Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 2nd Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1887
1, ANDREW NOBLE, a Companion of the Bath, late Captain in the Royal Artillery,
of Jesmonddene House, Newcastle upon Tyne, Manufacturing Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in mounting very heavy guns.
The mounting is so designed that the gun can be worked by hand power at a
reasonable speed and without employing a large number of men.
The
gun upon a
disappearing carriage having hydropneumatic controlling gear. The work to be done
in manipulating a gun is divided as follows:-training, elevating, opening and closing
the breech, ramming home the charge, bringing the charge to the gun.
Taking these operations in the above order I propose to minimise the labour
attendant upon each in the manner described below.
The training is rendered easy by placing the whole mass to be revolved on a ring
of live rollers running on a roller path firmly secured to a bed of concrete by a
sufficient number of heavy bolts secured to a metal ring placed below the concrete.
A powerful clip ring prevents the carriage from being tilted over when the gun is
fired, and the plate work used to carry this clip ring also carries the toothed rack by
which through two trains of wheel gear the mounting is trained. The whole of this
portion of the mounting is placed below the general floor level.
The training is reduced to a minimum by arranging for the loading of the gun to
take place in any position that may be required instead of training to fixed loading
stations.
The elevating-In the system proposed of a disappearing carriage the power
required for elevating, may be said to be derived from the stored up energy of the
recoil, because when the gun is down the elevating gear can be set without moving
the gun,
Of course when
to any angle that it is desired the gun shall have when up.
the gun is up some final adjustment will be required but this work will be small.
Opening and closing the breech. To keep the parts on the rear of the gun as few
and as simple as possible so as to reduce the risk of damage by the enemies fire as
much as possible, I place the gear used for manipulating the breech screw on a loading
platform upon the turntable near the ground. The breech screw is turned by a block

page_text: or saddle which is traversed across the rear face of the gun when in the loading
position, the screw is taken out of the gun by a rack driven by a pinion and is
received on to the block or saddle. The block with the breech screw is then traversed
off to one side. These three movements suffice to open the gun and I perform them
by hand power driven by wheels fitted, with handles like steering wheels. This gear
I make with two speeds readily changeable so that great power is available for the
tightening and slacking of the breech screw and high speed is available for the major
portion of the movements.
The gun is closed by similar movements in reverse order and there is no attention
needed to lock the breech screw as this takes place automatically.
Ramming home the charge. This is done by a hand rammer; I place a loading
tray along the bottom of the powder chamber fitted with a series of small rollers so
that the shot may roll along instead of sliding as it would have to do otherwise. The
powder being put up in quarter charges is easily rammed home after the loading tray
is removed. The loading tray with the rollers is made long enough to reach well
beyond the gun so that the shot is received on it before entering the gun.
Bringing the charge to the gun. I stow half a dozen shot and charges in boxes
carried in the loading platform and rear shield to be replaced from time to time by
fresh ammunition brought up on shot and powder barrows.
To facilitate the transfer of this ammunition place under the rear shield a
pivotted runner rail fitted with a runner and rope and block tackle of sufficient
inultiplying power to easily hoist the shot from the barrow to the box on the platform
and from there to the loading tray.
To protect the men engaged in working the gun I fit two shields, one at the front
of the carriage is made so as to cover the man using the reflecting sight and the men
working the training and elevating gear. Behind it also is placed the ladders, by
which the telescope sight, carried on the trunnion of the gun, is reached.
The top of this shield is fitted with a look out platform and with some rough sights
by which the aim can be partly taken before the gun is raised to the firing or exposed
position.
I also fit a rear shield to protect the party of men engaged in loading the gun from
projectiles coming over the parapet.
I provide two huffers below the trunnions of the gun made with hydraulic cylinders
and pistons with a restricted passage from the under side of the piston to the upper
side. The object of these is to control the variation which there would otherwise be
in the length of recoil between when high and when reduced charges are fired. They
will offer little or no resistance when the gun is slowly finishing the recoil after a
light charge, but will take up the remaining energy when a heavy charge is used.
I also fit a similar pair of buffers at the front of the carriage to check the gun
when run up into the firing position.
I also make a similar mounting for heavy guns, but in place of the hydro-
pneumatic cylinder for working the gun I employ a hydraulic cylinder supplied with
high pressure water through a central pivot pipe. When the gun is fired this water
is forced out of the cylinder through loaded relief valves and is run off into waste
water tanks.
I fit in this case a small hydraulic engine for working the training gear and the
breech mechanism gear and fit a hydraulic capstan under the rear shield for hoisting
the projectiles from the barrows to the boxes on the platform and from there to the
loading tray.
Datal this 11. 1
L
1007

page_text: I, ANDREW NOBLE, a Companion of the Bath, late Captain in the Royal Artillery,
of Jesmonddene House, Newcastle upon Tyne, Manufacturing 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 mounting very heavy guns.
The mounting is so designed that the gun can be worked by hand power at a
reasonable speed and without employing a large number of men. The gun is upon a
disappearing carriage having hydropneumatic controlling gear. The work to be done
in manipulating a gun is divided as follows:-training, elavating, opening and
closing the breech, ramming home the charge, bringing the charge to the gun.
Taking these operations in the above order propose to minimise the labour
attendant upon each in the manner described below.
The training is rendered easy by placing the whole mass to be revolved on a ring
of live rollers running on a roller path firmly secured to a bed of concrete by a
sufficient number of heavy holts secured to a metal ring placed below the concrete.
A powerful clip ring prevents the carriage from being tilted over when the gun is
fired, and the plate work used to carry this clip ring also carries the toothed rack by
which through two trains of wheel gear the mounting is trained. The whole of this
portion of the mounting is placed below the general floor level.
The training is reduced to a minimum by arranging for the loading of the gun to
take place in any position that may be required instead of training to fixed loading
stations.
The elevating. In the system proposed of a disappearing carriage the power
required for elevating, may be said to be derived from the stored up energy of the
recoil, because when the gun is down the elevating gear can be set without moving
the gun, to any angle that it is desired the gun shall havo when up. Of course
when the gun is up some final adjustment will be required, but this work will be
Sinall.
Opening and closing the breech. To keep the parts on the rear of the gun as few
and as simple as possible so as to reduce the risk of damage by the enemies fire as
much as possible, I place the gear used for manipulating the breech screw on a loading
platform upon the turntable near the ground. The breech screw is turned by a block
or saddle which is traversed across the rear face of the gun when in the loading
position, the screw is taken out of the gun by a rack driven by a pinion and is received
on to the block or saddle. The block with the breech screw is then traversed off to
one side. These three movements suffice to open the gun and I perform them by
hand power driven by wheels fitted with handles like steering wheels. This gear I
make with two speeds readily changeable so that great power is available for the
tightening and slacking of the breech screw and high speed is available for the major
portion of the movements.

page_text: The gun is closed by similar movements in reverse order and there is no attention
needed to lock the breech screw as this takes place automatically.
Ramming home the charge. This is done by a hand rammer; I place a loading
tray along the hottom of the powder chamber fitted with a series of small rollers so
that the shot may roll along instead of sliding as it would have to do otherwise. The
powder being put up in quarter charges is easily rammed home after the loading tray
is removed. The loading tray with the rollers is made long enough to reach well
beyond the gun so that the shot is received on it before entering the gun.
Bringing the charge to the gun. I stow half a dozen shot and charges in boxes
carried in the loading platform and rear shield to be replaced from time to time by
fresh ammunition brought up on shot and powder barrows.
To facilitate the transfer of this ammunition I place under the rear shield a
pivotted runner rail fitted with a runner and rope and block tackle of sufficient
multiplying power to easily hoist the shot from the barrow to the box on the platform
and from there to the loading tray.
To protect the men engaged in working the gun I fit two shields, one at the front
of the carriage is made so as to cover the man using the reflecting sight and the men
working the training and elevating gear. Behind it also is placed the ladders, by
which the telescope sight, carried on the trunnion of the gun, is reached.
The top of this shield is fitted with a look out platform and with some rough sights
by which the aim can be partly taken before the gun is raised to the firing or exposed
position.
I also fit a rear shield to protect the party of men engaged in loading the gun from.
projectiles coming over the parapet.
I provide two buffers below the trunnions of the gun made with hydraulic cylinders
and pistons with a restricted passage from the under side of the piston to the upper
side. The object of these is to control the variation which there would otherwise be
in the length of recoil between when high and when reduced charges are fired. They
will offer little or no resistance when the gun is slowly finishing the recoil after
a light charge, but will take up the remaining energy when a heavy charge
is used.
I also fit a similar pair of buffers at the front of the carriage to check the gun when
run up into the firing position.
I also make a similar mounting for heavy guns, but in place of the hydropneumatic
cylinder for working the gun I employ a hydraulic cylinder supplied with high
pressure water through a central pivot pipe. When the gun is fired this water is
forced out of the cylinder through loaded relief valves and is run off into waste water
tanks.
I fit in this case a small hydraulic engine for working the training gear and the
breech mechanism gear and fit a hydraulic capstan under the rear shield for hoisting
the projectiles from the barrows to the boxes on the platform and from there to the
loading tray.
The drawings hereunto annexed shew guns mounted as above described.
Figures 1 and 2 shew a side elevation and plan of the gun mounting in which the
gun is upon a disappearing carriage having hydropneumatic controlling gear.
Figures 3 and 4 shew a side elevation and plan of the gun mounting in which the
gun is upon a disappearing carriage having hydraulic controlling gear.
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the platform for loading and carrying 5 projectiles.
B overhead runner on jib, pivotted at "a."
C differential gear for working breech mechanism provided with quick and slow
motions.
D 2 inch shield for protecting loading gear etc.
E hydraulic buffers and dead stops for adjusting the gun to loading position.
F hydraulic buffers to absorb the energy to the gun when it is rising into firing
position.
G training gear, two men to each handle.

page_text: Jsighting platforms for Scott's telescopic sights.
K rough sights on sighting platforms.
L ladders to sighting platforms.
M platforms for reflecting sights, and
N is a 2 inch shield for protecting men while sighting and training.
In Figures 3 and 4 which show the disappearing carriage controlled by hydraulic
gear, A is the platform for loading.
B'an overhead runner on jib pivoted at "a."
Chydraulic capstan for lifting shot etc.
D hydraulic rammer.
E air-tight boxes for containing 4 quarter charges of powder.
F hydraulic breech mechanism.
G2 inch shield for protecting all the above.
H dead stops for adjusting the gun to loading position.
J buffers to absorb energy of gun when rising into firing position.
Khydraulic engine for training.
L handle for actuating this hydraulic engine.
M elevating gear on both sides of carriage.
N sighting platforms for Scott's telescopic sights.
O rough sights on sighting platform.
P ladders to sighting platform.
Qplatform for reflecting sights and training.
R 2" shield for protecting men whilst sighting etc.
S centre pivot pipe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
1. Mounting heavy guns substantially in the manner herein before described and
llustrated in the drawings annexed.
2. A gun mounted on what is known as a disappearing carriage and carried by a
turntable which is fitted with a loading platform and mechanism.
3. The hydraulic buffers E for arresting the downward movement of the gun and
bringing it into loading position.
Dated this 18th day of October 1887.