IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Raphael Hunter Brandon of No 1 Rue Laffitte Paris
Engineer and Patent Agent for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON A communication to him by William Ely
Woodbridge, Physician of the City of Washington District of Columbria,
United States of America,
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Raphael Hunter Brandon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st August 1882.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON of No 1 Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineor and Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
CANNON. A communication to me by William Ely Woodbridge, of the City of
Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, Physician
This invention relates to the means of providing longitudinal and tangential
strength in built up guns and consists in the treatment of the material employed
and in the arrangement of the parts as hereinafter described
In the accompanying drawings
Fig 1 represents a Section through the axis of the Gun
Fig: 2 a transverse Section on the line a. b. fig: 1
Fig 3 a transverse Section on the line c d
The same parts in each figure are designated by the same letters
A represents the tube immediately surrounding the bore. It may preferably be
made of steel
Immediately surrounding the tube, and extending from the breech to a point
forward of the trunnions is a Cylinder composed of longitudinal bars or
"staves" B B which constitutes the chief resistance to the longitudinal strains to
which the gun is subjected in firing. They are connected with the interior tube
by means of interlocking screw-threads, as at e, or equivalent circular grooves or
projections
Upon the exterior of the Cylinder of bars or staves, two rings are screwed and
shrunken, one of them, C, at the base of the gun, of the full diameter of the

page_text: breech, and the other D, near the forward end of the bars, and forward of the
position of the trunnions
Between these two rings, the cylinder of staves is tightly wound with wire in
successive layers, the depth of the covering at the forward portion of the space
between the rings being graduated to suit the strain to be encountered in that part
of the gun
The diameter of the ring D, is made to conform to that of the cylindric mass
of wire which it bounds
By means of this ring and the sleeve E the force of the recoil is transmitted to
the trunnions F. F, which are in one piece with the trunnion band G
When the winding has been carried to the extent already mentioned, the sleeve
and trunnion band are placed in the position shown in the Fig 1, the screwthreads
of the band engaging in the exterior threads of the sleeve, and the interior threads
of the sleeve with the threads of the exterior of the ring D
The trunnion-band and the sleeve may be constructed of a single piece, if
preferred, or they may be constituted of several bands, it being sufficient that
they should transmit the force exerted in recoil upon the ring D to the trunnions
It is preferred that they should be shrunken on
After placing the trunnions, the winding of the wire is continued until the space
between the trunnion band and the base ring C, is covered to the depth desired
for affording the strength required in that part of the gun. The wires may be
conveniently attached to the Cylinder of staves, at the beginning of the winding,
by bending their ends and inserting them in holes bored in-the-staves_for_that
purpose The outer ends of the wires may be fastened; when the winding is
completed by drawing them into rectangular notches in the base ring, and then
wedging them or closing the metal of the ring against them by setting or
hammering
The portion of the tube forward of the ring D is supported by rings forced or
shrunken on, shewn in Section at H. I. K. in Fig 1
The breech, in the instance shewn in the drawing, is closed by a screw plug 4; 3
but the method of closure forms no part of this invention
In the construction of guns, required to have great resistance not only the
form and dimensions of their parts are to be considered but also the kind and the
molecular condition of the material employed, Steel of a rather low degree of
carbonization possesses qualities which renders it highly suitable for gun construction 3
but as it is well known, its properties of strength and extensibility depend much
upon the treatment to which it is subjected, Forging or an equivalent movement
of its particles, at a red heat, is essential for all the ordinary uses in which it is
employed. But Steel, in common with most metals gains its condition of highest
resistance by being drawn into wire. Next to this, the process of cold hammering 4
in swages, which is applicable to much larger pieces, produces high tensile strength
while the same result in a good degree may be produced by cold-rolling or cold
hammering (without the use of swages) in such masses as are capable of being
uniformly treated throughout
Such masses are, however, small relatively to the dimensions of modern guns
For reasons derived from the facts above stated, steel wire is selected as the
material which furnishes tangential resistance in that portion of the gun subjected
to the highest strains While the staves are, in preference, constituted of cold
swaged metal.
Thorough annealing after hot forging, is an important preliminary to either of
the processes of cold working suggested
The bands H. I. K. are also cold hammered or cold rolled, by which treatment
their elastic resistance may be largely increased, while their extensibility is
maintained in a sufficient degree
It is preferred that the wire employed should be either square, or flat with a
rectangular cross-section It is also desirable that it should be "tinned" or coated
with a metal of low fusibility. capable of being used as a Solder This serves as a
4

page_text: preparation for soldering, or (if the soldering be omitted) as a protection against
oxidizing influence. besides this, also greatly increases the resistance to the slipping
of wire upon wire. It is much preferred however, that the wires should be united
with a solder having a melting point too low to impair the elasticity of the wound
wire
Perfect soldering may most readily be effected by immersing the portions to be
soldered in a bath of the melted metal
I propose to unite by soldering not only the several turns of the wire to one
another, but also to the parts with which it may be in contact, and to unite in the
same way the staves to the tube which they cover and finally each of the parts to
the other
Having described the mode of construction which may ordinarily be prefered
I proceed to mention some modifications which may in some cases be more
desirable
I propose to treat either of the parts constituting the gun by either of the
methods of cold working which have been mentioned and which may be applicable
thereto, and also by the method of cold working by hydraulic or other pressure
substituted for blows, I propose, when the interior tube of the gun may be given
all the longitudinal strength required for its particular use, to replace the staves by
solid metal forming part of the tube, and to wind the wire directly upon it,
connecting the trunnions with it in the way already indicated. I also propose to
use in gun construction either of the cold wrought parts, already mentioned, in the
absence of the other, when they may be advantageously employed I do not claim
broadly the construction of guns, of tubes or "staves" re-inforced by means of
bands forced or shrunken upon them, nor do I herein claim the use of wire in gun
construction as already secured to communicant by letters patent, but what I claim
and desire to secure by Letters Patent is
1st The combination in the structure of a gun, of a central tube, with an
overlying Cylinder of cold wrought bars or staves, the same being overwound with
successive layers of wire in a greater or less part of its length, the tube being also
supported by the application of cold-wrought bands, the whole being connected and
attached to the trunnions substantially as herein set forth
2nd The combination of a Cylinder of cold wrought staves, or equivalent with
the interior tube of a gun, attached substantially as herein set forth, for the purpose
of giving the tube longitudinal support
3rd The combination of the ring D and sleeve E (or their equivalents) said
sleeve E giving support to the trunnions or bearings so as to communicate the force
of recoil over a wire wound portion of a gun, to the trunnions or point of connection
with the Carriage
4th The use in the structure of guns, of either of the cold wrought parts, as such,
herein mentioned, in the absence of the other when they may be advantageously
employed
5th I also claim the employment, in the structure of guns, of tinned wire, or of
wire coated with a soft metal as herein set forth and for the purpose mentioned
In witness whereof I the said Raphael Hunter Brandon have hereunto set
my hand and seal this nineteenth day of August in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two