IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOUNTING AND WORKING OF ORDNANCE AND DEFENSIVE ARMOUR, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION, FORMS, AND MEANS OF APPLYING DEFENSIVE ARMOUR, AND IN THE FORMS AND IN THE USE OF SOME PARTS THEREOF; AND ALSO IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE ABOVE PURPOSES FOR THE DEFENCE OP SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS, FORTS, BATTERIES, AND OTHER FORTIFICATIONS, AND OF ORDNANCE IN THEM AND ELSEWHERE WHERE REQUIRED, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Berney at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
November 1868.
I, THOMAS BERNEY, of Bracon Hall, in the County of Norfolk, Clerk,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MOUNTING AND WORKING OF ORDNANCE AND DEFENSIVE ARMOUR, AND IN THE
CONSTRUCTION, FORMS, AND MEANS OF APPLYING DEFENSIVE ARMOUR, AND IN THE
FORMS AND IN THE USE OF SOME PARTS THEREOF; AND ALSO IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND USE OF APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE ABOVE PURPOSES FOR THE DEFENCE
OP SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS, FORTS, BATTERIES, AND OTHER FORTIFICATIONS, AND
OF ORDNANCE IN THEM AND ELSEWHERE WHERE REQUIRED, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of several parts both with regard to the
mounting and working of ordnance and defensive armour, and in the
construction and forms and means of applying defensive armour, and
in the forms and in the use of some parts thereof; and also in the
construction and use of apparatus for effecting the above purposes
for the defense of ships and other vessels, forts, batterics, and other

page_text: fortifications, and of ordnance in them and elsewhere where required,
parts of which improvements are applicable also to other purposes.
This Invention is in part based upon an Invention for which a Patent
was granted to me bearing date A.D. 1867, 25th January, No. 193,
entitled "Improvements in Constructing and Applying Defensive Armour
and also Bullet-proof Port Hole Covers for the Defence of Ships and
other Vessels, Forts, Batteries, and other Fortifications, Parts of which
Improvements are applicable also to other Purposes;" and some of the
Instead
improvements which I prefer may be thus briefly described.
of the 45° preferred in the before-mentioned Patent, the sides of the
underlocking members are preferred to be at angles of or of about 60°
with their sectional base line, see Figs. I., II., III.
I claim the forms described, included, and provided for in this Specifi-
cation and in my former before-mentioned Patent, whether they be made
in iron, steel, stone, concrete, compressed wood fibre, or in any material
whatsoever, and I claim the right to cast metal in the form of any number
of blocks of any suitable form together when desirable so as to form any
sized areas of armour presenting externally nodulous, undulating, and
other forms of a rounded or other curved projecting character.
The planes whereat the port hole covers meet are formed with inter-
locking parts to give them mutual stability and to prevent bullets glancing
inwards.
The next part of this Invention consists in means of giving suitable
support to the blocks next the top, the sides, and bottom of any areas
of armour blocks. I prefer to do it as follows:-I prefer to turn the
top and also the sides of the backing frame forwards, and by preference
at an angle of 135°. Tie blocks are formed to fit this turn in the
backing. The heads of the tie blocks are preferred to be carried down-
wards so as to fit over and upon the face of the blocks respectively below
them so as to cover the joint of the armour.
These loop holes are further subdivided, and bullets are stopped by
radiating moveable stoppers or otherwise.
Another part of this Invention consists of protecting the loop holes
and of strengthening the domes of rifle blocks so as to cause more certain
deflection of projectiles striking them; this I prefer to do by making
one part of the block projecting beyond the other part of such blocks.
Another part of this Invention consists of " self-acting bullet stopping
mantlets for portholes." These are formed in any suitable form and

page_text: materials, and by preference of hides interlined with plates of steel.
They are of two natures, the first consists of two mantlets, the one at the
top and the other at the bottom of the port hole; they project into the
port hole, so far as possible and they are balanced or otherwise actuated so
that they are caused to incline into the opening when not pressed out of
the way by the muzzle of the gun; they are also attached by ropes or;
otherwise to the backing, so that if struck by a heavy projectile they may
if possible be prevented from being carried through the port hole.
The second nature consists of a pair of mantlet doors, one on each side
of the port hole, mounted in any suitable manner and by preference on
hinges, and which are preferred to be formed of a round bar each fixed
within the backing behind the port side; they are self-acting, and are
caused to extend over part of the opening and to press against the side of
the barrel of the gun on each side so as to stop bullets which strike them;
they are so arranged that the barrel of the gun on being moved presses
one of them back, and are so mounted that though capable of stopping
bullets heavier projectiles will force them back.
Another part of this Invention consists of an improvement in the
form of countersunk rivets and in tools for making them, for use not
only in armour plates and armour backing but in any part of a ship or
fort which may be affected by the impact of projectiles upon the armour
upon them. Upon the plan of this Invention instead of making the
hole as usual tapering conically down to the size of the shank it is
preferred to sink a hole of the usual size of the head to the depth of
about one-half of the diameter of the rivet. The hole is then farther
opened by a tool which is formed with a hollow curve, as shewn by the
Drawing, Fig. IV., A. The top of the rivet also instead of being beaten
down flat as usual is formed by a preferred shallow cupped tool with
in some cases a slightly projecting centre, as shewn by the form of the
rivet, Fig. IV., A, or more or less. A similar hollow lined opening tool I
prefer to use or in any way so to open the holes for all semicircular
headed rivets for use with armour as shewn by the form of the rivets,
Fig. IV., B.
Another part of this Invention consists of making the metal mould of
steel.
And farther another part of this Invention consists when using the
two courses of bars shewn and described in my before-mentioned former
Patent of inverting the position of the back course of bars, and in

page_text: arranging them in some cases in similar and parallel lines one over
the other, and in adding a single flange on the inside at the base of each
pair of bars, but upon opposite sides, so that they lap over and upon
each other; these two flanges are first fastened together by rivets or
otherwise; the other two bars of the four being then placed in position
against them their outer flanges are then fastened together respectively,
but in some cases, as for the construction of ships and other vessels, a
plate is preferred to be first introduced between the courses of the base
flanges. The double box frame thus formed is then secured in suitable
manner to the outer and inner plates forming the outer and inner
members of my girder backing as provided in my before-mentioned
Patent.
Another part of this Invention consists of affording protection to
ordnance in battery in ships or other vessels and in fortifications or
elsewhere. Ordnance has been mounted on a carriage which is itself
supported on a moving fulcrum, and a counterweight or (spring of
equivalent power) has been applied which balances the gun, so that
when the gun is fired it recoils below the level of the parapet and the
force of the recoil is met and its energy stored by the counterweight or
spring of equivalent power in such a manner that the gun will rise into
the firing position when required; this is effected by mounting the
gun on a carriage which is supported by two wheels, curved rollers, or
segmental blocks called "elevators" which have a rolling motion on the
rails which support them, and are connected together by a transverse
axle near their periphery on which the gun rests. To the opposite ends
of these elevators (or those ends which are lowest when the gun is in
the firing position) a counterweight or spring of equivalent power as a
balance to the gun is attached, the point of contact between the
"elevators" and the rails which support them being the moving fulcrum
above referred to. When the gun is fired the transverse axle which
supports the gun descends in a cycloidal curve until the action of the
counterweight or the springs of equivalent power exhausts the energy of
the recoil by putting a strain on the opposite ends of the elevators to
those on which the gun is supported. When the recoil is ended the
gun will be at its lowest position, and the gun which that axle supports
will be in the loading position; in that position it is held by a check.
When that check is removed the action of the counterweight or spring
of equivalent power will tend to bring the gun back to the firing position

page_text: by causing the elevators to roll forward by the strain thus brought upon
them.
In the carrying out of the above-mentioned Invention it was preferred
to support the rear of the gun carriage in one of three ways, viz., first by
fixed guides in or on which pins supporting the rear of the gun carriago
was to slide; secondly, by elongating the gun carriage into a trail which
was to be supported by a transverse bar at the back of the frame;
thirdly, by radius bars having a fixed centre below the frame. The
counterweight is suspended from a transverse axle between the elevators
on parts of each periphery opposite to those between which the gun axle
is mounted, and the improvements claimed in the mounting and working
of ordnance consist of lowering and raising mounted ordnance in the
manner and for the purpose above described.
My improvements upon such Inventions consist of several parts. The
first consists of converting that which by any previous Invention is
used as a counterweight into defensive armour, and in utilizing the recoil
and the weight of the gun and gun carriage mounted on a fulcrum
as means to bring the said armour into the position which may be
necessary to afford protection to the gun and the men serving it when
the gun is in the loading position. Secondly, in forming the said
armour so as to protect the men serving it when in the firing position.
And for these purposes, though not essential, I prefer, thirdly, to make
this defensive covering armour in two parts. The said armour' is
made of any suitable forms and materials for the purposes required,
but by preference of hollow figures presenting a rounded forms externally
so as to tend to cause falling projectiles to glance from off it. The
first part is mounted on the same lever frame as the gun, and is so
situated with regard to its fulcrum that when the gun is in the loading
position the said part of the armour has been brought up to the position
requisite for it to be in to cover and protect a part of the gun, and by
preference of the fore part of it. Fourthly, in the second part of the
said defensive armour being mounted separately from the other part
upon one part of a lever frame which is mounted on separate bearings
which form a fulcrum to it; this lever frame is caused also to turn
upon its axis so that the said second part of the said armour can be
brought into a position so as to cover and protect the other part of
the gun, and by preference the after part; this I may do partly by
bringing parts of the gun lever frame which carries the gun into contact

page_text: with it by excentrics or otherwise. And, fifthly, partly by connecting
the two lever frames together by connecting bars with suitable joints
at their ends, and this I particularly prefer to do by affixing the ends
of the connecting bars in positions so that the force brought into
action by the recoil and weight of the gun and gun carriage on the gun
being fired shall bear directly upon the second lever frame so as to cause
the armour mounted upon it to rise into the protecting position. Sixthly,
it consists of both parts of the armour and the gun, and more properly
speaking, powers thus mounted on the lever frames acting upon each
other reciprocally in the same manner as the counterweight of
previous Invention. When the gun is in the loading position the two
parts of the armour are preferred to meet together so as to form a
complete covering of rounded form or forms over the gun forming a
protection from falling projectiles. Again, when the gun is in the
firing position the parts of the armour arrive at positions in which
together with the lateral defensive armour with which the gun and its
turntable may in some cases be protected they form a covering and
protection for the men.
Having now entered into particulars I should observe that although
the arrangement and construction of parts and the means of actuating
the same as herein shewn and described are those which I prefer and
consider to be the most advantageous and advisable for explaining the
object of this Invention as far as a Provisional Specification needs to
go, I do not mean or intend to confine myself thereto, as the construction
and form and arrangement of parts, and also the means of actuating of
the working parts, admit of considerable variation and modification
without departing from the nature of this Invention or the principle
upon which it is founded; I therefore reserve to myself the right to adopt
such means and modifications in form and otherwise as may be found
most convenient and effective to carry out the object of this Invention.