Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Mounting Guns upon their Carriages or other Supports
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov.. 1895-Accepter, 21st Dec., 1875
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Mounting Guns
upon their Carriages or other Supports.
We, JOSEPH STRAUSS Ensign U.S. Navy stationed in the Bureau of Ordnance,
Navy Department, Washington, D.C. and residing at 724, 17th Street, in the said
city, and DRNEST WILKINSON of 1843 R Street, Washington, D.C. Patent
Agent, both in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in methods of and apparatus for mounting
guns on their carriages or other supports so that with a small expenditure of
energy they may be readily elevated or depressed.
In the mountings now generally in use the gun is suspended on trunnions which
may be either on the gun itself or on the oscillating slide in which the gun recoils
and the weight of the gun is generally supported by the circular bearing plate or
trunnion seat placed beneath the trunnion and forming part of the gun carriage.
The pressure on this bearing is ordinarily exerted by the lower elements of the
cylindrical trunnion upon which the weight of the gun is supported and since the
supporting element or the trunnion is not usually in the line of recoil there is a
tendency of the trunnion to roll backwards when the gun is fired causing the
muzzle of the gun to tilt upwards and thus causing a heavy strain on the elevating
gear and also causing that error in firing known as "jump." Moreover since the
weight of the gun supported by the trunnions is supported on a line of bearings
eccentric to the centre of gravity of the gun and below the same it will be seen
that the larger the trunnions the lower will be the points of support of the gun and
hence the greater energy will be required under existing conditions to elevate and
depress the gun.
Moreover since in order to secure the necessary strength large
guns require large trunnions this difficulty becomes greater in operating large gans
than in operating small ones.
If the trunnions of the gun could be made very small the mount-arm of the
In this
friction caused by elevating and depressing would be much reduced.
method the arm at which the friction acts is practically reduced to zero thereby
reducing the work of elevating and depressing to merely that of overcoming the
inertia of the mass.
The central portion of a gun is provided with a band adapted to slide in an
oscillating slide which slide is provided with trunnions which latter are journalled
between circular plates or trunnion seats and cap-squares of the gun carriage or
other suitable support.
The particular character of the carriage is immaterial as the hereinafter described
invention may be readily applied to any suitable mount for heavy guns.
The said trunnions are tapped with screw-threads to receive a screw rigidly
attached to or integral with a plate or head which plate or head is provided with a
knife-edge on the lowermost part thereof so adjusted as to be at approximately the
exact centre of the face of the said trunnion. The said plate is prevented from or
held against turning by a set screw screwed into the face of the trunnion or in any
other suitable manner.

page_text: The said knife-edge rests upon a hardened plate let into a bearing block forming
a support for same which block is recessed on its bottom and near its ends to
receive the heads of two (or more) lifting screws. These screws are provided
with screw-threads which engage in screw-threaded sleeves or nuts fast to the gun
carringe. The snid lifting screws are provided with angular hends to be turned by
n wrench but capstan bars or other suitable equivalent devices may be provided if
desired and are also advantageously provided with lock-nuts to lock the said screw>
at the desired position.
In practice these two screws are so adjusted that a thin sheet of paper or other
gange can be passed between the base of the trunnion and the aforesaid circular
plate or trummion sent when the weight of the gun will be supported by means of
the knife-edge on the said hardened plate. It will readily be seen that when so
lifted clear of the traunion seat and supported about the axis of the trunnions the
gun may be readily elevated or depressed with a very small expenditure of
energy.
Now when the gun is fired the trunnion will jump directly backwards in the line
of fire until it strikes the trunnion seat but since the lost motion of the trunnion iu
its bearing is very small the resiliency of the knife-edge will readily yield to the
said pressure and thus prevent any permanent dis-arrangement of or any injury to
the said knife-edge or to the plate on which same rests.
After the counter-recoil the gun will once more be supported upon the knife-edge
and may be elevated or depressed as before.
The herein described trunnion attachment renders it possible to work the
elevating gear of very heavy guns by hand with sufficient rapidity which is a great
desideratum.
While any form of elevating gear may be used yet we find it advantageous to
employ a segmental rack struck with the same centre as the aforesaid trunnion a
pinion gearing in the said rack is mounted on a shaft which is journalled in a
suitable bracket at the side of the gun carriage or other suitable mount.
A worin
wheel fast on the said shaft is turne 1 by a worm fast on another shaft which is also
journaled in the said bracket this Inst-named shaft being revolved by a hand-wheel
other suitable means.
While the elevating gear need only be made light for purposes of operation by
hand power it must be made strong enough to stand the shifting of the weight of
the gun on recoil and also the shock of recoil.
It will be seen that by thus suspending the gun on the approximate mathematical
axis of the trunnions the gun may be elevated or depressed with great facility and
that the error known as "jump" allowed for in most range tables is largely
obvinted.
It will thus be seen that by this invention we practically provide two sets of
trunnions the smaller trunnions projecting from the larger and supporting the
weight of the gun when the
$
gun is run out or in the initial position the larger
trunnions taking up the shock of recoil.
In order to make the bearing surface of the smaller trunnions as small as possible
and at the same time have the requisite strength instead of making the smaller
trunnions concentric with the larger we may advantageously make only the points
of support of the smaller trunnions concentric with the larger and place the mass
of metal necessary to give the requisite strength above this point of support. The
effect of this is to practically have the gun pivoted for elevating or depressing upon
n trunnion of inappreciable diaincter while for resisting the shock of discharge the
ordinary trummions are provided.
It will be obvious that the herein-described auxiliary trunnions may be applied
either to guns having trunnions or to the trunnions of oscillating slides and that it
may be readily applied to any such guns now in use without necessitating expensive
changes in their mounts.
These and the other advantages of the herein-described method and apparatus
will readily suggest themselves to anyone skilled in the art."

page_text: It will be obvious that various modifications of the herein-described apparatus
and various means of carrying out the herein described method might be made
which could be used without departing from the spirit of this invention.
Dated this 15th day of October 1895.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK.
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Mounting Guns
upon their Carriages or other Supports.
We, JOSEPH STRAUSS, Ensign U.S. Navy, stationed in the Bureau of Ordnance,
Navy Department, Washington, D.C., and residing at 724, 17th Street in the said
city, and ERNEST WILKINSON of 1843 R Street, Washington. D.C., Patent
Agent, both in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in methods of and apparatus for mounting
guns on their carriages or other supports so that with a small expenditure of energy
they may be readily elevated or depressed.
In the mountings now generally in use, the gun is suspended on trunnions, which
may be either on the gun itself or on the oscillating slide in which the gun recoils,
and the weight of the gun is generally supported by the circular bearing plate or
trunnion seat placed beneath the trunnion and forming part of the gun carriage.
The pressure on this bearing is ordinarily exerted by the lower elements of the
cylindrical trunnion, upon which the weight of the gun is supported and, since
the supporting element of the trunnion is not usually in the line of recoil, there is a
tendency of the trunnion to roll backwards when the gun is fired, causing the
muzzle of the gun to tilt upwards, and thus causing a heavy strain on the elevating
gear and also causing that error in firing known as "jump." Moreover, since the
weight of the gun, supported by the trunnions, is supported on a line of bearings
eccentric to the center of gravity of the gun and below the same, it will be seen
that the larger the trunnions the lower will be the points of support of the gun,
and hence the greater energy will be required, under existing conditions, to elevate
and depress the gun. Moreover, since in order to secure the necessary strength,
large guns require large trunnions, this difficulty becomes greater in operating large
guns than in operating small ones.
If the trunnions of the gun could be made very small, the mount-arm of the
friction caused by elevating and depressing wonid he much reduced. In this
method the arm at which the friction acts is practically reduced to zero, thereby
reducing the work of elevating and depressing to merely that of overcoming the
inertia of the mass.
Reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which the same parts are
indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a gun fitted with my improved device.
Fig. 2 represents a side elevation on an enlarged scale, of the trunnion and the
means for supporting the same, and
Fig. 3 represents a section along the line - of Fig. 2, and looking to the left
A represents the central portion of a gun, which is provided with a band A',
adapted to slide in the oscillating slide B, which slide is provided with the
trunnions C, which are journalled between the circular plates or trunnion seats'd
and the cap-squares d' of the carriage D, or other suitable support.

page_text: The particular character of the carringe is inmaterial, as the hereinafter
described invention may be readily applied to any of the mounts for heavy guns.
The trunnions C are tapped with serewthreads e to receive the screw e rigidly
attached to or integral with the plate E, which plate is provided with a knife-
edge, so adjusted as to be at approximately the exact center of the face of the
trunnion. The said plate E is held against, turning by the set screw * screwed into
the face of the trunnion, or in any other suitable manner.
The knife-edge el rests upon the hardened platelet into the block F, which
block is recessed on its bottom and near its ends, as at 1, to receive the heads h of
the lifting screws Hand H. These screws are provided with screwthreads /
which engage in the screwthreaded sleeves or nuts K and K', fast to the gun
carringe. The said screws H and Hare provided with angular heads to be
turned by a wrench,.but capstan bars or other suitable equivalent devices may
be provided, it desired, and are also provided with lock-nuts to lock the said
screws at the desired position.
In practice these two screws are so adjusted that a thin sheet of paper or other
gauge can be passed between the base of the trunnion and the base-ring d, when
the weight of the gun will be supported by means of the knife-edge e on the
hardened plate. It will readily be seen that when so lifted clear of the trunnion
seat d. and supported about the axis of the trunnions, the gun may be readily
elevated or depressed with a very small expenditure of energy.
Now when the gun is fired, the trunnion will jump directly backwards in the line
of fire until it strikes the trunnion seat, but since the lost motion of the trunnion in
its hearing is very small, the resiliency of the knife-edge will readily yield to the
said pressure and thus prevent any permanent disarrangement of, or any injury to,
the said knife-edge, or to the plate.
After the counter-recoil, the gun will once more be supported upon the knife-
edge and may be elevated or depressed as before.
The hereindescribed trunnion attachment renders it possible to work the
elevating gear of very heavy guns by hand with sufficient rapidity, which is
a great desideratum.
While any form of elevating gear may be used, we find it advantageous to
employ that shewn in Fig. 1, in which L is a segmental rack struck with the same
center as the trunnion C. M represents a pinion gearing in the said rack and
mounted on the shaft N which is journalled in the bracket S at the side of the gun
carriage or other suitable monot. The worm wheel P is fast on the said shaft M
and is turned by the worm Q fast on the shaft It which is also journalled in the
said bracket S, and is revolved by the hand-wheel R', or other suitable means.
While the elevating gear need only be made light for purposes of operation by
hand power, it must be made strong enough to stand the shifting of the weight of
the gun on recoil and also the shock of recoil.
It will be seen that by thus suspending the gun on the approximate mathematical
axis of the trunnions, the gun inny he elevated or depressed with great facility, and
that the error known as "jump," allowed for in most range tables is largely
obviated.
It will be seen that by this invention we practically provide two sets of trunnions,
the smaller trunnions projecting from the larger and supporting the weight of the
gun when the gun is run out or in the initial position; the larger trunnions
taking up the slinck of recoil.
"
In order to make the bearing surface of the smaller trunnions as small'as possible
and at the same time have the requisite strength, instead of making the smaller
trunnions concentric with the larger, we may advantageously make only the points
of support of the sunller trunnions concentric with the larger and place the mass of
metal necessary to give the requisite strength above this point of support. The
effect of this is to practically have the gun pivoted for elevating or depressing
upon a trunnion of inappreciable diameter, while for resisting the shock of
discharge the ordinary trunnions are provided.

page_text: It will be obvious that the hereindescribed auxiliary trunnions may be applied
either to guns having trunnions or to the trunnions of oscillating slides and that it
may be readily applied to any such guns now in use without necessitating expensive
changes in their mounts.
These and the other advantages of the hereindescribed method and apparatus
will readily suggest themselves to anyone skilled in the art.
It will be obvious that varions modifications of the herein described apparatus,
and various means of carrying out the hereindescribed method might be made
which could be used without departing from the spirit of this invention.
Having thus particularly ascertained and described the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of supporting a gun upon knife edges attached either to the
trunnions and bearing upon a support carried by the gun carriage or support, or
attached to the gun carriage or support and bearing upon the trunnions, substan-
tially as hereindescribed.
2. The apparatus for mounting guns upon their carriages or other supports,
substantially as hereindescribed and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
3. In a gun mounting, the combination with a gun, and trunnions to stand the
shock of recoil, of knife edges secured to said trunnions to sustain the weight of
the gun, and supports for said knife edges, substantially as described.
4. In a gun mounting, the combination with a gun, and trunnions adapted to
stand the shock of recoil, of knife edges secured to said trunnions, to sustain the
weight of the gun, and vertically adjustable supports for said knife edges,
substantially as described.
5. In a gun mounting, the combination with a gun, and trunnions to stand the
shock of recoil, of knife edges secured to said trunnions, blocks supporting said
knife edges, and screws connected to the gun carriage and adjustably supporting
said block, substantially as described.
ming, the th
LU
;““ס
C. I
hich support
the same at approximately the point about which the gun is turned for elevating
and depressing, and means which limit the longitudinal movement of said knife
edges relative to their bearings on the recoil of the gun, substantially as aud for
the purposes described.
Dated this 21st day of November 1895.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.