Ilillinn DD'andreu "EZZ 3Ok 35.7 S Dec
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Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 March 3, 1966 ll. Sheets-Sheet l iLillinn DD'Andreu "EZZ 3ok 35.7 s Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATERALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, 1966 ll. Sheets-Sheet 2 O Gilili LilloINVENTOR TAIndIEL E. t K rf6&s - - - - Dec. 5, 1967 G D ANDREA 3,355,988 LATERALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, 1966 ll. Sheets-Sheet 3 2NI - N2 s N F2 N 6 (V N(alN | O. N. N -S(N (N N N S. N; | N 3 NA NW NY NVENTOR NZ GiLiliulloTAIldTELl Ary 14. S. BY , & glo-all 2- / A 4-6-lu-2- Gaella- w ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATER ALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, l966 ll. Sheets-Sheet 4 Ø@, 2 )):Y ()Ø SSNo. O SN E) ROEKOEN(S. \ÐIRNYWNNWYNNNNNNNNNS GililillILDDAIldrenINVENTOR BY a :ATORNEYS Eas LATER ALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN u F. d S. INVENIOR Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATER ALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Fied March 5, 1966 ll. Sheets-Sheet 6 Z//////////// III 8 | S INVENTOR 9. N. iLIllinIDDAIldTELl BY 24, 232 °.3%,AORNEYS Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATER ALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, 1966 Sheets-Sheet 7 / 8 INVENTOR iLiliu IDDAITELl BYbe , 24-ra-A9. ":z, 2.2.2AORNEYS 2. Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATERALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LA fied March 3, l966 Sheets-Sheet 8 WWWWWWWWWWW.X\\SSSR §§ INVENTOR GiuliuIDDAIldTEL. -6-4 S. E, ea.-- 23,335.TTORNEYS 2. Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATERALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, l966 ll. Sheets-Sheet 3 2 FiOS hillinIDTAIldren.INVENTOR BY ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATER ALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN i led March , l966 ll. Sheets-Sheet lO Y AAl? 362 y s TN. N. es WX es: E. E. INVENOR iLili LIDIAITELL fia CiteSigédBY ATTORNEYS % Dec. 5, 1967 G. D'ANDREA 3,355,988 LATERALLY SLIDING BREECHBLOCK FOR LOADING LARGE CALIBER GUN Filed March 3, 966 ll. Sheets-Sheet ll HHO 1-to NVENTOR Giulin Inol Andrell B S fle/7 2. ATTORNEYS 3,355,988 United States Patent Office Patented Dec. 5, 1967 2 3,355.988 and powder charges into firing position. Furthermore, the LATERALLY SILDING BREECHBLO CSK FOR interval between successive firings is additionally increased LOADING A LARGE CALBER GUN by the time required to open the breech for entry of the Giuliano D'Andrea, Troy, N.Y., assignor to the United ammunition into the firing tube and by the time required States of America as represented by the Secretary of 5 to close and lock the breech after the ammunition has the Army been loaded into firing position. It is therefore readily ap Filed Mar. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 533,379 parent that the rate of fire of this type of gun is limited 7 Claims. (C. 89-45) by the rapidity with which the separate projectiles and powder charges can be transferred into the gun and O aligned into firing position. ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to In order to significantly increase the rate of fire of rela provide a simplified procedure for loading a large caliber tively large caliber guns of the type in which the ammuni recoiling breech gun with ammunition consisting of sepa tion consists of separately loaded projectiles and powder rate projectiles and powder charges. charges, the present invention provides a laterally slidable 5 It is an important object of this invention to increase breechblock designed to open and close the breech inde the rate of fire of a gun as aforesaid by feeding the sep pendently of the recoil and counterrecoil cycle of the gun. arate projectiles and powder charges into firing alignment A projectile loading tray is releasably connected to one simultaneously with the opening and closing of the breech. side of the breechblock for concurrent movement therewith Another object of the present invention is the provision during the opening and closing of the breech and such con 20 of an ammunition loading procedure as aforesaid wherein nection is so arranged that the breechblock is automati the advancement of the separate projectiles and powder cally freed for longitudinal movement during the recoil charges into firing alignment is accomplished by a trans and counterrecoil cycle of the gun. Thus, as the breech versely slidable breechblock during the reciprocation im block is actuated to open the breech upon the conclusion parted thereto for opening and closing the breech. of counterrecoil, the leading projectile on the loading tray 25 A further object of this invention is to provide a breech is drawn into the gun receiver into position to be pushed block as aforesaid which will serve as a firing chamber into the firing tube by a rammer mounted on the loading for the powder charge and thereby eliminate the neces tray. In addition, the breechblock is provided with a for E. for any subsequent ramming thereof into the firing wardly opening firing chamber into which a powder tube. charge can be loaded at the conclusion of the breech open 30 Still another object of the present invention is the pro ing movement thereof so that the closing of the breech will vision of a breechblock as aforesaid which can be utilized automatically position the powder charge into firing align to impart transverse movement to a loading tray for posi ment with the projectile then in the firing tube. tioning a projectile into axial alignment with the firing tube without creating subsequent interference with the lon 35 gitudinal movement required by the breechblock during This invention relates to breechloading artillery with recoil and counterrecoil. a recoiling breech adapted for the firing of ammunition It is a final object of this invention to provide ammuni consisting of separate projectiles and powder charges and tion loading means as aforesaid which will function in a is more particularly directed to improved means for com simple and positive fashion regardless of the attitude at bining the opening and closing of the breech with the 40 Which the gun is being fired. loading of the ammunition into firing position. These objects can best be achieved in a large caliber In recent years, considerable emphasis has been placed gun with a recoiling breech mechanism by utilizing the on the need for increasing the rate of fire of medium and breech opening and closing movements of a transversely heavy artillery. However, the many efforts in this direc or laterally sliding breechblock to actuate a loading tray tion have generally met with little or no success from a 45 for advancing projectiles into successive axial alignment military standpoint due to the complexity and unreliability with the firing tube. The term “transversely” used through of the mechanisms utilized to automatically load the am out the specification to describe the sliding movement of munition into firing position. This has been particularly the breechblock is intended to refer to lateral movement true in those guns wherein the ammunition therefor con only. The breech mechanism consists of a firing tube se sists of a separate projectile and powder charge which 50 cured in the forward end of a receiver which is in turn must be consecutively rammed into the breech end of slidably mounted on a stationary frame for longitudinal the firing tube subsequent to the opening of the breech. recoil and counterrecoil movement. The breechblock is In order to accomplish the entire loading operation with slidably mounted in the receiver in position to be trans a minimum of manual handling, these artillery weapons versely actuated by an external source of hydraulic power generally incorporate an automatic mechanism which ad 55 to block and unblock the breech end of the firing tube. vances the leading projectile into the feedway into axial The loading of a projectile into position to be rammed alignment with the firing tube, rams such projectile into into the firing tube is accomplished by a loading tray firing position in the interior of the tube, retracts the ram releasably connected to one side of the breechblock for ming mechanism to the original position thereof, and concurrent transverse movement therewith. The breech thereafter repeats this same series of steps in loading the 60 block is also provided with a forwardly opening firing powder charge into the firing tube up against the base of chamber which is disposed outside the receiver when the the projectile. Obviously, even if the operating time for breech is fully open to permit a powder charge to be some or all of the individual steps in this loading se loaded therein while a projectile is being rammed into quence could be reduced, the relatively large number of the breech end of the firing tube. Thus, when the breech separate operations which are involved renders it ex 65 block returns to the breech closing position thereof, the tremely difficult to produce any significant decrease in the powder charge is advanced into firing alignment with time required to repetitively load the separate projectiles the projectile then in the firing tube. 3,355,988 4. Inasmuch as the projectile loading tray is slidably of the feed lever arm after the breechblock has recoiled mounted in a feed channel which is fixedly secured to sufficiently to permit the feed slide to return to the pre the stationary frame, it is necessary that the connection actuated position thereof; between the loading tray and the breechblock permit the FIG.