Abstract: The invention involves the design of a miniaturized piezoelectric pressure ransducer used for measuring pressure-time characteristics in gun tubes during the propellant ignition and burning process. The transducer utilizes a Z-cut tourmaline crystal as the piezoelectric pressure sensing element which produces a finite amount of electrical charge (normally expressed in picocoulombs) for a given change in pressure. The tourmaline crystal is incapsulated in a mechanical fixture which provides means for mounting in the gun tube. Electrical terminals are provided for connnecting to signal conditioning and recording instrumentation. Insulators are provided for electrically insulating the pressure sensing element from weapon ground.

Abstract: The invention involves the design of a piezoelectric pressure transducer d for measuring pressure-time characteristics in gun tubes during the propellent ignition and burning process. The transducer utilizes one or two Z-cut tourmaline crystals as the piezoelectric pressure sensing element which produces a finite amount of electrical charge for a given change in pressure. The tourmaline crystals are incapsulated in a mechanical fixture which provides means for mounting in the gun tube, electrical terminals for connecting to signal conditioning and recording instrumentation, and insulators for electrically insulating the transducer from the weapon ground. A needle valve is also incorporated in the transducer which provides means for replenishing the thermal protecting material around the crystal assembly without removing the transducer from the weapon.

Abstract: A manually operable, bench mounted press used to resize the brass on shotgun and small arms ammunition prior to reloading. The shell casing resizer comprises a lever-operated ram which acts simultaneously on a pair of complementary resizing dies and ejector assemblies so as to resize one shell while another is being ejected. The resizing dies are formed at opposite ends of a rotating tubular member within which are also positioned the complementary ejector assemblies. An indexing cam is mounted to the outside of the tubular member so as to pivot therewith between the free ends of a pair of support arms of the press. The substantially simultaneous resizing and ejection actions are both the result of a single downward movement of the lever, and return of the lever to its initial position permits manual indexing of the tubular member until the next shell is aligned for the next resizing/ejection stroke.

Abstract: A bench mounted, hand operated press used for resizing the brass on shot gun and small arms ammunition prior to reloading. The shell casing resizer comprises a lever-type press mechanism and two indexing resizing dies and features automatic shell ejection and automatic indexing. The shell ejection mechanisms are positioned within each of the resizing dies so as to effectuate ejection of a shell casing by exerting a force on the inner surface thereof. The two resizing dies are positioned in an end to end cooperating relationship with a lever-actuated ram such that while one shell casing is being pressed within one of the dies, another shell casing, already resized, is being ejected from the opposite die. The substantially simultaneous resizing and ejection actions are both the result of a single downward movement of the lever.