improvements in Time Fuses for Projectiles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1899-Accepted. 2nd June, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
improvements in Time Fuses for Projectiles.
A communication from abroad by THE MASCHINENFABRIK OERLIKON, of Oerlikon,
Zurich, Switzerland, Engineers.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer, and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for leading away the gases given off from
the charge rings of time fuses. It is a well known fact that the time igniting
devices heretofore usually employed in double shrapnel fuses have the disadvan-
tage that they do not act with complete certainty and exactness, especially with
great velocities of the projectile, because the gases which are formed by the com-
bustion of the fuse charge and which cannot completely escape or cannot escape
at all by reason of the resistance of the air during the flight of the projectile,
hinder or wholly prevent the continuous progression of burning of the fuse charge.
Now this invention is designed to obviate this drawback, and it consists mainly
in forming in the body of the fuse,, passages, situated in the direction of the shot,
and communicating with the charge ring or rings, and in arranging over the said
passages a cap or chimney through or behind which the gases escape or are sucked
away.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a device of this kind in an arrangement
given by way of example, and shown applied to a shrapnel fuse.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a fuse provided with this device.
Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a cross section
and a plan of the cap or chimney alone.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of a fuse pin without the fuse bolt, and provided with
two fire passages and two combustion passages.
Fig. 6 is a plan of Fig. 5.
The fuse is provided as usual with a time fuse bolt 6 which is held laterally
by springs f and which is arranged in a space b₁ in the upper part of the fuse
pin Z over a percussion points, the arrangement being such that, on firing, the
fuse bolt is driven against the point in opposition to the resistance of the spring,
whereby the percussion cap contained in the fuse bolt can be ignited.
The fuse bolt is mounted in the fuse body in which there are also arranged
passages c situated in the direction of the shot and which, in the present case, are
arranged parallel to the axis of the projectile.
These passages c are connected with the charge rings by means of passages k
that are adapted to be closed by screws 1. In the flat annular portion of the
fuse pin, there is inserted a fuse charge ring which extends into the passage k
in such a manner that the fire of the exploded cap of the fuse bolt will strike into
the combustion passage and cause this charge ring to begin to burn.
For the purpose of ensuring this burning at the place at which the charge ring

page_text: extends into the passage, a fuse ring is arranged in the latter. Over the part Z¹
there is mounted, as usual, an annular plate Z in which there is situated a bent
passage, which is lined with fuse charge and whose one arm extends to the
charge ring, whilst the other arm terminates in a fire passage ³, which extends
in the fuse pin in a downwardly-inclined manner towards the bursting tube (not
shown) of the shrapnel.
770
From the passage, the longitudinal passage c extends upwards through the
fuse body or fuse pin which is capable of communicating with gas exit passages
that are formed in the cap or chimney d, and are coiled helically in the direction
of rotation of the projectile. In the arrangement shown, three such exit passages
are employed.
The cap or chimney has a guard or shield e which is fixed by means of a
screw e and which covers the gas exit passages. The air passing away over this
guard, acts, during the flight of the projectile, to exhaust or suck away the gases
of combustion by the action of the rotation of the projectile produced by the
rifling, and in consequence of the arrangement of the exit passages do.
Dated this 27th day of July 1898.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
A communication from abroad by THE MASCHINENFABRIK OERLIKON, of Oerlikon,
Zurich, Switzerland, Engineers.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, 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 means for leading away the gases given off from the
charge rings of time fuses. It is a well known fact that the time igniting devices
heretofore usually employed in double shrapnel fuses have the disadvantage that
they do not act with complete certainty and exactness, especially with great veloci-
ties of projectile, because the gases that are formed by the combustion of the fuse
charge and which cannot completely escape, or cannot escape at all, in consequence
of the resistance of the air during the flight of the projectile, hinder or wholly
prevent the continuous progressive burning of the fuse charge. Now this inven-
tion has for object to obviate this drawback, and it consists mainly in provi-
ding outlet passages directed inwards in the sense of rotation of the shot and
communicating with the charge ring or rings, and in arranging over the said
passages a cap or chimney through or behind which the gases escape or are sucked
away.
Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification
represent an example of such an apparatus applied to a shrapnel fuse..
Fig. 1 being an elevation of the fuse so fitted.
Fig. 2 a cross section thereof, and
Figs. 3 and 4 respectively a cross section and a plan of the cap or chimney alone;
Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a cross section and a plan of a fuse pin without
its fuse bolt, and provided with two fire passages and two combustion passages.
The fuse is provided as usual with a time fuse bolt b, which is held laterally by
springs and is arranged in a space 6 in the upper part of the fuse pin %

page_text: over a percussion point s, the arrangement being such that, on firing, the fuse bolt
is driven against the point in opposition to the resistance of the springs, whereby
the percussion cap contained in the fuse bolt is ignited. The fuse bolt is mounted
in the fuse pin or body, in which there are also arranged passages c which run
in the direction of firing and which, in the present case, are arranged parallel to
the axis of the projectile. These passages are connected with the charge ring or
charge rings by means of passages that are adapted to be closed by screws k'.
In the flat annular portion of the fuse pin, there is inserted a fuse charge ring",
which extends into the passage k in such a manner that the fire of the exploded
cap of the fuse bolt will strike into the combustion passage and cause this charge
ring to begin to burn. For the purpose of insuring this burning at the place at
which the charge ring extends into the passage, a fuse ring 1 is arranged in the
latter. Over the part Z there is mounted, as usual, an annular plate Zin which
there is situated a bent passage, which is lined with fuse charge and whose one
arm extends to the charge ring, whilst its other arm leads to a fire passage ³, which
extends in the fuse pin downwards and inwards towards the bursting tube (not
shown) of the shrapnel.
From the passage there extends upwards through the fuse body or pin the
longitudinal passages c, which communicate with gas-exit passages that are
formed in the cap or chimney d and are directed inwards in the sense of rotation
of the projectile as shown in Fig. 4, in which the said sense of rotation is indicated
by the arrow. In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 4 three such exit passages
are employed.
The cap or chimney has a guard or shield e which is fixed by means of a screw e
and which covers the gas-exit passages. During the flight of the projectile, the
air passing away over this guard, exhausts or sucks away the gases of combustion
in consequence of the rotation of the projectile produced by the rifling, and of the
arrangement of the exit passages do.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. For leading away the gases given off by the charge rings of time fuses, out-
let passages arranged in the fuse head under a shield or guard and directed inwards
in the sense of rotation of the projectile.
2. Apparatus for leading away the gases given off by the charge rings of time
fuses comprising a chimney or cap d arranged above the gas-exit passages c and
provided with gas-exit passages directed inwards in the sense of rotation of the
projectile, and communicating with the passages c and a shield or guard e cover-
ing the said passages in such manner as to draw off the gases during the flight
of the projectile.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.