IM- PROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR SHIPS OF WAR
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Wellman Serrell, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR SHIPS OF WAR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Wellman Serrell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th February 1878.
EDWARD WELLMAN SERRELL, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR
SHIPS OF WAR."
The armour of ships of war, as heretofore constructed, does not afford the
requisite resistance to the projectiles of modern guns, and the employment of solid
metal plates of sufficient thickness would unduly load ships, rendering them unwieldy
and otherwise ineffective for naval service.
The object of the said Invention is to overcome these difficulties by lessening the
weight of armour and greatly increasing the power of resistance. These advantages
are secured by the use of cellular armour, the cells being designed for holding water
when the ship is in action.
The form of the cells according to the principle of the said Invention is such
that the including lines of each cell or group of cells shall not by any change of
form enclose a greater area; and cells of this form, when filled with water, afford
the greatest resistance to projectiles. This form of cell is adopted as nearly as
practicable in all cases.
The body of the cell may be globular, cylindrical, triangular, or honeycomb shape,
and the ends should be hemispherical or of other equivalent shape.
The cells may be arranged in one or more tiers in heights and rows in depth as
found desirable.
The cells are connected by a system of pipes, which, as far as practicable, are
located below the draft line. Through these pipes the cells are filled with water

page_text: and emptied. The pipes are provided with valves which allow all the cells to be
emptied simultaneously, or any one or more may be shut off from the others.
The water is forced into the cell with sufficient pressure to remove the air, leaving
the fluid as inelastic as possible. The resistance of water in this condition is greater
than that of most other substances, while the force is transmitted alike in every
direction, and the weight is much less than solid metal armour of equal resisting
power.
When the projectile strikes the exterior surface of a cell filled with water the
force of the blow is dispersed over so large an area that it meets metal sufficient to
afford several times the resistance to rupture that would be afforded by the same
weight of solid armour plate.
This armour may be used on any kind of exposed object, and may be applied to
floating batteries or other structures.
When the cells are empty the ship is comparatively light, and these cells may be
filled in a short time to prepare the ship for an engagement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Wellman Serrell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
August 1878.
"
EDWARD WELLMAN SERRELL, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, Civil Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR
SHIPS OF WAR."
The object of said Invention is to obtain great strength to resist the impact of
projectiles without the great weight heretofore inseparable from such armor.
It is a recognised fact that the armour now employed for vessels of war is too
heavy to admit of safety in sea-going vessels, and it is too light in proportion to
the blows that have to be resisted.
Attempts have been made to employ both water and air in connection with the
armour plates upon vessels, but such fluids have not been within the armour plates
themselves, but only as an intervening medium between the armour and the vessel.
My Invention consists in a cellular armour in which the metal, preferably steel,
is so disposed as to resist the impact of the projectile, and the cells are filled with
water or other non-elastic fluid.
The cells are closed, and of such a shape that the blow of a projectile will not
permanently alter the shape, and the force will be dispersed in all directions by the
liquid filling the cells, thus rendering harmless the blow from the projectile.
The cells are provided with supply and discharge pipes in such a manner that all
the air will be permitted to pass away.
The cells may be emptied when the vessel is not in action, and the cells dried by
the admission of heated air.
The inner surfaces of the cells may be rendered waterproof by oil or varnish
introduced when dry.

page_text: In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my armour, and Figure 2 is an
elevation, partially in section, of the same.
Figure 3 is a section drawn to an enlarged scale, and herein-after described.
The cellular armour has a metal face a, which is flat or curved, according to tho
position in which the same is to be used, as my Invention is available as armour
plating for turrets or for the sides of vessels. The armour is of a total thickness
adapted to the ultimate strain to which it may be exposed.
The armour is cellular and provided with one, two, or more ranges of cells. Two
such ranges of cells are shown, the range b having cells that are nearly hemispherical,
and the range d having cells that are nearly spherical. The metal partitions
between these cells are to be proportioned in thickness to the strain to which they
are exposed, and the weight of metal is lessened by arranging the cells in the
positions shown in Figure 2, so that the sides of the cells shall be hexagonal, and
the divisions flat or nearly flat.
When each cell is filled with confined water, or other non-compressible liquid,
any blow
upon the surface cannot penetrate the metal without displacing the water,
and the concussion upon the face of one cell is distributed upon the entire interior
surface of such cell; therefore if that cell cannot change its shape permanently the
blow of the projectile will be resisted. The metal only requires to be of sufficient
thickness to resist the punching action of the shot when backed with water. The
compressing action upon the water in one cell tends to expand that cell, and the
pressure is taken upon the walls thereof and transferred to the adjacent cells. In
this manner one cell supports another, and the elasticity of the metal allows the
concussion to be thus distributed and rendered harınless, so long as the concussion
and pressure of the water do not exceed the ultimate tensile strength of the metal
employed.
The armour plates may be made in sections of greater or less size, and each
section will be preferably cast in one piece. The parts may, however, be of wrought
metal properly riveted or welded together; or the surface may be of steel and the
cells of gun metal cast upon the steel while in a sufficiently heated condition.
The water or other liquid is supplied by suitable pipes to the cells so as to ensure
the entire filling of each cell and the separation of one from the other.
I have shown in Figure 3 the tubes as introduced at the centre of the cells, and
provided with pipes d¹ and i that are turned up and down within the cells, and the
central pipe e is made with waterways conimunicating to the respective pipes
d' and i. The waterways may be in the cast metal, as shown at k, and separate
tubes lead to the respective cells; or there may be tubes laid in the mould and the
metal cast around the same, and in that case such tubes or holes bored in the metal
may be at the angles of the partitions of the cells, as seen at n, n, and by arranging
these as shown in Figure 2 the tubes for each cell are separate.
In all instances the tubes outside the armour should be provided with cocks or
gates, and the tubes be connected in such a manner that water or other liquid may
be pumped through them until the cells are entirely full.
The cells may be filled in tiers or separately, and emptied in the same manner.
In cases where this improved armour plate is employed for revolving turrets the
pipes for supplying or discharging water should be carried to the vertical axis and
provided with swivel joints.
The armour plates may be attached to the vessel in any desired manner, according
to the character of the other parts of said vessel; the tubes for the supply and
discharge of water and the cocks and valves thereof should be protected from
injury, and the cocks should be below the water line and connected with the main
supply and discharge pipes and pumps, so as to be operated with rapidity. It will
generally be preferable to exhaust the air and allow the water to rush into the
vacuum.
Having thus fully described my improvements I claim as my Invention,―
First. The cellular armour plates containing one or more ranges of cells in the

page_text: metal of the armour itself in combination with tubes for filling each cell with
water or other liquid, or drawing the same off, substantially as set forth.
Second. The cellular armour plates provided with two ranges of cells in the metal
of the armour, the outer range being nearly hemispherical and the inner range
being nearly spherical at the ends, and with hexagonal partitions between the cells
in the respective ranges, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Wellman Serrell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
EDWARD W. SERRELL.
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE HASELTINE.