US914371A - Firing means for torpedoes. - Google Patents

Description

U DAVIS.

FIRING MEANS FOR TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.14,190'7.

g1 41 g"; l a Patented Mar. 2, i909.

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OLELAN-D DAVIS, OF THE UNITED STATES N NATIONAL TORPEDO COMPANY, 'OF NEW AV' Y, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE- FIRING MEANS FOR TORPEDOES.

I specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 1%, 1907. Serial No.-106,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLELAND DAVIS, lieutenant-commander, U. S. Navy, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firing Means for Torpedoes and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact, description of the, invention, such as will enable others skilled in, the art to which it appertains to make and use the SalI1( My invention relates to firing devices for torpedoes in general, and the objects 'of ny invention are to produce such a device as will not offer any material resistance to the passage of the torpedo through the water, one that will-not tend to deflect the same during flight, one that will be certain to act no mate ter at what angle the torpedo may strike the object attacked, one that will be safe under all conditions of .handling and which is simple and certain in action and cheap to construct.

With these ends in View my invention consists in the novel combination of parts an details of construction hereinafter more'fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

.Referring to the accompanying drawing forming'a part of this specification; Figure 1, illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of the forward end of a. torpedo with my inventionattached, and, Fig' 2, an enlarged sectional view of the contact making device.

1, represents the body of a standard torpedo shell; 2, the war head, and 3, a hollow araboloidal shaped shell conforming to the interior contour of'the war head 2, and sepa-' rated therefrom by the insulating means 4 and 5. Axially through the nose of the torpasses the screw shaft 6, carrying the c0ntact'7, and the small propeller 8. The direction of the threads of this shaft 6, are so chosen relatively to the propeller blades, that as the propeller is turned, owing to the torpedo being forced through the water, the said shaft will be forced forward to close the contact between the shell 3, and the contact 7. The friction between the propeller hub and the threads of said shaft, is furthermore such that after the contact 7, touches the shell 3, the propeller will then, as it continues to revolve, unscrew itself from said shaft and drop off. That is to say, the friction be tween the shaft and its nut is less than the d particular arrangement of perienced due to the friction o friction between the propellers hub and the shaft, and therefore the conta'ct7,\vill first be closed and then the propeller will automat- Iatented. March 2, 1909.

ically detachitself from the torpedo. Should it fail to drop off, however, no harm will be done, since the propeller is so small that it i would not seriously interfere with the normal action of the torpedo.

9, repr sents any suitable source of electricity, one pole'of which is connected tov the outer shell of the torpedo, and'the other pole to the inner shell 3, through the contact 7.

10, represents any suita le electric rimer, or other char e firing means, adapter to be operated by e ectricity, and 11, any suitable explosive adapted to be ignited by the firing means 10 j I have shown in the drawings a gun and projectile carried by the torpedo, but the same per se forms no part of my present invention, which is broadly adapted to tor-. pedoes ineneral, although I prefer to fire such gun, y this particular invention, and consider the latter especially adapted for this gun and torpedo.

The particular advanta es of the above disposition of'parts, lie in t 1e important fact that the outer contour and ballistics of the torpedo are preservedintact, except for .the

small axially p'laced propeller and screw shaft, which do not afiect the same; and therefore no deflection of the torpedo durin flight is exthe water against projections not axially laced. To the fact that the interior shell of 'ers an infinite number of oints'of contact, so that no matter where t e war head shell may be forced in, a contact with the inner shell will be made, and to the fact that since the circuitis normally broken at two points, one of which is, or may be, made only after the torpedo is in flight, absolutely no accidents can occur owing to the war head being accidentally crushed in. i I The 0 eration of my firin device is as follows he torpedo is loader into its tube by any suitable means and fired when the propeller 8 causes the contact 7 to connect one pole of the battery with the inner shell 3, as

Owing to the contact 7 being insulated from prising'a circuit,- and the screw shaft 6, a short circuit between the said shaft and outer shell through the salt water is obviated.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction above described, since it is evident that the same may be val ried Without departing from the spirit'of my b f h H com matron o a s e invention.

Having now described my invention What I claim is 2- 1. In a torpedo having a smooth unbroken exterior on all sides of its axis, the combination of a charge; and a contact firing means for the same adapted to operate at any angle 1 at which the torpedo may strike and comaplu'rality of contacts 111 seriesin said ,circuit, whereby the latter is normally broken at a plurality of points, substantially as described. I

2. In a torpedo having a smooth exterior surface, except at the axis of its nose, the l combination of a charge; an electric firing means for said charge, including a circuit, a plurality of contacts in series at which said I circuit is normally broken, and means for upon the firing of the torpedo, substantially is described.

'Iu torpedo having a war head, the combination of a shell conforming to the contour of said head, and a firing means ada ted to be operated upon the contact of. said l ead with said shell, substantially as described.

4. In a torpedo having a war head, the combination of a shell conforming to the contour of said head; an electric circuit, and a firing means adapted to be operated upon the contact of said head with said shell, substan- J tially as described.

5. In a torpedo having a war head, the

combination of a shell conforming to the con tour of said head,- an electric circuit; a conl tact ada ted to connect the same with said shell, an a firing means ada ted to be operl ated upon thc contact of saicIhead with said shell, substantially as described.

In a torpedo having a war head, the 3 combination of a shell conforming to the an electric cirolfit connected to contour of said head and insulated therefrom; an electric circuit connected to said head at one pole; a contact connected to the other pole; means for causing said contact to connect with said shell, and a firing means in said circuit, substantially as described.

7. In a torpedo having a War head, the following the general contour-of said head and insulated therefrom; an electric circuit connected to said head at one pole ,".a contact connected to the other pole; means comprising a screw shaft for causing said contact to connect with said shell, and a firing means in said circuit, substantially as described.

8. In a torpedo having a war head, the combination of a shell following contour of said head and insulated therefrom an electric .circuit connected to said head at. one pole; a contact connected to the other pole; means for causing said contact to connect with said and a propeller, and a firing means in said circuit, substantially as described.

9. In a torpedo having a war head, the combination of -a shell following the general contour of said head and insulated therefrom;

said head at one pole; a contact connected pole; means adapted to operate after the torpedo is fired for causing said contact to connect with said shell, and a firing means in said circuit, substantially as described.

10. In a torpedo the combination of the war head; a shell inside said head and insulated therefrom, a contact adapted to connect with said shell; an electric circuit joined to said head and contact; a'firin means in the said circuit and a'screw propfiler adapted to cause said contact to connect with said shell after the torpedo is fired, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, presence of two witnesses.

(LELAND DAVIS.

Witnesses: F. ODEN l-lons'ramxx, HORACE H. VVEsTooTT.

the general shell, comprising a screw shaft to the other

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