Soft Recoil System for Artillery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recoil systems for artillery weapons face challenges such as varying run-up velocities for different charges, potential weapon instability due to misfires, and instability from premature firings, which affect the efficiency and reliability of the recoil mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A soft recoil system incorporating a hydraulic cylinder with an inner and outer cylinder, a recoil piston, and an elongated recoil rod, along with a valve system that controls fluid flow through specific passages to manage recoil forces, reducing the energy required for firing and stabilizing the weapon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional recoil mechanisms are used to dissipate energy by throttling fluid, then the structure can support the firing forces, but the minimum modulating force is directly proportional to the length of recoil, resulting in high recoil forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a hydraulic cylinder with fluid passages to create a soft recoil system. The hydraulic fluid throttling through controlled passages provides progressive resistance during recoil, reducing peak forces while maintaining structural support capability. This hydraulic approach replaces simpler mechanical recoil mechanisms with fluid-based damping that achieves lower recoil forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of fluid flow resistance by incorporating multiple fluid passages with varying dimensions and configurations within the hydraulic cylinder. By adjusting passage geometry, the system modulates the throttling effect dynamically during recoil, optimizing the force reduction across different stages of the recoil stroke without requiring proportional increases in overall mechanism length.
2Force
If a soft recoil system with gas spring is used to accelerate recoiling parts forward, then recoil force reductions of up to 75% are achieved, but a different run-up velocity is required for each different zone/charge being fired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a movable valve assembly that can be positioned at different locations along the hydraulic cylinder to dynamically adjust the system characteristics. By changing valve position, the effective stroke length and fluid flow resistance are modified to match different firing charges and zones, eliminating the need for separate velocity calculations for each charge type.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly acts as an intermediary element between the hydraulic fluid and the recoil mechanism. By adjusting valve position, it mediates the fluid flow characteristics to provide optimal damping for different charge types, serving as a control interface that adapts the system behavior without requiring fundamental changes to the recoil mechanism itself.
3Force
If the round fails to fire during run up (misfire), then the buffing load required to bring forward velocity to zero may be high enough to cause weapon instability, but maintaining high velocity reduces recoil force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a buffer mechanism within the hydraulic cylinder that provides progressive resistance throughout the recoil stroke. This beforehand cushioning ensures that even if firing fails to occur during run-up, the hydraulic fluid continues to provide controlled resistance, gradually reducing the forward velocity of recoiling parts without creating sudden high buffing loads that could destabilize the weapon.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic fluid continues to provide useful damping action throughout the entire recoil stroke, regardless of whether firing occurs. The continuous fluid resistance ensures smooth deceleration of recoiling parts during misfire conditions, maintaining weapon stability while still achieving the intended recoil force reduction through the same hydraulic mechanism.
4Force
If the round fires prematurely from the latch position (cookoff), then the conventional recoil-style buffer may induce sufficient forces to cause the weapon to slide rearward or become unstable, but extending the buffer increases recoil force reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the valve assembly at specific locations within the hydraulic cylinder to create localized control zones. By strategically positioning the valve, the system provides appropriate resistance characteristics at different points in the stroke, ensuring that premature firing during cookoff conditions does not generate excessive rearward forces that could cause weapon instability, while still achieving overall recoil force reduction.
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
The soft recoil system reduces recoil forces by up to 75%, allows for a wider range of successful firing velocities, decreases the maximum velocity needed for top charges, and provides throttling capability over the entire stroke length, enhancing the stability and efficiency of the artillery weapon.
Implementation Method 1
The hydraulic cylinder includes an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder mounted within the outer cylinder with fluid passages allowing fluid communication
Implementation Method 2
The group of fluid passages has a first fluid passage with a first width and a second fluid passage with a second width less than the first width, providing throttling capability
Implementation Method 3
The recoil piston is slideable with respect to the inner cylinder along a portion of the inner cylinder
Implementation Method 4
The valve is slideable between: (i) a first position in which the first and second passages are exposed to the outer cylinder, and (ii) a second position in which the valve blocks fluid flow through the first passage
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of a gun configured with soft recoil system comprises a plurality of recoiling parts that initially moves in the direction of the projectile being fired before moving in a direction opposite to that of a projectile during the firing of the round. The soft recoil system throttles the movement of the recoiling parts such that the energy expended during the firing of the round is spread over a longer time period and a longer distance than would normally occur. The soft recoil system stores at least a portion of the energy transferred to the recoiling parts and the user may selectively release at least a part of that portion of energy to offset the energy imparted to the gun during the firing of the next round.