Self-locking hydraulic linkage

Claim 2

A self-locking hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement comprising, an enlarged head at one end of said piston in slidable engagement with the interior of said cylinder, passage means through said piston head to accommodate the flow of hydraulic fluid displaced by movement of said cylinder relative to said piston, said means including an opening traversing said piston head in communication with a valve chamber therein having one end open and a funnel-shaped orifice in the opposite end thereof, a poppet valve slidably disposed within said chamber with one end thereof adjacent said open end of said chamber for full exposure to the hydraulic fluid, and a stem projecting from the other end of said poppet valve for closing said funnel-shaped orifice in response to a predetermined increase in the pressure of the hydraulic fluid surrounding said valve chamber.

Claim 3

A self-locking dash pot unit for linking a movable member To a stationary member comprising, a cylinder fixedly secured to one of said members, a piston having an elongated rod with one end thereof in abutment with the other one of said members and an enlarged head at the opposite end of said rod disposed for slidable retention in said cylinder, passage means through said piston head to provide for the flow of hydraulic fluid displaced during movement of said cylinder relative to said piston, a poppet valve laterally disposed in said piston head for slidable movement into and out of blocking association with said passage means and with one end thereof fully exposed to hydraulic fluid within said cylinder on one side of said piston, and a spring for normally biasing said poppet valve to an open position in said passage means and being responsive to a fluid pressure in excess of the flow capacity of said passage means whereby the resulting differential pressure on said poppet valve overcomes the bias of said spring and causes said valve to close said passage means thereby halting further movement of said cylinder relative to said piston and providing a rigid link between said movable and stationary members.

Claim 4

A self-locking dash pot unit for linking a movable member To a stationary member comprising, a cylinder fixedly secured to one of said members, a piston having an elongated rod with one end thereof in abutment with the other one of said members and an enlarged head at the opposite end of said rod disposed for slidable retention in said cylinder, passage means through said piston head to provide for the flow of hydraulic fluid displaced during movement of said cylinder relative to said piston, a poppet valve laterally disposed in said piston head for slidable movement into and out of blocking association with said passage means and with one end thereof fully exposed to hydraulic fluid within said cylinder on one side of said piston, and a spring for normally biasing said poppet valve to an open position in said passage means and being responsive to a fluid pressure in excess of the flow capacity of said passage means whereby the resulting differential pressure on said poppet valve overcomes the bias of said spring and causes said valve to close said passage means thereby halting further movement of said cylinder relative to said piston and providing a rigid link between said movable and stationary members.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 2 including a ball check valve in said piston head for increasing the flow of hydraulic fluid therethrough in response to separation of one member from the other member.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 2 including a compression spring for biasing said elongated rod on said piston into abutment with said other member.

Claim 7

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said piston head includes a transverse chamber for slidably seating said poppet valve and wherein said passage means comprises a funnel-shaped orifice leading from one side of said piston into one end of said poppet valve chamber and an opening extending from said chamber to the opposite side of said piston in the vicinity of said piston rod.

Claim 8

The invention defined in claim 5 wherein said poppet valve includes a projecting stem in axial alignment with said funnel-shaped orifice which serves to block the passage of hydraulic fluid therethrough in response to the differential pressure acting upon said poppet valve.

Claim 9

In a large caliber gun having a carriage terminating in rollers at one end thereof and provided at the opposite end thereof with a ball engageable in a socket in the center of a stationary baseplate whereby the carriage can be canted to permit the traverse thereof over uneven terrain into firing alignment with a selected target, the improvement of a pair of self-locking hydraulic units disposed in spaced apart relation between the rear corners of the carriage so as to permit the canting thereof during the traverse of the gun and yet provide a rigid link between the carriage and the baseplate under the recoil forces imparted thereto upon the firing of the gun, each of said units comprising, cylinder means filled with hydraulic fluid and fixedly secured to the underside of the carriage, a piston having an enlarged head in slidable engagement with said cylinder means and an elongated rod extending outwardly of said cylinder into abutment with the stationary baseplate, passage means through said piston head to accommodate flow of hydraulic fluid from one side of said piston head to the other side thereof, said fluid being displaced in response to the movement imparted to said cylinder means by the canting of the carriage, valve means slidably disposed in said piston head in direct communication with said passage means, and spring means for biasing said valve means to a normally open position during the traverse of the carriage about the stationary baseplate, said spring means being responsive to fluid pressure in excess of the flow capacity of said passage means whereby said valve means will close said passage means and prevent further movement of said cylinder means relative to said piston thereby providing a rigid link between the carriage and the baseplate capablE of resisting the recoil forces produced by the firing of the gun despite the difference in the relative positions of each of said hydraulic units due to the canting of the carriage.

Claim 10

In a large caliber gun having a carriage terminating in rollers at one end thereof and provided at the opposite end thereof with a ball engageable in a socket in the center of a stationary baseplate whereby the carriage can be canted to permit the traverse thereof over uneven terrain into firing alignment with a selected target, the improvement of a pair of self-locking hydraulic units disposed in spaced apart relation between the rear corners of the carriage so as to permit the canting thereof during the traverse of the gun and yet provide a rigid link between the carriage and the baseplate under the recoil forces imparted thereto upon the firing of the gun, each of said units comprising, cylinder means filled with hydraulic fluid and fixedly secured to the underside of the carriage, a piston having an enlarged head in slidable engagement with said cylinder means and an elongated rod extending outwardly of said cylinder into abutment with the stationary baseplate, passage means through said piston head to accommodate flow of hydraulic fluid from one side of said piston head to the other side thereof, said fluid being displaced in response to the movement imparted to said cylinder means by the canting of the carriage, valve means slidably disposed in said piston head in direct communication with said passage means, and spring means for biasing said valve means to a normally open position during the traverse of the carriage about the stationary baseplate, said spring means being responsive to fluid pressure in excess of the flow capacity of said passage means whereby said valve means will close said passage means and prevent further movement of said cylinder means relative to said piston thereby providing a rigid link between the carriage and the baseplate capablE of resisting the recoil forces produced by the firing of the gun despite the difference in the relative positions of each of said hydraulic units due to the canting of the carriage.

Claim 11

The invention defined in claim 7 wherein said cylinder means comprises, a hollow outer member having an interior annular shoulder, a hollow inner member having a plurality of exit ports at one end thereof and a plurality of beveled grooves at the opposite end thereof, said inner member being fixedly secured within said outer member with said grooves adjacent said annular shoulder therein and being spaced from the interior periphery thereof to provide a storage area in communication with said exit ports to receive the hydraulic fluid displaced by said rod portion of said piston when said cylinder is actuated toward the stationary baseplate, and closure means secured to said outer member end with said exit ports to retain the hydraulic fluid in said cylinder means.

Claim 12

The invention defined in claim 7 wherein said enlarged head of said piston is provided with a projecting rectangular housing containing a transverse chamber open at one end and closed at the opposite end thereof and a bore adjacent said chamber extending axially into said elongated rod portion of said piston and wherein a compression spring is seated between an endwall of said inner member and the endwall within said piston rod bore to bias said piston and said cylinder in opposite directions to maintain said piston in abutment with the stationary baseplate.

Claim 13

The invention defined in claim 9 wherein said passage means is provided by a funnel-shaped orifice in said closed end of said chamber and an opening extending from the side of said chamber through said piston head into communication with the area surrounding said piston rod portion.

Claim 14

The invention defined in claim 9 wherein said valve means comprises, a poppet valve slidably disposed in said chamber having a stem projecting axially from said valve toward said funnel-shaped orifice, and a split ring in said open end of said chamber for retaining said poppet valve therein against the bias imparted thereto by said spring means.