SUBMARINE WEAPON DOLLY WITH SELF-STOWING BANDS

Abstract: A weapon dolly is disclosed for use in a submarine to handle weapons such as torpedos or the like. The dolly inclu­ des a base section having an arcuate weapon supporting sur­ face formed from light composite material having a recess formed therein. A composite arcuate band is movable be­ tween a weapon clamping position above the base section and a stowed position slidably received within the base sec­ tion below the weapon supporting surface. Arcuate links and clamp means with an associated positive locking mechanism are provided for clamping the weapon between the band and the base and for quickly releasing the weapon for movement into a launching tube or the like.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a weapon handling dolly, and more particularly relates to a plurality of lightweight dollies movably mountable in a submarine, each dolly having a securing band for securing a weapon thereto. Description of the Prior Art Weapon dollies currently being used in submarines for handling weapons such as torpedos, mines, and missiles or the like are provided to secure the weapon to the submarine and to transport the weapons along tracks for transfer into a selected launching tube. Five dollies are provided to support each weapon and each dolly is moved by conventional power assist means in the submarine, aided by four to six men, to move the dollies along tracks in order to place the dollies in position to receive a weapon, and to move the weapon into position to be stored or loaded into a selected launch tube. Each prior art weapon dolly is of two piece construction and includes a dolly body and a lashing strap having a total weight of about 63 kg (140 pounds). The two pieces of the prior art weapon dolly must be handled manually, and must be stowed as separate pieces when not in use. A published prior art that is of interest is US-A-4 184 801. It discloses a dual loading and stowage apparatus for handling a pair of cylindrical bodies, such as a pair of missiles, torpedoes, or projectiles. The apparatus comprises an elongated base on which the pair of bodies can be stowed in side-by-side relationship. Stowage is brought about by means of a pair of elongated trays pivotally mounted on the base, there being one tray for each of the two bodies. The trays are laterally slidable on the base so that the trays can be selectively moved between an off-loading setting and a stowage setting; the pivoting means serving to allow the trays to be moved between downward and upward settings. Each tray is provided with a plurality of flexible straps by means of which the body thereon can be secured in position. When the plurality of straps have been placed over a body on a tray a shaft arrangement enables all of the flexible straps to tightened simultaneously. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The weapon handling dolly of the present invention is as defined in the accompanying Claim 1. The features of Claim 1 that are already known from US-A-4 184 801 appear in the pre-characterizing part of the claim. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective of the dolly of the present invention shown in the weapon clamping position., Figure 2 is an elevation of the dolly looking in the direction of arrows 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2 looking in the direction of arrows 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a section taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3 illustrating the metal and composite portions of the dolly with the weapon securing band in the weapon securing position. Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 but with the band shown in full and with the band unclamped from the weapon and rotated into its inoperative position stowed in the dolly. Figure 6 is an enlarged operational view showing one of the band clamping mechanisms in two operative positions. Figure 7 is a diagrammatic perspective of a weapon clamped within five dollies. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Each weapon dolly 20 (Figs. 1-3) of the present invention comprises a body or base 22 having a generally concave or arcuate weapon supporting surface 24 formed from a light weight composite material 25 that is secured to a steel frame 26 slidaly supported on a track 28 secured to the floor of the submarine (not shown). A substantially semicylindrical or arcuate band 30 formed from composite material is provided with a pair of arcuate slots 32 (only one shown in Figure 1) to slidably receive the free ends of a plurality of guide pins 34 secured to the composite body 22. The band 30 is movable between a weapon clamping position illustrated in figures 1-4 and a stowed position within a recess 38 illustrated in Figure 5. A pair of arcuate links 40 having second arcuate grooves or slots 41 therein (Figs. 1-3) are formed from composite material and are pivotally connected to each end of the band 30 by pivot pins 42. The free ends of each link 40 has a clamping pin 44 secured thereto for receiving associated hooks 46 of band latching assemblies 48 when the bands secure a weapon W (Fig. 7) to the body of the dolly 20. As best shown in Figures 3 and 4, each band latch assembly 48 comprises the hook 46 which has a threaded shank 52 that extends through a hole in the upper wall of a link 54 and is adjustably connected thereto by a nut 56. The link includes a hub or cam follower 58 with is rotatably received on an eccentric cam 60 that is secured to a shaft 62. The shaft is journaled in the steel frame 26 of the body 22. Each eccentric cam 60 has a pair of locking slots 66 therein which are engaged by a pair of cam hooks 68 (fig. 3) of a latch arm assembly 70 when the hooks 46 are in clamping engagement with the associated pin 44 and when the eccentric cams 60 are positioned to maintain the band latch assemblies in their lowermost position all as indicated in Figure 4. Each latch arm assembly 70 is pinned to a shaft 72 which is journaled in the steel frame 26 and has a release lever 74 secured to the outer end of the shaft. When the band latching assemblies 48 are in their latched positions as illustrated in Figure 4, it will be noted that each eccentric cam 60 is latched in its lowermost position and that the hub 58 contacts an abutment 75 of the steel frame 26 thereby preventing rotation of the cams in either direction. In order to assure that the hooks 68 cannot be accidentally released unless the dolly 20 is moved to a predetermined weapon receiving or releasing position, a latch locking mechanism 76 (Figs. 4-5) is provided. The latch locking mechanism 76 includes a pair of rods 78, each having a shoe 80 on its outer end which is urged against a heel 82 on the associated latch arm assembly 70 by a spring 84. Each spring is disposed between a collar 86 pinned to the associated rod 78 and a flange 88 of the composite body 22. The inner ends of the rods 78 are pivotally connected to links 90, 92; and the two links are pivotally connected to a locking pin 98. The locking pin 98 is slidably received in an annular guide 104 rigidly secured to the bottom of the steel frame 26 and slidably received in the conventional track 28 secured to the floor of the submarine (not shown). A pin 107 extends through a slot 110 in the locking pin 98 and is secured to the annular guide 104 to limit the amount of vertical movement of the locking pin 98. The annular guide 104 and a pair of linear guides 109 secured by the frame 26 cooperate to guide the dolly 20 when moved along the track 28. As illustrated in Figure 4, the springs 84 normally hold the bottom of the locking pin above the bottom of the track 28. The bottom of the track thus prevents the locking pin 98 from moving downwardly thereby maintaining the hooks 68 in the locking slot 66 of the associated cams 60. However, when the dolly 20 is moved along the track 28 to a weapon loading, unloading, or storing position the locking pin 98 becomes positioned over a hole 108 in the floor or bottom of the track 28. The handles 74 are then moved upwardly by any suitable means such as hydraulic cylinders from the locking position illustrated in Figure 1 to positions which disconnect the hooks 68 from the slots 66 in the eccentric cam 60 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 6. The eccentric cams 60 are then free to rotate away from the abutments 75 in response to an operator rotating shafts 62 (Figure 5) upwardly out of engagement with the pins 44. The band 30 and one arcuate link 40 are then manually rotated into the recess 38 to their stowed position as shown in Figure 5. A spring loaded band lock 110 (Figs. 1 and 2) is secured to the composite material 25 of the body 22 and include a pin 112 which is spring urged into a hole 114 (Fig. 1) in the band 30 to lock the band in centered position when stowed in the base 22 as shown in Figure 5. In operation, the weapon dollies 20 of the present invention are positioned to receive the weapon when their bands 30 are stowed within the recess 38 in the composite material of the associated concave bodies 22. As illustrated in Figure 7, five dollies are preferably used for supporting the weapon W. The weapon is then placed in the body with the aid of a hoist or the like (not shown). One or more operators then release the spring loaded lock pins 110 (Fig. 2) and rotate the bands out of the recess 38 in each dolly 20 and rotate the handle 74 out of the illustrated locking position (Fig. 1) thereby releasing the hook 68 from the locking slots 66 in the eccentric cams 60 if not already unlocked. The operators then connect the hooks 46 onto the associated pins 44 by raising the hooks thereby rotating the eccentric cams 180° from the positions illustrated in Figure 4, and then pivot the hooks 46 inwardly over the pins 44. Assuming that the nuts 56 (Fig. 3) on the hook spindles are already adjusted into proper position for clamping the weapon W, the operator merely rotates shafts 62 (Fig. 6) to rotate cam 60 until the latch arm locking hooks 68 engage the cam slots 66 as shown in Figure 4. The operator or operators are provided with wrenches (not shown) which engage sockets 67 (Fig. 1) in one end of the shafts 62 for this purpose. When the hooks 68 are released, the cams 60 automatically rotate to their released positions. The dollies and attached weapon W may then be moved, with the aid of power assist mechanisms (not shown) into a storage area; or may be moved into position for loading the weapon into a launching tube such as a torpedo tube or the like (not shown). When the weapon is in a stowed position, the dolly locking pin 98 is held in its upper band locking position by springs 84 (Fig. 4), with the lower end of the pin 98 positioned a slight distance above the bottom of the track 28 as illustrated in Figure 2 thereby preventing the bands 30 from being accidentally released. When the weapon W is to be removed from its supporting dollies, the dollies must be positioned at a predetermined location with the locking pins 98 in alignment with holes 108 (Figs. 2 and 4) in the tracks 28 thus permitting the pins 98 to move downwardly into the holes 108 in response to pivoting the handles 74 upwardly. The hooks 46 are then manually moved out of engagement with the clamp pins 44 thereby allowing the bands 30 to be rotated into and stored within the recesses 38 in the composite material of the body 22 at which time the arcuate links 40 and the band latch assembly 48 will assume the position shown in Figure 5. The weapon W may then be removed from the dollies 20 by conventional means (not shown). From the foregoing description it is apparent that the weapon dollies of the present invention are useable in submarines for securing weapons thereto when in storage, and also when being moved to a predetermined position to be transferred into a launching the or the like by conventional equipment within the submarine. Since lightweight composite materials are used in the body and band of the dollies, the weight of each dolly is only about 53 percent of that of the prior art dollies; and since the band of each dolly may be stored in the body of the dolly when not in use, a space saving of about 25 percent is made possible when using the dolly of the present convention as compared to the prior art dollies. Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present convention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims: 1. A weapon dolly comprising a base (22) having a weapon supporting surface (24) shaped to receive and support a cross-sectional portion of a weapon (W), a band means (30) for strapping the weapon (W) across an opposite cross-sectional portion of the weapon to the supporting surface (24) of the base (22), and a means (48) for connecting at least one free end of the band means (30) in tension to the base for firmly clamping the weapon against the supporting surface (24) of the base. characterized by the band means (30) comprising a rigid body having a weapon engaging surface complementary in shape to the supporting surface (24) of the base (22); the base having a recess (38) for receiving therein a portion of the band means in a non-clamping stowed position of the band means; and cooperating guide means (32, 34) between the base and the rigid body of the band means for guiding the band means into and out of the stowed position in the recess. 2. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 and wherein the weapon engaging surface of the band means (30) faces outwardly of the weapon supporting surface of the base (22) when stowed within the recess (38) of the base. 3. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 and wherein the weapon supporting surface (24) of the base (22) is formed from composite material. 4. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 or Claim 3 and wherein the weapon engaging surface of the band means (30) is formed from composite material. 5. The weapon dolly according to Claim 4 and wherein the weapon supporting surface (24) of the base (22) and the weapon engaging surface on the band means (30) comprise symmetrical arcuate segments formed from the composite material. 6. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 and wherein the recess (38) in the base is formed from a block of composite material mounted in the base at a depth sufficient to allow said recess to encompass the band means when stowed therein even though a weapon is resting on said supporting surface. 7. The weapon dolly according the Claim 1 or Claim 5 and wherein the cooperating guide means comprises an arcuate groove (32) formed in an arcuate sidewall of the band means (30), and guide pin means (34) fixed to the base along an arcuate path for intercepting and entering the arcuate groove (32) and guiding the band means along the recess (38) and for maintaining the band means in the recess in the stowed position. 8. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 and wherein the connecting means (48) comprises an exxentric cam (60) journaled in the base (22) for rotation about an axis (62) and having a cam locking slot (66) therein, a cam follower (58) journaled on the eccentric cam, band hook means (46) connected to the cam follower (58) for connection to one end of the band means for applying a tensioning clamping force when the eccentric cam (60) pivots the band hook means (46) into the clamping position, and cam hook means (68) pivotally connected to the base and normally urged into the cam locking slot (66) for maintaining said band hook means (46) locked until manually released. 9. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 or Claim 8 and wherein the base has a track guide means (109) for use in combination with a track (28) that is used for supporting the weapon dolly for movement along a path, the track guide means projecting downwardly from the base when facing the track, and the track having holes (108) therein spaced at predetermined intervals, the cam hook means including a heel (82), a rod (78) movably supported in the base, resilient means (84) normally urging the rod into engagement with the heel for urging the cam hook means (68) into the locking slot (66), a locking pin (98) connected to the rod (78) and slidably received in the gide means (104), the locking pin (98) being normally held above the floor of the track (28) by the resilient means, the track positively maintaining the cam hook means (68) in the cam locking slot (66) to prevent release of the weapon (W) until the dolly is moved into position wherein the locking pin (98) is above one of the holes (108) in the track. 10. The weapon dolly according to Claim 9 and wherein the cam hook means (68) is secured to a cam hook shaft (72) journaled in the base; and a release lever (74) is secured to shaft (72), the release lever being capable of being manually actuated to disengage the cam hook means from the cam locking slot only when the weapon dolly has been moved along the track to a position wherein the locking pin (98) is disposed in position to enter one of the hole (108) in the track. 11. The weapon dolly according to Claim 10 and wherein the clamping means (48) includes a second clamping means connected to a second free end of the band means (30). 12. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and wherein the band means has two end portions; and additionally comprises a pair of arcuate link means (40) pivotally connected one to one end portion and the other link to the other end portion, a hook engaging pin (44) secured to each link means, and means (112) for locking the band means in a centered position within the recess with portions of said arcuate link means pivoted outwardly of the base. 13. The weapon dolly according to Claim 1 and wherein the base (22) is formed from a steel frame (26) and a light weight composite body (25); the composite body including a first continuous arcuate weapon engaging surface (24); and the recess (38) is formed in the first arcuate surface; the band (30) is formed from light weight composite material having a second predetermined arcuately shaped weapon engaging surface and having side walls, the band being movable between a weapon clamping position and a stowed position in said recess while retaining the second surface in the predetermined arcuate shape. 14. The weapon dolly according to Claim 13 and wherein the guide means (32, 34) is in the form of grooves formed in adjacent walls of the band means, and a plurality of pins secured to the composite body and entering the grooves formed in the side walls of the band means. 15. The weapon dolly according to Claim 7 and wherein the band means (30) additionally comprises a pair of arcuate links (40) pivotally secured to opposite end portions of the band means, each link means (40) including second grooves (41) formed in adjacent walls thereof defining continuations of the grooves (32) in the band means (30), one of the second grooves receiving and being guided by the pins (34) when the band means (30) is moved into the stowed position within said recess (38). 16. The weapon dolly according to Claim 15 additionally comprising means (112) for locking the band means (30) in a centered position within the recess (38) when in the stowed position. 17. The weapon dolly according to Claim 16 and wherein the link means (40) can be angled outwardly away from the center of the base (22), when the band means (30) is in a stowed position, for allowing a weapon to enter or be removed from said weapon dolly. 18. A plurality of weapon dollies each according to any one of Claims 1 to 17 and arranged side by side to support a weapon. 19. The weapon dolly arrangement according to Claim 18 and wherein at least four weapon dollies are used to support the weapon. 20. The weapon dolly according to Claim 8 and comprising abutment means (75) on the base (22) for engaging the cam follower (58) when the cam follower is in the weapon clamping position and the cam hook means (68) is urged into the locking slot, the arrangement being such that the weapon clamping force forces the locking slot against the cam hook means and forces the cam follower against the abutment.

Inventors: ANDERSON, NEIL G., HARRIS, ROBERT M.
Applicants: FMC CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B63G3
IPC codes: F41A9, F41A3, B61D45, F41F3, B63G3