Impact and self-destruct fuze
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorGeorge T. Boswell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An omnidirectional impact and self-destruct fuze for initiation of a gren has a primer which after being initiated ignites a delay column. The delay column melts an eutectic metal arming plug which unlocks a ball detent to permit a striker assembly to be responsive to an impact sensor. If upon impact the inertial force of an impact weight fails to displace an impact spring so that it will release the spring biased striker against a detonator, the burning delay column will subsequently ignite a flash mix and melt a self-destruct nut, thereby releasing a retainer screw and the striker assembly therefrom so that the latter will forcibly hit the detonator causing the grenade to self-destruct.
Claims4
An impact and self-destruct fuze for initiating a grenade which comprises:
- a tubular housing having a first end and a second end;
- primer means fixedly positioned in said first end for initiating said fuze;
- arming-firing means axially and fixedly positioned against said primer means and responsive thereto for placing said fuze in an armed condition during a first interval of time and for firing said fuze after a second interval of time which includes;
- a delay housing axially aligned and positioned against said primer means, said delay housing having a transverse delay housing bore therein, a rear end and a forward end;
- a flash disc positioned intermediate said primer means and said delay housing;
- a hollow delay column member axially positioned in said delay housing, said column having a transverse delay column bore therein communicating with said transverse delay housing bore;
- an initiator charge axially positioned adjacent said flash disc in the rear end of said column member;
- a flash charge axially positioned in said forward end of said delay column member;
- a delay charge positioned in said column member intermediate said initiator charge and said flash charge;
- a eutectic metal arming plug positioned in said delay column transverse bore in juxtaposition to said delay charge;
- an arming ball operatively positioned in the transverse bores of said delay housing and said delay column;
- a self-destruct nut positioned within said forward end and adjacent said flash charge said nut being intermediate said delay column and said delay housing;
- impact sensor means releasably connected to said arming-firing means for actuating said fuze in the event of an impact during said first interval of time;
- and before the end of said second interval of time
- a screw threadedly connected to said self-destruct nut for releasably connecting said delay housing to said impact sensor means;
- detonator means axially fixedly positioned in the second end of said tubular housing for exploding said grenade;
- and
- biased striker means, mechanically restrained by said arming-firing means when said fuze is in a safe condition, said striker means being releasably held by said impact sensor means during said first interval of time and before the end of said second interval of time for initiating said detonator means upon impact of said fuze and after passage of said second interval of time;
- wherein said plug melts when heated by said delay charge releasing said arming ball so that it is not in interference with said striker means and places said fuze in said armed condition, and said self-destruct nut melts during said second interval of time releasing said striker means to impact said detonator means, thereby causing said fuze to self-destruct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.