US745981A - Delayed-action fuse for projectiles. - Google Patents

Description

No. 745,981. PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903: G. V. WHEELER & A. G. MOKBNNA. DELAYED ACTIOIM FUSE FOR PROJECTILES.

APPL GATION F IIIII 13.21. 1903.

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. WITNESSES No. 745.981. J PATBNTEDjDEG. 1-, 190's. 0. V.WHEELER & A. G. MQKBNNA. DELAYED ACTION FUSE FOR PROJEGTILES.

APPLICATION FILED 1133.24, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2" no MODEL.

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cumulus v. WHEELER, or ALLEGHENY, AND ALEXANDER e. MCKENNA, or BRA'DDQCK, PENNSYLVANIA,

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,981, dated. December 1., 1903. Application filed February 24,1903. Serial No. 144.606. up model.)

To (IE-Z whom, it inn/y concern.-

Beitlrnown that We,CHARLESV./VHEELER, of Allegheny, and ALEXANDER G. MCKENNA, of Braddock, Allegheny county, Pennsylva- 5 nia, have invented a new and useful Delayed- Action Fuse for Projectiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,- in which Figure l is a longitudinal section of our improved fuse, Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sec- (ions on the lines 11 H and U1 ill of Fig. 1. Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a modificathe lines V V, VI VI, and VII VII of Fig. 4. Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views of other modifications.

Our invention is a delayed-action fuse for projectiles; and it consists in a fuse for projectiles containing thermite, which is composed of anctallicoxid and powdered alu miuiuinor other element, such as powdered silicon, capable of reacting with the oxid and producing a high temperature without the production ofexplosive gases, together with metallic magnesium and percarbonate of potassium or other suitable composition adapt- ,ed to start combustion of the therniite; and it also consists in certain mechanical devices whereby communication of heat from the combustion. of the thermite to the bursting charge of the projectile is delayed in its action; and it has for its object-delayed action 5 of the fuse and also the production of intense heat within the body of the shell, whereby it is capable of being employed as an incendiary vprojectile.

We will now describe our invention, so that others skilled in the art may employ the same. In the production of fuses for projectiles the chief requirements are, first, safety in handling; second, certainty in action; third, simplicity in construction; fourth, safety'from deterioration; fifth, sensitiveness, and, sixth, delayed action when the shell is to be used for perforating plates. Ill order to secure a n fuse having all these requirements-we have produced a fuse which normally is unarmedthat is, it is provided with safety devices which prevent mechanical movement of the tion. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are cross-sections on parts under any ordinary shock that might be produced in handling the'shell, and at the same time these safety devices are of such character that. the fusewill invariably arm itself when the projectile is discharged. from'i the gun and be sensitive enough to explode' when the shell is checked by the resistance of the skin-plate of a ship or other target.

In the drawings we have shown a variety 'ofmechanical devices which may be employed to arm the fuse; but as other devices may be employed we do not desire in our broad claims to limit ourselves to the use of the construe. tion which we have shown.-

In the drawings, 2 represents the body of the fuse, which is prefcrably'a tube of brass or other suitable metal having on its outer face a thread 3, which enables the fuse to be screwed into a threaded cavity in the base of the projectile, suitable wrench-sockets 4 being formedin the base of the fuse.

in the bore or cavity of the fuse, at a point slightlyremoved from the base of the same, is a metal sleeve 5,having awrench-cavity 6 and a thread 7, which thread engages with a thread formed on the interior bore of the fuse. The base of this sleeve 5 is recessed to receive an oblong nut 8, which fits within the recess 9 inthe sleeve 5.and is capable of longitudinal f movement; but owing to its oblong shape and the oblong shape of the recess it is not capable of turning therein. 'lheinteriorof this oblong nut 8 is provided with a screwthread adapted to engage with the threaded end of thefiring pin or bolt 10. This firingpin 10 extends through a bolt-hole in the upper portion of the sleeve 5, and on the outer face of the sleeve 5 is a washer or ring 11 of lubricating material. Surrounding the firing-pin 10, within the cavity of the fuse-and,

forward of the sleeve 5, is a pellet 12 of cy-, lindrical form adapted to fit the cavity or bore of the fuse and capable of rotation therein, and at the forward end of the firing-pin 10 the bolt-hole through which the firing-pin 10 passes in the pellet 12 is square in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings,'and the head of the firing-pin 10 is also square, so that the firing-pin shall not be capable of rotation within the pellet 12. This pellet 12 is provided with two wrcnch holes or cavities ICO of the fuse and into the pellet 12 are frangible pins 15, the purpose of which is to pre-' vent the pellet from rotating normally/within the cavity of the fuse. Seatedin/the head of the firing-pin 19 is a steel hammer ldwh-ich is adapted to strike against and explode the primer 17 when the fuse is armed. This primer 17 is located ashort distance in front of the hammer 16'and is seated in a disk 18, which is screwed into the fuse-cavity a short distance below the mouth of the same, wrenchcavities 19 being formed in the disk toenable the disk to be screwed into its position in the cavity of the fuse. An opening or passage 20 leads from the space 21 in front of the primer through the disk 18 into the bore of the fuse in front of the disk. At the mouth of the'body of the fuse is a metallic case 22,

secured to the body of the fuse bya packingring 23 and adapted to contain a charge of the oxid and element, such as powdered aluminium and oxid of iron. in the rear of this case 22 is adapted to be charged with powdered magnesium or other suitable chemical, which may be mixed with percarbonate of potassium or sodium peroxid or other; oxidizing material. These chemicals may be inclosed in a paper case, or instead of the magnesium other means may be employed for generating the initial heat.

' The operation of this fuse is as follows: Normally the fuse is in an unarmed condition, the hammer 16 on the firing-pin 10,-which is keyed to the pellet 12, being retained at a distance from the primer 17 by means, first, of

' the pins 15, and, secondly, by means of the nut 8, which'is screwed on the end of the firing-pin 10 and is seated in the oblong recess in the sleeve 5. The fuse having been fitted in the base of the shell and the shell being fired from a gun, the force of the explosion within. the gun drives the shell. forward. Owingto the inertia of the pellet 12, which I tends to cause the pellet to lag behind within the cavity of the fuse, the pins 15 are sheared or broken, which allows the pellet and firingpin 10 to be free from restraint against rotation within the bore of the fuse. As a rotary movement has been imparted to the shell by the riding of the gun,the shell and the fuse therein are rotated at a very rapid rate. Owing to the inertia of the now free pellet 12 and the firing-pin 10 this pellet and firing-pin do not rotate with the fuse at the rate of rotation of the projectile, and th is lagging action thereforecauses the rear endof the firing-pin 10 to unscrew from the oblong nut 8, where-- .by the fuse becomes armed, and the firing-pin now'is free to move against the primer 1 7. hen the projectile strikes the ship or other target against which itis directed the rotardation of the projectile caused by striking a The space 21 resisting force permits the momentum of the pellet 12 to advance the firing-pin 10, and the hammer of the firing-pin is brought violently in contact with the primer 17, exploding the same and igniting the charge of magnesium and oxidizing material in the cavity 21 and thereby, owing to the combustion of the magnesium, sufficient heat is generated to induce chemical action between the aluminium and the metal oxid in the case 22. This chemical action produces a gradually-increasing and intense non-gaseous heat, which is suflicient in time to fuse the case 22 and to explode a dctonator or to explodt bursting charge of the projectile directly. l3; ying the composition or the thickness of the case 22 the time required to fuse the case and explode the bursting charge of the projectile may be increased or lessened.

The advantage of the use of chemicals which shall produce a non gaseous heat is to prevent premature explosion, as where gases are produced by the fuse the gases would be apt to start or loosen the case and to explode the shell prematurely.

In Fig. ewe show a modification of the mechanical devices which may be employed for arming the fuse and for retaining the feature of safety in handling. In this modification the bore of thebody of the fuse at its base is preferablyreduced in area, forming a cavity 24. The forward end of this cavity 2 L is square in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, while the lower portion of the cavity is cylindrical in cross-section, asv is shown in Fig. 7. Seated in the rear portion of the cavity 21 is a block 25, having a recess in the base thereof, which provides a seat for a spiral spring 26, which spring bears against the block'25 and also against the base of the cavity 2 t. On the outer circumference of the block is formed a ratchet 27, adapted to en a e with a s rin -do 28 which is "2 D I) b 7 operated by the spring this spring being so seated between the dog and the screw 30 that when the block 25. is pushed back against the spring 26 in the recess 21L the spring-dog 28 shall engage with the ratchet 27 and retain the block in this position. Seated in the forward part of the cavity 2& is the base of the firing-pin 10, which at its rear end is cylindrical in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 6, and is provided with a transverse groove or notch 31, which engages with a lug 32 in the forward end of the block 25. The forward portion of the base of the firing-pin 10 is square in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to The firing-pin 10 is secured to the ward motion of the projectile and until after the fuse has been further armed by the inertia of the devices against the rotation of tlie'projeotile. The fuse is therefore perfectly unarmed and not liable toaccidental ignition.

The fuse is absolutely certain in action, for the reason that although the fuse is proof against accidental arming in handling yet the double movement of flight and rotation as the projectile leaves the gun and passes through the air will invariably arm the same.

Thefuse is exceedingly simplein constru 0- tion and without parts liable to get out of order. a

The fuse will not deteriorate, owing to the fact that aluminium, oxid'of iron, and magnesium are each so fixed in its condition that chemical action cannot take place until heat has been produced by the ignition of the magnesium. The fuse cannot be exploded by ex ternal heat.

The fuse can be made of any degree of sensitiveness desired without danger of arming the same by accident.

Owing to the time required to produce a heat intense enough to destroy the case and to explode the bursting charge of the shell, the action may be delayed sufficiently to allow the shell to lodge in the armor-plate or target before explosion takes place, and owing to the non-gaseous combusti'dn of the fuse the premature explosion of the shell is prevented.

explosively without the ei'oliii ion of gas in stead of peroarbonate of potassium nercar honate of sodium or other material which will give up oxygen at a low iemperaiure may be employed for sta rting ih e reaei io n i n th e th er mite.

What we claim. is

1. A delayed-action fuse (or pro ectiles. consistii'ig of a chamber coniainingihermil e. and means for starting the reaeiion he! ween the components of the theriniie.

2. A delayed-action fuse for .n'ojeCiileS- said fuse containing thermiie, metallic magnesium and percarbonate of potassium. and having means for igniting the magnesnim and perca'rbouate of potassium.

A delayed-action "fuse for progechles having a fusible chamber eontziining Lire? mite, and means for s tartin'- the riw ci me be; tween the components of the llllilllii 4. delayed action fuse l'oi projeeiiieS containing therinite, a compound for si as! mg thejreaotmn between the components of the ther1nite,a primer fol-igniting; said compound. and means for igniting the primer.

5.,"A delayed-aetion fuse for projectiles,

' containing therinite and a compound for starting, the reaction between the components of the thermite, a Weighted firing-pin, and devices for weakly securing the firing-pin to ihe 'body of the fuse.

Intestimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands. I

G. Y. \VHEELER. A G. McKEjNA. lVitnesses Jon's HrpLEn, ll. M. Cems'ix.

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