Explosively releasable fastener

Claim 1

AN EXPLOSIVELY RELEASABLE FASTENER FOR JOINING TWO SEPARABLE BODIES TOGETHER, SAID FASTENER COMPRISING A TUBULAR SHANK HAVING ONE END CLOSED AND MEANS AT SAID ONE END FOR ENGAGING ONE OF SAID BODIES SO AS TO PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION, A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY SPACED FLANGES PROJECTING HORIZONTALLY INWARD FROM THE WALL OF SAID TUBULAR SHANK IN A PLANE DISPOSED PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHANK AND SPACED FROM SAID ONE END, A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING LOCKING LUGS SLIDABLY SUPPORTED ON ADJACENT ENDS OF ADJOINING PAIRS OF SAID FLANGES, EACH OF SAID LOCKING LUGS PROJECTING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN THE SIDE OF SAID SHANK AND BEING SLIDABLE THERETHROUGH BETWEEN AN EXTENDED LOCKING POSITION AND A RETRACTED UNLOCKED POSITION, THE OUTER END OF SAID LOCKING LUG PROJECTING BEYOND THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR SHANK WHEN IN SAID EXTENDED LOCKING POSITION AND ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID BODIES SO AS TO PREVENT SEPARATION OF THE LATTER FROM SAID ONE BODY, A PISTON MEMBER SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN SAID TUBULAR SHANK BETWEEN SAID CLOSED ONE END AND SAID FLANGES, A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY SPACED CAM LEGS PROJECTING FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID PISTON MEMBER, EACH OF SAID CAM LEGS SLIDING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN ONE OF SAID LOCKING LUGS AND PASSING BETWEEN ADJACENT ENDS OF ADJOINING PAIRS OF SAID FLANGES, EACH OF SAID LEGS HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF INCLINED OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE LINE OF TRAVEL OF SAID PISTON MEMBER, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID CLOSED ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR SHANK CAUSES SAID LOCKING LUGS TO BE RETRACTED FROM SAID LOCKING POSITION TO SAID UNLOCKED POSITION, AND A PYROTECHNIC CHARGE MOUNTED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR SHANK BETWEEN SAID CLOSED ONE END AND SAID PISTON MEMBER, SAID PYROTECHNIC CHARGE BEING OPERABLE, WHEN DETONATED, TO DRIVE SAID PISTON MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID CLOSED ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR SHANK AND THEREBY RETRACT SAID LOCKING LUGS.