Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
We, SIR ANDREW NOBLE, K.C.B., F.R.S., of Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, and CHARLES HENRY MURRAY, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention to provide means whereby projectiles can be served
to revolving hoists without stopping the revolution of the said hoists. It is
applicable whenever it is required to transfer a projectile, carried on some fixed
part of the ship, to another part which revolves with the hoist.
To do this we provide a pair of circular overhead rails lying concentric one with
the other.
One of these rails carried by the fixed structure of the ship and the other is
carried by the revolving hoist or some part which revolves with the hoist.
On the rails we fit a slipper or runner which is preferably provided with wheels
running on the rails and has a portion depending between the rails fitted with a
device for readily shifting the suspension centre of the projectile so as to bring it
immediately under either rail at will.
The action is as follows: :-
The centre of suspension of the projectile is moved under the rail fixed to the
ship and so that its weight rests on this rail therefore the runner is at rest and a
projectile can be brought up by any available means and be hooked
the hoist revolves and so turns the other rail, it does not disturb the position of
on, while if
the runner because the wheels on the moving rail are carrying no weight and
therefore turn freely round.
If it is now required to shift to the moving rail, the device which alters the point
of suspension is released or moved and the weight of the projectile comes on to
the moving rail and the projectile acquires the motion of the moving rail and hoist,
and can after that be easily entered in the hoist.
For readily shifting the suspension centre of the projectile the depending
portion of the runner or slipper may be slotted at its lower end and the point of
uspension be shifted from one end of the slot to the other.
The slot may be sloped in the direction in which it is oftenest required to
hove the projectile. A bolt sliding in the slot may have links depending from it
y which a projectile may be suspended.
The bolt can be clamped when under the fixed rail by a nut which can be released
hen it is required that the bolt should slide down the slot so as to bring the bolt
nder the rail attached to the hoist.
Or the depending piece may be fitted with a swivelling piece or the bolt passing
rough the slot in the depending piece might be connected to the upper ends of
mbling links.
Dated this 11th do
100

page_text: Transporting Gear for Projectiles for Big Guns.
We, SIR ANDREW NOBLE, K.C.B., F.R.S., of Jesmond Done House, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, and CHARLES HENRY MURRAY, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide means whereby projectiles can be served
to revolving hoists without stopping the revolution of the said hoists.
It is applic-
able whenever it is required to transfer a projectile, carried on some fixed part of
the ship, to another part which revolves with the hoist.
To do this we provide a pair of circular overhead rails lying concentric one with
the other.
One of these rails is carried by the fixed structure of the ship and the other is
carried by the revolving hoist or some part which revolves with the hoist.
On the rails we fit a slipper or runner which is preferably provided with wheels
running on the rails and has a portion depending between the rails fitted with a
device for readily shifting the suspension centre of the projectile so as to bring it
immediately under either rail at will.
The action is as follows :-
The centre of suspension of the projectile is moved under the rail fixed to the
ship and so that its weight rests on this rail therefore the runner is at rest and a
projectile can be brought up by any available means and be hooked on, while if the
hoist revolves and so turns the other rail, it does not disturb the position of the
runner because the wheels on the moving rail are carrying no weight and therefore
turn freely round.
If it is now required to shift to the moving rail, the device which alters the point
of suspension is released or moved and the weight of the projectile comes on to the
moving rail and the projectile acquires the motion of the moving rail and hoist,
and can after that be easily entered in the hoist.
För readily shifting the suspension centre of the projectile the depending portion
of the runner or slipper may be slotted at its lower end and the point of suspension
be shifted from one end of the slot to the other.
The slot may be sloped in the direction in which it is oftenest required to move
the projectile. A bolt sliding in the slot may have links depending from it by
which a projectile may be suspended.
The bolt can be clamped when under the fixed rail by a nut which can be released
when it is required that the bolt should slide down the slot so as to bring the bolt
under the rail attached to the hoist.
Or the depending piece may be fitted with a swivelling piece or the bolt passing
through the slot in the depending piece might be connected to the upper ends of
tumbling links.
Figure 1 of the drawings annexed shows a general view of the hoist and rails.
Figure 2 is a side view and Figure 3 a front view to a larger scale than Figure 1 of
the runner and carrying device in which the point of suspension is shifted by
means of a swivelling piece and Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4–4
Figure 2.
a is a fixed circular rail and b is a rail moving with the hoist b*. c is the depend-
ing portion of the runner hanging between the rails and carried by the wheels a¹ b¹
on the rails a and b respectively.
事
The lower portion of the part c is in the form of a stem c² passing through the
swivelling piece & which is supported by a ring of balls d¹ in a race formed in a

page_text: nut screwing on to the bottom of the stem c² and secured by a lock nut c^. The
piece d carries a link e from which the projectile f (Figure 1) is suspended and is
provided with a handle g pivotted at g₁ for turning it round the stem c². This
handle when turned down into the position shown in full lines locks the piece d in
one of two positions owing to a projection g³ upon it entering one of two slots c³
in the nut c³.
In order to prevent the runner and projectile suspended therefrom from moving
along the rails owing to the motion of the vessel, we provide a brake capable of
clamping the runner to either rail. This brake h is carried by a lug on the part d and has
upon it a quick threaded screw h¹ so that on turning the handle h², the brake h is
brought against that rail on which the runner is resting and clamps the runner
to the rail. The handle h is conveniently pivotted at h³ so that it can be turned
down out of the way.
To give greater steadiness we may also provide two stops k on the part c against
which the brake h bears in its extreme positions.
may
Figures 5 and 6 are side and front views to a larger scale of the arrangement, in
which the lower end of part c is formed with a slot at either end of which the
link e carrying the projectile can be fixed by means of the nut m. The slot l
with advantage be inclined downwards in that direction in which the projectile is
more frequently moved, say from the fixed to the revolving rail, so that on loosening
the nut m the projectile moves over to the required position under the influence of
gravity.
Figures 7 and 8 are side and front views of the arrangement in which the link e
is suspended, by intermediate links if necessary, from a stud o carried by
tumbling links o¹ pivotted at o² to the part c, and capable of being fixed at either
end of the slot / by means of the nut m.
Having now particularly described and ascertained 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 combination of a fixed rail, a moving rail, a runner upon them and means
for making it engage with the one or the other.
2. The combination of a fixed rail, a moving rail, a runner upon them and means
for shifting the position of the centre of gravity of the shot relatively to the
runner.
3. The combination with arrangements such as are referred to in the
preceding claims of means for clamping the runner to the rail with which it
is engaged.
4. Means for shifting the centre of gravity of the shot substantially as described
with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4.
5. Means for shifting the centre of gravity of the shot substantially as described
with reference to Figures 5 and 6.
6. Means for shifting the centre of gravity of the shot substantially as described
with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
7. Gear for transporting projectiles for big guns substantially as described and
shown.
Dated this 1st day of September 1898.