Improvements in Projectiles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Projectiles.
1, JACQUES LUCIANI, of 15 Rue des Halles, Paris, France, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to projectiles for small arms and cannon.
A projectile according thereto contains the whole or a part of its charge and a
portion of its wall is adapted to have a "choking" action and engages in a case.
that serves as an air reservoir. The projectile, besides containing balls or the like
and explosive material, constituting the charge, has an internal helical or screw-
like guide passage which has a tendency during flight, to screw itself onto aud
along the air that serves as its support, the object being to flatten the trajectory,
which the projectile traverses with a greater velocity than usual and without
danger to the fire arm.
The projectile is composed of three conical portions, viz. :-
(1) A front portion, designed for penetration and resistance, and terminating in
an elongated point of ogive or parabolic shape, and containing the helical or
screw-like guide passage which is provided with an obturating projectile or
projectiles;
(2) An intermediate portion for gradual or progressive adherence; and
(3) A rear portion, for gradual or progressive "choking"; this portion is closed
by the case, which forms the base carrying the percussion cap or other igniting
device and is traversed by a tube filled with gun cotton ("papier pyroxilé ") or
other explosive substance.
This tube receives at its base, the fulminate of the percussion cap or other device
for igniting the explosive contained in the case and in the projectile.
The projectile is made with a large cavity for the reception of the explosive
charge. This cavity is divided into two portions and opens at the rear end of the
projectile into the interior of the case. The rear portion of the said cavity is
conical; and the other portion forms a continuation of the former and has a
longitudinal section the outline of which is a curve of the same kind as that
forming the point of the projectile. The centre of gravity of the projectile is at,
or approximately at, the base or standing point of the aforesaid helical guide
passage.
The bundles of the threads of the explosive charge are first made cylindrical,
and are then brought by pressure into a truncated conical shape. The result of
this arrangement of the threads, which are progressively or increasingly compressed
on account of the gradual contraction of the cavity, is to retard the progress of the
ignition of the charge, which, as it does not pass out of the fire-arm until it has
been entirely consumed, imparts the maximum energy to the projectile in a
progressive or gradual manner.
As soon as ignition begins, the wall of the aforesaid rear portion of the
projectile, which decreases in thickness towards its base, becomes heated, expands
and softens, and becomes molded into the rifling of the barrel, which it obturates
n an automatic and gradual manner so as to produce the required "choking";
he wall of the aforesaid intermediate portion, however, is stronger and opens out
only to a less extent but so as exactly to fill up the interior of the barrel, wherein

page_text: it bears gradually upon the full or solid portion of the rifling, whereon it slides
almost without friction.
The progressive expansion of the gases acts at the same time upon the case,
which thereby becomes expanded and assists the wall of the rear portion of the
projectile, on which it fits tightly, in the obturation of the barrel. The projectile
separates in the gun chamber from the case and its base, which remain behind in
the fire-arm when the latter is fired.
The "choking" action of the projectile depends directly upon the length of the
aforesaid rear portion of the projectile, which is itself dependent on the pitch of
the rifling.
The case is provided internally with a movable disc and spring the former of
which, acting under the pressure of the gases, compresses the air enclosed in the
said case and thus destroys or deadens in a progressive manuer the recoil of the
fire-arm, thereby also protecting the breech-mechanism in consequence of
the considerable diminution of the pressure upon the front part thereof.
The helical guide-passage hereinbefore mentioned allows air, when the projectile
passes out of the gun barrel, to pass through the projectile and thus diminishes the
resistance offered by the air to the rotary and forward movements of the projectile.
The inner wall of the passage has a rifling or spiral groove the pitch of which
corresponds to that of the fire-arm.
The rear end of the passage is normally closed by one or more projectiles, which
hang back and become separated from the projectile as soon as the latter has left
the fire-arm, the air entering therein and causing the movable disc of the case to
react during a very short period.
The front portion of the projectile may be hollowed out and a harder body may
be inserted in the cavity thus formed.
Improvements in Projectiles.
I, JACQUES LUCIANI, of 15 Rue des Halles, Paris, France, 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 :-
This invention relates to projectiles for small arms and cannon.
A projectile according thereto contains the whole or a part of its charge, and a
portion of its wall is adapted to have a progressive increasing "choking" action
and engages in a case that serves as an air reservoir. The projectile, besides
containing smokeless balls or the like and explosive material, constituting the
charge, may have an internal helical or screw like guide-passage which has a
tendency during flight, to screw itself onto and along the air which serves as its
support, the object being to flatten the trajectory which the projectile traverses
with a greater velocity than usual and without danger to the fire-arm.
In some cases, for the purpose of obtaining a greater penetrating power, there
is retained in the projectile, the metal of the "adhering cone," and particularly
the metal of the guide passage, that is to say the forward end of the projection
may be made solid for a suitable length. Then the projectile may be made shorter
in length with the same weight. Thus, by omitting the helical or screw-like guide
passage in projectiles for fire arms of a bore less than 12 millimetres, the said

page_text: projectiles, especially if of hard metal, acquire a greater penetrative power, and
may be made of any of the suitable forms at present employed, whilst having
always my graduated choke cone as the basis of choking by expansion.
Projectiles constructed in accordance with the preceding description, receive
initial velocities which are double those that are obtained with the same firearms
when using the ordinary projectiles hitherto employed.
In military fire arms, for instance, of 11 millimetres bore, my projectile receives
initial velocities of from 800 to 900 metres instead of from 400 to 500 metres, and
is the only one capable of using smokeless powder with the 11 millimetres bore and
the larger one.
I obtain by these means trajectories of extreme flatness, and of considerable
range and penetrating power; thus rendering fire arms of 11 mm. bore equal as
regards ballistics to existing firearms of 8 to 7 mm. borc.
My projectile when used in these last mentioned firearms, receives initial velocities
of from 1100 to 1200 metres. Such velocities have been unknown hitherto; and this
renders those firearms superior to all others, not only to those of 6 and 65 mm.
bore, but also to any firearms that might be made with 5 mm. bore, which is the
limit of bore for military firearms.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings are sectional views illustrating by way of
example arrangements of projectiles according to this invention.
As will be seen the projectile is composed of three conical portions, viz. :-
(1) A front portion A designed for penetration and resistance; it terminates in
an elongated point of ogive or parabolic shape, and contains a helical guide or
screw like passage which is provided with an obturating projectile (Fig. 1) or
projectiles (Fig. 2);
(2) An intermediate portion for gradual or progressive adherence as hereinafter
explained; and
(3) A rear portion, for gradual or progressive "choking"; this portion is
formed by the case F whose base carries the percussion-cap or other igniting-
device and which is traversed by a tube-filled with pyroxyl-paper or other
explosive substance.
This tube receives at its base, the fulminate of the percussion-cap or other
device for igniting the explosive contained in the case and in the projectile.
The projectile is made with a large cavity for the reception of the explosive
charge. This cavity is divided into two portions D & E and opens at the rear end
of the projectile into the interior of the case F. The rear portion E of the said
cavity is conical; and the other portion D forms a continuation of the former and
has a longitudinal section the outline of which is a curve of the same kind as that
forming the point of the projectile. The centre of gravity of the projectile is at,
or approximately at, the base or starting point of the aforesaid helical guide-
passage.
The bundles of the threads of the explosive charge are first made cylindrical, as
indicated by the dotted lines a b c d in Fig. 3, and are then placed in a press
wherein they have imparted to them the truncated conical shape shewn in full
lines in the same figure. The result of this arrangement of the threads, which are
progressively or increasingly compressed on account of the gradual contraction of
the cavity, is to retard the progress of the ignition of the charge, which, as it does
not pass out of the fire-arm until it has been entirely and progressively consumed,
imparts the maximum energy or ballistic power to the projectile.
As soon as ignition begins, the wall ef of the conical portion E of the projectile,
which decreases in thickness towards its base, becomes heated, expands and softens,
and fills up or becomes moulded into the rifling of the barrel, which it obturates in
an automatic and gradual manner so as to produce the required "choking"; the
wall f g of the intermediate portion D, however, is stronger and opens out only to
a less extent but so as exactly to fill up the interior of the barrel, wherein it bears
gradually upon the full or solid portion of the rifling, whereon it slides almost
without friction,
9

page_text: The progressive expansion of the gases acts at the same time upon the case-F
which thereby becomes expanded and assists the wail of the portion E of the
projectile, on which it fits tightly, in the obturation of the barrel. The projectile
separates in the gun-chamber from the case and its base, which remain behind in
the fire-arm when the latter is fired. It is to be noted that the "choking" action
of the projectile is in direct proportion to the length of the aforesaid rear portion
of the projectile, (i.e. the choking cone C) which is itself dependent on the pitch of
the rifling.
The case F is provided internally with a movable disc and spring the former of
which, acting under the pressure of the gases, compresses the air enclosed in the
said case and thus destroys or deadens in a progressive manner the recoil of
the fire-arm, thereby also protecting the breech-mechanism in consequence of the
considerable diminution of the pressure upon the front part thereof.
The helical guide-passage herein before mentioned allows air, when the
projectile passes out of the gun barrel, to pass through the projectile and thus
diminishes the resistance offered by the air to the rotary and forward movements
of the projectile whilst keeping it in a direction parallel to the tangent to the
trajectory.
The annular part of the projectile surrounding the helicoidal guide passage h
may be solid as shown, or it may be recessed for the reception of a body of greater
density, intended to balance the projectile and also to increase its penetrating action
by reducing its volume and length.
Advantageously, tungsten may be employed for the purpose just mentioned, on
account of its very high density, either alone-or in combination with other metals
or with agglutinant substances such as liquid caoutchouc or any other similar
substances. Other metals than tungsten may however be used.
In order to maintain the projectile in the proper trajectory, to flatten the
trajectory, and also to promote its rotary motion and its penetrative capacity, the
inner wall of the belicoidal guide passage h (when one is used) is formed with
rifling whose pitch.corresponds to that of the gun.
As before mentioned the helicoidal guide passage may be obturated, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, by one or more projectiles of various forms. These projectiles
protect the entrance of the chamber during explosion and yield to the pressure of
the inrushing air only when the gaseous products have produced their useful
effect. They are then separated from the projectile proper, and they continue to
follow the course of the latter whilst however becoming independent. As soon as
the explosion bas taken place and the projectile is out of the gun, the air enters
therein and the disc reacts in the opposite direction so as to counterbalance during
a very short period the pressure produced by the said air.
Projectiles of small size according to my invention may as previously mentioned
be formed with solid front ends, that is to say the passage may be dispensed with.
Nor need the air chamber of small projectiles be provided with the spiral spring
shown in the drawing, the use of which is chiefly advantageous with projectiles
designed for use in fire-arms of large bore, and in sporting guns.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A projectile of ogival form and with more accentuated ogival head having a
cavity or "adherence cone" A B the wall of which is of progressive thickness so
as to form a slightly expanding zone, a cavity B C having its wall also of a
progressive but less thickness, so as to form another zone of greater expansion and
choking action at the instant of explosion, the said cavity in conjunction with the
cavity A B serving to contain the gradually compressed explosive charge, and an
air chamber F formed in the case and provided with a movable disc, that serves to
gradually destroy the first shock of explosion, and with a tube containing the
igniting cap and charge, substantially as herein before described.
...

page_text: 2. Projectiles constructed as specified in the preceding claim and with a central
rifled passage normally closed by one or more small internal projectiles,
substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in the drawing
annexed.
L1000
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.