Improvements in Arparatus for Loading Heavy Guns.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Arparatus for Loading Heavy Guns.
We, Su WG ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTHI & Co, LIMITED, Manufacturing
Engineers, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sir ANDREW NOBLE, K.C B.,
FR S., of Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and CHARLES HLNRY MURRAY,
Engineer, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows.-
In mounting heavy guns it is now considered desirable to load them at all and
any angles of elevation or depression, in order to save the time usually taken to
bing the guns to a fixed angle, secure them there during the loading and remove
them again to filing position
Oui invention relates to a method by which this 18 carried out
The gun slide is carried as usual at its forward end on trunnions about which the
whole slide, calage and gun, pivot in a vertical plane to set to the required
elevation or depression.
The ammunition cage is required to come up behind the gun and stop in line
with the gun in whatever position of elevation the gun may be
To do this we, aange the whole of the hoisting mechanism on the gun slide so
as to be independent of any movement of elevation made by the gun and slide
The hydraulic cylinder is therefore by this anlangement attached preferably
to the underside of the gun slide
The sheave or pulley directly over the cage by which the cage is hoisted by a
hope is carried at the top of a short davit or crane mounted on the gun Blide
The valve for working this geal 18 also called on the gun side preferably
alongside the running in and out valve as in this position it is most easily inter-
locked with the lattei to prevent both valves being worked at the same time
To bring the ammunition cage in line with the gun exactly the stroke of the
hydraulic ram is limited by a stop on the guide bais of the iam crosshead or wo
provide that the davit or crane shall form a stop to the cage by the thumble at the
1ope end coming against the guard of the sheave at the head of the davit
At whatever position the gun slide may be therefore the cage will always stop
with the ram at full stroke out and will then be in line with the gun
The upper sheave at the davit head will thus never be higher than is necessary
to bing the cage to this position compatible with the angle of loading at the time
and as loading at depression will seldom be resorted to, this sheave will as a rule
be much lower than it would have to be if fixed as in previous cases permanently
high enough to load at depression.
We now proceed to shew how we deal with the case of alteration of elevation

page_text: when the ammunition cage is lowered to the floor below to be charged again with
powder and shot.
The rage lowers by its weight diawing on the supporting rope and by pulling in
the hydraulic lifting am when the cylinder is open to exhaust
This action censes when the cage touches the floor the lam will therefore be
pulled in varying amounts according to the elevation the gun has at the time of
letting down the cage
It may be say 16 feet when the gun 18 put to extreme depression and only 11 feet
when the gun is at extreme elevation
This would be of no importance if the elevation of the gun was not altered while
the cage was resting on the floor which may sometimes happen but generally
some movement may be expected and if that movement happens to be an increase
of elevation the rope will be thrown all slack and may not properly fall into
place again when required
Therefore we provide the following device in the animunition cage to take up
o prevent any slack wne
We modify the ordinary safety catch gear which is usually provided to gup the
cage to its guides in the event of breakage of the rope
The sping which at one end actuates these gips, we make, after this action
has taken place on the setting down of the cage, at its other end by a suitable con-
necting gear evolve a wheel drum or sheave capable of holding all the rope that
can at any time be given off as slack
On lowering the cage to the bottom the safety catch gear hauls in 3 or 4 inches
of rope as usual with the usual strong pull, then if the elevation of the gun is
increased and the end of the gun still comes down the other end of the same sping
acting at a different leverage revolves the sheave on drum and takes up all the
surplus rope without changing the position of the 1am in the cylinder
To
The amme is preferably a jointed chain 1ammer carried on an extension of
the slide and instead of making it in the usual way a permanent fixture to the
clide in which case it is in the way of any alternative hand loading gear used
when the hydraulic gear is out of action, we fit the bracket caying the head
end of the ammer so as to pivot out of the way of such alternative hand gear
do this we so make the connection of the rammer driving wheel with the hydraulic
engine used for driving this wheel that when the said bracket is swung on its
pivot to one side the gear wheels come apart leaving the hydraulic engine a fixture
on the
gun slide The change is thus made very quickly and without breaking
any lydiaulic connections
The tail end of the chain rammer passes into a tubular guide canied along the
bottom of the gun slide out of the way
To overcome the usual difficulties which have been met with in the use of chain
ammers namely then tendency to get out of line or double up instead of pushing
the shot into the gun, we provide holes through each link of the rammer though
which we thread a stout wire rope
The 1ope is secured to the last link at each end of the rammer and so prevents
any other portion of the rammer from bending except that part which at the time
being is passing over the diving sheave The bend which is there produced
taking up all the slack allowed to the 10pc
Dated thus 10th day of June 1998

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Loading Heavy Guns.
We, Su WG ARMSTRONG, WHH WORTH & Co., LIMITED, Manufacturing
Engineers, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sir ANDREW NOBIE, KCB,
FRS, of Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and CHARLES HENRY MURRAY,
Engineer, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 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
In mounting heavy guns it is now considered desuable to load them at all and
any angles of elevation or depression, in order to save the time usually taken to
bring the guns to a fixed angle, secure them there during the loading and remove
then again to fining position.
Qui invention relates to a method by which this is carried out, and is illustrated
in Figures 1 to 3, Figure 1 being a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3
a rear elevation
The gun slide A 15 carned as usual at its for waid end on tunnions B about which
the whole slide, carriage and gun pivot in a vertical plane to set to the requned
elevation or depression
The ammunition cage C is required to come up behind the gun and stop in line
with the gun in whatever position of elevation the gun may be.
To do this we aange the whole of the hoisting mechanism on the gun slide sc
as to be independent of any movement of elevation made by the gun and slide
The hydraulic cylinder is therefore by this arrangement attached preferably
to the under side of the gun slide.
The sheave or pulley Fdnectly over the cage by which the cage is hoisted by
a ope Gis cared at the top of a short davit H o ciane mounted on the gun
slide
The valve J for working this gear is also carried on the gun slide preferably
alongside the running in and out valve K as in this position it is most easily inter-
locked with the latter to prevent both valves being worked at the same time
To bung the ammunition cage in line with the gun exactly, the stroke of the
hydraulic iam L is limited by a stop M on the guide bais N of the 1am crosshead
oi we provide that the davit or crane shall form a stop to the cage by the thimble
at the iope end coming against the guard 0 of the sheave at the head of the davit.
At whatever position the gun slide may be therefore the cage will always stop
with the ram at full stroke out and will then be in line with the gun
The upper sheave Fat the davit head will thus never be higher than is necessary
to bing the cage to this position, compatible with the angle of loading at the
time, and as loading at depression will seldom be resorted to, this sheave will as
a rule be much lower than it would have to be if fixed as in previous cases perma-
nently high enough to load at depression
We now proceed to show how we deal with the case of alteration of elevation
when the ammunition cage is lowered to the floor below to be charged again with
powder and shot
The cage lowers by its weight drawing on the supporting 1ope and by pulling
in the hydraulic lifting iam when the cylinder is open to exhaust
This action ceases when the cage touches the floor the ram will therefore be
pulled in varying amounts according to the elevation the gun has at the time of
letting down the cage
It may be sav 16 feet when the gun is put to extreme depression and only 11 feet
when the gun is at extreme elevation
This would be of no importance if the elevation of the gun was not altered while

page_text: the cage was resting on the floor which may sometimes happen but generally some
movement may be expected and if that movement happens to be an increase of
elevation the iope will be thrown all slack and may not properly fall into place
again when required
"Therefore we provide the following device in the ammunition cage to take up or å
prevent any slack wne
We modify the ordmary safety catch gear which is usually provided to grip the
eage to its guides in the event of breakage of the 1ope
The spring P which at one end actuates these gups Q, we make, after this action
has taken place on the setting down of the cage, at its other end by a suitable con-
necting gear evolve a wheel, dum or sheave R, capable of holding all the 10pe
that can at any time be given off-as slack
On lowering the cage to the bottom the safety catch gear Q hauls in 3 or 4 inches
of 1ope as usual with the usual strong pull, then if the elevation of the gun is
increased and the end of the gun still comes down the other end of the same spring
acting at a different leverage revolves the sheave or dium 1 and takes up all the
surplus 1ope without changing the position of the am in the cylinder
Figure 4 is a side elevation, Figure 5 a plan and Figure 6 a ieat elevation of the
ramming apparatus
The ammer 18 preferably a jointed cham rammei a carned on an extension of
the slide band instead of making it in the usual way a permanent fixture to the
slide in which case it is in the way of any alternative hand loading gear used
when the hydraulic gear is out of action, we fit the bracket & caying the head end
of the ramme e so as to pivot at f out of the way of such alternative hand gear.
To do this we so make the connection of the rammer diving wheel with the
hydraulic engine / used for diving this wheel that when the said bracket is swung
on its pivot to one side, the gear wheels come apart, leaving the hydraulic engine
a fixture on the gun slide The change is thus made very quickly and without
bleaking any hydraulic connections
The tail end of the chain 1ammer passes into a tubular guide & canied along the
bottom of the gun slide out of the way
To overcome the usual difficulties which have been met with in the use of chain
rammers namely then tendency to get out of line on double up instead of pushing
the shot into the gun, we provide holes through each link of the rammer through
which we thread a stout wie 10pe
The rope is secured to the last link at each end of the rammer and so prevents
any other portion of the rammer from bending except that part which at the time
The bend which is there produced
being 18 passing over the driving sheave
taking up all the slack allowed to the 10pe.
Пaving 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
clatın 18.-
1. Mounting the ammunition hoisting mechanism on the slide.
2 In apparatus such as 18 1eferred to in the fist claim so arranging the hoisting
apparatus that the full lift is always given to raise the hoist into position at the
bieech.
3 The combination with apparatus such as is referred to in the flist two claims
of means for taking up the slack of the hoisting 1ope when the gun is elevated
whilst the cage is resting on the floor
4. In apparatus such as is referred to in the first two claims taking up the slack
of the hoisting rope on a wheel or dium revolved by the spring of the safety grip
gear.
5 Apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 3
6. Carrying the head wheel of the chain rammer on a pivotted bracket so that
it can be swung to one side out of the way.
7. The combination with the subject matter of Claim 6 of a motor on the slide,

page_text: a toothed wheel driven by it, and a toothed wheel on the bracket actuating the
rammer
8 The combination with a chain rammer of a rope fixed to its ends and passing
a toothed wheel driven by it, and a toothed wheel on the bracket actuating the
rammer
8 The combination with a chain rammer of a rope fixed to its ends and passing
through its links
9 Apparatus substantially as described and illustrated at Figures 4 to 6
Dated this 1st day of March 1899
SIR W G. ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTH & CO LIMITED.
S. W A NOBLE,
Director,
T. M. FALKNER,
Secretary.
A. NOBLE,
CH. MURRAY