US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Donald H Kendall

Kenneth W Kendall

A system for providing a vehicle with landmine protection for occupants of a vehicle cab via controlled articulation of the vehicle cab in response to an under-vehicle explosive event includes a cab guide pin attached to the rear of the vehicle cab, and a vehicle frame having a sub-frame. The vehicle cab is mounted on the vehicle frame. The sub-frame includes a sub-assembly slot and the cab guide pin is disposed laterally at a first end in the sub-assembly slot. The sub-assembly slot has a substantially straight first section that is longitudinally positioned and having the first end of the sub-assembly slot, and a second arcuate section that extends vertically and forward from the first section opposite of the first end of the sub-assembly slot. When the vehicle is exposed to an under-vehicle explosive event, the vehicle cab articulates such that the cab guide pin travels forward through the first substantially straight section of the sub-assembly slot and in an arcuate path through the second arcuate section of the sub-assembly slot.

System and method for vehicle cab with landmine protection

A debris cutting system for attachment to a vehicle. The system includes a nose shaped projection that extends horizontally in the forward direction from the forward moving end of the vehicle. The projection includes at least one front blade mount subsystem, at least one rear blade mount subsystem, and at least one blade. The blade has a blade front mounted to the front blade mount subsystem, a blade rear mounted to the rear blade mount subsystem, and teeth. The blade is positioned substantially diagonal to forward movement of the vehicle. The front blade mount subsystem provides longitudinal movement at the blade front, and the rear blade mount subsystem provides arcuate movement at the blade rear such that cutting of debris is enhanced and damage to the blade is reduced as the vehicle moves forward.

Enhanced fore-aft movement cutting attachment

A debris cutting system for attachment to a vehicle. The system includes a nose shaped projection that extends horizontally in the forward direction from the forward moving end of the vehicle. The projection includes a front blade mount subsystem, a pair of rear blade mount subsystems, and left and right blades that are mounted within the front blade mount subsystem and respective ones of the rear blade mount subsystems. Each blade has a respective blade front, blade rear and teeth. The front blade mount subsystem provides vertical movement at the front of the blades, the rear blade mount subsystems provide vertical and longitudinal movement at the rear of the blades such that cutting of debris is enhanced and potential damage to the blades is reduced as the vehicle moves forward.

Cutting attachment for vehicle

For use in landmine clearing, a hitch system providing backup with anti-jack knife and anti-dive, the system includes a hitch assembly and a roller assembly. The hitch assembly has a hinge axis housing containing a hinge shaft and a connector shaft housing containing a stop block having a first side that engages a flat region on the hinge shaft and a second side that engages a biasing spring that is held in the connector shaft housing using an end cap. The roller assembly includes a roller frame that is rigidly mechanically coupled to the hinge shaft. The biasing spring is selected to provide a compressive bias to the stop block such that the roller assembly selective rotates about the hinge axis housing when the roller assembly is subjected to a landmine detonation, and such that rotation of the hinge shaft is prevented during normal forward, reverse, and turning maneuvers.

System and method for hitch with backup anti-jack knife and anti-dive

An arrangement of a track laying combat vehicle towing a trailer utilizes a curved rail affixed to the aft end of the combat vehicle and generally tered about a vertical axis passing near the volumetric center of the combat vehicle. The hitch connection between the combat vehicle and the trailer includes a wheeled carriage that rides on the rail. Because of the rail and carriage, the outward swing of the combat vehicle aft end, which is in the opposite direction from the combat vehicle's turn direction, do not appreciably affect the trailer.

Arrangement for one vehicle towing another

A fastener assembly connects two layers of different hardness in a panel. e assembly has a screw and has a mechanism for boring through the softer layer comprised of a collar of material softer than the material of the screw. The screw is tapped into the collar and has a bit for boring through the harder layer of the panel. The screw's head fits into the collar so that the screw and collar can be countersunk together into the softer layer of the panel. The collar has a lead end having a leading cutting edge for drilling into the softer layer of the panel. The collar also has a trailing end having a frustoconical skirt on which is located a trailing cutting edge. The torque to rotate the screw in the collar is greater than a torque to rotate the collar in the softer layer of the panel. But the torque to rotate the screw in the collar is less than the torque to rotate the screw in the harder layer of the panel.

Fastening arrangement

A flat bed off-road trailer has a rigid planar frame supporting the bed. frame has transverse members at the forward and rear edges of the bed, and has longitudinal members at lateral edges of the bed. A rigid undercarriage fixed to the trailer's axle is hinged to the frame via journal connections between forward outboard zones of the frame and forward outboard zones of the undercarriage. The trailer has springs for absorbing road shocks, the springs being located between rear outboard zones of the frame and rear outboard zones of the undercarriage. The trailer has a tiltable tractive subassembly which comprises walking beams journalled to the axle, wheels mounted at either end of the walking beams, a band wrapped around the wheels and structure to limit tilting of the subassembly.

Track wheeled trailer

A hitch adapter serves as a connection between a prime mover and a towed icle and permits the connection to be selectively configured for on-road or off-road travel. The adapter comprises a beam which has an eye at its fore end hooked to the prime mover and which has apertures at the aft end for engagement with the tongue of the towed vehicle. Fixed atop and under the beam are plates apertured to provide multiple arm mount sites on either side of the beam. A jointed arm swings on either side of the beam at selected ones of the mount sites and a brace arm swingably mounts on either side of the beam at other selected mount sites. The jointed arms include fixed length portions hinged to the brace arms and variable length portions hinged to the fixed length portions. The jointed arms also include releasable lock mechanisms for preventing relative movement between their fixed length and variable length portions. The adapter further comprises feet on the jointed beam that swing toward or away from the prime mover in concert with swinging of the brace arms, the-fixed length portions and the variable length portions.

Trailer hitch adapter

An improved tire tensioning system for use with flexible band tracks moun on dual tire sets is disclosed. The tensioning system includes first and second tensioning bars which each have one threaded end connected to a turnbuckle and a second end connected to block fixed to a respective front or rear wheel axle by a ball coupling. Also shown is an improved axle structure which can be used to adjust the toe in/out of the rear tire sets.

Axle tensioner for banded tires

An auxiliary protection device is attached to the rear of a semitrailer wh resists the tendency of passenger vehicles to go under a trailer upon impact in order to provide an increased measure of safety. In addition, the device to will absorb energy incrementally so as to minimize vehicle damage at low speeds but have sufficient energy absorption to safely prevent incursion at moderate speeds. The device can be moved to a retracted position to allow the trailer to back up a ramp or into a plane with the protection device retracted so as to avoid injury to the ramp.

Rear impact trailer guard

A vehicle has a frame on which are mounted road wheels or a track. A cargo ed tilts on the frame about pivot mechanisms connected between the frame's aft end and a location on the bed remote from its ends. A spool on the frame rotates in response to road wheel or track rotation. A cable winds on the spool and around a pulley on the frame, passes through a slide block on the bed, fixes to a cargo module and pulls the module slidingly onto the vehicle during vehicle motion. The cable can later be removed from the pulley and connected directly to the cargo module, so that vehicle motion will now cause the cable to pull the module off the vehicle.

Self loading cargo vehicle

Disclosed is an adapter for modifying a hitch connection between two vehis wherein one vehicle has a hook and another vehicle has a hitch lunette configured to receive the hook. The adapter includes a beam having an adapter lunette on one end swingably engaging the hook and chains to limit the beam's swing about the hook outboard of the one vehicle. At the other end of the beam is a plate to which are fixed flat parallel jaw members, which closely receive the vehicle lunette. The plate bears against the other end of the beam and pivots about a stud on the other end of the beam that extends through the plate. A nut on the stud presses the plate against the other end of the beam with a selected force to achieve controlled resistance to pivoting of the plate.

The invention is a walking beam for a tandem wheel set having a continuous rack wrapped around tires on the set. The set's wheels are mounted on shoes which slide on bars forward or backward relative to the vehicle having the wheel set. A carriage member is linked to the shoes such that translation of the carriage member moves the shoes together or apart. Translation of the carriage member is effected by a rod rotatably mounted to the walking beam and threadingly engaged with the carriage member. Moving the shoes together reduces tension on the track whereas moving the shoes apart increases tension the track.

Walking beam track tension device

Disclosed is a locking mechanism to retain and seal a blast door of an amition compartment against a compartment door frame after an explosion in the compartment. The mechanism has a linkage connected to a panel that is blown off the compartment by the explosion, whereby the panel actuates the mechanism. The linkage turns a cam a controlled amount so that the cam contacts the door in an optimal position for retaining and sealing the door.

Ammunition compartment blast door lock

The invention is a generally V-shaped, rearwardly slanted plow blade having earwardly tapering raking teeth disposed in a downwardly widening opening at a lower central portion of the blade.

Growing community of inventors

Almont, MI, United States of America

Donald H Kendall