Ammunition rack for vertically standing cartridge ammunition

The invention relates to an ammunition rack for vertically storing cartridge ammunition in the ready room of the loader on the turret platform of a tank and removing the ammunition therefrom; the rack having a stay tube for centering the cartridge base and a clamping device for fastening the projectile. The clamping device can be pivoted upwardly around a turret fixed pivot by way of a holding lever upon removal of the projectile after the clamping device has been released and the ammunition unit has been removed therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In order to store vertically standing cartridged ammunition in large 
quantities, it is necessary to protect the shock sensitive combustible 
cartridge casings against damage within a comparably compact ready room of 
the loader of a tank. It is also necessary to nevertheless guarantee the 
malfunction-free removal of the ammunition from the loading device, 
particularly with successively arranged rows of ammunition. 
It is known that conventional ammunition with metal cartridges for tank 
cannons is stored in an ammunition rack in the ready room of the loader on 
the turret platform. In a battle tank, for example, the ammunition is 
vertically stored on the cartridge base in a stay tube on the storage side 
of the loader. On the projectile side each round of ammunition is held in 
position by a clamping device which pivots upwardly upon removal of each 
successive round. This type of ammunition rack and loader results in rapid 
and complex automatic handling of ammunition for delivery to the tank 
cannon under battle conditions. When cartridges having a combustible 
casing are used, it is necessary to specially protect the ammunition from 
damage or destruction due to its shock-sensitivity by way of special 
storage means. To achieve secure protection, it is common practice to 
store ammunition with combustible cassings horizontally, in special 
ammunition cans (bushings) comprising magazines, which in turn are 
arranged, for example, in the rear of the turret separate from the loading 
device. 
When vertically storing as large a number as possible of ammunition with 
combustible cassings in a ready firing condition on the loader side of the 
turret platform, in the same manner as metal casing ammunition, for 
instance on a compact turret platform of a battle tank, the conventional 
ammunition rack offers no protection against external forces for the 
combustible cartridge, casing of stored ammunition. In particular, there 
is little or no protection against unintentional impact or accidental 
damage caused by service personnel while handling the ammunition. 
Furthermore, in known clamping devices the only free space available for 
the removal of ammunition is limited in height, particularly with regard 
to rear rows of ammunition. The conventional clamping device pivots 
upwardly when used with multiple successively arranged rows of ammunition, 
and the available space for removal, transfer, and delivery of ammunition 
is limited because the lower half of the clamping device, rigidly joined 
with the holding lever, limits the height of the free space after the 
upward swivel around a turret fixed pivot. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved ammunition rack 
located in a comparably compact ready room of the turret platform of a 
tank. According to the invention, ammunition units with combustible 
casings are protectively arranged in large numbers, vertically standing, 
in an apparatus which isolates the shock sensitive cartridge casing from 
external forces and prevents their damage or destruction. It is another 
object of the invention to guarantee efficient and trouble-free removal of 
the ammunition from the rack within a compact space, as in successive rows 
of ammunition arranged in the ready room of a tank turret. 
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to the 
skilled practitioners by reference to the accompanying drawings, 
description, and claims. 
The present ammunition rack provides a clamping device and protection 
shield connected to a stay tube. These elements, and the manner in which 
they are arranged, advantageously guarantee that each ammunition unit is 
held in a secure holding position, while also insuring optimal protection 
for a combustible and shock sensitive cartridge casing. 
Another advantage of the invention is an increase in the free space 
available for the loading and unloading of rear ammunition rows. This is 
achieved by selectively pivoting the clamping device around the free end 
of a holding arm. In the upwardly pivoted position of the holding arm the 
base of the clamping device does not diagonally project into the ready 
room, as it does in known clamping devices which are rigidly attached on 
the holding arm. Instead of reducing the available space, the clamping 
device of the invention occupies a very nearly vertical position parallel 
to the holding arm. The complete ammunition rack may be arranged around an 
angle tilted towards the turret wall, which also enlarges the available 
ready room for the loader. 
The present ammunition rack is also advantageous because of the simplicity 
of its operation. While the clamping device, with manual rotation, 
automatically locks in and out of respective holding and rest positions; 
the protection shield, after unlocking by way of a foot pedal, can be 
manually turned in front of the rear rows of ammunition, to provide 
desirable protection.

Detailed Description 
FIG. 1 shows an ammunition rack 31 (FIG. 3) consisting of a clamping device 
1 and rotating stay tube 10 for the attachment of a vertically standing 
stored ammunition unit 7 within the ready room 12 in a holding position 5 
(FIG. 1). The ammunition unit 7 can be prepared as multiple purpose 
ammunition 36, or can be equipped with a subcaliber projectile 33 and a 
sabot 34 shown by dotted line outline in FIG. 1, whereby each projectile 
is mounted on the front end of a propellant charge casing 35. The 
cartridge base 32 of the propellant charge casing 35 rests upon a support 
plate 28 (FIG. 2) of a stay tube 10 centered under the ammunition unit 7 
and revolving around the longitudinal axis 14 of the ammunition unit 7, 
which, for the protection of the side 15 of the combustible cartridge 
casing 13 facing the ready room 12, is equipped with a protection shield 
11 which surrounds (encloses) the whole length and nearly half the 
circumference of the cartridge casing 13. 
Two holding clamps 37,38 (FIG. 3) of the clamping device 1, which can pivot 
outwardly, are mounted on both sides of a half dish forming the receiver 
tray 47 and serve to lockingly hold the ammunition unit 7. In a commonly 
known manner the ammunition unit 7 is held by means of a breech clasp 39 
(FIG. 3) in the holding position 5 on the projectile side, respectively, 
which can be opened for the storage or removal of the ammunition unit 7 
and which thereafter automatically swivel back to assume the holding 
position 5 via recuperator springs 40. 
The clamping device 1 is mounted inside the loader (not shown) of the ready 
room 12, for example on the turret platform of a (likewise not pictured) 
battle tank. The clamping device 1 is connected with the turret wall 30 on 
the projectile side by way of a holding lever 4. The clamping device 1 is 
thereby arranged so that it can pivot about joint 2, which is fastened to 
a bracket 3 and is disposed opposite the turret fixed pivot 9 of the 
holding lever 4. 
The clamping device 1 can be pivoted about the joint 2 from an adjustable 
position 5.1 to an adjustable storage rest position 5.1. The ammunition 
unit 7 can be moved from a corresponding storage position in which the 
ammunition is held by the clamping device 1 or for removal of stored 
ammunition 7, in particular from the successive back rows 8 (FIG. 5). 
For this purpose the bracket 3 of the holding lever 4 contains notches 
17,18, equidistant and radially oriented with respect to the joint 2, 
whereby the notch 17 is arranged on the pivot side in such a way that the 
clamping device 1 can lock into the locking position 6 lying parallel to 
the adjoining arm 16 of the holding lever 4 (FIG. 1); and the notch 18 is 
arranged on the bracket 3 on the outer side on the end of the arm 16 in 
such a way that the clamping device 1 can lock into the corresponding 
position while maintaining the holding position 5 for the ammunition unit 
7 by means of a not further illustrated detent 19, 20 (FIG. 1). 
For the purpose of locking into the notches 17,18 the clamping device 1 
contains spring detent holding devices 19,20, on two sides opposite of the 
joint 2, that the bracket 3 can be locked into via the notches 17,18 into 
two positions, angularly spaced from each other and lying in the plane of 
the longitudinal axis 14. 
The arm 4 is constructed as an elbow and consists, next to the arm section 
16, of an arm section 41 mounted on a pivot 9 and a center piece 42 
connecting the arm sections 16,41; whereby the arm section 41, in the 
holding position 5, abuts against a plate 45 on the turret wall side by 
way of its stop 44 and is secured by way of a pin 43 which can be locked 
in. In the lock-in position 6 the arm section 41 abuts against the plate 
45 which is likewise held by the pin 43 and by a clamping device 46. 
The ammunition rack 31 and the stay tube 10 can be arranged in such a way 
in the ready room or chamber 12 that the middle axis 14 of the ammunition 
unit 7 is preferably inclined with respect to a plane 29 which is 
perpendicular with respect to the turret basket bottom 48 making an angle 
.alpha. therewith which is preferably smaller than 5.degree.. 
FIG. 2 illustrates in detail the construction of the stay tube 10 which is 
connected to the turret basket wall 49 (FIG. 3) and is rotatable about the 
longitudinal axis 14. The stay tube 10 is connected in a non-illustrated 
matter in its upper region with the protective shield 11 and in its lower 
region is ridigly connected with the bearing ring 22 by means of screws 
58, whereby the bearing ring 22 is rotatably mounted on its inner side on 
a radial bearing 50 disposed between the receiving upper portion 28 and 
the receiving lower portion 21 of the stay tube 10. The receiving upper 
portion 28 is centered by means of a bushing 51 with respect to the 
receiving lower portion 21. The bearing ring 22 contains on the periphery 
of its bottom side 25 a plurality of evenly distributed grooves 23 which 
extend radially from the side 15 and are spaced equiangularly at an angle 
.beta. from each other, which is preferably 90.degree. (FIG. 4). The 
grooves 23 extend radially with respect to the longitudinal axis 14 and 
are adapted tto operatively receive the upper portion of a foot lever 24 
mounted on the lower portion 21. By actuating the foot lever 24, a safety 
position is released in the groove 23, so that the protective shield 11 
can be manually turned, preferably about 90.degree., respectively 
180.degree. about the longitudinal axis 14 in the direction of the turret 
basket wall 29, until such rotation is limited by non-illustrative stops 
when the shield has exactly reached a predetermined end position. 
The upper surface 26 of the receiving portion 21 is constructed in such a 
way that it forms a skewed plane; an inclination is achieved as well with 
respect to the longitudinal axis 14 of the ammunition 7, as well as with 
respect to a rubber surface 27 and the turret basket 
fixed-receiving-portion 21 which bears on the receiving portion 28, as 
well with respect to the middle axis of the rotatable stay tube 10 and 
protection shield 11 and bearing ring 22 relative to the longitudinal axis 
14. Such arrangement enlarges the free space of the ready chamber 12 and 
such inclination is determined by means of the angle of inclination 
.alpha. with respect to the plane 29. 
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the stay tube 10 is bilaterally secured to the 
turret basket wall 49 via guide members 54 and is fixable by a 
non-illustrated-in-detail catch 55. Spring legs 56 are supported on the 
turret basket bottom 48 (FIG. 1) which favor the removability of the stay 
tube 10 from the guide grooves after the catch 55 has been manually 
disengaged. 
As can be particularly seen from FIG. 5, the position of the side 15 of 
each ammunition unit 7 which is to be protected can be changed by the 
position of the loader in the ready chamber 12; the protective shield 11 
is mounted in all cases of the inner row of stored ammunition units 7 in 
the holding position 5 (FIG. 1) so as to confront the loader. FIG. 3 
illustrates such an arrangement of ammunition holder 31. For achieving a 
mutually parallel arrangement of the holder levers 4 and the mounting 
arrangement bracket 57, the supports 55 are individually adapted to the 
circularly shaped turret wall curvature. 
The foot lever 24 which has an upper portion engaging in a groove 23 while 
in the holding position 5 (FIG. 1) is also illustrated in FIG. 4. 
Depending on the position of the side 15 which is to be protected, 
ammunition units 7 during loading and removal have a protective shield 
which is rotatable about the angle .beta.=90.degree., respectively, 
.beta.=180.degree. in the direction toward the turret wall 30. 
Although the invention is described and illustrated with reference to a 
single embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is is 
no way limited to the disclosure of such preferred embodiment but is 
capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.