Patent Application
20220120523
The present invention relates to ordnance, ammunition and firearms. Particularly, the invention relates to recoilless projectile launching systems using techniques of explosives-propelled compensating masses. More particularly, the invention relates to a device that can be used to fire conventional cartridge-based ammunitions automatically producing substantially no recoil.
Firing a gun is well known to produce a recoil owing to the principle that an action always produces a counteraction. During the process of a gun firing, the cartridge casing seals the breach end of a gun barrel, forcing both the projectile and gasified propellant to fly towards the muzzle. Recoil of the gun body is the eventual counteraction to the movement of said projectile. The recoil can degrade targeting accuracy of fast consecutive shooting as well as balance of the weapon holder. For the emerging small-form-factor robotic systems used in law enforcement and armed forces, eliminating recoil of firearms is becoming very desirable for applications using these light weapon carriers, especially small aero drones. It is further desirable for these recoilless weapons to be capable of automatic ammunition handling and firing.
Recoilless rifles in use today are based on the technique of explosives-propelled compensating masses. An earliest example was U.S. Pat. No. 1,108,717 wherein a modified cartridge was placed in the middle of a continuous single launch tube open at both ends. The modified cartridge had an opening at the rear of the casing and enabled propellant gas to rush backwardly. Additionally, compensating mass materials comprising wads of felt replaced some original gunpowder inside the rear portion of the cartridge. When ignited by an electrical trigger, a projectile was propelled towards the muzzle direction while the compensating materials and at least parts of the gasified propellant rushed in the opposite direction. If properly balanced, the launch was recoilless. Weapons based on this design are often referred to as Davis Gun, named after its inventor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,696 also utilized a single continuous launch tube with openings at both ends. Additionally, an impermeable solid divider was placed inside the middle of the tube. On the muzzle section of the divided tube was placed a first propellant charge against the divider with a first projectile overlaying the first charge. On the breech section of the tube was placed a second charge against said divider, overlayed by a second projectile. Separately, these two charges were ignited electrically, but substantially simultaneously. Once triggered, the first projectile was propelled towards the muzzle, balanced by said second projectile flying towards the breech. Said recoilless device was designed to operate under water.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,418,896 utilized a single continuous launch tube with openings at both ends at least immediately prior to and in the duration of the firing. With a specially designed munition placed inside the middle section for said tube, when fired, said explosion propelled a projectile towards the muzzle counter-balanced by a ballast moving towards the breech end.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,179 utilized two tubes which can be separated for ammunition handling and/or other purposes but nevertheless rejoined prior to firing, forming in effect a single continuous launch tube in at least the duration of ammunition firing. A single charge was placed in the middle of said tube, propelling two payloads simultaneously in opposite directions upon ignition. A payload (a water bomb) was delivered to a target without recoil by use of said apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,668 also utilized a single continuous launch tube with openings at both ends. A munition was placed near the breech end of said tube. The munition consisted of a projectile, a casing with a nozzle opening at its rear and a propellant powder inside said casing. When ignited, the projectile was propelled towards the muzzle direction while the propellant gas rushed through said nozzle towards the breech opening. In such a case, said propellant gas acted as the compensating mass. The launch tube experienced no recoil. Weapons based on this design are often called “Recoilless Rifles” and are in common usage.
It is not practical to put an ammunition loader in the space immediately behind breech ends of these launch tubes in the path of the compensating mass movements and/or propellant gas flows due to their violent nature. Additionally, ammunitions often need to be placed deep inside these launch tubes, further complicating loading/unloading tasks. Recoilless rifles are commonly operated manually, wherein an ammunition is manually inserted and secured inside the tube prior to firing and spent shells manually extracted after the firing.
Some recoilless rifles can be operated automatically, utilizing ammunition handling techniques analogous to those used in a revolver. A chamber is rotatably detached from a launch tube and an ammunition is inserted into the chamber. The chamber is then reattached to the tube prior to firing. Spent shell casings are later extracted from the detached chamber after firing. A known example is a Rheinmetall™ RMK30 auto-cannon, which further utilized a special caseless ammunition to eliminate need for extracting spent shells. U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,123 utilized a special composite ammunition, wherein sidewall of the ammunition is strong enough to also serve as part of the gun barrel. The patent further utilized a steel liner lining the inside of the gun barrel to mitigate barrel erosion issues. Accurate alignment of the load chamber, and hence the loaded ammunition, with the gun barrel reliably and repeatably over many firing cycles is required when utilizing these techniques. Poor alignment can lead to targeting inaccuracy and gun barrel erosion issues. Adopting these complex loading systems for large-scale use in small arms seems challenging.
Guns used to fire conventional cartridge-based ammunitions are capable of automatic ammunition handling. However, these guns are not recoilless. Several techniques are in use to reduce their recoil, including muzzle brakes and barrel porting. There are, however, practical limits as to the magnitude of recoil reduction achievable using these techniques. These measures typically reduce recoil but do not eliminate it. Various other mechanical devices can also be used to re-distribute recoil impact over a longer time duration thus reducing “felt recoil” but these methods do not eliminate recoil owing to the law of conservation of momentum. There is therefore a need for additional alternative methods that can be used to launch a bullet without recoil and provide automatic ammunition handling at the same time, for applications in small arms particularly.
The present invention is based on several considerations. First, it is known that recoil-based breech loading is an effective automatic ammunition handling method. Secondly, open chamber ammunition loading technique, relatively simple and light weight, is a suitable technique to use in launching a non-abrasive compensating mass and/or a propellant gas, since chamber-barrel alignment requirements need not be very strict and barrel erosion issue is mitigated in this application. Thirdly, muzzle brakes are known to reduce recoil of gun barrels. Finally, explosive-propelled compensating mass techniques are proven to be capable of substantially eliminating recoil. A combination of these considerations is utilized in the present invention to provide a recoilless apparatus capable of automatic ammunition handling.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of firing conventional cartridge-based ammunitions without recoil, and of firing these ammunitions consecutively and automatically.
The present invention comprises a novel device in which a gun barrel and a compensating mass launch tube, each pointing in an opposite direction, are supported coaxially linearly breech-to-breech during at least the gun firing, using a fixture. Each said barrel and launch tube is open at each breech end and muzzle end. Sufficient gap in space is allocated between said breech ends such that an automatic ammunition handling device, comprising means for breech loading and/or unloading of ammunitions and ammunition triggering, can be mated to each said barrel/tube. A cartridge is placed inside said gun barrel at its breech end and further seals said breech end. A compensating mass package comprising a charge or a compensating mass overlaying a charge is placed inside a loading chamber attached to said launch tube at its breech end and further seals said breech end. A suitable amount of said charge is utilized in each cartridge and package such that each said barrel and launch tube produces substantially the same magnitude of recoil. A first loader is mated to said gun barrel providing means of loading and/or unloading of said cartridge, wherein said loader is powered generally by recoil resulting from firing of said cartridge. A second loader is mated to said launch tube, providing means of loading and/or unloading said compensating package. An ignition device is provided whereby charges inside said cartridge and package are ignited substantially simultaneously or with a pre-determined time lag.
When charges inside said cartridge and package are ignited substantially simultaneously, a projectile is propelled to a target in the direction of said gun muzzle, compensated by movement of compensating masses going in the opposite direction inside said launch tube. While said gun barrel produces a recoil helping to extract spent shell casing from inside of said gun barrel and to power loading of a fresh cartridge into said gun barrel, said recoil is cancelled by counteracting recoil from said compensating mass launch tube leading to substantially no net recoil experienced by said fixture. A predetermined time lag between said two ignitions may also be employed to mitigate possible differences in time evolution of recoil experienced by said barrel relative to said launch tube.
A further object of the present invention is to minimize weight of the device needed to operate said compensating mass launch tube. The present invention utilizes a technique of open chamber cartridge loading and further comprises a novel half-obround cartridge and a loading chamber benefiting employment of said half-obround cartridges. Said half-obround cartridge comprises a shell casing, the exterior shape of which is characterized by a geometry of generally a half obround, wherein said geometry consists of a rectangular prism section and a semicylindrical section overlaying said prism section, and further includes a prism height substantially equal to radius of said semicylinder. Said shell casing further includes a cylindrical hollow section disposed coaxial to said semicylinder. Suitable gunpowder and a primer may be contained in said hollow section. Said half-obround geometry permits lateral cartridge insertion for benefits of open chamber loading operations and at the same time closely resembles a right circular cylinder. Needed casing material and therefore weight is minimized thereby.
Said loading chamber comprises a tunnel through which an ammunition carrier slider is moved slidably. Said tunnel is open at least at one longitudinal end. Sidewalls of said tunnel are characterized by: optionally an opening on a first vertical sidewall section for admitting a concussion firing pin; and a second opening on a second vertical section opposite to said first vertical section for connecting fixedly to said compensating mass launch tube, wherein said first, and second opening and launch tube are aligned to be coaxially linear thus forming part of said loading chamber. A slot opening is made on a first horizontal surface of said tunnel for admitting an ammunition from a magazine.
Said carrier slider is utilized for purpose of carrying an ammunition from stations of loading a cartridge to firing a cartridge and then unloading a spent shell. Said slider is characterized by a transverse cross-section substantially the same as that of said tunnel, such that each transverse sidewall surface of said slider is contiguous to each counterpart sidewall surface of said tunnel.
Transversely on a first horizontal face of said slider, a trench is formed for accepting an ammunition through said slot opening. Said trench is characterized by a geometry substantially the same as that of said half-obround cartridge exterior such that each sidewall surface of a loaded cartridge is contiguous to a counterpart surface of said trench and to said first horizontal surface of said tunnel. Said trench is suitably disposed in said slider such that, when suitably positioned at a station of firing a cartridge, semicylindrical section of said half-obround trench is aligned coaxially linear to said second launch tube, thereby completing formation of an enclosed loading chamber connected to said launch tube.
A recoil-reducing muzzle brake further included in said gun barrel reduces the size of needed compensating mass package and further reduces size of device launching said package, thereby further reducing weight of said recoilless apparatus.
Alternatively, the present invention comprises a novel device in which a first gun barrel for launching a projectile and a second gun barrel for launching a compensating mass, each pointing in an opposite direction, are supported breech-to-breech coaxially linearly during at least the gun firing, using a fixture. Each said barrel is open at each breech end and muzzle end. Sufficient gap in space is allocated between said breech ends, at least in the duration of said firing, such that an automatic ammunition handling device, comprising means of breech loading and/or unloading of ammunitions and ammunition triggering, can be mated to each said barrel. A first cartridge is placed inside said first gun barrel at its breech end and further seals said breech end. A second cartridge or blank cartridge is placed inside said second gun barrel at its breech end and further seals said breech end. A suitable amount of charge is contained in each said cartridge such that each said barrel produces substantially the same magnitude of recoil. A first loader is mated to said first gun barrel providing means of loading and/or unloading said first cartridge, wherein said loader is powered generally by recoil resulting from firing of said first cartridge. A second loader is mated to said second gun barrel providing means of loading/unloading said second cartridge or blank cartridge, wherein said loader is powered generally by recoil resulting from firing of said second cartridge or blank cartridge. An ignition device is provided whereby charges inside said cartridges are ignited substantially simultaneously or with a predetermined time lag.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicates similar elements and in which:
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and claims.
Novel recoilless gun apparatuses, devices and methods for constructing and operating such devices are discussed herein. In the following description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
The present invention will now be described by referencing the appended figures representing preferred embodiments. All figures herein are not drawn to scale. As depicted in
In a preferred embodiment, when loaded, a cartridge 5 sits inside said gun barrel 1 at its breech end, while a compensating mass blank cartridge 6 sits inside said loading chamber 4 at the breech end of said tube 2.
Gun barrel 1 is furnished with a hammer head 7 and tube 2 is furnished with a hammer head 8. Each said hammer head is connected to a pull trigger. Pulling of said triggers leads to firing of said cartridge and/or packages by means of concussion ignition. Barrel 1 is mated to a conventional cartridge handling and firing mechanism, the construction and operations of which are abundantly depicted in common literatures. During firing, high pressure propellant gas propels the projectile forward as well as expanding cartridge casing 5. This expansion helps sealing the breech end of said barrel 1. Near the end of firing, a recoil-powered mechanism comprising part 9 extracts the spent casing as well as loading a fresh cartridge. There are many different mechanical methods available by which an automatic ammunition handling is carried out most of which share the feature that the mechanical motions involved are initiated and energized by the gun firing. Said tube 2 is mated to an open chamber cartridge handling system comprising part 10 and is described subsequently.
Said compensating mass blank cartridge 6 is depicted in
A carrier slider 24 is utilized for purpose of ammunition loading and/or unloading. Said slider is moved slidably longitudinally inside said tunnel, carrying a half-obround cartridge 6 held inside a trench 25 formed transversely on a first horizontal surface 26 of said slider. Transverse cross-section of said slider is characterized by an exterior dimension the same as that of said tunnel such that each sidewall surface of said slider is contiguous to a counterpart sidewall surface of said tunnel. Trench 25 is characterized by a geometry and dimension the same as that of said half-obround cartridge such that each sidewall surface of a loaded cartridge is contiguous to a counterpart surface of said trench and said first horizontal surface 18 of said tunnel. Said trench 25 is further transversely disposed in said slider such that semicylindrical section of said trench 25 is coaxially linear to said tube 2 when positioned at a station of firing, thereby completing formation of an enclosed loading chamber 4.
In one preferred embodiment, said tunnel is longitudinally linear. Said tunnel sidewalls are therefore suitably planar. Counterpart surfaces of said slider and half-obround cartridge are accordingly planar to maintain contiguity. In another preferred embodiment, said tunnel is arced longitudinally, in which case relevant sidewalls of the tunnel, slider and cartridge are accordingly arced to maintain contiguity.
In one preferred embodiment, means are provided whereby automatic operations comprising ammunition handling of said launch tube 2 are initiated and energized by its own launch recoil. In another preferred embodiment, means are provided whereby automatic operations of launch tube 2 are initiated and energized by an external electric power source. In a more preferred embodiment, launch tube 2 is slaved to said gun barrel 1 and means are provided whereby automatic operations of said tube are initiated and energized by recoil from firing of said gun 1.
An object of said fixture 3 is to maintain coaxial linearity of said gun barrel and launch tube. For launching a large bore high impact projectile, requirements for structural integrity of the fixture could be impractically high and failures in ignition synchronization of two separate charges could produce catastrophic recoil impact on the weapon holder. For launching smaller caliber projectiles, on the other hand, maintaining structural integrity is feasible with existing construction materials and relatively small imbalance caused by occasional failures in firing synchronization is tolerable. Relatively large movement along said coaxial axis may be permitted, should such benefits shock absorption. It is known that a major recoil shock happens the moment the supersonic projectile and gaseous propellant leaves the barrel and/or launch tube at muzzle points. In one preferred embodiment, said fixture 3 connects said gun barrel and launch tube via contacts near muzzle points and further utilizes appropriate shock absorbing mechanisms contained in said fixture. Said shock absorbing mechanisms may include elastomers, springs and various other shock-absorbers. In another preferred embodiment said barrel/launch tube are further connected via contacts near breech points, taking advantage of shock absorbers already built into existing guns.
A recoil-reducing muzzle brake further included on said gun barrel 1 further reduces the size of needed compensating mass package and reduces size of needed device launching said package, thereby further reducing weight of said recoilless apparatus. Commercial muzzle brakes are widely available and can be chosen for this purpose.
In preferred embodiments, each gun barrel is associated with a hammer head. Each said hammer head is connected to a pull trigger. The pulling of said trigger leads to firing of said cartridge by means of concussion triggering. Each pull trigger is operated by an electronic actuator, which pulls the trigger upon receiving an electric pulse. An electronic device provides electric pulses for each actuator simultaneously or with a pre-determined time lag. In one preferred embodiment, both guns are fired simultaneously. In another preferred embodiment, the second gun is fired with a time delay relative to the first gun such that the first projectile already moves outside the barrel before the second gun is fired.
Many automatic ammunition handling devices and/or mechanisms are commercially available for guns and they can be chosen for this purpose. In preferred embodiments, each gun barrel is mated to an automatic ammunition loader wherein operations of each loader are initiated and energized by firing of each respective gun. In a more preferred embodiment, loader operations of the second barrel are slaved to the first barrel, and further are initiated and energized by firing of said first gun. Said first gun barrel may comprise a muzzle brake to further reduce its recoil thereby reducing size of said second gun barrel and additionally size of second cartridge or blank cartridge.
Recoilless apparatus depicted in
While this invention has been described in terms of what are at present believed to be the preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of present invention. For example, the current invention has been described utilizing an ammunition triggering method based on concussion. It will become obvious to one skilled in the art to recognize that the present invention can also be practiced utilizing an electrical triggering method. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all changes that fall within the scope of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/094,835 filed Oct. 21, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63094835 | Oct 2020 | US |
