Pulverulent Explosive.
Year: 1889

page_text: Pulverulent Explosive.
I, RICHARD HAMMERSLEY HEENAN, of Newton Heath Iron Works, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for charging simultaneously a number of
cartridge cases, such as those made of paper, with pulverulent explosive.
In the accompanying drawings I shew apparatus according to my invention
arranged for charging 12 paper cartridge cases. Fig. 1 is a front view, Fig. 2 is an
end view, Fig. 3 is a part vertical section to an enlarged scale and Fig. 4 is a part
plan of the pinching plate.
A is a hopper which is charged with the explosive material and this is pressed down
by a heavy cover B. At the bottom of the hopper is a roller C which can be turned
in the direction of the arrow by a winch handle D. On the roller C there are pro-
jecting ribs at equal intervals and on the axis of C, at one end, there is an external
pinion e with a corresponding number of teeth which, as the roller and pinion revolve,
act on a projection on a spring lever c¹. On the axis of the lever c' are arms carrying
a scraping blade E which bears against the surface of the roller but by the action
of the pinion c and lever c¹ is moved away sufficiently to clear each rib of the roller
as it passes the edge.
The plate which terminates in the scraping edge E has on it a number of ribs F
terminating above in chisel edges. These form on the plate a number of separate
shoots by which the explosive material scraped off the roller C descends to give a
supply to each cartridge case G, which is set ready to receive the charge in the
following manner. Behind the machine there is a row of plungers H one for each
cartridge, this row being pivotted so that it can be turned down from the position
shewn in Fig. 2 to the position indicated by the dotted lines H¹.
In front of the machine there is a row of cylindrical holders K pivotted on
trunnions & so that by means of a lever L the row can be turned down presenting
each holder K, as indicated at K¹ Fig. 2, in line with one of the turned down

page_text: plungers H. For all the holders K there is a hinged bottom k which is held up by
a catch lever P. On the rounded tops of the holders K there rests a curved plate Q
which can be turned and also slid longitudinally on its hinges 7 by means of a lever 0.
In the plate Q there are peculiarly shaped holes the action of which is hereafter
described. A number of plungers M are linked to a counterweighted lever N, each
plunger M being made with a telescopically sliding part pressed down by a spring m.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows.
An attendant behind' having put on each of the plungers H a cartridge shell, bottom
upwards, the operator in front by means of the lever L turns the holders K down
to the position K¹ and by pushing back the rod T throws the plungers H over to the
position H¹.
He then, by drawing T forwards, pushes the shells that are on the plungers H into
the holders K, and having pushed back the plungers H he turns the holders K to their
upright position, each containing an empty shell; during this movement the plate Q
is raised sufficiently to allow the projecting mouths of the shells G to pass, and is then
dropped so that a mouth of a shell projects through each hole of Q.
The attendant turns the roller C and thereby causes a charge of explosive to slide
down between the ribs F into each of the shells G. He then pulls down N and
thereby causes the plungers M to descend,. one into each shell compressing the charge
in it with a yielding pressure due to the spring m. He repeats this till the cartridges
have received their proper charge.
When the plungers M have re-ascended the attendant moves the plate Q a little to
and fro longitudinally so that the sides of each of its holes press inwards two opposite
sides of the mouth of a cartridge, he then rocks a little the holders K so that the
prominent parts at the ends of each hole of Q pinch inwards the cartridge mouth
at other two sides. Having thus charged and partly closed in the mouths of the
cartridges, the operator by means of the handle P releases the bottom k¹ which drops,
and again bringing down the plungers M he pushes the cartridges out of the holders K
to be received on and slide down an inclined shoot R. He then raises the bottom k¹
which is held up by the latch end of the handle P, and, the plungers H being again
raised, the apparatus is ready for repetition of the cycle of operations as above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Apparatus for charging cartridges with pulverulent explosive, constructed and
operating, substantially as described.
2. In cartridge charging apparatus of the kind referred to, the combination of the
feed hopper A and its heavy cover B with the ribbed roller C, its pinion c, the pivotted
scraping edge E and its lever c', substantially as described.
3. The combination of the pivotted plungers H, the pivotted holders K having their
latched bottom, and the plungers M, substantially as described.
4. In combination with the pivotted holders K the pinching plate Q with its holes,
arranged to operate as described.
Dated this 12th day of January 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.