US2398266A - Time fuse - Google Patents

Description

April 9, 1946., J. c. WHITESELL, JR

TIME FUSE Filed Sept. 19, 1942 NVENTOR John @.Whlcesell J1? BY/i/k ATTORNEYI the like, more particularly Amovement within the casing li by means of a renaud ame :om o. wnmnn. Jr.,

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amsn I l TIME FUSE t no. atacar The primaryobiectot the present invention is toprovideafuseiorabombsuchasusedin aerialwariare which is so constructed and arranged as to explode the bomb at any desired intervalalter dropping of the bomb. such as for example,l several minutes `or even hours after impact, whereby a series of such bombs may be located -in the pathoi a known advance oi an Aenemyl .troop movement and set to explode upon' the arrival of enemy troops at such locations, the approximate time of arrival otsuch troops having been predetermined throughthe use o! ob- :ervation planes or other sources oiinforma-` ion.

A further object is to provide a delayed action y bomb fuse o! relatively simple construction which is eiiicient and extremely eliective in operation.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and then claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which the pin. The pin may be released or withdrawn by a-ring 2i carried thereby.

The cup It surrounds an inner cup 22, inverted as shown inthe drawing, and having a circumlferential flange 23 at itsupper or base end M, which flange seats against a shoulder 25 formed at the upper or open -end of the casing. The inner cup d2 is rigidly locked in coaxial relation with the casing il and inner cup l@ through the medium of an annular locking ring 26 threadably received at 21 at the open end of the casing Il, the locking ring securely engaging the upper face of therilange 23.

The outer cup i8 has a freely slidabie yet precision fit with the iixed inner cup 22 to provide a uid tight slidable connection therebetween. It desired, a suitable acid resistant packing 28 may be carried at the upper end or the cup IB-to engage the inner cup 22 to insure against tending wire or strip Bil of metal. or other maillustrates a suitable embodiment loil the present invention, the numeral l0 designates the casing of a bomb to which the fuseis to be attached.

The fuse F comprises a cylindrical tubular casing il externally threaded at its one end I2 -for threading attachment to the bomb casing ill, and

. having an internal radially inwardly extending shoulder at the end I2 which serves as a seat for the detonator i3. p

The detonator i3 closely tits within a reduced bore it of the casing Il and is securely locked in place by means of an annular externally threaded locking ring I6 threadably received within the fuse casing I l to engage with the casing of the detonator I3 and clamp the same in position.

.Arranged within the casing Il is a cup IB having afreely slidable nt with the bore Il oi the casing ii and carrying an axial ring pin i8 capable of rupturing the end oi the detonaltor I8, when released, to set od the detonator charge. The cup it is normally held against safety pin I9 extending through the wall of the casing beneath the bottom of the cup It to serve terial capable oibeing attached by acid, to be later described, which axially extends through the bottoms oi the cups i6 and 22 and has its free end peened or upset into a conical recess 3l of the base of the cup 22 as indicated at 32 in the drawing. Any suitable meanso however, may be 'employed for securing the wire to the @ring pin i8 and base 2d of the cup The wire or strip su is of sumcient strength to overcome not only the compression of the spring 2t* when the safety pin it is released but also to withstand the shock of the impact o the bomb without rupture.

The present invention contemplates the use of an acid contained in the space `within cups It and 22 and which may be inserted into such space through a ller opening l in the base Re of the iixed cup 22, the opening being closed by a suitable threaded closure plug The parts comprising the fuse assembly are extremely simple, requiring only the simplest of machining operationsand hence can rapidhr produced in quantity production. The assembly operation also is relatively simplet The ilrst step in the assembly operation is to insert the detonator i3 and thread -the annular ring l5 within the casing Il to loci: the detonator in place, after which the safety pin it is inserted and the one leg bent over to prevent inadvertent removal of the safety pin. Next, the cup assembly comprising the cups le and 22, spring 29 and connecting wire i3d, is positioned within the casing II and the locking ring 28 threaded into thev open end of the casing il to lock the cui) 8S- sembly in place. It is seen therefore that the assembly operation is extremely simple and can be carried out expeditiously, especially inthe production ci' large quantities. I

The wire or restraining member 30 is of .such composition that it will be attacked by the acid contained within the cup space and eaten through before the acid can damage the cups themselves or the spring 22. While diierentl sizes of wire t@ may be employed, wires of the ends in telescoped sliding engagement and closed w ends spaced 'apart same size or diameter may be utilized wherein they may be reduced in cross section as indicated at 35 to provide different timing. By having members s@ oi diierent cross sections, bombs may be set to explode at many dierent times from a minute or two to any desired number of hours or days. It, of course, is to be understood that with the safety pin removed, upon rupture of the wire or restraining member Sil through being eaten away by the acid, the coiled compression spring 2s 'will drive the outer cup 22 with sufficient force to rupture the detonator casing and set oil' the detonator charge.

It, also, is to be understood that the selection of the wire material and the sizes thereof and the type of acid to be used is determined by come prehensive tests and experiments well kno'wn to provide a iluidtight acid containing chamber, an erodable restraining member within ysaid chamber for holding the closed ends ofl said members in predetermined spaced relation, one ofsaid closed endscarrying an externally located-ming pin, and a compression spring normally compressed between said members, said chamber being adapted to contain an acid of. a. strengthsuil'icient to destroythe effectiveness ofsaid restraining member in holding said members against movement away from pressure of said spring, said restraining member having a. portion of reduced predetermined cross-sectional dimenin the art. 1F01' example, tests will show that with a predetermined Wire materialand a selected acid, the period of time required for the acid to rupture the wire in question can be readily determined. The assembled bombs, of course, are marked with any desired code marking to show the time required from the filling of the fuse cup space with the acid for the bombs to explode. The acid is not inserted until immediately prior to the loading of the bombs on the bombing planes, so in ascertaining the particular` bombs to be used the loaders take into account the time which will elapse between the acid insertion and release of the bombs on their destructive igh't.

their release from the plane carrying the same.

One marked advantage of the bomb fuse of the present invention is that a delayed action fuse or" the character described is entirely noiseless and does not advertise that a seemingly harmless bomb is a time bomb. Another advantage is that a series of bombs which will explode Provision may be made for withdrawal of- 'the safety pins i9 just prior to at diii'erent times after dropping will have a dey ,moralizing effect on the corps of men charged with the removal and destruction of unexploded bombs, for it never `will be known at what second the bombs will esplode.

It is to be understood that various changes may be made in detailed construction and arrangement of parts' without departing from the spirit and substance of the present invention. the scope o which is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a time fuse, a firing mechanism comprising a pair of cup-shaped members having open endsin telescoped sliding engagement and closed ends spaced apart to provide a iluidtight acid containing chamber, an erodable restraining member within said chamber for holding the closed ends of said members in predetermined other head portion to said sion.-

3. In a time fuse, a ring mechanismscompris ing a pair of cup-shaped members having open ends in telescoped sliding engagement and closed ends spaced apart tol provide a iluidtight acid containing chamber, an erodable restraining member vwithin said chamber'for holding the closed ends of said members in predetermined spaced relation, one of said closed ends carrying an externally located firing pin, and a compression spring normally compressed between said members, said chamber being adapted to contain an acid of a strength suiiicient to destroy the eiectiveness of said restraining member in holding said members against movement away from each other through the expansion pressure of said spring and a support, the cup-shaped irlngpin-carrying member being movable relative to said support and the other cup-shaped member being rigidly secured to'said support.

4. In a fuse device, a tubular casing,-a detonaJ- Ator iixed within one end of said casing, a firing mechanism disposed within the opposite end of said casing, said mechanism embodying an extensible chamberedV member having relatively axially movable head portions, a-flring pin fixed to one of said head portions, an erodable restraining element within the chamber of said member and connected with and normally restraining said head portions against relative movement away fromeach other and a compression spring within said chamber in end engagement with said head portions, said spring normally being held compressed by the restrained' head portions, said mechanism beinginsertable as a unitary structure into said opposite end of said casing, 4and means for rigidlysecuring the casing, said chamber being adapted to contain an acid of a strength sufficient to attack and render, after a predetermined time period, said restraining element ineiective to restrain said head portions against relative movement away from each other, whereby said spring propels said one head portion and firing pin axially towards said detonator.

JOHN C. WHITESELL, JR.

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