Apparatus for Raising Charges for Breech Loading Guns to Loading Position.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Raising Charges for Breech Loading Guns to Loading
Position.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWson, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, London,
Superintendent of Ordnance Works, and GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, of 28,
Victoria Street, Westminster aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to apparatus, applicable to a breech loading gun, so
arranged that the recoil of the gun automatically raises the projectile or the
explosive charge or both to a position in line with the bore, ready to be thrust
into it by a rammer.
For this purpose, we mount in rear of the gun a pair of lever arms carrying
at their ends a cradle which in its down position receives a projectile rolled into
it from a platform at the side. These lever arms are connected by a rope or chain
to a helical spring which is compressed by the recoil of the gun and is held in
compressed condition by a spring trigger. When the gun is advanced to firing
position and the breech is opened for the purpose of charging, the trigger acted
on preferably by the carrier of the breech plug releases the spring which there-
upon expands moving the lever arms carrying the cradle so as to raise the pro-
As the breech is closed the lever arms
jectile to a position in line with the bore.
descend, bringing down the cradle into position to receive another projectile, a
number of which may be on the platform ready to be successively advanced to
the cradle. While the lever arms and cradle are up, the foremost of the pro-
jectiles on the platform is retained by a catch which is released by the subsequent
descent of the cradle.
Explosive charges by themselves or along with the projectiles may be placed
in the cradle and raised in a similar manner to loading position.
Doted this 29th day of September 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Raising Charges for Breech Loading Guns to Loading
Position.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, London,
Superintendent of Ordnance Works, and GEORGE THOMAS BUCKIIAM, of 28,
Victoria Street. Westminster aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
077

page_text: This invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to apparatus applicable to a breech loading gun according
to which the recoil of the gun compresses a spring which when the breech is
opened for the purpose of loading the gun, is released and automatically lifts the
projectile or the explosive charge or both to a position in line with the bore
ready to be thrust into it by a rammer.
The accompanying drawings shew apparatus according to this invention for
the purpose.
Figure 1 is a side view of the cradle and rear part of a gun with the apparatus
applied thereto.
Figure 1 is a similar view shewing a modification of the trigger lever which
is shewn separately in Figure 1ª.
The other figures are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 2 is an end view of the lifting levers in their down position, Figure 3
shews them up. Figure 2 is a section on the line A A of Figure 2: porsiem, &
Figure 4 is a side view partly in section of the breech end of the gun and
longitudinal section of the rear part of the spring and Figure 4* is a longitudinal
section, of the front part of the spring.
"
On the cradle a is fixed a cylindrical casing within which is fitted to slide a
tube containing a helical spring d the front of which abuts against a piston-e
while its rear abuts against a collar screwed into the rear end of the tube c.
Another piston f is fitted to slide in the rear part of the casing which has a
slot through which passes a pin g projecting from the piston f in rear of a stud
(indicated by the dotted lines 1 in Figure 4) which projects laterally froni the
side of the breech part of the gun. "On the lower side of the casing bis pivotted
at a trigger lever, the front end j of which forms a stop to the end of the tube c;
while a pink on its rear end is engaged in a cam'path' 7 formed on the boss of
the breech plug carrier m which, in opening or closing the breech, turns on a
vertical hinge. Through a slot of the trigger lever passes a spring latch n
having its upper part tubular with a notch to receive a hook o.
The trigger lever, instead of being moved by the cam path / may be moved by
hand when the breech is open as shewn in Figures 1 and 1. In this case the
lever has on its side a projecting shoulder 2 provided with rack teeth with which
gears a pinion 3 fixed on the axis of a handle 4. This handle is provided with a a
spring catch by which it is held in either of the two positions, determined by
notches in an arc 5. The end of the trigger lever being stopped against the
boss of the breech plug carrier m, the handle 4 cannot move the lever while the
breech is closed, but when the carrier m is turned upon its hinge to open the
breech, a slot 6 is brought over the end ⁄ of the trigger lever, and then by moving
the handle 4 the trigger lever can be moved, its end passing up the slot 6,
The front end of the tube c has attached to it a rope which passes over suitable
guide pulleys to the rounded top of an arm'q on a rocking shaft r which is
mounted in a framing at the side of the breech of the
From the rocking shaft r a pair of arms s descend and carry a tray t having its 4
side connected by a pair of links u to projections .
Another rocking shaft w on which is a
gun.
'
it to turn in the direction of the arrow, has one arm which rests on one arm of a
spring 7 as shewn in Figure 2 urging
bell crank lever a the other arm of which bears against one of the arms s while
10 has two other arms that act as stops to a projectile y lying on an incline leading 5
down to the tray t.
The apparatus operates as follows: —
When the gun recoils the stud on it acting on the pin of the piston f drives
that piston back and with it the piston which is rigidly connected to f.
As the tube is prevented by the nose from moving rearwards the spring d 5
is compressed and a notch on the piston f is caught by the spring latch a so that
the spring d remains in compression when the gun is advanced again to firing

page_text: position, at this time the arms s and tray t are in the position shewn in Figure 2,
a projectile z being in the tray and other projectiles such as being held back
on the incline leading to the tray by the arms of the rock shaft w. Now on
turning the plug carrier m opening the breech of the gun, the cam path on its
hoss acting on k as shewn in Figure 4 or the movement of the handle 4 as in
Figure 1 causes the nose j to be depressed thus releasing the tube c, which is
impelled backward by the spring & pulling the rope p.
By the pull of the rope the arms qs, tray t and links are caused to take the
position shewn in Figure 3, the projectile z being raised into position for loading
in line with the bore of the gun. Also the bell crank lever being allowed to
turn till it meets a stop, the arms of w are turned by the spring to an altitude
which allows the projectile y to advance and bear against the arm of x.
the projectile z is loaded into the gun, the breech is closed and thus the latch n
is drawn down releasing the piston f which was in its rear position, the end of
the tube cabutting against it.
After
The piston and tube c being thus left free to advance the arms s and tray t
descend to the position shewn in Figure 2, pulling the rope p by which the tube o
with the spring and pistons e and are brought forward to the position occupied
by them before the gun recoiled.
Also the lever is turned by the arms to such a position that the projectile y
that had been stopped by it rolls down into the tray t the succeeding projectile
being stopped by the arms of w.
Obviously instead of projectiles, charges of explosive in cylindrical form might
be raised by the apparatus or by extending the tray t in length rearwards such
charges placed in the tray behind the projectiles might be raised along with
them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. Apparatus for raising charges for breech loading guns to loading position
comprising a spring adapted to be compressed by the recoil of the gun and to be
held compressed by a trigger lever, a rope attached at its one end to the spring
holder and at its other end to a system of levers carrying a tray containing a
charge and means of moving the trigger lever when the breech is open so as to
release the spring holder, constructed and operating substantially as described.
2. In combination with a tray for the charge and the levers which carry it,
the spring urged rocking shaft w with its arms and the two armed lever
to stop and release successive charges, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of June 1899.
adapted
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.