Improvements in Projectiles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Projectiles.
1, MARTNS STEVENSON CALVERT, of No. 26 Cannon Street, Elswick, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide projectiles for heavy and light smooth
bore guns with means whereby when they are discharged from a gun their speed
or passage through the air is considerably greater, the trajectory lower, and windage
less, than is the case with projectiles as hitherto made, the guns can be shorter and
much less kicking of the gun on firing takes place; the longitudinal or helical ribs
or grooves usually provided on or in projectiles for use with rifled guns can also be
dispensed with.
According to my invention I provide on the cylindrical portion of the projectile
wings or flukes, which are connected thereto in such a manner as to be capable
of being folded or closed against the surface of the main body of the said projectile
to admit of it being inserted in the gun; and of automatically opening out when
discharged from the gun. These wings or flukes may be arranged helically on the
projectile and may be connected thereto in any suitable manner for instance grooves
may be formed in the projectile to receive curled up edges of the wings or flukes
so as to form a species of binged joint, the said grooves being of such shape and
dimensions as to admit of said wings or flukes opening out to the desired angle and
of being closed against the surface of the projectile. Springs may be arranged to
act on the wings or flukes so as to automatically force them open when the projectile
is discharged from a gun and so present surfaces to the air which will cause the
projectile to rotate axially with greater speed than is produced by the ordinary
rifled guns. Projectiles constructed according to my invention are provided at one
or both ends of the cylindrical portion thereof with soft metal (such as copper) rings
for protecting the wings or flukes, which rings may be secured to the main body of
the projectile by forming thereon circumferential dove-tail or undercut grooves with
which the soft metal rings are caused to engage by forcing or casting them therein.
These soft metal rings project above the general surface of the projectile, the said
projecting portions being forced into the rifle grooves in the barrel of the gun when
the gun is fired whereby rapid rotation is given to the projectile as it leaves the gun
as in the case with the ordinary projectiles used with rifled guns. By constructing
projectiles according to my invention the said projectiles may be made shorter than
ordinary elongated projectiles and copper may be cast in the projectiles in the
ordinary way.
Dated this 9th day of December 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Projectiles.
I, MARTNS STEVENSON CALVERT, of No. 26 Cannon Street, Elswick, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, 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 has for its object to provide projectiles for heavy and light smooth
bore guns with means whereby when they are discharged from a gun their speed
or passage through the air is considerably greater, the trajectory lower, and windage
less, than is the case with projectiles as hitherto made, the guns can be shorter, and
much less kicking of the gun on firing takes place; the longitudinal or helical
ribs or grooves usually provided on or in projectiles for use with rifled guns can also
be dispensed with.
According to my invention 1 provide on the cylindrical portion of the projectile
wings or flukes, which are connected thereto in such a manner as to be capable of
being folded or closed against the surface of the main body of the said projectile to
admit of it being inserted in the gun; and of automatically opening out when
disengaged from the gun. These wings or flukes may be arranged helically on the
projectile and may be connected thereto in any suitable manner for instance grooves
may be formed in the projectile to receive curled up edges of the wings or flukes,
so as to form a species of hinged joint, the said grooves being of such shape and
dimensions as to admit of the said wings or flukes opening out to the desired angle
and of being closed against the surface of the projectile. Springs may be arranged
to act on the wings or flukes so as to force them open when the projectile is
discharged from a gun and so present surfaces to the air which will cause the
projectile to rotate axially with greater speed than is produced by the ordinary rifled
guns. Projectiles constructed according to my invention are provided at one or
both ends of the cylindrical portion thereof with soft metal (such as copper) rings
for protecting the wings or flukes and forming gas tight packing between the
projectile and the bore of the gun which rings may be secured to the main body
of the projectile by forming thereon circumferential dovetail or undercut grooves
with which the soft metal rings are caused to engage by forcing or casting them
therein, or they may be slidden on to the body of the projectile.
.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in elevation a projectile
constructed according to my invention. Figures 2 & 3 are transverse sections taken
respectively on the lines 1. 2 & 3. 4-Figure 1; the wings or flukes being shown
open in Figure 2 and closed in Figure 3. In the cylindrical portion A of the
projectile annular grooves a are provided for the reception of copper or like rings
to form gas tight packings between the projectile and the bore of the gun. Between
these annular grooves a spiral grooves c are formed on the cylindrical portion of
the projectile in number according to the number of wings or flukes to be fitted to
the said projectile the number of wings varying according to the size of the projectile.
These spiral grooves are cylindrical in transverse section and form part of the hinges
on which the wings or flukes B turn. The wings or flukes B are made of sheet
metal, preferably, mild steel bent or curved to correspond or about correspond, to
the curve of the portion of the projectile against which they lie when the projectile
is placed in the gun. The edges of the wings or flukes which enter the spiral
grooves c are curled as shewn at c² to fit in the grooves and form a species of
hinge joint on which the wings can open and close. A pin or wire d may be inserted
in the curled edge of each wing to serve as a hinge pin, the pins or wires, being
retained in position by inserting their ends in grooves or holes in the copper or like
rings b or one or both of the said rings may be made to slide on the body of the
projectile over the ends of the pins or wires so as to retain them in position. The

page_text: surface of the projectile at the sides of the central portions of the spiral grooves is
flattened or cut away so as to admit of the wings or flukes opening and closing
freely. The wings may be made to extend to any desired distance along the
projectile and they may be arranged to open out to any desired angle, an angle of
about 45° to the tangent of the cylindrical portion of the projectile has been found
to answer well.
The free edge at the rear end of each wing may be made to extend beyond the
binged portion and may be tapered or pointed somewhat like a birds wing. Between
the copper or like rings b an annular, dovetailed or like groove or recess e is
provided in the body of the projectile in which groove or recess, springs fare fitted,
which springs bear against the inner faces of the wings, tending to keep them in
their open position. These springs are pressed into the groove or recess e when
the wings are closed for the purpose of inserting the projectile in the gun, but as
soon as the projectile leaves the gun when fired; the springs by their expansion
force the wings into their open position. Shells constructed according to this
invention when they burst separate into smaller particles than do shells of ordinary
construction in consequence of the improved shell being weakened at the parts
where the grooves are situated and consequently the fragments are distributed over
a greater area.
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. Projectiles for guns having wings or flukes capable of being folded or closed
against the surface of the main body of the projectile to admit of the said projectile
being inserted in the gun and of opening out when discharged from the
substantially as hereinbefore described.
gun
2. Projectiles for guns having helically arranged wings or flukes capable of being
folded or closed against the surface of the projectile to admit of the projectile being
inserted in the gun and of opening out when the projectile is discharged from the
gun and so present surfaces to the air which will cause the projectile to rotate axially
substantially as herein before described.
3. Projectiles for guns having helical projections on which are fitted wings or
flukes capable of being folded or closed against the surface of the main body of the
projectile to admit of the projectile being inserted in the gun and of opening out
when the projectile is discharged from the gun in combination with soft metal rings
projecting above the main surface of the projectile substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described.
4. Projectiles having wings or flukes capable of being folded or closed against the
body of the projectile to admit of the projectile being inserted in the gun and springs
acting on the said wings or flukes to force them open when the projectile is discharged
from the gun substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improvement in
projectiles for guns substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of October 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.