Foldable Ammunition Carrier for Machine Gun Reloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Machine guns face challenges in managing and reloading belted ammunition due to random movements and the need for additional personnel to stabilize ammunition containers during firing, especially when attached to the side of the gun.
Innovation Solution
An ammunition carrier system that attaches to the bottom of a machine gun via a magazine well, featuring a foldable first plate and a second plate with a hub that integrates with a simulated magazine well, allowing for quick reloading and reduced ammunition belt movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If ammunition is supplied using traditional ammunition boxes or drums, then high round count is achieved, but random movements occur during firing requiring additional personnel for stabilization
Solution Approach 1:
The ammunition supply system is segmented into modular components: a container holding multiple belts, a carrier that interfaces with the magazine well, and individual belts that can be independently managed. This segmentation allows the ammunition to be organized in stable configurations while enabling easy replacement of individual belts without moving the entire supply system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal/ground-based ammunition placement to vertical suspension from the machine gun's magazine well. By utilizing the vertical dimension and attaching the carrier to the gun itself, the system eliminates the need for ground stabilization and additional personnel, while maintaining high round count capacity through stacked belt organization.
2Quantity of substance
If ammunition containers are attached to the side of the gun, then high round count is achieved, but random movements occur during firing
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier design incorporates a universal interface with the magazine well that serves multiple functions: securing the carrier during firing, enabling quick removal and replacement, and providing a standardized mounting point. The belt feed mechanism also serves dual purposes by guiding belts from the carrier and interfacing with the machine gun's feeding system, streamlining the reloading process.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If quick-change barrels are used to mitigate overheating, then sustained automatic fire capability is improved, but reloading time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple ammunition belts are pre-loaded into the container and organized for sequential access before engagement. The carrier is pre-configured with belts in ready positions, allowing the operator to quickly transition between belts during sustained fire without interrupting the shooting rhythm, thereby reducing the time penalty associated with barrel changes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and streamlined reloading of machine guns with belted ammunition, reducing movement and the need for additional personnel to stabilize containers, while accommodating various machine gun types and ammunition sizes.
Implementation Method 1
The second plate includes a hub or boss that extends upward from the planar portion of the plate. The hub is sized and configured to be received in a magazine well—or simulation thereof—mounted on the bottom of a machine gun.
Implementation Method 2
To remove the magazine carrier, the user can squeeze together the levers to disengage the lever catches from the hub and allow the carrier to drop from the magazine well by gravity.
Implementation Method 3
a simulated magazine well can be attached to the bottom of a machine gun housing, where the simulated magazine well has spring-biased levers configured to engage the recesses or openings in the sides of the hub.
Data Source
AI summary
An ammunition carrier assembly includes a first plate having a first portion and a second portion, where the first plate is folded so that the second portion faces the first portion and the second portion extends from a fold along part of the first portion. A second plate is configured to be fixedly attached to the first plate. The second plate has a planar portion and a hub that extends away from a face of the planar portion. The hub defines openings in opposite sides of the hub. The first plate is sized and configured to be installed on a panel of an ammunition container such that the panel and part of the second plate is between the first and second portions of the first plate. The assembly can be part of a system that includes a magazine well attached to a machine gun.