IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURE, AND MODE OF SECURING ARMOUR FOR THE PROTECTION OF SHIPS AND FORTIFICATIONS AGAINST PROJECTILES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Wrigley, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURE, AND MODE OF SECURING ARMOUR
FOR THE PROTECTION OF SHIPS AND FORTIFICATIONS AGAINST PROJECTILES."
Sealed the 14th March 1862, and dated the 17th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Wrigley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th September 1861.
I, FRANCIS WRIGLEY, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURE, AND MODE OF SECURING
ARMOUR FOR THE PROTECTION OF SHIPS AND FORTIFICATIONS AGAINST PROJECTILES,"
to be as follows:-
My improvements in the construction of armour consist in making it of
metal distributed in the cellular form, and in filling the cells with wood or other
suitable material or compound material of about the same density or elasticity.
I prefer to distribute the metal so as to form upon a plate a connected series
of hexagonal spaces or cells, the metal forming the divisions between the spaces
or cells. I manufacture my improved cellular armour plates from metal
having the qualities of soft homogeneous wrought iron, which is obtained by
means of "Bessemer's" process, forming the said armour plates by pouring the

page_text: metal into suitable moulds and afterwards annealing them if required. I
secure tho cellular armour to the sides of the ship or fortification by fixing
thereto ribs of the T-shaped section, between which the armour plates are
introduced, the flanges of the ribs thus holding the said cellular armour plates
in their places without bolts or other fastenings. I prefer to have a lining of 5
timber of sufficient thickness between the cellular armour plates and the ship
or fortification which they have to protect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed-
by tho said Francis Wrigley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
WRIGLEY, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by, Fler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Francis Wrigley, Her special license that I, the said Francis Wrigley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Francis Wrigley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURE, AND MODE OF SECURING ARMOUR FOR
THE PROTECTION OF SHIPS AND FOLTIFICATIONS AGAINST PROJECTILES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Wrigley, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Wrigley, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):—

page_text: "
My improvements in the construction of armour consist in making it of
metal distributed in the cellular form, and in filling the cells with wood or
other suitable material or compound material possessing similar properties of
elasticity. I prefer to distribute the metal so as to form upon a plate a con-
nected series of hexagonal spaces or cells, the metal forming the divisions
between the spaces or cells. I manufacture my improved cellular armour
plates from metal having the qualities of soft homogeneous wrought iron,
which is obtained by means of "Bessemer's process, forming the said
armour plates by pouring the molten metal into suitable moulds and afterwards
annealing them, if required. I secure the cellular armour to the sides of the
ship or fortification by fixing thereto ribs of iron of the T or other shaped
section, between which the armour plates are introduced, the flanges of the
ribs thus holding the said cellular armour plates in their places without bolts
or other fastenings. But although I consider this method the best, I do not
confine myself to this mode of fastening. I prefer to have a lining of timber
of sufficient thickness between the cellular armour plates and the side of the
ship or fortification which they have to protect.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings shew the form of the cellular armour plates
which I prefer to use, and the mode of securing the same to the side of the
ship or fortification, Fig. 1 being a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan sectional
view.
A is the "skin" of the ship or side of the fortification; b, the T-formed ribs,
rivetted or otherwise secured to the skin of the ship or side of the fortification;
C, the wood lining; d, the cellular armour plates, each cell & being filled with
wood or other suitable material. The plates may be first placed within the
ribs and the lining subsequently added, or vice versa.
The cellular armour
plates may be reversed in position to that shewn in the Drawing, that is, the
cellular side of the plate may be placed outwards. The armour may be made
so that the metal will be distributed in the form of two plates connected by
cells between them, the cells being formed by suitable cores, and afterwards
filled with melted bituminous or other substances of like nature, which on
cooling become sufficiently hard or partly elastic at atmospheric temperatures.
The cells in the armour plates may be of other shape than the hexagonal, but
I prefer that form, and the armour plates may be used without the cells being
filled with wood or other substance, but I prefer to fill them.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, and wish it to be understood that I
claim,
Firstly, cellular armour formed by the casting of metal having the qualities

page_text: of soft homogeneous wrought iron, such as that obtained by means of "Besse-
mer's process," substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly, the filling of the cavities of such cellular armour with wood or
other material or compound material possessing similar properties of elasticity,
as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the mode of securing cellular armour similar to that referred to in
my first claim, by ribs of iron of the T or other shaped section, and the lining
or backing of such armour with wood. as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Wrigley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
FRANCIS WRIGLEY. (L.s.)