Improvements in and relating to Projectiles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 30th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Projectiles.
I, CHARLES YANDES WHEELER, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at 237 Western Avenue in the City of Allegheny, in the County of
Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Steel Manu-
facturer, 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 projectiles.
My invention consists in a peculiar protecting coating for the projectiles, the
object being primarily to prevent breaking up of the projectile at the moment of
impact, and the fusion of the same or pieces of the same to the armor plate, and
incidentally to act as a lubricant for the projectile and to protect the same against
rust and corrosion.
It is well known to those skilled in the art that an enormous degree of heat is
developed at the moment of impact of the shell, accompanied by certain electrical
conditions and that the cracking and breaking of the shell and the fusion of the
same with the metal of the armor plate is liable to occur. I have discovered that
by providing the projectiles with a protecting coating composed of plumbago or
graphite and silicate of soda, or as it is commonly termed "water glass," this
liability to fusion is largely, if not altogether, obviated. The water glass owing
to its peculiar non-conducting properties tends to hinder or retard these electrical
conditions and together with the graphite which, as is well known has the power to
withstand enormous degrees of heat, forms a non-conducting film between the
surfaces of the projectile and the armor plate which precludes that intimate contact
between the surfaces of the plate and shell which is essential to fusion.
In the preparation of this coating I prefer to take about equal parts of the
graphite and water glass and mix them together to about the consistency of a
creamy paste. I then coat the projectile over at the point or over its entire
surface with this paste. This coating may be applied with a brush, by immersion
of the shell in the liquid, or in any other suitable manner. Although I have
obtained good results from the mixture of these ingredients in equal proportions
I do not limit myself to any exact proportions, as the proportions may vary
according to certain conditions. Practical experience has proven that projectiles
coated with this composition will penetrate very thick dense plates without being
broken, owing to the peculiar properties of the composition which prevent the
breaking up of the projectile and the fusion of the same. Within the terms
plumbago" and "graphite" I wish to include their chemical equivalents.
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;-
A projectile having a protecting coating composed of plumbago, or graphite, and
silicate of soda, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 15th
of Decamhan 1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.