US2455354A - Mine destroyer - Google Patents

Description

Dec.7,1948. J, s H 5 2,455,354

' MINE DESTROYER Filed Aug. 5, 1945 zsheets-she't 1 es L. 13215071 Patented Dec. 7, 1948 UNITED Q FFICE MINE DESTROYER James L; Bisch, Unitedtstates Army fipplication Augusfi-g, marshal No.2608g8291 (Granted under'- tlie act of March 3', 1'88'3-as:1

3 Glaimsl Theinvention described" herein may; bem'anu factured and; used 1153? or for the Government for" governmental." purposes,. without" payment to me of: any. royalty thereon.

'II'iisihvention relates to mine destroyers: more particularly it is; directed to torpedoes for. explbding, anti-personnel or tantirvehicnlar. mm'e's' used'l by an. enemy in retarding the advance? of soldiers andmihtary, materiel over' certain terrain- (the of the. obj acts of the invention" is' to. pro"- vide atorpedo inthe form ofa strip ofexplosive carryingmaterial.adaptedito' be coiled into" a" roll '1 and to. be unrolled' for layinga well} distributed" layer; of high. explosives over a surface of ground. for destroyingenemy, mines.

Another. object of the invention in is. to provide a torpedo in the form oflastrip offabriehavingjspaced longitudinally and" transversely extending-strand's. ofipri'macordfsewn thereto or woven. therein and adaptedtov be launched over amine fi'el'deither By hand or pneumatically for.destroy-' ingthe'same.

Another object ofthe. invention .is to provide? a. to'rpedbr mending a strip of" flexible. material havinglongitudinal and transverse strands of explosive elements. andlpocletsithereon and. car.- tridges. mounted; in said; pockets for. destroying mines buried'rintherground by; anenemy" I Another object of the invention is to providea torpedn. including a flexible. strip; of explosive carryingmat'erial havingrflexibl'eltubes associated; therewith, wherebytheflexible. explosivestripiand; tubes may! be coilediintol a .roll and meanscon nectedtoinflatesaidtubes foriunrollingr the strip,-

of; explosive carrying" material. over a mine field,

forvdetonatingwthesamei i Another obj ect of; the-invention is to provide a-torpedo in i the form of a flexible :net of; explosive material adapted; to: be coiled into: a: roll; and

means adaptedto unrollr thee. samezforrlaunchin'g's theanet over a mine i'field;

Briefly, stated;,the?inventi'onv comprises" an ex plosive carryihg strip of afabric'; sueha as' carpet;

2 therealong: with cartridges or othermilitary'ex plosives mounted in the pockets:

Preierably tl'ie mine -destroying tbrpedtrmay 11' erremy 'hasiundertak'en demolition; Iii launching the armed carpet 'orrexplo'siver met:- by "hand; long ropes are: attached toiaashaft on WhiChIthG' armed carpet on explosive-netisrrolled by menwhcxhave":

detoured the-mineclisurfaceoi the-road: Thus by' we pulling; or" hauling; cm the: ropes,.. the torpedo carpettor-netmay; be unrolleds over the mined area. The armed: carpet ohexp-losivenet may then .be detonated-with small. arms fire-or other" standard detonating means and the: detonating:

26* Wave producedby the explosion; in turn,- detonates mines concealedin-theearth beneath the carpet.

In order, to launchthe. armed carpetroll or explosive. met over enemymine fields bypneumatic means; longitudinally extending flexible in-- fiatable tubes. are employed therewith. These tubes areclos'edatone oftheir ends andIconnectedt attheirf. other ends to any suitable source of air? under pressure .orother gas su pply such asa pneumaticblbwer. or exhaust pipe from a m-engine. Thetubes are WrappedTup ona shaft. with the armed carpet roll or explosivenet thereby fore ingia'ir" from thetubes and; .by forcing: air or gas into thetubes by, the pneumaticiblower or exhaust ofifconsidtarable length": in'lsproportion to its width 4 51 carpetfrdl'lftorpedb'iiiclliditig longitudinallyand.

and: having longitudinal and transverse strands of explosive material such-asprimacord fiise sewn" thereto orwvoven therein. The-j explosive carryingzcarpetistrip maybe-provi'ddWith transversely" tr'anversely extending strands of I explosive materialan'dflshowing the tubes inflatedby, a pneumatic"; blower; f Fig. 2"is' an. enlarged view thereof. with. theextending: plzi'cket's at suitably spaced intervals-- 50 pneumaticblowerremoved from the tubes;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a modified form of the carpet roll torpedo;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the explosive torpedo in the form of an explosive primacord net including longitudinally extending strands of primacord and opposed sinuous or serpentine strands of primacord connected therebetween; and

Fig. is a modified form of explosive primacord net torpedo with the sinuous or serpentine strands of primacord arranged parallel to one another.

Referring more specifically to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I designates a strip or sheet of any suitable fabric such as carpet, which is of considerable length in proportion to its width and hav ing thereon suitably spaced longitudinally extending parallel strands 2 and spaced transversely extending parallel strands 3 of any suitable explosive material such as primacord fuse.

being connected together and sewn 'at I to the strip of fabric, but may be woven therein or Welded into the fabric by the thermo-plastic bonding method, if desired. The strands of.

primacord have cores of any suitable explosive material such as PETN(pentaerythritetetranitrate). The explosive carrying fabric torpedo may take the form illustrated inFig. 3 Where transversely extending pockets 4 are secured to the fabric strip I in suitably spaced relation, said pockets 4 being adapted to contain cartridges 5 containing any suitable explosive material such as amatol, (sixty per cent (60%), ammonium nitrate and forty per cent (40%) T. N. T.). In this form the longitudinal primacord strands 2 arelacedthrough flaps 6 along the longitudinal edges of the. fabric and each of the pockets 4 are provided with transversely extending cross strands 3- of primacord. The ends of the strands 3. are knotted to respective strands 2 and the free ends of the strands 3' then passed back into their pockets 4. After the cartridges 5 are inserted into the pockets 4, the ends 8 of the pockets are sewn closed by hand. The cartridges 5 could be taped to the transversely extending primacord strands 3' before being inserted into the pockets,

after which the ends of the pockets could be" closed by a stapling machine, if desired.

In order to eliminate the sewing of the strands of explosive material to the strip of fabric and. also eliminate the use of the fabric entirely, the

improved mine destroying torpedo may be made in the formof a net 9 of explosive material as illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein flexible strands of primacord are provided including spaced parallel longitudinally extending strands I0 and sinuous or serpentine strands II interposed between the strands III. In this form of explosive net 9, the sinuous strands II are connected first at points I2 to the strands I0 and then pass over to adjacent strands Ifl where they are connected thereto at common points 'I 3. A mesh is thus provided by the sinuous strands II arranged in opposed relation to one another and the strands I0 positioned between each opposed pair of strands II.

' The mine destroying torpedo is preferably made in the modified form of net I4 illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein the sinuous or serpentine strands ,I I of primacord are interposed between the longitudinally extending primacord strands III and are also parallel to each other. This designis preferable to the charged net 9 shown in' Fig. 4 as it gives better explosive distribution, due to the The I strands of primacord 2 and 3 are illustrated as for detonating the same.

carpet or explosive net may then be detonated 4 primacord being 'more evenly distributed over a given area.

The strip I of armed fabric illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 or the nets 9 and I4 of explosive material illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 are rolled up on a shaft I5 and may either be launched by hand or pneumatically for unrolling the torpedo over a mined area. In launching the armed carpet I or explosive nets 9 and I4 by hand, long ropes (not shown) are attached to the ends of the shaft I5 on which the torpedo is rolled and, by pulling on the ropes and detouring the mined area; the rolled torpedo may be placed over a mined surface of roads and the like, without danger. Upon firing the armed carpet I or explosive nets 9 and I4 the torpedo is exploded, with the resulting detonating waves discharging the mines contained in the area.

In launching the explosive nets over a mine field inflatable tubes connected to any suitable source of air or gas pressure are provided thereon. "Thus to launch the armed carpet roll or explosive net torpedo pneumatically over a mine field, longitudinally extending flexible airtight vent tubes I5 are positioned on top thereof and the carpet or net is rolled up along with the vent tubes on the shaft I5 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The tubes I6 are permanently closed at one of their ends and connected at their other ends to any suitable source of air supply such as the pneumatic blowerI'Lalthough the tubes I5 maybe connected with an exhaust pipe of an engine or bottle containing gas under pressure (not shown) for inflation purposes. The tubes I6 upon being wrapped up on the shaft I5 with the armed carpet roll I or explosive nets 9 and I4, are deflated and, by forcing air or other gas into the tubes, the armed carpet or explosive nets are caused to unroll, thus causing the rolled torpedo.

to assume an extended position over a mined field as described by any suitable means.

It will thus be seen that there is herein provided a novel and efficient form of torpedo which is well adapted for the purpose intended. Even though there has herein been shown and de-.

scribed the invention as comprising certain features of construction and operation of parts, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes may be made therein, if the changes do ible strip of material including pockets, explosive elements secured to said material, cartridges mounted in said pockets, pneumatic tubes positioned on said strip of materiaL said strip with said explosive elements, cartridges and tubes adapted to becoiled into a roll, and means connected to inflate saidtubes for unrolling said strip including said explosive elements and cartridges over a mine field.

3. A mine destroying torpedo comprising a flex- I ible net of explosive material, flexible tubes mounted on said net, said net including said tubes The extended armed adapted to becoiled into a, roll, and means .connected to inflate said tubes for unrolling said net of explosive material over a mine field.

JAMES L. BISCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,406,954 Peoples Feb. 11, 1922 2,367,206 Davis Jan. 16, 1945 2,374,261

Ames Apr. 24, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Science, February 1944, page 119.

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