US1962149A - All-way fuse - Google Patents

Description

Patented June 12, 1%34 (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 75'?) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a fuse of the allways type.

In providing an all-Ways fuse which may be completely encased and which has a firing pin constrained to axial movement it is necessary 'to provide a mechanism which will positively drive the firing pin home under that condition of impact where the inertia of the pin tends to move it in a direction away from the primer. ...,This is accomplished by providing a lever for 'reversing the movement of an actuator and the arrangement is such that the order of the lever is altered when force is to be applied by a second actuator without reversal of direction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

-the invention resides in the novel arrangement Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved fuse showing the parts in the safe or unarmed position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View showing the method of functioning through one or" the actuators;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the method of functioning through the other actuator.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View through the plunger. Referring to the drawing by characters of reference:

The casing includes a hollow body 5 having a K reduced inner end 6 providing for threaded attachment to a projectile and being open at its forward or outer end to permit introduction of the firing mechanism. The open end is closed by a cap 7 threadedly attached thereto and when 7 in place serving to establish a closed chamber 8. Mounted in the chamber 8 is a cup-shaped plunger 9 whose base 10 is normally seated against the body at the inner end of the chamber. A striker unit consisting of a firing pin 11 and a head 12 having a collar 13 is insertable in the 5 plunger, the firing pin extending through an aperture 14 in the base of the plunger and also through an aperture 15 in the body.

An arming pin 16 inserted transversely through the body (Fig. 2) and the plunger and having a fork 17 for accommodating the firing pin spaces the head 12 from the base of the plunger to prevent inward movement of the striker unit and also to prevent outward movement of the plunger. A cotter pin=l8 inserted through the protruding extremity of the fork holds the arming pin in place against the action of a spring 19 confined between the body 5 and the headed end 20 of the arming pin. The cotter pin is replaced by the release wire (not shown) of the standard launching mechanism of an airplane which release wire is withdrawn in the customary manner When the projectile is dropped. If the projectile is to be fired from a gun the arming pin is associated with a setback release, as shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,393,585 of Get ber 11, 192i.

In the unarmed position of the fuse (Fig. l) the head 12 of the striker unit is in contact with the flat inner face 21 of a hammer 22. The outer face 23 of the hammer is conical and seats in a conical recess 2% in the inner face of the cap 0 '7. The hammer is capable of both longitudinal and lateral movement.

The rim of the plunger carries a pair of opposite inwardly extending levers 25. For convenience in mounting the levers the rim of the plunger includes a substantially semi-circular extension 26 so that the levers may be placed against the terminal faces thereof and pivotally secured thereto by means of screws 27. In the unarmed position which is the position of assembly, the levers rest on the outer face of the collar 13 of the striker unit and they are held in this position by v'"tue of fulcrumed engagement with the hammer.

The firing mechanism is in the armed position ready to function when the arming pin has been expelled and the striker unit is unsupported. If on impact the projectile strikes on its side the inertia of the hammer 22 causes it to move laterally of the casing. Lateral movement, however, can only occur when accompanied by longitudinal displacement and by virtue of the direct engagement between the hammer 22 and the head of the striker unit 11 and also by the indirect engagement with the collar through the levers 25 the striker unit is forced or driven inwardly to set off a primer (not shown).

If impact is tail-on the inertia of the striker unit and the inertia of the hammer will cause the firing pin to be driven home. In the present instance the hammer acts directly on the striker but it is apparent that if the striker was arranged out of engagement with the hammer the latter would still act through the levers to move the striker.

If impact is head-on the inertia of the plunger will cause it to be moved forwardly. The levers, unable to move forward with the plunger because of the restraint imposed by their engagement with the hammer will be constrained to turn on their pivots and since the striker unit is of considerably less weight than the plunger it will be moved by the levers in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the plunger and the firing pin will function.

This action may also be accompanied by lateral movement of the hammer. The arrangement of the component members of the fuse, as described in the foregoing, permitsa closed casing to be employed. The complete firing mechanism assembled in its casing forms a strong,.compact unit and as there is no explosive train present there can be no danger from accidental functioning. The unit may be assembled to the projectile just prior to placing it in a bomb rack or in a gun.

I claim: a

1. A fuse including a casing having an axial aperture through one end and an internal conical seat in the opposite end, a cup-shaped plunger in the casing, a striker unit having'a collar disposed in' the plunger and a firing pin in the aperture of the casing, an arming pin extending transversely through the casing and plunger and spacing the collar from the base of the plunger, a

spring for expelling the arming pin, a hammer having a conical face engaging the conical seat of the casing and contacting the outer extremity of the striker unit, a pair of levers pivotally car- 'ried by the plunger, each lever having a sliding fulcrumed engagement with the hammer and engaging the collar.

2. A fuse, including a casing having an aperture through one end and an internal conical seat in the opposite end, a plunger in the casing,

movement in one direction, a striker mounted for longitudinal movement in an opposite direction a hammer mounted for longitudinal and cornbined longitudinal and lateral movement on impact, and lever means pivotally carried by the plungen-said lever means engageable with the striker and having a sliding fulcrumed engagement with the hammer.

4. In a fuse, a plunger mounted for longitudinal movement in one direction, a striker mounted for longitudinal movement in an opposite direction, a hammer mounted for longitudinal and combined longitudinal and lateral movement on impact, and lever means pivotally carried by the plunger and confined between the hammer and striker.

5. In a fuse, a plunger mounted for longitudinal movement in one direction, a striker mounted for longitudinal movement in the opposite direction, a hammer mounted for longitudinal and combined longitudinal and lateral movement, and a lever engageable with the striker and acted on by the plunger or hammer, either one of which serves as a fulcrum.

6. In a fuse, a pair of members mounted for movements in opposite directions and a lever acted on intermediate its ends by one of said members and acting on the other member to move the same.

'7. In a fuse, a striker mounted for movement, a hammer mounted for movement in the same direction as the movement of the striker and also for movement transversely thereto and a lever having its ends engageable with the striker and acted on intermediate its ends by the hammer to move the striker.

8. In a fuse,'a pair of members mounted for movement in the same direction and one of them additionally mounted for movement transversely thereto and a lever interposed between said members and engageable intermediate itsv ends bythe transversely movable. member to actuate the other member.

9. In a fuse,- a casing having an internal conical seat, a hammer having a; conical face engaging the conical seat and a flat face opposite to the conical seat, a striker contacting the flat face of the hammer and a lever engageable with the striker and the flat face of the hammer.

10. In a fuse, a body having a chamber, a pair of members in opposite ends of the chamber and mounted for movement in opposite directions and a lever carried'by one of said members and rotated through engagement with the other member, said lever normally disposed perpendicular to the path of movement of said members.

JOHN M. KING.

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