Rheinmetall Gmbh

Rheinmetall W & M Gmbh

Rolf Bartolles

Ralf-Joachim Herrmann

Henning Von Seidlitz

Marold Elspass

To seal a pipe mortar, a sealing element () is inserted between the pipe () and the base (), with the element elastically balancing out the axial relative movements between the pipe () and the base (). The sealing element () is preferably prestressed, with the gas pressure supporting the sealing effect. The sealing element () can be a U-shaped or L-shaped steel ring. In the U-shaped sealing element (), the legs () are axially prestressed to the extent that the sealing ring () and the pipe () or the base () are pressed together to produce an adequate seal. In the L-shaped sealing element (), the inside leg () produces the gas-tight connection when the pipe () and the base () are screwed together. A sealing lips () of the sealing ring () elastically absorbs changes in length between the pipe and the base that occur during firing.

Pipe mortar

A cooling apparatus for introducing a coolant fluid into a weapon barrel through a breech end thereof for cooling internal wall faces of a loading chamber of the barrel. The cooling apparatus includes a bellows having a circumference provided with a plurality of holes. The bellows has a retracted state and an elongated, tubular expanded state and is introducible into the weapon barrel in the retracted state. The cooling apparatus further has a coolant driving arrangement coupled to the bellows for introducing the coolant into the bellows to place the bellows into the expanded state and to force the coolant out of the bellows through the holes.

Cooling apparatus for the breech region of a weapon barrel

A wedge-type breechblock is disposed at the breech end of a gun. A cartridge chamber having a length L1 in the wedge-type breechblock accommodates propellant igniters, with obturation being effected by the respective propellant igniters. A firing mechanism operatively disposed at the wedge-type breechblock detonates propellant igniters loaded into the cartridge chamber from a magazine. A propellant igniter magazine is disposed adjacent the wedge-type breechblock and includes a guide chute and individual propellant igniters lined up in a row in the guide chute. The propellant igniters each have a casing and a length L2 which is greater than the length L1 of the cartridge chamber so that when a propellant igniter is loaded in the cartridge chamber in a firing position, a rear portion of the propellant igniter remains within the casing.

Wedge-type breechblock for a gun

An obturating arrangement for a gun barrel of the type having a right-angled obturating ring having its axially extending arm disposed within a recess in the base ring at the end of the gun barrel and its inwardly radially extending arm engaging, in a known manner, a breechblock wedge insert. In known arrangements of this type powder residues generated during firing, which may accumulate in the recess of the base ring and become lodged underneath the supporting face of the obturating ring arm projecting into the recess, may cause the basic play between the obturating ring and the breechblock wedge insert to be reduced, so that malfunctions during the closing of the breechblock wedge may occur. To overcome these drawbacks and also to increase operational reliability and lengthen the time between cleanings, the free end of the obturating ring arm projecting into the recess is arranged at a distance from the base surface of the recess while the rearwardly projecting end of the bead defining the inner wall of the recess is configured as a support for the obturating ring. The free end of the arm projecting into the recess preferably includes a sloped surface tapering toward the exterior of the obturating ring, and thus produces a stripping effect. Powder residues possibly still present in the enlarged volume of the recess can be blown out by fast flowing gases passing through a reduced opening between the bead end and the radially disposed arm.

Base and obturating ring arrangement

A muzzle brake (10) for a gun barrel (12) to be attached coaxially onto the muzzle end of the gun barrel up to a radially extending annular abutment surface (20) and provided with elongated gas discharge openings (14) which are arranged transversely to the axis of the bore (16) over its lateral effective length region (L.sub.2) and have a minimum opening length (L.sub.1) at the rear of the effective length of the muzzle brake (10), i.e., adjacent the position of the abutment surface (20), the axial inner bore (18) of the muzzle brake (10) has an inner diameter (d) which corresponds to the rifling diameter (d.sub.1) of the gun barrel (12) and its rear end ends at the radially extending abutment surface. The gas discharge openings (14) are provided with rearwardly sloped baffles (24) and gas guide surfaces (26) which have different lengths in the rear region of the muzzle brake (10) and have the same opening length (L.sub.1) in the forward region. The rear end of the muzzle brake (10) where it encloses the gun barrel (12) is connected with the gun barrel (12) by a separate tensioning device (22) and can be given a defined pretension. The tensioning device (22) exerts a high tractive force on the rear end of the muzzle brake (10) so that the abutment surface (20) lies sealingly pressed against the end surface (38) of the gun barrel muzzle.

Muzzle brake for a large caliber tubular weapon

A blocking device for blocking the closing movement of a wedge-type breechblock of a gun if an obturating ring is missing. The blocking device includes a detector which is urged toward a recess in the gun barrel base ring and which enters the recess if the recess is not occupied by an obturating ring. In order to avoid damage to the sealing system of the base ring during the blocking process, the blocking device is configured as a synchronous mechanism so that, if the detector moves into the recess in the absence of an obturating ring, a blocking member simultaneously moves in the opposite direction and enters a recess in the breech ring of the gun. In one embodiment, the synchronism of the blocking device is produced by a gear which meshes with toothed regions on the detector and of the blocking member. In another embodiment, the synchronism is produced by a dual level member which extends into recesses in the detector and the blocking member. Advantageously, the recess which is already provided in the breech ring can be utilized for blocking the wedge-type breechblock and for releasing the blocking device.

Blocking device for the breechblock in a gun

A trigger mechanism includes a firing pin having a cocked position and a firing position into which the firing pin is adapted to be accelerated; a catch having a locking position for engaging the firing pin in the cocked position to hold the firing pin; a spring operatively connected to the catch for urging the catch into the locking position; a first actuating bar connected to the catch; a standby catch having a locking position in which the standby catch is situated in the path of motion of and out of contact with the firing pin for preventing the firing pin from moving from the cocked position into the firing position; a second actuating bar connected to the standby catch; and a force-transmitting arrangement for simultaneously applying a triggering force to the first and second actuating bars for simultaneously displacing them to simultaneously move the catch and the standby catch from respective locking positions to respective withdrawn positions.

Dual-catch trigger mechanism

An arrangement for axially adjusting play between an obturating ring of a gun barrel base ring and a wedge-type breechblock. The base ring has a threaded ring adjustably disposed in an annular groove adjacent the gun barrel for adjusting axial play existing between the obturating ring and the wedge-type breechblock.

Axially adjustable gun barrel base ring

An obturator ring for location between a sliding wedge-type breech block and a base ring in the barrel of a cannon to provide a seal and allow satisfactory closing movement of the obturator ring. The ring comprises an angle section with a radial flank having a disc lining on the external side facing the breech, the flank which is parallel to the axis of the bore of the barrel having on the external side a cylindrical lining. The linings are deformable, incompressible and capable of being forced over their widths against the base ring or the wedge insert by the flanks which deform under gas pressure. The linings are interconnected in the corner cross section of the obturator ring via a number of connecting rod-like members disposed in bores through the obturator ring; the flanks are joined through a rounded corner portion which allows flexure to effect through the tips of the flanks. The linings provide a large sealing surface of which the minimum width is greater than one-half of the length.

Obturator ring for a cannon

A gun breech mechanism has a barrel formed with a backwardly open shell chamber, a breech block displaceable into a position rearwardly closing the chamber, and a seal ring between the block and the barrel and having an inner face exposed in the chamber and an outer face lying against the block and barrel. A passage opens at the outer seal-ring face for detecting thereat a gas pressure in excess of a predetermined superatmospheric pressure and a device is provided for generating an alarm signal when such excess pressure is detected. A guide bore formed in the block has an end into which the passage opens and an indicating element having an end exposed at the bore end and slidable in the bore between an inner position with its element end close to the passage and an outer position spaced therefrom. Thus pressurized gas can flow through the passage from the outer seal-ring face to the bore. A spring urges the indicating element inward toward the bore end, that is into the inner position. In addition in the inner position the element is at most flush with a surface of the breech and in the outer position it projects from the surface of the breech.

Leak detector for seal ring of gun breech mechanism

A primer cartridge magazine is removably mounted in the reciprocally movable slider of a wedge-type breech mechanism of a gun. The magazine has a longitudinal spring mounted therein which biases a stack of primer cartridges via a guide member towards the bottom of the magazine at which bottom a primer cartridge inlet and outlet is disposed. The magazine has a pair of parallel opposite walls which define a widened top portion having a pair of indicating windows. An indicating disc is rotatably mounted by means of a composite shaft in the widened portion and indicates via the indicating windows by means of a plurality of numbers disposed on each face of the indicating disc the stock of primer cartridges in the magazine. A tension band is connected to the indicating disc and guide member. A first locking mechanism locks the indicating disc against rotation when the magazine is not assembled in the slider. A second locking mechanism locks the indicating disc against rotation during loading of the magazine.

Primer cartridge magazine for a wedge-type breech block

A breech mechanism for a cannon has a slidable breech block on which is carried a slider that in turn carries a primer-cartridge magazine alignable with a chamber on the block. The slider is automatically driven in the opposite direction as the block when the latter is slid aside to remove fired ammunition and automatically ejects the spent primer cartridge in the breech block during this operation and loads a fresh one from the magazine. A hand crank allows the slider alone to be displaced back and forth between its end positions independent of the motion of the breech block when a primer cartridge misfires.

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Korschenbroich, Germany

Rolf Bartolles