IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM KENNISH at present residing at No 410 Gold Street, in the City of
Brooklyn in the State of New York, one of the United States of America, Contractor
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING
TO EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES," to be as follows:-
My invention relates mainly to improvements in explosive projectiles for ordnance
or heavy guns, but I do not limit myself to any particular size or shape of
projectile.
The first and most important part of my invention consists in providing the wall
or body of the shell with numerous small chambers, in each of which is placed a
plug or cylinder of lead, so placed as not to project beyond the exterior surface of
the shell, and which is fixed so tightly in its chamber that it cannot be displaced
by centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the projectile in transit.
The chambers in which these plugs are fitted are in communication with the
charge in the projectile or shell at their bottom or inner ends, and when the shell
explodes the said plugs are driven or forced out in all directions, like musket
balls thus combining the deadly effect of musketry with the extended range of
artillery.
In order to prevent the plugs from being prematurely exploded by centrifugal
force, screw threads or internal grooves may be formed in the walls of the recesses
for the metal of the plug to take into, or any similar means may be employed to
effect this result.
The second part of my invention relates to the attachment of the leaden or soft
metal "sabot" to the base of the projectile. This is applicable to elongated bolts
or projectiles for rifled ordnance.
It consists in forming in the base or butt of the projectile cross grooves which
are undercut and then casting or otherwise forming the "sabot" on the base of the
projectile so as to fill or engage the said grooves.

page_text: I, WILLIAM KENNISH, at present residing at N° 410 Gold Street, in the City of
Brooklyn in the State of New York one of the United States of America Contractor
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING
TO EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates mainly to improvements in explosive projectiles for heavy
guns and rifled ordnance; but I do not limit myself to any particular size and
shape of projectile.
My improvements are particularly adapted to elongated shells for rifled
ordnance.
The first part of my invention consists in means that will be hereinafter
described for compelling the fracture of the shell or projectile into a great number
of fragments of substantially uniform size at the moment of bursting, and the
second part of my invention consists in providing the butt of an elongated
projectile with a sabot of lead or other soft metal, which sabot is attached to the
projectile in a peculiar and novel manner.
In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a sido
elevation of an elongated percussion projectile provided with my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal axial section of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the
base of the projectile before the sabot is applied. Figs 4, 5, and 6 illustrate slight
modifications, that will be hereinafter described.
A represents an elongated hollow conical projectile or shell, and B is the
explosive charge in the cavity of same. C is the cavity or bore in the tip of
the projectile, to receive the ignitor and the bolt for effecting the ignition of the
charge B by percussion.
So far as above described the projectile is of the usual construction. When such
a projectile is fired from a rifled gun it rotates on its longitudinal axis with great
velocity, and when it explodes the line or lines of fracture are very uncertain.
The projection may simply separate into three parts, and these may be of unequal
size and weight.
One of the objects of my invention is to compel the body of the projectile-that
is to say the portion between its butt and tip to break at the moment of explosion
into numerous fragments of substantially equal size, which will be driven in all
directions simultaneously, thus combining the deadly effect of musketry with the
long range of rifled artillery.
I will now describe the means I employ to effect this. In the walls of the
projectile are bored or otherwise formed perforations or recesses G, to receive
plugs D, D, which may be of any convenient size, and any number of which may
be used. The perforations for the plugs D should be distributed equally, or sub-
stantially so, and are counterbored, as shewn, and open into the cavity of the
projectile containing the charge B. These plugs D are usually made from lead, and
they are hammered tightly into the recesses, so as to fill the latter and make the
outer surface of the projectile smooth and even, as shewn.

page_text: In order that the centrifugal force imparted by the rotation of the projectile
may not throw out the plugs, I provide means for securing them in their seats. In
Fig. 2 I have shewn the walls of the perforations G undercut. When the leaden
plugs are hammered forcibly into these, their lower or inner ends are expanded and
enlarged, so that the plugs cannot be expelled except by the exertion of considerable
force. In Fig. 4 I have shewn a retaining-groove formed in the wall of the per-
forations for the lead to expand into, and in Fig. 5 several convolutions of a screw
thread are shewn formed in the wall of the perforation. I prefer to counterbore to
form the perforations G for the plugs, as this forms a shoulder at the bottom of the
plug recess for the plug to rest on and abut against in hammering it in; but I do
not limit myself to this. In Fig. 6 I have shewn the plug-recess made conical and
extending entirely through the wall of the projectile. To prevent the plug being
thrown out by centrifugal force, the recess is screw-threaded as shewn. It will be
obvious that these retaining devices for the plug may be constructed in various
ways, and any method of construction equivalent to those shewn that will form a
positive retaining device may be employed. I have shewn one of the recesses G
empty in Fig. 2, its plug D having been omitted only for purposes of illustration.
The projectile above described is, in reality, composed of two metals; that is,
I take the ordinary projectile of iron or steel and perforate it at intervals, in order
to weaken it and determine lines of fracture between the perforations, and I then
fill up these perforations with plugs of lead, thus leaving the projectile intact
superficially and without openings or vents for the gases at the time of explosion.
At the same time I do not maintain that the insertion of the leaden plugs
strengthens the projectile or alters the determination of the lines of fracture
effected by the perforations. At the moment of explosion the body of the projectile
is broken into substantially uniform fragments, the number of which will depend
on the number of recesses G, and to these fragments will be added, as destructive
missiles the plugs D. The positive retaining devices of the plugs will insure the
bursting of the projectile before they can be expelled.
I am aware that it has been proposed to provide a spherical shot with a small
central powder-cavity, and to form bores extending from the surface into said
cavity. Ordinary bullets with patches are rammed into these bores, and when the
shot is fired, and the charge is ignited by a fuse, these bullets are expelled in the
manner of musket-balls. The shot does not explode. In some cases, also, it has
been proposed to provide such a shot with a second charge to explode the shot itself
after the bullets have been expelled.
While my invention, as above described, is applicable to spherical shells or
projectiles, yet I do not contemplate a discharge of the plugs D as bullets from a
gun, but rather employ them to close up the apertures and form missiles of the
same nature as the fragments of the shell-body. As they are positively retained in
place, these plugs form in reality a part of the shell-body, though not integral parts.
E is the sabot of the projectile, which is made from soft metal, usually lead, and
is designed to be so expanded by the impact of the discharge as to take into the
rifles of the gun and compel the projectile to rotate in the usual way. So far as
I am aware all such sabots have had a ring-like attachment to the projectile. In
some cases a sort of dovetail tenon of cylinderical form is formed on the butt of the
shell, and a leaden sabot fitted over this. I avoide these difficulties by forming
dovetail or undercut grooves, F F, in or across the base or butt of the projectile,
arranged to intersect, as shewn in Fig. 3, and construct dovetails on the face of the
sabot E, to take into and fit these grooves. This may be done by casting the sabot
on the projectile, when the molten lead will fill the grooves. With this construction
the impact only tends to force the softer metal of the sabot more tightly into the
grooves, while the metal of the body of the sabot expands into the rifles of the gun.
The sabot cannot rotate independantly of the projectile A without first shearing off
the dovetails on the face of the sabot. There is no ring to be cut or torn by the
rifles in the gun, as the rifles can only act on the solid metal of the sabot. At least
two intersecting grooves F are required.

page_text: Having thus described my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
Firstly. An explosive projectile provided with recesses G, formed in and
distributed over the surface of its body, and said recesses filled up to the level
of the exterior surface of the projectile with plugs D, which plugs and recesses are
respectively provided, as set forth, with positive retaining devices, whereby the
said plugs form substantially parts of the body of the projectile and the recesses
determine the fracture of the said body into numerous fragments, as set forth.
Secondly. An elongated hollow projectile for rifled ordnance, provided as
follows, namely; with a salbot to engage the rifles in the gun, with perforations G
formed in and distributed over its body, and such perforations provided with
internal grooves or recesses to form retaining devices, and with leaden plugs D,
fitted into said perforations and engaging said internal grooves or recesses,
substantially as set forth.
Thirdly. A hollow explosive projectile provided with numerous counterbored
and screw-threaded perforations G, formed in and distributed over its body at
substantially equal distances apart, and with leaden plugs D, fitting tightly into
said perforations G, and engaging the screw threads in same, substantially as set
forth.
Fourthly. The combination with the projectile A provided with the undercut
or dovetail intersecting grooves F, of the soft metal sabot E, provided with
dovetails which engage the grooves F, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.