IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firin of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare tire
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES " to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to projectiles an1 consists partly in the combination in
a projectile designed for carrying high explosives, of a body, a shell or magazine for
explosives, and an elastic spring cushion or buffer interposed between the body
and the shell.
It also partly consists in the combination in a projectile designed for carrying
high explosives, of a body, a shell or magazine, and elastic spiral wings upon the
outside of the body.
It also partly consists in a sabot nade of a series of discs connected by a rod with
interposed flexible discs and a concavo-convex cap plate in combination with the
projectile body, a shell or magazine and a buffer interposed between the body and
shell.

page_text: I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPLOSIVE PROJECTIEES" and in what
inanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of projectiles which have a magazine or
chamber charged with explosives, and is also applicable to projectiles designed to be
fired from ordnance or fire-arms, and to rockets to be propelled either through the
air or through water and which are designed to be exploded by concussion against
an object.
The difficulties heretofore encountered in the use of high explosives in projectiles
of the character referred to is that they are liable to be exploded by the concussion
produced by the explosion of the propelling charge during the initial movement of the
projectile, thus rendering the latter useless and, when fired from a gun, dangerous,
for the reason that the charge of high explosives is liable to be exploded within the
barrel of the gun, and to destroy the same.
The object of this invention is to overcome this difficulty and to produce a
projectile that will render the use of explosives of the character referred to
practicable.
-
In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates this invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a gun containing an improved projectile.
Figure 2 is a section of a sabot designed for use in connection with the projectile.
Figure 3 is a view of one of the concavo-convex notched discs used as a cap-plate
for the sabot; and
Figure 4 shows the manner of putting two of these discs together.
Figure 5 represents a rear elevation of the projectile shown in Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the front end of the projectile showing the
spring cushion or buffer interposed between the body and the shell.
In carrying out this invention I provide a shell or magazine A of any suitable
material for containing the charge of high explosives, such as nitro-glycerine,
dynamite, gun cotton, fulminate of mercury, or any other explosive of like character,
and this shell or magazine 1 mount on the front end of the body B of the projectile.
In order to avoid the percussive effect of the explosion of the projecting charge,
I interpose between the shell or magazine and the body of the projectile a spring or
cushion a, which, takes up the initial blow or shock produced by the explosion of the
charge and transmits its force gradually to the magazine.
In the drawing I have shown this cushion as composed of a block of India-
rubber made of circular shape and having a circumferential groove so as to increase
its resilience, but it may consist of a similar block of any other suitable material, or
of a spiral or other suitable spring. An air-cushion having the same qualities may
be substituted therefor. or used in addition thereto, if desirable.
In Figure 1 the shell or magazine is shown as having its rear part male tubular
and fitted over the outside of the body of the projectile. This is an easy and
convenient way of connecting these parts, but the construction may be reversed
and the magazine fitted within a chamber or bore in the front end of the body B.
Other modifications may readily suggest themselves, but the particular manner of
connecting these parts is immaterial, the spring cushion or buffer being the
essential feature of this part of the invention.

page_text: .
In order to maintain the projectile in proper position in the gun, and to impart
rotary motion thereto so as to secure accuracy of flight I provide the rear end of
the body with a series of spiral wings or blades b which may consist of any desired
number, from two upwards. The outer edges of these wings are preferably in a
plane with the outside of the front end of the body. They increase in width
towards the rear, by reason of the shape of the body of the projectile, which tapers
towards the rear, from a point at, or near, its middle, terminating in a point. I
make these wings preferably of thin sheet steel.
In Figure 1, at the base of the projectile B is shown a sabot, an enlarged sectional
view of which is shown in Figure 2. This sabot I make of discs of wood or other
suitable material. cc represents flat discs, and e is a disc, convex on its front face
and covered by a convex metallic cap f, which, when in its normal position, is only
in contact with the disc e at the periphery. g represents a bolt attached to the
centre of the cap f, and sliding freely through the discs e and c c. i i represents
packing discs composed of some flexible material placed between the discs c c and e.
These discs have a cup-shaped lip at the periphery fitting the bore of the gun.
represents the chamber, at the base of the gun, containing the charge.
The object of the compound sabot is to prevent the possible escape of the gases
generated by the explosive. In case a very heavy projectile is used it is possible
that some of the gases may be driven past the packing discs i i, but any further
Passage of these gases will be prevented by the disc e being driven into contact with
the flexible metallic cap thereby forcing the same into close contact with the bore
of the gun.
It will readily be seen that the increased area presented by.the disc j; over the
area presented by the flexible discs i i to the charge will cause the discs cc and e to
slide on the rod g, increasing the area of the cap f by flattening the same before
any pressure is exerted to force the gases past the flexible discs i i.
In order to make the discs ff as pliable and yielding as possible I form slots or
notches in their edges, and when the discs are placed together to form the complete
cap the slots or notches in one are arranged between those of the other so as to
prevent the passage of any of the gases through them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. In a projectile of the character herein described, the combination of a body,
a shell or magazine A for explosives, and an elastic spring cushion or buffer
interposed between the body and the shell, substantially as, and for the purposes,
described.
Second. In an explosive projectile, the combination of a body, a shell or magazine,
and elastic spiral wings upon the outside of the body, as, and for the purposes,
set forth.
Third. The sabot herein described consisting of a series of discs c c and e connected
by the rod g with interposed flexible discs ii, and the concavo-convex cap-plate f,
in combination with the projectile body B, the shell or magazine A, and the buffer a
interposed between the body and shell, as shown and described.
'Dated this 5th day of December 1884.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.