WO2017162607A1

WO2017162607A1 - Weapon-launching tube with a water ram for a ship

Info

Publication number: WO2017162607A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/056594
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arnaud LAMOTTE; Stéphane Niot
Original assignee: Dcns
Priority date: 2016-03-21
Filing date: 2017-03-20
Publication date: 2017-09-28
Also published as: FR3049055B1; FR3049055A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a weapon-launching tube for a ship, of the type comprising a pressurised fluid source (3) linked to the tube (1) and a launching valve (4) inserted between the pressurised fluid source (3) and a discharge piston (5) for discharging a water ram behind the weapon to eject the latter from the tube, said weapon-launching tube being characterised in that the launching valve (4) forms part of an end cap of the discharge piston (5).

Description

Weapon launching tube with water column for ship

The present invention relates to a weapon-launching tube for a ship such as a submarine.

More particularly, the invention relates to such a tube which comprises a source of pressurized fluid associated with the tube and a throwing valve interposed between the source of fluid under pressure and the tube.

In general, such a valve comprises a valve body in which is mounted a valve.

This valve is movable, when launching the weapon, by control means, between a closed position and an open position of the valve for supplying the tube with fluid under pressure.

In a conventional manner also, this valve is associated with means for braking its opening movement.

These means comprise for example a fluidic retarder with two fluid chambers separated by a piston and connected by means of diaphragm rolling of this fluid.

For a detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of such a system of the state of the art, it may for example refer to the document FR A 2 955 082 in the name of the Applicant.

According to the system described in this document, the fluid rolling diaphragm means comprise means with variable diaphragm according to the position of the valve, to adapt the law of thrust of the weapon.

In fact, it is advisable, in general, to control the thrust on the weapon in order to prevent any damage to it and its equipment during launch, and also to prevent the phenomenon of cavitation.

Moreover, such a system must have a small footprint and be easy to implement.

This also applies to water column ejection systems also known in the technical field under the generic name of "WATER RAM".

An example of such a system is described in document FR A 2 976 064 in the name of the Applicant.

In these systems, the rear part of the weapon-launching tube is connected to a water tube in which is placed a discharge piston of the water to eject the weapon and whose operation is controlled by the launch valve.

The object of the invention is therefore to solve these problems. For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a gun-throwing tube for a ship, of the type comprising a source of pressurized fluid associated with the tube and a throwing valve interposed between the source of pressurized fluid and a delivery piston. a column of water at the rear of the gun for ejecting it from the tube, characterized in that the throwing valve is integrated with an end cap of the delivery piston.

According to other features of the tube according to the invention, taken alone or in combination:

the discharge piston is a discharge piston comprising several telescopic portions;

- The front portion of the discharge piston is provided with a water pipe collar in it during its folding and out of it during its deployment;

the launching valve comprises a valve body in which is mounted a movable valve when the weapon is thrown by control means, between a closed position and an open position of the valve for supplying the delivery piston. in pressurized fluid, this valve being associated with braking means of its opening displacement comprising a fluidic retarder to two fluid chambers separated by a piston and connected by means of diaphragm rolling of this fluid;

the diaphragm means for rolling the fluid are formed in the piston;

the diaphragm means comprise nozzle means placed in a hole formed in the piston between the two chambers;

the retarder fluid is a liquid;

the retarder fluid is oil;

the source of pressurized fluid comprises means in the form of a tank of gas under pressure;

- A perforated bowl-shaped diffuser is interposed between the valve and the discharge piston.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a weapon-launch tube according to the invention, for a ship,

FIG. 2 represents a detail sectional view of a launch valve forming part of a tube according to the invention,

FIG. 3 represents a delivery piston in the deployed position, and - Figure 4 shows a detailed view of a portion of the discharge piston. In these figures, and in particular in FIG. 1, a gun-throwing tube has been illustrated for a ship.

In this application, the term ship may refer to a surface vessel or submarine.

In particular there is illustrated in the following an application to a submarine.

The tube is designated by the general reference 1 in FIG. 1 and the weapon is designated by the general reference 2.

Conventionally, such a weapon 2 may for example be constituted by a torpedo or other.

The weapon-launching tube according to the invention is also associated with a source of pressurized fluid, such as for example a launch compressed air tank, designated by the general reference 3, and a launching valve, indicated by the reference general 4.

This throwing valve 4 is interposed between the source of pressurized fluid 3 and a pneumatic delivery piston, designated by the general reference 5, movably mounted in a tube of water or a water column 6.

This water tube 6 is connected to the rear end of the weapon-launch tube 1 to eject the weapon.

The operation of such a delivery piston 5 will be described in more detail later.

Note simply that when the launch valve 4 is driven at the opening, the source of pressurized fluid 3 is connected to the pneumatic delivery piston 5 which pushes the water column of the water tube 6 to the rear of the tube gun 1 and therefore the weapon 2, and for example the torpedo, to eject it out of the tube 1.

In Figure 2, there is illustrated an embodiment of such a valve which is always designated by the general reference 4 in this figure.

This then comprises a valve body, which is designated by the general reference 10, and which has an inlet 1 1 and an outlet 12, respectively connected to the source of pressurized fluid and the rest of the tube.

A valve, designated by the general reference 13, is movably mounted in the valve body.

Other types of valve than those shown in the drawings may of course be suitable. This valve is movable from a closed position to an open position of the valve, for supplying the rest of the tube with pressurized fluid when triggering a shot, by means of control means.

These control means are then connected for example to an operating chamber of the valve 13, this chamber being designated by the general reference 14 in this FIG.

These control means are adapted to inject air under pressure into this chamber in order to operate the valve.

Indeed, the pressurized air injected into this chamber makes it possible to push the valve 13 so that it moves from its closed position to its open position.

This valve 13 is also associated with means for braking its opening movement.

These means are designated by the general reference 15 in this FIG.

They include for example a fluidic retarder, designated by the general reference 16.

This retarder comprises two fluid chambers, designated by the references 17 and 18, separated by a piston, designated by the general reference 19, and connected by means of diaphragm rolling of this fluid to control the movement of the valve.

The diaphragm means for rolling the fluid are for example formed in the piston 19.

These fluid rolling diaphragm means are designated by the general reference numeral 20 in this FIG.

They comprise for example nozzle means 21 placed in a hole 22 formed in the piston 19, between the two fluid chambers 17 and 18.

These chambers indeed contain fluid such as oil.

It is then conceivable that during the initiation of a launch, air is injected under pressure into the chamber 14 at the rear of the valve 13 to cause the displacement thereof to its open position.

This opening movement is slowed down by the fluidic retarder 16.

This causes indeed a braking movement of the valve because this valve is connected to the piston 19 of the retarder.

The fluid must then pass from the chamber 18 to the chamber 17 of this retarder. The only way for the fluid to pass from this chamber to the other is to pass into the rolling diaphragm, that is to say in the nozzle means 21 placed in the hole 22 formed in the piston 19 between the two chambers 17 and 18 of this retarder 16.

This makes it possible to control the movement of the valve and thus the opening of the valve and consequently the displacement of the water column and the weapon when it is launched out of the tube.

As indicated above, the valve 4 can be associated with a delivery piston 5 itself associated with the water tube connected to the weapon-launching tube at the rear of the weapon, and more particularly for example to the rear door of this tube, to eject the weapon from the tube.

Of course, other embodiments can be envisaged.

In the example, a discharge piston is used which is described in more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4.

This discharge piston is always designated by the general reference 5 in these figures.

As illustrated in these figures, this delivery piston 5 comprises, for example, from one end to the other, a pneumatic discharge piston end cap, designated by the general reference 30, a discharge piston body 31, a mounting flange 32, and a pipe flange 33 which will be described in more detail later.

The discharge piston is an expandable discharge piston.

It comprises several telescopic portions, for example the four portions 34, 35, 36 and 37, illustrated in FIG.

Finally, the discharge piston 5 comprises at its other end a pusher plate of the water column of the water tube, designated by the general reference 38, for pushing the water column of the water tube behind the weapon in the gun-throwing tube, at launch.

In Figure 3, the discharge piston 5 is illustrated in the deployed position, while in Figure 4, it is illustrated in the folded position.

In the tube according to the invention, the launch valve, which has just been described and which is always designated by the general reference 4 in these figures, is directly integrated into the end cap 30 of the discharge piston 5.

This allows of course to save space and simplify and facilitate assembly of all.

In particular, such an arrangement of the valve makes it possible to eliminate any connecting pipe between the various elements. It will also be noted, with reference to FIG. 4 for example, that a perforated bowl-shaped diffuser, designated for example by the general reference 39 in this figure, can be interposed between the valve 4 and the rest of the delivery piston 5. .

It is then conceivable that such a structure has a certain number of advantages over the structures of the state of the art, in particular as regards its compactness, its small size and its ease of integration, while at the same time presenting a number of reduced parts which reduces the blow.

Of course other embodiments can be envisaged.

Claims

1 .- A weapon-launching tube for a ship, of the type comprising a source of pressurized fluid (3) associated with the tube (1) and a launching valve (4) interposed between the source of fluid under pressure (3) and a delivery piston (5) of a water column at the rear of the weapon (2) for ejecting the latter from the tube, characterized in that the throwing valve (4) is integrated into a cap of end (30) of the discharge piston (5).

2. Tube according to claim 1, characterized in that the discharge piston

(5) is a discharge piston having a plurality of telescopic portions (34, 35, 36, 37).

3. - Tube according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front portion of the discharge piston (5) is provided with a flange (33) for channeling the water therein when it folds and out of it during its deployment.

4. - Tube according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the throwing valve (4) comprises a valve body (10) in which is mounted a valve (13) movable at the launch of the weapon by control means, between a closed position and an open position of the valve for supplying the discharge piston (5) with fluid under pressure, this valve (13) being associated with means (15) for braking its opening movement comprising a fluidic retarder (16) to two fluid chambers (17, 18) separated by a piston (19) and connected by means (20) to diaphragm rolling of this fluid.

5. - Tube according to claim 4, characterized in that the means (20) diaphragm fluid rolling are formed in the piston (19).

6. A tube according to claim 5, characterized in that the means (20) diaphragm comprises nozzle means (21) placed in a hole (22) formed in the piston (19) between the two chambers.

7.- tube according to claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the fluid retarder (16) is a liquid.

8. - Tube according to claim 7, characterized in that the retarder fluid (16) is oil.

9. - Tube according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the source of pressurized fluid (3) comprises means in the form of pressurized gas tank.

10. - Tube according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a perforated diffuser (39) in the form of a bowl is interposed between the valve (4) and the discharge piston (5).