Improvements in Carriages or Mountings for Artillery.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriages or Mountings for Artillery.
I, LOUIS PIERRE HENRY DE PLACE, of 32 Avenue Rapp, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Capitaine Commandant au ler Cuirassiers, 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 carriages or mountings for field, siege and other artillery
and has for its object to prevent or considerably reduce the recoil of such carriages
or mountings when the gun is fired.
The chief feature of my invention is the provision of a bar or frame pivoted at
its upper end to the gun mounting or to some part attached to the mounting, and
having at its lower extremity a sharp edged plate or spade adapted to penetrate
the ground. I connect the lower portion of the said bar or frame with the trail of
the mounting by means of a tie-rod or tie-rods; the said rod or rods may be simply
pivoted to the trail and to the bar or frame, or may be secured thereto through
elastic media such as india-rubber washers or Belleville or other springs,
hydraulic cylinders, or other suitable devices which deaden the shock of recoil
and return the mounting to the firing position. The aforesaid bar or frame
extends down with a rearward inclination, and the spade rests on the ground so
that when the gun is first fired the force of the recoil operates to drive the spade
into the ground.
In the case of field or other guns which are required to be moved from place
to place I so arrange the spade and its support that they can be raised and secured
near the trail in a position wherein they will not interfere with the transport of
the gun.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure is a side view of a gun carriage or mounting having my improvements
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a front view of a portion of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figure 1 shewing modifications of my
invention.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the movement of the spade during
the recoil of the gun.
Like letters of reference denote similar parts in all the drawings.
A is the gun; B the trail; and C the wheel axle, these parts being constructed
and arranged substantially as heretofore.
Referring to Figure 1, D is a frame pivoted at its upper end E to a bracket E¹
firmly secured to the trail. In some cases the frame may be secured to the wheel
axle. The said frame is furnished at its lower extremity with a sharp edged plate
or spade D'. Near the lower end of the frame D is pivoted a short transverse
bar F forming a distance piece between the sides of the frame. The said bar F
carries at its outer ends sleeves or sockets F¹ through which tie-rods G are free
to slide, said tie-rods being pivoted to the trail at G. Nuts G' on the ends of the
tie-rods prevent the latter from being withdrawn entirely from the sleeves F¹.
I interpose suitable Belleville or other springs between said sleeves and the nuts
at the ends of the tie-rods, as shewn at G³.

page_text: In Figure 3 the frame D is pivoted on an extension B₁ of the gun-mounting as
shewn; the ends of the tie-rods G are not pivoted directly to the trail as is the
case in the mounting shewn in Figure 1 but are secured to or bear against
springs G, pivoted at G' to the trail.
In Figure 4 the frame D is shewn pivoted on the trail, near the rear or lower
end thereof, and the piston-rod G of a hydraulic brake-cylinder H pivoted to the
trail at G takes the place of the tie-rods shewn in Figures 1 and 3. The said
brake-cylinder is arranged in combination with a spiral spring H' which returns
the gun to the firing position after the recoil. In Figure 4 only one brake-cylinder
and tie-rod are shewn; the brake cylinder being located between the cheeks of the
trail, but may obviously use two brake-cylinders and tie-rods one cylinder
on each side of the trail. The bar or frame D may be pivoted at any point on
the trail.
The operation of my improved mounting is as follows: The spade D' is allowed
to rest on the ground, then during the recoil after firing the first.round the spade
is driven into and becomes firmly imbedded in the ground as shewn in Figures 1, 3
and 4 and by the full lines in Figure 5, and the springs G³ are brought closely
against the bar D. The dotted lines in Figure 5 show the position of the spade
before firing. When the gun is again fired, the spade being firmly fixed in the
ground, the movement of the bar D the trail B and the tie-rods G will be restrained
by the springs G³, and springs G, or brake cylinder H and spring H', so that the
gun will only be able to move backward through the short distance allowed by the
compression of the springs, and immediately after the force of the recoil is spent
will return to its firing position under the action of the springs or brake-cylinder
and springs. The mounting is of triangular shape one side being formed by
the ground, said triangle being elastic or rigid according as springs are or are
not used.
When the gun is required to be transported from one place to another, the
spade D' and arm D are raised so as to lie near the trail, the sleeves F" sliding
upon the tie-rods G and turning on the pivot F as required, for this adjustment.
The arm and spade are then secured to the trail by a chain, bolt or other suitable
device and the trail being hooked on to the limber the spade is raised clear of the
ground. When the gun is unlimbered the spade is allowed to drop and rest on
the ground as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 5 and during the recoil due to the
first discharge of the gun it enters the ground as hereinabove described. The
dotted lines in Figures 1, 3 and 4 show the positions of the parts when the spade is
resting loosely on the ground.
I may provide the mounting with two or more spades such as those hereinabove
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what i
claim is :-
1. Apparatus, for controlling the recoil of a gun, consisting of a spade fixed on a
bar or frame which is pivoted at its upper end to the mounting, and which at its
lower end by means of the tie-rod or tie-rods makes a sliding connection with the
trail, substantially as described.
2. The manner of connecting the spade to the trail by elastic or rigid rods
pivoted to the trail and sliding through sleeves carried by the pivoted bar or frame,
substantially as described.
3. Providing the mounting with two or more spades connected to the trail in the
manner indicated in the preceding claiming clause.
4. The tie-rods elastically connected to the trail and pivoted bar substantially as
described, for the purpose specified.
5. The modification of my invention wherein I replace the tie-rod or tie-rods set
forth in the first claiming clause by a piston rod and piston working in a brake-
cylinder, which is pivoted on the trail, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. A gun carriage or mounting provided with apparatus constructed substantially
as described with reference to either of the accoinpanying drawings, and operating
as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 24th day of November 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.