US2378735A - Grenade - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1945. c. F. sHAFFl-:R

GRENADE Filed May l0. 1941 Patented June 19, 1945 2,378,735 GRENADE Cleve F. Shaffer, San Francisco, Calif., assigner of thirty per cent to Martin C. Mogensen,

Martinez, thirty per cent to Herbert W. Erskine, Piedmont, five per cent to Herman J. Fanger,

Oakland, and five p hagen, Oakland, Cali gr cent to Henry Gruen- Appiieatiqn May 10, 1941, serial No. 392,878' (c1. 1oz-e4) 3 Claims. This invention relates'to grenades of the type used in military operations and particularly to grenades adapted for use either by the manual throwing thereof or the firing or shooting thereof by explosive force from an instrument of armament such as a mortar or gun. As is well known a grenade is a form of'explosive bomb, relatively small in'size as compared with long range shells, which latter are employed in large calibre armament. l The grenade is especially adapted for short range distances and is of great value in military operations where Vopposing forces A.are in close proximity. The use at'presentmade of the hand grenade is the manual throwing thereof by troops. The hand grenade during the World War of 1917-1918 was generally elliptical in longitudinal section, approximately live inches longand two and one-half inches transbination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed i out in the claims hereto appended, it being unversely and was manually thrown inthe manner of a ball and explodedby a timek fuse. In later years the explosive or bomb portion of the grenade has been attached to one end of a handle member to secure greater leverage in the throwing and for its better guidance in flight. The grenade being heavy and the handle being relatively light and long, the handleserves as a guiding shaft in flightin the same manner vas the shaft of an arrow. f I

The present invention has as an objectA the providing of a grenade which has all of the ad-y vantages of the manually thrown, handle-mounted grenade and the additional -advantage that itmay be explosively propelled for longer ranges or distances by armament such asA a mortar which is relatively light in weight and easily transportable by one man, small mechanized mobile equipment, by animal pack, or by marching 0r parachute troops. Another Objectis to provide a grenade adapter whereby the grenade may be employed either as a hand grenade for throwing or in barrelled armament. A further object is to providean explosive grenade projectile adapted for either manual or explosive propulsion which is light in weight, safe to han'- dle until ready for use, can be set up, aimed, loaded and fired by one man when used in a mortar, and quickly and easily adapted for either of the aforesaid purposes of use; a further object;k is to provide a grenade having the foregoing advantages, which is economical in manufacture and efficient in its operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which will be more apparent as this description proceeds, the invention is exemplified inone form inthe novel construction and comderstood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and details of construction of the apparatus may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more clearly comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

Fig. 1 is a broken, longitudinal transverse sec- ,tion of the grenade of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a lateral, transverse section on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a belt hook member.

Fig. 41s a perspective of plummet member.

Fig. 5 isa longitudinal 1section broken away, showing avslight modification of attaching adapter to a handle member and selective replacement Iof belt hook member by an explosive shell.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a suitable mortar device.f

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged detail in 1ongitudinal Vertical section mechanism. t V

Fig. 8 is a plan view of mortar ground plate.

AReferring to Fig. 1, the grenade is provided with a bomb head generally indicated i5 which is a recognized and well-known type comprising a hollow shell bodydIB of any suitable shape, but shown herein as having substantially the shape of an inverted conical frustum in axial section, the side Walls of which are circumferential relative to the axis and are scored or grooved circumferentially as at Il and longitudinally as at I8 providing weakened lines to facilitate the breaking `of the bomb head into many s mall portions upon the explosion thereof. Within the hollow of the shell I6 is mounted I9 and the remainder of the rhollow body is filled with an explosive 20. The detonator is exploded by either Aof two hereinafter described methods, depending on the manner in which the grenade is used.

- A pointed percussion pin 2l is slidably mounted through the shell body atthe forward end of the grenade, and has a disc plate 22 mounted adjacent its free end, the purpose of which is to provide an impact surface in case the grenade #strikes in soft or muddy ground. A safety lock, here represented as a Cotter pin 23, is mounted through Va protuberant lug 24 of the grenade of mortar breech a detonator body and having a ring through the eye thereof to facilitate its `removal when the grenade is to-be used by propelling it by a mortar or when its firing by impact is desired in hand throwing. This pin 23 may also be removed when the grenade is manually thrown. A shear pin 26 of relatively small diameter is inserted through the lug 24 and the percussion pin 2|, the shear pin 2E being for the purpose of holding the percussion pin 2| out of accidental contact with the detonator after removal of cotter pin 23, and to hold percussion pin against the Set back forces or inertia when the grenade is propelled by explosive force of mortar firing. The landing impact of the propelled grenade drives the percussion pin against the detonator to explode the latter.

The second method of explodingthe grenade bomb is particularly for its use in the manual throwing thereof, and consists of a friction fuse member 21 which extends through an opening 28 of a block portion 23 at the apex end of the inverted conical frustum. One end: of the friction fuse 2.1 is attached to the detonator and the opposite end mounts a friction block 30 which upon being pulled from thelend of the fuse ignites the fuse,k the fuse being timed for approximately three to fivel seconds, in order to permit the grenade to be thrown after the friction fuse is ignited at its free en d. The friction` block 30 has a cord 3| attached thereto, the latter extending through an elongated tube handle member 32, which is threadedly connected at one end to the-bomb body as at 33; v

At its opposite end the handle 32 is reduced in diameter as at 34 to mount a mortar adapter, generally indicated 36 which may bel connected to the handle end by any suitable means, ysuch as threads 35 in Fig. l or rivets 35?b in Fig. 5. The mortar adapter 3B is a in, form, preferably an extruded shape of light metal, having relatively circumferentially spaced longitudinal axially disposed ns 31 which extend radially outwardly from the adapter body sufficiently so that the radially outward edge 31a of the ns lie in the plane of a circle of substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the handle 32, as best shown in Fig. 2. The fins 3.1 serve several purposes. They provide a handgripY means by Y ally thrown; they also. serve to reinforce the tubular body of the adapter against the explosive force; they also serve to enlarge the tubular body of the adapter 36 so that its outer diameter is uniform with the handle 32 when the grenade is inserted in a mortar barrel; they also provide space longitudinally between them for the expansion of explosive gases when theV mortar is iired, the explosive gases reacting against mortar breech and metal sealing gasket 54, hereinafter referred to; likewise, the fins serve as a guiding Ymeans to stabilize the grenade inflight in the same manner as feathers or vanes at the end of an arrow.

The tubularv body 38. of adapter 36 slidably mounts therein a hollow elongated plummet 39 having an outer diameter to fit snugly, but readily slidably, within the tubular, body 38. The upper end of the plummet 39 is closed by a disc 33a of relatively thick body material upon which is mounted an eyelet 40 to which one Vend of the string 3| is securely attached, the string 3| hav,- ing a surplus of material within its length asindicated 4|. The depending side walls 319b of the plummet are preferably relatively thin ,and are tubular body elongated y which the grenade may be manuprovided with openings or fenestrations 53. The plummet 39 is normally maintained within the tubular body of the adapter by the tubular retroverted end 41 of a belt hook 48, to be further described, the latter having a holding means such as cotter pin 42 mounted through oppositely disposed holes or openings 43 in tubular body 38, and openings 49 in the tubular portion of belt hook 41.

The tubular adapter body 38 slidably mounts therein a tubular portion 41 of a belt hook 48 by which the grenade may be carried on the belt of a trooper or hung on a wire in a type of military tran; the spring-metal belt-engaging clip portion 41.*?4 beingretroverted upon and substantially parallel to the tubular portion 41, and having an elongated resilient tongue 4,1b which bears against the exterior of handle 32 to prevent the grenade from becoming inadvertently detached fromrthe belt and also serves to shield the garment of a. trooper from chang against the edges of fins 31. It'will be noted that the tubular portion 4.1 of the belt hook 48 has openings 49 therethrough, through which,'(as well as through openings 43 of the adapter body), there is engaged by the cotter pin 42 to hold the tubular portion of the belt hook within the tubular body of the adapter. It is preferred that the pin 42 shall be sprung slightly when mounted in openings 43 so that its bar presses the tubular portion of the belt vhook and the plummet together upwardly and into contact with a relatively soft washer 45 which has a hole 46 centrally therein to receive the eyelet 40 of the plummet, and thus seal the hollow handle member 32 and the friction fuse 21 against entry of moisture or the pressure of explosion when fired in a mortar. The belt hook is removable from the tubular body 38 upon pulling the ring 44 to remove the pin 42 from its. engagement. `inthe respective openings 43, and 49 .of the adapter body and belt hook member.

When the. trooper desires to. manually throw the grenade he immediately pulls out the cutter safety pn42 by means of ring'44, at which time he is supposed to be holding the grenade in a somewhat vertical position with` its explosive bomb head upwardly. 'The removalof the cotter pin 42 will cause the tubular part 41 of belt hook 48 to drop out' of the tubular body 38 of the adapter, whereupon the plummet 39 will also loosely slide out'of the open end Ell of the tubular adapter body by reason of its weight. and the surplus cord 4|, whereupon the plummet may be forcibly jerked by hand, thus acting upon the friction block 3|)l to. Aignite the friction fuse 21, after winch the trooper must immediately throw the grenade as it will explode. in from three to ve seconds due, to the timing oI- `the friction fuse 21. If, however, the grenade is to be. used in a mortar of suitable. type. the Cotter pin 42 and likewise the safety lock 23` are'removed while holding the head of the grenade downwardly. The belt hook` may then be removed` while the plummet 39 remains in,v the. adapter body. A shell 5|, which may be of the paper-bodied, shotgun type, is then inserted into. the open end 5|) oi the adapter body as shown in Fig.. 5, the parts being so arranged, and the shell being of such diameter and length that, upon removal of pin 42the open end ro the shell touches or approximately touches upon the lower end of plummet 39', with vthe shell having a sufficient degree of snugly slidable frictional resistance in the tubular body 3.6 so that the -plummet and shell will not drop out when the grenade handle and adapter are dropped, (adapterend first), into the openbarl and propel the grenade forwardly by expanding betweenthe breech lblock of thei'mortar and a soft metallic skirt, gasket or packing gland 54 which is interposed between the connected end of the adapter body 38 and the shoulder 55 of the handle portion. The purpose of the s'oft metal gasket lor washer 54 is that it may be spread by the explosive force to make a seal against the inner' wall of the mortar barrel. Normally, the gasket 54 is deformed from a plane to a somewhat convexe-concave shape so that it will lie Within the outer diameter of the perimeter of the handle 32 and the ns 31, yet', when explosive force from the shell is exerted upon the gasket it will be deformed radially outwardly so 'as toafford 'a seal against the mortar barrel to prevent passage or escape of the expansion of the explosive gases when the grenade is used in a mortar. In this connection, it may properly be added that the side Walls 39h of the plummet 39 are made relatively thin compared to top wall 39%, not only to save weightfbut also in order that they will riot be thicker than the wall 50a of paper shell 58; thus the plummet side wall will not overlie the explosive charge' of the explosive shell and the explosive force will be against the thick upper wall 39a. The fenestrations 53 permit the explosive gases to pass therethrough and thus through the openings 43 in that portion oi the ibody 38 which parallelly overlies the side wall of the plummet.

The invention herein is not limited to a particular type of mortar in detail, but a satisfactory type of mortar is illustrated in Figs. 6 and '1 in diminished scale as compared with Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, and which will be briefly described.

Figs. 6 and 7 disclose a suitable type of mortar having an elongated barrel 6l reinforced at its breech end by an external sleeve 62 and having a. breech block 63 which mounts on the outside thereof .a trigger member 64. The breech block is buttressed on a breech support or bastion block y65` which has hinged mounted on pintles or pins 66, the latter being mounted through longitudinally spaced lugs 61 on a ground-plate 68. The ground-plate 88 has an opening at its center 69 which receives a spade peg 18 for insertion in the ground. The base plate 69 may be a single integral plate, or may be divided into two semi-circular sections, each of which pivot on similar pins 66 at opposite sides of the barrel so that the two semi-circular sections may 'be folded upwardly to lie close to the breech portion of the barrel, reducing the transverse width of the base structure and affording protection to the mechanism atthe breech when the mortar is not in use. The bastion block 65 also mounts a spirit level member 12.

A gas escape tube 13 is mounted parallel with the barrel 6I and extends from the breech block 63 preferably to the forward open end of the barrel. This gas escape tube 13 has at the breech endian opening 14 controlled lby. an'adjustable vent valve 15 which controls the exhaust of explosive gases from'a breech tube 16 which extends through the breech block and communicates with the explosion chamber l11 of the mortar. Within -the breechY block the ring pinla'is suitably mounted in supporting blocks and is actuated forwardly |by a trigger spring 80. The vtrigger 64 is xedly mounted upon a rotatable trigger shaft 8| which mounts within the chamber of the breech, a deformed circular cam 82 having one fiat side, the cam 82 riding .upon a collar 83 which is xed to the firing pin 5Ia. Itis obvious that upon rotation of the trigger 64, and thereby the cam 82,'the circular'side of the camv will press the collar' 83 and ring pin 5la rearwardly until the :dat side of th'e cam disengages the collar 83 at which time the trigger pin will snap forward under tension of spring 80. v

In normal operation, the firing pin 5I` would remain at its forward position havingthe firing point thereof extending into theexplosion chamber 11 as indicated by dotted lines Sib, in which position the mortar would be adapted to so-called drop firing wherein the grenade, having a shell 5| mounted in the tubularadapter 36 (as shown in Fig. 5), is merely dropped against the firing pin being thereby discharged. However, in case of failure to fire the shell, the trigger mayl be then employed, which eliminates the hazard of removing a grenade until all possibilities of failfure of the shell to explode have been exhausted. Sometimes it may bedesirable, especially when the mortar is red at a very low angle of inclination to the ground to employ the triggermechanismf. exclusively since the angle of slippage of `the grenade might not furnish sufficient impact of shell and firing pin to satisfactorily permit drop firing. f

The range of the mortar may be regulated not only by the elevation of its open muzzle end, but also by regulating the gas Valve 15 which, when closed, caused all the force of the explosive shell to be exerted into the barrel of the mortar, but which when opened in varying degrees permits a portion of the explosive gases to escape through lthe tubes 16 and through the escape tube 13.

A range-indicating pointer and a calibrated disc collectively indicated 85 are provided to indicate the extent to which the valve member 15 should be opened or closed to accomplish a given distance of ight for the grenade, by regulating the amount of explosive gases which are permitted to pass out through the tube 13.

Mechanical supporting means may be provided to elevate and maintain the forward or muzzle end of the barrel, and is here disclosed as a folding bipod'generally indicated 88, having forked legs 89 pivotally mounted as at 90 to a longitudinally adjustable encircling band 9| about the muzzle end of the mortar. This bipod has a suitable traversing mechanism so that the barrel of the mortar may be adjusted laterally, the traversing mechanism being operated by manually turning a crank member 92. 'Since the bipod supporting mechanism may be of any suitable type, it is not described herein in all of its details, but merely to illustrate the foldability of l"the legs 89 against the mortar barrel as shown in Fig. 6, locking means generally indicated 93 being -employed for locking the barrel with relation to the bipod at various positions. Each leg of the bipod may have a slidable foot 94 at its base which is adjustable for length by a clamping screw 95.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: il. A combination 'grenate for fselective manual throwing 'and mortar firing, comprising 1an 'expl'oe sive `bomb head, means for exploding Lthe bomb, fa.

tubular handle .member 'connected 'at one 'of fits ing means for supporting the plum'm'et member 'in the adapter body, the mounting 'or said blummet member Asai-d adapter being 'sumciently removed from the free end thereo so that 'an explosive propelling shell in'ay be selectively insorted in said tube rearwardly of the :plummet I2. -A combination grenade nur 'selective manual throwing and mortar firing, comprising an explosive bomb head, means V.for exploding the bomb, 'a

tubular handle member Aconnected at Vone of :its .L

rends 'to lthe bomb, and having a shouldered ibase, a yseparate tubular 'adapter member connected to the base end o'f the handle, and 'a radially Yeirpandible gasket between `'said base land adapter,

said adapter member 'having removably and slidably mounted therein in 'spaced relation to the .free end of the adapter 'a manually manipulable plummet member provided with a 'connecting means through the handle to an exploding means vof the bomb head, and a belt hook ymember removably mounted 'on the `adapter 'and having a @body `porion extending vinto the tubular body -of the fadapter for supporting the plummet "therein, I'arxdmeans Ifor releasably securing said -belt hook member in its supporting posit-ion, the mounting of 'said plummet -xnember in said adapter being sulciently removedffrom `the :tree `end thereof lso that an explosive propelling shell-may be selec'- -tively inserted in said tube rearwardly of the plummet when the belt hook 'member is 1removed.

.-3. .A e'ombi-na-tion grenade for selective manual throwing and `mortar firing, vcomprising an explosive bombvhead, means for exploding the bomb, a 'tubular handle member connected at one of its Pends to the bomb and having a -sho'uldered base, a separate tubular adapter member connectedto the base endfof the handle, said adapter having its tubular body of lesser -jouiter `diameter than the 'handle and having axially longitudinal elongated ns circumferentially spaced therearound, and :hav-ing perforations through its body -a-rea ybettween the fns, la radially expandible'gasketmember betweensaidshouldered -baseand the adapter., said tubular adapter member having removably and slidably mounted therein in spaced relation to the free end of the adapter, a manuallynranip- .ulable lplummet member provided with a con- :neet/ing mea-ns through the handle to an exploding mea-ns for the vbomb head, a releasable locking means ,for normally supporting the plummet in the tubular body, the plum-met member being mounted in the tubular adapter sufficiently removed from lthe lfree end thereof so that an explosive propelling shell may Vbe selectively inserted in said ltubular .portion rearwardly of the `plummet.

GLEvEfF.

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