Arrangement for Removal of Residues and Sediments From the Interior Surfaces of Barrels of Weapons

It is essential to clean the barrels of weapons periodically and this requires considerable time and human effort. For example, for cleaning the interior of a gun barrel having a 120 mm caliber, a brush is used corresponding to the caliber of the weapon which must be coaxially mounted on a rod of 6 meters length. Such a brush or broom when used to clean the gun barrel requires the service of seven persons.

In addition to the drawback of requiring large time and labor input, the cleaning operation must be carried out during working hours which causes the loss of valuable working time by the personnel performing the cleaning so that this personnel is unavailable for other important activities. In addition thereto, the weapon, for example, a tank, is not available for use during the cleaning process.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a cleaning arrangement for the barrels of weapons of large caliber, in which the afore-described drawbacks are eliminated or mitigated, and which simultaneously has a reduced spatial requirement, is easily operated and, consequently, is more easily mounted in the weapon installation and more easily transported with it.

The advantages of the invention reside in the simplicity of the arrangement. It can, so to speak, be used as an accessory to the weapon installation, operated overnight, in urgent cases even during marching of the weapon personnel or transporting of the weapon installation or during its utilization for teaching purposes.

Additional objects of the invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the cleaning arrangement, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

The single FIGURE in the drawing illustrates an automatic weapon-barrel cleaning installation in accordance with the invention, shown mounted in the barrel of a weapon, the drawing being in longitudinal cross-sectional axial schematic view, in which non-essential details which do not affect the invention, have been omitted.

The weapon-barrel-cleaning arrangement, hereinafter referred to as the "arrangement", includes a base plate 1, to which are rigidly secured at opposite axial ends thereof the support arrangements 1' and 1". Each one of the support arrangements 1' and 1" co-acts with a drive motor 2, 2' respectively, which is mounted on a drive gear 3, 3' respectively. The drive motor 2 (2') and drive gear 3 (3') form a drive unit A(A'). A drive shaft 3a (3'a) extends through the support arrangement 1' (1") and is co-axially connected at its free end to a rotary brush receiving member 6 (6'). The brush receiving member 6 (6') and the cylindrical brush support 5a (5'a) are adapted to be screw-connected or bayonet-connected to each other so that the connection is adapted to absorb torque forces during rotation. The support arrangements 1' and 1" are essentially circular in cross section and support at their outer periphery radially biased drive rollers so that the arrangement is self-centering. The drive rollers bear against the inner surface 12' of the weapons-barrel. The biasing in the radial direction of the drive rollers 4 is indicated by the double arrow "r". The drive rollers 4 are mounted equidistant from each other along the periphery of the drive arrangement 1 (1") and are driven via the drive motors 2, (2') and drive gear trains 3, (3') in the direction of the double arrow 4a by means which are not illustrated in detail. Such drive arrangements, having roller drum means, are conventional and are, for example, disclosed in Italian patent No. 720,816. In the middle region of a central axis of the arrangement there is disposed a container 7 for a fluid medium 13, i.e., a cleaning fluid. A conventional switching arrangement 11 (11'), only schematically illustrated, includes a feeler 10 (10') which serves as a signal emitting means. The feelers 10 (10') forming part of the switching means are of the conventional inductive proximity switch type. For supplying electrical energy to the motors 2 and 2', there are respectively provided electrical conduits 9 and/or 9'. The switching members 11 (11') respectively switch the drive arrangements A and A' via the feelers 10 and 10'. The switching arrangement 11 (11') further includes an adjustable single emitter for releasing the fluid medium 13 via a releasing means 13 mounted in the container 7 but not illustrated in detail. The switching means 11 (11') are adjustable pursuant to a predetermined program.

The operation and use of the cleaning arrangement of the invention is carried out as follows:

The installation is mounted inside the weapon barrel 12. The conduit 9 and/or 9' can be connected via the gun barrel mouth and/or the loading chamber to a source of electrical energy, for example a electrical supply network. The cleaning arrangement is inserted into the mouth of the gun barrel and is moved first of all in the direction of the arrow v.sub.l towards the loading chamber. The brushes 5 and 5' rotate in opposite directions while the drive rollers 4 provide, by means of radially biased mounting, the necessary centering as well as the necessary advance in the axial direction of the cleaning arrangement in the barrel 12. As soon as the feeler 10 passes the point where the gun barrel meets the loading chamber, a switching is effected. The cleaning installation still moves in the direction of the arrow v.sub.l until the brush 5 has reached a limit where the transition from gun barrel to loading chamber is located. The cleaning arrangement now stops and the drive rollers 4 reverse their rotational movement so that the installation now moves in the direction of the arrow v.sub.M until the feeler 10' reaches the mouth of the barrel. There an analog process occurs as occurred at the point of transfer from gun barrel to loading chamber; the cleaning arrangement now returns again towards the loading chamber where it stops again and so on, and so on. Depending on the pre-set program the release of the fluid medium 13 is effected which insures the careful and non-abrasive removal of a layer from the inner surface 12' by means of the rotating brushes 5 and 5'. After the cleaning operation has been completed according to the predetermined program, the installation can, for example, remain at the mouth of the gun barrel and can at an appropriate time be removed from the cleaned gun barrel 12. From the above it will be understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of preferred embodiments and specific examples of the present invention, and that variations may be made in such embodiments and examples by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and purview thereof.