An Improvement in Percussion Fuses for Shells.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Percussion Fuses for Shells.
We, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in the
County of London, Superintendent of Ordnance Works, and GEORGE THOMAS
BUCKHAM, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of London,
aforesaid, 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: —
In the specification accompanying an application for Patent No. 12264 of
1898 was described a percussion fuse adapted to be fixed in the side of a shell,
instead of being fixed in the head which has to be of strong hard metal integral
with the body of the shell, and instead of being fixed in the bottom where it would
be liable to premature explosion:―
The present invention relates to a modified construction of such a fuse as we
shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the lower part of a shell with a fuse according
to this invention fixed in its side.
Fig. 2 is a plan partly sectional. f is the body of the fuse which is generally
of cylindrical form to fit into a round hole in the side of the shell a, but it has
on one side a key s entering a notch at the side of the round hole, this key ensuring
that the fuse is in right position in the shell. The outer part of the hole in
the shell is screw threaded to receive a screw cap t which has two screws u
engaged in a groove in the periphery of the back part of the fuse. The fuse is
bored to receive a pellet g of piston form, having a firing pin in front. This
pellet is pressed back by a spring and locked in its rear position by a transverse
spring bolt h the end of which is engaged in a slot at the side of the fuse bore
and loosely bears against the shoulder at the end of the slot--being held in this
position by a spring. The front part of the pellet is grasped by a piece of split
elastic tube which bears against the bottom of the bore and serves as an
additional precaution against accidental advance of the pellet. After insertion
of the pellet and its accessories the bore is closed by a screw cap m. In front
of the bore communicating with it by a hole is a chamber containing a small
cartridge i of detonating composition. When the shell is fired the piece of tube x
owing to its inertia retreats relatively to the fuse, and as the shell.is rotated by
the rifling the bolt h owing to centrifugal force moves outwards, the pellet g
being thus left free.
When the flight of the shell is arrested, the pellet owing to its momentum
flies forwards and its firing pin penetrating the cartridge i fires the detonator
which in its turn fires the charge of the shell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
In combination with a shell, a percussion fuse inserted in a hole at the side
of the shell, and held therein by a can screwed into the hole the fuse having

page_text: in a bore within it a pellet pressed back by a spring, held in its rear position.
by a split tube gripping its front part, and locked by a transverse spring bolt,
the fuse having also in front of the bore a detonating cartridge, all arranged
and operating substantially as described.