Improvements in Shells or Projectiles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Aug., 1890-Accepted, 18th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shells or Projectiles.
1, JOSEPH ELTON BOTT of Eyam in the County of Derby, Metallurgist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of providing a rear chamber to shells and other projectiles
which said rear or auxiliary chamber I fill with compressed air or gas at a high
pressure preferably in manner hereinafter described namely:-
The said rear or auxiliary chamber in each shell or projectile is constructed so that
a proper charge of compressed air or gas is introduced through an orifice in its base,
preferably in the manner in which carbonic acid gas is introduced to bottles of soda water,
so that when such rear or auxiliary chamber is filled with air or gases at a pressure
equal to that of the compressing machine, a lead, leather, rubber, or other suitable
form of valve or plug, falls and closes the said orifice, thus enabling the shell or
projectile so charged with compressed air or gas to be removed from the machine when
it is ready for use in cannon, mortars, guns, rocket-apparatus &c.
It is intended to load the shell or projectile in the ordinary manner with its
explosive charge, which can be exploded either by contact or by the usual forms
of fuses.
The method of using my improved self propelling shell or projectile is as follows:-
After placing the shell or projectile in the muzzle or breech loading weapon from
which it is to be expelled, a pin in the breech of the weapon is operated so as to force
back or cut away the retaining valve or plug of the shell or projectile when the
compressed air or gas is immediately released and by impinging upon the breech of
the weapon causes the shell or projectile to be rapidly ejected from the muzzle of the
weapon, thus dispensing with the usual gunpowder cartridge.
Dated Dogambar 5th 1900
JOSEPH ELTON BOTT.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shells or Projectiles.
I, JOSEPH ELTON BOTT, of Eyam, in the County of Derby, Metallurgist, 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 consists of providing a rear chamber to shells and other projectiles,
which said rear or auxiliary chamber I fill with compressed air or gas at a high pressure,
preferably in manner hereinafter described, namely.
,
The said rear or auxiliary chamber in each shell or projectile is constructed so that
a proper charge of compressed air or gas is introduced through an orifice in its base,
preferably in the manner in which carbonic acid gas is introduced to bottles of soda
water, so that when such rear or auxiliary chamber is filled with air or gases at a
pressure equal to that of the compressing machine, a lead, leather, rubber, or other
suitable form of valve or plug, falls and closes the said orifice, thus enabling the shell
or projectile so charged with compressed air or gas to be removed from the machine,
when it is ready for use in cannon, mortars, guns, rocket apparatus, &c.
It is intended to load the shell or projectile in the ordinary manner with its
explosive charge, which can be exploded either by contact or by the usual forms
of fuses.

page_text: The method of using my improved self propelling shell or projectile as follows :—
After placing the shell or projectile in the muzzle or breech loading weapon from
which it is to be expelled, a pin in the breech of the weapon is operated so as to
remove, cut away, or otherwise open, the retaining valve or plug of the shell or
projectile, when the compressed air or gas is immediately released; and by impinging
upon the breech of the weapon; causes the shell or projectile.to, be rapidly ejected from
the muzzle thereof, thus dispensing with the usual gunpowder cartridge.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully to
describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing my invention applied to a shrapnell or.
ordinary shell, and Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a plan and edge view separately
of the filling and retaining plug shown in connection with Figure 1. Figure 4'is a
longitudinal section showing my invention applied to an armour piercing. shell or
projectile and Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a plan and edge view separately of
the filling and retaining plug shown in connection with Figure 4. Figure 7 is a
longitudinal section and Figure 8 is an end view of the rear portion of a shell or
projectile constructed according to my invention showing the method I adopt for.
preventing the rotation of the same when unscrewing the filling and retaining plug in
the act of discharging such shell or projectile from smooth bore guns or ordnance,
but which may be used with rifled guns or ordnance.
It will be evident that either form of filling and retaining plug can be employed'
with either or any form of shell or projectile constructed according to my invention.
In all the figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
a is the body of the shell or projectile, which is formed with a tapped base b to
receive a screw filling and retaining plug c; the shell or projectile is also formed
with a chamber d to contain the explosive charge; this chamber is separated by a
partition e from the chamber which is to contain the charge of compressed air or gas
for propelling the shell.
The explosive charge is placed in the chamber dof. Figure, 1, through the nose
of the shell, which is afterwards capped with the usual exploding apparatus, whilst
the chamber d of Figure 4 receives its explosive charge from the base through the
orifice in the division e which is closed by a plug el before charging the chamber f
with the propelling charge.
g is an internal valve or stopper to close the aperture in the filling and retaining
plug c, through which the compressed air or gas is forced, and such plug c is
formed with a screw thread c¹ to enable the shell or projectile to be screwed
to the charging apparatus for receiving its charge of compressed air or gas..
When the pressure in the chamber fis equal to that of the charging apparatus, the
valve or stopper 9 falls and closes the orifice in the plugre, thus retaining the
compressed air or gas in the chamber f until it is liberated to effect the discharge
of the shell or projectile from the gun or other weapon.
For discharging a shell or other projectile provided with a filling and retaining
plug e constructed as shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, the shell or projectile is placed in
proper position in the breech of the gun or other weapon, when a rotating cutter
working in the breech block of the gun or other weapon cuts away the valve g (which
I preferably make of lead) until it is nearly perforated, when on the cutter, being
withdrawn into the breech block, the compressed air or gas in the chamber will blow
out: the remainder of the valve g and expel the shell or projectile at a velocity
depending upon the air or gas pressure employed.
When employing a filling and retaining plug c constructed as shown at Figures 4, 5, 6,
the following method of liberating the charge of compressed air or gas is employed.
The filling and retaining plug c is formed on its exterior with an interrupted
thread as shown at Figures 5 and 6, and the tapped thread formed in the base b
of the shell or projectile is similarly interrupted to enable the plug to be readily

page_text: introduced without screwing it therein, and then by a partial turn to be securely
fixed in position or when fixed therein, to be quickly liberated therefrom by a
partial turn.
To enable said filling and retaining plug to be readily turned it is formed with a
square or other suitably shaped recess c³ to receive a correspondingly shaped key working
in the breech block. Thus by giving a partial turn (say a sixth) the whole of the
filling and retaining plug c is released from the base of the shell or projectile and
the latter is expelled from the gun or other weapon by the compressed air or gas
and leaves the filling and retaining plug c and valve g behind in the gun or other
weapon.
At Figures 7 and 8 the filling and retaining plug c is shown provided with a
flange of equal diameter or nearly so with the shell or projectile, which latter is
formed with slots e in its end extending a short distance along the side into which
small metal keys are placed; corresponding slots are formed in the breech end of
the gun or other weapon to receive the metal keys h. If desired a packing ring i
may be inserted between the flange e* and the breech end of the shell or projectile.
By the above construction of parts when the shell or projectile is placed in position
in the gun or other weapon, the keys h by occupying the slots therein and in the shell
or projectile will secure the latter against rotation when in the act of discharging
the same the plug c is rotated. On the discharge of the shell or projectile, the keys h
and plug will be left behind in the gun or other weapon and can be readily
removed therefrom.
I would here remark that although I have shown my invention applied only to
explosive shells or projectiles, it is equally applicable to a non-explosive projectile.
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 :-
1. A shell or projectile constructed with a rear or auxiliary chamber filled with
highly compressed air or gas to serve as the propelling medium substantially as
herein described.
2. A shell or projectile constructed with a rear or auxiliary chamber filled with
highly compressed air or gas supplied thereto, secured therein, and liberated there-
from, substantially as herein described.
3. A shell or projectile constructed with a rear or auxiliary chamber filled with
highly compressed air or gas, a tapped base, a filling and retaining plug screwing
into such base, and a valve to close the passage through such filling and retaining
plug, substantially as herein shown and described.
JOSEPH ELTON BOTT.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.