US3351010A - Air-dropped segmental line explosive charge - Google Patents

Description

' Original Filed-Aug. 15, 1956 N 7. 1967 R. E. AINSLIE ETAL 3,35

AIR-DROPPED SEGMENTAL LINE EXPLOSIVE CHARGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 93 @1 9.

Fig. '2

INVENTORS ROBERT E. AINSLIE PAUL COMISAROW BLANCHARD HUTCHINS Nov. 7, 1967 R. E. AINSLIE ETAL 3,351,010

AIR-DROPPED SEGMENTAL LINE EXPLOSIVE CHARGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 15, 1956 INVENTORS ROBERT E. AINSLIE PAUL COMISAROW- BLANCHARD S. HUTCHINS United States Patent ()fifice 3,35 1,0 l Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,351,010 AIR-DROPPED SEGMENTAL LINE EXPLOSIVE CHARGE Robert E. Ainslie, Glenside, Paul Comisarow,

and Blanchard S. Hutchins, Warrington, Pa, assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Original application Aug. 15, 1956, Ser. No. 604,292, now Patent No. 3,064,568, dated Nov. 20, 1962. Divided and this application Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,478

. 1 'Claim. (Cl. 102-4) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a segmented line explosive charge andmore particularly to a segmented line explosive charge which is dispensed in a fully extended attitude from an aircraft in flight.

' Previous devices for exploding paths through mine fields required personnel to approach the mined area and carryout a procedure which was highly susceptible to interference by opposing forces. These devices are especially disadvantageous when the mined or otherwise obstacled area is a beach and surprise is an important element in the assault.

The present invention utilizes airborne apparatus which when properly carried and dropped into a target area will quickly and efficiently blow a path therethrough. It utilizes an explosive line charge coiled up in an airborne container which upon release from an altitude of about 500 feet begins to dispense the line charge. The line charge is provided with an arrangement of parachutes for maintaining the charge in an extended position during its fall and landing in the given target area for insuring proper blasting.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 604,292, filed Aug. 15, 1956, now US. Patent No. 3,064,- 568 for a Stabilized Line Dispensing Device.

An object of the present invention is to provide aerial dropped apparatus for exploding a path through a mined area.

A further object is the provision of anovel arrangement for attaching an elongated member to one or more parachutes.

A. further object is a method of preparing an extended line charge or other articulated longitudinally extending element and dispensing same aerially for free flight While maintaining an extended attitude.

Another object of the invention is the provision of aerial apparatus for maintaining a line of up to 300 feet in length in a straight and extended attitude during free fall.

A further object is to provide apparatus for containing and dispensing line charges of up to 300 feet in length while in flight.

The exact nature of this invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification relating to the annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the line dispensing device in its position in free flight with the line charge fully extended;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentaryview of portions of the line charge shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view along line 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view along line 44 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates line dispensing container in free flight with line charge 16 fully extended and parachutes 12 and 12 mounted thereon. Container 10 maintains a nose-up position during its fall through space because of Dresher,

the action of a pair of parachutes 13, explained further below. The rear of container 10 is shown without a tail cone since the latter is discarded before release of line charge 16. Line charge 16 extends from the rear outlet of container 10 and is connected to the interior of the latter at its front end by a tie line 18. Line 18 and line charge 16 are connected by a mechanical linkage 20. The rear of line charge 16 is connected by linkage 22 with a leader rope 24 having a release parachute 12'. Rope 24 terminates in a metal bushing 124 serving a purpose to be described further below. Parachutes 12 mounted along the length of line charge 16 are equispaced and are mounted with charge 16 passing through central openings in the parachute canopies. These parachutes provide proper braking action so that during the fall of container 10 with line 16 extending therefrom, the latter will land in a fully extended attitude and permit an elongated explosive elfect in the designated target area.

The container 10 is formed of a removable faired nose section 36, a main body section 38 and a removable faired tail section or cone, not shown. Central section 38 has a central bulged portion 42 for structural purposes. Mounted along the rear of central section 38 are four fins 44, which serve the function of maintaining a general axial alignment of container 10 during the period immediately following the drop from the aircraft to prevent container 10 from coming into contact with any portion of the aircraft, and also a general, proper orientation during free fall. A pair of structural members, not shown, joining fins 44 provide structural rigidity.

The line charge 16 is coiled in the forward end of container 10 and this coiling, although not illustrated, is continued for the whole length of container 10 in order to accommodate approximately 300 feet of line charge and parachutes 12 which are equi-spaced along the length of the former.

Parachutes 13 are connected 106 to a riser belt 107 terminating in bracketed straps 110 mounted on top of container 10. When the tail cone is released, parachutes 13 are whipped out by the airstream and inflated, thereby extending out in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1.

The details of line charge 16 and the parachutes mounted thereon are shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Linecharge through their shroud lines 16 is provided at its forward and rear ends with connect ing linkages 20 and 22, respectivelyjTie rope '18, which should be at least as long as the length of container 10 when extended, is terminated at its forward end around bushing 84, FIG. 2, which is pivotally mounted Within the nosev section 36 of the container 10 and at its rear end in linkage 20. A shock line 134, for a purpose to be explained below may also be used, and if so, is also tied at its ends to bushing 84 and linkage 20. Shock line 134 would be shorter in length than tie cord 18. A leader core 24, carrying leader parachute 12' is tied at its ends to linkage 22 and a bushing 124.

Line charge 16 is composed of segmental portions 144 of explosive composition material, FIG. 4, placed together in semi-circular segments and enclosed in heavy duty nylon covers 146. The composition segments 144 have a opening 147 providing for a central nylon core 148 and detonating cords 150, at least in the forward portion of line charge 16.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how parachutes 12 spaced at equal intervals along charge 16 may be attached. Every other shroud line 152 is terminated in a loop 154 in the annular groove 156 formed between adjacent segments of line charge 16. Loops 154 are circumferentially arranged in groove 156 While the ends of the other shroud lines 152 are brought to complete the loops by stitching 157. One or more heavy duty nylon cords 158 are then passed 3 through loops 154 and tied or clamped in any known fashion, thereby locking shroud lines 152 in place. The canopy of parachute 12 is provided with a central opening 160 and an annular skirt 162 therein for supporting a plurality of rope loops 164 se'wed in with skirt 162 to the canopy. A heavy duty nylon cord 166 pulled once or twice through loops 164 insure that the canopy is locked in place, preferably in the annular groove between segments of line charge 16. An opening closalble with a zip per 168 in the canopy extending through skirt 162 to the outer canopy edge permits easy mounting of parachutes 12. Zipper pull 170 may be locked in place by pulling cord 166 through an opening therein. The ends of cord 166 may be tied or locked together in any known manner.

The operation of the line dispensing apparatus described above is as follows:

Container housing the coils of line charge 16 is releasably mounted to the underside of the fuselage or 'wing of the aircraft delivering said device.

At the instant of release, the tail cone is ejected to the rear and away from container 10. Immediately following this action, parachutes 13 become caught in the slip stream and become fully engaged. Parachutes 13 act to brake container 10 from the point where brackets 110 are rigidly connected to the top of container 10, just to the rear of the center of gravity of the device. This will insure that container 10 will ride in a nose-up position during the descent. This is desirable because a fuze in container 10 should not be detonated before line charge 16 is fully engaged with the ground, in order to obtain most efficient blasting. As container 10 continues its flight and descent, the slip stream acting on parachutes 12' forces unwinding of line 16 with its parachutes 12 mounted thereon. When line charge 16 is fully extended, shock line 134 absorbs the shock by breaking. Tie cord 18 is then easily capable of absorbing the remaining shock and holding line charge 16 in connection with container 10 during the remainder of their descent together.

When all the lines become fully extended, container 10 and line charge 16 assume the attitude shown in FIG. 1. Container 10 is the last member to settle to the ground, and the fuze after a suitable time delay following release of container 10 from the aircraft, detonates the explosive segments of line charge 16. In this manner, the explosion produced is most effective in blasting an extended path or ditch through any obstacled area, and detonating any line ground mines which may exist in the area.

In summary, the device described above provides for a line charge or other line element to be delivered by air to ground in a given target area in such a manner that a line up to 300 ft. in length may be landed fully extended in order to blow a path through a mine field or other obstacled area.

While the novel arrangements and methods have been described in connection with the dispensation of line explosive charges for military use, it is apparent that they may have broader application to dispensing generally and for landing extended elements for other more general purposes, as for example, laying communications cable or making topographical studies.

Since certain changes in this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

An air-dropped mine detonating device for clearing a path along the surface of a mined field, comprising: a plurality of segments of explosive composition, means connecting said segments in tandem arrangement to form a flexible line charge and forming by the separation of each pair of adjacent segments a plurality of annular grooves at spaced intervals along its length, a plurality of parachutes each having shroud lines and a canopy, said shroud lines being drawn respectively into selected ones of said grooves and sewed into loops, a tie rope in said selected ones slipped through said loops for fixing said shroud lines to said line charge, each of said canopies having a central opening through which said line charge passes, means fixing said parachute at said central opening to selected others of said grooves using a plurality of loops and a tie rope, and weight means connected at the end of said line charge opposite the concave portions of said parachute; whereby when said device is launched from an aircraft in substantially horizontal flight said.

device will remain in a substantially extended and horizontal attitude throughout its descent to the mined field.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner.

ARTHUR M. HORTON, SAMUEL FEINBERG, SAM- UEL BOYD, Examiners.

P. G. BETHERS, Asis'istant Examiner.

Images