Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left. 14th Oct.. 1898-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1899
I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Amberley House, 12, Norfolk Street, Strand,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:.
This invention relates to a motor-driven car adapted for use in warfare.
According to my invention, I employ a car the body of which is preferably
mounted on four or more wheels so arranged that those at the sides may be used
as driving and those at the end as steering wheels, and I preferably propel the
car by one or more petroleum or benzine motors which can be arranged to
drive direct or through the medium of a dynamo and motor; or when driving
direct I may also use the motor for driving a dynamo for the purpose of supply-
ing current for search lights and the like or for sending a current or currents
of electricity around the car so as to kill or disable any person or persons
attempting to climb the sides thereof or to otherwise attack it. The current is
similarly generated when the dynamo forms the driving medium.
The whole control of the car is under the management of one man preferably
located in the centre of the car, which may be further arranged to travel at
equal speeds in either direction or to turn où its own centre. I further supply
suitable arrangements in the car for mounting quick firing or machine guns so
placed that they may be sighted in any required direction and fired whether the
car be in motion or at rest. I also provide for protecting the occupants of
the car and the machinery from projectiles by means of armour, of any suitable
description.
The car may be made sufficiently strong to enable it to be used as a battering
ram against buildings, crowds and the like for which purpose I make each end
of the car taper or cigar shaped and I also provide a projecting edge or belt
round the lower edge of the projecting armour which is also made to slope out-
wardly towards the lower edge; the said belt can be sharpened to a cutting
edge, if required, and can further act as a protection against molestation by
being connected with the electric current. The sides of the car
can be pro-
vided with half buried rollers (which may be spiked) running round the top
edges, thereby preventing any firm hold being obtained.
The car may be made suitable for transport by adapting the various portions
to be taken to pieces easily and rapidly and built up in an equally simple and
rapid manner, as is now done in connection with steamers used on rapid
tropical rivers and like places.
may also provide an awning or canvas cover to form a suitable tent for
the occupants of the car when necessary and provision is made for storing fuel,
water, ammunition, provisions etc. In addition to being used as a town or
coast defence or as a means of attack, the car may be made equally suitable
for high roads or cross country as required.

page_text: I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Amberley House, 12, Norfolk Street, Strand,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby déclare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statenient: --
This invention relates to a motor-driven car adapted for use in warfare and
as a means for defence, attack, transport or traction.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a war car constructed accord-
ing to the invention:
Figure 2 is a plan of the car:
Figure 3 is a cross section thereof.
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views of details drawn to a larger scale; and
Figure 9 is a plan of a slightly modified arrangement of car.
The car is constructed of a frame a, preferably of channel and angle steel,
the said frame a being mounted upon wheels b, b. In the arrangement of car
illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 the wheels are four in number and are mounted
on front and rear axles c, c. Thé frame a is supported upon the driving wheels
by semi-elliptical springs d, d and upon the front or steering wheels by spiral
springs e, e.
f, f are the sides of the car, the said sides being of armour plate and detach-
ably supported upon semi-elliptical springs f¹, f¹ which rest upon standards f2, f
carried by the frame a; the sides are also supported by end stays f³, f3 and
lateral stays f*, f. By this method of fixing the armour to the frame the
effect of vibration is lessened and its resistance to penetration is increased.
The car can be driven by any suitable motor but I preferably employ a
petroleum or gas engine of the Daimler type as shewn at g in the drawings;
the motor g being arranged to rotate an intermediate shaft h through the medium
of variable speed and reversing gear contained in the casing i. The said inter-
médiate shaft h is provided with sprocket or chain-wheels h¹, h¹ which actuate
the driving wheels 6 of the car by means of chains h2, h3 and chain-wheels h³ in
connection with the said driving wheels b.
At each end of the car there is mounted a turret ; which is adapted to
revolve upon a support the necessary movement being imparted to the turret
by any suitable mechanism. The support which I advantageously employ is
shewn in detail in Figure 6 and comprises a circular race j¹carried by legs
The turret is provided with a number, for example three, of rollers 3 which
run upon the race j¹. To revolve the turret I may make use of the arrangement
illustrated in detail in Figure 7; it consists of a circular rack with which
gears a bevel wheel mounted upon a spindle 6, supported in a bracket
fixed to the turret, and carrying at its inner end a land-wheel whereby it can
be rotated so as to revolve the turret upon the circular race ¹. In each turret
there is mounted a quick-firing or other suitable gun, preferably a Maxim gun,
às shewn at k, and a seat and foot rest for the gunner.
The armour plate sides f, f are preferably made of such a shape that the
outside of the car is somewhat cigar-shaped so as to form a ram at each end as
clearly shewn in the drawings, and the lower edge of each side is provided with
a projecting belt m (shewn to a larger scale in Figure 4) which is bolted to the
lower edge of the armour plate by bolts m' and is electrically insulated there-
from by an interposed layer m² of insulating material. The belt m is made to

page_text: slope outwardly towards the lower edge and is preferably sharpened to a cutting
edge as shewn. When required an electric current can be sent through this
insulated belt as an additional protection against molestation. Furthermore,
the sides f, färe provided at their upper edges with half-buried rollers
(Figure 5) which run around the top portion, thereby preventing a firm hold
being obtained upon the car; these rollers may be spiked if desired.
The whole control of the car is under the management of one man preferably
located in the centre of the car. The car is steered by any suitable means and
in the drawings I have shewn two suitable methods." In that shewn in
Figures 1 and
the steering wheels are controlled by means of a wheel o
mounted upon a spindle of having a pinion o² engaging with a toothed sector ³
A rod p
pivoted at o to a bracket o secured to the frame a of the car.
hinged at one end to the toothed sector 03 and at the other end to a lever
which actuates one of the steering wheels b, the said wheels being carried
To provide
upon the ends of the axle c which ends are hinged to the said axle.
for both steering wheels being operated simultaneously the lever is connected
to an arm 2 controlling the other steering wheel b by means of a link 2³.
With this arrangement it will be obvious that by turning the hand wheel o
the sector is operated and actuates the steering wheels through the medium of
the rod and arms p¹ and p².
As the occupant of the car, during an attack, withdraws inside the car for
the purpose of protection I provide mirrors 9, q' (Figure 1) whereby the car
can be steered from the inside. The mirror q is carried upon a telescopic rod q²
so that it can be raised and lowered as required as indicated by the broken and
full lines.
The wheels b, b are protected by chain mail or other similar suitable
jackets 61, 6 suspended from the bottom of the car.
To facilitate boarding I may provide suitable steps, such for example as that
shewn in elevation and plan in Figure 8 wherein the step is formed with a
lip at its outer end and a hook 2 at its inner end; it is adapted to be passed
through a slit a¹ in the side f of the car when required for use and is supported
in this position by a bracket which is rigidly secured to the said side and with
which the hook 2 engages as shewn in full lines in the figure. When not
required for use it is withdrawn within the car and suspended by the lip r¹ which
engages in and closes the slit a¹ as shewn in broken lines.
In the car a plan of which is shewn in Figure 9 the wheels bare arranged one
at each end mounted upon vertical axles and two in the centre mounted upon a
horizontal axle c. In this case the front and rear wheels form the steering
wheels and are controlled by a hand wheel o mounted upon a spindle o¹ carrying
a toothed pinion o² which gears with a rack o³ upon the end of a rod p connected
to one arm of a lever s mounted upon the front wheel axle and the other arni
of which is connected by the rod s¹ to an arm 2 secured to the rear wheel axle,
so that the two steering wheels are actuated simultaneously and to the same
extent by the manipulation of the hand-wheel o.
Instead of driving my car directly from a petroleum or other motor, it will be
obvious that I can drive it indirectly through the medium of a dynamo. When
the dynamo is used, a portion of the current generated by it can be employed
for supplying current to search-lights or the like or for sending currents around
the belt m of the car in the manner above described. Where the car is driven
0 directly from a motor a dynamo can be employed solely for generating electricity
for the purposes above mentioned.
Provision is made for storing fuel, water, ammunition, provisions etc., and I
may also provide an awning or canvas cover to form a tent for the occupants
of the car when necessary.
My car, in addition to being applicable for use as a town or coast defence or
as a means of attack, is also equally suitable for high roads or cross country.
As above mentioned the armour plate sides of the car are detachably secured

page_text: to the frame thereof so that they can be removed in times of peace and the car
used without them. Furthermore the whole car may be made suitable for
transport by adapting the various parts to be taken apart easily and rapidly and
built up in an equally simple and rapid manner as is now done in connection
with steamers used on rapid tropical rivers and in like places.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is:
1. A car for use in warfare comprising a frame mounted upon wheels and
a body of armour plate detachably secured by springs and stays to the said
frame, substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
2. In a war car of the kind described in the preceding claiming clause, form-
ing the armour plate body of the car with taper or cigar shaped ends and pro-
viding the lower part thereof with a protecting sloping belt which may be
sharpened to a knife edge and electrically insulated from the body, substantially
as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
3. In a war car of the kind described in Claim 1, the employment of one or
more turrets containing a quick firing or other gun and adapted to be revolved
by suitable means upon a suitable support secured to the frame of the car, sub-
stantially as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
4. In a war car of the kind described in Claim 1, providing the upper edges of
the armour plate body with partially sunk rollers, substantially as, and for the
purpose, herein before described.
5. In a war car of the kind described in Claim 1 the employment of steps for
facilitating boarding, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
6. A war car comprising a framework mounted upon wheels, a body of armour
plate suspended upon springs mounted upon the said framework to which the
body may also be secured by stays, means for driving the car such for example
as an explosion engine, dynamo or the like and steering gear both motor and
steering gear being arranged to be controlled by a single occupant of the car,
substantially as herein before described.
7. In a motor driven car for use in warfare of the kind described in Claim 1
the described means whereby the car may be steered by a person inside the car
such means consisting of the arrangement of reflectors, substantially as described
and illustrated.
8. In a motor driven car for use in warfare the quadrant and lever steering
gear, herein before described and illustrated in the drawings.
9. In a motor driven car for use in warfare of the kind described in Claim 1,
protecting the wheels of the car by chain armour or the like, substantially as
described and illustrated.
10. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the motor driven car
for use in warfare hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
11. The modified construction of motor driven war-car herein before described
and illustrated in Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
111
101
1
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.