US3383984A

US3383984A - Compact constant pressure lubricator for the 20 mm. hs 820 gun system

Info

Publication number: US3383984A
Application number: US601813A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Andrea Giuliano
Original assignee: Army Usa
Current assignee: United States Department of the Army
Priority date: 1966-12-14
Filing date: 1966-12-14
Publication date: 1968-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1985-05-21

Description

G. D'ANDREA COMPACT CONSTANT PRESSURE LUBRICATOR FOR May 21, 1968 THE 20 MM.HS 820 GUN SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1966 Ti l INVENTOR Eiuliunu DA'nfl'ren M 8 BY. 8 Z r W M, K E.

I r ATTORNEY G. DANDREA COMPACT CONSTANT PRESSURE LUBRICATOR FOR May 21, 1968 THE 20 MM.HS 820 GUN SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1966 INVIENTOR 5 1111111110 1] Anfireu.

BY Wain/x -M- v ATTORNEY y 1968 G. DANDREA 3,383,984

COMPACT CONSTANT PRESSURE LUBRICATOR FOR THE 20 MM.HS 820 GUN SYSTEM Filed Dec. 14, 1966 5 Sheets-$heet 3 as 83 loo 96 86 im mm I INVFNTOR 51111111110 I] Andrew.

7 I I 8. 0' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,383,984 COMPACT CONSTANT PRESSURE LUBRICATOR FOR THE 20 MM. HS 820 GUN SYSTEM Giuliano DAndrea, Troy, N.Y., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Dec. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 601,813 8 Claims. (Cl. 89-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The cases of cartridges are lubricated as they are fed into the receiver of an automatic gun by a lubricator having a reservoir for a lubricant with a cooperating piston connected to a negator spring for moving the lubricant in the reservoir to an applicator at a constant pressure. The applicator is provided with a pair of nozzles with cooperating plunger-valves contactable simultaneously by each of the cases during movement into the receiver for displacement thereby to apply a specific amount of the lubricant upon the case.

This invention relates to machine guns in which cartridges are fed radially thereinto and it pertains more particularly to a lubricator for applying a lubricant to the cases of the cartridges while being fed into the gun.

With some machine guns it is important, for the proper operation thereof, that the cartridge cases be freely extracted from the barrel chamber after firing and therefore lubrication of the case is necessary. Consequently, positive lubrication of the cases is important and it is also important that the same degree of lubrication be given each of the cases to provide a smooth operation of the gun.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide for such machine guns a lubricator which positively lubricates the cartridge cases in all operating conditions and in all attitudes of the guns and with each cartridge receiving the same degree of lubrication.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a lubricator which is simple but rugged in construction and is easily serviced.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an end view of the lubricator mounted on the feedway housing of a machine gun;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing how the applicator of the lubricator is adjustably mounted on the feedway housing;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the lubricator;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 4 but showing one of the valve-plungers elevated by contact with a cartridge case to its open position;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the yoke;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the yoke;

FIG. 9 is view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 10 is a view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 5.

Shown in the figures is a machine gun 12 having a receiver 14 and a feeder mechanism 16 for moving cartridges 18, which are linked to form a cartridge belt 20, to the gun. Feeder mechanism 16 includes a feedway housing 22 for guiding cartridge belt 20 into a feeder 23 on receiver 14 where cartridges 18 are stripped from the cartridge belt by conventional stripper means (not shown) and moved into the receiver. Housing 22 includes a base 24 having a pair of longitudinally spaced slideways 26 which are of raised ridge-type configuration so as to provide sliding support for cartridge belt 20 and position cartridges 18 vertically during passage through the housing. A sprocket device 28 is mounted in housing 22 for engagement with cartridge belt 20 to advance cartridges 18 therein into feeder 23.

Mounted on housing 22 is a lubricator 30 for applying a lubricant 32 onto cases 34 of cartridges 18 as they are advanced through the housing. Such lubricator 30 includes an applicator 36 and a charger 38 which are both mounted on the top of housing 22 and arranged, as hereinafter described, to apply a specific amount of lubricant 32 onto cases 34 as they pass through the housing.

Charger 38 includes a cylinder 40 closed at one end, hereinafter referred to as the discharge end, by a cap 42 which is provided with an inside recess 44. A piston 46 is slidingly mounted in cylinder 40 to form between such piston and cap 42 a variable reservoir 48 for lubricant 32. Replaceably mounted in cylinder 40 at the discharge end thereof is a spring device 50 which is connected to piston 46 and arranged, as hereinafter described, to draw such piston toward the discharge end of cylinder 40 at a constant force during displacement thereto as lubricant 32 is discharged from reservoir 48.

Spring device 50 includes a yoke 52 which is essentially cylindrical in configuration and is mounted in a mating counterbore section 53 formed at the discharge end of cylinder 40. As shown in FIG. 7, the end of yoke 52 which is adjacent cap 42 is recessed to form a well 54 and the remainder of the yoke is bifurcated by a slot 56 which has communication with the well and which forms a pair of segmental sections 57.

Extending between sections 57 in vertical relationship, as noted in FIG. 6, is a pair of shafts 58 which respectively mount a drum 60. Mounted on each of the drums 60 is a spring 62 of negator type designed to provide a constant force at the free end as the spring returns to its wound condition on the related drum. Springs 62 are wound on drums 60 so as to converge as they are unwound, permitting free ends 64 of the springs to be joined together at 65 to piston 46. Extending longitudinally through each of the sections 57 is a bore 66 which provides communication between reservoir 48 and recess 44 for passage of lubricant 32 thereto when piston 46 is displaced toward the discharge end of cylinder 40 by spring device 50 as the amount of lubricant 32 in reservoir 48 is depleted.

Lubricant 32 is conducted from recess 44 to applicator 36 by means of a conduit 68 and is received by a chamber 70 in the applicator. From chamber 70 lubricant 32 is discharged onto cases 34 by means of a pair of nozzles 72 which extend downwardly into housing 22 and are longitudinally spaced so that both register with one of the cases during passage under applicator 36. The flow of lubricant 32 through each of the nozzles 72 is controlled by a plunger-valve 74 which is spring-biased to a closed position to block the respective nozzle. Each of the plungervalves 74 is provided with an axial pin 76 that extends downwardly from the respective nozzle 72 so that the end is contactable by cases 34 during passage thereby. The contact of a case 34 with the ends of pins 76 cause plunger-valves 74 to be cammingly raised, as shown in FIG. 5, and thereby unseated to permit the flow of lubricant 32 along clearance channels 78 in nozzles 72 and onto the case.

The amount of lubricant 32 which is applied to case 34 is adjustable by the addition or removal of shims 80 between applicator 36 and housing 22, as shown in FIG. 2, to vary the position of the ends of pins 76 relative to slideways 26 and thereby the time during which valveplungers 74 are held open by the case and the degree to which they are unseated.

Piston 46 is retracted in cylinder 40 away from cap 42, so that reservoir 48 may be filled with lubricant 32 through a port 82 in the discharge end of the cylinder, by means of a cable device 83. Such cable device 83 includes a cable 84 which is attached at one end to piston 46 and at the other end to a slider 86 which is slidingly disposed in a housing 88 mounted longitudinally on the outside of cylinder 40. Cable 84 passes over a pair of pulleys 90 mounted on cylinder 40 at the end thereof opposite the discharge end to facilitate the retraction of piston 46 by slider 86.

Slider 86 is cylindrical in configuration and is slidingly received by a bore 92 through housing 88. Such slider 86 is manually displaceable by a grip 94 which is cylindrical in configuration and is provided with a reduced diameter section 96 between a pair of handles 98. Reduced diameter section 96 is slidingly received by a mating hole 100 through slider 86 and a pair of longitudinal slots 102 in housing 88, as noted in FIG. 9. The width of slots 102 is similar to the diameter of reduced diameter section 96 and the length of the slots is sutficient to permit full retraction of piston 46 when slider 86 is displaced in housing 88. Provided at the end of one of the slots 102, adjacent the discharge end of cylinder 40, is a hole 104 which has the same diameter as the related one of the handles 98.

Thus, piston 46 may be releasably locked in the retracted position, to permit the loading of lubricant 32 into reservoir 48 or to release the pressure of the piston on the lubricant in the reservoir, by pulling on grip 94 until the related one of the handles 98 is aligned with hole 104 and then is pressed thereinto. The position of grip 94 along housing 88, when released therefrom, indicates the position of piston 46 in cylinder 40 and therefore the amount of lubricant 32 in reservoir 48.

From the foregoing it is evident that lubricator 30 of the invention assures that cases 34 are positively lubricated at all attitudes and in all operating conditions to which machine gun 12 may be subjected. Through the pressure applied by piston 46 to lubricant 32 in reservoir 48 agitation of the lubricant, which might cause air bubbles to form therein and cause improper discharge of the lubricant, is prevented. This pressure, too, assures discharge of lubricant 32 onto cases 34 at all attitudes of machine gun 12.

Also, through the use of negator type springs 62 a constant force is applied to piston 46 throughout the length of its travel in cylinder 40 so that each of the cases 34 is lubricated with the same amount of lubricant 32.

Moreover, through this invention the amount of lubricant 32 applied to cases 34 is adjustable by the addition or removal of shims 80 between applicator 36 and housing 22. This varies the distance between the ends of pins 76 and slideways 26 and so varies the length of time that plunger-valves 74 are held open by case 34 and the degree to which they are opened.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a cartridge with a case, a machine gun for firing said cartridge, said machine gun having a receiver and a feeder mechanism for delivering said cartridge to said receiver, a lubricant, and a lubricator for applying said lubricant to said cartridge at the case thereof during displacement to said receiver, said lubricator including a reservoir of variable capacity adapted to confine a variable supply of said lubricant,

an applicator for applying said lubricant to said cartridge and means for transferring said lubricant from said reservoir to said applicator at all variations in the supply of said lubricant in said reservoir and at all attitudes of said machine gun, said lubricator also including a cylinder having a discharge end, a cap mounted on the discharge end of said cylinder, a recess formed inside said cap, and a piston slidingly mounted in said cylinder to form said reservoir between said piston and said cap, said means including a variable spring device for applying to said piston a constant force towards said cap at all positions of said piston in said cylinder.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said device includes a yoke mounted in said cylinder at the discharge end thereof, a pair of drums rotatingly mounted in said yoke, a spring of negator type wound on each of said drums, a free end on each said spring fastened to said piston for transferring the constant force of said spring thereto and bores through said yoke for passage of said lubricant therethrough to said recess.

3. The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein said feeder mechanism includes a feedway housing and slideways therein for slidingly supporting said cartridge during displacement to said machine gun and said applicator is mounted on said feedway housing over said slideways, and including means in said applicator for applying a specific amount of said lubricant onto said case while passing along said slideways.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said means in said applicator includes a chamber for receiving said lubricant from said reservoir, a pair of nozzles extending from chamber in the direction of said slideways, a plunger-valve mounted in each said nozzle for releasably blocking discharge of said lubricant therefrom, and a pin extending from each said plunger-valve for simultaneous contact by said case when passing along said slideways so as to be cammingly displaced thereby to release said lubricant for discharge onto said case.

5. The combination as defined in claim 4 and including means for adjusting the amount of said lubricant discharged onto said case.

6. The combination as defined in claim 4 and including means for adjusting the distance between said applicator and said feedway housing to regulate the position of said pin on said plunger-valve relative to said slideways for varying the time said plunger-valve is held open by said case and the degree to which said plunger-valve is opened.

7. The combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said lubricator includes a cable device attached to said piston for manual displacement away from said cap and means for releasably holding said piston at a retracted position in said cylinder.

8. The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein said cable device includes a slider, a housing mounted on said cylinder for slidingly receiving said slider, a cable connecting said slider to said piston, a grip mounted through said slider and extending through cooperating slots in said housing in which said slider is mounted to provide means for slidingly displacing said slider in said housing and displacing said piston in said cylinder 'and for indicating the position of said piston therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,073,298 9/1913 Smith 89-1 1,334,052 3/1920 Putnam 89-161 X 1,350,645 8/ 1920 Eickhoff. 1,396,832 11/1921 Graham. 1,656,960 1/1928 Soncini 891 X SAJMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner.