US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Ferdinando V Dukic

Frank Diorio

Norman Regber

A land mine adapted to be deployed by gravity and comprising: a housing hng a hollow cylindrical side wall and two end walls, on either of which the mine may come to rest. A main explosive charge in the housing, a clearing charge located between the main charge and each end wall; explosive firing means; a mechanical gravity-controlled switch including a body formed with a cavity having two spaced outlet passages and an intermediate inlet passage, and a weight movable in the cavity; a firing train connecting each of the outlet passages to one of the clearing charges; and a firing train connecting the firing means to the inlet passage; the weight being movable by gravity when the mine comes to rest to a position wherein the firing train connected to the upper clearing charge is exposed to, and the firing train connected to the lower clearing charge is isolated from, the firing means.

Gravity-deployed munition with a mechanical gravity-controlled switch

A double-ended mine, adapted to be carried by a projectile, deployed by gity, and come to rest on either end, comprises: a housing having two end walls and a connecting side wall; an annular main high explosive charge, lined on each end with a concave missile plate, in the housing; a clearing charge located between the main charge and each end wall; a fuze body mounted in the annular charge; an arming slider slidable in an axial channel in the body between safe and armed positions; a slider spring; two spin-released bolts in the body for locking the slider in safe position prior to projectile launch; a spring-biased pin for preventing rotation of the slider and for locking the slider in armed position; an electrical fast-fire detonator mounted in a first radial channel in the body; a first explosive lead mounted in a transverse passage in the slider in alignment with the detonator in armed position; a mechanical gravity-controlled switch and two combustible cords connecting the first explosive lead with the clearing charges; an electrical delay detonator mounted in a second radial channel in the fuze body; four radial channels in the slider aligned with four radial channels through the fuze body, an axial passage connecting the delay detonator to the aligned channels, in the armed position of the slider, and explosive leads in the aligned channels and axial passage, for initiating the main charge; and terminals for simultaneously applying an electrical firing signal from a proximity fuze to the two detonators, to first initiate the upper clearing charge only and thereby remove the upper end wall only and, after a predetermined delay time, initiate the main charge. In a modification, the radial delay detonator is replaced by an axial delay element connected between the first explosive lead and the aligned radial channels and leads.

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Lake Hopatcong, NJ, United States of America

Ferdinando V Dukic