FR2458787A1 - Recoil free armoured gun barrel for tank - has triangular or other section hollow or solid guide fins along side - Google Patents

Abstract

The gun barrel (11) for a recoil free large gun for a tank has armoured guides (3) projecting from both sides at the breech region, or alternatively a single guide. When two are included, they may be of a solid or hollow cross section, tapering towards the tips, and symmetrical. They do not exceed the height of the barrel. In one design, the guides are rectangular in cross section, with an outer armoured layer enclosing a steel layer between two ceramic layers. Alternative designs are finned, with horizontal or sloping surfaces terminating in tips suspended downwards. Another has two hollow triangles terminating in rounded tips. Single guides can be triangular with a hollow interior or with two spaced apart horizontal fins carrying a cruved block across the outer ends, or hook or arrow shaped.

Description

Faced with the progress made by various anti-tank weapons such as rocket launchers, recoilless cannons or special artillery pieces, tank armor protection is a major concern for tank builders.

 This is why, in recent years, we have witnessed a considerable strengthening of the protection of heavy tanks against piercing projectiles of all kinds.

Thus, the use of pre-armor, composite sandwich plate, ceramic, like the fleeting forms of tanks contributes to this significant increase in their protection.

However, we see that the guns of these tanks are only protected by their simple tube thickness.

This thickness coming from the construction itself only really protects these guns against bullets, splinters or projectiles of little power. Also, these guns remain vulnerable to the effect of anti-tank projectiles they can receive.

 A main tank cannon being out of use, it automatically loses its firepower and cannot even defend itself against other tanks.

We can see that the lateral surface of the barrels can represent on average 10% to 15% of the lateral surface offered by the vehicle itself.

 Thus, the cannon is very likely to be hit during the battle and, if the tank itself can "take" 5 or 10 rounds, its cannon will be out of service if it receives only one.

The barrels of the new tanks are generally of large caliber and relatively long. Therefore, the lateral surface represented by 120 mm, for example, corresponds to a significant percentage of the surface of the tank which carries it.

 Also, the multiple projectiles with core or with hollow charge launched in shooting tight by the defense, even if they cannot destroy the tanks any more, are likely to reach their guns and to make them unusable.

 The main gun of the battle tanks would become too heavy and too bulky if its thickness was increased regularly over its entire periphery, in order to better resist the blows of anti-tank weapons posted on the ground.

 Most of the current projectiles that even the infantry have at their disposal are capable of disabling the main cannon of the battle tank.

 The present invention relates to an armored tube barrel which has the property of better resisting the blows which it receives transversely, without having for this reason a bulk or a prohibitive volume. It does not compromise the aim or the development of the weapon.

The armored barrel tube according to the present invention is distinguished by the fact that it comprises on one of its sides at least one profiled armored cheek.

 The accompanying drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example several embodiments of the armored barrel.

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a battle tank seen from the side.

 Figures 2 and 3 illustrate two embodiments of the armored barrel.

Figures 4a and 4b illustrate an armored barrel tube with an armored cheek on one side.

 FIG. 5 illustrates an execution comprising composite cheeks.

 Figures 6 and 8 to 13 illustrate variants of the armored barrel.

Figure 7 illustrates schematically seen from above the armored barrel-tube mounted on a turret of a battle tank.

 According to the present invention, the tube barrel 1 of a battle tank 2 is provided with profiled side armored cheeks 3 which ensure effective shielding of the tube against ground-to-ground projectiles while not making the tube excessively heavy.

These cheeks 3 are profiled to deflect the projectiles, they can be full (Figure 2) or hollowed out (Figures 3 and 4).

 In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, only one of the sides of the tube 1 is provided with an armored cheek 3.

The barrel tube 1 illustrated in FIG. 5 comprises armored cheeks 3 composites comprising in a steel enclosure 4 two layers of ceramic 5 separated by a layer of steel 6.

 Figures 6 and 8 to 13 illustrate different embodiments of tubes 1 provided with a single cheek while the variants illustrated in Figures 11 to 13 have two cheeks.

It is obvious that many shapes can be provided for the cheeks, however, preference will be given to those which do not make the tube 1 too heavy, and giving this tube a leaky profile.

It should be noted that the two particular cheeks which reinforce the resistance of the barrel tube make it possible to explode the hollow charge of an anti-tank projectile further from the axis of this barrel tube and that these cheeks also make it possible to better cushion and deflect the so-called core projectiles.

 The armored cannon according to the invention has the merit of not representing a prohibitive weight, a sighted target, a difficulty of execution, an annoying interview, and does not compromise either the speed of the pointing or the field of vision of the pointer.

 FIG. 7 shows how the additional shielding produced by the cheeks 3 is combined with a fixed shield fixed to the turret of a tank to protect the entire length of the tube and nevertheless allow it to recede.

According to the principle of the invention, it is possible to protect the central part of the barrel even if it is provided with a reservoir pocket intended to improve the emptying of the burnt gases. Indeed, it is possible to place laterally to this pocket, larger in diameter than the barrel, two protective elements, like those with which the barrel tube itself is directly equipped.

 The two cheeks can be made in half-shell for ease of mounting on the barrel, one placed below and one placed above.

 Note that the two side faces of the muzzle brake can be arranged to benefit from additional protection without altering the anti-kickback effect resulting from the capture of propellant gases.

 The cheeks can be of a single workpiece with the barrel but can also be added by the latter by a mechanical assembly such as dovetails.

 Of course various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to the device which has just been described solely by way of non-limiting example without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. Armored tube-barrel for battle tank, characterized by the fact that it comprises on one of its sides at least one profiled armored cheek (3). 2. Tube according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two cheeks (3), one on each of its sides. 3. Tube according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the cheeks (3) are full. 4. Tube according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the cheeks (3) are hollowed out. 5. Tube according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cheeks (3) are symmetrical. 6. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cheeks (3) are asymmetrical. 7. Tube according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cheeks are composite comprising thicknesses of steel (6) separated by thicknesses of ceramic (5). 8. Tube according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the cheek or cheeks (3) are made of two assembled half-shells. 9. Tube according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the armored cheek (3), seen in section, does not exceed the height of the barrel (1).