US3453961A - Delay arming mechanism - Google Patents

Description

J y 8, 1969 F. J. MILANOWSKI 3,

DELAY ARMING MECHANISM Filed NOV. 21, 1967 INVENTOR. yd J. Mi/anaws Arrows-rs.

United States Patent 3,453,961 DELAY ARMING MECHANISM Floyd J. Milanowski, Stanhope, N.J., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Nov. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 684,835 Int. Cl. F42c 15/26 U.S. Cl. 102-79 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A projectile having an arming mechanism which is normally maintained in an unarmed condition by a latch member that is radially slidable in a projectile body passage. A fluid reservoir housing has a piston aligned radially outward of the latch, and a rupturable seal is secured to an outer end of the housing and in fluid communication with the reservoir fluid. Upon launching of the rotating projectile, the piston responsive to centrifugal force will compress the reservoir fluid and rupture the seal to permit release of the latch for operation of the arming mechanism. Removable rollers normally in the path of the latch delay its release for a predetermined period of time, and a peripherally positioned orifice screw secured to a nut carrying the seal has an exhaust passage for fluid flowing past the ruptured seal.

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a delay arming mechanism for projectiles preferably provided with timing fuzes for actuating a firing mechanism when placed in an armed condition.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a projectile delay arming mechanism which can be visually inspected for proper orientation of internal parts without the need for prior disassembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism having a minimum of weight, and which is capable of selective part interchangeability so as to predeterminedly vary the projectile trajectory time.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism having maximum holding power.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a projectile embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view partially broken away taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

The projectile, shown generally at (FIG. 1), preferably has a timing fuze (not shown) for actuating a firing mechanism (also not shown) when placed in an armed condition, one element 11 of the firing mechanism being normally latched in an unarmed condition by the securing plates 12 of respective or similar delay arming mechanisms, shown generally at 14, 15 and 16. Each delay arming mechanism has a fluid reservoir housing or cylinder 17 provided with an enlarged sidewall continuous threaded portion 18 that is secured to an interrupted thread surface portions 19 (FIG. 2) of formed projectile body surfaces provided on either peripheral side of slot 20 that receives the radially slidable securing or latching plate 12.

3,453,951 Patented July 8, 1969 ice The sealed head of each piston 21 is slidably mounted in its radially disposed reservoir cylindrical wall 22, that preferably contains an oil or soft paste 23, and its reduced portion 28 extends inwardly of the piston seating reservoir flange 24 (FIG. 2) into its guiding projectile body surface 25. The innermost end surface 26 of cylinder 17 is inclined or slightly tapered to define a conical recess therein for a purpose to be described.

An O-ring 27 is seated in each reservoir wall 22 inwardly adjacent its threaded connection 29 with securing nut 30 that has a central passage 31 and an outermost concave slotted surface 32 which is centrally tapped to receive a nylon washer or rupturable seal 34 and a retaining orifice screw 35 having a central aperture 36.

The outermost surface 37 of each latch 12 is provided with a trapezoidal shaped recessed surface 38 to normally accommodate or seat a pair of steel rollers 40. Each roller 40 normally contacts corresponding surfaces 38, 26 and 28 and provides means for delaying release of the latch 12 that precipitates arming of the weapon. The innermost end of each piston 21 has a central cylindrical recess 41 for accommodating the corresponding rollers 40, 40 upon predetermined radially outward movement of the piston 21 responding to centrifugal force developed by the launched rotating projectile body.

Outward piston movement will compress the reservoir fluid 23 and cause it to slowly escape through aligned passages 31, 36 as soon as seal 34 has ruptured. After a predetermined amount of outward piston travel, piston surface 28 will be clear of the paths for free movement of rollers 40, 40 along reservoir surface 26 toward piston recess or cavity 41 where they will no longer obstruct or delay the release of latch 12.

Visual inspection for fluid leakage adjacent the orifice screw 35 when the delay arming mechanism sub-assembly has previously been assembled in the projectile body or prior thereto, thereby indicating the need for replacement for otherwise the securing plate 12 may not have its latching capability.

Orifice screws having a dimensional variance in their apertures 36 may readily be interchanged to thereby alter the pre-arming travel time for a launched projectile trajactory. Preferably a small amount of grease is supplied to each roller 40 to facilitate desired functioning thereof.

I claim:

1. In a projectile having an arming mechanism,

latch means normally maintaining said arming mechanism in an unarmed condition, said latch means being slidably mounted in radial passage means formed in the body of said projectile,

a fluid reservoir housing containing a piston aligned radially outward of said latch means,

means positioned intermediate said latch means and piston for delaying the release of said latch means for a predetermined period,

said delay means including roller means normally in latch securing position intermediate each of said housing, piston and latch means,

the outer surface of said latch means includes recess means for accommodating said roller means, said latch means outer surface portion defining said recess means including an outwardly increasing tapered recess sidewall portion,

rupturable seal means secured to an outer end of said reservoir housing and in fluid communication with the interior thereof,

so constructed and arranged that upon launching of said projectile, said piston responsive to centrifugal force will compress the reservoir fluid and rupture said seal means, thereby permitting release of said latch means for operation of said arming mechanism.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the inner surface of said piston includes a central cylindrical recess for accommodating said roller means upon outward movement of said piston.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 in which the innermost end surface of said housing has a tapered recess to facilitate movement of said roller means from its normal latch securing position toward said piston recess.

4. The structure of claim 1 in which said housing has an externally threaded peripheral portion in engagement with interrupted thread means on protruding internal surfaces of said body, a nut carrying said seal means and having a central passage threadedly secured to said housing, and an orifice screw threadedly secured to said securing nut with its orifice aligned with said nut passage for slowly escaping fluid flowing past the ruptured seal means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

' GERALD H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner.

. US. Cl. X.R. 102-82

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