Patent GB-191502724-A (GB)
Title: Multiple Effect Fuse for Artillery Projectiles.
IPC: F42C15/26
Filed: 1915-02-19
Abstract: 2724. Compagnie des Forges et Acieries de la Marine et d'Homecourt. Nov. 19, 1913, [Convention date]. Projectile fuses.- Relates to time and percussion fuses for combined shrapnel and high explosive shell, of the kind in which the time-fuse can be connected to the shrapnel or the high explosive and the percussion fuse can be made to act either instantaneouslv or with retardation. According to the invention, (1) the percussion fuse comprises a double percussive system, one acting directly, and the other through a delay patch, and (2) a movable firing-pin is provided for igniting the delay patch when the shrapnel is fired by the time fuse, so as to fire the high explosive a short time afterwards. As shown in Fig. 1, the percussion fuse is contained in a tabular casting 19 screwed into the hollow timefuse body 9, which is attached to the screwed socket a of the shell by means of an intermediate screw ring 1. A spring 3 is interposed between a flange 57 on the ring 1 and a flange 4 screwed to the body 9, which is provided with lugs 7 corresponding to recesses 6 in the front face of the socket a, so that the fuse may be pulled forwards to disengage the lugs 7 from the notches 6 to give access to the ring 1 for screwing it in or off the projectile, and to permit the fuse being turned for bringing a flash passage 8 in line either with a tube 55 leading to the shrapnel or with a passage 56 leading to the detonator 22 for the high explosive. After the ring has been screwed into the socket a of the projectile, it is locked in place by a screw 5, and the spring 3 normally draws the fuse inwards and locks it in the set position by the engagement of the lugs 7 with the grooves 6. The time-fuse is ignited by a striker 14, Fig. 6, at the end of a spring 12. The percussion fuse Fig. 3 comprises two firing devices 30, 49 and 34, 22, locked by two sets of centrifugal safety devices and covered by screw cap 48 which is removed before the projectile is used. The first firing-device is armed by the set-back of a ring 27 on discharge, followed immediately by the opening-out of the centrifugal members 26, whereupon the member 49 is free to strike against its firing-pin 30 on impact ; the flash is then retarded by a patch 33 on its way to the detonator 22. The other firing-device is armed by the set-back on discharge of a block 46 against a spring 45 and over spring hooks 42, the block being then returned forwards by the spring 45 and dragging the whole percussive system 23 forwards with it by means of the spring hooks 42, which have then snapped into an annular recess 41 in the block 46 ; centrifugal members 36, being thus withdrawn from a recess in the plug 20, open out and creep forwards into the recess 51, completing this arming operation ; then on impact of the head 38 against a target, the whole percussive system 37, 23 carrying the firing- pin 34 is driven in and fires the detonator 22 instantaneously. The firing-pin 30 of the first firing-device is mounted over a spring 54, so that the additional impulse imparted to the head of the projectile when the shrapnel is exploded causes this firing-pin to set back against the spring and to strike the percussion cap 49 ; thus the high explosive is exploded after the shrapnel by the delay composition 33, whether impact takes place or not.