US3704772A

US3704772A - Ammunition flow path fire propagation prevention system

Info

Publication number: US3704772A
Application number: US79931A
Authority: US
Inventors: Otto H Meier
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1970-10-12
Filing date: 1970-10-12
Publication date: 1972-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-05

Abstract

A continuously effective fire propagation barrier comprises a pair of counter-rotating baffle wheels disposed in an aperture in a stationary fire wall.

Description

United States Patent Meier 1 Dec.5, 1972 [54] AMMUNITION FLOW PATH FIRE PROPAGATION PREVENTION SYSTEM [72] Inventor: Otto I-I. Meier, Shelburne, Vt.

[731 Assignee: General Electric Company [22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 79,931

[52] US. Cl. ..l98/1, 89/33 MC, 198/131 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g [58] Field of Search..89/l3 R, 33 MC; 222/369, 410,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,399,119 12/1921 Hodges ..89/13 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 803,857 11/1958 Great Britain ..222/410 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Douglas D. Watts Att0rney-Bailin L. Kuch, Irving M. Freedman, Harry C. Burgess, Frank L. Neuhauser, Oscar B. Waddell and Joseph B. Forman {5 7] ABSTRACT A continuously effective fire propagation barrier comprises a pair of counter-rotating baffle wheels disposed in an aperture in a stationary fire wall.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDUEE 5 1972 INVENTORI OTTO H. MEIER, 2W HIS TC "wrY.

AMMUNITION FLOW PATH FIRE PROPAGATION PREVENTION SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION the ammunition flow path between an ammunition supply and conveyor system and a high rate of fire weapon do not appear to be taught in the prior art. US. Pat. No. 2,390,477 issued to J. C. Trotter on Dec. 4, 1945 shows a conveyor system for a machine gun having a pair of double sprocket wheels for driving the rounds between the'supply and the weapon. US. Pat. No. 3,427,923 issued to E. A. Meyer et al. on Feb. 18, 1969 shows a similar system for a higher rate of fire weapon. These sprocket wheels encircle the rounds but do not provide a barrier between any two adjacent rounds. US. Pat. No. 1,399,119 issued to L. E. Hodges on Dec. 6, 1921; US. Pat. No. 3,262,367 issued to W. E. Martwick et al. on July 26, 1966; and US. Pat. No. 3,468,217 issued to'W. C. Cooley on Sept. 23, 1969, each shows the use of two sprocketed cylinders to define a firing chamber in a machine gun. These cylinders only provide a barrier around the round being fired, and do not preclude propagation from misfired or jammed rounds subsequent to the firing position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a continuously effective fire propagation prevention system especially adapted for the ammunition flow path between an ammunition supply and conveyor system and a high rate of fire weapon, such as is shown in US. Pat. application Ser. No. 24,198 filed Mar. 31, 1970 by R. F. Leopold and O. H. Meier.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a continuously effective fire propagation barrier comprising a pair of counter-rotating baffle wheels disposed in an aperture in a stationary fire wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following specification of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a fire propagation system embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross-section taken along .the plane lI-Il ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a baffle wheel utilized in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The fire propagation prevention system is shown in conjunction with the conveyor system of Ser. No.

24,198, supra, to which reference should be made for a complete disclosure thereof. Briefly, the conveyor system includes an endless chain of clam shell cylindrical assemblies 10, each assembly including two telescoped portions 12 and 14 which are mutually journaled for relative rotation about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The outer portion 14 has two pairs of rollers 16 which guide the respective assembly along a pair of tracks 18. Adjacent assemblies are hinged together at 20. The run of the conveyor passes from an ammunition supply, not shown, through an aperture 22 in a bulkhead 24 or stationary fire propagation barrier, to a high rate of fire weapon, not shown.

A pair of

side plates

30 and 32 are fixed in the aperture and an upper shaft 34 and a lower shaft 36 are journaled through and between the plates. A driven sprocket 38 is fixed to one end of the shaft 34 while a gear 40 is fixed to its other end, and meshes with a gear 42 fixed to one end of the shaft 36. The sprocket and gears are outboard of the side plates.

An upper baffle wheel 50 is fixed onto the upper shaft 34 between the side plates; and a lower baffle wheel 52 is similarly fixed onto the lower shaft 36.

The baffle wheels are fabricated from a flexible fire retardent material, such as PVC foam, and are each shaped so as to mutually conform from both sides tightly around each clam shell assembly 10 as it passes through the bulkhead aperture.

Each baffle wheel has a plurality of longitudinal semi-cylindrical cut-outs 54 generating a like plurality of teeth 56. The cut-outs are slightly undersize to insure a tight fit around the cylindrical assemblies, and compress around the rollers 16. An annular cutout 58 is provided to clear the hinge assembly 20. At all times, at least one tooth on the upper wheel is in contact with a respective tooth on the lower wheel, to provide a fire tight seal between the wheels. A fire tight seal between the bulkhead and the wheel is effected by a plurality of arcuate flanges fixed to the bulkhead and overlapping at least one tooth of each wheel.

A plurality of splines 60 may be fixed in the

shaft

34 or 36 and the surrounding

wheel

50 or 52, to preclude relative rotation between the wheel and the shaft. A drive chain 62 couples the sprocket 38 to a sprocket 64 which is fixed on a shaft 66 which is part of the drive system of the conveyor, to ensure synchronism between the wheels and the cylindrical assemblies.

This system is very simple, light and particularly reliable in that it does not require a firing sensing and actuating system to be effective, as it continually provides a fire propagation barrier.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically described, and that certain changes in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article conveyor assembly comprising:

a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges;

an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together,

carriers, having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture;

two baffle wheels journalled for rotation on respective, parallel, spaced apart axes, transverse to said path of travel of said chain, and disposed in and closing said bulkhead aperture;

said baffle wheels being so configured and disposed as to mutually enclose each carrier peripherally and substantially laterally as it passes between said wheels, and at all times to provide a wiping seal with at least said two opposed edges of said aperture;

each said baffle wheel having a plurality .of longitudinal semi-cylindrical cut-outs generating a like plurality of teeth;

-whereby as each said carrier passes between said wheels, it is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of one of said wheels and is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of the other of said wheels;

each of said wheels being made of a resilient fire-retardant material and each of said cut-outs being slightly undersize with respect to said carriers to provide a tight fit around a therein disposed carrier; and

means coupled between said wheels and said chain for synchronizing the movement thereof.

2. An article conveyor assembly comprising:

a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges;

an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together,

carriers; having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture;

each said baffle wheel having a plurality of longitudinal semi-cylindrical cut-outs generating a like plurality of teeth, each of said cut-outs being slightly undersize with respect to said carriers to provide a tight fit around a therein disposed carrier;

whereby as each said carrier passes between said wheels, it is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of one of said wheels and is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of the other of said wheels; and

3. An article conveyor assembly comprising:

a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges;

an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together,

carriers, having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture; Y

said baffle wheels being so configured and disposed as to mutually enclose each carrier peripherally and substantially laterally as it passes between said wheels, and at all times to provide a wiping seal with at least two opposed edges of said aperture; each of said carriers including a first unit half portion formed as a longitudinallysectioned, hollow cylinder having first and second end walls,

each of said first half portions having a first pair of transversely spaced apart, longitudinally journalled rollers mounted to a first means extending transversely from said first end wall, and a second pair of transversely spaced apart, longitudinally journalled rollers mounted to a second means extending transversely from said second end wall;

a second unit half portion formed as a longitudinally-sectioned, hollow cylinder having first and second end walls; and

first and second spaced apart rails disposed through said bulkhead aperture; said first pair of rollers of each unit being adapted to straddle and ride on said first rail, and said second pair of rollers of each unit beingadapted to straddle and ride on said second rail.

Claims

1. An article conveyor assembly comprising: a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges; an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together, carriers, having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture; two baffle wheels journalled for rotation on respective, parallel, spaced apart axes, transverse to said path of travel of said chain, and disposed in and closing said bulkhead aperture; said baffle wheels being so configured and disposed as to mutually enclose each carrier peripherally and substantially laterally as it passes between said wheels, and at all times to provide a wiping seal with at least said two opposed edges of said aperture; each said baffle wheel having a plurality of longitudinal semicylindrical cut-outs generating a like plurality of teeth; whereby as each said carrier passes between said wheels, it is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of one of said wheels and is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of the other of said wheels; each of said wheels being made of a resilient fire-retardant material and each of said cut-outs being slightly undersize with respect to said carrIers to provide a tight fit around a therein disposed carrier; and means coupled between said wheels and said chain for synchronizing the movement thereof.

2. An article conveyor assembly comprising: a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges; an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together, carriers, having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture; two baffle wheels journalled for rotation on respective, parallel, spaced apart axes, transverse to said path of travel of said chain, and disposed in and closing said bulkhead aperture; said baffle wheels being so configured and disposed as to mutually enclose each carrier peripherally and substantially laterally as it passes between said wheels, and at all times to provide a wiping seal with at least said two opposed edges of said aperture; each said baffle wheel having a plurality of longitudinal semi-cylindrical cut-outs generating a like plurality of teeth, each of said cut-outs being slightly undersize with respect to said carriers to provide a tight fit around a therein disposed carrier; whereby as each said carrier passes between said wheels, it is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of one of said wheels and is disposed in part in one of said cut-outs of the other of said wheels; and means coupled between said wheels and said chain for synchronizing the movement thereof.

3. An article conveyor assembly comprising: a bulkhead having an aperture therein with at least two opposed edges; an endless chain of spaced apart, coupled together, carriers, having a path of travel through said bulkhead aperture; two baffle wheels journalled for rotation on respective, parallel, spaced apart axes, transverse to said path of travel of said chain, and disposed in and closing said bulkhead aperture; said baffle wheels being so configured and disposed as to mutually enclose each carrier peripherally and substantially laterally as it passes between said wheels, and at all times to provide a wiping seal with at least two opposed edges of said aperture; each of said carriers including a first unit half portion formed as a longitudinally-sectioned, hollow cylinder having first and second end walls, each of said first half portions having a first pair of transversely spaced apart, longitudinally journalled rollers mounted to a first means extending transversely from said first end wall, and a second pair of transversely spaced apart, longitudinally journalled rollers mounted to a second means extending transversely from said second end wall; a second unit half portion formed as a longitudinally-sectioned, hollow cylinder having first and second end walls; and first and second spaced apart rails disposed through said bulkhead aperture; said first pair of rollers of each unit being adapted to straddle and ride on said first rail, and said second pair of rollers of each unit being adapted to straddle and ride on said second rail.