IMPROVEMENTS IN to be as APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE BREECH OF HEAVY GUNS follow
Year: 1885

page_text: I CHARLES HENRY MURRAY of the Elswick Works in Newcastle upon Tyne
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
to be as
APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE BREECH OF HEAVY GUNS
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for opening and
closing the breech of heavy guns.
In guns baving the breech closed with a screw with divided thread the following
operations are necessary (1) to turn the screw through a certain angle (2) to with-
draw the breech screw from the gun (3) to remove the breech screw to one side out
of the way. To close the breech the processes are reversed.
I effect these operations by means of mechanism as follows:-I provide behind
the gun a saddle which is connected with a piston in an hydraulic cylinder and
which thus can be moved to and fro in a transverse and horizontal direction.
When the breach is being opened the saddle strikes a projection on the breach screw
and so turns the breach screw until the divided threads upon it are clear of those
in the breach of the gun-The saddle carries a rack and the same movement of the
saddle which unlocks the breach brings this rack into position to engage with a lug
upon the breach screw-The rack then retires in a direction parallel with the axis
of the gun, it draws back the breach screw with it and lodges it between suitable
supports on the saddle-The rack is actuated by pinions beneath it-These are
mounted so as to be able to slide with the movement of the saddle along two
parallel horizontal tranverse axes-On these axes near their ends are other pinions
gearing with a rack formed upon an hydraulic cylinder having a fixed piston and
rod-The cylinder by a movement parallel to the axis of the gun rotates the axes
carrying the pinions and so at the proper time retires the rack with the breach
screw as already stated.
When the breach screw is lodged upon its supports another transverse movement
of the saddle conveys it away to one side.
To facilitate the loading a guide tray is employed it is made in sections and one
of these sections preparatory to loading is caused to enter into the gun and to cover.
the divided screw threads in the breach whilst the shut and powder charge pass
over them.

page_text: This section is carried upon the saddle in suitable guides, it has a rack on its
under side which by intermediate pinions is geared with a pinion on a transverse
horizontal axis along which it slides during the movement of the saddle. This axis
can be rotated by means of a hand wheel. Preparatory to loading the movement
of the saddle brings the tray section which it carries into position to advance into
the gun and at the same time causes it to engage in rear with another section able
to slide telescopically into and out from a third section. When the section on the
saddle is caused to advance into the gun it draws forward the second section with
it and so the continuity of the loading tube is maintained.
After the loading, which is performed by mechanism forming no part of the present
invention, the front section of the tray is withdrawn from the gun the movement
of the saddle detaches it from the other sections and also brings the breech screw
into position to enter the gun. Then the advance of the main rack carries the
breech screw to its place and another movement of the saddle turns and locks it.
Dated this 6th day of Januonu 1945

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Opening and Closing the Breech
of Heavy Guns.
I CHARLES HENRY MURRAY of the Elswick Works in Newcastle upon 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 :—
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for opening and
closing the breech of heavy guns.
In guns having the breech closed with a screw with divided thread the following
operations are necessary (1) to turn the screw through a certain angle (2) to with-
draw the breech screw from the gun (3) to remove the breech screw to one side out
of the way. To close the breech the processes are reversed.
I effect these operations by means of mechanism as follows. I provide behind
the gun a saddle which is connected with a piston in an hydraulic cylinder and
which thus can be moved to and fro in a transverse and horizontal direction.
When the breech is being opened the saddle strikes a projection on the breech screw
and so turns the breech screw until the divided threads upon it are clear of those
in the breech of the gun. The saddle carries a rack and the saine movement of the
saddle which unlocks the breech brings this rack into position to engage with a lug
upon the breech screw. The rack then retires in a direction parallel with the axis
of the gun; it draws back the breech screw with it and lodges it between suitable
supports on the saddle. The rack is actuated by pinions beneath it, these are
mounted so as to be able to slide with the movement of the saddle along two
parallel horizontal transverse axes. On these axes near their ends are other pinions'
gearing with a rack formed upon an.hydraulic cylinder having a fixed piston and
rod. The cylinder by a movement parallel to the axis of the gun rotates the axes
carrying the pinions and so at the proper time retires the rack with the breech
screw as already stated.
When the breech screw is lodged upon its supports another transverse movement
of the saddle conveys it away to one side.
To facilitate the loading a guide tray is employed it is made in sections and one
of these sections preparatory to loading is caused to enter into the gun and to cover
the divided screw threads in the breech whilst the shot and powder charge pass
over them.
This section is carried upon the saddle in suitable guides it has a rack on its
under side which by intermediate pinions is geared with a pinion on a transverse
horizontal axis along which it slides during the movement of the saddle. This axis
can be rotated by means of, a hand wheel. Preparatory to loading the movement
of the saddle brings the tray section which it carries into position to advance into
the gun and at the same time causes it to engage in rear with another section able
to slide telescopically into and out from a third section. When the section on the
saddle is caused to advance into the gun it draws forward the second section with
it and so the continuity of the loading tube is maintained.

page_text: After the loading which is performed by mechanism forming no part of the present
nvention the front section of the tray is withdrawn from the gun the movement of
the saddle detaches it from the other sections and also brings the breech screw into
position to enter the gun. Then the advance of the main rack carries the breech
screw to its place and another movement of the saddle turns and locks it.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
man
DRAWING
T4སསབ
Figure 4 is an end elevation.
Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 3. 3. in Figure 1 and Figure 0 is a section
taken also on the line 3. 3. as far as relates to the fixed parts but with the moveable
parts in another position.
A represents the breech of the gun in position for loading and a is the breech
screw it is furnished with projections a¹ and a³. B is the bed of the loading
apparatus it carries the bearings of axes C and C². These axes have pinions upon
them D D which are geared together by an intermediate pinion E. F is a movable
hydraulic cylinder it contains within it a piston upon a rod F¹ which at its upper
end is securely fixed. There are passages in the piston rod by which liquid under
pressure can be admitted at pleasure into the cylinder beyond the piston and by
which also this liquid has free access to the portion of the cylinder above the piston.
Thus at pleasure by opening and closing the valves longitudinal movement can be
given to the cylinder F. The cylinder has a rack F2 on its under side which gears
with the pinions D1 and D2 so the axes C¹ C² can be rotated at pleasure.
The bed B and the axes C¹ and C2 carry a saddle G which is able to slide upon
them in a transverse direction. The saddle is actuated by the hydraulic cylinder H
and this cylinder contains a piston the rod of which attached to the saddle as is
clearly seen in Figure 3. The saddle G carries upon it a rack I which is able to
slide upon the saddle in a direction parallel to the axis of the gun. This rack
engages with pinions K¹ and K² on the axes C¹ and C which pinions slide with the
saddle. Grooves in these axes engage with projections within the pinions and
cause the pinions to rotate.
L' L2 and L³ are the three sections of the loading tray, one of these L¹ is carried
upon the saddle; it has a rack on its under side engaging with the first of a train
of wheels M' M and M³ all of which are carried by the saddle and the last of the
train is able to slide upon the axis N which at its end carries a hand wheel N¹ by
turning which the loading trays are actuated. The drawings Figures 1, 2, 3, 4
and 5 show the parts in the position they occupy when the breech screw of the gun
has been already unlocked and is ready to be withdrawn. The unlocking has been
brought about by the movement of the saddle from left to right bringing the parts
to the positions in which they appear in the Figures 1, 3 and 4. This movement
which was produced by operating the valves in connection with the hydraulic
cylinder F caused a projecting part on the saddle to strike against the projection a'
on the breech screw. Thus the breech screw has been turned in a direction
opposite to that of the hands of a watch. The hook or angular projection a² on the
breech-screw has by this motion been brought into a notch in the head or upper
end of the rack I. The next operation now is to cause the axes C¹ and C² to rotate
by admitting liquid under pressure to the lower end of the cylinder F. The
pinions K¹ and K2 in rotating now move the rack I rearward; it carries with it
the breech screw a of the gun drawing it out from its place and depositing it on the
supports GG upon the saddle. Movement from right to left is now given to
the saddle, it takes away the breech screw upon it and leaves the breech of the gun

page_text: exposed ready to receive the charge. The same movement of the saddle also places
the section L¹ of the loading tray immediately in rear of the open breech and it
causes the lug L* upon it to engage with the lip projecting from the under side of
the section L of the loading tray. This section is carried within the third
section L3 which is fixed. The section L2 is capable of movement along L³ like
the slide of a telescope. The hand wheel is now turned with the result that the
sections L L of the loading tray are caused to advance and the leading section L¹
enters the breech of the gun and covers the threads of the screw within it to
protect these threads whilst the projectile and charge pass forward along the loading
tray into the gun. Any convenient apparatus may be employed to place the
projectile and the charge in succession into the loading tray and to thrust first the
one and then the other forward into the gun. A hydraulic rammer is usually
employed in loading guns of these dimensions.
The charge being now in place in the gun the loading tray is retired by turning
the hand wheel N₁ in the reverse direction and the saddle is caused to move from
left to right. This brings the breech screw a, back to the breech of the gun and
into a position ready to enter it. By means of the hydraulic cylinder F the
pinions K and K are again caused to rotate but now in a direction to carry the
rack I forward towards the gun. In this movement the breech screw is pushed off
the supports G¹ G¹ and into the open breech of the gun. A partial movement of
the saddle G from right to left now causes the breech screw to rotate, the projection
on the saddle operating against the corresponding projection a¹ on the breech
screw.
The gun is now ready for firing and after firing the breech screw is unlocked by
a movement of the saddle from left to right which brings the parts back to the
position in which they are shown in the drawings.
The object of employing two axes C₁C and of duplicating some of the other
parts is to enable the rack I to be shortened to a convenient length.
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
1. Apparatus for opening and closing the breech of a gun, consisting in a trans-
versely moving saddle having parts upon it which rotate the breech screw to lock
and unlock it, and also parts which withdraw the said breech screw and support it
when it is so withdrawn substantially as described.
2. In combination with the above the telescopic loading tray of which a section
carried upon the saddle advances into the breech of the gun and retires from it
substantially as described.
3. Apparatus substantially as described and represented by the annexed drawings
for opening and closing the breech of heavy guns,