IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPRESSORS OR APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND ABSORBING THE RECOIL OF GUNS AND OTHER ORDNANCE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Vavasseur, of Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPRESSORS OR
APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND ABSORBING THE RECOIL OF GUNS AND OTHER
ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 22nd January 1867, and dated the 25th July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Vavasseur at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
July 1866.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COMPRESSORS OR APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND ABSORBING THE RECOIL OF GUNS:
AND OTHER ORDNANCE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in placing a coarse pitch screw or threaded rod
between and parallel to the beams or girders forming the sides of a slide on;
which a gun with its carriage recoils. On one end of the screw I fix a conical,
or taper block, forming part of what is commonly known as a friction clutch.
or a disc; this block, disc; or clutch works in a corresponding socket attached.
to or formed in the transom or bracket between and attached to the sides of
the slide; a bearing is also provided in this bracket for carrying the end. of.
the screw, the other end of the screw is carried in. the transom or bracket,
connecting together the rear ends of the sides of the slide. The screw with
the taper block is free to move in a direction parallel with the sides of the
slide a sufficient distance to release the cone or disc from actual contact with,

page_text: the sides of the socket above mentioned, and the screw being carried by the
bearings provided in the transom can revolve freely or not as the cone is or is
not in close contact with the sides of the socket, as hereafter described. To
the carriage carrying the gun or other piece of ordnance is fixed a nut made
to move freely along the screw or threaded rod; this nut can either be fixed
rigidly to the carriage, or carried between plates or brackets or otherwise, so
as to allow the carriage to be raised 'from contact with the top of the slide on
which it usually rests without moving the nut from the screw itself, care being
taken so to attach the nut as to prevent the nut from revolving when the
carriage is moved along the slide in a direction parallel with the screw. Imme-
diately the carriage begins to move back from the recoil of the gun the block
or disc on the end of the screw is brought into close contact with the socket,
and the friction thereby caused retards the recoil of the gun until the whole
of the force is expended. To run out the gun and its carriage, or put it in
position for firing, it is moved by the usual means in a direction contrary to
that of the recoil; a slight movement forward removes the block from contact
with the slide of the socket or friction clutch, and the screw is free to revolve
in the bearings in the front and rear transoms. The necessary friction for
retarding and absorbing the recoil may be regulated by the size of the cone,
disc, or friction clutch, or the pitch of the screw. Flat discs of metal or
other material and friction straps on the periphery of the same, or any other
mechanical equivalent may be used in place of or in combination with the
cones or friction clutch above mentioned. One or more threaded rods or
screws with more than one disc, or cone, or friction clutch may be used if
preferred. The screw may be used for running out the gun after firing if
suitable gear is provided for the purpose, a screw or wedge or some other
appliance being employed to force the cone out of contact with the socket so
as to allow the screw to revolve freely; or if friction straps are employed they
must be loosened so as to remove unnecessary friction. The screw may also
be fixed to the transoms or brackets 'so as not to revolve, and the nut may be
allowed to revolve between suitable bearings fixed to the carriage, a cone.or
disc being attached to the nut and the corresponding socket to complete the
friction clutch, or attached to the friction straps fixed to the carriage. The
apparatus is arranged so that the screw can be held rigidly, while the gun
recoils, and the nut will then revolve and the necessary friction to check or
absorb the recoil will be given by the friction clutch fixed to the carriage. To
run out the gun and carriage the friction clutch must be released and the nut
allowed to revolve freely, the gun being run out in the ordinary manner; or
the nut may be held by the friction clutch and the screw released and used to

page_text: run out the gun, as préviously described. When for exercise or other purposes
it is required to bring the gun back without firing it a screw or wedge or
other suitable mechanical equivalent may be used to throw the friction clutch
out of gear and thus allow the screw to revolve freely while the gun and its
carriage are withdrawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Josiah Vavasseur in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
VAVASSEUR, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Josiah Vavasseur, Her special licence that I, the said Josiah Vavasseur,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Josiah
Vavasseur, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPRESSORS OR
APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND ABSORBING THE RECOIL OF GUNS AND OTHER
ORDNANCE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Josiah
Vavasseur, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be 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 Josiah Vavasseur, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in placing a coarse pitch screw or threaded rod, as
represented at A in longitudinal section in Figure 1, and in plan in Figure 2,

page_text: between and parallel to the beams or girders B, B, forming the sides of a slide
on which a gun C with its carriage D recoils. On one end of the screw I fix
a conical or taper block E, forming part of what is commonly known as a
friction clutch, or instead of a conical block I fit a disc; this block or clutch
works in a corresponding socket F attached by a frame G to the transom or
bracket H between and attached to the sides of the slide B. A bearing I is
provided in the frame G, and a bearing may also be provided in the bracket H,
for carrying the end of the screw A; the other end of the screw is carried in
the transom or bracket J, connecting together the rear ends of the sides of the
slide B. The screw A with the taper block E is free to move in a direction
parallel with the sides of the slide B a sufficient distance to release the cone E
from actual contact with the sides of the socket F above mentioned, and the
screw being carried by the bearings provided in the transoms can revolve
freely or not as the cone E is not or is in close contact with the sides of the
socket F, as hereafter described. To the carriage D carrying the gun or other
piece of ordnance is fixed a nut K made to move freely along the screw or.
threaded rod A; this nut can either be fixed rigidly to the carriage, as herein-
after described in reference to Figures 6 and 7, or carried between plates or
brackets L as in Figures 1 and 2, or otherwise, so as to allow the carriage D
to be raised from contact with the top of the slide B, on which it usually rests,
without moving the nut K from the screw A itself, care being taken so to
attach the nut as to prevent the nut from revolving when the carriage is
moved along the slide in a direction parallel with the screw. Immediately
the carriage begins to move back from the recoil of the gun the block or
dise E on the end of the screw A is brought into close contact with the
socket F, and the friction thereby caused retards the recoil of the gun until
the whole of the force is expended. To run out the gun and its carriage, or
put it in a position for firing, it is moved by the usual means in a direction
contrary to that of the recoil; a slight movement forward removes the block E
from contact with the side of the socket or friction clutch F, and the screw A
is free to revolve in the bearings in the front and rear transoins. The necessary
friction for retarding and absorbing the recoil may be regulated by the size of
the cone or friction clutch E, F, or the pitch of the screw A.
Flat discs of metal or other material, or any other mechanical equivalent,
may be used in place of or in combination with the cones or friction clutch
above mentioned. This modification is represented in sectional and front
elevations in Figure 3. E is the conical block on the end of the screw A;
F is the conical socket, which is formed of flat discs, of which each alternate
disc a is free to revolve, and the other 6 is prevented revolving in any con-
.

page_text: venient manner; when the gun recoils the discs a are caused to revolve by
the block E, and the friction or resistance offered by the fixed discs 6 retards
the rotation. Two or more threaded rods or screws with more than one cone
or friction clutch may be used if preferred. The screw may be used for
running out the gun after firing if suitable gear is provided for the purpose, a
screw c, Figures 1 and 2, or wedge, or some other appliance being employed
to force the cone E out of contact with the socket F so as to allow the screw
to revolve freely. The screw A may also be fixed to the transoms or brackets,
as represented in Figures 4 and 5, so as not to revolve, and the nut K may
be allowed to revolve between suitable bearings fixed to the carriage D, a
disc M being attached to the nut K with one or more friction straps N on the
periphery of the disc, such straps being fixed to the carriage. The apparatus
is arranged so that the screw A can be held rigidly while the gun recoils, and
the nut K will then revolve and the friction necessary to check or absorb the
recoil will be given by the friction straps N fixed to the carriage. To run out
the gun and carriage the friction straps N must be released by turning a
threaded rod O and the nut K allowed to revolve freely, the gun being run
out in the ordinary manner; or the nut may be held by the friction straps
and the screw A allowed to revolve; or the screw A may be used to run out
the gun. In order to run out the gun by the screw A I prefer to fit a worm
wheel P on the rear end of the screw, and to work this worm wheel by a
wormed shaft Q provided with crank handles R. When for exercise or other
purposes it is required to bring the gun back without firing it, or to run it out,
a screw or wedge, or other suitable mechanical equivalent may be used to keep
the friction clutch out of gear, and thus allow the screw to revolve freely while
the gun and its carriage are withdrawn.
Figures 6 and 7 shows an arrangement in which the nut is fixed rigidly to
the carriage. These views only shew the front and rear ends of the screw A,
slide B, transoms, and clutch apparatus. The nut being a fixture to the
carriage it is necessarily lifted with the carriage when the latter is raised from
contact with the slide. Upon an unthreaded portion of the screw A is a back
continuation F¹ of the socket F, forming a collar; this collar F is furnished
with trunnions S fitted in bearings in the transom H. The screw A tilts on
these trunnions when the carriage D is raised up on to rollers for the purpose
of being run out previous to the gun being fired. In this arrangement the
rear end of the screw A simply rests on a bearing in the rear transom J.
Figures 6 and 7 show the clutch apparatus formed with teeth instead of
being coned, and the socket F has friction straps N round its periphery.

page_text: And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Compressors or Apparatus for receiving and absorbing the recoil
of Guns and other Ordnance,"
First, the several arrangements or combinations of parts of apparatus herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying. Drawings.
Second, the employment of one or more threaded rods or screws in com-
bination with one or more nuts, substantially as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings, whether the screw or screws be
caused to revolve while the nut or nuts move longitudinally, or whether the
nut or nuts be caused to revolve and at the same time move longitudinally,
the screw or screws not revolving.
Third, the combination with the screw or screws and nut or nuts of conical
blocks, or discs, or friction clutches, substantially as herein-before described
and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
J. VAVASSEUR. (L.B.)