US2454281A - Antipersonnel artillery mine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 23, 194s. C, S 2 2,454,281

AN'IFIPERSONNEL ARTILLERY MINE Filed Nov. 1, 1945 Clarence E". Hicks 21. XMWM Patented Nov. 23, 1948 UNITED STATES OFFICE I a 2,454,281 Q 'ANTIrieasoNNE nitrittriitY sun's Clarence GhI-Iicks, Milwaukee, Wis. l p martian November 1, 1945, ser al No. 26,157 y 3 planes. (Cl. 102 68) (Granted under the act i B41 1 3, 1883, as

a e April 30, 1928; an; o. 757) factu-red and used by or for the Government for Ine'of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to improvement in 'anth personnel mines. l v

- An important object or my invention is totprovide a delayed action "anti-personnel mine, in combination with an artillery projectile, for example, one similar to "the base-ejection shell now in use for-firing smoke, propaganda l'eaflets, and medical supplies but rearranged and adapted to myinvention, WhlCh IIlay be conveyed to and governmental purposes without the payment to placed accurately in any desired area by means of artillery fire r The object sought in the use of mines of this nature, placed bymeans of artillery me, is the neutralization of enemy personnel during an "at: tack, and the ability to maintain this neutralization for any desired period of time through the operation of a delay iuze. In other words,-a volley or series of volleys would deliver a large number of these mines into the desired area; the mines would continue to detonate atsuchinter'vals as may be desired since the delaying device can be arranged for delays ranging from'a few seconds to several hours. Thus, effective neutralization may be obtained with a minimum or "effort and ammunition. V Such mines can also be effectively used in defen'sive barrages since whole areas "of defenseoan Figured is "a vertical longitudinalsection of an anti-personnel mine taken on line 33 of Figure 2,;and includes a partial elevation of the activating rod and nut, and,

c Figure 4 is a transverse section through the firing ,:pin taken on, line 4-4 of Figure 2'.

Referring in detail to the accompanyingdraw ings, the numeral 5 indicates a base-ejection type of shell or projectile similar to a standard smoke shell-t The shell comprises asteel body 6, a base plug 1, a rotating band 8, and adapter 9, attached to the body '6 by screw threads l8 and arranged to. engage a nose fuze H which may be one of either the superquick or time type. A powder bag 42 containing anexpelling charge of black powder is located in the cavity formed by the walls of the -adapter ,9, and is backed up by a perforated ancho'rfplate 13.-

The humeral M designates a mine of the type described herein, comprising a body I 5 which may be of steel tubingpor cast steel serrated for better fragmentation if desired, said body being arranged With'a recess IE on its inner circumference formed by projections E8 on the said inner cirits top surface and a hole 20 on its bottom surface to engage an adjacent mine within the shell 5 be Saturated to binder and delay an enemy using to prevent disarming if located, as will be hereinafter pointed. out. i v i i Other efiects and advantages of the invention will become-apparent during the course of the following description.

The accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, illustrate the manner in which I and prevent rotation of the mines while the shell is in flight, and also provided with a screw en=- gaging plug 2| on either side to permit filling the charge chamber H with an explosive charge 22, and a screw engaging plug 23 for insertion of the sleeve 24.,

The sleeve 24 furnishes housing for the operate ing mechanism of the mine. It is generally circular in cross-section and has a transverse semicylindrical projection 25 near one end to form attain these objects. Similar numbers are used.

to designate like parts throughout the specification and drawings. In these'drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a shell or projectile embodying the invention, with the enclosed anti-personnel mines shownin' elevation,; a'ndincluding an elevatipn of a projectile fuze.

Figure 2 is a transverse section of an anti-personnel mine, taken on line Ze 2 of Figure 1, and shows he ,de ayinamech ni not the mine;

part of an open passage 26 extending through the mine i 4 and-is provided with flame holes 21 at the opposite end to allow passage of flame into the-charge chamber ll when the detonator "2B housedrwithin the sleeve cavity29 at the-end-neam est the plug 23 is detonated by the action of a firing pin 3}] igniting a primer charge 3!, also housed Within the said cavity 29, through an orifice 82in the adjacent end of a copper housing 33 of the same cross-section as the insideof the sleeve 2d and fittingsnugly therein, positioned to partially 81056613118 passage 26 formed by the bul= bous projection 25. A glass ampule 34 containing a corrosive acid is fitted tightly within the copper hcusingj3-3- atthe end adjacent the bulbous projection 25 and is held thus positioned and par tially blockingthe passage 26 by means of a suit: able spacer 3'5 and the end .of the copper housing 33 which is shaped todonform to the end of the ampulefik A collapsible coil spring :36,- is posie:

with an opening (not shown) in the top surface of the mine body I5, a safety pin 39 may be inserted. .The safety pin 39 keeps the mine unarmed until it is placed in the shell 5, and provides enough slack in the restraining wire 31 to allow the firing pin 30 to move ahead a suflicient distance to bring the hole 38 out of alignment with the opening in the top surface of the mine body l5 when the said mine is ejected from the I shell 5 and the firing pin 30 is freed from the restraining influence of a safety rod 40. A safety rod as 40 is fixed permanently in the perforated baffie l3 and positioned so that the firing pin 30 will remain in the same position after the mine is placed in the shell 5 and the safety pin 39 is withdrawn thus retaining the slack in the restraining wire 31. A suitable transverse opening M is provided in top and bottom of the mine to permit passage of the safety rod 10.

An activating rod 42 permanently attached to the perforated bafile l3 and positioned so that an activating head 43, whose largest diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the passage 26, attached to the said activating rod by tight screw engagement (not shown) after the mines l4 have been loaded into the shell 5 will deform the copper housing 33 during the ejectment of the mine l4, thus breaking the enclosed glass ampule 34 and allowing the acid contained therein to perforate the restraining wire 31. Spacers 44 which may be made of steel or other appropriate material, one of which is arranged with suitable openings to allow passage of the safety rod 40 and the activating rod 42, are provided within the shell to separate the enclosed mines M from the anchor plate l3 and the base plug 1, respectively.

The operation of the anti-personnel mine is as follows: Upon detonation of the fuze II, which as heretofore stated may be either an instana fraction of a second to several hours. Upon complete rupture of the restraining wire 31, the compressed spring 36 will relax and drive the point of the firing pin 30 through the orifice 32 and against the primer charge 3|, igniting it. The flame of the primer charge ignites the detonator charge 28, the flames being carried through the flame holes 21 and into the explosive charge 22 in the charge chamber I], thus exploding the mine.

From the foregoing it should be evident that the number of mines contained in the shell 5 is dependent upon the size and caliber of the mines used, and the mines included may be of varying sizes within the same shell. Type of mine used may also vary and may include such anti-personnel mine types as those utilizing metal balls within the body of the mine. By adding a small parachute as now used with flares, such mines might be used in maintaining an effective aerial barrage within a given air area. Therefore, it is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A mine-laying device comprising a container, a yieldable closure on one end of the container, an explosive ejection charge at the other end of the container, individual mines nested in the container between the closure and ejection charge, said mines having aligned openings longitudinally of the container, a rod member secured in the container at the end having the ejection charge, passing through said aligned opentaneous impact or a time fuze, the expelling 1 charge of black powder contained in the powder bag 12 is exploded and the force of the explosion, transmitted through the perforations in the anchor plate [3, blows out the base plug 1 of the shell5 and ejects the mines I l. The safety rod 40 and the activating rod 42 with activating nut 43 attached remain attached to the anchor plate [3. As a mine I4 is ejected from the shell 5 each copper housing 33 is pressed against the activating head 43 forcing their walls inwardly and crushing the ampules 34 containing the corrosive acid permitting the released acid, to commence its corrosive action on the restraining wire 31, and at the same time the firing pin 30 is freed from the restraint of the safety rod 40 permitting the compressed spring 36 to relax to the limit of the slack in the restraining wire 31, thus advancing the firing pin 30 a distance sufficient to bring the hole 38 out of alignment with the hole in the top of the mine l4 and preventing insertion of a disarming pin. Corrosive action of the acid continues until complete rupture of the restraining wire 31, the period of time required to bring about such complete rupture being governed and regulated by varying the strength of the acid used, the thickness of the wire, or both, and may range from ings and having a headed portion on the end adjacent the closure, an explosive charge in each mine and delay firing means, therefor, including a detent means lying in the path of and responsive to relative motion between said mines and the headed portion of said rod for release of said firing means.

2. The device of claim 1, said firing means comprising a spring-biased firing pin, and said detent means comprising a frangible ampule containing a corrosive fluid for release of said spring on rupture of said ampule by said headed portion.-

3. The device of claim 2, said container comprising a safety member held in the portion of the container adjacent the ejection charge and passing through each mine in position to obstruct the path of the firing pin and holding the pin in tension beyond that defined by the detent means, whereby on removal of said safety member the pin will move to prevent reinsertion of a safety member.

CLARENCE C. HICKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,302,272 Aoughsten Apr. 29, 1919 1,744,233 Locori Jan. 21, 1930 2,314,678 Zint Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 7 Date 308,314 Germany Oct. 8, 1918

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