Dual safety grenade fuze

Claim 2

In a time-delay fuze having a pyrotechnic delay charge and an ignitor charge adjacently disposed in longitudinal alignment, the improvement comprising: a. A slidable barrier laterally disposed between said delay charge and said ignitor charge, said barrier having a flashhole for transmitting the terminal flash from the burning of the delay charge to detonate the ignitor; said barrier having a normal first position with the flash-hole out of alignment with said delay charge and said ignitor charge and a second position wherein said flash-hole is aligned with said delay an ignitor charge in communication therewith; b. Bias means for normally urging said barrier from the first to the second position; c. Slidable latch means normally engaging said barrier for holding said barrier in said first position, and for releasing said barrier; d. Heat motor means communicating with said pyrotechnic delay charge and abutting said latch means for expanding responsive to the heat generated by the burning of said delay charge for displacing said latch means so that when said delay charge burns said heat motor expands to displace the latch means releasing said barrier and allowing said bias means to move said barrier from the first positions to the second position whereby the terminal flash of the delay charge will detonate said ignitor.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein the flash-hole of the barrier contains a lead charge.

Claim 4

The device of claim 2 wherein said lead charge is lead azide.

Claim 5

The device of claim 1 wherein said heat motor includes naphthalene.

Claim 6

The device of claim 1 wherein said heat motor comprises naphthalene with copper powder disbursed therethrough.

Claim 7

A time-delay fuze comprising: a. A cylindrical fuze housing, said housing containing a pyrotechnic delay charge disposed at an end thereOf and an ignitor charge disposed at an opposite end; b. A barrier slidably mounted in said housing and having a flash-hole therethrough, said barrier being laterally disposed between said pyrotechnic delay charge and said ignitor charge, said barrier having a normal first position wherein said charges are not in communication and a second position wherein said charges are in communication so that the terminal flash from the burning of the delay charge will be transmitted through the flash-hole to detonate the ignitor; c. First bias means engaging said barrier for normally urging said barrier from the first to the second position; d. Releasable barrier latch means disposed within said housing adjacent said barrier for normally holding said barrier in the first position; e. Heat-expandable means mounted within said housing, surrounding said pyrotechnic delay charge, and abutting said latch means for expanding responsive to the heat generated by said pyrotechnic delay charge as said charge burns to release said latch means so that when said delay charge burns, said heat expandable means expands, releasing said latch, and allowing said first bias means to displace said barrier laterally from the first position to the second position.

Claim 8

A time-delay fuze comprising: a. A cylindrical fuze housing, said housing containing a pyrotechnic delay charge disposed at an end thereOf and an ignitor charge disposed at an opposite end; b. A barrier slidably mounted in said housing and having a flash-hole therethrough, said barrier being laterally disposed between said pyrotechnic delay charge and said ignitor charge, said barrier having a normal first position wherein said charges are not in communication and a second position wherein said charges are in communication so that the terminal flash from the burning of the delay charge will be transmitted through the flash-hole to detonate the ignitor; c. First bias means engaging said barrier for normally urging said barrier from the first to the second position; d. Releasable barrier latch means disposed within said housing adjacent said barrier for normally holding said barrier in the first position; e. Heat-expandable means mounted within said housing, surrounding said pyrotechnic delay charge, and abutting said latch means for expanding responsive to the heat generated by said pyrotechnic delay charge as said charge burns to release said latch means so that when said delay charge burns, said heat expandable means expands, releasing said latch, and allowing said first bias means to displace said barrier laterally from the first position to the second position.

Claim 9

The device of claim 6 wherein said latch means includes a longitudinally slidable stop disposed between an end of said barrier and the internal wall of said housing, said stop adapted to be displaced longitudinally by said heat expandable means when said means expands to permit lateral movement of said barrier from the first to the second position.

Claim 10

The device of claim 7 further comprising a longitudinally slidable piston disposed between said heat expandable means and said stop, abutting adjacent faces thereof; a second bias means disposed within said housing engaging said stop for urging said stop longitudinally against said piston and for retaining said stop in an abutting relationship with said piston.

Claim 11

The device of claim 8 wherein the heat-expandable means includes naphthalene and the piston means is a slidable seal.

Claim 12

The device of claim 9 wherein the heat-expandable means is a heat motor comprising a mixture of naphthalene and copper powder.