Artillery weapon

An artillery weapon comprising:

• a carriage and an ordnance having a barrel having a barrel axis extending along the length of the barrel, the barrel mounted to the carriage such that the barrel is operable to travel along the barrel axis between an in-battery position and an out-of-battery position relative to the carriage;
• a multifunction cylinder mounted to, and moveable with the ordnance, wherein the multifunction cylinder includes
• a regulator unit comprising a fluid housing for retaining a working fluid, the fluid housing being in fluid communication with a buffer system, the regulator unit fluid housing also being in fluid communication with a hydraulic accumulator chamber via a first flow aperture, and
• an accumulator piston being provided in, and operable to move along the accumulator chamber to define a first accumulator sub-chamber region on one side of the accumulator piston and a second accumulator sub-chamber region on the other side of the accumulator piston,
• the buffer system, regulator unit, hydraulic accumulator chamber, and first flow aperture configured such that displacement of the barrel along the barrel axis from the in-battery position to the out-of-battery position causes fluid flow from the buffer system to the fluid housing, and thereby causes fluid flow through the first flow aperture into the first accumulator sub-chamber region, causing the accumulator piston to move along the accumulator chamber in a first direction and thereby cause gas in the second accumulator sub-chamber region to compress;
• and
• a control rod extends from the accumulator piston from the first accumulator sub-chamber region through the first flow aperture into the fluid housing, the control rod being moveable with the accumulator piston, wherein the control rod increases in diameter along its length from the accumulator piston, such that the diameter of the control rod is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first flow aperture along at least some of the stroke of the accumulator piston such that, as the control rod moves relative to the first flow aperture from the fluid housing into the first accumulator sub-chamber region, the flow area around the control rod decreases to thereby increase resistance to flow of fluid from the fluid housing into the first accumulator sub-chamber region.

An artillery weapon comprising:

• a carriage and an ordnance having a barrel having a barrel axis extending along the length of the barrel, the barrel mounted to the carriage such that the barrel is operable to travel along the barrel axis between an in-battery position and an out-of-battery position relative to the carriage;
• a multifunction cylinder mounted to, and moveable with the ordnance, wherein the multifunction cylinder includes
• a regulator unit comprising a fluid housing for retaining a working fluid, the fluid housing being in fluid communication with a buffer system, the regulator unit fluid housing also being in fluid communication with a hydraulic accumulator chamber via a first flow aperture, and
• an accumulator piston being provided in, and operable to move along the accumulator chamber to define a first accumulator sub-chamber region on one side of the accumulator piston and a second accumulator sub-chamber region on the other side of the accumulator piston,
• the buffer system, regulator unit, hydraulic accumulator chamber, and first flow aperture configured such that displacement of the barrel along the barrel axis from the in-battery position to the out-of-battery position causes fluid flow from the buffer system to the fluid housing, and thereby causes fluid flow through the first flow aperture into the first accumulator sub-chamber region, causing the accumulator piston to move along the accumulator chamber in a first direction and thereby cause gas in the second accumulator sub-chamber region to compress,
• the fluid housing defines a fluid housing chamber for retaining the working fluid, and a control rod support piston is mounted to a control rod in, and operable to move along, the fluid housing chamber, to define a first fluid housing sub-chamber region on one side of the control rod piston and a second fluid housing sub-chamber region on the other side of the control rod support piston, the control rod support piston being spaced apart from the accumulator piston along the length of the control rod, and
• the control rod support piston defines passages for the regulation of fluid flow between the first fluid housing sub-chamber region and the second fluid housing sub-chamber region.