US3393655A

US3393655A - Gas steering and propulsion system for missiles

Info

Publication number: US3393655A
Application number: US851216A
Authority: US
Inventors: David P Eastman
Original assignee: Clevite Corp
Current assignee: Clevite Corp
Priority date: 1959-11-02
Filing date: 1959-11-02
Publication date: 1968-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1985-07-23
Also published as: GB1169161A

Description

July 23, 1968 D. P. EASTMAN GAS STEERING AND PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR MISSILES Filed Nov. 2, 1959 1N VEN TOR.

DAVID P. EASTMAN United States Patent 3,393,655 GAS STEERING AND PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR MISSILES David P. Eastman, Novelty, Ohio, assignor to Clevite Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 851,216 5 Claims. (Cl. 114-20) This invention pertains to a missile adapted to be employed in a fluid medium, and more particularly concerns a gas actuated steering control and a gas driving means for the missile.

The invention may find application in underwater missiles such as torpedoes, decoys, target devices, training torpedoes and similar objects.

An object of the invention is to provide a gas actuated steering control for an underwater missile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gas driven underwater missile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gas driven missile having gas actuated steering controls wherein variations in the amount of gas consumed by the drive will not cause fluctuations in the steering of the missile.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a missile which is controlled in elevation and in azimuth by gas actuated steering means wherein the gas actuation of either the elevating mechanism or the azimuth mechanism does not establish a pressure fluctuation sufiicient to reflect to the other mechanism.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

An aspect of the present invention is an underwater missile comprising, a hull; gas means for propelling the hull through the water; a supply of at least partly liquified gas within the hull at a temperature substantially that of the water through which the hull is to be propelled. Pressure and temperature reducing means are connected to the supply of partly liquified gas and to a vaporizing means which, in turn, is connected to the gas means for propelling the hull, and at least a portion of the vaporizer means is in heat transfer relationship with the water, whereby energy from the water is utilized to vaporize the liquefied gas and the latter is operably connected to propel the hull. Elevator means for controlling the dive and depth of the missile as it moves through the water, includes a pendulum and bellows controlled valve means. Rudder means control the missile in azimuth as it moves through the water, and include a gyro and a gyro controlled valve. A conduit connects the vaporizer means to the gyro, to the gyro controlled valve and to the pendulum and bellows controlled valve, whereby the pressure of the vaporized gas is regulated by the gyro controlled valve and by the pendulum and bellows controlled valve and is used to actuate the elevator and the rudder.

FIGURE 1 is generally a schematic representation of the invention, with the elevation control valve and azimuth controlled valve shown partially in section;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged partly sectional view of the elevation control valve, similar as illustrated in FIG- URE 1.

With reference to FIGURE 1 there is shown a hull for a missile, such as a torpedo or similar devices. Within the hull there is positioned gas controlled means for steering the hull in elevation and in azimuth with respect to the medium in which it operates, and there is also mounted a gas driven motor 11 for driving propellers 12, mounted outside the hull.

Disposed within the hull 10 is a storage tank 15 for gas such as CO preferably partly filled with liquid and partly filled with vapor. The liquid and the vapor therein are in equilibrium and at a temperature substantially the same as that of the sea water. Therefore, the correspond ing pressure within the tank will normally not exceed 900 p.s.i. The tank may be loaded by means of a fill line 22.

Connected to the storage tank 15 is a valve mechanism 17, which serves several functions upon the firing or launching of the missile, as hereinafter further described.

A squib 18 is provided for rupturing a sealing disk 19 in the outlet line 20 from the storage tank 15, thereby causing the liquefied or gaseous CO to flow through a sequence valve 25.

The squib 18 may be fired by the closing of a manually timed or pressure operated switch 23 which connects a battery 24 to the squib, causing the squib to fire and drive a hollow needle through the rupture disk 19.

The sequence valve 25 in its initial position, permits a stream of gas to flow at a line pressure of about 900 p.s.i. or less, into a gyro conduit 26 to a gyroscope 28, causing the gyroscope to become energized. Preferably, the supply of the fluid is taken from the bottom of the tank. This permits the removal of largely liquid from the tank whereby the reduction of pressure therein is minimized. After the gyroscope is energized the sequence valve 25 automatically shuts off the gas supply to the gyro, and supplies gas through a pressure and temperature regulating means 21 to conduit 29 and to the piston mechanism 30 which uncages the gyro 28. A commercially available gyro may be utilized.

The pressure and temperature regulating means 21 may be comprised of, for instance, a spring loaded pressure regulating valve, or an orifice to maintain constant pressure within the vaporizer means over a wide range of ambient temperatures.

There is suflicient heat storage in the valve mechanism 17 and in the

conduits

26, 29 leading to the gyro that liquid CO from the storage tank is gasified, only small quantities of the gas being needed to energize and uncage the gyro.

Simultaneously with the uncaging of the gyro the gas or liquid, or both, flows through the pressure and temperature regulating means 21 to drop the line pressure to about 400 p.s.i., at about 18 F. Thereafter the fluid is applied to a vaporizer means 35 such as an evaporator coil which is in heat transfer relationship with a heat supply. The thermo-dynamie relationship gasifies any and all liquid and provides a large volume of gas for driving the missile. Preferably the vaporizer means comprises a double-walled section of the hull of the missile. The outer skin of this section is in heat transfer relationship to the water or other environment around the hull of the missile, and the liquefied gas as it flows through the double-walled section absorbs large quantitles of heat from the environment, sufiicient to gasify and superheat all of the liquefied gas. Other means may be used to gasify the liquid, such as passing the liquid through a coil in contact with the environment as aforestated, or utilizing waste heat from some mechanism within the missile.

From the vaporizer means 35, the gas is applied through drive conduit 40 to the engine for driving the propeller 12, or it is applied in small quantities through conduit 41 to the steering means for the missile. It is to be understood that when the gas is utilized only for driving the missile, other means must then be substituted to energize the steering mechanism. Conversely, the gas may be applied solely for steering mechanism purposes; or, the gas may be used simultaneously for driving the missile and for steering control.

A pressure reducing valve, or orifice 42 may be located in conduit 41 to provide reduced pressure in conduit 46 for situations where the pressure requirement of engine 11 is higher than suitable for use in the Steering mechanism. However, to prevent interference between depth and azimuth steering, the gas in conduit 46 should not be reduced below a hereinafter described limiting value.

The output line 46 from the pressure reducing valve 42 is split, part of the gas supply going through conduit 47 to the gyro controlled azimuth (rudder) valve means 50, providing in combination fixed space orientation means, and part going through conduit 48 to a pendulum and bellows controlled elevator means 67, (elevation control valve) for controlling the depth and dive of the missile in the water and providing therewith a fixed depth orientation means.

In the gyro supply conduit 47 there is a pair of orifices, 51, 52, constituting a critical pressure drop, and the output conduits from the orifices 51, 52 are connected, respectively, to two rudder actuating

pistons

53, 54, which are connected in opposition to each other to the steering rudder 55. A gyro controlled valve means 50 is connected to the two orifices 51, 52 and to the

pistons

53, 54 in such a manner that when the missile is on its desired course a small amount of gas which is bled out of each of two bleed valves or

ports

56, 57 experiences equal resistance to flow. This position being similar as illustrated in FIGURE 1. A valve body 58 is suitably connected to be controlled by the gyro 28 to maintain a fixed space orientation and is disposed within a valve sleeve 59. If the missile goes off its predetermined course, to the right or to the left, the valve sleeve 59 which is rigidly connected to the hull assumes a relative new position with respect to the gyro fixed valve body 58 thereby causing a change in the effective areas of the ports 56 (57). Consequently, the resistance to flow in the ports is varied therewith and the pressure upon

pistons

53, 54 is altered, one increasing and the other decreasing. The unequal pressures acting upon rudder 55 force the steering surface into a new position and the missile thereupon starts to turn back to its predetermined course. After the missile has responded to the new rudder position the valve sleeve 59 gradually swings back to normal position, that is until the gas pressure is again equally applied to the two

pistons

53, 54, and the missile is again on its predetermined course.

The gas which exhausts from

valves

56 and 57 passes through valve body 58 into turbine buckets 33 of gyro 28 to keep it in rotation during the run.

From conduit 48 gas at about 85 psi. is applied to two pressure reducing orifices 61, 62 constituting the primary critical pressure drop, and the gas therefrom, at reduced pressure, is applied to two pistons 63, 64, and to the single elevation cpntrol valve 67. The pistons 63, 64 are connected in opposition to an elevator 65 for controlling the depth of the missile in its surrounding medium, and the actuation of the pistons 63, 64 is similar to the actuation of the

pistons

53, 54.

The elevation of the missile is controlled by the elevation control valve 67 whose function is to control the diving rate and the depth of the missile by properly inducing the control surface 65 to act in accordance with the pressure released by the up piston 63 and the down piston 64. More particularly, the elevation control valve 67, shown in detail in FIGURE 2, comprises a hollow central shaft 69 adapted to receive fluid through a bore 70. The fluid is admitted at both ends of the shaft 69 and prevented from intermixing by a partition wall (not shown) disposed near the center of the shaft between radial bores or ports 71 and 73. The ports 71 and 73 are suitably spaced to independently receive the gas so that any change in fluid pressure in a port may be individually reflected upon the respective up and down pistons 63, 64 which individually sense these changes. A concentric valve sleeve 75 rotatably surrounds the central shaft 69 and port openings 77 and '79 radially disposed therein are relatively movable with respect to port openings 71 and 73 in the central shaft. The relative position of the shaft port and the individual valve sleeve port is regulated by a lever 81 suitably attached to the sleeve 75 to rotatably move the sleeve about the shaft 69. The sensing of the depth is accomplished by means of

bellows

83 and 85 positioned on each side of the lever 81. The bellows 85 comprises preferably an air evacuated corrugated enclosure, providing pressure reference, suitably kept expanded, for instance by means of expansion springs. The bellows 83 is structurally similar, however oppositely disposed with respect to bellows 85. Bellows 83 is provided with a connection 24 to the water medium in which the missile operates, filling the latter with water.

A pendulum valve portion 87 of the elevation control valve 67 comprises on one end a rotary valve body portion 89 positioned around a concentric valve sleeve 75. Two hanging rods 91 extend therefrom to suspend weight 92. The rotary valve body 89 forms a substantially elongated tubular structure with arcuate portions thereof cut-out on one end 94 to allow lever 81 movements therebetween, and oppositely therefrom the rotary valve body forms a fiat surface 95, that is to say, a surface obtained by shaving off a circular segment. Apertures or ports 97 and 99, one for up control the other for down, project through the flat plane radially toward the axial center of the shaft. The opposite end of the ports 97 and 99 are exposed to the medium in which the missile operates and thus serve to discharge the fluid. When in operating condition, portions of the port 97 provide a communicating passageway to portions of the port 77 of the concentric valve sleeve 75, and portions of the aperture 99 provide similar passageway with portions of port 79. The ports 71, 73 of the shaft 69 ar aligned with the respective ports 77, 79.

To cause the missile to proceed at its predetermined depth the bellows are adjusted so that the ports, after launching, assume a distorted angular position with respect to the valve body axis. Thus, the bellows turn the gas discharge ports 77 (79) about an axis of rotation lying in a horizontal plane and on a line at right angle to the valve body axis. For example, the valve ports being correlated foot change in depth will cause a 2 turn of the port. Hence, if the unit is set for a six foot depth and launched at the surface of the water the ports 77 (79) are turned 12 with respect to their normal position. That is to say, the port 79 will be uncovered by the pendulum controlled valve and the port 77 will be at least partially covered. The normal position is that position which is capable of maintaining a pressure equilibrium in the

lines

66 and 68 and upon pistons 63 and 64. Consequently, in that position the ports 77 and 79 will be generally half open and half closed. Again, the angular port setting for depth will result in having portions of the pendulum controlled valve body 89 cover the up elevator port 79 therewith raising the pressure on piston or actuator 64 and providing a downsteering movement through elevator 65. As the missile tilts downward toward the pre-set course, the water filled corrugated bellows 83 starts to expand thereby moving the lever 81 attached to sleeve 75 to change the relative position of the ports. Thus, ports 77 (79) swing slowly back to their normal position until the set depth has been reached. When the missile is on course, or is in normal position, the openings of ports 77 (79) should be exactly equal and balance the forces upon the elevator. When the unit is lower than the predetermined course, the up port 79 will be again at least partially covered by the pendulum valve body 89 and the balance of forces on pistons 63 and 64 will produce up elevator action. Thus, at a predetermined depth the pendulum balances the pressures by effecting the opening of the respective ports to restore and maintain the missile at the pre-set level. It is thus the cooperative action between

belows

83, 85 and the pendulum controlled valve body 89 which produces the dive angle and depth control.

In some missile applications a stopper 101 limiting the travel of the bellows may be desirable. The stopper prevents an unsuitable angular setting of the ports with respect to the horizontal plane. For example, using the diving value of 'one foot of depth per 2 turn of port, a desired depth of thirty feet would correspondingly cause the bellows upon hitting the water to turn the ports 60 with respect to the horizontal plane, resulting in a diving angle harmful to stable performance of the missile. The stopper, 101 (see FIGURE 2) is shown connected to the

bellows

83 and 85 abuts against the arm 81 to maintain the ports in diving position at an angle desirable under the circumstances.

The critical pressure drop at

orifices

51, 52, 61, 62, prevents pressure fluctuations due to actuation of one control function, for example azimuth, from being reflected to the other control function, elevation. However, as aforestated, the pressure in conduit 46 should not be reduced below a limiting value.

The limiting value of pressure in conduit 46 is predicated upon the performance of actuator means 53, 54, 63 and 64. In the steering mechanism, the gas pressure is again reduced as aforestated to still lower values of varying magnitude in the actuators, in accordance with steering requirements. Fluctuations of pressure within the actuators will not reflect back into conduit 46 provided the minimum ratio of absolute pressures between conduit 46 and the actuators exceeds the critical value for the particular gas in use. Thus, interference between separate elements of the steering mechanism will be avoided if the absolute pressure in conduit 46 is at least twice the maximum absolute pressure required in the actuators. A value of 85 to 100 p.s.i. in conduit 46 has been found convenient and effective.

The balancing of the system as heretofore described is based on a well-known principle of thremodynamics relating to the action of orifices which deliver gas from one region of pressure to another region of lower pressure. This principle establishes the mass flow rate of gas through the orifice and shows this rate to be dependent upon the ratio between the low and high pressures. When the pressure on both sides of the orifice are equal, the pressure ratio is 1 and no gas will flow. If the pressure on one side of the orifice is now reduced, the pressure ratio will be less than 1 and a flow rate is established. This flow rate will increase as the downstream pressure is reduced, or as the pressure ratio is reduced, until a certain critical ratio is reached. Further reduction of the downstream pressure beyond this critical pressure will result in no further increase in mass flow whatsoever.

The value of the critical pressure is dependent upon a finite property of a specific gas in use. Most gases, including the carbon dioxide suggested for use in the steering system, ranges from .5 to .55. Thus, Whenever gas is delivered from one system to another through an orifice and the low pressure system operates at pressure equal to or less than half the pressure of the delivery system, the orifice completely isolates the high pressure system leaving both its pressure and mass flow rate completely independent of pressure changes occurring in the low pressure system.

The invention hereinbefore described is not restricted to any conventional control surface arrangement, but the principle of the invention may be utilized in connection with other control surface arrangements, for instance, such as described and claimed in application for Letters Patent, Ser. No. 827,663 filed July 16, 1959 and assigned to the some assignee as the present invention.

While there have been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An underwater missile comprising, in combination:

a hull;

means for driving said hull through the water;

a storage tank within said hull for containing at least partly liquefied fluid under pressure;

a steering system having elevator and rudder steering surfaces and including a plurality of fluid pressure responsive actuator means, each actuator being effective to move one surface in one direction;

fixed space orientation means and fixed depth orientation means;

a main fluid supply conduit system connecting to said tank, said system including at least one branch line connecting at least one actuator to said fixed depth orientation means, and another branch line connecting at least one other actuator to said fixed space orientation means;

both of said orientation means being constructed and arranged to translate a deviation of the missile from its preset course into a change of fluid pressure in the respective branch line;

and orifice means in each of said branch lines having a suitable throat area to pass fluids therethrough at a predetermined pressure drop to establish a fluid pressure ratio within and between the main conduit system and each of the branch lines exceeding the critical value of said fluid to avoid reflection of pressure changes between the branch lines.

2. An underwater missile comprising, in combination:

a hull;

means for driving said hull through the water;

fixed space orientation means and fixed depth orientation means;

and a third branch line for feeding fluid to the means for driving said hull;

and orifice means in each of said branch lines having a suitable throat area to pass fluids therethrough at a predetermined pressure drop to establish a fluid pressure ratio within and between the main conduit system and each of the branch lines exceeding the critical value of said fluid to avoid reflection of pressure changes between any one of the branch lines.

3.hAlrI1 underwater missile comprising, in combination:

means for driving said hull through the water;

a storage tank within said hull containing at least partly liquefied fluid under pressure;

a steering system having elevator and rudder steering surfaces and including a first and second fluid pressure responsive actuator means connected to said elevator surface, and a third and fourth fluid pressure responsive actuator mean-s connected to said rudder surface, each actuator being effective to move a surface in one direction;

fixed space orientation means and fixed depth orientation means;

a main fluid supply conduit system connecting to said tank, said system including a first and a second branch line for connecting, independently, said first and second actuator to said fixed depth orientation means, and a third and fourth branch line for connecting, independently, said third and fourth actuator to said fixed space orientation means;

orifice means in each of said branch lines having a suitable throat area to pass fluids therethrough at a predetermined pressure drop to establish a fluid pressure ratio within and between the main conduit system and each of the branch lines exceeding the critical value of said fluid to avoid reflection of pressure changes between the branch lines;

each pair of said actuator means including a bleeder valve element adapted for controlling the fluid pressure.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein a vaporizer is interposed between said tank and said orientation means to change the state of said fluid.

5. A system according to claim 3 wherein said depth orientation means includes a bellows sensing device comprising a bellows exposed, normally, to sea water and a second bellows having an air evacuated enclosure to provide a pressure reference relative to said first named bellows.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

G. H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,393,655 July 23, 1968 David P. Eastman It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 45, after "correlated" insert with the fluid pressure may be so constructed that a one Signed and sealed this 27th day of January 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. l

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents I;

Claims

1. AN UNDERWATER MISSILE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A HULL; MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID HULL THROUGH THE WATER; A STORAGE TANK WITHIN SAID HULL FOR CONTAINING AT LEAST PARTLY LIQUEFIED FLUID UNDER PRESSURE; A STEERING SYSTEM HAVING ELEVATOR AND RUDDER STEERING SURFACES AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLUID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ACTUATOR MEANS, EACH ACTUATOR BEING EFFECTIVE TO MOVE ONE SURFACE IN ONE DIRECTION; FIXED SPACE ORIENTATION MEANS AND FIXED DEPTH ORIENTATION MEANS; A MAIN FLUID SUPPLY CONDUIT SYSTEM CONNECTING TO SAID TANK, SAID SYSTEM INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE BRANCH LINE CONNECTING AT LEAST ONE ACTUATOR TO SAID FIXED DEPTH ORIENTATION MEANS, AND ANOTHER BRANCH LINE CONNECTING AT LEAST ONE OTHER ACTUATOR TO SAID FIXED SPACE ORIENTATION MEANS; BOTH OF SAID ORIENTATION MEANS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO TRANSLATE A DEVIATION OF THE MISSILE FROM ITS PRESET COURSE INTO A CHANGE OF FLUID PRESSURE IN THE RESPECTIVE BRANCH LINE; AND ORIFICE MEANS IN EACH OF SAID BRANCH LINES HAVING A SUITABLE THROAT AREA TO PASS FLUIDS THERETHROUGH AT A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE DROP TO ESTABLISH A FLUID PRESSURE RATIO WITHIN AND BETWEEN THE MAIN CONDUIT SYSTEM AND EACH OF THE BRANCH LINES EXCEEDING THE CRITICAL VALUE OF SAID FLUID TO AVOID REFLECTION OF PRESSURE CHANGES BETWEEN THE THE BRANCH LINES.