Abstract: When cartridges are delivered from a stationary cartridge magazine to an elevatable firing weapon, it is customary to use a deflection or guidance unit, by which the cartridges can be reliably delivered to the elevatable firing weapon in every position of the latter. The cartridges are delivered to the elevatable firing weapon in a telescopic guide or infeed channel. With large elevation of the elevatable firing weapon, this telescopic guide channel is substantially contracted. On the other hand, this telescopic guide channel is substantially extended when the elevation of the elevatable firing weapon is relatively small. In the telescopic guide channel there is provided a bucket chain for conveying cartridges. The individual buckets of this bucket chain are interconnected by knee joints, so that the bucket chain can likewise be extended and contracted. One end of the telescopic guide channel is mounted at the stationary cartridge magazine and the other end is mounted at the elevatable firing weapon.

Abstract: In load-dependent brake valves it is customary to control the brake force as a function of the stroke of vehicular suspension springs. If the stroke of the vehicular suspension springs is not proportional to the vehicle load, there is the risk that either the empty vehicle or the full vehicle is too strongly braked. This can be avoided in that a pivotable brake lever is pivotable as a function of the stroke of the vehicular suspension springs, the pivotable brake lever comprising a first pivoting range in which a first edge of a piston of the load-dependent brake valve is supported and a second pivoting range in which a second edge of the aforesaid piston is supported. It is thereby achieved that the brake force is always proportional to the vehicle load.

Abstract: A weapon housing for a firing weapon including a front portion and a rear portion in which the front and rear portions are spaced apart by means of a plurality of bands. The weapon barrel is carried by the front portion and the firing device is carried by the rear portion. Cartridge chambers are fed laterally to the weapon housing. The bands which connect the front and rear portions of the housing, preferably, are fiber bands.

Abstract: Within the tactical operating distance, the projectile body in a short-range projectile ought to exhibit as far as possible the same performance characteristics as the corresponding normal or full-range projectile.

Abstract: For manufacturing a pinion of a pair of mating bevel gears having contact-line tooth bearing or crowning in accordance with the method developed by Litvin et al, the cutter radii of respective outer and inner blade edges in the duplex or double-cut method and therewith the centers of rotation of the cutter heads as well as the center of rotation of a generating gear are altered in relation to the settings for manufacturing the mating or meshing gear. This would require cutter heads provided with adjustable cutter radii. In order to render possible the use of commercially available cutter heads, provision is made for achieving the alternation of the cutter radii by inclination of the cutter-head axes.

Abstract: In order that bar-shaped cutters can be ground as accurately as possible, it is essential that the bar-shaped cutters are clamped as close as possible to the surfaces which are to be ground. For this purpose, each bar-shaped cutter is pressed against two stop faces or surfaces by means of two claws of a clamping lever, and the one claw which is closer to the surface to be ground is structured to be more elastic or resilient than the other claw. Particularly, the claw closer to the surface which is to be ground is more intensely pressed or forced against the bar-shaped cutter than the other claw.

Abstract: A method is disclosed in which only one working point or machining point on a machining tool, which in general can comprise a grinding wheel or disc, is in machining contact with a workpiece such as a gear blank during a machining operation. The position of this single working or machining point can be selectively chosen within a machining region of the grinding wheel or disk and can be prescribed to lie in a zone of fixed or variable radius of the grinding wheel or disk. This is achieved through at least one feed motion, in general a feed motion of the grinding wheel or disc, effected in addition to feed motions known per se in machining processes performed essentially according to the indexing generating method. This means that the machining contact point between the grinding wheel or disk and the gear blank does not wander on the grinding wheel or disk in correspondence with the generating feed motions but can be confined to a predeterminate region.

Abstract: The position-reading system for machine-tool parts rotatable through 360.degree. renders possible accurate position determination by using a scale although there is present a measuring gap. This is achieved by the use of two reading units angularly offset at a predetermined angle with respect to one another and by the use of an indicating unit which contains evalution and switch-over means. These evaluation and switch-over means evalute the output signals of the two reading units and switch, on the one hand, one reading unit, upon passage thereat of the measuring gap, to become position-reading inactive and, on the other hand, the other reading unit to become position-reading active, such other reading unit taking over the corresponding momentary position value or reading.

Abstract: During delivery of ammunition to a firing weapon from an ammunition magazine, in which the ammunition is arranged in an endless storage and conveyor chain, high acceleration forces occur, since the entire ammunition supply in the ammunition magazine must be accelerated to the required infeed velocity in the shortest possible time. In order to maintain as small as possible these acceleration forces in the ammunition magazine, the endless storage and conveyor chain is telescopically structured according to the invention, so that not all cartridges in the ammunition magazine have to be simultaneously accelerated.

Abstract: For feeding cartridges from a stationary container to a firing weapon having an elevation adjustability or control, it is necessary to provide means for deflecting cartridges according to the weapon's elevation. It is common practice to use either plate channel arrangements or flexible cartridge feed channels as a deflecting mechanism, both of which however, are afflicted with serious shortcomings. According to this invention, the deflecting mechanism involves a helical cartridge feed channel which is attached to the firing weapon and which comprises an infeed aperture or opening where cartridges are coaxially aligned with respect to the elevation axis and an outfeed aperture or opening where cartridges are in essentially parallel alignment with the weapon barrel axis.

Abstract: An optical proximity fuze for detonating the associated projectile or missile at a desired distance from a target is extremely sensitive to interfering effects, for example, to rain drops which simulate a target which is non-existent. To minimize the probability of the optical proximity fuze responding in undesired manner to rain drops and thus to reduce the danger of premature detonation of the projectile or missile due to interfering effects, the optical proximity fuze comprises at least two optical transmitters at each of which there is arranged at least one respective optical receiver. The target distance is simultaneously measured by the at least two optical receivers in several chronological measurements. Detonation is only accomplished when the at least two receivers simultaneously respond.

Abstract: It is desirable, on the one hand, to fabricate the projectile core or body of a material as frangible as possible in order to achieve a good radical effect thereof in the target. On the other hand, the material should be sufficiently ductile to enable the projectile to penetrate several armor plates. Therefore, a relatively ductile projectile-core rod is inserted in a relatively brittle projectile-core central section, such projectile-core rod being anchored at its rear end in a projectile-core tail and at its front end in a projectile-core nose or tip.

Abstract: Upon detonating a projectile in the proximity of a target, there are produced projectile fragments which fly towards the target in a predetermined direction. To have as many fragments as possible fly towards the target, the projectile must be detonated at a suitably selected angle measured between the line of sight which extends between the projectile and the target, and the projectile flight trajectory. This detonation angle varies as a function of the encountering velocity of the projectile and the target. A predetermined reference value associated with a predetermined encountering velocity value is computed using a stationary firing control system and represented by the quotient c/(2VBg), wherein c is the velocity of light and VBg is the predetermined encountering velocity value. Such reference value is stored in a storage device aboard the projectile.

Abstract: In a firing weapon with an elevatable weapon barrel, it must be possible to fix or lock the weapon barrel in each desired position. For this purpose, known firing weapons are equipped with braking devices in which large frictional forces occur, thereby making it necessary to use servo-mechanisms. In accordance with the invention, the elevation of the weapon barrel is fixed or locked by means of a cylinder and a piston. The piston comprises a closeable through-passage opening through which a pressure medium flows, as long as the through-passage opening is open between a chamber located on one side or face of the piston into an other chamber located on the other side or face of the piston. The through-passage opening is closeable for fixing or locking the weapon barrel at a predeterminate elevation.

Abstract: Cartridges are usually fed axially to a rotating array of barrels of a multi-barrel cannon or firing weapon, by means of a cartridge feeding apparatus, for example, an endless conveyor belt or chain. The cartridges must then be accelerated to the peripheral speed of the rotating array of barrels, since the spacing between the individual barrels is considerably greater than the pitch spacing between successive cartridges on the endless conveyor belt or chain. Uniform acceleration of cartridges fed by the conveyor belt or chain up to the peripheral speed of the rotating array of barrels of the firing weapon is effected in that the deflector wheel or sprocket comprises a predetermined number of radially adjustable slides. These radially adjustable slides define recesses or pockets for receiving the cartridges. Structure, such as a cam arrangement, is also provided for radially translating these slides during rotation of the deflector wheel or sprocket.

Abstract: In order to cool the barrel inner wall of a weapon barrel of a firing weapon at a predetermined location, typically at the rear end region of the weapon barrel, one or more cooling fluid channels are arranged at the barrel wall of the weapon barrel. The cooling fluid channels open at the barrel inner wall. By means of an apparatus which can be actuated by the gas pressure of the propellant gases, there is injected into the interior of the weapon barrel a dosed quantity of cooling fluid after the firing of each cartridge or ammunition round. This apparatus preferably comprises a piston arrangement having a first piston of larger diameter and which is subjected to the gas pressure of the propellant gases and a second piston of smaller diameter at which impinges the cooling fluid.

Abstract: A transmitter coil is located at the muzzle of a firing weapon downstream of a muzzle velocity measuring device as viewed in the flight direction of a projectile after firing. The transmitter coil transmits a digital adjustment signal for inductively adjusting in the projectile during its passage through the transmitter coil, a counter for starting a delayed action fuze in the projectile. The individual digital adjustment signals are constituted by double pulses and a predetermined number such as at least 12 double pulses are transmitted by the transmitter coil to the receiver coil in the projectile. Electronic switches are utilized for controlling the operation of the transmitter coil. A filtering device is connected in circuit with the receiver coil and the counter in the projectile for eliminating interfering pulses which originate from the muzzle velocity measuring device.

Abstract: When a cartridge is inserted into the weapon barrel of a firing weapon by a forwardly and rearwardly reciprocatable breechblock, a front end surface of the breechblock impacts against the base of the cartridge. The cartridge to be inserted must be secured so that it cannot slide off such front end surface of the breechblock during cartridge insertion. This cartridge securement is attained in that the cartridge is held against radial displacement by an extracting or withdrawal claw and diametrically opposite thereto by means of a securing cam or lug provided at a feeler element or pin. To eject the empty cartridge case and during the insertion of the next cartridge, the feeler element or pin together with the securing cam or lug is pushed back by means of a control cam or rail.

Abstract: For the projectile core of a sabot projectile, it is desired to use very brittle material in consideration of the strived for effect in the target. It has been found that a projectile core formed of a brittle material already tends to break while being delivered to the firing weapon. To avoid this danger, the brittle part of the projectile core is prestressed or pre-biased by a tie rod. The projectile core preferably consists of three components, wherein the intermediate component is prestressed and the contact surfaces between these three components are substantially conically structured.

Abstract: The acceleration apparatus for connection with a pilot operated compressed-air brake comprises a tap-off valve which vents the main air line or conduit at the beginning of the braking procedure. This tap-off valve is opened by an actuator or actuating mechanism via a disengageable intermediary member. By employing a rotationally symmetrical plunger or push rod which is pivoted into the operative position thereof by a spring and deflected by an interrupter piston, the construction of the disengageable intermediary member can be substantially simplified. The plunger or push rod possesses at the one end thereof a cam or pin and a substantially conical surface.