Targets

Abstract

 A gunnery target made of elastic sheet material (1) mounted on suitable support means (3), the sheet material being sufficiently strong and elastic to be substantially self-sealing subsequent to the passage of a bullet therethrough. The sheet material is preferably of natural or synthetic rubber, more preferably butyl rubber.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to gunnery targets, particularly but not exclusively for small-arms practice. The conventional small-arms target for open range firing comprises a sheet of plywood or similar cheap, weather- resistant, substantially rigid sheet material, usually shaped and/or painted to represent an enemy soldier. A major disadvantage of this conventional target is its fragility when hit, which results in the target being shattered beyond further use when it has been subjected to a relatively small number of hits. Thus such targents have to be replaced very frequently, which is expensive and time-consuming.

[0002] Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a gunnery target made of elastic sheet material mounted on suitable support means, the sheet material being sufficiently strong and elastic to be substantially self-sealing subsequent to the passage of a bullet therethrouah.

[0003] By the term "substantially self-sealing" is meant that the opening formed by the passage of a bullet therethrough will automatically re-close, to substantially maintain the integrity of the sheet, without substantial tearing and without any substantial loss of material. A particularly suitable material is natural or synthetic rubber, and a preferred form of that material which also has particularly desirable qualities of weather-resistance, substantial non-absorbency to water, and amenability to fabrication techniques, is butyl rubber sheet.

[0004] In one form of the invention the target comprises a single thickness of the said sheet material havino the said support means secured thereto as a supporting frame or backing. Such a single sheet may be provided with side loops, or with strips extending across the back of the sheet, or indeed with any other suitable attachment means, for securing the sheet to the said support means. Alternatively the sheet may be bonded to the support means, e.a, by adhesive or by heat welding.

[0005] In another form of the invention the target may comprise a double thickness of the said sheet material in the form of a tube or envelope having said support means situated therewithin as a supporting frame or filling. Such a tube or envelope may be substantially flat and internally supported by similarly flat support means, or it may have substantial thickness (when incorporating the support means) to form a three-dimensional target.

[0006] The support means on which the sheet material is mounted may be of any suitable construction, its main preferred features being simplicity, cheapness, and of course ability to maintain the sheet material in the desired configuration of the target. In one form the said support means is a frame or sheet of wood, in another form it is a frame or sheet of substantially self-supporting foamed plastics material. In a very simple form such a frame may comprise only two side uprights, with or without a top cross-piece, mounted on a suitable base and having the sheet material either releasably connected thereto, e.g. by side loops or strips as aforesaid, or permanently secured by pins or adhesive. In another simple embodiment the elastic sheet material may be stretched vertically between top and bottom support means in the form of horizontally extending bars or other stretchers, which may if desired be mounted for swinging movement about a central vertical axis to cause the target to rotate when hit and/or to permit it to be selectively rotated between edge-on and full- face target positions. In more complex forms support means comprising such a frame or sheet, and the elastic _!;heet material itself, may be shaped to represent particular targets such as for example the detailed body outline of an enemy soldier or, in larger versions, an enemy vehicle.

[0007] When the support means comprises foaued plastics material as aforesaid this may for example be ₃ polyurethane or polystyrene foam and in a particularly convenient form may be the rigid foamed plastics material sold under the trade name Ethafoam. The thickness of the foamed plastics frame or sheet for supporting a substantially two-dimensional target will be chosen in accordance with the size of the target, but may be of the order of 1" thick for a target 18" high, whereas a 2" thickness would be more suitable for a target 4' high.

[0008] When, as above described, the elastic sheet material of the target comprises a suitably supported double thickness in the form of a flat tube or envelope, a suitably shaped preformed sheet or block of foamed plastics material, again of a sufficiently rigid nature to serve a supporting function, may be inserted in the said tube or envelope.

[0009] In yet another form a hollow enclosure formed of the said elastic sheet material may be filled with foamed plastics material by polymerising the monomer in situ, i.e. inside the sheet material enclosure, if necessary in the presence of a blowing agent, so as to fill the whole enclosure with foamed plastics. Such a procedure enables three-dimensional targets of realistic appearance to be created, for example simulating an enemy soldier in three-dimensional form.

[0010] Referring now to a further preferred feature of the invention, there is a requirement for hits on gunnery targets to be recorded electrically. The basic requirement is that a hit should produce an electrical pulse which can be utilised in associated circuitry for various purposes, for example to act on elevating or other control mechanism so as to cause the target to fall or rotate, or simply to count the number of hits,

[0011] Thus in a preferred form of the invention the target incorporates electrically conducting material arranged to enable the passage of a bullet through the sheet material to be sensed,

[0012] There are various ways in which this preferred There are various ways in which this preferred featurg of the invention may be practically applied Thus in one embediment a single sheet of the sheet material of the target is coated on both sides with electrically conducting material, for example an electrically conducting paint, and the two coatings are insulated from one another so that a bullet passing through that sheet will cause a short circuit or an instantaneous change in capacitance and thereby create a detectable pulse. 'The same effect may obviously be achieved by coating single sides of two sheets and laminating them, with the thickness of either one or both sheets between the two conducting coatings. In a development of such an arrangement the two electrically conducting coatings may be applied in the form of two sets of separate parallel strips arranged mutually at right angles in the respective coatings, e.^g. horizontal in one coating and vertical in the other, so as to form a grid; sensors and suitable circuitry may then be connected to each strip to locate the position of a hit on the target, by sensing its grid coordinates, by virtue of the fact that the bullet will cause a short circuit between distinct strips of the two sets. Alternatively a single conductive coating may be employed and an electrical power source connected to two opposite corners of the coating, e.g. to opposite corners of a rectangular coated sheet, so that a hit causes an instantaneous distortion in the current distribution across the sheet, again resulting in a detectable pulse.

[0013] A different approach is to incorporate one or more sheets or strips of electrically conducting material into the sheet material of the target, instead of employing electrically conducting coatings. For example butyl rubber sheet may be provided in electrically conducting form by increasing its carbon black content. Clearly sheets or strips of this or any other suitable conducting material may readily be used in place of the conducting coatings in the various alternative arrangements described above.

[0014] All forms of target according to the invention may be mounted in various known ways ranging from simple upright stationary arrangements to more complex systems involving selectively controlled or automatic movability between operative and inoperative positions, all of which will be familiar to those skilled in the art.

[0015] Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

FIGURE 1 is a view in front elevation of a first embodiment of a target according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line II-II of Figure 1; and

FIGURE 3 and 4 are similar views of a second embodiment.

[0016] In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 an envelope 1 of butyl rubber sheet, open only at its bottom end 2, is mounted on support means comprising a wooden frame 3 whose legs 4 may simply be stuck in the ground or may be mounted on any desired type of base structure for controlling the target as aforesaid.

[0017] In the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4 a single butyl rubber sheet 5 is bonded by adhesive to a block of self-supporting foamed plastics material 6 which is itself secured to a timber post 7.

[0018] It will thus be seen that the invention, at least in its preferred embodiments, provides a gunnery target which has a number of advantages over previous proposals, chief among these being the ability of the target to substantially maintain its integrity after a much greater number of hits than has previously been the case. This of course means that the target has to be replaced much less frequently than in the past, which is a major advantage when the target location is difficult of access, for example in wild or rugged terrain.

[0019] Although some emphasis has been placed on the applicability of the invention to the provision of relatively small targets for small-arms practice, it should be clearly understood that all of the principles of the invention are readily applicable, with similar advantages, to the provision of targets of any size required, including ones for use with relatively large-calibre shells, Furthermore the principles of the invention are readily applicable to the provision of targets for air-to-ground firing, which are usually laid out on the ground rather than being erect, and for air-to-air firing when a target is towed behind an aircraft.

Claims

1. A gunnery target made of elastic sheet material mounted on suitable support means, the sheet material being sufficiently strong and elastic to be substantially self-sealing subsequent to the passage of a bullet therethrough.

2. A target as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said sheet.material is of natural or synthetic rubber.

3. A target as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said sheet material is of butyl rubber.

4. A target as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a single thickness of the said sheet material having the said support means secured thereto as a supporting frame or backing.

5. A target as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a double thickness of the said sheet material in the form of a tube or envelope having said support means situated therewithin as a supporting frame or filling.

6. A target as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said support means is a frame or sheet of wood.

7. A target as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the said support means is a frame or sheet of substantially self-supporting foamed plastics material.

8. A target as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a hollow enclosure of the said elastic sheet material filled with support means comprising substantially self-supporting foamed plastics material which has been created by polymerising the monomer in situ so as to fill the whole enclosure therewith.

9. A target as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the said elastic sheet material incorporates electrically conducting material arranged to enable the passage of a bullet through the sheet material to be sensed.

Drawing