PROPELLANT STICK KERFING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

A propellant stick kerfing apparatus includes a support frame, a conveyor mounted on the support frame and operable for conveying a succession of spaced propellant sticks along a path of travel with the sticks extending in transverse relation to the direction of travel, a drive arrangement mounted on the support frame and coupled to the conveyor for driving the conveyor to advance the succession of propellant sticks along the path of travel, and pairs of upper and lower blades mounted stationarily on the support frame and defining cutting edges for making transaxial kerfs in the propellant sticks from opposite upper and lower sides thereof as the succession of spaced sticks are advanced along the path of travel between the cutting edges. The upper and lower blades define the upper and lower cutting edges in an oppositely inclined orientation in which the upper and lower cutting edges converge forwardly toward one another, intersect the path of travel of the succession of sticks, and engage the sticks for making pairs of transaxial kerfs in the sticks as the succession of sticks are advanced along the path of travel between the cutting edges. Each pair of upper and lower blades is spaced from adjacent pairs in a direction transverse to the direction of travel and staggered in the direction of travel relative to adjacent pairs of blades.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Inventor

• 1MICHAEL A. TAYLOR