Low energy mechanical operating cartridge

• US 9,534,877 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PDT Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: PDT Tech LLC
• Inventors: Huffman, Rick, Kline, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US14/154,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20140196625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 102/430, 102/439, 102/444, 102/446, 102/447, 102/464
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/36 for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/045 of telescopic type F42B5/184 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/067 Mounting or locking missiles in cartridge cases F42B5/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 8/02 Cartridges F41A33/02, F42B7/12 take precedence

Abstract

A low energy mechanical operating cartridge has an inner regulator core (13) supporting a projectile (21) slidably engaged in a primer casing (19). The regulator core acts to control the velocity at which the projectile is propelled from a firearm (61), and the primer casing carries the explosive propellant (25) necessary to generate the required energy to launch the projectile. To improve the operation of the cartridge and ejection of the cartridge from the firearm, the primer casing is configured to efficiently slide on the regulator core in a rearward recoil action, while robust gas seals are maintained between the casing and regulator core.

Claims

1. A low energy mechanical operating cartridge comprising:

a casing having a closed casing head, cylindrical casing walls, an open casing mouth, and a circumferential intermediate crimp located between said casing head and said casing mouth, said casing mouth having a casing mouth diameter and a forward-facing mouth end stop face, said casing walls defining a core-receiving chamber, said intermediate crimp having a crimp diameter smaller than said casing mouth diameter, and said crimp forming a forward-facing crimp stop face, said mouth end stop face having a diameter greater than that of said crimp stop face, and

a regulator core having a base end, sidewalls, and a projectile end for receiving a projectile, said regulator core slidingly received in the core-receiving chamber of said casing, said base end in sealing engagement with the casing walls of said casing, said projectile end in sliding engagement with the casing mouth of said casing, the projectile end of said regulator core including dual, stepped, rearward-facing stop walls for abutment with said mouth end and crimp stop faces when said regulator core is received in said chamber, and said sidewalls including a travel channel extending between and having a diameter smaller than those of said base and projectile ends,

said intermediate crimp engaging the sidewalls of the regulator core along said travel channel and movable therein between said base and projectile ends thereby limiting travel of the casing over the regulator core when the casing recoils on the regulator core upon detonation of a primer in the casing head.

2. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein the intermediate crimp in the casing walls is a cannelure crimp.

3. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein a crimp receiving detent is provided in the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls for setting the position of the primer casing on the regulator core prior to detonation.

4. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 3 wherein the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls has a forward end inbound of the core'"'"'s projectile end and wherein said crimp receiving detent is located at the forward end of said travel channel.

5. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein said regulator core has a base end positioned toward the closed casing head of said casing when the regulator core is engaged in said casing, and wherein the sealing portion of the sidewalls of said regulator core is provided at the base end of said regulator core.

6. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein the base end of the regulator core has an O-ring groove and an O-ring in said O-ring groove for providing sealing engagement between said regulator core and casing.

7. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 6 wherein:

the base end of said regulator core includes dual, axially spaced-apart sealing walls, defining between them said O-ring groove, each sealing wall in sealing engagement with the casing walls of said casing.

8. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein vent holes are provided in the regulator core for venting the gas flue of the regulator core to atmosphere when the primer casing recoils on the regulator core.

9. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 8 wherein:

said vent holes are sealed off by said crimp prior to detonation, and are opened upon detonation immediately after the casing recoils on said regulator coil a distance approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of said crimp.

10. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 further comprising:

said base end positioned toward the closed casing head of said casing when the regulator core is engaged in said casing, and said base end having an O-ring groove and an O-ring fitted in said O-ring groove for providing a sealing engagement between said regulator core and said casing.

11. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 10 wherein a crimp receiving detent is provided in the travel channel in said regulator core walls for setting the position of the casing on the regulator core prior to detonation.

12. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 11 wherein the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls has a forward end inbound of the core'"'"'s projectile end and wherein said crimp receiving detent is located at the forward end of said travel channel.

13. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 10 wherein vent holes are provided in the regulator core for venting the gas flue of the regulator core to atmosphere when the primer casing recoils on the regulator core.

14. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein:

said casing mouth end axially overlaps a rear portion of a projectile received in the projectile end of said regulator core.

15. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein:

the sidewalls of said regulator core along said travel channel are spaced inwardly from said casing walls.

16. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein:

said casing walls between said casing head and said intermediate crimp having a casing walls diameter greater than said crimp diameter.

17. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 16 wherein:

said casing mouth diameter is greater than said casing walls diameter.

18. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 17 wherein:

said casing mouth extends forward from said intermediate crimp to said mouth end stop face.

19. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 1 wherein:

said intermediate crimp has a casing wall diameter that is larger than said crimp diameter, and

said casing mouth diameter is larger than said casing wall diameter.

20. A low energy mechanical operating cartridge comprising:

a casing having a closed casing head, cylindrical casing walls, an open casing mouth, and a circumferential intermediate crimp located between said casing head and said casing mouth, said casing mouth having a casing mouth diameter, said intermediate crimp having a crimp diameter smaller than said casing mouth diameter, and

a regulator core formed to slidably engage in said casing, said regulator core having a base end positioned toward the closed casing head of said casing when the regulator core is engaged in said casing, said base end having an O-ring groove and an O-ring fitted in said O-ring groove for providing a sealing engagement between said regulator core and said casing, said regulator core further having a recessed travel channel, a projectile end for receiving a projectile, a gas flue, and vent holes extending radially from the gas flue to the travel channel substantially at the location of the crimp prior to detonation for venting the gas flue to atmosphere when the casing recoils on the regulator coil,

said intermediate crimp engaging in the travel channel in the core sidewalls such that said travel channel limits the travel of the casing over the regulator core when the casing recoils on the regulator core upon detonation of a primer in the casing head.

21. A low energy mechanical operating cartridge comprising:

a regulator core having a base end, a firewall at said base end, a projectile end having a projectile pocket, an internal gas flue extending from said base end to said projectile pocket, a gas flow regulator hole in the regulator core'"'"'s base end between said firewall and gas flue, and core sidewalls, said projectile end including dual, stepped rearward-facing stop walls,

the core sidewalls having a full diameter wall portion at the base end of said regulator core forming a sealing wall, a full diameter wall portion at the projectile end of said regulator core, a reduced diameter wall portion between said full diameter wall portions, said reduced diameter wall portion forming a travel channel on said core sidewalls bounded by said full diameter wall portions,

a projectile releasably held on the projectile end of said regulator core,

a casing engaged over the base end of said regulator core, said casing having a closed casing head, an open casing mouth end, and casing walls having a circumference and extending from said casing head to said casing mouth end to form a core receiving chamber therein, said casing head including a primer pocket and a flash hole between said primer pocket and said regulator core chamber,

said regulator core being engaged base end first in the core receiving chamber of said casing such that the firewall of said regulator core faces the flash hole in said casing head, wherein, upon detonation of said primer, propellant gases are directed through said casing head flash hole against the firewall of said regulator core, and

a primer embedded in the primer pocket in the head of said casing,

the regulator core chamber of said casing having a diameter complementary to the diameter of the full diameter wall portions of said regulator core, wherein the walls of the casing that engage the regulator core engage the full diameter wall portions of the regulator core on either side of the regulator core travel channel,

said casing having an intermediate crimp around the circumference thereof located between the casing head and the casing mouth end of said casing such that no portion of the cannelure crimp is located at the mouth end of the casing, said casing mouth having a casing mouth diameter and a forward-facing mouth end stop face, and said crimp having a crimp diameter smaller than said casing mouth diameter, said crimp forming a forward-facing crimp stop face, the forward-facing mouth end and crimp stop faces for abutment with the rearward-facing stop walls of the projectile end of said regulator core when said regulator core is received in the chamber of said casing, and

said primer casing being slidably engaged over the base end of the regulator core such that the intermediate crimp in the casing wall engages in the travel channel in the core sidewalls and such that the full diameter wall portion of the regulator core at the base end of said regulator core forming a sealing wall acts as a stop that limits the travel of the casing over the regulator core when the casing recoils on the regulator core upon detonation of the primer in the casing head.

22. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 21 wherein the intermediate crimp in the casing walls is a cannelure crimp.

23. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 21 wherein a crimp receiving detent is provided in the travel channel in said regulator core walls for setting the position of the primer casing on the regulator core prior to detonation.

24. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 23 wherein the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls has a forward end inbound of the core'"'"'s projectile end and wherein said crimp receiving detent is located at the forward end of said travel channel.

25. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 21 wherein the full diameter sealing wall portion of the core sidewalls is an O-ring wall.

26. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 21 wherein vent holes are provided in the regulator core for venting the gas flue of the regulator core to atmosphere when the primer casing recoils on the regulator core.

27. The low energy mechanical operating cartridge of claim 26 wherein said vent holes extend radially through said regulator core from the gas flue of the regulator core to the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls substantially at the location of the crimp in said casing prior to detonation.

28. A low energy mechanical operating cartridge comprising:

a casing having a closed casing head, an open casing mouth end for a projectile, and casing walls having a circumference,

a regulator core formed to slidably engage within said casing, said regulator core having sidewalls, a portion of which contact said casing and a portion of which provides a travel channel which does not contact said casing, and wherein the portion that contacts the casing includes a portion that provides sealing engagement between said regulator core and casing, and said regulator core further having vent holes for venting the gas flue of the regulator core to atmosphere when casing recoils on the regulator core,

said casing having an intermediate crimp around the circumference thereof between the head and the mouth ends of the casing, wherein said intermediate crimp engages in the travel channel in the core sidewalls, and wherein said travel channel limits the travel of the casing over the regulator core when the casing recoils on the regulator core upon detonation of a primer in the casing head, the vent holes in said regulator core extending radially through said regulator core from the gas flue of the regulator core to the travel channel in said regulator core sidewalls substantially at the location of the crimp in said casing prior to detonation.