Improvements in or connected with Recoil Brakes for Ordnance.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1899
J.
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1900-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Recoil Brakes for Ordnance.
I, AUGUST REICHWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
(a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried. Krupp, of Essen, in
the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers), to be as follows:―
This invention relates to that class of recoil brake for ordnance, in which a
spring is compressed by the part of the gun which recoils backwards under the
influence of the explosion, and at the end of the, recoil the said spring expands,
to return the gun to the firing position.
In the constructions of this kind already known, the movement of the recoiling
part of the gun is generally transmitted directly to the spring. If then, the
length of recoil is very great, springs of considerable length must be used, which
are both difficult in application, and by reason of the guide rods, necessitated
thereby, add considerably to the weight of the gun.
Now according to the present invention, the movement of the recoiling part of
the gun is transmitted to the springs for effecting its return to position again,
through a rope and pulley connection, by means of which the travel of the springs
is diminished.
In applying, for example, the invention to a gun with barrel recoil, the barrel
slides as usual in its cradle, which is supported by its trunnions in bearings in
fork, turning. upon a vertical pivot. in the under-carriage..
.1.
Secured to the cradle is a brake cylinder, in which slides a brake piston, rigidly
connected to the barrel of the gun. The brake cylinder has a tubular extension,
and. is surrounded for the whole of its length by the returning spring. This
returning. spring at the end nearest the breech of the gun, bears against a fixed
abutment of the cradle, and at its other end against an. annular pulley carrier,
sliding upon the brake-cylinder, or upon its tubular extension.
Upon two side pivots or studs of the pulley carrier, are mounted two rope
pulleys, over each of which passes a rope, attached at one end to the barrel
of the gun, and at its other end to the cradle.
i 1
When the barrel of the gun is forced rearwards, under the influence of the
explosion, it carries with it both the piston of the recoil brake, and, by means
of the ropes, the pulley. carrier, and thereby compresses the spring. The pulley
carrier (which here acts on the principle of a single tackle) travels over only half
fle distance traversed by the barrel of the gun, and the travel of the spring is
likewise only half as great as when the recoil directly acts upon the spring.
By using a spring of the proper strength, its length may be reduced by one
half, without thereby diminishing the energy stored up in the spring for the
return thrust. When the recoil is over, the spring expands, and drives the gun
forward once more into the firing position.
In place of two rope pulleys, one only may be employed, and likewise the
single tackle may he replaced by a twofold one, etc., thereby allowing of the

page_text: reduction of the length of the spring to one fourth, one sixth and so on, (according
to the number of movable pulleys employed) as compared with the length of
spring necessary, in the case of direct transferrence of the movement of the gun
to the spring. Finally, it is immaterial whether the springs be attached to the
cradle, or any other part of the gun. The invention is for example equally applic-
able in cases where the barrel of the gun is rigidly connected to the carriage and
the whole carriage recoils against a spur driven into the earth, and compresses a
spring.
!
.
Improvements in or connected with Recoil Brakes for Ordnance.
I, AUGUST REICHWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
(a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried: Krupp, of Essen, in
the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers) and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
ar
This invention relates to that class of recoil brakes for ordnance, in which a
spring is compressed by the part of the gun which recoils backwards under the
influence of the explosion and at the end of the recoil the said spring expands
to return the gun to the firing position again.
In the constructions of this kind at present employed the movement of the
recoiling part of the gun is generally transmitted to the springs direct. This is
more especially the case in that class of gun where the barrel recoils against the
carriage. Where the length of the recoil is very great it is necessary as the
amount of compression of the springs limited, to use very long springs, which
are not only difficult to apply, but also on account of the guide rods needed,
considerably add to the weight of the gun.
According to the present invention these disadvantages are obviated, by trans-
mitting the motion of the recoiling portion of the gun to the springs for running
the gun forward again through a rope and pulley connection, in order to shorten
the travel of the springs.
In the accompanying drawing the invention is illustrated by way of example
as applied to a gun carriage with barrel recoil.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the upper carriage with the barrel of
the gun in elevation.
Fig. 2 is a corresponding front view.
Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper carriage.
Fig. 4 is a front view with the cradle partly cut away, and
Fig. 5 illustrates a part of the upper carriage, partly in section.
The gun a slides on the ribs bin the guiding grooves of the cradle c in the
usual way, which cradle c is supported in the fork e by the trunnions d. The
fork e is supported in turn by the vertical pivot pin an under carriage (not
shewn). In the cradle c is mounted the brake cylinder f in which works a brake
piston g rigidly attached to the barrel of the gun. The brake cylinder and a
tubular extension thereof are surrounded by the spring which at the end next
the breech of the gun bears against a fixed abutment of the cradle c and at its.
other end against an annular pulley-carrier sliding upon the brake cylinder or 5

page_text: l
upon its tubular extension. Upon each pink of the pulley-carrier is mounted a
rope pulley over each of which passes a rope m attached at one end to lugs non
the barrel of the gun and at its other end to lugs o on the cradle.
The arrangement operates as follows: When the barrel of the gun recoils
under the influence of the explosion it carries with it in addition to the piston g
of the recoil brake the pulley-carrier i by means of the rope m, thus compressing the
spring h. The pulley carrier i then travels over only half the distance traversed
by the barrel of the gun, similarly to the manner in which the loose pulley in a
single tackle travels only half the distance traversed by the point at which the
power is applied. The travel of the spring is therefore correspondingly "only
half as great as that which would take place were the recoil transmitted to the
springs direct.
It is therefore possible by selecting springs of suitable strength to reduce their
length by one half without diminishing the energy stored up in the springs.
When the recoil is over the spring expands and the barrel of the gun is again
brought forward to the firing position.
Without departing from the scope of the present invention a single rope
pulley may be used instead of two, or instead of a single tackle, a multiple one
may be employed whereby according to the number of pulleys employed the
length of the spring may be reduced to etc., of the length necessary in direct
attachment. It is also immaterial as regards the working of the apparatus
whether the spring be applied to the cradle or any other portion of the gun for
example to the body of the carriage.
The invention is also applicable in cases where the gun does not slide in its
carriage, but the whole carriage recoils against a spade entering the ground and
compresses a spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A recoil brake for ordnance in which the movement of the recoiling part
of the gun is transmitted by means of a rope and pulley connection with a loose
or travelling pulley to the springs for running the gun forward again, to diminish
the travel and thereby the length of said springs, substantially as set forth.
2. In recoil brakes for ordnance the general arrangement and combination of
parts acting substantially as and for the purposes described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.