US3027810A - Turret mount - Google Patents

Description

April 3, 1962 H. F. MUELLER 3,027,810

TURRET MOUNT Filed July 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 4

INVENTOR. HANS F. MUELLER BY WKM Qa 9 c2- 5. MJ-- April 3, 1962 H. F. MUELLER 3,027,810

TURRET MOUNT Filed July 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l4 i I l4 IZ 9 Fig. 3

INVENTOR. HANS F. MUELLER BY w i M cm W United States Patent 3,027,810 TURRET MOUNT Hans F. Mueller, Playa Del Rey, Califi, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed July 23, 1958, Ser. No. 750,547 11 Claims. (CI. 89-37) The present invention relates to a turret mount or turntable support and more particularly to a turret mount useful with machine guns or rotatable gun turrets.

Rota-table gun turrets usually comprise a base or support having a circular opening and a turret or dome-like structure mounted on the base in a manner to cover the opening. The turret is also arranged for traverse relative to the base by being journaled to an inwardly extending annular flange of the base. In order to reinforce this flange against gun reaction incident to firing, it has been customary to provide gussets or vertical plates at spaced intervals to support the flange. It is recognized that the magnitude of the peak pressure from gun fire applied to such support plates depends inversely on the ratio between the flex-ural rigidity of the turret and the stiffness of the base or foundation to which such plates are attached. As a result, if the turret is made from relatively thin material and the base ring is made relatively very stiif, the peak pressure can become so high that hearings in the vicinity of the vertical plate supports will be brinnelled and the weld joints between the base and the vertical plates are susceptible to fracture. It is recognized that these disadvantages can be overcome if the turret is made relatively infinitely stiff and the base or foundation is made extremely elastic or flexible.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a mounting for a turret which will obviate the above as well as other disadvantages of prior art turret mounts.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved mount for gun turrets which will augment 'elasticity of the mount and avoid local pressure peaks between the turret and the base or foundation on which it is supported.

A further object of the present invention is to improve the efliciency of turret mounts or turntable supports which are particularly useful as 'gun mounts.

In furtherance of the above objects and in accordance with the present invention, the inwardly extending flange of the turret base or foundation which supports the turret for rotation is provided with a support which is angularly related thereto and circumferentially and continuously engages the flange inner peripheral portion. Two preferred embodiments of the present invention are proposed. In one embodiment, the support comprises the frustum of a cone which is disposed obliquely between the turret base and the inner periphery of the flange. In a second embodiment, the support comprises a circular pipe disposed between the peripheral portion of the flange and the foundation or base in a manner to lend support to the flange. Both arrangements are conducive to promoting the necessary elasticity for the turret support and, consequently avoid undue peaks in the pressure distribution between the turret and the turret support.

The novel features characteristic of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be understood better from the following detailed de scription of the two embodiments outlined above when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a turret assembly illustrated as adapted for use as a gun mount;

3,027,810 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 FIGURE 2 is a central section, in elevation, of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a central section, in elevation, of a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a curve showing distribution of pressure between the turret and the base or foundation incident to gun fire.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts throughout, the present invention is shown adapted for use as a gun turret on an armored vehicle and in which the base or foundation 1 represents the body of the vehicle which supports a turret or support member 3 for traverse relative thereto. The turret is shown provided with a pair of vertically disposed, spaced apart supports 5 for receiving the trunnions of a gun (not shown).

For purposes of illustration, the base 1 is shown as comprising an upright or cylindrical wall 7 with the upper periphery thereof provided with a horizontal, inward ly extending flange 9 which defines a circular opening 11. The turret 3 is supported by the base in a manner to cover the opening and it is journaled to the inner peripheral portion of the flange so that it can be traversed relative to the base. In order to augment the rigidity of the turret, the portion 12 of the turret wall which rests on the flange is made box-like or rectangular in cross section, as shown particularly in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. Bearing means 14 are provided for supporting this rectangular portion on the flange peripheral portion.

In accordance with the present invention, the base of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 is provided with circular reinforcing means which comprises a frustoconical support 13 disposed in acute angular relation to the flange, that is, obliquely between the inner peripheral portion of the flange and the cylindrical wall of the base. The reinforcing means has the minor diameter periphery thereof circumferentially and continuously attached to the flange peripheral portion and the major diameter periphery thereof continuously attached to the base by any suitable means, such as welding, so that uniform support or pressure distribution is provided entirely around the flange. With this arrangement, the resiliency of the base cylindrical wall in the immediate vicinity of the frustoconical support is relied upon to make the base relatively elastic as compared with the turret.

In a second arrangement, shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, in place of the frusto-conical support, there is provided a thin walled, annular tube, ring or pipe 17 together with attaching members 21. The pipe is disposed parallel to the flange and is supported between the peripheral portion of the base flange defining the circular opening and another portion 19 of the base which is disposed beneath the flange by the cylindrical or annular members 21 which are attached to the respective parts in any convenient manner. Thus, in this embodiment, the tube or pipe 17 and the members 21 are relied upon to contribute the necessary resilience and, at the same time, lend support to the flange as a reinforcing means.

Fromthe foregoing description, it will be recognized by persons skilled in the art that the present invention provides an improved turret mount or turntable support.

The pressure distribution of a structure embodying the present invention is illustrated in comparison with prior art structures utilizing a typical gusset type of support in FIGURE 4 of the drawings. In this diagram, the turret 3 is illustrated as radially cut and circumferentially developed and resting on the base 1, the latter being indicated by hatched lines. The solid line 23 in this diagram represents the distribution of pressure between the turret and the base of a rigidly supported mount and reflects the distribution of the loads R from the trunnion supports 5 over the rollers of the turret hearing as shown at the arrows R. The broken line 25 represents the pressure distribution which will be approached by a mount embodying the present invention. A comparison of the two curves reflects the prior art mount as having an uneven distribution of pressure whereas the broken line curve shows the pressure distribution as approaching a sine-curve signifying a uniform distribution of pressure.

It is apparent that, in addition to the various embodiments of the present invention described herein, that other embodiments, modifications or changes are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is desired that the particular forms of the present invention shown and described herein be considered as illustrative and not as limiting.

What is claimed is:

1. A mount for a gun turret comprising a base including an upright wall having an inwardly extending flange defining a circular opening, a support carried by the inner peripheral portion of said flange, and circular reinforcing means comprising the frustum of a cone disposed between said upright wall and said flange peripheral portion in acute angular relation to said flange, said reinforcing means having the minor diameter periphery thereof circumferentially and continuously attached to said peripheral portion of said flange and having the major diameter periphery thereof peripherally and continuously attached to a portion of said base removed from said flange.

2. In a mount for a gun, a base including an inwardly extending flange defining a circular opening, a turret ring rotatably mounted on the peripheral portion of said flange defining said circular opening, and reinforcing means comprising the frustum of a cone having the minor diameter periphery thereof continuously attached to said flange peripheral portion and having the major diameter periphery thereof continuously attached to a portion of said base remote from said flange.

3. In a mount for a gun, a base including an inwardly extending flange defining a circular opening, a turret ring rotatably mounted on the peripheral portion of said flange defining said circular opening, reinforcing means comprising a tubular ring disposed in parallel supporting relation to said flange peripheral portion, and means continuously attaching said tubular ring both to said flange peripheral portion and a portion of said base remote from said flange.

4. A mount for a gun turret comprising a base including an upright wall having an inwardly extending flange defining a circular opening, a support carried by the inner peripheral portion of said flange, and circular reinforcing means comprising an annular tube disposed in parallel supporting relation to said inner peripheral portion, said reinforcing means having the outer surface thereof circumferentially and continuously attached to said inner peripheral portion and to a portion of said base removed from said flange.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein a pcripheral portion of said support is of hollow rectangular cross section and is provided with bearing means for supporting said support peripheral portion on said flange peripheral portion.

6. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said base includes a portion extending inwardly from said upright wall remote from said flange, cylindrical support means being provided between said flange and said tube, and between said tube and said inwardly extending portion.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein a pcripheral portion of said support is of hollow rectangular cross section and is provided with hearing means for supporting said support peripheral portion on said flange peripheral portion.

8. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said base includes an upright portion, the major diameter periphery of said reinforcing means being attached to said upright portion.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said turret ring includes a portion of hollow rectangular cross section and bearing means supporting said turret ring portion on said flange peripheral portion.

10. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said continuously attaching means comprises cylindrical means disposed between said flange and said tubular ring and between said tubular ring and said base remote portion whereby said tubular ring is disposed in spaced relation to both said flange and said base.

11. The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein said turret ring includes a portion having a hollow rectangular cross section and includes bearing means supporting said turret ring portion on said flange peripheral portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,336,557 McCallister Dec. 14, 1943 2,373,127 Lord Apr. 10, 1945 2,434,752 Waller Jan. 20, 1948 2,460,321 Walker Feb. 1, 1949

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