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Engineering Design Handbook - Carriages and Mounts Series - Equilibrators

1. This handbook, one of a series on Car- 
riages and Mounts, describes equilibrators, 
their characteristics, functions, requirements 
and design features. 
2. Mobile artillery should have a low sil- 
houette and low center of gravity and yet 
be able to fire at high, as well as low, eleva- 
tion. To provide clearance for recoil at high 
elevation, it is necessary that the recoiling 
parts be placed well forward with respect to 
the trunnions. This places the center of grav- 
ity of the tipping parts ahead of the trun- 
nions, and creates a muzzle preponderance, 
or weight moment. This weight moment, 
without further provision is balanced by a 
couple applied at the trunnions and elevating 
gear, but the large force on the gear requires 
more effort for elevating. Hence, it is desira- 
ble to eliminate, or at least reduce, the weight 
moment by balancing either with counter- 
weights or some mechanical device. A 
mechanical device is to counter- 
weights because of saving in weight, space, 
and moment of inertia of tipping parts. 

3. The most effective and desirable method 
of balancing the tipping parts is by the use 
Of an equilibrator. An equilibrator is a force- 
producing mechanism whose function is to 
provide a balancing moment. One such mo- 
ment to be balanced is the muzzle preponder-

ance of the tipping parts. Figure 1 shows a 
typical equilibrator installation. 
4. The muzzle preponderance of artillery 
is little affected by changes in ammunition 
weight. However, this must be considered in 
dealing with other typcs of weapons, such as 
missile launchers. Here, the weight of the 
missile is large compared with that of the 
tipping parts. After a missile is launched, the 
weight moment has changed sufficiently to 
affect equilibrium. Provisions must be made 
to balance the new weight moment. Equili- 
brators now being designed will respond to 
the changing moment.