TRANSPORTATION GENERAL FOR transfer of elongated articles WITH AN ESSENTIALLY circular cross across their longitudinal TO AN INSTRUMENT IN PARTICULAR CARTRIDGE FOR A WEAPONS

摘要

A train of rotating shafts comprise an input shaft (16), an output shaft (34) and a plurality of intermediate shafts (22,28) all provided with sprockets (14,24,30) for items (52) being fed and rotating so that the items are passed from shaft to shaft. The intermediate shafts (22,28) provide a buffer facility which allows for differences between the instantaneous infeed rate and the instantaneous outfeed rate. This is achieved in that the intermediate shafts (22,28) can be swung about the input shaft (16) and outputshaft (34) respectively while maintaining a fixed spacing between the intermediate shafts (22,28). One sense of such movement reduces the outfeed rate below the infeed rate while the other sense increases the outfeed rate above the infeed rate. The apparatus may be used as a buffer between a constant feed-rate shell feed unit and a gun taking shells at a fluctuating rate.