Improvements in Apparatus for Working Armour Plated Turrets and their Guns.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Working Armour Plated Turrets
and their Guns.
I, JOSEPH ALBERT DEPORT, of No. 19 Rue de la Rochefoucault, Paris, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to a construction of armour plated turrets and apparatus
for working the same and the guns contained therein, previously invented by me,
wherein the working of the turret and the guns was entirely effected by motive
power obtained from the momentum of the recoil of the gun after firing, this being
effected by means of hydropneumatic accumulators connected through valved
passages with the hydraulic brake interposed between the gun and its carriage, and
receiving and storing up at each discharge a certain quantity of the liquid com-
pressed in the brake during the recoil. From these accumulators channels extended
leading the compressed liquid to apparatus where the motive power was utilised
for working the platform and gun. The liquid discharged from these apparatus
was led back through valved passages to the hydraulic brakes so as to replace the
liquid forced into the accumulators. Provision was made for insuring that the
brake cylinder would be entirely filled, by discharging the liquid from the working
apparatus as also the overflow from the accumulators into a storage chamber from
which it passed to the brake cylinder.
According to my present improvements, instead of supplying the liquid under
pressure which is expended by the hydropneumatic accumulators situated under
the moveable platform, by means of the hydraulic brake, as in the said arrangement,
I replace such expended liquid under pressure by means of a small force pump
driven by an electro motor which is worked by the current of the electric circuit
usually provided in the ship, which pump forces into the accumulators liquid from
the tank which receives the discharge liquid from the various apparatus that are
worked by the hydraulic power. The hydraulic brake thus remains of the ordinary
kind without connection with the said accumulators. The said electromotor and
force pump can be made sufficiently small to be contained in the turret, preferably
in a sheet iron casing which serves as the pointing platform.
"
For effecting the rotation of the turret, instead of using a hydraulic ratchet
apparatus, as in the previous arrangement, I employ a three-cylinder hydraulic
engine preferably of the "Brotherhood type which is made to actuate a winch,
the chain or rope of which is connected to the turret platform by suitable gear for
effecting its rotation.
The before mentioned small force pump and electromotor are mounted on the
top of the horizontal cylindrical accumulators, the armature shaft of the motor
being connected to the pump shaft by suitable toothed gear for reducing the ratio
of speed.
In some cases I combine the above described arrangement of force pump and
electro motor with the arrangement for utilising the hydraulic brakes of the gun
for supplying the accumulators with liquid.
In this case the force pump can serve either for the initial charging of the brake
apparatus with liquid, or for recharging the same during action.

page_text: In the said previous arrangement I effected the raising of the turret platform by
means of a ring shaped piston acting in a fixed annular recess into which some
of the stored bydraulic pressure was admitted, the ring-shaped piston being pro-
vided with a grooved head in which were balls on which the platform was rotated;
according to my present improvements, I employ in addition to such ring of balls,
a ring of rollers on which the platform rests and revolves when it is not raised by
the annular piston, and I also sometimes employ coned rollers on the annular piston
in place of the bails.
I
For sighting the gun 1 employ the following arrangement.
On the trunnions of the framing carrying the gun cradle is rotatably mounted
an upright carrying the sighting device, such upright being capable of angular
adjustment round the trunnion by means of worm and worn wheel gear acting on
a ring by which the upright is mounted on the trunnion, such gear being worked
by the sighting gunner through suitable transmission, so as to enable him to incline
the sighting device for sighting any distant object. The inclination of the gun is
effected by a hydraulic cylinder operating the framing carrying the gun cradle and
which is mounted at one end on the trunnions.
For indicating such inclinations the support of the upright carrying the sighting
devices carries a quadrant scale on which is pivotted a pointer having a tail
pivotted to a block which can slide in a vertical guide projecting up from the
trunnions of the framing by which the gun is elevated.
Thus when the axis of the gun, which is parallel to the sight line when the
pointer is at zero on the quadrant scale, is adjusted to assume an angle to the sight
fine, the pointer will be shifted on the quadrant scale by reason of the angular
movement of the before mentioned vertical guide on the trunnion, imparting a
corresponding angular motion to the tail of the pointer, and the latter will con-
Bequently indicate the angle formed by the axis of the gun with the sight line.
The quadrant scale can therefore be made to indicate firing ranges, by first
directing the sighting device on to the distant object, and then elevating or lowering
the axis of the gun by the hydraulic cylinder acting on the cradle until the pointer
arrives at the division of the scale indicating the required range.
The above described improvements are applicable for turrets whether used on
board ship or on land.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Working Armour Plated Turrets
and their Guns.
I, JOSEPH ALBERT DEPORT, of No. 19 Rue de la Rochefoucault, Paris,
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 :-
These improvements relate to a construction of armour plated turrets and
apparatus for working the same and the guns contained therein, described in the
Specification to my application for Letters Patent No. 15837 of 22nd August 1895
wherein the working of the turret and the guns was entirely effected by motive
power obtained from the momentum of the recoil of the gun after firing, this being
effected by means of hydropneumatic accumulators connected through valved
passages with the hydraulic brake interposed between the gun and its carriage,
and receiving and storing up at each discharge a certain quantity of the liquid
compressed in the brake during the recoil. From these accumulators channels

page_text: Figures 5 and shew other details of the support for the rotatable platform;
Figure 7 is an external elevation shewing the hydraulic winch, Figure 8 is a side
view thereof.
Figure 9 shews a modified arrangement of the apparatus for sighting.
In these arrangements, the rotation of the turret, instead of being effected by
hydraulic ratchet gear as described in the Specification to my application
No. 15837 is effected by means of a hydraulic winch E of the "Brotherhood"
three-cylinder kind, carried by the turret, and which works a chain or rope the
ends of which are fixed to the periphery of the fixed support of the revolving
platform; it is however to be understood that other forms of hydraulic winches
may be used for the purpose.
Above the head of each accumulator D is placed a small pump with two
barrels P, driven by an electro-motor Q which receives current from the electric
circuit of the ship. On the rotating armature of the motor is fixed a small pinion R
gearing with the large toothed wheel S which works the force pump. The liquid
is drawn from the tank and forced into the accumulators by the pump P.
In this case the hydraulic brake of the gun, the body of which is shewn at T
with its receivers, T¹ at the sides thereof, only serves for controlling the recoil and
the running in of the gun.
The water under pressure in the accumulators, supplies the hydraulic manœevering
and charging apparatus of the turret from which apparatus it flows into the
discharge tank; it is taken thence by the motor pump and forced back into the
accumulators.
By these arrangements I ensure for the turret a high degree of independence
and great security in working, as the turrets enclose in themselves the apparatus
and the necessary mechanical energy required for working them.
The use of pumps worked by electromotors may however be combined with that
of brake apparatus for storing the energy of the recoil as described in the
Specification No. 1583705.
In this case the electro-motor pumps can serve either for the initial charging of
the accumulators, or for partially recharging them when manæevering without
firing, or for supplementing the action of the brake when manovering with fire,
or for any other purposes.

page_text: In my before mentioned application I have described the use of a platform with
hydraulic apparatus for raising it consisting of an annular piston, the head of
which has a groove containing balls, which piston can be slightly raised by
hydraulic pressure in an annular bydraulic cylinder so as to cause the platform to
be supported upon the balls which arrangement is shewn in Figure 1 of the
accompanying drawings. But in this case when the platform is raised there is
produced an alteration in the distance between the fixed annular bydraulic cylinder,
and the accumulators arranged under the platform, so that the pipes through which
the liquid under pressure is conveyed from the former to the latter have to be made
with articulated joints. In order to obviate this inconvenience the arrangement
shewn at Figure 4 is employed in which the annular piston 9 is contained in an
annular groove r, constituting the hydraulic cylinder formed on the under side of
the platform.
This piston with its watertight packing s rests with a groove upon a ring of
balls t which rest in a groove in the fixed annular plate z of the support. By this
means the relative positions of the accumulators and the groover remains constant,
so that this can receive the water pressure through a channel o formed in the
platforni.
Both in the arrangement at Figure 1 and that at Figure 4, the annular piston
can be combined with a ring of vertical rollers serving as lateral support to the
collar of the turret platform. Figure 5 shews the arrangement of a rising plat-
form with an annular piston and rings of balls combined with a ring of vertical
rollers U; Figure 6 shews a similar arrangement in which the revolving platform
is provided with a ring of conical rollers instead of with balls. It will be evident
that this arrangement may also be used without the ring of vertical rollers.
In my aforesaid Specification No. 158375 I have assumed that all the move-
ments are obtained from motor apparatus situated within the turret itself; but in
some cases the rotation of the turret might be effected by a hydraulic motor
situated outside the turret for instance beneath the armour plated deck. There
would then be provided at such locality special fixed accumulators for working the
said motor. The accumulators arranged below the platform would then serve for
working the hydraulic cylinders for pointing or elevating the gun and the other
bydraulic apparatus which revolve with the platform.
In the said Specification I have described a gun carriage composed of a double
frame, the lower frame being provided with standards carrying the sights at a fixed
height as also a quadrant scale for indicating the pointing of the gun, operating in
connection with the double frame.
In this arrangement the operator directs his sights upon the distant object but he
does not give the gun the inclination of elevation required for the range of such
object.
Figure 9 shows a modification of this mode of sighting which dispenses with the
use of a double framing.
The upright frames a carrying the sights 6 are mounted on the trunnions c of
the gun frame or carriage so as to be capable of turning round the trunnions under
the action of a worm d carried by a bearing fixed to the framework of the
platform which worm gears with a toothed sector e fixed to the frame a.
worm is actuated by bevel wheels frotated by a shaft 9 with a crank handle.
The
This gear is provided on each side of the gun. It may be replaced by any other
suitable actuating gear whether mechanical, hydraulic or electrical. The essential
feature is, that the operator has the means of inclining the sights so as to bring
them on the distant object.
The elevation of the gun for a given range is effected by a second operator who
controls the distributor which supplies the hydraulic cylinders that raise or lower
the rear end of the gun frame. For this purpose the said operator refers to the
indications of one of the elevating scales carried by the frame a, the pointer of
which indicates on each scale the distance or range which corresponds to the
elevation given the gun relatively to the sights.

page_text: The arrangement of the pointer for this purpose, which is similar to that described
in Specification 15837 is as follows.
To the gun frame is fixed an upright guide shewn in dotted lines at k. Figure 9,
behind the upright a. In this guide is engaged a slide 1. carefully adjusted and
provided with a small axis m contained in a socket in the tail of the pointer n.
When the axis of the gun, which is parallel with the line of sighting when the
pointer is at zero, is inclined relatively to the sighting line, the pointer will be
moved over the scale a. Every inclination of the gun corresponds to a certain
range and a certain position of the pointer. The scale can therefore be marked
with the different ranges, and the gun will be correctly pointed if the sights are
first directed on the distant object and, by then actuating the hydraulic cylinders p
the gun is elevated until the pointer is brought to the division of the scale which
corresponds to the range.
It will be obvious that the above described improvements are applicable to
turrets and guns of all sizes, whether on board ship, or on land. Y is the
hydraulic rammer carried by the gun frame as described in the Specification
No. 15837 of 1895.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In ship's turrets the arrangement whereby the hydraulic apparatus for
mancevering the turret are supplied with water pressure by means of hydro-
pneumatic accumulators placed below the floor of the moveable platform of the
turret, the charging of the said accumulators being effected either by means of
force pumps worked by electro motors alone or by the combined use of such pumps
and of a brake apparatus for storing the energy of the gun's recoil substantially as
described.
2. The modified arrangement of the hydraulic manovering apparatus, such as is
referred to in the first claim in which the rotation of the turret is effected by
hydraulic apparatus situated outside the same providing additional hydropneumatic
accumulators near such external hydraulic apparatus, for working them, substantially
as described.
3. In combination with an annular hydraulic cylinder and piston for raising
the turret platform, having a ring of balls on which the platform rests the
cylinder being either fixed to the platform or to the fixed support the application
of a ring of vertical rollers serving as lateral support to the platform, substantially
as described.
4. In combination with an annular hydraulic cylinder and piston for raising
the turret platform, the cylinder being either fixed to the platform or to the fixed
support thereof, the use of conical rollers for supporting the platform, in lieu of
a ring of balls, either with or without the use of a ring of vertical rollers for
affording the platform a lateral support, substantially as described.
5. The arrangement for pointing the gun consisting of one or two uprights
carrying the sights which are arranged to turn upon the trunnions of the gun frame
or carriage and which carry one, or two, quadrant scales, and pointers, the tails of
which are pivoted to slides working in guides formed in one with the gun frame or
carriage, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 18th day of January 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.