Abstract:
An apparatus for storing anti-tank ammunition including a tube with a first cap disposed at a first end of the tube, and a second cap disposed at a second opposing end of the tube. The first cap includes a one-way valve which allows gas to escape the tube, but which prevents gas from entering the tube. The apparatus reduces the amount of corrosion which forms on the ammunition, thereby substantially lowering the number of backfires of the ammunition.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to ammunition, and in particular, a system for protecting anti-tank ammunition from corrosion. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Many defensive vehicles carry ammunition or rounds which are fired from the vehicle during a combat situation. For example, tanks often carry various rounds which are stored within the tank prior to being fired from a gun turret of the tank. 
     One example of a round carried by most tanks is a 105 millimeter (mm) anti-tank round. An exemplary anti-tank round  10  is shown in FIG.  1 . The round  10  includes two basic parts: a shell casing  20  and a uranium dart tip  30 . The uranium dart tip  30  is bonded to the shell casing  20  by a lead packing material  40 . 
     Tanks which carry rounds, such as round  10  described above, often include metal (e.g. steel) tubes disposed therein for carrying the rounds when they are not in use. FIG. 2 shows a conventional ammunition storage system  15  which includes a metal tube  50  for storing an ammunition round, such as round  10 . The metal tube  50  is preferably mounted to the inner wall of the tank so that the tube is disposed parallel to the floor of the tank, as shown by the arrow in FIG.  2 . Rounds, such as the anti-tank round  10  described above, are initially placed into the metal tube  50  by sliding a dart end  11  of the round into a rear end  52  of the tube. The round  10  is then moved forward in the metal tube  50  until the dart end  11  of the round extends from a front end  51  of the tube. The round  10  remains stored in the metal tube  50  until it is needed for firing from the gun turret of the tank. When the round  10  is needed for firing, it is removed from the tube  50  in the same manner in which it was inserted. 
     A problem associated with the above ammunition storage system  15  is that galvanic corrosion often occurs on the rounds  10  while they are disposed in the tank due to the temperature difference between the interior tank walls and the inside air temperature of the tank. The cool walls present inside the tank as compared to the warm air present inside the tank often causes condensation to form inside the tank. This condensation causes galvanic corrosion to form at the point of the rounds where the uranium dart tip  30  and the shell casing  20  come together (i.e. where the lead packing material  40  is located). When rounds  10  with significant corrosion are attempted to be fired from the gun turret of the tank, the gun turret will backfire, causing damage to the interior of the tank and its occupants. 
     Thus, there is currently a need for a system for protecting anti-tank rounds from corrosion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an apparatus including a tube with a first cap disposed at a first end of the tube, and a second cap disposed at a second opposing end of the tube. The first cap includes a one-way valve which allows gas to escape the tube, but which prevents gas from entering the tube. 
     The above and other advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a conventional anti-tank round. 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a conventional ammunition storage system for the anti-tank round of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of an ammunition storage system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG.  4 ( a ) is a side elevational view of a front cap of the ammunition storage system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG.  4 ( b ) is a side elevational view of a rear cap of the ammunition storage system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an ammunition storage and protection system  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a metal tube  150  which includes a front cap  110  and a rear cap  120 . The metal tube  150  is preferably substantially cylindrical with an interior portion capable of storing an ammunition round  10 , such as the one shown in FIG. 1 of the present application. The front cap  110  is preferably substantially cone-shaped with an annular groove  111  (see FIG.  4 ( a )) which fits over a front end  151  of the metal tube. The front cap  110  includes a one-way check valve  140  which prevents gas (e.g. air) from entering the metal tube  150 , but which allows air to escape the tube. The rear cap  120  is preferably a substantially cylindrical member which fits over the rear end  152  of the metal tube  150 . The rear cap  120  also includes an annular groove  121  which fits onto the rear end  152  of the metal tube  150 . The front  110  and rear  120  caps are preferably made of plastic, but may be made of any suitable material known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the front  110  and rear  120  caps are made of a static electric charge reducing material and/or a corrosion reducing material (e.g., a material produced under the trademark STATIC INTERCEPT by Engineered Materials, Inc. of Buffalo Grove, Ill. 60089). 
     FIG.  4 ( a ) shows a side elevational view of the front cap  110 . As can be seen, the front cap  110  includes members  115  extending from one side thereof for forming the annular groove  111 . As stated above, the annular groove  111  assists in affixing the front cap  110  to the metal tube  150  which holds the ammunition round  10 . 
     FIG.  4 ( b ) shows a side elevational view of the rear cap  120 . As can be seen, the rear cap  120  includes members  125  extending from one side thereof for forming the annular groove  121 . As stated above, the annular groove  121  assists in affixing the front cap  120  to the metal tube  150  which holds the ammunition round  10 . 
     Existing conventional metal tubes  50 , such as the one shown in FIG. 2 of the present application, can be modified to create a ammunition storage and protection system  100  as described above. For example, a conventional metal tube  50  can be modified by sliding the front cap  110  through the tube from the rear side  52 . As the front cap  110  is pushed through the tube  50  and emerges from the front side  51  of the tube, the annular groove  111  of the front cap slides over the rim of the front end  51  of the tube and is engaged thereby. Alternatively, the front cap  110  may be pressed onto the front side of the tube from the front side. Then, once the round  10  has been loaded into the tube  50 , the rear cap  120  may be affixed to the tube by pressing it against the rear end  52  of the tube so that the annular groove  121  engages (slides over) the rim of the rear end of the tube. 
     In operation, the ammunition storage and protection system  100  is disposed in a tank or other defensive vehicle. To begin the loading process, the rear cap  120  is removed from one of the metal tubes  150  disposed in the tank. Then, a round  10  is pushed into the tube  150  from the rear side  152  towards the front side  151 , with the front end of the round facing the front cap  110 . Once the round  10  has bee inserted completely in the metal tube  150 , the rear cap  120  is replaced. As the round  10  is being inserted, the one-way check valve allows gas (e.g. air) to escape the metal tube, thereby removing excess gas from the tube and preventing the front cap from becoming dislodged due to the force of gas through the tube during insertion. The removal of gas from the tube  150  significantly reduces the condensation which occurs in the tube  150 , and thus significantly reduces corrosion of the round  10 . Additionally, the front  110  and rear  120  caps substantially prevent condensation occurring inside the tank from entering the tube  150  during storage, and thereby causing corrosion of the round  10 . When the round  10  is required to be loaded into the tank gun, the rear cap  120  is removed and the round is extracted from the tube  150  and placed into the gun. Accordingly, the round  10  is protected from condensation and other external elements which can cause corrosion at all times during storage in the tank. Hence, the ammunition storage and protection system  100  of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention substantially reduces corrosion of rounds which are stored therein, and thus significantly reduces or eliminates the possibility of a backfires. 
     Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.