Abstract:
A guide system for the recoiling mass of a gun relative to its cradle, the recoiling mass being equipped with a carrier that slides relative to sliders attached to two lateral slides. The carrier is provided with a rail incorporating a groove in which a slider is disposed. Each groove has a shape preventing the slider received therein from being extracted from it. Each slider is attached to a support. The combination of carriers and sliders is adjustable relative to the slides, by the supports, to compensate for wear.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The technical domain of the invention is that of guide systems for a recoiling mass of a gun relative to its cradle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     It is known that when guns are fired they recoil relative to the cradle on which they are mounted. This mounting arrangement is found in a trunnion-mounted gun or in a field gun. The recoiling mass is composed of the gun plus the breech ring. This mass is slidably mounted relative to the cradle and braked by hydraulic brakes for example. In this case, the cradle has two slides and the recoiling mass is attached to a carrier equipped with sliders that slide relative to the slides. Systems are known wherein the carrier/slide link is provided by a carrier&#39;s slider fastened to the cradle&#39;s slide with a pin for sliding in a groove of the carrier. In this configuration, the lateral play between the carrier and the two slides of the cradle is uncontrolled and, moreover, increases with wear. 
     The goal of the invention is to remedy this drawback by proposing a new guide system for a recoiling mass relative to slides for eliminating and zeroing the lateral play between the slides and the carrier. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a guide system for the recoiling mass of a gun relative to its cradle, the recoiling mass being equipped with a carrier that slides relative to sliders attached to two lateral slides, characterized in that the carrier is provided with a rail incorporating a groove in which the slider is disposed. The groove is provided with a shape preventing the slider from being extracted from it. Each slider is attached to a support fastened to each slide. 
     According to a first feature, the slider has two pairs of faces, each pair forming a V such that the two V&#39;s are opposite each other and are slidably received in the groove. Thus, the groove has a shape matching the shape of the slider but inverted thereto such that the grooves, having two pairs of matching faces each form an inverted V with the two V&#39;s being opposite each other for receiving the respective sliders. 
     Advantageously, the gap separating the slider and the slide is adjustable and the support of the slider is screwed to the slide by a nut screwed onto the support and held by a lock washer enabling the play between the slider and the slide to be adjusted by screwing. 
     Preferably, the slider is made of bronze, is substantially parallelepipedic in shape and has a rear bevel to facilitate placement of the recoiling mass on the slides. 
     According to another feature, the slider has a substantially rectangular orifice and a counterbore also rectangular in shape. The orifice and the counterbore having the same widths and the centers of their lengths being the same. 
     According to another feature, the support has a cylindrical shaft provided with a threaded design to receive a nut and a notch designed to lock the washer rotationally. 
     Advantageously, the support has two cylindrical faces tangentially truncated by two flats, designed to fit on the inside of the counterbore and the orifice. 
     According to another feature, the slide has a bore designed to receive the cylindrical shaft of the support and a longitudinal groove disposed opposite the flats of the cylindrical face of the support providing play between the flats and the slide. 
     Advantageously, the support can oscillate around the shaft relative to the slide, the fit between the bore of the slide and the shaft of the slider support being a sliding fit. 
     An advantage of the invention is that the lateral positioning of the carrier relative to the slides is entirely under control. As a result, the recoiling mass returns exactly to the firing position with each shot. 
     Another advantage is that the system adjusts for the play introduced by wear. 
     Another advantage is the absence of deformation by spreading of the slides. 
     Another advantage is that the wear on the sliders is uniform. 
     Another advantage is that the system allows the carrier to deform during firing. 
     Other features, details, and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from reading the description of the embodiments hereinbelow with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a section showing the slide/carrier connection in a known design, 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the carrier according to the invention, 
     FIG. 3 is a view in direction D of FIG. 2 showing a carrier equipped with the system according to the invention, 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross section showing the carrier/slide link, 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of a slider, 
     FIG. 6 is a section through a slider along line  6 — 6  in FIG. 5, 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of a slider support, 
     FIG. 8 is a view of the slider support in direction E in FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As stated above, the recoiling mass of a gun has an oscillating movement relative to the cradle. FIG. 1 shows part of a classic design in which a carrier  1  is designed to receive the gun barrel (not shown). The carrier  1  is provided with a groove  2  which receives a slider  4  fastened to slide  3  by a pin  5 . In this configuration, the inevitable wear of the slider changes the amount of play J permanently between slider  4  and groove  2 , as it is not possible to adjust independently the distance between slider  4  and groove  2 . As a result, the positioning of the recoiling mass relative to the cradle becomes inaccurate. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the mounting arrangement of carrier  15  of the claimed invention. The carrier  15  is made of a front part  15   a  and a rear part  15   b  that are connected by rails  17 . The gun barrel is not shown. 
     FIG. 3 shows, for illustration of the invention, a view of the carrier  15  surrounding the gun barrel M (not shown) wherein the carrier  15  is provided with passageways P 1 -P 4  designed to receive the hydraulic brakes of the recoiling mass. The carrier  15  is provided with two symmetrical notches  16  in which a rail  17  is held by screw  18 . Each rail  17  is provided with a groove  19  that has a guiding shape having two Vs. The groove  19 , in which the slider is introduced, traps and prevents the slider from being extracted therefrom. In radial section, groove  19  has two pairs of faces ( 20   a,    21   a ) and ( 20   b,    21   b ) each forming a V, with the two V&#39;s being opposite to and facing each other. Of course, any equivalent shape could be used, when the system according to the invention is reduced to practice, provided it traps the slider. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross section of the mounting arrangement of the carrier  15  relative to its slide  10 . Each slide supports a slider  22  attached thereto by a support  23  that is attached to the solid part  14  of the slide by means of a nut  24  screwed onto support  23  and held by a lock washer  25 . Each slider  22  is preferably made of bronze. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 show slider  22 , whose shape is substantially parallelepipedic, having two pairs of faces ( 26   a,    27   a ) and ( 26   b,    27   b ) each forming a V, with the two Vs being opposite each other. Faces ( 26   a,    27   a ) and ( 26   b,    27   b ) complementarily match the shapes of faces ( 20   a,    21   a ) and ( 20   b,    21   b ) of groove  19  of each rail  17 . Thus, when slider  22  is introduced into groove  19  on either rail  17 , the slider is trapped therein and cannot be extracted laterally therefrom. The slider also has a substantially rectangular orifice  31  and a similarly shaped counterbore  32 , the orifice and counterbore having the same widths and the centers of their lengths being the same. Slider  22  also has a rear bevel  33  designed to facilitate mounting of the recoiling mass on slides  10 . 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 show support  23  of slider  22 . It has a cylindrical shaft  28  provided with a thread  29  designed to receive nut  24  and a notch  30  designed to prevent washer  25  from rotating. Support  23  has two cylindrical faces  39  and  34  tangentially truncated by two flats  35 ,  36 . These two truncated faces  39  and  34  are designed to cooperate by fitting respectively against the interior of counterbore  32  and of orifice  31 , as shown in FIG.  4 . For this purpose, the width m between the two flats  35 ,  36  is substantially equal to the common length  1  of orifice  31  and counterbore  32 , the diameter of face  39  is substantially equal to length L 2  of counterbore  32 , and the diameter of face  34  is substantially equal to the length L 1  of orifice  31  wherein the dimensions are depicted in FIGS. 5 and 8. 
     With reference to FIG. 4, it can be seen that when slider  22  is attached to support  23  and nut  24  is tightened, carrier  15  approaches slide  10 . This leaves distance (d) between the slider and the slide, which is advantageously identical for the two slides and permits adjustment thereof 
     FIGS. 3-6 show a slider  22  having faces matching the shape of the faces of groove  19 , namely complementary V and inverted V shapes in cross section. Sliding of slider  22  in groove  19  of rail  17  then occurs with no lateral play of the carrier  15  relative to the slide  10  so that correct re-setting of the gun to the firing position occurs consistently. 
     It will be seen that the structure according to the invention does not allow the slides  10  to spread apart. 
     Any increased play J occurring due to the wearing of a slider  22  as it rubs against groove  19  may be compensated for by retightening nut  24  symmetrically relative to the slides  10  and/or to the carrier  15 . The distance (d) between the sliders and slides also compensates for this wear. 
     FIG. 4 shows that slide  10  has a bore  37  designed to receive the cylindrical shaft  28  of support  23  of the slider and also a lengthwise groove  38  disposed opposite flats  35 ,  36  of cylindrical face  34  of support  23  and providing play between the flats  35 ,  36  and the slide  10 . Since the fit between bore  37  of the slide  10  and shaft  28  of the slider support  23  is a sliding fit, when the recoiling mass recoils and returns to the firing position when firing a round, slider  22  and support  23  can oscillate around shaft  28  relative to slide  10 . This compensates for the deformation of the carrier brought about by the reverse rotational torque during firing and also facilitates the joining of the recoiling mass and the slides. This oscillation of the sliders  22  also guarantees substantially uniform wear of the sliders  22  over their entire length. Grooves  19  of the carrier  15  guide the slider&#39;s  22  recoil, conferring on the latter optimum angular positioning of the slider  22  relative to the slide  10 . This compensates for deformations of the carrier by distributing the wear over the entire length of the sliders on each occasion. As a result, the guide system has a longer service life. 
     Deformation of the carrier is limited by lengthwise groove  38  whose flanks serve as stops for flats  35 ,  36  of face  34  of support  23  by limiting the angle of rotation of the slider support  23  relative to slide  10 .