US2702108A - Cartridge chute - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 15, 1955.

c. P. TAYLOR CARTRIDGE CHUTE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 13 1951 INVHVTOR. CLARENCE P. TAYLOR ATTORNEY Feb.- 15,1955: c. P, TAYLOR I l CARTRIDGE CHUTE 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 F iled Nov. 15; 1951' FIG. 6

INVENTOR. v CLARENCE R TAYLOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,792,108 CARTRIDGE CHUTE Clarence P. Taylor, Manhattan Beach, Calif., assignor to North American Aviation, Inc.

Application November 13, 1951, Serial No. 255,999

8 Claims. (Cl. 193-25) This invention pertains to a chute for empty cartridges ejected from an automatic machine gun.

It is presently the practice to collect empty cartridge cases which have been ejected from a machine gun mounted on air planes, tanks, and the like. 0

Since the container for receiving these cases is usually located in a place remote from the gun, it is necessary to use a chute for conducting the cases from the gun to the container. The chute can be constructed of ordinary rigid tubing where straight runs and simple bends are concerned. However, flexible chuting is necessary where compoundbends are required, or between an adjustably mounted machine gun and rigid tubing carried by a fixed part of a supporting structure, and the like.

Ordinarily the container for receiving the empty cartridge cases is so placed that the cases will be fed to it by the force of gravity. However, when chutes are used on airplanes it is possible that the gun may be fired with the airplane in an inverted position and being accelerated by an amount which would require a force to be exerted on the empty cartridge by an amount which is several times the force exerted by gravity. In other words, the empty cases may have to be moved upwardly against a force amounting to seven or eight tunes the forge of gravity and commonly referred to as seven or ei t s.

It is also necessary that the cartridge cases do not jam in the chute, either because of too sharp a bend in the installation thereof or on account of the necked-down portion of the cartridge forcing its way alongside of the base of the preceding cartridge.

It is also necessary that the flexible chuting be sufficiently strong to withstand the forces accompanying the firing of a machine gun and the forcing of empty cartridge cases into a remotely positioned container under extreme negative g conditions such as those encountered in acrobatic maneuvers of an airplane.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a flexible chute which readily obtains compound bends.

It is another-object of this invention to provide a flexible chute which automatically limits any bending thereof beyond that which will satisfactorily pass successive empty cartridges.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a chute of connected sectors of light construction which are easy to manufacture and assemble.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a chute which is light in weight, strong and durable, and readily connectible to rigid chuting.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a flexible chuting which may be readily assembled and disassembled for purposes of repair or for relocating the machine guns.

Other objects of invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is an elevational view of the machine gun with a section of flexible chuting attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view showing the details of applicants chute;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an isomeric view of the parts of a sector prior to assembly;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the outer portion of the sector; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the truncated conical section is formed.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in Fig. 1 an automatic machine gun referred to generally as 1 provided with a breech block mechanism 2 adapted to force an empty cartridge case 3 into chute 4 for conducting the same to a container 5 or to a rigid chute connected to a more remotely located container.

The chute 4, comprising the subject matter of the present invention, is composed generally of a hollow truncated conical member 6 and a band member 7. Member 7, comprising generally a strip of material of somewhat heavier gauge than the material of the conical portion 6, is provided with reinforcing portions 8, tongue portions 9, and eye portions 10.

Prior to attaching band member 7 to conical member 6, portions referred to generally as 11 are displaced laterally, or raised with respect to portions 8 and the remaining portions of the band by stamping or the like, so as to be spaced from the conical member when the band proper is attached thereto. Tongue portions 9 are bent either outwardly or inwardly so as to be received in eyes 10 of adjoining sectors. Portions 11 are provided with circular cutouts 12 to lighten the structure, provide flexibility, and also to provide an opening for inserting a tool to assist in disassembling the chute. To form the individual sectors comprising applicants chute, the band 7, which is made slightly conical to conform with portion 6, is attached to the conical portion 6 with the extreme end portions 8 thereof overlapping at the junction of the adjoining edges 14 of member 6 and attached thereto by spot-welding or the lik The remaining portions 8 are likewisespot-welded to the conical portion 610 result in a sector composed of member 6 to which member 7 is attasched by spot-welding thereto the reinforcing portions Successive sectors may be attached by placing bent tongues or hooks 9 in corresponding eyes 10, and the lower conical portion of member 6 in the upper conical portion of an adjacent member 6. This results in a nesting of the conical portions with freedom for limited universal movement about any axis. The ends of members 8 limit the nesting of the conical portions and also limit the radius of bend of the flexible chute.

The lower meeting edge portion 14 of conical member 6 below the overlapped portions of member 8 are unattached to provide a chute of greater flexibility. The upper sector of the chute preferably is provided only with eyelets 10 for connecting to the lower sector, the tongue portion 9 being omitted. This upper sector may also be provided with a pair of connectors 13 for attachment to the machine gun.

When used in combination with rigid tubing the lower conical portion of the member 6 may be placed in the rigid tubing without attachment thereto, thereby providing a greater freedom of movement of the chuting with respect to the machine gun.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention each sector is provided with three sets of books and eyes 9 and 10, and three reinforcing portions. The three reinforced portions are made up of four portions 8, two of which are overlapped at the juncture at the edges of member 6 above the meeting edges at 14. This arrangement provides a chute of great flexibility and strong durable structure, which is easy to manufacture and assemble or disassemble.

One of the important features of the invention is that a radius of bend smaller than a minimum required to pass empty cases, or a live cartridge where required, cannot be obtained, regardless of whether the chute is extended or contracted. In other words, if the chute is contracted into a more closely nested position, it is not possible to obtain a radius which will fail to pass empty cartridges. Likewise, with the chute extended to a greater extent in some portions thereof than in others and bent in compound curves, there still results, on account of the conical nesting and the cooperation of portions 8 on successive sectors, a limiting of the bending of the chute so that it is impossible to obtain a bend that will prevent the free passa e of empty cartridge cases.

Al ough the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible chute for machine guns or the like comprising a plurality of sectors, each of which is composed of a hollow truncated conical portion and a band portion attached thereto at the upper end thereof; said band portion comprising three reinforcing elements secured to said conical portion, at spaced locations on the periphery of said conical portion and three hook and eye' means intermediate said reinforcing elements.

2. A flexible chute comprising a plurality of sectors, each of which is composed of an inner hollow truncated conical portion and an outer band portion attached thereto at the upper end thereof; said band portion comprising three reinforcing elements secured to said conical portion, at spaced locations on the periphery of said conical portion and three intermediate elements offset with respect to said reinforcing elements so as to be spaced from said conical portion; said intermediate elements being provided with oppositely extending tongues and recesses.

3. A flexible chute comprising a plurality of sectors, each of which is composed of a portion formed of a blank of material in the shape of a hollow truncated cone, and an outer band portion; said band portion comprising spaced reinforcing elements secured to said conical portion at spaced locations on the periphery of said conical portion and intermediate elements provided with oppositely extending tongues and recesses, said conical portions nesting with freedom for universal axial adjustment within limits permitted by said reinforcing elements.

4. A flexible chute comprising a plurality of sectors, each of which is composed of a portion formed of a blank of material in the shape of a hollow truncated cone with 4 the meeting edges of the blank slightly spaced apart, and an outer band portion, said band portion comprising spaced reinforcing elements, two of which overlap at the meeting edges of said conical portion and secured to said conical portion, and elements intermediate said reinforcing elements and provided with oppositely extending tongues and recesses.

5. A chute as defined in claim 4 in which said intermediate elements are offset with respect to said reinforcing elements and spaced from said conical portion when said band is connected to the conical portion.

6. A flexible chute for cartridges comprising a plurality of sectors, each of which is composed of an inner hollow, generally cylindrical-shaped portion and an outer band portion comprising a plurality of spaced reinforcing elements secured to the upper part of said conical portion, and intermediate elements provided with oppositely extending hook and eye means for connecting successive sectors; said eye means being of suflicient size to permit relative movement between said sectors, and said reinforcing elements being of such a length as to limit relative movement of said sectors to avoid jamming of cartridges through said chute.

7. A chute as recited in claim 6 in which said inner portions are hollow, truncated,-nested cones.

8. A chute as recited in claim 6 in which the diameter of said chute is less than the combined diameters of the base and nose of a cartridge adapted to pass therethrough, and the radius of bend is suificiently great to pass a live cartridge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images