Improvements in Quick Firing Gun Mountings.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Quick Firing Gun Mountings.
We, Sir ANDREW NOBLE, K.C.B., F.R.S., of Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, and RALPH THEW BRANKSTON, Engineer, of Elswick Works,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
Figure 1 is a vertical section of our new gun mounting.
Figure 2 is a half plan with the gun removed and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 1. 1. of Figure 1.
The mounting consists generally of :-
1. A cradle A in which the gun fits and is free to move backwards and forwards
in the direction of the axis. The cradle is provided with trunnions and fitted with
a recoil press, a spring box for the springs for running out the gun into firing
position after recoil, and sights for sighting the gun.
2. A carriage or Y piece B fitted with trunnion bearings to receive the trunnions
of the cradle and having a shank which fits into a pedestal and forms a pivot upon
which the mounting revolves.
3. A pedestal C forming a socket for the carriage, and having a movable piece at
the base for access to the balls upon which the carriage revolves.
4. A shield D carried from the carriage and supported from it by means of
yielding stays F.
5. An inner shield G for the protection of the springs and the training worm
wheel.
In mountings of this description the gun is usually fitted with keys which fit into
corresponding keyways in the cradle and serve to prevent the gun from being
rotated by the action of the projectile on the rifling. The gun as shewn in the
drawing we make to rest in a semi-circular trough or channel formed along the top
of the cradle. The gun is without trunnions and without keys and the tendency of
the gun to rotate we prevent by means of the horn upon its breech end which
engages the piston rod. There are therefore, no keyways in the cradle, and the
gun can be shipped or unshipped from the cradle much easier than heretofore.
The springs used for running out the gun we also arrange to be shipped or
unshipped from beneath the cradle rearwards; and to be held up in place by straps E
hinged at either end. To remove the springs it is only necessary to slack the bolts
attaching them to the horn of the gun and then remove one of the bolts in the hinged
straps E and allow the springs to drop. The spring box is made of a square shape
open at the bottom to provide for the removal of the springs.
The sights preferably of the pattern patented in our Patent No. 18892 of
21st November 189. we arrange as shewn in the drawing in such a manner that a
full view can be obtained over the roof of the shield.
Dated this 8th day cf January 1894.
A. NOBLE.
R. T. BRANKSTON.

page_text: Improvements in Quick Firing Gun Mountings.
We, Sir ANDREW NOBLE, K.C.B., F.R.S., of Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, and RALPH THEW BRANKSTON, Engineer, of Elswick Works,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, aforesaid, 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 quick firing gun mountings.
Our improvements are shewn in the drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section.
Figure 2 is a plan with the gun and cradle removed, and also the roof of the
shield the sighting slot formed through the roof is shown in dotted lines.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 1. 1. of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is a horizontal.section on the line 2. 2. Figure 1.
The mounting consists generally of:-
1. A cradle A in which the gun A* fits and is free to move backwards and
forwards in the direction of the axis. The cradle is provided with trunnions A¹ and
fitted with a recoil press A³, and a spring box A' for the springs A* for running
out the gun into firing position after recoil. A horn A projecting from breech end
of gun has the piston rod of the recoil press secured to it and rods A* see Figure 4
extend forwards from the horn to a disc A' which bears against the forward end of
the springs in the spring box.
2. A carriage or Y piece B fitted with trunnion bearings to receive the
trunnions A¹ of the cradle and having a shank which fits into a pedestal C and
forms a pivot upon which the mounting revolves.
3. A pedestal C forming a socket for the carriage, and having a movable piece C*
at the base for access to the balls ("upon which the carriage revolves.
4. A shield D carried from the carriage B and supported from it by means of
yielding stays F see Figure 2.
5. An inner shield G for the protection of the springs and the training worm
wheel H attached by friction to the pedestal.
In mountings of this description the gun is usually fitted with keys which fit into
corresponding keyways in the cradle and serve to prevent the gun from being
rotated by the action of the projectile on the rifling. The gun as shewn in the
drawing we make to rest in a semi-circular trough or channel formed along the top
of the cradle. The gun is without trunnions and without keys and the tendency of
the gun to rotate we prevent by means of the horn upon its breech end which
engages the piston rod. There are therefore, no keyways in the cradle, and
the gun can be shipped or unshipped from the cradle much easier than heretofore.
The spring A used for running out the gun we also arrange to be shipped or
unshipped from beneath the cradle rearwards, and to be held up in place by
straps E hinged at either end. To remove the springs it is only necessary to slack
the bolts A³ see Figure 4 attaching them to the horn of the gun and then remove
the bolts pin of the hinged straps E and the springs drop. The spring box A³ is
made of a square shape open at the bottom to provide for the removal of the
springs.
The spring or springs are as usual held between a flange Ax at the rear end of a
tube A and a disc A10 which is prevented from moving more than a certain distance
away from the flange A by a screw bolt A" screwing into the forward end of the
tube A so that the springs are kept with the required amount of compression upon
them.
The sights I preferably of the pattern patented in our Patent No. 18892 of
21st November 1890 are carried by a plate À" secured to the side of the cradle A

page_text: see Figure 3. As shewn in the drawing they are carried up to such a height that
a full view can be obtained over the top of the front portion of the shield, through
a slot in the roof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of a gun, its cradle, with trunnions supported in bearings
carried by a fork at the upper end of a vertical pivot, a pedestal for the vertic il
pivot to rest in, a shield carried from this pivot by yielding stays and shielding a
space around the front and sides of the pivot, a spring box for running out the gun
carried on the underside of the cradle and open on the underside so that the springs
may be taken out and removed rearwards and sights carried by an upward extension
of one side of the cradle at a level above the front portion of the shield substantially
as described.
2. The combination of a gun A* cradle A with its trunnions supported in
bearings on a vertical spindle B the pedestal C for vertical spindle to rest in the
removable ball bearing C* at the bottom of the pedestal-recoil cylinder A' and
spring box A³ on underside of cradle containing a spring A for running out the
gun and open at bottom to admit of the springs being readily removed-a worm
wheel H attached by friction to the pedestal-a flat shield G fixed across the front
of the vertical pivot to protect the spring box and the worm wheel and a shield D
carried from the pivot by yielding stays F to protect the space around the front
and sides of the pedestal.
3. The combination of a gun without trunnions or keys projecting from its sides
with a cradle having a recoil cylinder fixed to it and the piston rod of this cylinder
secured to a horn projecting from the breech of the gun.
4. The combination of a gun without trunnions or keys projecting from its side
with a semi-circular cradle open at the top with the exception of a removeable cap
and without keys or keyways so that the gun can readily be lifted out and with
a recoil cylinder fixed to the cradle and having its piston rod secured to a horn
projecting from the breech of the gun substantially as described.
5. A gun cradle having on its underside a spring box containing springs for
running out the gun and made open at the bottom so that the springs can quickly
be taken out and withdrawn rearwards without removing any other part of the
mounting.
6. The combination of a gun its cradle with trunnions supported in bearings
carried by a fork at the upper end of a vertical pivot a pedestal for the vertical
pivot to rest in a shield carried from this pivot by yielding stays and shielding a
space around the front and sides of the pivot and sights carried from the cradle
above the level of the top of the rounded front portion of the shield substantially
as described.
D