SHELL FEEDING DEVICE
The technical field of the invention is that of shell feeding devices for an artillery piece weapon.
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The required firing rates for modern artillery pieces impose either fast firing rhythms over short periods, in the order of several rounds per minute, or spaced but regular firings over long periods beyond twenty minutes. The shells used have significant masses between 42 10 and 48 kg. Handling such shells at such rates puts a strain on the gun numbers at the limits of their physical abilities. To remedy this problem, it is known to automate the weapon loading, and it is also known to mechanize the feeding of the autoloading of the weapon. 15
One of the main constraints to which a shell feeding device is subjected is its ability to adapt to the weapon loading angle, both in elevation and in azimuth, especially since this position will change between successive firings which can have different laying angles. 20
Thus, patent US5604327 describes a crane device piloted by a first gun number. The crane grasps several ammunitions, transports them at the autoloading device of the weapon where a second gun number performs an operation for positioning the shell, supported by the crane, facing a 25 receiving pod of the autoloader so that the first operator orders the release of a projectile in the pod.
Such a device is basic and little efficient because it requires the use of a qualified and skilled operator for piloting the crane. 30
The required dexterity limits the operating speed of the feeding operations and thus reduces the firing rate.
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Furthermore, the gun number of the crane is very exposed to the effects of round launches due to his or her proximity to the weapon.
From patent DE282184 is also known a turret equipped with a hoist for projectiles. The hoist is fed by 5 wagons traveling on rails and transporting the projectiles along a direction transverse to their longitudinal axis. Movable claws allow to load the projectiles in the wagons and immobilize them. This device does not describe means allowing to adapt the projectile loading to the different 10 elevation angles of the artillery piece.
Thus, the invention proposes to solve a problem of rapidity in the weapon feeding rate as well as a problem of reducing the number of people required for loading, and thereby a problem of safety of the personnel. 15
The invention is particularly compact with respect to the prior art which requires a control station for the personnel piloting the crane.
The invention also allows to adapt to the laying angles of the weapon and it thus proposes a feeding device 20 which allows to adapt the loading to the different laying angles of the weapon, both in elevation and in azimuth.
The invention relates to a shell feeding device for a weapon autoloader of an artillery piece, said device 25 being characterized in that it comprises:
at least one plate securable to the frame of the artillery piece, said plate comprising a first circular slide adapted to rotate a movable pillar around the piece azimuth axis, said movable pillar comprising at one of its ends an arm 30 which can be tilted in elevation by means of an actuator, said tilting arm comprising a gripping means designed to
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hold a shell, said device being adapted to move the gripping means from a shell gripping area to a shell releasing area.
Advantageously, the device comprises a second plate, so-called movable plate, comprising a second slide, 5 said second slide being adapted to partially rotate the base of the movable pillar, said second plate being adapted to correspondingly rotate with the first slide.
Advantageously, securing the device on the frame of the piece is carried out at a trail of the piece. 10
Advantageously, the shell gripping area is located at a shell magazine secured to the device.
Advantageously, the shell magazine is fed by a mechanized conveyor.
Advantageously, the gripping means comprises a 15 clamp.
The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description, description made with reference to the appended drawings in which: 20
Figures 1 and 2 show an overview of the device according to the invention and according to two opposite viewing angles.
Figure 3 shows a first step for transferring a shell by a device according to the invention. 25
Figure 4 shows a second step for transferring a shell by a device according to the invention.
Figure 5 shows a third step for transferring a shell by a device according to the invention.
Figure 6 shows a fourth step for transferring a 30 shell by a device according to the invention.
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Figure 7 shows a fifth step for transferring a shell by a device according to the invention.
Figure 8 shows a detailed view of a shell gripping means.
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According to Figures 1 and 2, and according to an embodiment of the invention, a shell feeding device 1 according to the invention comprises a fixed plate 2 serving as a load-bearing structure for the other components of the device 1. The fixed plate 2 comprises a 10 first slide connection 3. This first slide connection 3 comprises two parallel rails 3a and 3b in the form of circular arcs with a same center, as well as a first rack 3c.
The first slide connection 3 serves to guide the 15 pivoting of a movable plate 4 which meshes with the first rack 3c via a motorization (motorization not visible).
The movable plate 4 also comprises a slide 5. This second slide 5 comprises two curved rails 5a and 5b parallel to each other and parallel to the rails 3a and 3b 20 of the first slide connection 3. The movable plate 4 also comprises a rack 5c. This second rack 5c is designed to mesh with the pinion 6a (Figure 2) of a motor 6b of a base 6 of a movable pillar 7. The thus-motorized base 6 allows the movable pillar 7 to move along the second slide 5 with 25 a movement of the portion of a circle centered on the vertical azimuth laying axis 200 of a weapon, said axis being visible in Figures 3 and 5. The movable pillar 7 is supported at its lower end by the motorized base 6 and it comprises, at its lower end, a first pivot connection, in 30 elevation, of an axis 31, the movement of which is provided by a cylinder 8 secured to the base 6 at one of its ends
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and to the movable pillar 7 at its other end. The upper part of the movable pillar 7 comprises a second pivot connection, in elevation, of an axis 32 with the front end of a tilting arm 9. The relative movement between the movable pillar 7 and the tilting arm 9 is provided by a 5 cylinder 10 secured to the movable pillar 7 at one of its ends and to the tilting arm 9 at its other end. The tilting arm 9 comprises at its rear end a gripping means 11 for gripping shells.
According to the embodiment of the appended 10 figures, the gripping means 11 comprises a shell clamp 11 comprising two jaws 12 and 13. The spacing between the jaws 12 and 13 is adjustable by a third cylinder 15 allowing to translate the front jaw 12 toward the rear jaw 13 by means of a slide 18 substantially aligned with the tilting arm 9 15 (see more particularly Figure 8) so as to adjust the spacing between the jaws 12 and 13 depending on the length of the shells to be gripped.
The opening of the gripping means 11 is ensured by a fourth cylinder 14 secured to the tilting arm 9 at a 20 first end and to the rear jaw 13 at its second end. The rear jaw 13 is pivotally mounted with respect to the rear of the tilting arm 9 (pivoting axis 33), thereby ensuring a clamp movement for catching a shell between the front jaw 12 and the rear jaw 13. 25
As visible in Figure 8, the jaw 12 comprises a truncated cone-shaped recess designed to match with the warhead of a shell. The jaw 13 is designed to grip the base of the shell (shell not shown).
The truncated cone-shaped recess of the front jaw 30 12 comprises an opening 12a oriented according to a generatrix of the truncated cone-shaped portion. This
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opening 12a is downwardly oriented and is sufficiently wide to be able to let a shell fuze pass. The rear jaw 13 comprises a cylindrical cavity 13a adapted to at least partially surround the shell base. The jaw 13a comprises an opening 13b designed to prevent the jaw from interfering 5 with autoloading elements described later and not shown in Figure 8.
According to Figures 3 to 5, the device 1 is secured to a trail 100 of a large calibre artillery piece 20 (weapon with a calibre between 90 and 155 mm) by the 10 fixed plate 2. The artillery piece 20 comprises a shell magazine 16 designed to provide a shell gripping area to the gripping means 11 and to store several shells within range of the gripping means 11.
The shell magazine 16 is fed with shells by a 15 conveyor 17. The conveyor 17 comprises a shell receptacle 17a designed to receive a shell in a position substantially horizontal with respect to the ground, and such that the warhead of the shell is oriented toward the front of the piece. A ramp 17b allows to lift the receptacle 17a to a 20 first end of a conveyor belt 16a of the magazine 16 for dropping off a shell in a housing of the conveyor belt 16a. The conveyor belt 16a is adapted to move a shell to a cradle 16b (Figure 5) articulated with respect to the magazine 16 and which is itself adapted to lift the shell 25 above the conveyor belt 16a with a specific cylinder. This lifting of the shell allows to release the ends thereof so as to make them accessible to the gripping means 11.
According to Figure 3, the gripping means 11 is gripping a shell 30 and, to this end, the gripping means 11 30 is opened by spacing the jaws 12 and 13 (jaws visible in Figures 2 and 8) under the action of the opening cylinder
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14. The spacing between the jaws 12 and 13 will have been previously set by the spacing cylinder 15 (cylinder visible in Figure 8) so as to adapt to the length of the shell to be gripped.
According to a step intermediate to those 5 illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 and not shown, the jaws 12 and 13 are tightened under the action of the opening cylinder 14 so that the base of the shell 30 is placed in the cavity 13a of the rear jaw 13 and that the shell warhead is placed in the front jaw 12. Thus, the shell is 10 firmly gripped by the gripping means 11.
According to Figure 4, the tilting arm 9 has performed a rotation in elevation P of an axis 32 from the preceding position for gripping the shell 30 to a transfer elevation angle. This movement is obtained by the action of 15 the cylinder 10.
According to Figure 5, the motorized base 6 and the movable pillar 7 have performed a circular movement G1 in the direction of the autoloading 51 on the second slide 20 5 of the movable plate 4. To this end, the pinion 6a, driven by its motor, has meshed with the second rack 5c of the movable plate 4.
In the same manner, according to Figure 6, the 25 movable plate 4 has performed a second circular movement G2 in the direction of the autoloading 51 thanks to the slide 3 and to the associated rack and its motorization (rack and motorization visible in Figure 1). The gripping means is placed according to an azimuth angle identical to that of 30 the autoloading of the weapon and is located above the loading pod 52 thereof (Figure 7).
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The curved slides 3c and 5c are centered on the azimuth axis 200 of the weapon so as to follow the autoloading and its pod whatever its azimuth angle. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, the autoloading is at its 5 maximum azimuth, requiring the movable plate 4 to slide to the maximum stroke allowed by the first slide 3c. Similarly, the base 6 is located at the end of the stroke of the second slide 5c. For medium azimuth angles or angles located at the other laying end, the possibility to slide 10 only the base 6, only the movable plate 4, or only one of the two, so as to align the gripping means 11 above the pod 52 which constitutes the shell releasing area, will be considered.
According to Figure 7, in order to drop off the 15 shell in the pod 52, the tilting arm 9 is lowered until dropping off the shell 30 in the pod 52, and then the jaws 12 and 13 are opened by the opening cylinder 14. The shell is thus released in the pod 52.
It will be noted that, during the shell release, 20 the opening 12a of the front jaw 12 allows the easy passage of the shell fuze without damaging interference with the jaw 12, and without requiring a spacing between the jaws 12 and 13 equivalent to the total length of the shell due to the reduced diameter of the shell at the fuze. 25
The rear jaw 13 comprises a downward opening so as not to interfere with a lug (lug not visible) for ramming the shell located in the pod 52.
Once the shell is dropped off in the pod, the loading device resumes a position located in the vicinity 30 of the shell magazine in order to anticipate the loading of
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the next round and to allow firing without interference of the breech with the device during the weapon recoil.

We CLAIMS:-
1 – Shell feeding device (1) for a weapon autoloader of an artillery piece (20), said device (1) being characterized in that it comprises: 5
at least one plate (2) securable to the frame of the artillery piece (20), said plate (2) comprising a first circular slide (3) adapted to rotate a movable pillar (7) around the piece azimuth axis (200), said movable pillar (7) comprising at one of its ends an arm (9) which can be 10 tilted in elevation by means of an actuator (8), said tilting arm (9) comprising a gripping means (11) designed to hold a shell (30), said device (1) being adapted to move the gripping means (11) from a shell gripping area to a shell releasing area. 15
2 – Shell feeding device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second plate, so-called movable plate (4), comprising a second slide (5), said second slide (5) being adapted to partially rotate the base (6) of the movable pillar (7), said second plate (4) 20 being adapted to correspondingly rotate with the first slide (3).
3 - Shell feeding device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that securing the device (1) on the frame of the piece is carried out at a trail 25 (100) of the piece (20).
4 - Shell feeding device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the shell gripping area is located at a shell magazine (16) secured to the device (1). 30
5 - Shell feeding device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the shell magazine (16) is fed by a mechanized conveyor (17).
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6 - Shell feeding device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the gripping means (11) comprises a clamp (11).