IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRING APPARATUS FOR BREECH LOADING CANNON
Year: 1884

page_text: I, RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON of 114 Queen Victoria Street E.C. London
and 1 rue Laffitte Paris France, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRING APPARATUS FOR BREECH
LOADING CANNON, 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 breech loading cannon and consists of an improvement
particularly applicable to the breech loading cannon for which I have obtained
Letters Patent dated December 13 1881 N° 5435; but it is also applicable to other
systems of guns with a wedge action.
The improvements have reference in the first place to a novel construction of
main spring and its adaptation for imparting the percussive motion to the firing
hammer with the view of diminishing the friction usually exerted on its spindle
or rocking shaft, which friction is not only injurious but detracts from the force of
the impact of the hammer; for this purpose, I have imagined a double acting spring,
so arranged that it acts equally on opposite sides of the said spindle, which latter,
being thus equilibrated, annuls all undue friction on the same, further this spring
is not attached in any way to the wedge in which its extremity is simply inserted,
in a hole made therein and which serves to maintain it in its proper position and
nder these circumstances its entire energy is made available for the blow of the
hammer; and in the second place to a novel construction of parts for connecting
and disconnecting the hammer and its spindle or rocking shaft without the use of
any special instruments, tools or screws.
In the accompanying Drawing, I have shown such parts of a breech loading
cannon as is sufficient for the illustration and comprehension of the present
improvements.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a breech of a cannon with its
wedge, embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the wedge in section through A B Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a lateral sectional elevation of the same, similar to Fig. 1, the main
spring being ren.oved and a connecting link turned up in order to withdraw the
hammer spindle or rocking shaft.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the main spring operating the hammer.
1 is the wedge of the cannon in which it is alternately raised & lowered by
means of the parts referred to in the aforesaid Letters Patent. 2 is the barrel.

page_text: 3 is the hammer spindle or rocking shaft supported at one end in a bearing made
on the block 1 and at the other end in a tubular bearing 4 screwed into the said
block. 5 is the hammer formed with a tube G which is slipped over the spindle 3
and is six sided or square shaped at 7, which square or six sided part 7 corresponds
with a six sided or square opening made in the corresponding part of the tube 6,
so as to establish a fixed connection between the said hammer and its spindle 3.
8, 8* is the main spring consisting of two arms united at their rear 9 and passed
into an orifice 10 cut in the wedge, see Fig. 1 & 3; the forward end of the upper
arm 8 presses upwards on a shoulder 11 at the base of the hammer, whilst the
forward end of the lower arm 8* acts downward on the end of a link 12 which is
pivoted on a swelling reserved on the side of the hammer opposite the shoulder 11.
The arm 8 of the spring is slightly cut away, on each side at 13, 13 for the
reception of two ears 14, 14 depending from the shoulder 11 and which serve to
maintain the spring 8 laterally, whilst the outer end of 8* is cut away at its central
part, for the passage of the arm of the link 12. 14 is a lever for drawing back the
hammer and 15 a catch on the underside of the hammer tube, 16 the sear and 17
its spring these three last named, which may be of any appropriate construction,
are shown in dotted lines Fig. 1. In this Figure, the hammer is represented cocked
ready for firing; on the trigger being drawn, the hammer is released and by the
impulsion of the double spring 8, 8*, strikes the cartridge with the full force of
the latter, unimpeded by undue strain or friction.
The link 12, the tail of which is acted on by the branch 8* of the main spring,
as above described, is the mechanical part or agent used for connecting the_parts_
3 & 5 as shown in Fig. 1, and for disconnecting-them as shown in Fig. 3; it consists
-in-a-small-lever hung at 18 in the swelling on the hammer tube 6 and provided
with a sectant 19 which enters a corresponding notch cut in the hammer spindle 3,
see Fig. 1 & 2. When the parts have to be disconnected, the end of the spring 8×
is first raised out of connection with the tail of the link and the latter is then
turned about one quarter of a revolution in its bearing, as shown in Fig. 3, where-
upon the spring 8, 8* can be withdrawn from below and the spindle 3 drawn out
laterally and the hammer 5 withdrawn; the above mentioned parts are replaced
and reconnected by following the reverse order of these manipulations.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
:
First. The spring 8, 8* adapted for actuating the hammer 5 on either side of its
axis of rotation 3 with its rear end 9 simply inserted in a hole made in the breech
block 1 as above described & illustrated in Fig. 1.
Second. The ears 14, 14 on the hammer hub in connection with the parts 13, 13
cut out in the spring 8. in view of maintaining laterally the front end of the said
spring, as above described & illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 & 4.
Third. The connection and support of the hammer 5 and its spindle 3 by means of
the six sided part 7, tubular bearing 4 and tubular hub 6.
Fourth. The connection and disconnection of the parts 3, 5 and 8, 8*, by means
of the link 12, as above described and illustrated in Figures 1 & 2.
Dated this 31st day of March 1884.
R. H. BRANDON.