The invention relates to an arrangement for supporting a shell into the barrel of a breech-loading weapon, the arrangement comprising a support piece that is provided with an edge flange and is to be fastened to a tail of the shell, the support piece further comprising a firing mechanism for firing the actual primer of the shell, the arrangement further comprising a connecting means between the support piece and the shell tail, the connecting means being arranged to fasten to the shell and to the support piece and thus to fasten the support piece with a mechanical connection to the shell tail, the connecting means comprising at least one shank part having a first end and a second end, the first end of the shank part being arranged to fasten to the connecting means and the second end to the shell tail, the fastening between the first end of the shank part and the shell being arranged to yield in a firing situation, thus enabling the detachment of the shell from the support piece.
A mortar may be arranged on an appropriate moving base, for instance in an armoured vehicle, whereby the mortar can be moved from one place to another in a preferred manner and, on the other hand, quickly transferred away from an emplacement, for example to a safe place after firing or to a new emplacement.
If a heavy mortar is mounted on a movable base, it is not often easy to mount sufficiently heavy cannon defences on the same base for the purpose of defence, for example. In such a case, it is to be noted that light automatic armament is often insufficient against threats that are farther away, antitank defences, tanks or other artillery, for example.
Due to the above aspects, in some situations, it would be preferable to be able to a use smooth-bore barrel mortar for firing also in the horizontal direction with direct laying, and even downwards. Such firing is not possible with a mortar in a normal situation because the problem is that the mortar shell does not stay in place in the unrifled barrel of the mortar, but may slide forward in the barrel in such a manner that it can no longer be fired.
Various solutions have been provided for solving the above problem. As an example of known solutions, the solution disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,080 may be mentioned. In this known solution, a separate guide and fastening piece is used in the tail of the mortar shell. The solution is based on the use of notches dimensioned according to the shell tail, i.e. the shell tail is inserted into the notches, whereby the tail is fastened to the notches by means of a friction connection. A drawback of this solution is that the above-mentioned friction connection does not provide a sufficiently reliable fastening, which results in the reliability of the performance of the shell being insufficient. In this context, it is to be noted that there are always some variations for instance in the dimensions of the guiding fins of a mortar shell that result from the manufacture and cause variation in the friction forces and thereby in the magnitude of the fastening force of the mortar shell.
Various new solutions have been developed for eliminating the disadvantages of the above known solution. Examples of such solutions include the solutions disclosed in Finnish patent publications 108965 and 112700. The solutions of Finnish patent publications 108965 and 112700 have eliminated drawbacks of the operating principle of the solution according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,080, and thus a very good reliability has been achieved for a projectile. In the solutions of Finnish publications 108965 and 112700, a threaded connection is used, for example. However, using a threaded connection results is relatively laborious, in other words it is relatively laborious to fit parts together and then rotate one part in relation to another in a manner achieving the required fastening. It is to be noted that in real situations there may often be situations where the users of a mortar or the support persons of mortar users must act extremely quickly. Further, it is to be noted that automation of a threaded connection implementation is not a simple task. A further disadvantage of Finnish patent publication 112700 is that because the shanks fastens to the front surfaces of the guiding fins of the shell, the solution is not optimal for all shell types, i.e. it is possible that the solution does not work in connection with a guiding fin of a given shape.
An object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for supporting a shell into the barrel of a breech-loading weapon, by means of which the drawbacks of the prior art can be eliminated. This is achieved with the arrangement of the invention, which is characterized in that the second end of the shank part is arranged to fasten to the shell tail tube and to bend or turn away from the shell tail tube in a firing situation.
An advantage of the invention is above all that the invention achieves a mechanical connection between the support piece and the shell and, thus, enables the prevention of the movement of the shell in the barrel even if the barrel were turned obliquely downwards, the connection being suitable for as many types of shells as possible. A further advantage of the invention is its simplicity and operational reliability. Still a further advantage is that the invention is well suitable for battling situations wherein different work phases have to take place extremely rapidly in certain situations and yet the connection has to be extremely reliable.
In the following, the invention will be explained with reference to the examples of the figures in the attached drawing, wherein
The above aspects as well as other aspects relating to the details of the shell and the weapon are included in the general expertise of a person skilled in the art, so they are not described in more detail in this context.
In the embodiment of
In addition to the above-mentioned elements, the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The connecting means 8 is mounted in place in the support part by means of a suitable principle. As an example of suitable principles, the use of a threaded connection may be mentioned.
Normally, when shells are fired with a shell mortar, a firing mechanism 10 of the shell mortar generates an impact to the actual primer, as a result of which the propelling charge inside the tail tube 3 is fired, throwing the shell 1 out of the barrel. The firing mechanism 10 of the primer may be any suitable solution. In the present context, reference is made to the principal solution disclosed in Finnish patent publication 108965.
In accordance with an essential idea of the invention, the second end of the shank part 9 is arranged to fasten to the shell tail tube 3 and to bend or turn away from the shell tail tube 3 in a firing situation. In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The second end of the shank part 9 is provided in a manner allowing it to settle in the pressure discharge hole 11 smoothly, but, however, sufficiently solidly in order for the contact of the connecting means of the shell to be maintained. The pressure generated by the firing of the charge is directed to the second end of the shank part in the pressure discharge hole, whereby the discharging pressure or/and gas flow forces the second end out of the pressure discharge hole by bending the shank part 9.
Accordingly, the above-described fastening manner is not disposable, but the whole constituted by the connecting means and the shank parts, shown in
The basic principle of the embodiment of
Upon firing, the gunpowder gas generated from the propelling charge pushes the second end of the shank part 9 out of the pressure discharge hole 11, whereby the shank part 9 bends away from the shell tail tube 3. The second end of the shank part 9 is withdrawn from the pressure discharge hole either by the action of the gas pressure or by the action of the gas flow or by the interaction of both. After the detachment of the shell, the unbroken fastening element is removed from the weapon normally and the parts are reusable according to the possibilities.
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The draw strip part is made from a metal material or another suitable material, for example, that endures handling and the charging impact. The ends of the shank parts of the draw strip part are provided with a suitable member 13 by means of which the shank part 9 is arranged to fasten to the pressure discharge hole 11 of the shell, as is shown in
The draw strip part is arranged to cooperate with a draw nut part serving as the connecting means 8. The strip part is not fastened to the draw nut part, but is only arranged to cooperate with the draw nut. The draw nut part controls the support piece 6 first to the threads thereof and, when the sleeve part of the support piece encounters the base of the shell, tends to move backwards by the action of the threads and thus pulls the sleeve part and the tail towards one another by means of the draw strips. A restraining pin 14 prevents the draw nut part from rotating along with the support part 6 during the tightening.
In principle, the embodiment of
However, in connection with the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
As was mentioned above, the pressure discharge holes 11 of the tail tube 3 are not the only fastening points. In accordance with the basic idea of the invention, the second end of the shank part 9 may also be arranged to fasten to a mating surface at the end of the tail tube 3 or to a flange at the end of the tail tube, whereby the shank part 9 is arranged to bend or turn in a firing situation in a manner making the second end of the shank part detach from the mating surface. Reference was made to such a solution already in connection with the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The fastening part 16 may be constructed freely, it is possible to construct it for example by arranging a ball or a ball-like protrusion at the end of the shank part 9, the protrusion settling in a groove in the flange of the shell. The inner diameter of the groove is preferably the same or only slightly larger than the ball surface of the second end of the shank part 9. The shank parts 9 bend without breaking to the same extent as the ball surface swists the shank part when the structure is pressed to the shell. It is to be noted that the shank parts 9 may also be spring-loaded parts, for example, whereby they do not bend, but turn against the loading of the spring when the structure is pressed to the shell. There are preferably at least three shank parts 9 to ensure an even fastening and to prevent the swinging of the support piece 6. However, there may be also less than three shank parts and, naturally also more than three.
The above-described application examples are in no way intended to restrict the invention; instead, the various details of the invention may be varied fully freely within the scope of the claims. For example, the number of shank parts may vary according to the need in each particular case, etc.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20085076 | Jan 2008 | FI | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FI09/50079 | 1/30/2009 | WO | 00 | 7/23/2010 |