Improvements in or connected with Push Lever Arrangement for Screw Breech Closing Mechanisms of Guns and Ordnance.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1898
Improvements in or connected with Push Lever Arrangement for
Screw Breech Closing Mechanisms of Guns and Ordnance.
I, AUGUST REICHWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried Krupp, of Essen, in
the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers), to be as follows:-
In the heretofore known screw breech closing mechanisms for guns and
ordnance in which the breech is opened and closed by means of a so-called push-
lever engaging in a curved slot or groove in the breech screw block, the friction
arising between the push-lever and the breech screw block is so great as to con-
siderably diminish the practical utility of the breech mechanism.
Now according to the present invention the arrangement of the push lever
and of the slot provided for the same in the breech screw block is such that the
force for effecting the opening and closing of the breech always acts at right
angles to the radially formed pressing surface of the screw breech block; conse-
quently there is no screw action taking place between the push lever and the
slot in the screw breech block as in the constructions heretofore known, but on
the contrary there is a direct and almost frictionless driving of the screw breech
block by the push lever.
The push lever is mounted with its right hand end capable of pivotting on a
vertical bolt in the "breech door," and engages by its pin through the breech
door into the radially directed slot which is formed in the upper part of the
breech block.
The arrangement of the push lever is such that its axis of rotation and the axis
of rotation of the breech block are situated in one and the same plane; and
furthermore since the pin of the push lever has the form of a cylinder, the axis of
which passes through the point of inter-section of the rotary axes of the push
lever and breech block, it follows that the axis of the pin of the push lever,
describes, when the push lever is moved, a cone, the apex of which is situated in
the point of inter-section just referred to. The pin thus is always situated
radially to the screw breech block, and there will always be a full peripheral
line of the cylindrical pin of the push lever, having a bearing in the radial slot
of the screw breech block.
In order to open the breech, the push lever is moved away from the breech block
in a horizontal direction.
In the first portion of the rotary movement of the push lever, its pin, by reason
of its sliding in the slot, (which is arranged radially to the axis of the screw
block), compels the breech block to make an axial rotation through 45°, in which
its rifling (screw threads) passes out of those of the breech piece of the gun barrel.
From the arrangement of the push lever and of the slot in the push lever, it
will be understood since the operative force acts perpendicularly on the side walls
of the slot, that when the push lever is rotated, the breech block will be carried

page_text: directly along with it, and consequently the friction will be reduced to a minimum.
If, after the completion of the first portion of the rotation of the push lever, the
force for opening the breech continues to act upon the push lever, then the nose
of the push lever strikes against the rear surface of the breech door, so that now
the whole breech block and breech mechanism is swung out of the gun barrel
turning on the bolt as a pivot.
Like the opening operation, the closing of the breech is also effected by means
of a single movement of the push lever.
בד
601
1
1000
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or connected with Push Lever Arrangement for
Screw Breech Closing Mechanisms of Guns and Ordnance.
I, AUGUST REICHIWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a comunication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried Krupp, of Essen, in
the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers), and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
In the heretofore known screw breech closing mechanisms for guns and
ordnance in which the breech is opened and closed by means of a so-called push
lever engaging in a curved slot or groove in the breech screw block, the friction
arising between the push-lever and the breech screw block is so great as to con-
siderably diminish the practical utility of the breech mechanism.
Now according to the present invention the arrangement of the push-lever
and of the slot provided for the same in the breech screw block is such that the
force for effecting the opening and closing of the breech always acts at right
angles to the radially formed contact surface of the screw breech block; conse-
quently there is no screw action taking place between the push-lever and the
slot in the screw breech block as in the constructions heretofore known, but on
the contrary there is a direct and almost frictionless driving of the screw breech
block by the push lever.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is
a rear elevation of the breech, the said breech being closed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal
section taken on the line 1-11 of Fig. 1, the breech being closed. Fig. 3 is a
similar view to that shewn at Fig. 2, the push-lever being turned in a horizontal
plane through about 90 degrees, and the breech block screw being unlocked.
Figs. 4 shew the push-lever detached in rear elevation partly in section and in
plan. Fig. 5 is a plan of the breech when completely opened. Figs. 6 shew a
rear elevation of the screw breech block illustrating the slot for the pin of the
push-lever, Figs. 6 also shewing the slot in the breech block by two horizontal
projections.
The push lever A is pivotted at its right hand end on the vertical bolt d in
the carrier arm C, and engages with its pin a through the carrier arm into the
radially directed slot b which is formed in the upper part of the breech block
(Figs. 2, 3 and 5).
The arrangement of the push-lever is such that its axis of rotation and the axis
of rotation of the breech block are situated in one and the same plane; the

page_text: pin a of the push-lever has the form of a cylinder, the axis of which passes
through the point of inter-section of the rotary axes of the push-lever and the
breech block, hence it follows that when the push-lever is rotated around the
bolt d, the axis of the pin a of the push-lever describes a cone, the apex of which
is situated in the point of inter-section just referred to (Fig. 4). The pin a thus
is always situated radially to the screw breech block, and there will always be a
full straight side line of the cylindrical pin of the push-lever, having a bearing
in the radial slot of the screw breech block.
In order to open the breech, the push-lever is moved away from the breech
block in a horizontal direction.
In the first portion of the rotary movement of the push-lever, its pin a, by
reason of its sliding in the slot b (which is arranged radially to the axis of the
screw block), compels the breech block to make an axial rotation through
45 degrees, whereby, its locking threads become disengaged from the threads of
the breech block chamber.
From the arrangement of the push lever and of the slot in the breech block, it
will be readily understood, since the operative force acts perpendicularly on the
side walls of the slot b, that when the push-lever is rotated, the breech block
will be carried directly along with it, and that consequently the friction will be
reduced to a minimum. If, after the completion of the first portion of the
rotation of the push lever, the force for opening the breech continues to act upon
the push-lever, then the nose e of the push lever strikes against the rear surface
of the carrier arm, so that now the whole breech block and breech mechanism
is swung out of the gun barrel turning on the bolt c as a pivot (Fig. 5).
Like the opening operation, the closing of the breech is also effected by means
of a single movement of the push-lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what i
claim is:-
1. The arrangement substantially as described and shewn in the accompanying
drawings of push-lever for the screw breech closing mechanism of guns and
ordnance, characterized by the pin u of the push-lever sliding in a radial slot b
in the screw breech block B, said pin having the form of a cylinder, the axis of
which passes through the point of intersection of the axes of rotation of the push
lever A and the screw breech block B, with the object of producing a direct driv-
ing of the screw breech block by the push-lever, and of reducing to a minimum
the friction between the pin of the push-lever and the slot in the breech block.
2. The general arrangement and combination of parts composing the improve-
ments in or connected with the push-lever arrangement of screw breech closing
mechanism for guns or ordnance all constructed arranged and acting substan-
tially as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1898
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.