US1486593A - Time fuse - Google Patents

Description

March 11 1924. 1,486,593

- 0. D. LUCAS TIME FUSE Filed Jan. is. 1923 Patented Mar. 11, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- OWEN DAVID LUCAS, OF BAYSWATER, LQNDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

TIME FUSE.

Application filed January 16, 1923; Serial No. 612,984.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN DAVID LuoAs, a, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 49 Linden Gardens, Bayswater, in the county of London, England, have in-' vented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Time Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanically operated long time fuses, more especially for aerial bombs, flares and the like, but also adapted for use in shells or other missiles.

According to this invention the large time range for the mechanical operation of the fuse is obtained by the aid of a toothed change speed gear between the initial operating device and the releasing. device for the firing spring, a succession of steps of progressive speed reduction being given by changing the wheels in gear, in conjunction with means for setting the timing release mechanism independently of 'the change speed gear. Associated in series with the aforesaid change speed gear it is also proposed to employ a reducing gear, which may be of epicyclic type, preferably connected to the initial operating device and transmitting the movement to the change speedgear, so that a large reduction of speed may be obtained for along timing-period. In-the construction preferred the firing spring is normally unenergized and is energized by the initial operation during flight of the same mechanical device as finally efi'ects its release for firing urpo-ses, the energizing be ing effected independently of the chan e speed reduction gear and the setting of -t e release mechanism, so that only a relatively short portion of the flight is utilized for cooking the spring and the timing extends. over a large range after cocking. When.

and a domed casing 11 screwed intothe upper end of the base. B is the operating sp1ntooth at the bottom of the set and two, four,

eight or sizgteen teeth or a number consisting of a higher power of two if required; These toothed rings 9 gear selectively with a pin1on H which releases the firing mechan1sm through a, second epicyclic reducing gear comprising a toothed ring J. The toothed ring C encloses a screwed rod K,

the upper endk of which is left plain while the lower end passes into a nut or tapped ring Z in the end of the firing spring casing L, which is preferably in the form of a central tube secured to the lower end or base a of the fuse body A in a gas-tight manner and enclosing, below the firing spring D, the detonator pellet E held in place by balls e or like retaining devices in recesses in the firing spring tube and maintained in safety position by anexternal sleeve M operated by the transmission ring J torelease the balls after a predetermined range of movement of the gear. 1

The screwed rod K turns with the toothed sleeve G but is free to slide therein sothat.

as the sleeve is turned the rod screws down through the nut or ring Zin the firing spring tube L, the end of the rod K bearing upon a plug 70 sliding in the said tube and compressing the spring D in front of it as it is moved down by the screwed rod. This oporation continues until the plain end is of the screwed rod reaches the end 9 of the. sleeve G when the screwed rod is freed and further rotation of the sleeve has no effect on the rod, the spring D being fully cooked in' this position. The thrust of the spring is taken by the screwed rod K and the nut 6.

of the spring tube so that the gear is free from the thrust.

The spindle B carrying the vanes F, which spindle is locked normally by a safety pin 6 H, which is placed at the side, is mounted p which it is required finally to engage.

onthe sleeve h adapted to slide upon the spindle N and to rotate the spindle through a pin 01. and longitudinal slot 72 the pinion H being free to slide down from one toothed ring 9 to the next until it reaches the single tooth and then past the tooth on to the plain ortion g of the toothed sleeve G, which eaves the pinion free. One tooth of all the rings 9 is continuous throughout the rings in order to allow for the sliding of the pinion when setting the gear according to the delay required, the pinion engaging first with thesingle tooth and then passing up in line with this tooth to the ring with The pinion H is turned one tooth at a time by each engaging tooth of the sleeve G.

The pinion driven spindle N carries at its lower end a small wheel 91 gearing with the internally toothed rin J, the boss j of which is screw-threaded an receives the screwed sleeve M that effects the release of the firing mechanism, this screwed sleeve sliding on the spring casing L without turning. When the sliding pinion H is freed from the toothed'rings g, as already described, it can be turned so as to set the screwed sleeve M to any required initial position, giving a larger or smaller movement of the sleeve before the end asses the balls e retaining the detonator pe let E, the pellet being freed as soon as the screwed sleeve M passes the recesses holding the balls, whereupon the energized firing s ring D drives the pellet against the fixed ring pin E Qr the pellet E and firing pin E may be reversed, the firing spring acting upon the pin while the detonator is stationary.

A safety pin 0, which is removed prior to the release of the bomb or flare but referably after setting the fuse, is inserte between the pellet E and striker E so that both safety pins 0 and b ,(sleeve and vane spindle pins) remain in lace with the fuse set,'but the spring uncoc ed.

The adjustments'both of the change speed gear and of the releasing mechanism is efected' from outside the fuse through the aperture a in theside'of the casing a as shown more clearly in Figure 3, a covering ring a being provided for the aperture. At

one side of the aperture an indlcating scale a is marked to show which toothed ring 9 is in engagement with the pinion H. As already described the pinion can be moved up or down the set of toothed rings and to so that the pinion H is held in engagement with any predetermined ring, giving the required gear ratio. Catches for the member P are indicated at p in Figure 2. When the member P is lowered to the bottom grooves p the pinion H is below the lowest or single toothed ring 9 and the pinion can then be turned by hand, turning the toothed rin J through the pinion 11. until the sleeve M is raised or lowered to the required position according to the timing of the fuse.

interval for firing is changed in the same proportions but as the timing depends also upon the initialsetting of the sleeve M and its consequent range of movement up to the firing position any time interval is provided for between the setting of the firing spring and themaximum range for full movement of the sleeve M with the singletoothed ring 9 in gear with the pinion H, that is, with the change speed gear giving its maximum reduclng speed ratio.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a mechanicall operated longtime fuse, a firing spring, mitial fuse operating mechanism, a spring release device, a toothed change speed ear between the initial operating mechanism and the spring release device, means for changing the wheels in gear to give any one of-ia succession of progressive speed reductions grovided by the said change speed gear an means for timing the release device independently of the said change speed gear.

2. In a fuse as claimed in claim 1, a further speed reducing gear associated in series with the said change speed gear.

3. In a fuse as claimed 1n claim 1, an epicyclic speed reducing gear associated in series ,with the said change speed gear.

4.- In a fuse as claimed in claim 1, a further speedrediicing gear interposed between g the initial operatmgmechanism and the 1 ducing gear between the initial operatingsaid change speed gear.

.. 5. In a mechanicall o erated'long time fuse, a firing spring, initial fuse operating mechanism, a. spring release device, arethe spring release device whereby the fur- Y in gear inter ther movement of the initial operating mechanism, after a substantial time interval due to the speed reduction, effects the release of the spring.

' 6; In a fuse asin claim 1, a speed reducsed between the initial operating mechamsm and the said change speed gear, means whereby the said reducing gear effects the energizing of the firing sprin and means whereby the reducing gear, an the change speed gear combined eifect the operation of the spring release device.

7. In a fuse as claimed in claim 1, a reducing gear, interposed between the initial operating mechamsm and the said energizing member connected detac ably to the said reducing gear and means whereby the said screwed energizing member is released from the reducing gear after a redetermined range of movement.

8..In a m'echanicall 0 rated long .time fuse, a firing spring, initial fuse operatiig mechanism, a spring release device, a tooth change speed gear, a screw threaded firing s ringchange speed gear between the initial operating mechamsm and the spring release device, which change speed ear comprises a rotatable spindle, a series 0 toothed rings on the said spindle, the number of teeth on an one of the second and succeeding rings being twice the number on the preceding rings, and a sliding pinion adapted to be slidden into and means driven through the said change speed gear whereby the release device is operated.

9; In a fuse as claimed in claim 8, a screwed rod effecting the energizing of the firing spring, which rod is driven through the aforesaid ring carrying spindle.

10. In a mechanically operated time fuse, a firing spring, initial fuse operating mechanism, an adjustable screwed timing sleeve adapted to hold the said spring in cocked ar with any desired ring,

position, a speed reducing gear between the -initial operating mechanism and the said sleeve and screwed connectin means between the gear and sleeve where y the sleeve is moved into spring releasing position after a predetermined movement.

11. In a mechanically operated time fuse, a firing sprin initial fuse operating mechanism, and a justable screwed timing sleeve adapted to hold the said spring in cocked posltion, a change speed reducing gear, a. inion terminating the said gear and an internally toothed ring meshing with the said pinion and having a screw engagement with the said screwed timing sleeve,

' OWEN DAVID LUCAS.

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