IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLICATION OF SPRING POWER FOR WORKING ORDNANCE to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: .
Ordnance.
I, LEONID RASKAZOFF of St Petersburg, Russia, and the Grosvenor Hotel
Buckingham Palace Road in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant in the Imperial
Russian Navy do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPLICATION OF SPRING POWER FOR WORKING ORDNANCE to be as follows:-
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in application of spring power
for working guns.
The invention has reference to the application of springs for the purpose of
storing up the power exerted by the recoil of the gun and utilising it for the
purpose of raising the gun from the loading to the firing position as in the case
guns which, on recoiling, descend under cover, or for storing up the force of the
recoil for performing other work in connection with working the guns in the case
of guns which do not require to be lifted to the firing position.
of
This application of spring power is effected by means of a combination of storage
springs and friction nippers which I call the spring accumulators, and which are
capable of storing the force expended on their compression and capable of giving
back that force at any time when it may be required and to any desired extent.
My spring accumulators consist of springs combined with a friction nipper
forming what I call the "head of the accumulator" and applied in such a way
that it allows the springs to be freely compressed and when the compression has
ended-keeps the springs in the compressed state, so that this nipper or head of the
accumulator acts like a rack and pawl but it acts with a frictional holding and
the friction is automatically developed by the pressure of the springs.-When it
is desired to perform work by means of the power stored up in the spring-
accumulator, the frictional holding of the nipper or head of the accumulator is
released in any required degree and either gradually or at once; the springs then
expand more or less quickly and in the same degree that the friction is diminished.
Therefore when the accumulator is suitably connected with the gun it will
move or lift it by the force stored up in the springs from the previous recoil or
otherwise.
I may employ springs of any description but I prefer those known as "Belleville"
springs consisting of a series of discs of steel which are hollow or dished on the
face and arranged together in pairs concave to concave. I place these discs around

page_text: a stem or rod on which they are kept in place by a nut and washer on one end of
the stem and by a crosshead on the other end, and this crosshead I arrange to
slide on the stem or in guides. The nut and washer I employ to regulate the
springs of the accumulator and to give them any required initial tension. The
sliding crosshead serves for the connection of the accumulator with the gun so
that the recoil of the gun may move the crosshead and compress the springs
between the crosshead and the nut or on the other hand," when the force
accumulated in the springs is to be utilised-that the springs may move the
crosshead and transmit motion to the gun or it may be other parts with which
it is connected.
The sliding crosshead is arranged to receive the friction nipper which consists
of two blocks placed on the stem or rod which passes through the springs. These
blocks are opposite to each other and embrace the stem or rod between them-
The blocks are connected together by means of a pair of rocking links, one on
either side of the stem or rod. When the blocks are opposite each other they can
be moved freely along the stem or rod, but a short movement of one of them along
the stem or rod whilst the other block remains stationary or is moved in the
opposite direction causes the blocks to nip the stem tightly because the movement
has caused the links connecting the blocks to take an inclined position and to
bring the blocks nearer together causing them to exert a pressure against the
stem. The friction thus developed will keep the nipper or head of the accumulator
immoveable on the stem and the greater the force tending to produce motion the
more powerfully will the stem be nipped and held.
In combination with the general arrangement of the accumulator this friction
nipper in one arrangement is so placed that during the compression of the springs
the cross head will move along the stem carrying both blocks with it in such a
position that they move freely, but when the compressor is ended and the cross-
head has a tendency to return it moves only one of the blocks whilst the other is
kept in its place by a spring provided for the purpose and also by its own inertia
or by any other suitable means. The stem then becomes nipped and the springs
are held in compression-To utilize the force stored up in the springs it is necessary.
to bring the blocks again into position to be able to move along the stem and this
I do by means of a screw or a wedge or lever or otherwise.
In place of the friction brake being moveable as described it may be stationary
on the frame and arranged to nip a stem which is moved by the gun between the
blocks. Or other kinds of friction nippers may be employed which also can be
moveable on the stem or stationary with the stem working in it.
My invention has already been applied in Russia but without publicity being
given to the invention.
The first application of my spring accumulator was made in 1879 to a siego gun
carriage for a six inch gun to utilise the force of recoil and to bring the gun after
discharge to the firing position above the parapet. The invention was carried out
in the following manner :-
rear.
The spring accumulator was placed between the side frames of the carriage, the
stem was fixed to the trail of the carriage and in such a position that the regulating
nut of the accumulator was in the front part of the carriage and the crosshead in
The gun was supported by its trunnions at the upper ends of a pair of
rocking levers keyed upon a shaft. The rocking levers had arms projecting
downwards below the shaft and these at their lower ends were connected by bars
to the crosshead of the accumulator. The operation of the arrangement is as
follows:
When the gun after discharge recoils it descends and causes the trunnions to
describe an arc of a circle; at the same time the lower ends of the side levers
which carry the gun describe an arc moving towards the front and by means of
the bars connecting them with the crosshead of the spring accumulator the latter
is drawn forward and the springs are compressed. By the action of the nipper the
springs are retained in their compressed state and the gun remains behind the

page_text: parapet, until the time comes for firing it again, when it is raised by releasing the
springs in the manner already described.
Another application of my spring accumulator was made in 1882 to a gun
carriage for a nine inch Howitzer. As to the arrangement of the rocking levers
it is similar to that already described, and so also as to the connection of these
with the crosshead, but the accumulator itself is modified, adapting it to the
increased force of recoil. It is in this case composed of two stems surrounded by
springs with a cross head common to both. The break or head of the accumulator
is also common to both and is not moveable as formerly with the cross head but
fixed to the back of the carriage and it engages with a stem fixed to the cross head
and separate from the rods passing through the springs.
For larger guns the number of the storage springs may be further increased and
they may either be combined with a common crosshead or otherwise and one nipper
may be common to all or separate nippers may be employed.
Another application of these spring accumulators was carried out in the case of
an 11 inch howitzer in which they were employed to run the gun out up a steeply
inclined slide. In this arrangement owing to the still greater force of recoil of
this heavy 11 inch gun the accumulators were arranged to act in combination with
hydraulic recoil buffers placed on the carriage so that only a part of the recoil
force necessary to lift the gun up the inclined slide was stored in the springs while
the other part was taken by hydraulic buffers.
In this application the spring accumulators were arranged to receive compression
not by means of rocking levers or arms as in the two former cases but by the
direct action of the gun carriage upon them they being placed on the slide directly
behind each cheek or side of the carriage which acted as a cross head and the
nippers were arranged in a similar way to that described previously.
In this arrangement therefore the spring accumulators were employed in con-
nection with an inclined slide.
The automatic spring accumulator may be used in combination with the ordinary
hydraulic compressor when it is not desired to store the whole force of recoil as for
instance in broadside guns or embrasure guns.
In the case of guns which do not require to be raised for firing and which are
mounted on a slide in the usual way or otherwise, the recoil of the gun may be
stored in the accumulator and used afterwards not only for running the gun out,
for which purpose a small part of the recoil would. be sufficient, but also for
turning the gun platform or for lifting the shot to the gun or for ramming the
shot home. In these cases the power stored in the springs is conveniently
transmitted to a hydraulic ram and the fluid pressure thus obtained is applied to
actuate suitable hydraulic gear.
Dated this o6th day of To 100-

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Application of Spring Power for Working
Ordnance.
I, LEONID RASKAZOFF of St Petersburg, Russia, and the Grosvenor Hotel
Buckingham Palace Road in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant in the Imperial
Russian Navy 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 has for its object improvements in application of spring power
for working guns.
The invention has reference to the application of springs for the purpose of
storing up the power exerted by the recoil of the gun and utilizing it for the
purpose of raising the gun from the loading to the firing position as in the case of
guns, which on recoiling descend under cover or for storing up the force of the
recoil for performing other work in connection with working the guns in the case
of guns which do not require to be lifted to the firing position.
This application of spring power is effected by means of a special combination
of storage springs and friction nippers which I may call the automatic spring
accumulators, and which are capable of storing the force expended on their com-
pression and capable of giving back that force at any time when it may be required
and to any required extent.
My spring accumulator consists of springs combined with a friction nipper
forming what I call the "head of the accuinulator" and applied in such a way that
it allows the springs to be freely compressed and when the compression has
ended-keeps the springs in the compressed state, so that this nipper or head of the
accumulator acts like a rack and pawl but, it acts with a frictional holding and the
friction is automatically developed by the pressure of the springs. When it is
desired to perform work by means of the power stored up in the spring accuinu-
lator, the frictional holding of the nipper or head of the accumulator is released in
any required degree, and either gradually or at once; the springs then expand more
or less quickly and in the same degree that the friction is diminished. Therefore
when the accumulator is suitably connected with the gun it will move or lift it by
the force stored up in the springs from the previous recoil or otherwisc.
The arrangement of the accumulator is shown by the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section.
Figure 2 is a plan and
Figure 3 is an end elevation.
To form the storage springs of the accumulator I may employ springs of any
description but I prefer those known as "Belleville" springs consisting of a series
of discs of steel which are hollow or dished on the face and arranged together in
pairs concave to concave.
In Figures 1 and 2 these springs are marked a. a. a. a. I place these discs
around a stem or rod B on which they are kept in place by a nut C and washer c¹
on one end of the stem, and by a cross head D on the other end, and this crosshead

page_text: I arrange to slide on the stem or in guides. The nut and washer C. o¹ I employ to
regulate the springs of the accumulator and to give them any required initial
tension. The sliding crosshead D serves for the connection of the accumulator with
the gun so that the recoil of the gun may move the crosshead D and compress the
springs a. a. a. a. between the crosshead D and the nut C; or on the other hand,
when the force accumulated in the springs a. a. a. a. is to be utilized that the
springs may move the crosshead D and transmit motion to the gun or it may bo
other parts with which it is connected.
The sliding crosshead D is arranged to receive the friction nipper which consists
of two blocks E and F placed on the stem or rod which passes through the springs.
These blocks E and F are opposite to each other and embrace the stem or rod B
between them. The blocks are connected together by means of a pair of rocking
links g. g. one on either side of the stem or rod B-When the blocks E and F are
opposite each other they can be moved freely along the stem or rod B but a short
movement of one of them along the stem or rod whilst the other block remains
stationary or is moved in the opposite direction causes the blocks to nip the stem B
tightly because the movement has caused the links gg. connecting the blocks to
take an inclined position and to bring the blocks E and F nearer together causing
them to exert a pressure against the stem B. The friction thus developed will keep
the nipper or head of the accumulator immoveable on the stem and the greater the
force stored up in the accumulator tending to produce motion-the more powerfully
will the stem be nipped and held.
In order that the metal of the stem may not be injured by the pressure of the
blocks of the nipper these have brass linings e and f fitted to them and their bearing
surfaces are of sufficient area.
In combination with the general arrangement of the accumulator this friction
nipper in one arrangement is so placed that during the compression of the springs
the crosshead D will move along the stem B, carrying both blocks E and F. with it
in such a position that they move freely. This is done by means of the stop K
which keeps the blocks at this time opposite to each other. But when the com-
pression is ended and the crosshead D has a tendency to return, it moves only one
of the blocks E whilst the other is kept in its place by a spring / provided for the
The stem B
purpose and also by its own inertia or by any other suitable means.
then becomes nipped and the springs a. a. a. a. are held in compression. To utilize
the force stored up in the springs it is necessary to bring the blocks E and F again
into position to be able to move along the stem B and this I do by means of a
nut N on the screw. This screw is fixed by its head to the lugs ¹¹ on the
crosshead D and passes through the trunnion ring i, fitted between the levers g. g.
at their upper ends. Or the nipper may be opened by a wedge or lever or
otherwise.
In place of the friction nipper being moveable as described, it may be stationary
on the frame and arranged to nip a stem which is moved by the gun between the
blocks or it may consist of an eccentric and lever fixed to one of the blocks by
which the other block may be pressed against the stem, thus affording sufficient
friction or I may employ other kinds of friction nippers in combination with the
storage springs to form the automatic accumulator.
The above described spring accumulator may be used separately as in the case of
spring disappearing gun carriage, or in combination with bydraulic buffers or
ordinary compressors, when it is not desired to store the whole force of the recoil
as for instance for broadside or embrasure guns. Through the introduction of this
spring accumulator together with its nipper, or even without a new and important
combination is gained in the system of gun carriages it consists of a rearwardly
inclined slide and of a spring accumulator for running the gun out, up the slide-
as is explained hereafter with reference to my new high angle gun-carriage. Such
a combination of rearwardy inclined slides and springs when applied to common
or Vavasseur gun carriages will allow the inconvenient forwardly inclined slides to
be got rid of, they are used inavoidably when the gun is run out by its own weight,

page_text: and are the cause of heavy strain on the deck or foundation when the guns are
fired at a high elevation.
The way in which my invention may be applied for working guns is shown on
the drawings Figures 4. 5. 6 and 7.
Figure 4 represents a siege gun carriage of usual type, but furnished with my
automatic spring accumulator and suitable apparatus for the application thereof in
such manner as to utilize the force of recoil and to bring the gun after discharge to
the firing position above the parapet. This Figure represents the accumulator in a
state of initial compression sufficient to support the gun in firing position and ready
for utilising the force of recoil.
Figure 5 represonts the same carriage with the gun after discharge; the
accumulator now has the force of the recoil stored in it, and it is ready to lift
the gun.
In this case the application of the spring accumulator to a siege gun is carried
.out in the following manner.
The spring accumulator is placed between the side frames of the carriage, the
'stem B is fixed to the trail of the carriage and in such a position that the regulating
nut of the accumulator is in the front part of the carriage and the crosshead D in
rear. The gun is supported by its trunnions at the upper ends of a pair of rocking
levers P keyed upon a shaft O, The rocking levers have arms Q projecting down-
wards below the shaft and these at their lower ends are connected by bars R to the
cross head of the accumulator D.
The operation of the arrangement is as follows:-
When the gun after discharge recoils, it descends and causes the trunnions to
describe an arc of a circle, at the same time the lower ends of the side levers, which
carry the gun describe an are moving towards the front and by means of the bars
connecting them with the crosshead of the spring accumulator the latter is drawn
forward and the springs are compressed. By the action of the nipper the springs
are automatically retained in their compressed state and the gun remains behind
the parapet until the time comes for firing it again, when it is raised by releasing
the springs in the manner already described.
My invention has already been thus applied in Russia in 1879 but without
publicity being given to the invention.
Another application of these spring accumulators was made in 1882 and was
carried out in the case of the high angle gun carriage for an eleven inch Howitzer
in which they were employed to run the gun out up a rearwardly inclined slide.
In this new gun carriage the accumulators were arranged to act in combination
with hydraulic recoil buffers of common type so that only a part of the recoil force
necessary to lift the gun up the slide, was stored in the springs, while the excess
was absorbed by hydraulic buffers.
In this application the spring accumulators were arranged to receive compression
not by means of rocking levers or arms as in the former case, but by the direct
action of the gun carriage upon them during its recoil along the slide the springs
being placed on the slide directly behind each side of the carriage which acted as
a crosshead,
In this arrangement therefore the spring accumulators were employed in com-
bination with a rearwardly but permanently inclined slide, thus affording simple
means for running the gun out.
7
This example of the combination of an inclined slide and spring accumulator
in a high angle gun carriage is shown by Figure 6 which is a side elevation,
It consists of a slide 8 the front part of which is pivotted at vand supported by
rollers y on an elevated part of the foundation Z so that the upper edge of the
slide becomes steeply inclined rearwards. The gun and carriage D are placed on
the front or upper part of this inclined slide 8, and are retained in place or
prévented from sliding down by the two storage springs A situated on the slide 5
directly behind each check or side of the carriage.

page_text: The springs a. a. a. as in the previous case are threaded on the rods or stems B
The front ends of these rods are passed through the whole length of the carriage
cheeks or sides D and are fixed to the brackets U on the front part of the slide
while the lower or back ends of the rods B are supported by the regulating nuts C
on the back end of the slide so that the springs are confined between the regulating,
nuts C and the cheeks of the carriage D which act as a crossbead common to both
accumulators A. Therefore when the gun is fired, the carriage will slide down
and will compress the springs which then by expansion will bring the carriage
back into its place, as soon as recoil has ended, or at any time after by the action
of nippers.
The hydraulic recoil buffers & are placed in the cheeks or sides of the carriage D
in the usual way.
The pistons e, of these buffers are ordinary ones with constant holes in them
through which a liquid contained in the cylinders is squeezed during recoil from
one side of cylinder into the other or they may be with changeable or diminishing
holes as in Vavasseur pattern, or otherwise.
It is evident that in this case, the action of hydraulic recoil buffers d. d. and the
springs a. a. a. a. will be a combined one in which the spring accumulators help
the hydraulic buffers to resist the recoil, storing in them part of its force, sufficient
to raise the gun into firing position after discharge and the recoil buffers will
diminish the speed of running out or raising the gun in case the excess of power
stored up in the spring be much greater than necessary for lifting the gun up the
inclined slide. And in the last case, if it is not desired to retain the gun in
recoiled position for loading or other purposes the friction nipping arrangement of
the accumulators may be dispensed with.
This combined action of springs and ordinary hydraulic buffers is conveniently
carried out in this pattern of high angle gun-carriage by placing the springs of the
accumulators on stems or rods which are continuations of the piston rods of the
recoil buffers and which for this purpose are arranged to pass through the stuffing
boxes or cup leathers in the covers of the hydraulic buffers placed in the cheeks or
sides of the carriage. Or, they may also be placed in any other convenient position
on the slide under the carriage or otherwise."
I would remark that this permanently rearwardly inclined slide, in combination
with the storage springs for running the gun out up the slide is an important
feature now for the first time applied by me in high angle gun carriages, and it
may be employed with advantage in other barbette or embrassure gun-carriages, as
it admits of the gun recoiling in a direction sufficiently near to the direction of fire
to prevent any excessive stress on the slide and foundation.
Another application of my spring accumulator for working guns is shown by
the perspective drawing Figure 7. This drawing represents a new type of gun
carriage for a rifled 9 inch mortar or Howitzer adapted for firing the gun at high
angles of elevation aud in which the force of recoil is utilized by means of the
spring accumulator for the purpose of bringing the gun down in a convenient
position for loading and afterwards for lifting the gun up to firing position. As to
the arrangement of the rocking levers in this example it is similar to that already
described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 and so also as to the connection of
these with the crosshead but the accumulator itself is modified adapting it to the
increased force of recoil.
It is in this case composed of two stems surrounded by springs with a crosshead
common to both. The nipper or head of the accumulator is also common to both
and is not moveable as in the previous example with the crosshead but.fixed to the
back of the carriage and it engages with a stem fixed to the crosshead and
separate from the rods passing through the springs.
This carriage is also different from any other of this kind in the way of
supporting the breech of the gun. The breech in this carriage is furnished with a
couple of moveable rollers rolling along the curved upper edge of the carriage
while the trunnions move down with the end of rocking levers. By this means

page_text: the gun after recoil comes automatically nearly into an horizontal position convenient
for loading.
For larger guns the number of the spring accumulators may be further increased
and they may either be combined with one crosshead and nipper common to them
or otherwise.
In the case of guns which do not require to be raised for firing and which are
mounted on a slide in the usual way or otherwise, the recoil of the gun may be
stored in the accumulator and used afterwards not only for running the gun out,
for which purpose a small part of the recoil would be sufficient, but also for
turning the gun platform or for lifting the shot to the gun or for ramming the
shot home. In these cases the power stored in the springs is conveniently
transmitted to a hydraulic ram and the fluid pressure thus obtained is applied to
actuate suitable hydraulic gear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) The combination with a gun or piece of ordnance of a spring or springs
and controlling apparatus together forming a spring accumulator and so contrived
that the stress under which the spring is placed by the recoil is automatically
retained and stored and afterwards at the time required applied under the control
of the operator in preparing the gun or piece of ordnance for the next discharge.
(2.) The combination with a gun or piece of ordnance of a spring or springs
and frictional nipping apparatus together forming an automatic spring accumulator
contrived and operating in the manner above set forth.
(3.) The combination with a gun or piece of ordnance mounted upon levers
which control its descent during recoil of a spring accumulator contrived and
operating in the manner above set forth.
(4.) A high angle gun carriage in which the recoil takes place down a
rearwardly inclined slide under the control of a spring accumulator or accumulators
which afterward by the application of the power which they store return the gun
to the firing position.
(5.) The combination with a gun carriage of a spring accumulator and hydraulic
buffer to check the recoil of the gun along the slide and the spring accumulator
to effect the return of the gun to the firing position.
(6.) The combination with a gun carriage of an automatic spring accumulator
in which springs when compressed are retained by a stem grasped by frictional
nipping blocks and can be relieved at will by diminishing the friction of the
nipping blocks upon the stem.
(7.) A rearwardly inclined gun carriage slide in combination with springs
supporting the gun which springs are compressed by the recoil and react to raise
the gun to the firing position.
(8.) High angle gun carriages substantially as described and represented by
the annexed drawings.