Ballistic broadhead assembly

• US 5,102,147 A
• Filed: 01/08/1991
• Issued: 04/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roy R. Szeluga
• Original Assignee: Roy R. Szeluga
• Inventors: Szeluga, Roy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US07/638,749
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 273/421, 273/422
• US Class Current: 473/584
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/08 Arrow heads; Harpoon heads

Abstract

A broadhead assembly maintains the blades, pivotably mounted on an actuating plunger, in retracted condition until impact, thereupon thrusting them outwardly and forwardly for maximum effect, and ultimately constraining them against full retraction in a partially extended, optimal position.

The blades have profile edges, including a locking section and a thrust section, which engage a positioning element to extend the blades, and to constrain them against full retraction, respectively. The assembly may additionally include an elastically deformable element for engaging the blades in their closed position, and it may also include a pair of fixed blades mounted adjacent the rearward end of the body.

Claims

1. A broadhead assembly comprising:

an elongate body having forward and rearward ends and a longitudinal slot extending laterally therethrough, said body having means at said rearward end for attachment to an arrow shaft, and having means defining a passage extending on the longitudinal axis of said body between said forward end and said slot thereof;

an actuating plunger comprised of a shaft slidably mounted in said passage, and a tip disposed on the forward end of said plunger shaft outwardly of said passage, said plunger being movable between an armed, outward position with said shaft thereof extended from said body, and a discharged, inward position with said shaft depressed thereinto and said tip bearing upon said forward end of said body, said plunger shaft having blade-mounting means on a rearward end portion thereof;

a pair of substantially identical, substantially planar blades, each having a forward end portion with a pivot support element thereon, and opposing lateral edges extending generally rearwardly therefrom, one of said edges being sharpened and the other being formed with a positioning profile, said blades being seated in said body slot with said sharpened edges outwardly oriented and with said support elements thereon engaged with said mounting means on said plunger shaft for substantially free pivotable movement of said blades, in a substantially common plane, between closed position within said slot, in said armed position of said plunger, and open positions extended from said slot, in said discharged position of said plunger;

a positioning element extending transaxially in said body and traversing said slot at a location intermediate said ends of said body, said blades being disposed for engagement of said profile edges thereof upon said positioning element, each of said profile edges being comprised of a locking section, located proximate said pivot support element on said blade for registry with said positioning element in said discharged position of said plunger, and a thrust section extending rearwardly from said locking section, said thrust section being so disposed and configured as to cause said positioning element to effect extension of said blades, from said closed position, during inward movement of said plunger from said armed position to said discharged position thereof, and said locking section being so configured that inward, closing force applied to said blades in an open position thereof and transmitted through said locking sections produces no force vector tending to effect outward movement of said plunger, thereby serving to constrain said blades against full retraction to said closed position; and

a pair of fixed blades mounted on said body adjacent said rearward end thereof, said fixed blades being disposed in mutual opposition and in a plane generally perpendicular to said common plane.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said forward end portions of said blades have apertures formed therethrough to provide said support elements, wherein said rearward end portion of said plunger shaft is bifurcated and receives said forward end portions of said blades in overlapped relationship between the parts thereof, and wherein said blade mounting means includes a pin extending between said parts of said plunger shaft and through said blade apertures.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said locking section of said blade profile edge is of substantially rectilinear configuration.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said locking section extends substantially radially with respect to the axis of pivoting of said blade.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said thrust section of said blade profile edge is also of substantially rectilinear configuration, and extends from said locking section toward said sharpened edge.

6. The assembly of claim 1 additionally including means for releasably engaging said blades in said closed position thereof.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said means for engaging comprises an elastically deformable element surrounding said body at a location overlying said forward end portions of said blades in said closed position thereof, and structure on said blade forward end portions for engaging said deformable element, said engaging structure being so configured as to disengage from said deformable element under opening force applied to said blades.

8. A broadhead assembly comprising:

an elongate body having forward and rearward ends and a longitudinal slot extending laterally therethrough, said body having means at said rearward end for attachment to an arrow shaft, and having means defining a passage extending on the longitudinal axis of said body between said forward end and said slot thereof;

an actuating plunger comprised of a shaft slidably mounted in said passage, and a tip disposed on the forward end of said plunger shaft outwardly of said passage, said plunger being movable between an armed, outward position with said shaft thereof extended from said body, and a discharged, inward position with said shaft depressed thereinto and said tip bearing upon said forward end of said body, said plunger shaft having blade-mounting means on a rearward end portion thereof;

a pair of substantially identical blades, each having a forward end portion with a pivot support element thereon, and opposing lateral edges extending generally rearwardly therefrom, one of said edges being sharpened and the other being formed with a positioning profile, said blades being seated in said body slot with said sharpened edges outwardly oriented and with said support elements thereon engaged with said mounting means on said plunger shaft for substantially free pivotable movement of said blades between a closed position within said slot, in said armed position of said plunger, and open positions extended from said slot, in said discharged position of said plunger;

a positioning element extending transaxially in said body and traversing said slot at a location intermediate said ends of said body, said blades being disposed for engagement of said profile edges thereof upon said positioning element; and

means for releasably engaging said blades in said closed position thereof, said means for engaging comprising an elastically deformable element surrounding said body at a location overlying said forward end portions of said blades in said closed position thereof, and structure on said blade forward end portions for engaging said deformable element, said engaging structure being so configured as to disengage from said deformable element under opening force applied to said blades;

each of said profile edges being comprised of a locking section, located proximate said pivot support element on said blade for registry with said positioning element in said discharged position of said plunger, and a thrust section extending rearwardly from said locking section, said thrust section being so disposed and configured as to cause said positioning element to effect extension of said blades, from said closed position, during inward movement of said plunger from said armed position to said discharged position thereof, and said locking section being so configured that inward, closing force applied to said blades in an open position thereof and transmitted through said locking sections produces n force vector tending to effect outward movement of said plunger, thereby serving to constrain said blades against full retraction to said closed position.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said forward end portions of said blades have apertures formed therethrough to provide said support elements, wherein said rearward end portion of said plunger shaft is bifurcated and receives said forward end portions of said blades in overlapped relationship between the parts thereof, and wherein said blade mounting means includes a pin extending between said parts of said plunger shaft and through said blade apertures.

10. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said locking section of said blade profile edge is of substantially rectilinear configuration, and extends substantially radially with respect to the axis of pivoting of said blades.

11. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said body is of generally cylindrical form, wherein said slot extends diametrically therethrough, and wherein said blades are entirely contained within said body in said closed position thereof.

12. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said positioning element is a pin affixed in said body.

13. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said sharpened edge of said blade, and said locking and thrust sections of said profile edge thereof, are all of substantially rectilinear configuration, and wherein said locking section and said thrust section, respectively, diverge rearwardly from and converge rearwardly toward said sharpened edge.

14. The assembly of claim 8, wherein said blades are substantially planar and are disposed to move in substantially a common plane.

15. The assembly of claim 14 additionally including a pair of fixed blades mounted on said body adjacent said rearward end thereof, said fixed blades being disposed in mutual opposition and in a plane generally perpendicular to said common plane.