Improvements in Mounting Ordnance and in the Machinery or Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application. 16th Apr.. 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1891-Accepted 16th Apr., 1891
Improvements in Mounting Ordnance and in the Machinery or
Apparatus connected therewith.
I; WILLIAM EDWARD CORRIGALL, of 27 Sterndale Road, West Kensington Park, W.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-.
My invention has reference to the mounting of guns with and between two recoil
cylinders in such a manner that the axes of the two recoil cylinders and the bore of
the gun are always in a common plane whatever the elevation or depression of the gun
may be. By this means the strains on the carriage or mounting are reduced to a
minimum. The mounting can be adapted to carry a gun built with trunnions but
trunnions are not necessary and a gun built specially to work on this mounting would
not have trunnions but would be attached to recoil cylinders by bands holding the
gún down in a trough formed between the two cylinders. The rods attached to the
pistons in the recoil cylinders would in such a case be secured at both ends to a frame
I will call for distinction the pivotted frame; this frame is itself provided with
trunnions mounted in bearings in the side cheeks or frames of an under carriage.
Each side of a carriage moving with the gun which I will call for distinction the upper
carriage comprises a recoil cylinder with piston and valves or valve and springs. If
the gun be one with trunnions the upper carriage will have also trunnion blocks or
bearings; and also at each side a running out cylinder. The two sides of the pivotted
frame are connected together by a diaphragm and transverse bands that serve also to
keep the axis of the bore in the same plane as the axes of the recoil cylinders. In
one arrangement rods fixed longitudinally within each recoil cylinder pass through
holes formed in the piston and are made of gradually decreasing thickness in such a
way that they serve for controlling the passage of liquid through the holes in the
piston when the recoil takes place and admit of an easy return to the firing position,
suitable springs such as Belleville springs perforated are in the case of a heavy gun
threaded on the rods between the piston and that end of the cylinder that is the
nearer to the muzzle of the gun. In the arrangement indicated above the recoil
cylinders travel with the gun and the pistons and their rods have no longitudinal
motion but the arrangement might be modified by making the pistons to travel and
the cylinders to remain statuary.
The gun can be elevated or depressed as required by causing the pivotted frame to
turn on its trunnions by means of an adjusting screw or elevator.
Thus it will be understood it is about the axis of the trunnions of the pivotted
frame that the gun is turned when being elevated or depressed.
I sometimes provide an automatic sight bar arrangement, comprising an arm fixed

page_text: on a trunnion of the pivotted frame and connected to a lever which in turn is con-
nected to and works a sliding sight bar which is mounted at the side of the pivotted
frame. To the top of this sliding bar is hinged or jointed an arm from which
projects a bar or part that carries the sight constructed as usual with a vernier.
There is a stop on the pivotted frame against which the sight bears when depressing
the gun. In some cases I provide an additional sight on the breach end of the
pivotted frame for use when aiming at objects at considerable elevations.
An indicator worked by crown teeth and a pinion from a trunnion of the pivotted
frame serves to shew the angle of elevation or depression of the gun.
The under carriage is in some cases adapted to be turned about a vertical pivot as
required for training, by an arrangement of rack and pinion worked from the side
through an arrangement of shafts, bevelled gear, worm and worm wheel.
To carry a protecting shield in front I provide davits at the upper part of the front
of the under carriage in conjunction with bracket like supports or rests constructed
with projections and adapted to retain the lower part of the shield in place, buffers
being so arranged as to keep the shield normally against the projections of the brackets
but in such a inauner nevertheless as to allow of the recoil of the shield if it should
be struck.
I sometimes provide in cases of between deck mountings a connecting beam
between the side or cheeks of the under carriage with a socket to receive a pivot
depending from the deck above that upon which the carriage is mounted.
1
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Improvements in Mounting Ordnance and in the Machinery or
Apparatus connected therewith.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD CORRIGALL, of 27 Sterndale Road, West Kensington Park, W.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention has reference to the mounting of guns with and between two recoil
cylinders in such a manner that at all times whether the gun be horizontal, elevated,
or depressed, the axes of the two recoil cylinders and of the bore of the gun will be in
a common plane at right angles to the plane in which the axis of the gun is moved
in the act of elevating or depressing the gun and thus, the recoil of the gun will
always take place in the line of fire. By this arrangement the strains on the carriage
or mounting will be reduced to a minimum. The mounting can be adapted to carry
a gun built with trunnions and such an arrangement is hereinafter described and
shewn but trunnions are not necessary and a gun built specially to work on this
mounting would not have trunnions but would be attached to recoil cylinders by
bands holding the gun down in a trough formed between the two cylinders as herein-
after explained. The rods attached to the pistons in the recoil cylinders are secured
to a frame I will call for distinction the pivoted frame; this frame is itself provided
with trunnions mounted in bearings in the side cheeks or frames of an under carriage.
Each side of a carriage moving with the gun which I will call for distinction the
upper carriage comprises a recoil cylinder with piston and rod valves a running out
cylinder and springs. If the gun be one with trunnions the upper carriage will have
also trunnion blocks or bearings. The two sides of the pivoted frame are connected
together by a diaphragm and transverse bands that serve also to keep the axis.of the
bore in the same plane as the axes of the recoil cylinders. In one arrangement each

page_text: recoil cylinder has fixed longitudinally within it a set of rods disposed symmetrically
that is to say, at a common distance radially from the axis of the cylinder and at
equal distances apart around the axis of the cylinder, these pass through correspondingly
disposed holes formed in the piston and are made for a portion of their length of
gradually decreasing thickness as well understood in such a way that they serve as
valves for controlling the passage of liquid through the holes in the piston when the
recoil takes place and admit of an easy return to the firing position. Suitable springs
such as Belleville springs are threaded on the piston rods between the pistons and
those ends of the running out cylinders that are the nearer to the muzzle of the gun.
In the arrangement indicated above the recoil cylinders travel with the gun and the
pistons and their rods have no longitudinal motion, but the arrangement might
obviously be modified by making the pistons to travel and the cylinders to remain
stationary; this being done by connecting the piston rods to the gun and the cylinders
to the pivoted frame."
The gun can be elevated or depressed as required by causing the pivoted frame to
turn on its trunnions by means of an adjusting screw or elevator.
•
Thus it will be understood it is about the axis of the trunnions of the pivoted frame
that the gun is turned when being elevated or depressed.
I sometimes provide an automatic sight bar arrangement, comprising an arm fixed
on a trunnion of the pivoted frame and connected to a lever which in turn is con-
nected to and works a sliding sight bar which is mounted at the side of the pivoted
frame. To the top of this sliding bar is hinged or jointed an arm from which projects
a bar or part that carries the sight constructed as usual with a vernier. There is a
stop on the pivoted frame against which the sight bears when depressing the gun.
In some cases I provide an additional sight on the breech end of the pivoted frame
for use when aiming at objects at considerable elevations.
An indicator worked by crown teeth and a pinion from a trunnion of the pivoted
frame serves to shew the angle of elevation or depression of the gun.
The under carriage is in some cases adapted to be turned about a vertical pivot as
required for training, by an arrangement of rack and pinion worked from the side
through an arrangement of shafts, bevelled gear, worm and worm wheel.
To carry a protecting shield in front I provide davits at the upper part of the
front of the under carriage in conjunction with bracket like supports or rests constructed
with projections and adapted to retain the lower part of the shield in place buffers
being so arranged as to keep the shield normally against the projections of the
brackets but in such a manner nevertheless as to allow of the recoil of the shield if it
should be struck.
I sometimes provide in cases of between deck mountings a connecting beam between
the side or cheeks of the under carriage with a socket to receive a pivot depending
from the deck above that upon which the carriage is mounted.
Referring to the annexed illustrative drawings:-
:-
Fig. 1 shews in plan a gun with a mounting constructed according to my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 is a cross section in the line A B of Fig. 1
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the left hand recoil cylinder, with part of the gun
in plan.
On each side of the gun and arranged to travel with it there are a recoil cylinder 1
and a running out cylinder 1* (shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 2). These cylinders
together with other parts bereinafter mentioned constitute the upper carriage,
which carries the gun and slides on a pivoted frame 2. 3, 3, are rods each attached
at its one end 4 to the pivoted frame; on these rods are fixed the pistons of the
recoil cylinders and running out cylinders.
Each of the recoil cylinder pistons has several holes (four in the example illustrated)
formed through it, these being arranged at a common distance radially from the axis
of the cylinder and at equal distances apart around the axis of the cylinder. 5 5 are
rods having a tapered formation as represented in Fig. 5; they are secured

page_text: longitudinally in the recoil cylinders one rod passing through each hole in the pistons.
On the recoil of the gun the available area for the passage of liquid from the front to
the rear of the pistons is thus by means of the tapered rods gradually decreased, and
the gun brought to rest without undue shock to the mounting. 6, 6 are Belleville
springs which are threaded on the piston rods; they are for the purpose of running
out the gun rapidly into firing position but they also assist the pistons in controlling
the force of the recoil. The pivoted frame 2 pivots on trunnions 7 in bearings on
the under carriage 8. 9, 9 are diaphragms connecting the two sides of the pivoted
frames and 10, 10, are transverse bands serving to keep the gun in position. The
arrangement shewn for elevating and depressing the gun comprises a spindle with
hand wheel 11 a screw 12 geared to the spindle by bevel wheels, a trunnion nut 13 that
works on the screw 12 and the trunnions of which nut are located in elongated eyes
in a bifurcated piece 14 fixed to or forming part of the pivoted frame 2 in such manner
that when the nut travels along the screw the pivoted frame supporting the gun is
elevated or depressed. An arm fixed on one of the trunnions of the pivoted frame is
connected by a link 16 to a lever 17 which moves a sliding sight bar 18 to the upper
end of which is hinged or jointed a bar 19 carrying the sight. 20 is a stop on the
pivoted frame against which the sight bears when the gun is being depressed. 21 is
an indicator shewing the angle of elevation of the gun, and worked by crown teeth
and a pinion from a trunnion of the pivoted frame. The training of the gun on the
vertical pivot 22 on which the under carriage turns, is effected by hand wheels 23
rotating a shaft 24 by means of spindles 25 and bevel gear 26. On the shaft 24 is a
worm 27 gearing into a worn wheel 28 the lower end of the spindle of the worm
wheel having keyed upon it a pinion 29 which engages with a stationary rack 30.
A protecting shield 31 is suspended from davits 32; clips 33 help to retain the shield
in position. And in order to adapt the shield to more effectually protect the gun
mounting I arrange it to be capable of recoiling when struck by a projectile for which
purpose 34 34 are buffers so arranged as norinally to press the shield against the
said clips, but to allow it to recoil when struck.
Dotted lines 35 shew an enlargement of the shield which may be adopted when the
gun is in an exposed position, in which case the inner ends of the shield may be
inovably supported by brackets or other equivalent means, and be also provided with
buffers. 36 is a connecting beam between the cheeks of the under carriage, provided
with a socket to receive a pivot depending from the deck above. This is used in
between deck mountings only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is -
1. Mounting-a-gun-substantially-as-described-with-and-between-recoil-eylinders
in such a manner-that-at-all-times whether the gun--be--horizontal--alevated--or
depressed-the-axes of the recoil-erlinders-and-of-the-bore-of-the-gun--will-be-in-a
common plane-at-right-angles-to-the-plane-in-which-the-axis-of-the-gun-is-moved-in
the-net-of-elevating or-depressing-the-gun-and-the-recoil-of-the-gun-will-always-take
place in the line-of-fire.
2. The combination-in-a-gun-mounting of-an-upper-carriage,-a-pivoted-frame, and
an-under-earriage-whereby-the-pivoted frame-is-supported in such-a-manner that the
gun-can-be-elevated-or-depressed-us-required-by-causing the pivoted-frame-to-turn
on--its-trunnions by means of an adjusting--serew--or--elevator--substantially--as
described-with-reference-to-and-illustrated-in-the-drawings-hereunto-annexed.
3. Providing for the passage of liquid simultaneously through several symme-
trically disposed-holes-in-the-piston of a recoil eylinder the passage of liquid through
the-said-holes-being controlled-by-rods such-as-hereinabove-described that-are-fixed
longitudinally-within-the-recoil-cylinder-as-specified:
4.-The-automatic-sight-bar-arrangement substantially-as-described.
5. The use for protecting a gun mounting of a shield adapted to recoil when struck
by a proiectile.

page_text: 6. The combination and arrangement of parts .constituting the improved gun
mounting with automatic sight bar arrangement and recoiling shield constructed
arranged and operating substantially as described with reference to and illustrated in
Figs. 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings.
Dated this 16th day of January 1891.
W. E. CORRIGALL
W. Lloyd Wise
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields W.C. Applicant's Agents