US2350457A - Cartridge feed-belt for machine guns - Google Patents

Description

June 6, 1944. J. A. HENDLEY CARTRIDGE FEED-BELT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed Nov. 20, 1942 Patented June 6, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFICE cut CARTRIDGE FEED-BELT FOR MACHINE Applicaton November 20, 1942, Serial No. 466,249

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in woven cartridge feed-belts for machine guns.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved woven cartridge feed-belt for machine guns in which two sets of warp strands are woven with weft picks to mainly form a twoply cartridge feed-belt with a considerable number of the warp strands crossing over back and forth from one ply to the other to form cartridge-receiving pockets and to form one or more loops located between each two cartridge-receiving pockets.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes al1 features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawing in which one way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a cartridge feed-belt made in accordance with the present invention, and illustrating cartridges in some of the pockets thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged schematic view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the description and claim, the various parts and steps are identified by speciiic names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

In carrying out the invention in the particular Way illustrated in the drawing, a cartridge feedbelt I is formed of two plies of fabric II and I2, mainly formed by weaving together two sets of warp strands I3 and III with weft or filling strands I5 and I6. At least a considerable number of the warp strands located along the major width of the belt are crossed over back and forth from one ply to the other at longitudinallyspaced-apart locations I1 to form cartridge-receiving pockets I8 and to form loops or openings I9 between the plies and between each two successive cartridge-receiving pockets, the two plies being unconnected with each other between each two adjacent crossover` locations which form a loop I9. Where sets of warp strands are referred to, it does not mean that the same strands always form a set, since, due to the crossing over from ply to ply, the identity of the warp strands forming a set in each ply will be different at different locations along the belt. While all of the warp strands located within the crossover region could be crossed over from ply to ply, it will be appreciated that this is not necessary since the Crossovers can be formed by crossing half of the warp strands or any other desired considerable number of the warp strands located along the crossover region.

For maximum effectiveness and strength of the belt, it is desirable to have an even number of loops I9 between each two cartridge-receiving pockets I8 in order that the warps which are on one side of the belt as part of a given cartridgereceiving pocket, will be on the other side of the belt as part of the next adjacent cartridge-receiving pocket.

The loops I9 between each two cartridge-receiving pockets I8 are readily distortable, collapsible, etc., to thus provide a maximum degree of accommodation in aiding in the freedom of the cartridges to assume a proper position when they are inserted in the cartridge-receiving pockets to permit of the belt readily maintaining a longitudinally-straight condition, notwithstanding that each cartridge has different portions of considerably different diameters and that the main portion of the cartridge is of a tapered or conical form.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

A strip-like woven cartridge feed-belt for machine guns comprising: two sets of warp strands woven with weft strands to mainly form a two.- ply cartridge feed-belt having a plurality of cartridge-receiving pockets between the plies and extending transversely of the belt, and having a pair of openings between each two successive cartridge-receiving pockets and between the plies and extending generally parallel to each other and to the cartridge-receiving pockets; a considerable number of the warp strands located along the major width of the belt in each of the two ply-portions which form opposite faceportions of a pocket, crossing over to the other ply and then back again to form one of a said pair of openings, and then crossing over again to the other ply to form the other one of a said pair of openings, and then extending along in the other ply in a face-portion of the next cartridge-receiving pocket.

JAMES A. HENDLEY.

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