Improvements in Recoil Brakes for Guns.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Recoil Brakes for Guns.
1 EMIL VON SKODA, of Pilsen, Bohemia, in the Austrian Empire, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of brakes by which the vis viva of recoiling
guns is partly or wholly absorbed either for the purpose of preventing the gun-
carriage from being pushed back too far or for the purpose of divesting the movement
of its abrupt character.
According to this invention, the brake comprises a cylinder, one half of which is of
a larger diameter than the other, and of a piston, fitting the half of smaller diameter
and having a number of rectilinear or helical grooves cut in its cylindric surface, the
said grooves tapering in cross section toward one end.
Either the piston or the cylinder is rigidly connected to the carriage or barrel to
be braked and the remaining part of the brake is connected to the stationary
platform supporting the gun-carriage or the stationary frame supporting the movable
barrel.
At the moment when the gun is fired, the piston rests within the portion of the
cylinder of larger diameter, which is provided with longitudinal guide ribs for the
said piston, this latter turning the wider ends of its grooves toward the portion of
the cylinder of the smaller diameter.
While the gun-carriage or barrel is recoiling, it carries along the piston or cylinder
thereby causing the piston to pass from the portion of the cylinder of larger.diameter
into the portion of smaller diameter, whence a liquid contained therein is displaced
by the piston, and flows out into the wider portion of the cylinder through the grooves
of the piston.
As the apertures for the egress of the liquid, formed by the portion of the grooves
of the piston, which for the time being are placed immediately inside the shoulder
between the wider and narrower portions of the cylinder, grow gradually smaller, in
the same measure as the speed of recoil diminishes, the pressure exerted upon the
liquid will be the same during the whole operation of the brake.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Recoil Brakes for Guns.
I, EMIL VON SKODA, of Pilsen, Bohemia, in the Austrian Empire, Manufacturer,
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:
This invention relates to that class of brakes by which the vis viva of recoiling
guns is partly or wholly absorbed either for the purpose of preventing the gun
carriage from being pushed back too far or for the purpose of divesting the movement
of its abrupt character.
According to this invention the brake comprises a cylinder, one portion or
half of which is of a larger diameter than the other, and a piston, fitting the
portion or half of smaller diameter and having a number of rectilinear or helical
grooves cut in its cylindrical surface, the said grooves tapering in cross section towards
one end

page_text: Either the piston or the cylinder is rigidly connected to the carriage or barrel to
be braked and the remaining part of the brake is connected to the stationary
platform supporting the gun carriage or the stationary frame supporting the movable
barrel.
At the moment when the gun is fired, the piston rests within the portion of the
cylinder of larger diameter, which is provided with longitudinal guide ribs for the
said piston, this latter having the wider ends of its grooves toward the portion of
the cylinder of the smaller diameter.
While the gun carriage or barrel is recoiling, it carries along the piston or
cylinder thereby causing the piston to pass from the portion of the cylinder of larger
diameter into the portion of smaller diameter, whence a liquid contained therein is
displaced by the piston, and flows out into the wider portion of the cylinder through
the grooves of the piston.
As the aperture for the egress of the liquid, formed by the piston portion of the
grooves of the piston, which for the time being are placed immediately inside the
shoulder between the wider and narrower portions of the cylinder, grow gradually
smaller, in the same measure as the speed of recoil diminishes, the pressure exerted
upon the liquid will be the same during the whole operation of the brake.
My brake is chiefly designed for automatic quick-firing guns in which the barrel is
mounted or suspended in such a manner as to be capable of moving readily, in order
to utilize the regular recoil movement and the subsequent forward movement (which
takes place under the action of stored up power) to effect the opening and closing of
the breech. But it can also be employed with advantage in cases in which the sole
object is to diminish the amount of recoil of gun-carriages where there is not sufficient
space to permit of the full recoil movement.
In the annexed sheet of drawings,
Fig. 1 shews in vertical section the improved brake inserted between a support and
a gun barrel capable of movement in that support.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section; and
Fig. 3 a cross section of the brake shewn separately.
In Fig. 1 it is assumed that the gun barrel A is freely movable and is guided by
means of fillets a cast on to the sides of the barrel parallel to its axis, in a support B
which is provided with trunnions b and surrounds the barrel.
With this arrangement the barrel A under the action of the recoil will slide back
in the support B, thereby putting in a state of compression one or more springs which
serve to store up during the recoil a portion of the power and then-as soon as the
vis viva or momentum of the recoiling barrel has been absorbed to move the barrel
back again into its normal position. This movement of the barrel is utilized to
operate the lever C of the breech action (which may be of any suitable construction)
by striking against projections or in any other suitable manner.
In order to divest the movements of the barrel of their abrupt nature, there is
inserted between the support and the barrel the brake comprising the piston B³ and
the stepped cylinder B¹ B³.
The cylinder B¹ B³ is cast in one piece with the support B, and the rod 6¹ of the
piston B2 is connected to the barrel A. The piston B2 is provided on its external
surface with grooves 67 which run staight or in helical lines of quick pitch, and whose
cross sectional area decreases gradually from the rear to the front.
When the barrel A is in the forward or firing position, the piston B2 is situated in
the cylinder portion B3 which is of greater diameter than the piston and is provided
with ribs for guiding the piston.
When the barrel A slides back in the support under the action of the recoil,
carrying with it the piston B2, the latter will move gradually into the cylinder
portion B¹, which is of the same diameter as the piston, and the aggregate cross
sectional area at the step or shoulder 6° of the passages from one cylinder portion to
the other which are formed by the grooves 67 will decreaso gradually as the piston
moves and brings to the step or shoulder smaller and smaller areas of groove.
Thus there is offered to the body of fluid displaced by the piston B2 from the

page_text: cylinder portion B₁ a cross sectional area of passage that gradually diminishes as the
velocity of the recoiling barrel and in consequence the velocity of the piston and
the amount of liquid displaced by it in a unit of time decrease. With this arrange-
ment the liquid in the cylinder B₁ B³ is by the action of the brake, subjected to a
constant pressure.
In Fig. 1 is also shewn enclosed in the cylinder B¹ B³ a helical spring 61 which
serves to store up during the recoil a portion of the momentum of the barrel A, and
then to push the barrel forward again into its normal position.
Figs. 2 and 3 shew the brake without this spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. A recoil brake for guns in which a piston provided with longitudinal grooves of
gradually decreasing cross-sectional area is caused to pass from the wider into the
narrower portion of a stepped cylinder filled with liquid the arrangement being such
that the aggregate cross sectional area at the step or shoulder of the passage formed
between the two cylinder portions by the grooves of the piston liminishes as the
velocity of the recoil becomes reduced and consequently the pressure of the braking
liquid remains the same during the operation of the brake.
2. My improved recoil brake for guns as described and illustrated.
2000
E. VON SKODA,
Per L. W.