 6 in the roof of the turret there is arranged a telescopic slide 7 having a part 8 with bearing studs 9 located in arcuate or sector-shaped recesses 11 in two side walls of the slide. The side walls 10 are fixed by means of screws 12 to the turret roof or to retaining bars 13 attached to the turret roof and have defining edge surfaces corresponding to the radius r of the shield.

A sealing bar 14 which can pivot in the vertical plane of the slide 7 is provided at that end of the latter which faces the shield and is articulated to the slide at 22. The sealing bar 14 is urged against the outer surface of the shield, as shown, by means of a spring pressure device 15, one end of which is attached to the upper part 8 of the slide, while the other end is secured to the slide 7. The sealing bar 14 has a disc-shaped guide piece 16 at each of its ends, each guide piece engaging by means of a pin 17 in a guide groove 18 provided in each of the side walls 10.

When the weapon is swung upward, the shield slides in relation to the slide 7, which at first maintains unchanged its position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. When a certain position of elevation is exceeded, a spring-loaded entrainment member 19, which is arranged in a recess in the wall of the cylindrical shield so that it can be depressed into the recess against the spring loading, couples the shield to the slide in such manner that when the weapon is swung further the slide is carried along into the poistion shown in FIG. 4. The coupling of the shield to the slide is effected in the following manner: As the shield is swung, the entrainment member 19 which is of clawlike form having rising surfaces 20 on each side of a central recess, the surfaces being inclined in the direction of the swinging or swivelling movement, is depressed inwardly at piont 21 by the circular defining surface of the side wall 10 until it is projected outwardly again in the region of the guide groove 18 and embrace the pin 17. When the swinging action is continued, the shield and the sealing bar 14 now move together, the slide 7 performing sliding movements in the upper part 8 and the latter being swung about its pivots 9.

For the purpose of achieving thorough sealing of the interior of the turret, seals 23 are provided between the moving and stationary parts of the turret and the shield, these seals consisting of rubber, plastics or felt strips and being arranged, for example, in the lateral edges of the slide and on the underside of the sealing bar 14. 24 is a seal secured to the turret roof which seals the aperture 6 in the latter against the upper part of the slide.

We claim:

1. A gun turret for an automatic weapon comprising a weapon shield, a mounting for said shield permitting movement thereof in a vertical plane relatively to said turret, a sealing assembly for sealing said shield to said turret, said assembly comprising a variable-length member mounted upon the turret, a sealing device attached to said variable-length member, resilient means urging said device into contact with external surface of said shield, said variable-length member having telescopically-engaged components for permitting length variation of said member, an entrainment member for coupling the sealing assembly to the shield when the movement of the latter in said vertical plane exceeds a predetermined value, a claw-like component in said entrainment member engaging said sealing assembly, and a resilient mounting for said claw-like component in a recess in said surface of said shield.

2. A gun turret for an automatic weapon comprising a curved shield, a mounting for said shield permitting movement thereof in a vertical plane relatively to said turret, a sealing assembly on the shield and turret for seal- References Cited ing said shield to said turret, said assembly comprising 2. UNITED TE PATENTS telescoping member mounted on the shield and the turret, a sealing device secured to said telescoping member, a 3241'446 3/1966 Wey 89 36 spring urging said sealing device into contact with the ex- 5 FO I P N ternal surface of said shield, said telescoping member 1 105 313 4/1961 Germany having engaging components for permitting length variation, and a coupling connecting said sealing device to said BENJAMIN BORCHELT Primary Examine, telescoping member to permit pivotal movement of said sealing device about an axis at right angles to the length 10 SAMUEL FEINBERG 0f Said telescoping member- S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner.