IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING ORDNANCE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Wightwick Rendel, of Newcastle on Tyne, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 18th July 1879 and dated the 14th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Wightwick Rendel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1879.
GEORGE WIGHTWICK RENDEL, of Newcastle on Tyne, Civil Engineer.
MENTS IN MOUNTING ORDNANCE."
"IMPROVE-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mounting ordnance.
The gun is carried by its trunnions upon a pair of arms capable of rocking in a
vertical plane, and the gun is also supported in rear of the trunnions by an
elevating screw.
The arms at their lower ends rest upon a base frame; the base frame is
supported in front upon a pivot and at the back by rollers upon which it can
traverse around the pivot.
The nut of the elevating screw is carried upon a table supported in front upon
the arms, and at the back by links jointed to the table and to the bed frame.
The arins are sustained by an hydraulic press or presses; the ram is jointed to
the arm and the cylinder of the press is similarly connected at its lower end with
the hinder part of the bed frame.
The gun is put into position for firing by pumping liquid into the press or presses,
and so the levers are brought to an upright position from which they will advance
forward automatically with or without the action of the pumps as far as may be
arranged. On firing, the ram or rams are thrust in and the gun and table descend
together with an approximately parallel movement.
By the recoil the liquid in the press or presses is forced past a loaded valve into
a tank formed upon the press cylinder; from this tank the liquid is pumped or
drawn by suction into the presses when the gun has again to be put in the firing
position.

page_text: the said George Wightwick Rendel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th August 1879.
GEORGE WIGHTWICK RENDEL, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS-IN-MOUNTING ORDNANCE."
This Invention has for its object improvements in-mounting ordnance..
The gun is carried by its trunnions upon a pair of arms-capable of rocking_in_a
vertical plane and the gun is also supported in rear of the-trunnions-by-an
elevating screw.
The arms at their lower ends, rest upon a base frame; the base frame is supported.
in front upon a pivot and at the back by rollers upon which it can traverse around
the pivot.
The nut of the elevating screw is carried upon a table supported in front upon
the arms, and at the back by links jointed to the table and to the bed frame.
The arms are sustained by an hydraulic press or presses; the ram is jointed to
the arm and the cylinder of the press is similarly connected at its lower end with
the hinder part of the bed frame.
The gun is put into position for firing by pumping liquid into the press or presses,
and so the levers are brought to an upright position from which they will advance
forward automatically with or without the action of the pumps as far as may be
arranged. On firing, the ram or rams are thrust in and the gun and table descend
together with an approximately parallel movement.
By the recoil the liquid in the press or presses is forced past a loaded valve into
a tank formed upon the press cylinder, from this tank the liquid is pumped or
drawn by suction into the presses when the gun has again to be put in the firing
position.
In order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
〃
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a gun mounted in accordance with my Invention; the
parts are in the positions they occupy when the gun is ready for firing. Figure 2
is an elevation of the same gun and apparatus with the parts in the positions they
occupy after recoil. a, a, are arms supporting the gun by its trunnions; they are
jointed at their lower ends to the base frame b and are free to rock in a vertical
plane. is a pivot controlling the fore end of the base frame, and 62, 62, are rollers
supporting the base frame at the back. These rollers are shown on eccentric
bearings so that they may be thrown into action by a lever to facilitate training,
the base frame at other times resting on dead bearings. c is a table carrying the
gear by which the breech-end-of-the-gun is supported and raised or lowered in
aiming. The table c is jointed in front to the arms a, a, and supported at the back
by the links or legs d, d. These links or legs are attached at their lower ends to
the base frame by pins which leave them free to incline as the arms a alter their
positions. e is the elevating screw, it passes through a socket formed for it in the
table and in which it is able to slide up and down, but a groove in the screw
and a feather within the socket prevents it turning. The elevating screw also
passes through a nut formed in the boss of the hand wheel f, and which is supported
upon the table c. The upper end of the elevating screw sustains the breech of the
gun and a suitable surface is provided upon the gun where the screw abuts. During
the recoil of the gun there is a sliding motion between this surface and the end of
the screw.
9, 9, are recoil presses supporting the arms a, a; the cylinder is jointed
in rear to the base frame b, and the piston rods of the presses to the arms a, a. On
the recoil of the gun taking place the pistons are driven in and the water or fluid

page_text: beneath them is forced past a loaded valve of well known construction which is
contained within the chamber g', and so it passes to the upper ends of the press
cylinders and into the small cistern g² which is in communication with them. To
raise the gun to the firing position after recoil a small hand pump, not represented
in the Drawing, is used to transfer the water or fluid from the upper to the under
side of the pistons in the press cylinders.
In the arrangement above described the position of the centres, about which the
motion of recoil takes place, is such that the gun is lower after recoil than before
and has to be raised to put it again into firing position, but by a slight modification
of the arrangement the recoil may be caused to take place altogether in an upward
direction; a pump is then no longer required, the gun going forward into firing
position by the action of gravity alone. Figure 3 is an elevation representing such
a modification; a, a, are the arms, and b a portion of the base frame as before, but
the arms are here arranged to advance further forward and they are stopped by a
buffer a*. The elevating screw and table are replaced by controlling rods passing
from the breech end of the gun to the bed frame. These rods are telescopic, one
part screwing into the other and the tubular parts or sockets can be rotated by
means of a hand wheel having on its axis worms which engage with worm teeth
formed around the tubular portions of the adjustable controlling rods. In this
arrangement the gun does not recoil so far as to cause the arms a, a, to pass the
vertical, and the gun runs forward again by gravity when a hand valve is opened,
permitting water or fluid to escape from the spaces above the pistons of the recoil
presses g, which spaces it enters during the recoil and to pass again beneath the
pistons.
Figure 4 shows a similar arrangement except that the shape of the recoil presses
is somewhat varied and the piston rods are made to pass through both ends of the
press cylinders, an arrangement which renders unnecessary the use of the cistern g²
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 shows a variation of the arrangement in which the controlling rods are
applied in front of the arms a, a.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. Mounting guns, substantially as described, and illustrated by the annexed
Drawings.
Second. The arrangement of the table c and the aiming gear in connection
therewith, substantially as described and illustrated in respect to Figures 1 and 2
of the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Wightwick Rendel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
G. W. RENDEL. (L.S.)