Patent GB-734927-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to means for launching rockets or other missiles
Inventor: GREEN SPENCER
IPC: F41A9/21
Filed: 1952-02-13
Abstract: 734,927. Rocket launchers. BRISTOL AEROPLANE CO., Ltd. Feb. 6,1953 [Feb. 13, 1952], No. 3880/52. Class 92(1). In a rocket launcher arranged for remote aiming control and automatic loading from a magazine, the launching tube 12, Fig. 1, is carried by horizontal trunnions 15 journalled in brackets 16 on an azimuth table 17, rotation of the table 17 and movements of the tube 12 in elevation being effected through gearing by separate motors 45, 46 carried on the stationary supporting structure 21, a further loading motor 47 driving gearing arranged in mechanically timed sequence (a) to override temporarily the aiming means and to move the tube 12 to a vertical position for loading and, after loading, back to the same or another aimed position, (b) to actuate a rotatable magazine drum 20 so that the rockets are presented successively at a dispatching station each in a vertical position below the vertical tube 12 and (c) to move it into the tube. The rockets have fins 11  guided in the tube 12 by helically arranged members 13. The tube 12 is mounted for rotation about its long axis in a block 14, the arrangement being such that on rotation of the azimuth table 17, equal and opposite rotation is imparted to the tube 12 relatively to the trunnions 15 so that the tube 12 retains its orientation with respect to the supporting structure 21 and the guides 13 remain correctly positioned to receive the fins 11 of the rocket. This arrangement is effected by a wormwheel 27 on the tube 12 meshing with a worm gear 28 supported in bearings 29 in the block 14, the worm gear shaft 30 being connected by gearing to a worm gear 37 on a shaft 39 passing through the table 17 and carrying a gear 40 meshing with a stationary gear ring 41 arranged coaxially with respect to the table 17. The magazine comprises a cylindrical drum 22, Fig. 3 with peripheral rocket compartments 23 each provided with guide means 24 to ensure that on rotation of the drum about a vertical shaft 82, Fig. 1, to bring each compartment 23 successively below and axially in line with the table 17, each rocket 10 arrives in a predetermined position of orientation about its axis. From this position the rocket is transferred to the tube 12 by a ram 26. The loading motor 47 performs three functions (a) overriding the control of elevation by the elevating motor 46, (b) turning the magazine step-by-step, and (c) propelling the rocket from magazine into the tube 12. The motor 47 drives continuously a rotating timing member 51 comprising two wheels 52, 53 on a shaft 54 each having part of its periphery provided with gear teeth and part clear of teeth. Gearwheel 52, which has one toothed part meshes alternatively with two pinions 56, 57. The pinion 56 is carried ona shaft 58 provided with a small throw crank 59 which engages slots 60 around the periphery of a disc 61 on the drum 22 to turn the magazine stepby-step, the drum being locked between the step-by-step movements by a crescent-shaped member 63, Fig. 3. Pinion 57 moves the ram 26 by a hoisting device 70-73, the endless cable 73 running round a driving sheave 81 driven by a crank 84 on the shaft 85 of the pinion 57, connecting rod 86, toothed quadrant 87 and pinion 88 so that the sheave 81 is driven first in one direction and then in the other to raise and then lower the ram 26. The other intermittent gear 53 co-operates with a pinion 90 for overriding the elevation control and comprises two toothed parts separated by one long toothless interval corresponding to the dwell of the tube 12 in the vertical position for loading, and one shorter toothless interval corresponding to the dwell of the tube 12 in the aimed position. Rotation of the pinions 56, 57 and 90 when not in mesh with the gears 52, 53 is prevented by interlocking means. To convert the unidirectional movement of the overriding pinion 90 into the oscillating movement necessary for moving the tube to vertical position and back to an aimed position, a crank mechanism 100 is used which is arranged to move one dead centre position to the other for each period of meshing of pinion 90 with the teeth of the gear 53. To transmit the oscillatory movements of the crank 100 and the aim control movements of the motor 46 to mechanism on the table 17 in such a manner as to be independent of the table rotation, each movement is transmitted by gearing to one of a pair of separate hollow shafts 104, 105 co-axial with the table together with a rotary component equal to and in the same direction as the rotation of the table. Table 17 is rotated by motor 45 by a vertical shaft 107, gear 108, idler 109, and gear 110 which is secured to the table 17. The movements of the crank 100 are transmitted to the hollow shaft 104 by connecting rod 112, crank 113 carried on a shaft 114 which also carries a sunwheel 116 of a differential gear 117 which drives the shaft 104 through its second sun-wheel 140, shaft 141 and gears 120, 121. The aiming- control movements of the elevating motor 46 are transmitted to the hollow shaft 105 through shaft 126, sun-wheel 127 of a differential gear 128 which drives the shaft 105 through its second sun-wheel 142, shaft 143 and gears 130, 131. The table rotation components are introduced into the differential gears 117, 128 through planet carriers 133, 134 respectively, these being rotated by the motor 45 at the same time as the latter rotates the table 17 by means of a gear 135 on shaft 107 which drives gears 136, 137 on the planet carriers 133, 134. At their upper ends the hollow shafts 104, 105 carry sprocket wheels 340, 341 respectively. Around sprocket 340 runs an endless chain guided by sprockets to run over sprocket wheel 150 mounted on shaft 151 which also carries one sun wheel 152 of an elevating differential gear 153. Around sprocket 341 is another endless chain guided to run over a sprocket wheel 161 mounted on shaft 162 which also carries the other sun-wheel 163 of the differential gear 153. The planet carrier 165 carries at one end a gear wheel 166 toothed over part only of its periphery and arranged to mesh with a gear quadrant 167 secured to the right hand trunnion 15. Part of the periphery of the planet carrier 165 at the other end is cut away and the remainder 170 is of contant radius and adapted to bridge the space between two rollers 171, 172 at similar corners of an isosceles plate 173 secured at its other corner to the right hand trunnion 15, this mechanism being a locking device to hold the trunnion and hence the tube 12 stationary in elevation when the gear 166 is out of mesh with the quadrant 167. Similar locking devices are used to lock the pinions 56, 57 and 90 associated with the gears 52, 53, and are combined with means to eliminate backlash between the wheels. Assuming the tube 12 to be in an aimed position and the elevating motor not running, when firing has taken place, the intermittent gear 53 runs into engagement with the overriding pinion 90 and the sun-wheel 152 of the elevating differential 153 begins turning and continues through an angle sufficient to move the tube 12 from any position in the firing range back to the vertical position. If, at the start, the tube 12 was not at the extreme end of the firing range, the vertical position will be reached before rotation of the sun-wheel 152 stops and the quadrant 167 will then run off the toothed part of the gear 166 and be locked by the locking device, while the gear 166 overruns by an amount dependent upon the aiming position started from. When, after loading, the sun-wheel 152 runs an equal amount in reverse direction, the process is reversed and the tube 12 finishes up in its original aiming direction. If, however, in the meantime, the elevating motor 46 has been running to correct the aim, the other sun-wheel 163 of the differential 153 will have turned and will have altered the angle of free overrun of the gear 166 so that the tube 12 moves to a position corresponding to the newly selected aim. To prevent flash from an ignited rocket, water, &c., from entering the magazine, provision is made for closing the opening in the table 17 as soon as the tube 12 has moved from the vertical position by means of a hinged plate 192 operated by a system of levers and a cam 199 driven by the left-hand trunnion 15.