Propellant stick kerfing apparatus and method

A propellant stick kerfing apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a support frame;
• (b) means mounted on the frame for conveying a succession of spaced propellant sticks along a path travel with the sticks extending in transverse relation to the direction of travel, said conveying means including a plurality of side-by-side spaced endless flexible members being mounted on said support frame for movement about endless paths, said endless flexible members having a plurality of upper transport spans disposed in lateral spaced apart side-by-side relation;
• (c) a plurality of side-by-side guide members mounted on said frame and underlying and supporting said side-by-side upper spans of said endless flexible members;
• (d) a drive arrangment mounted on said frame and coupled to said endless flexible members, said drive arrangement being operable to drive said endless members along their endless paths and thereby to move said upper spans of said endless members so as to advance the succession of propellant sticks along the path of travel;
• (e) a plurality of holder elements mounted to each of said endless flexible members in longitudinally spaced relation therealong, said holder elements on each endless flexible member being aligned in transverse rows with said holder elements on adjacent ones of said endless flexible members, said holder elements of each row thereof being configured to seat one propellant stick and together with said upper spans of said endless flexible members to advance the stick along the path of travel upon operation of said drive arrangement:
• (f) upper and lower support assemblies mounted on said support frame respectively above and below said upper spans of said endless flexible members;
• and
• (g) upper and lower pluralities of cutting blades mounted to said upper and lower support assemblies and arranged in pairs of upper and lower blades disposed across the path of travel of the propellant sticks, said upper and lower blades of each pair being Laterally offset and vertically overlapped with respect to one another, each said pair of upper and lower blades being laterally spaced from adjacent pairs of upper and lower blades in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of said propellant sticks, said upper and lower blades of each pair defining oppositely inclined stationary cutting edges converging forwardly toward one another and intersecting the path of travel of the propellant sticks along said guide member so as to make pairs of transaxial kerfs in the propellant sticks from opposite upper and lower sides thereof as the succession of spaced sticks are advanced along the path of travel between the cutting edges.

A propellant stick kerfing method, comprising the steps of:

• (a) conveying a succession of spaced propellant sticks along a path of travel with the propellant sticks extending in transverse relation to the direction travel;
• (b) stationarily disposing a plurality of pairs of upper and lower blades across the path of travel of the succession of spaced propellant sticks with each pair of upper and lower blades being spaced from adjacent pairs of blades in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the succession of propellant sticks;
• and
• (c) engaging oppositely inclined cutting edges of the pairs of blades with the succession of propellant sticks and making transaxial kerfs in the propellant sticks from opposite upper and lower sides thereof as the succession of spaced sticks are advanced along the path of travel between the cutting edges of the pairs of blades.