USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Douglas M Hinely

Louis J Montesi

Gerald R Laib

Robert R Durrell

William H Reams

Brian L Will

Charles W Goode

A safety and arming device interconnecting a bomb with a target detector ures safe mine laying deployment thereof through a detonation explosive train that is armed in delayed response to payout of a lanyard under enablement control exercised by a hydrodynamic piston in response to water impact during such deployment.

Safety and arming device

An improved release apparatus, including an actuator device, a release dee and a firing device, releases the firing device in a water environment and not in an air environment when the actuator device is remotely actuated. When in a water environment, a predetermined gas pressure from the actuator device drives forward a pusher piston and valve sleeve arrangement, disposed in a water chamber of the release device, initially to close off lower entry/exit orifices in the water chamber by action of the valve sleeve, and then to compress an entrapped column of water to a predetermined water pressure sufficiently to cause shearing off of an annular lip of a ball lock piston thereby separating the firing device from the release device. When in an air environment, the pressure from a compressed entrapped air column is not sufficient to cause shearing off or folding down of the annular lip of the ball lock piston, and, accordingly, the release apparatus is safed.

Water-armed/air-safed release apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Rockville, MD, United States of America

Douglas M Hinely