US3411445A

US3411445A - Detonator for land mines

Info

Publication number: US3411445A
Application number: US556637A
Authority: US
Inventors: Madlener Paul; Muller Josef; Pecksen Otto
Original assignee: Industrie Werke Karlsruhe Ausburg AG
Current assignee: KUKA AG
Priority date: 1961-04-27
Filing date: 1966-06-10
Publication date: 1968-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 1985-11-19
Also published as: BE682721A; DE1578482C3; GB1005388A; DE1453848A1; DE977300C; BE694090A; GB1120608A; DE1578482A1; CH458134A; NL277458A; GB1120609A; GB1120610A; US3205817A; NL6608310A; BE616140A; SE322146B; NO121583B; GB1176352A; NL121802C; DE1578482B2

Abstract

1,176,352. Land mines. INDUSTRIEWERKE KARLSRUHE, A.G. 9 Feb., 1967 [16 April, 1966], No. 6267/67. Addition to 1,005,388. Heading F3A. The land - mine of parent Specification 1,005,388 is modified by a cover member 3 having a spherical surface 51 with a centre of curvature which lies above the mine body, or in an upper part thereof, and which is supported by an annular member with an upper web 52a, having a conical surface supporting the surface 51 of the cover member, a cylindrical web 52c forming an axially directed guide, and a web 52b disposed between the webs 52a and 52c, and having a lower conical surface supported by a spherical surface 53 of an annular elastic buffer member 54, having a centre of curvature below the mine or in a lower part thereof. The web 52c is guided on a fuse receiver member 55 which is connected to the mine casing by rivets 56. The material of the spherical surfaces 51 and 53 is harder than that of the webs 52a and 52b, so that when the cover member is subjected to heavy loading its freedom of movement is ensured. The edge 52bk of the web 52b can abut an edge 52k of the member 55, and act as a shock absorber. A fuse is retained in the member 55 by springs 60. An arming device comprises lugs 67 which project above a cover 62 and entered from a rotatable ring 66 having recesses 68 into which pins 64 can move to release a slider 63 and allow it to be moved towards the fuse by a spring 69. An opening in the bottom of the casing 1 is closed by a metal cover 57. A heat fusible screw 58 is located in the side of the casing 1, together with an auxiliary detonator 59, so that the mine can be used for demolition work.

Description

NOV. 19, 1968 P MADLENER ET AL 3,411,445

DETONATOR FOR LAND MINES NOV. 19, 1968 P MADLENER ET AL 3,411,445

DETONATOR FOR LAND MINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June l0, 1966 United States Patent 3,411,445 DETONATOR FOR LAND MINES Paul Madleuer, Karlsruhe-Durlach, Josef Muller, Grotzingen, Baden, and Otto Pecksen, Herrenalb, near Karlsruhe, Germany, assignors to Industrie- Werke Karlsruhe Aktiengesellschaft, Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed June 10, 1966, Ser. No. 556,637 Claims priority, application Germany, June 19, 1965, .I 28,381 Claims. (Cl. 102-8) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A detonator for use in a land mine to be dropped from airplanes, traveling tanks and the like, and comprising an annular member screwed into the center of a pressure resistant cover attached resiliently to the mine housing, said annular member having `a spring-influenced axially slidable member therein which upon removal of a safety pin transmits the pressure acting upon the cover to ya pressure ball mounted on one end of an axially movable sleeve in a detonator housing. This last-named sleeve is adapted to be locked in its inoperative position, but when unlocked is adapted, owing to pressure action on the ball in any direction, to transmit an axially directed pressure to the sleeve which latter then during its movement releases an impact bolt mounted for laxial movement in a tubular guide centrally arranged within the detonator housing.

The invention relates to a detonator for use in land mines which are dropped from aeroplanes, traveling tanks or the like, with a release member tiltable universally and which upon perpendicularly directed detonation waves, particularly of nuclear type, makes an idle movement, while upon forces occurring on an inclined position, it tips from its bearing surface and releases the tiring pin. The detonator is constructed as a pressure cover which is resist-ant to bending stresses and which in addition to an elastic outer ring body is provided with an intermediate hard-elastic inner ring body which engages the mine casing. The inner ring body has a curved surface with a radius which is smaller than the highly curved counter surface of the pressure cover. Upon dropping from a greater height, the cover rim may under certain circumstances rst strike the ground; it must then receive the entire striking force and is thereby pushed to the side. The result of this is that the cover no longer returns into its starting position the detonator release means are no longer in alinement and the outer elastic ring body is distorted and may even tear away.

In order to overcome this disadvantage, the invention provides means which prevent a lateral shifting of the mine cover when hitting the ground. For this purpose the cover edge is provided with an upwardly extending, inwardly directed bead having attached thereto a stifened means in the form of a supporting member. Furthermore, a hollow chamber formed between `an outer elastic annular body and the wall of the mine casing is covered by an annular diaphragm which is xed by means of a anged ring to the mine c-asing in suitable manner. If, upon release, the mine hits the ground or the target with the edge of the pressure cover, then the main impact of the mine casing filled with explosive will be cushioned in that the pressure cover receives no substantial lateral thrusts. The space between mine casing, annular body and pressure cover is sealed by means of the diaphragm, so that no ice, stones or earth may enter therebetween.

The feature of the invention is shown and described Cil ICC

by way of example in the two accompanying drawing figures.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a sectional view of the mine body;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the mine body with carrier handle in a reduced scale;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the detonator; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

The cylindrical mine casing 1 is provided with an upwardly extending, inwardly curved outer bead 1a which is in substantial alinement with the lower edge of the pressure cover 3. Within this bead 1a is arranged a reinforcing ring 1b, which abuts against the entire bead and constitutes a `substantial reinforcement of the same. The circumferential wall of the casing 1 is welded at 1c to the bottom wall 1e of the mine. An intermediate hard-elastic inner ring body Sc is attached to the top wall 1f of the casing 1 and has a raised upper convex surface whose radius of curvature is smaller than that of the concave counter-surface of the pressure cover 3.

If upon dropping the bead 1a of the mine hits the target, the main impact will be sustained by the mine casing which is filled with explosives, and the pressure cover 3 will not receive any lateral thrust. A hollow space which is formed between the top wall 1f of the mine casing 1, an annular body 5 and the pressure cover 3 is sealed by means of an annular diaphragm 5a, so that no ice, stones or earth can enter therebetween. The diaphragm 5a consists of one piece with the annular body 5 and is held in place by means of a flanged ring 5b welded to the casing.

A further feature of the present invention is that in the bottom of the mine casing a screw cover 1d is inserted which consists of a synthetic material having a melting point of about C. The purpose of this screw lconnection is that upon exterior heating action, as for example upon burning of munitions depots or munitions transports, in which no explosive capsules are located in the mines, this screw coupling of synthetic material melts before the detonation point of the explosive filling of the mine is attained. The clouds of vapor or smoke forming from the explosive may be drawn off; thereby, according to experience, the danger of detonation is essentially reduced, and the mines only burn out.

At the same time, the screw coupling aperture 1d serves for the subsequent insertion of the propagation or primer charge after the pouring.

Former construction disclosed that a substantially projecting threaded connection above the pressure cover resulted in appreciable disturbances in functioning when a load was passing over the mine. For preventing an unintentional release of the mine, a spacing piece was used which prevented a screwing in of the pressure cover screw connection. Accordingly, the detonator could not be subjected to a load or pressure.

In order to overcome this disadvantage, the invention provides a screw connection which is tiush with the pressure cover, whereby the screw connection of the pressure cover consists of an exterior screw member and of a longitudinally movable sliding member upon which a helical spring acts which is covered by a sealing diaphragm which is held tensioned by means of a transverse safety pin.

This feature is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1.

The screw connection consists substantially of an exterior threaded member 10a and a longitudinally slidable member 10b on which acts a helical pressure spring 10c disposed in an annular chamber 10' of the slidable member 10b. The latter is held tensioned by means of a trans- Verse safety pin 10d passing through a central projection of the member b and a threaded collar 10m on said projection. A diaphragm 10e serves for the sealing of the annular chamber which receives the spring 10c. As long as the safety pin 10d is inserted, there is suicient space between the conical recess 10]c in the slidable member 1Gb and the detonator that upon actuation of the pressure cover 3, the detonator is not loaded. If the safety pin 10d, however, is pulled out and removed, then the slidable member 10b moves under action of the helical pressure spring 10c downwardly to an annular stop shoulder or abutment 10g on a sleeve 101 arranged between the member 10a and the slidable member 10b, whereby an annular expanding spring 10h engages an annular groove 10i in said sleeve 101 and holds the sliding member 10b securely in this position. Said sleeve 101 is in threaded connection with the member 10a. A rubber ring 10k arranged on the outer circumference of the screw member 10a serves for the sealing 0f the annular space between the screw member 10a and the pressure cover 3.

The advantage of the arrangement is that for the preparation for `firing only a single manipulation is necessary, namely a pulling off of the safety pin 10d. It should also be noted that the screw connection is arranged completely in the cover 3.

In the following is described an improved form of the detonator in which solely an axial pressure is exerted upon the detonator and misrings are avoided.

In order to eliminate sources of error, the invention is provided with the following features:

The release power is transferred by a pressure ball which exerts on the pressure member solely axial forces. Thereby the protection of the detonator takes place by means of an easily releasable spring stirrup which supports the pressure ball; the cylinder lock, which determines the release point of the detonator, is flattened at its control end and thereby insures a well-defined release point. Further details of the detonator are ydescribed in the following description and in the claims. The invention by way of example is described with reference to the FIGS. 3 and 4.

The arrangement of the pressure member 11a assures that the slidable sleeve 11 disposed below it receives only an axial pressure. The lateral components are taken up by the upwardly extending circular wall 17a of a cap member 17. In order to protect the detonator against unintentional actuation, the pressure ball 11a is locked by the lower inwardly extending ends of a removable safety stirrup 39 which extend through apertures in the wall 17a of the cap member 17. The outer ends of the horizontal and radial locking pins 14 are flattened at i 14a somewhat down to one half of their diameter and t the lower end 14b of the housing Wall. This results in a well-defined release point. A control sleeve 26 within the housing 4 is supported with an inclined wall 26a on two locking balls a. The locking balls 25a in turn engage a projecting collar 23a of a control sleeve 23 which is fixedly mounted on a tubular shaft 19 of the operating mechanism. The collar of the control sleeve 23 has on its outer circumference two oppositely disposed curved recesses 23b (FIG. 4).

In these recesses 23b the locking balls 25a may enter after a corresponding rotation of the tubular shaft 19, and this will release the slidable sleeve 26 which under action of the helical pressure spring 16 moves downwardly. This causes a cross-hatched mark to move in register with an inspection window 41 in the wall of the housing 4 and shows that the detonator mechanism has run off and that the detonator is ready t0 be fired. This is insofar important if the detonator is picked up again by its own people and is to be used again. For this purpose, the operating mechanism 18 with the aid of a coin inserted in a slot 42 arranged in the lower end of the shaft 19 may again be tensioned. This causes the crosshatched mark 40 to disappear again from the window 41.

The protection against unpriming or disarming by the enemy is arranged in the same detonator. For this purpose the inner wall of the detonator housing 4 is bored out at its upper end and in the recess formed a slidable ring 43 is inserted, whose inner wall is ush with the inner wall of the slidable sleeve and with a collar 44 provided in the detonator housing 4. The slidable ring 43 is secured by two screws 45, clamps or the like, which are inserted into the upper side 0f the cap 17 against the collar 44 to hold it tight. Above the upper end of the slidable sleeve 11 is pressed a collar 46 which secures the locking pins 14 against turning. In a groove in the outer periphery of collar 46 is inserted a rubber ring 47.

For protection against unpriming or disarming, both screws 45 are removed. If the mine is set in motion by means of removal of the safety pin 10d, then the pressure ball 11a and therewith the slidable sleeve 11 are pressed downwardly a predetermined distance, and indeed so far that vthe outer ends of the pins 14 engage the inner 'wall of the collar 44. If it is now attempted to unprime or disarm the mine by means of unscrewing the cover member 10a and a removal of the detonator, then the slidable sleeve 11 is moved upwardly under the action of the spring 16, thereby the rubber ring 47, which engages in this position the slidable ring 43, takes the latter along. As a result, the slidable ring 43 is removed from the collar 44 and forms a slot between the collar 44 and slidable ring 43. The pins 14 moving upwardly and away from the collar 44 move into this slot between the

parts

43, 44 and the inner ends of the pins 14 release the impact bolt 13 and the mine detonates.

What we claim is:

1. In a detonator for land mines which are to be dropped from airplanes, traveling tanks or the like, including a universally movable release member, which upon encountering vertically directed detonation waves, particularly of nuclear type, performs an idle movement, while upon inclined directed forces tilts from its bearing surface and releases a firing pin, said detonator being also provided with a housing and a pressure cover resistant to bending, which in addition to an elastic outer annular body engages the mine casing with an intermediate hardelastic Vinner ring body, said inner ring body having a raised curved upper surface with a radius which is smaller than that of the concave counler-surface of the pressure cover, said pressure cover having a centrally disposed interiorly threaded aperture adjacent said concave countersurface, an exteriorly threaded annular member (10a) secured in said aperture, guide means (10]) within said annular member, a longitudinally slidable member (10b) within said guide means, abutment means (10g) for limiting the slidable movement of said slidable member within said guide means, a central projection (10m) on said slidable member (10b) extending beyond an upper end face of said annular member, a helical spring arranged between said slidable member (10b) and an abutment on said annular member (10a), and a safety pin extending transversely through said central projection and engaging said upper end face of said annular member for holding said helical spring (10c) under tension, said helical spring upon removal :of said safety pin causing said slidable member to be moved in engagement with said abutment means on said guide means.

2. A detonator according to claim 1, including a tlneaded cover (1d) arranged in the bottom Wall of the mine casing and consisting of a synthetic material with a fusion point of approximately C.

3. A detonator according to claim 1, including a rubber ring (10k) inserted in the outer circumference of the threaded member for sealing an annular space formed between said threaded member and the pressure cover.

4. A detonator according to claim 1, in which said guide means (lill) comprises a sleeve which is secured within said annular member (10a) and slidably receives said slidable member and is provided at its lower end with a radially inwardly extending stop shoulder forming said abutment means for said slidable member.

S. A detonator according to claim 1, in which said guide means (10]) comprises a sleeve which is secured within said annular member (10a) and slidably receives said slidable member and is lprovided at its lower end with a radially inwardly extending stop shoulder forming said abutment means for said slidable member, said sleeve being provided in its interior adjacent its lower end with an annular groove (10i) for receiving an annular expander spring (10h) mounted on said slidable member when the latter engages said stop shoulder.

6. A detonaor according to claim 1, in which said sidable member (10b) is provided with an annular chamber for receiving said helical spring, and a diaphragm for sealing said annular chamber and engaged by the upper end of said helical spring.

7. A detonator according to claim 1, including a detonator housing, an axially movable sleeve (11) mounted in one end of said housing, a pair of radial locking pins (14) carried by said sleeve, an impact bolt axially movable in said housing and engaged by the inner ends of said locking pins when the latter are in locked position, manually controllable means (43) for unlocking said locking pins, and a pressure ball (11a) engaging one end of axially movable sleeve and arranged between one end of the latter and said slidable member (10b), said pressure ball upon removal of said safety pin and unlocking of said locking pins caused by an impact upon said pressure cover being adapted to exert upon said axially movable sleeve an axial pressure and causing said impact bolt (13) to detonate the mine.

8. A detonator according to claim 7, including a cap provided with an upwardly extending circular wall attached to the end of the detonator housing which has said axially movable sleeve mounted therein, said circular wall surrounding said pressure ball and being adapted to be locked therein against axial movement by a removable stirrup (39) having two ends which extend through apertures in said circular wall and engage a lower portion of said pressure ball.

9. A detonator according to claim 7, including a slidable control sleeve (26) within said detonator housing, and having at its lower end an inwardly facing inclined wall (26a), an ignition mechanism having a tubular shaft within said detonator housing, a collar on said tubular shaft, two locking balls between said inclined wall and said collar, spring means adapted to urge said control sleeve in a direction in which said inclined wall engages said locking balls, and two oppositely disposed recesses (23h) on said collar for receiving said two locking balls upon a rotative movement of said tubular shaft and for releasing said slidable sleeve so that it may move downwardly in a position which indicates that the ignition mechanism has run off.

10. A detonator according to claim 1, including a detonator housing, an axially movable sleeve (11) mounted in one end of said housing, a lpair of radial locking pins (14) carried by said sleeve, an impact bolt axially movable in said housing and engaged by the inner ends of said locking pins when the latter are in locked position, manually controllable means (43) for unlocking said locking pins, and a pressure ball (11a) engaging one end or said axially movable sleeve and arranged between one end of the latter and said slidable member (10b), said pressure bail upon removal of said safety pin and unlocking of said locking pins caused by an impact upon said pressure cover being adapted to exert upon said axially movable sleeve an axial pressure, said manually controllable means comprising a ring (43) axially slidably mounted in an annular recess provided in the detonator housing, said annular recess having a radial bottom wall, and screw means for clamping said ring against said radial bottom of said recess, the outer ends of said locking pins in their locked position engaging the inner circumferential wall of said ring, said ring being adapted to be axially moved away from the bottom of said recess upon removal of said screw means, whereby the outer ends of said locking pins being adapted to move into the space 'vacated by said ring and release said impact bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,318,098 10/1919 Midgley 102-73 1,572,436 2/1926 King 102-84 2,514,401 7/1950 Liljegren 102--8 2,555,318 6/1951 Christensen 102-8 2,661,690 12/1953 Diels 102-8 3,205,817 9/1965 Madlener et al. 102-8 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

G. H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner.