U.S. patent number 3,566,825 [Application Number 04/756,947] was granted by the patent office on 1971-03-02 for amphibious armored vehicle.
Invention is credited to Walter Ruf.
United States Patent |
3,566,825 |
Ruf |
March 2, 1971 |
AMPHIBIOUS ARMORED VEHICLE
Abstract
An amphibious armored vehicle having a plurality of wheels which
are arranged in spaced relationship on each side of a hull and
which is steered by controlling the speed of the wheels on one side
as compared with the speed of the wheels on the other side. Each
wheel is individually suspended and on each side of the vehicle
there is provided a drive shaft means which is driven from a
steering mechanism and by which each wheel is driven.
Inventors: |
Ruf; Walter (Landhaus am See
Thurgau, CH) |
Family
ID: |
25992092 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/756,947 |
Filed: |
September 3, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
180/6.54;
440/12.6; 180/9.1; 89/40.03; 180/22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D
55/125 (20130101); B62D 61/10 (20130101); B60G
15/06 (20130101); B60G 17/0277 (20130101); B60F
3/0007 (20130101); B62D 11/12 (20130101); B60G
13/00 (20130101); B60K 17/043 (20130101); B60K
17/34 (20130101); B62D 55/1083 (20130101); B62D
55/108 (20130101); B60F 3/00 (20130101); B60K
17/36 (20130101); B60G 11/183 (20130101); B60G
21/00 (20130101); B60G 3/145 (20130101); B60G
5/01 (20130101); B60G 2300/28 (20130101); B60G
2204/13 (20130101); B60G 2300/07 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60G
17/02 (20060101); B60G 11/18 (20060101); B60G
13/00 (20060101); B60G 15/00 (20060101); B60G
11/00 (20060101); B60G 15/06 (20060101); B60F
3/00 (20060101); B60G 17/027 (20060101); B60G
5/00 (20060101); B60G 21/00 (20060101); B60G
3/00 (20060101); B60G 3/14 (20060101); B60G
5/01 (20060101); B60K 17/00 (20060101); B60K
17/04 (20060101); B60K 17/34 (20060101); B62D
55/08 (20060101); B62D 55/125 (20060101); B60K
17/36 (20060101); B62D 55/104 (20060101); B62D
55/108 (20060101); B62D 61/00 (20060101); B62D
61/10 (20060101); B62D 11/06 (20060101); B62D
11/12 (20060101); B63f 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;115/1(Inquired) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Farrell; Andrew H.
Claims
I claim:
1. An amphibious armored vehicle comprising a hull; a plurality of
wheels on each side of the hull, which wheels are in spaced
relationship in the direction of travel of the vehicle; wheel
suspension members for mounting each wheel on said hull and making
it possible for each wheel to carry out vertical displacement with
respect to the hull independently of the other wheels, each said
wheel suspension member comprising a housing which is rotatably
fastened to the tank hull, a plurality of shafts in said housing
and having bevel gears mounted on the ends thereof forming a drive
train to drive the wheel associated with the wheel suspension
member; shock absorber means for damping the vertical movement of
each wheel; drive means operatively connected to drive all of said
wheels; said drive means comprising an engine mounted within the
hull, a steering mechanism operatively connected to be driven by
said engine and having at least one drive shaft extending to each
side of the vehicle, transmission means operatively connecting each
of said drive shafts to drive said drive train whereby all wheels
on one side of the vehicle are driven at the same speed with
relative speeds between the wheels on each side of said vehicle
being varied for steering.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a series of
openings formed in both sides of said hull, a hollow journal member
mounted in each said opening with their inner bores in alignment
therewith, the housing of each said wheel suspension member being
rotatably mounted on each journal member and having therein a drive
shaft, a first angle drive and a transmission shaft, the drive
shaft being supported in the hollow journal member and being driven
by the first angle drive from the transmission shaft.
3. A vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a second
angle drive arranged on the outer end of the drive shaft, a shaft
driven by the second angle drive and a third angle drive with an
outward shaft which is driven by the shaft.
4. A vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising ring means
inserted in the openings of the hull, a hollow journal member being
fastened in nonrotatable manner to each ring means and a lever
keyed onto the journal member.
5. A vehicle according to claim 2, in which said shock absorbing
comprises a housing, a damping liquid contained in the housing, and
valve means to control the flow of said liquid upon the inward
springing of the associated wheel.
6. A vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising a lever
fixedly mounted on each said wheel suspension member, a plurality
of plate springs mounted in said housing and which are compressed
by said lever upon the swinging of the wheel suspension member.
7. A vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising
electromagnetic means associated with each valve whereby
energization of said electromagnetic means substantially
simultaneously and instantaneously closes said valves to fix the
relative positions of the wheels with respect to the hull.
8. A vehicle according to claim 1, in which the steering mechanism
comprises, to drive the wheels on each side of the vehicle,
planetary gears, brake means, clutch means, locking brakes and side
counter shafts operatively connected as a power train, both said
planetary gears being operatively connected to said engine.
Description
The invention relates to an amphibious armored vehicle which
differs from a track-laying vehicle by the fact that instead of
tracks, a plurality of wheels, for instance four, are provided in
spaced relationship on each side of the vehicle. However, the
present vehicle differs from an ordinary wheeled vehicle by the
fact that steering is not effected by the by turning of one or more
pairs of wheels. Rather, when traveling along curves, the speed of
the wheels on one side is reduced as compared with the speed of the
wheels on the other side. Such steering and drive means have been
disclosed in my U.S. Pats. 3,303,723 issued Feb. 14, 1967 and
3,294,187, issued Dec. 27, 1966.
Vehicles of this type are in themselves known. They have been used
in particular as sport vehicles for hunting or for alpine purposes.
The known vehicles are light vehicles in which the individual
wheels are not sprung and which also cannot achieve high speed.
Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a heavy,
amphibious armored vehicle of a weight of several tons, and
preferably of 10 to 30 tons, in which several wheels are arranged
in spaced relationship on both sides of an amphibious tank hull,
each wheel being driven by a drive shaft means.
It is a further object of the invention to develop the vehicle in
such a manner that the wheels can carry out vertical movements
independently of each other by means of a suspension such as the
one disclosed in my U.S. Pat. 3,290,036, issued Dec. 6, 1966. The
inside of the vehicle is substantially entirely free, aside from a
front portion receiving the engine and the steering mechanism, and
is available to receive the crew, the ordinance and other
equipment.
In vehicles of the type in question, the front and rear pairs of
wheels are usually dragged over the ground transverse to the
direction of travel upon steering. In the case of rocky ground or,
for instance, when traveling onto a curb, rubber tires can be
easily damaged or even pulled off of their rims. This is the reason
why up to now only light vehicles have been manufactured in
accordance with this principle.
Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to develop
wheels and means for their attachment to the tank hull, including
their suspension, in such a manner as to avoid damage to the wheels
upon traveling around curves.
It is known to provide four-wheel or six-wheel vehicles with
so-called "traction wheels" (see, for instance applicant's U.S.
Pat. 3,234,989, issued Feb. 15, 1966) which are intermediate
between the normal rubber-tired wheels and tracks such as those
used for heavy construction vehicles, armored personnel carriers
and other armored vehicles. These traction wheels differ from
pneumatic or solid rubber wheels by the fact that the tread surface
is divided. A relatively narrow center strip, the width of which
amounts to about half of the total width of the wheel, is formed by
a rubber tread surface, while the side surfaces have a strongly
profiled or ribbed metal surface. The rubber tread is formed, for
instance, by an air-filled rubber tire of U-shaped profile in cross
section which must have the proper emergency running properties.
If, therefore, the tire is injured by rifle or other fire, it must
not be forced out of its bed even if the vehicle is traveling at
relatively high speed over a stony or rocky terrain or
correspondingly large forces are acting on the rubber tire. When
traveling on highways, only the narrow rubber tread come into
engagement with the surface of the road. When traveling cross
country, on the other hand, the strongly profiled metal rings dig
into the surface of the earth to provide traction.
Actual tests have now shown that it is possible with such traction
wheels to transmit to the ground drive power which is not much less
than for tracks. Since, on the one hand, the price for the tracks
is several times higher than the price for traction wheels and
since, on the other hand, the traction wheels have a much longer
life than tracks, which in general have a life of only 5,000 or at
most 10,000 km, and since furthermore higher speeds can be obtained
with wheel vehicles, even heavier four- and six-wheel vehicles have
already been successfully provided with such traction wheels.
In accordance with another object of the present invention, an
armored vehicle is to be so developed that a plurality of
"nonsteerable" traction wheels are positively driven by a steering
mechanism and one drive shaft means for each side of the
vehicle.
The need for individual spring suspension of the traction wheels,
in addition to their special shape, is of particular importance.
Due to the fact that each wheel can spring individually,
unevenesses in the terrain upon traveling along curves can be more
easily overcome, i.e., the forces acting on the rubber part of the
tread remain within limits which can still be taken up by a
traction wheel. The particular development of the traction wheels,
the individual drive thereof, as well as the possible vertical
movement of each wheel with respect to the tank hull and the other
wheels, make possible the reduction to practice of the
above-indicated principle for heavy armored vehicles.
The means for accomplishing the foregoing objects and other
advantages, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are
set forth in the following specification and claims and are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings dealing with several
embodiments of the present invention. Reference is made now to the
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the first embodiment a the suspension,
FIG. 2 shows a side elevation partially in section, of 1 wheel
suspension, the section being taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 3 is a top view, partially in section, of the wheel suspension
of FIG. 2, the section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the entire drive and suspension
arrangement;
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view through the steering mechanism,
with parts being shown in section;
FIG. 6 shows, on an enlarged scale, a partial section through a
traction wheel;
FIG. 7 shows a section through a shock absorber;
FIG. 8 shows further details of a portion of the shock absorber of
FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a wheel drive and suspension;
FIG. 10 is a side view of a second embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of a pair of wheels, partially in
section, taken along the line 12-12 of FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view as indicated by the arrow 13 in FIG.
11; and
FIG. 14 is a view seen in the direction of the arrow 14 in FIG.
13.
The vehicle shown has a tank hull 1 which is provided on both sides
with a continuous recess 2 which extends from front to rear and in
which traction wheels 3,4,5 and 6 are arranged. The traction wheels
3,4,5 and 6 are in this connection suspended individually on wheel
rockers 7. The tank hull can have any desired superstructure for
instance, a gun turret 10. Thus the vehicle is similar to ordinary
armored vehicles but is driven by traction wheels rather than by
tracks.
Within the tank hull 1, in the vicinity of its bottom and on each
sidewall thereof, there is provided a transmission shaft 8. The
tank hull 1 is provided, at the height of each transmission shaft
8, with four holes in which rings 9 are welded. To each ring 9
there is fastened a journal member 11 on which there is rotatably
supported a multipartite housing for the wheel suspension member 7.
In addition to this, there is keyed onto the journal member 11 a
lever 12 which acts on a suspension and shock-absorbing device
13.
From FIG. 4 it can be noted that in the front part of the tank hull
1 there is provided an engine 14 which drives a steering mechanism
17 via a clutch 15 and a transmission 16. The steering mechanism
which is shown in detail in FIG. 5, has an input gear 18 which
drives two gears 19 and 21 in opposite directions. Two inner gears
22 and 23 can be connected, when desired, by shift sleeves 20 for
driving with the gears 19 and 21 so that the shafts 24 and 25
rotate either in the same direction, for forward travel, or in the
same direction in the opposite sense of rotation, for rearward
travel, or in opposite directions for steering about the center or
are free of any connection with each other for purposes of towing.
The shafts 24 and 25 each drive a planetary gearing 26. The
planetary gears 26 are associated with cornering brakes 27 and, via
clutches 28, with lock brakes 29. Actuation of one or the other
cornering brake 27 causes a reduction in the speed of rotation of a
driven shaft 31 as compared with the associated shaft 24 and 25,
the equalization being effected via the associated planetary
gearing 26. A blocking by engaging the brake 29 with simultaneous
release of the clutch 28 has the result that the associated driven
shaft 31 is stopped. Each of the driven shafts 31 has associated
with it side countershafts 32 which drive an obliquely downward
extending shaft 33 on which a bevel gear 34 is seated.
As can be noted in particular from FIGS. 3 and 9, there is
rotatably supported in the journal member 11 of each wheel
suspension member 7 a drive shaft 35 which bears bevel gears 36 and
37 at its two ends. The gear 36 engages in this connection with the
gear 34 and with another gear 38 which is keyed onto the
transmission shaft 8. The gear 37 meshes with a gear 39 which is
seated on a shaft 41 which is rotatably supported in the housing of
the wheel suspension member 7. The shaft 41 bears a gear 42 which
in its turn meshes with a gear 43 which is seated on an output
shaft 44 of the wheel suspension member 7. The gears 34 and 36 form
a first angle drive, the gears 37 and 39 a second angle drive, and
the gears 42 and 43 a third angle drive. They are accordingly all
bevel gears. It is clear that the housing of the wheel suspension
member 7 together with the transmission parts 39 to 44 for the
wheel drive power can swing around the axis of the drive shaft 35,
the gear 39 rolling on the bevel gear 37.
The drive for the following wheels 4, 5 and 6 is similar, While,
however, as a result of the obliquely upward directed course of the
shaft 33 the drive force is transmitted to the gear 38 via the
bevel gear 36, in the case of the subsequent wheels 4, 5 and 6, the
gear 38 receives its drive in each case directly from the shaft 8.
Connecting flanges 45 interposed in the shaft make possible a
corresponding equalization of tolerances and an exact alignment of
the shaft 8.
The shape of the traction wheels can be noted from FIG. 6. The gear
51 which is seated on shaft 44 meshes with a gear 52 which is keyed
onto a hollow shaft 53. The axis of the hollow shaft 53 forms the
actual wheel axis. The gear 52 rotates around this wheels axis
together with the other parts of the wheel hub. The gears 51 and 52
accordingly form a reduction gearing arranged in the wheel hub.
The tread 58 of the rubber tire 57 is relatively narrow, i.e., its
width is less than in the case of an ordinary automobile tire.
Adjacent both sides of the tread 58 are obliquely outward extending
side arms 59 which are reinforced by beadlike portions at their
ends at 61. In contradistinction to ordinary automobile tires, in
which the side laps seated on the rim are substantially thinner
than the body forming the tread, the beadlike reinforcements 61 are
of approximately the same thickness as the rest of the tire which
forms the tread.
In order to give a practical idea of this relationship, it may be
mentioned that with a total width of the wheel of about 40 cm, the
total width of the tread of the tire is about 20 cm. In the
beadlike reinforcements 61 there are embedded two circumferentially
extending wire rings 62 between which a loop-shaped reinforcement
or insert 60 conducted around them extends.
On a wheel disc 63 there are provided a plurality of bearing points
distributed over the circumference and lined with rubber sleeves 64
through each of which a threaded bolt 65 is passed. The bolts 65
connect two rim rings 66, consisting preferably of an aluminum
alloy, with each other and with the wheel disc 63. The wheel rims
66 form strongly profiled traction surfaces 67 beyond which the
tread 58 of the rubber tire 57 protrudes a few centimeters. On
their facing surfaces, the wheel rims 66 are adapted in shape to
the outer shape of the rubber tire 57. They have a corresponding
hollow to be able to receive the beadlike reinforcements 61.
Furthermore, each of the wheel rims 66 forms a bearing surface for
the rubber sealing rings 68 and for the clamping ring 69. The
clamping ring 69 has in this connection, on the one hand, the
purpose of forcing the beadlike reinforcements 61 of the rubber
tire into the corresponding cavities of the wheel rims 66 upon the
tightening of the bolts 65 and, on the other hand, the task of
hermetically closing off the inner chamber 56 of the tire at the
bottom, which is effected in the manner that the rubber rings 68
are also pressed together upon the tightening of the bolts 65.
The tire is changed by loosening the bolts 65. Thereupon the outer
wheel rims 66 are taken off and the clamping ring 69 is removed.
Assembly is effected in the reverse manner.
The transverse forces occuring upon steering on the front and rear
pairs of the wheels seek to move the rubber tire 57 out of its
clamped position. As a result of the special development, however,
the associated wheel suspension member 7 springs back before this
occurs, the wheel traveling onto the obliquely extending profilings
of the metal wheel rims 66 upon transverse displacement on
irregularities in the terrain. The rim rings in this connection
crush protruding points of stone or the like or force them into the
ground so that they can no longer injure the rubber tire 57.
From the foregoing it is clear that the springing and
shock-absorbing characteristic of the wheel suspension member of
decisive importance for the vehicle. For shooting, all wheel
suspension members should be capable of being locked. A subsequent
rocking of the vehicle as a result of the recoil would considerably
impair the speed of fire and precision thereof. The wheel
suspension members 7 lie in protective fashion behind their
associated wheels so that the effects of infantry weapons or shell
fragments are taken up by the wheel rims 66 and do not damage the
wheel suspension members.
The springing and shock-absorbing device 13, as can be noted from
FIG. 7 and 8, lies in a cylindrical housing 73 the one end of which
is closed by a cover 74. In the annular space between the housing
73 and an inner tube 75 there are arranged plate springs 76 which
are clamped between the cover 74 and an annular plate in the piston
77. The lever 12 which is keyed onto the journal member 11 rests
via its free end against the piston 77. Since the journal member 11
and the lever 12 are rigidly connected with the tank hull 1, the
plate springs 76 are pressed together upon the springing of the
wheel suspension member 7. The entire arrangement, i.e., the space
between the springs 76, the inner tube 75 and the housing, in which
the lever 12 is located, is filled with oil. The shock-absorbing
effect is obtained in the manner that the oil, as is customary in
the case of double-tube shock absorbers, is forced by a piston 78
sliding in the inner tube 75 through throttle bore holes 79 (FIG.
8). The throttle holes 79 are arranged along a helix. By axial
displacement of cylindrical slide 81, which is effected, after the
removal of the bolt 82 in the cover 74, by the rod 83 at the end of
which a hexagon-shaped end is arranged, a larger or smaller number
of throttle holes 79 can be covered over. The shock-absorbing
characteristic of the shock absorber is correspondingly adjustable
i.e., the friction characteristic increases or decreases linearly
with the axial displacement of the slide 81. The oil flowing
through the throttle holes 79 passes via bore holes 84 into the
annular space between the inner tube 75 and the housing 73 and is
forced through the spaces, which also represent considerable
frictional resistance, between the plate springs 76 and passes from
the rear through another valve (not shown in detail) arranged at
the rear end of the tube 75, again behind the piston 78.
At the front end of the inner tube 75 there is provided a magnetic
coil 85 which, by means of an electrical connector 88, can be fed
with current. In this case, an armature 86, via a rod 87, pulls the
slide 81 in the direction towards the magnetic coil 85, all the
throttle holes 79 being then closed. Since in closed position no
oil pressure acts either in the one direction or in the other
direction on the slide 81, the magnetic coil 85 can be of
relatively small dimensions since only the friction of the slide 81
need be overcome. After attraction of the slide 81 and the locking
effected thereby, the shock absorber retains its instantaneous
position regardless of whether it was sprung out or partially or
entirely swung in. Devices can be provided which combine this
locking with the firing, for instance in such a manner that the
locking is effected for one to two seconds immediately after the
firing and therefore as long as the recoil is active. Furthermore,
safety devices can be provided in the vehicle which prevent the
lock from being actuated during travel.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, the wheels 3, 4, 5 and 6
are each fastened to the tank hull 1 by means of a parallel guide
which consists of a link 91 and an auxiliary link 92. Each link 91
is fastened to a sleeve 93 which is rotatably supported on a
flanged member 94. The flanged member 94 is fastened in a manner
similar to the journal member 11 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 9,
in each case to a ring 9 which is welded in a hole in the tank hull
1. The sleeve 93 has a cover 95 in which a torsion bar 96 is held
secured against rotation. The torsion bars 96 associated with the
two opposite wheels of a wheel pair lie alongside of each other at
the bottom of the tank hull 1; the wheels and the corresponding
sleeves 93 are accordingly staggered somewhat with respect to each
other. The end of each torsion bar 96 lying opposite the associated
cover 95 is clamped in a sleeve 97. The sleeves 97 associated with
the front and rear wheel pairs are provided with levers 98 (FIG.
11) which are actuated by a piston-cylinder unit 99. A suitable
fluid under pressure, for instance compressed air, is fed to the
piston-cylinder unit 99. By actuation of the unit in one direction
or the other, the associated torsion bar 96 is stressed to a
greater or lesser extent.
By reduction of the tension, the associated wheels 3 and 6 spring
more easily, while the wheels 4 and 5 must assume more load. Since,
however, upon the steering, the wheels 3 and 6 have the greatest
transverse displacement, the load on the wheels is decreased by
reducing the initial tension.
In contradistinction to the embodiment which was first described,
in the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the drive
shafts lie outside the tank hull 1. From the side countershaft 32,
a first drive shaft 101 leads to the wheel 3. From the wheel 3,
another drive shaft 102 leads to the wheel 4, and from the wheel 4,
a drive shaft 103 leads to the wheel 5. From the wheel 5, a drive
shaft 104 leads to the wheel 6. From the wheel 6, a drive shaft 105
leads to a propeller arrangement 106. All drive shafts 101 to 105
are developed in two parts with longitudinal compensation. There
results a drive shaft Z-arrangement.
The drive shaft pieces have ends shaped spherically and seated
rotatably in connecting flanges 107. As a result of the parallel
guide of the wheels 3 to 6 by the associated links 91 and auxiliary
links 92, all connecting flanges 107 move in parallel planes when
the vehicle-- as shown in FIG. 10-- travels over a trough in the
ground and the wheels spring to different extents.
From the drive shafts 101 to 105, the gears 43 of the traction
wheels 3 to 6 are driven via gears 108, similar to the case of the
embodiment which was first described. The development and
arrangement of the traction wheels is the same as in the case of
the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 9, so that it is unnecessary to repeat
the description.
With the wheels 3 to 6 there are associated shock absorbers 109
which, on the one hand, act on the tank hull 1 and, on the other
hand, on a mounting support 111. The auxiliary links 92 are also
pivoted to the mounting support 111. Upon maximum springing, the
mounting support 111 strikes against an associated buffer 112.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics
thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in
all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the
invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the
foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning
and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *