Support system

Abstract

The tilt and elevation bearings of a gun mounted in the triaxially movable turret of an armored vehicle is supported by a substantially triangularly shaped carrier extending in the longitudinal direction of the gun and by a brace laterally spaced from the carrier. Both carrier and brace are connected to the inner ring of an azimuth bearing mounted in the body of the armored vehicle below the turret. In this way the undesirable springiness of prior supports is eliminated.

Parent Case Text

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's copending U.S. Application Ser. No. 37,498, filed June 16, 1969, now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the case of triaxially stabilized turrets of armored vehicles, i.e. turrets which are movable about three axes which are mutually perpendicular at elevation position 0.degree., the gun is normally rigidly mounted in the turret and the turret is in turn movably mounted in the body of the vehicle. The longitudinal axis of the gun passes through the intersection of the rotational axis of the turret with the turning axes of the tilt bearing and elevation bearing. When the gun is fired there arises, due to recoil forces, bending and torsional loads on the supporting members of the elevation and tilt bearings. The supporting members must thus be able to accommodate such forces easily.

To fulfill the above requirements it is known to form the lower portion of the turret as a ring member and to arrange it rotatably inside the vehicle body; to provide the lower portion of the turret with a shell-shaped bearing for tilt purposes; to equip the tilt bearing on both sides with bearings for elevation movements; and to use the lower portion of the turret as a bearing support. The lower portion of the turret is open to the top, front and back. It has been found that this type of shell-shaped support exhibits a springiness during firing of the gun. This springiness arises due to the inherently-present extended dimensions.

There is further known a bearing support which includes a half-ring-shaped intermediate member which carries the weapon and the upper portion of the turret. This intermediate member is rotatably mounted in the vehicle body and the turret is rotatable with the gun about the longitudinal and transverse axes. The disadvantages of this construction are likewise that the support is not sufficiently rigid and yet takes up a large space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention therefore is to eliminate the above disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a tilt and elevation bearing support of such construction that recoil forces arising when the gun is fired are transmitted to the vehicle body without there arising any appreciable spring action.

This object is achieved, according to the present invention, by supporting the elevation and tilt bearings of a triaxially movable turret and gun assembly of an armored vehicle by a framework support system having a substantially triangularly shaped carrier extending in the longitudinal direction of the gun and one or more lateral braces, the carrier and the braces being connected to the inner ring of an azimuth bearing mounted in the vehicle body.

According to a further feature of the invention a novel tilt and elevation bearing arrangement for the gun and the turret of the vehicle is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a section along plane I--I of FIG. 2 of a turret and the upper part of a vehicle body, interior parts of the turret being shown unsectioned.

FIG. 2 is a section along the plane II--II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section along the plane III--III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a modified part of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of a modified part of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6-8 are elevational views, partially in section showing a preferred embodiment of the tilt and elevation bearing assembly for the gun and turret.

FIG. 9 is a top sectional view of the tilt and elevation bearing arrangement shown in FIGS. 6-8 with the trunnion on one side of the gun broken away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, in body 1 of an armored vehicle there is arranged a turret 2 which is movable about three mutually perpendicular axes, i.e. horizontal tilt and elevational axes and a vertical azimuth axis. The side walls 14 of the turret 2 extend into the body 1 and the turret is rigidly supported on the trunnions 16 of the gun 4 by means of a downwardly extending U-shaped bracket 17 connected to the roof of the turret 2. The trunnions 16 are in turn rotatably mounted in an elevation bearing 3.

The elevation bearing 3 is connected with the tilt bearing 5 and both bearings are arranged in approximately the center of the turret 2 at the movement center point P of the gun 4 and the turret.

The tilt bearing 5 is supported by way of a framework system 6 on the inner ring or race 10a of an azimuth bearing 10. The framework system 6 is constructed of a substantially triangularly shaped carrier 7 extending in the longitudinal direction of the gun 4 and transverse braces 8 and 9 situated laterally to the carrier 7. Carrier 7 has a triangular shape in the view of FIG. 1 for purposes of rigidity and stability, the tilt bearing 5 being connected at the upper vertex of the carrier 7 which is located along the vertical rotational axis of the azimuth bearing 10.

Carrier 7 and brace 8 are spaced from one another and connected by yoke-like brace 9. In this particular embodiment, brace 9 is simply an angled-over part of brace 8. Although the framework system 6, including carrier 7 and one or more braces 8, may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gun 4, the carrier 7 and the brace 8 are shown in FIG. 2 as being substantially mutually parallel and extending obliquely to the azimuth bearing 10, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the gun 4, to improve rigidity. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, system 6 combines both transverse and longitudinal rigidity to provide a stable support for the tilt bearing 5.

As shown especially in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carrier 7 includes a web 15 having, at its ends in the longitudinal direction of the gun, flanges 11 and 11'. As shown in FIG. 3, carrier 7 has an I-shape cross section. The flanges 11 and 11' are broadened at their lower, azimuth-bearing connected ends 12, 13 and 12', 13', respectively, in order to distribute recoil forces over a greater part of the azimuth bearing.

An alternate construction of carrier 7 is shown in FIG. 4, where the I-shape cross section is formed from two U-shaped members mutually abutting at their webs 15a and 15b, flanges 11 and 11' being formed by U-legs 11a, 11b and 11'a, 11'b, respectively.

In order to assure good load carrying ability, it is preferred to provide braces 8 and 9 with U-shape cross sections, as shown in FIG. 3 for brace 8; or with I-shape cross sections, as shown in FIG. 5.

The advantages achieved with the framework or support system according to the invention include the large section modulus at low weight and material expense achieved by the special form of the braces and carrier, the high moment of inertia of the entire support system achieved by the above-described arrangement of its members, and the free space achieved between the carrier 7 and the brace 8 where auxiliary equipment can be situated.

Although substantially any type of combination tilt and elevation bearing arrangement capable of supporting a gun can be utilized with the framework or support assembly according to the invention in order to further improve the rigidity of the entire mounting arrangement for the gun and turret, the tilt and bearing assembly as shown in FIGS. 6-9 is preferably utilized. As shown in these figures the combination tilt and bearing arrangement is essentially formed by a pair of coaxially mounted concentric cylindrical sleeves or bushings 30 and 35 which form the elevation and tilt bearings for the gun 4 and the turret 2. The outer bushing 35 which serves as the tilt bearing is permanently connected to the upper end of the substantially triangularly shaped support 7 and thus acts as the bearing housing for the inner bushing 30 which contains the elevation bearing for the gun 2 and turret 4. The bushing 35 is provided with a pair of diametrally opposed vertically oriented slots 18 of a size sufficient for the trunnions 16 of the gun 2 to pass therethrough.

The inner bushing 30 is rotatably mounted within the bushing 35 in any convenient manner. Preferably, in order to reduce the friction and improve the rigidity of the mounting, the bushing 30 is supported within the bushing 35 by means of axial bearings 19 and 20, one of which is arranged between the bushings 30 and 35 at each of the respective ends thereof. The inner bushing 30 is secured against axial displacement relative to the bushing 35 by means of flanges 21 and 22 which extend radially outward from each respective end of the bushing 30 and bear against the adjacent respective end surface of the bushing 35. Preferably a radially oriented thrust bearing 23 or 24 is mounted between each of the respective flanges 21 and 22 and the associated adjacent end surface of the bushing 35.

The bearings 19, 20, 23 and 24 are all preferably so called needle or roller bearings as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. However, in view of the thrust which is produced during firing of the gun 4, it is also possible, and may in fact be necessary, to utilize a ball bearing rather than a needle or roller bearing for the thrust bearing 23, i.e., for the thrust bearing facing the breech of the gun 4. Such a ball bearing 23' is shown in FIG. 8.

It should be noted that with the triaxial bearing arrangement according to the invention, it is desirable that the bearing base for each of the two coaxially arranged bushings 30 and 35 which serve as the tilt and elevation bearings be as long as possible in order that not only will the suspension for the gun 4 have as little play as possible but moreover so that the turret 2 on which the sighting means for the gun is mounted will have as little freedom of movement as possible. However, since a long bearing base, which means longer bushings 30 and 35, would limit the amount of play provided in the bushing 30 for the elevation movement of the weapon 4, the desired elevation range could only be reached with longer bushings if the bearing bushings 30 and 35 were rather large in both length and diameter. This type of construction, however, would require a higher turret roof so that the silhouette of the vehicle would be enlarged in an unfavorable manner, i.e. it would become higher. Therefore, in order to provide a bearing base for the bushings 30 and 35 which is as long as possible while still permitting the desired elevational range, the axial bearings 19 and 20, are positioned as close to the ends of the bushings 30 and 35 as possible and the bushings 30 and 35 are dimensioned so that the ratio of the distance between bearings 19 and 20 to the diameter of the bushings 30 and 35 is approximately 1:1.

As shown in FIG. 9, in order to mount the gun 4 on the bushing 30 for movement about is transverse axis, i.e., the elevational axis, the bushing 30 is provided at its longitudinal center with a pair of diametrally opposed horizontally extending bores 25 in which the trunnions 16 of the gun 4 are rotatably mounted and which in effect forms the elevation bearing 3. So as to provide for sufficient elevational movement of the gun 4 within the bushing 30 while at the same time permitting reasonable dimensions for the bushings and providing sufficient bearing surface and strength to properly support the trunnions 16, the inner wall 26 of the bushing 30 is formed so that it tapers inward from each end in the longitudinal direction so that the opening has a double conical shape with its smallest cross section being at the longitudinal center of the bushing 30. That is, the wall of the bushing 30 is thickest in the region containing the bores 25 in which the trunnions 16 are mounted.

The trunnions 16 are sufficiently long so that they extend through the vertically oriented slots 18 in the outer bushing 35 and beyond the outer surface of the bushing 5. The U-shaped bracket 17, which is fastened to and provides the support for the turret 2, is securely fastened to the ends of the trunnions 16 whereby the gun 4 and the turret 2 will be simultaneously moved about any of the three mutually perpendicular axes.

With the triaxial mounting arrangement according to the invention, movement about each of the three mutually perpendicular axes takes place as follows: In order to move the turret 2 and gun 4 about the vertical azimuth axis, the inner ring or race 10a of the azimuth bearing is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) of conventional design. Rotation of the ring 10a causes the supporting system 6, and consequently the bushings 30 and 35 which form the bearings 3 and 5, the gun 4 and the turret 2 mounted thereon, to likewise be rotated about the azimuth axis. During this rotational movement, no movement of the gun 4 and the turret 2 relative to the bushings 30 and 35 or of the bushing 30 relative to the bushing 35 takes place.

To effect elevational movement of the gun 4 and turret 2, the trunnions 16 of the gun 4 which are mounted in the elevation bearing 3 are rotated by means of a drive mechanism (not shown) within the bores 25, resulting in movement of the gun and turret relative to the longitudinal axis of the bearing 30 which remains at rest relative to the bushing 35.

Finally, in order to provide for tilting movement of the gun 4 and turret 2 about the longitudinal axis of the gun 4, the bushing 35 is rotated relative to the bushing 35 causing the trunnions 16, which form the transverse axis for the gun, to be moved within the vertical slots 18 formed in the wall of the bushing 5 forming the tilt bearing.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an armored vehicle comprising a vehicle body, a turret containing a gun, and means for mounting the turret and the gun on said body for simultaneous movement in a three-dimensional coordinate system about three-mutually perpendicular axes, the improvement wherein said means includes: an azimuth bearing mounted in said body below said turret; an elevation bearing for said gun and said turret; a tilt bearing, said elevation bearing being connected to said tilt bearing with said elevation and tilt bearings being disposed at approximately the center of said turret along the vertical axis of rotation of said azimuth bearing; and means for rigidly supporting said tilt bearing on said azimuth bearing including a substantially triangularly shaped carrier rigidly connected between the inner ring of said azimuth bearing and said tilt bearing, and extending in the longitudinal direction of said gun; and, at least one brace extending laterally to said carrier and connected rigidly between the inner ring of said azimuth bearing and said tilt bearing.

2. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein said carrier has an I-shape cross section, and wherein the flanges of said carrier have broadened lower ends connected to said inner ring of said azimuth bearing.

3. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 2, wherein said I-shape cross section is formed by two U-shape cross sections.

4. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one brace comprises a brace spaced from said carrier and a yoke-like brace connected between said carrier and said spaced brace.

5. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 4 wherein said carrier and said spaced brace are approximately mutually parallel.

6. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 5, wherein said carrier and said spaced brace extend obliquely to said azimuth bearing when seen in the direction of the barrel of said gun.

7. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 6, wherein said braces have a substantially U-shape cross section.

8. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 6, wherein said braces have a substantially I-shape cross section.

9. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said tilt bearing comprises a first cylindrical bushing which is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the barrel of said gun at 0.degree. elevation and wherein said elevation bearing includes a second cylindrical bushing which is coaxial with said first cylindrical bushing and is mounted therein for rotation about its longitudinal axis, said gun and said turret being mounted on said elevation bearing.

10. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 9 wherein: the interior surface of said second bushing has a double conical shape with the smallest cross section being at the longitudinal center of said second bushing; a pair of diametrally opposed horizontally extending bores are provided in said second bushing at said longitudinal center; a pair of diametrally opposed vertically extending slots are formed in said first bushing at said longitudinal center; said trunnions are mounted in said bores for rotation therein and extend through said bores and said slots respectively; and said turret is mounted on the ends of said trunnions by means of a bracket which extends downwardly from the roof of said turret.

11. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 10 further comprising: means for preventing axial movement of said second bushing relative to said first bushing, said means including an outwardly extending radial flange at each end of said first bushing, and a radially oriented thrust bearing mounted between each said flange and the adjacent end of said second bushing.

12. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 11 further including axial bearing means mounted between said first and second bushings for supporting said second bushing on said first bushing.

13. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 12 wherein one of said axial bearing means is located adjacent each end of said first and second bushings and adjacent the associated one of said radially oriented thrust bearings.

14. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 13 wherein said bushings are dimensioned so that the ratio of the longitudinal distance between said radial and axial bearings at one end of said bushings and said radial and axial bearings at the other end of said bushings to the diameter of said bushings is approximately 1:1.

15. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 14 wherein said radial and axial bearings are all needle bearings.

16. An armored vehicle as defined in claim 14 wherein the one of said radial bearings which is adjacent the breech of said gun is a roller bearing and the remaining said radial and axial bearings are needle bearings.