appar
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Southwark in the County
of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in control apparatus to be used
in connection with gun mountings.
My invention applies to mountings in which hydraulic compressors are employed
to arrest the recoil of the gun, and in which after the recoil the gun is returned to
the firing position, either by gravity or by the reaction of springs. Especially my
invention relates to means by which the return of the gun is arrested until it is
convenient to allow it to run out.
I usually mount the hydraulic compressor cylinders upon the gun carriage so
that they move with the gun, whilst the pistons within these cylinders remain
stationary, their rods being secured to a part of the mounting which does not
recoil. I provide as has been my practice heretofore controlled valves on these
pistons to govern the flow of the liquid from one side of the piston to the other
during recoil. I now provide on one of the pistons, on the side opposite to the
piston rod, a trunk of larger diameter than this rod-this trunk passes through
the end of the cylinder by a suitable packed joint. As the trunk enters the
cylinder during recoil some of the liquid contents is necessarily ejected. I provide
a passage longitudinally through the trunk by which this liquid passes out. The
other piston of the hydraulic compressor I also in like manner provide with a
trunk but in this case the trunk is of smaller diameter than the piston rod con-
sequently when during the recoil the piston rod emerges from the cylinder although
the trunk at the same time enters a void space is left within the cylinder, or
would be left if provision were not made to fill it. I make use of this space to
receive the liquid ejected from the other cylinder of the hydraulic compressor.
The liquid enters the receiving cylinder by a passage through the trunk similar to
that which leads the liquid out of the other cylinder-I connect the two trunks by

page_text: a pipe, in the course of which a valve box is provided, containing a valve-This
valve allows the ejected liquid to pass freely from cylinder to cylinder during
recoil, but it prevents return when the gun tends to move in the opposite direction-
the gun consequently cannot run out until this valve is lifted, or until a by-pass is
opened for the liquid which is usually more convenient.
It is not necessary to provide trunks on both the pistons of the hydraulic
compressor, the larger trunk only may be used whilst the cylinders themselves are
connected by a pipe on which is the valve box with the stop valve but when as
I prefer the arrangement is such that the cylinders move during the recoil, it is
more convenient that the connecting pipe and valve box should be on the stationary
trunks as already described:
Dated
Dated this 20th day of December

page_text: Improvements in Control Apparatus to be Used in Connection
with Gun Mountings.
I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Southwark in the County
of Surrey 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in control apparatus to be used
in connection with gun mountings.
My invention applies to mountings in which hydraulic compressors are employed
to arrest the recoil of the gun, and in which after the recoil the gun is returned to
the firing position, either by gravity or by the reaction of springs. Especially my
invention relates to means by which the return of the gun is arrested until it is
convenient to allow it to run out.
I usually mount the hydraulic compressor cylinders upon the gun carriage so
that they move with the gun, whilst the pistons within these cylinders remain
stationary, their rods being secured to a part of the mounting which does not recoil.
I provide as has been my practice heretofore controlled valves on these pistons to
govern the flow of the liquid from one side of the piston to the other during recoil.
I now provide on one of the pistons, on the side opposite to the piston rod, a trunk
of larger diameter than this rod-this trunk passes through the end of the cylinder
by a suitable packed joint. As the trunk enters the cylinder during recoil some
of the liquid contents is necessarily ejected, I provide a passage longitudinally
through the trunk by which this liquid passes out. The other piston of the
hydraulic compressor I also in like manner provide with a trunk but in this case
the trunk is of smaller diameter than the piston rod consequently when during the
recoil the piston rod emerges from the cylinder although the trunk at the same
time enters; a void space is left within the cylinder, or would be left if provision
were not made to fill it. I make use of this space to receive the liquid ejected
from the other cylinder of the hydraulic compressor. The liquid enters the
receiving cylinder by a passage through the trunk similar to that which leads the
liquid out of the other cylinder. I connect the two trunks by a pipe, in the course
of which a valve box is provided containing a valve. This valve allows the ejected
liquid to pass freely from cylinder to cylinder during recoil, but it prevents return
when the gun tends to move in the opposite direction-the gun consequently
cannot run out until this valve is lifted, or until a by-pass is opened for the
liquid, which is usually more convenient.
It is not necessary to provide trunks on both the pistons of the hydraulic
compressor, the larger trunk only may be used whilst the cylinders themselves are
connected by a pipe on which is the valve box with the stop valve-but when as
I prefer the arrangement is such that the cylinders move during the recoil, it is
more convenient that the connecting pipe and valve box should be on the stationary
trunks as already described,

page_text: In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
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carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION of THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of a gun mounting.
Figure 2 is a plan of same.
Figure 3 is a rear end view:
ار
Figure 4 is a sectional plan of the compressor cylinder showing the arrangement
for controlling the run out.
The gun mounting here shown is substantially similar in many of its features to
that described in my Specification No. 15712 in the year 1885.
The lower portion of the mounting a works on a centrally placed pivot formed
by the raised tubular portion 6 of the circular plate c, fixed to the deck or platform
on which the gun is mounted.
The base a is supported on training rollers d and is trained from the hand
wheel e, through a train of gearing marked ex. e*.
On the base a are placed standards g provided with trunnion bearings g' which
receive trunnions h formed upon a guide frame ¹ within which the gun i is able
to recoil. The gun is preferably made without trunnions and is held in a stap k
forming part of the sliding blocks ¹.
:
At its fore end the guide frame h' carries an armour plate l, provided with a
hole or embrasure through which the gun projects.
The guide frame at its rear end is supported by elevating screws m passing
through trunnion nuts m¹ jointed to the guide frame at its upper part.
The train of gearing for turning the screws m and thereby altering the elevation
of the gun is marked m*. m*.
The recoil of the gun is controlled by hydraulic compressors the cylinders of
which are by preference secured to the gun.
The piston rods n pass out of the cylinders at the fore end and are secured by
the nuts n. 3. to the armour plate or they may be secured to the fore end of
the guide frame h¹.
The arrangement of pistons and valves n for controlling recoil I make by
preference according to my well known system that is to say I provide passages
in the pistons and discs to cover these passages. When the piston moves along
the cylinder the disc is turned around upon the piston by the operation of rifle
grooves within the cylinder so that during recoil the passages are progressively
closed.
Both the piston rods are arranged to act in tension during recoil-and in order
to keep the cylinders full of liquid and also to provide a means of holding the gun
in at the end of recoil and to control the speed at which it is to return to the
firing position. I make on one of the pistons n on the side opposite to the piston
rod a trunk n of larger diameter than the rod n. The trunk n³ passes through
the end of the cylinder by a suitably packed joint n°. As the trunk n' enters the
cylinder during recoil some of the liquid contents is necessarily ejected. I provide
a passage n longitudinally through the trunk by which this liquid passes out.
The piston n of the opposite, hydraulic cylinder I also in like manner provide
with a trunk 8 but in this case the trunk is of smaller diameter than the piston
rod n consequently when during the recoil the piston rod n¹ emerges from the
cylinder although the trunk n³ at the same time enters a void space is left within
the cylinder which space is employed to receive the liquid ejected from the other
cylinder. The liquid passes to the receiving cylinder during recoil by the
passage n through the connecting pipe n³ to the passage n10 in the trunk m³.
The relative volumes of the trunks ns. n. are arranged so that their sum is equal
to the volumes of the two piston rods n-and their difference, as small as possible
regard being had to the pressure generated in the receiving cylinder when the gun
is held in at the end of recoil.

page_text: In the course of the connecting pipe I fit a valve box n having a valve n¹ held
lightly on its seat by a spring so that it rises and allows the liquid to pass freely
to the receiving cylinder during recoil but closes and prevents its return when the
gun tends to run out. The gun is consequently held in and cannot run out until
the valve 12 is lifted or in order to avoid disturbing this valve I provide a by-pass
with a screw plug n in a passage communicating with the passage 10 and entering
the valve box below the valve n¹. By raising the screw plug n the liquid in
the receiving cylinder can pass back to the opposite cylinder and the gun will go
out or if the screw plug is closed before firing the gun will remain in.
9 are springs which are compressed during recoil and afterwards run the gun out.
My invention is also applicable to mountings in which the compressor cylinders
are fixed and the pistons move with the gun in recoil, in that case it will be
convenient to provide one only of the pistons with a trunk and to connect the two
compressor cylinders at their hinder ends by a pipe corresponding to nº and pro-
vided with parts 11, n12, and 13. This may also be done but less conveniently
when the compressor cylinders are moving parts.
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. The combination consisting of two compressor cylinders trunks or plungers
attached to the pistons of the compressor cylinders on the side opposite to the
piston rod, a passage connecting the cylinders through the said plungers and a
valvular arrangement in this passage for controlling the running out of the gun
substantially as described.
2. The combination consisting of two compressor cylinders a trunk or plunger
attached to the piston of one of the compressor cylinders on the side opposite to
the piston rod, a passage connecting the cylinders and a valvular arrangement in
the passage controlling the running out of the gun substantially as described.
3. Control apparatus substantially as described and illustrated by the annexed
drawings..