IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRING ORDNANCE"
Year: 1885

page_text: I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the county of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRING
ORDNANCE" to be as follows:-
These improvements have reference to a construction of firing mechanism for
breech loading ordnance such as was described in the Specification to Letters
Patent granted to me on the 13th October 1883 N° 4872, wherein a firing bolt or
pin urged forward by a spring was provided with inclines or teeth, operating in
combination with other inclines or teeth on the breech piece of the gun, so that on
partially rotating the firing bolt, this was drawn back first to half-cock and then to
full-cock, when it was propelled forward so as to fire the charge.
According to the present invention the firing bolt or. pin and its fixed and
moveable inclines or teeth are constructed as follows.
According to one arrangement, the firing bolt has on its outer end a head having
inclines bearing against corresponding inclines on a socket screwed into the breech
piece and which serves also to retain the helical spring through which the bolt
passes and which bears against a shoulder on the inner end of the firing pin. Both
sets of inclines have vertical drops which, by the rotation of the firing bolt, are
brought so as to face each other, whereupon the firing bolt which had been pushed
back by the action of the inclines, will be free to be propelled forward by the
spring. Either the fixed inclines or the moveable ones are stepped or notched at or
about the middle of their length so that when the firing bolt has been turned
through half the distance, the noses of the one set of inclines will spring into the
said steps or notches on the other set of inclines and the firing bolt will thus be
held at half-cock. In order to prevent the breech piece from being opened except
when the firing bolt is at half-cock, a latch pivotted to the breech-piece, has its one
end engaged in a groove in the before mentioned collar on the inner end of the
firing bolt, while its other end is so formed that while the bolt is thrown forward
it enters a notch in the breech of the gun and thus prevents the breech-piece from
being removed.

page_text: . According to another modification, the inner end of the firing bolt is enlarged
and has inclined grooves and drops formed on it, into which enter spring pins
situated in the breech piece at right angles to the firing bolt so that on the rotation
of the firing bolt the action of the spring pins upon the inclined grooves will cause
the bolt to be pushed backwards into the firing position. Steps or recesses are
formed at or about the middle of the length of the grooves, so that the spring pins
in entering such steps or recesses will hold the bolt at half cock. These spring pins
have tail pieces which extend through the breech piece and enter notches in the
breech of the gun so that it is only when the bolt is at half cock and the pins have
sprung into the beforementioned recesses that their tails are withdrawn from the
notches in the breech of the gun, whereupon the breech piece can be withdrawn.
The above arrangement may also be reversed that is to say, the spring pin or
pins may be situated in the firing bolt and the inclined grooves be situated in the
breech-piece.
,
The last described modification may also be arranged at the outer end of the
striking bolt, and that first described may also be arranged at the inner end.
According to another modification of the first described arrangement, instead of
forming the inclines with vertical drops that are formed as double or symmetrical
inclines of V-shape and the one set or the other has notches at the apex into which
the points of the other set of inclines spring, so as to hold the firing bolt at
half-cock. Or, in place of two sets of inclines, a single set of V-shaped grooves may
be employed on the one part, into which take studs on the other part, the grooves
being provided with notches at their apex so as to hold the studs at half cock.
With this construction the rotation of the firing bolt for firing is effected by a
lanyard, but the partial rotation thereof for bringing it to half cock is effected
automatically on the removal of the breech piece by the following construction.
The head of the bolt has an arm, which on the completion of the partial rotation
thereof for firing, is brought against a stop or stud on the breech of the gun so as
to be prevented from further rotation. Thus on the breech piece being turned for
unscrewing the same while the firing belt is held stationary, the inclines on the
former in acting on the inclines of the latter will cause the firing bolt to be pushed
back again to half-cock. On turning the breech-piece back again after insertion of
a charge, the firing bolt will be rotated with it and will thus have its arm removed,
from the said stop so as to be free to be rotated by the lanyard for firing.
In all the above arrangements it is preferred to employ two of the said inclines
or grooves in the circumference of the firing bolt so that the bolt is brought to full
cock and fired at every semi-rotation.
Doted this 20th day of Tanum 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRING
ORDNANCE and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly:
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
These improvements have reference to a construction of firing mechanism for
breech loading ordnance such as was described in the Specification to Letters
Patent granted to me on the 13th October 1883 No 4872 wherein a firing bolt or
pin urged forward by a spring was provided with inclines or teeth, operating in
combination with other inclines or teeth on the breech piece of the gun, so that on
partially rotating the firing bolt, this was drawn back first to half-cock and then
to full-cock, when it was propelled forward so as to fire the charge.
According to the present invention the firing bolt or pin and its fixed and move-
able inclines or teeth are constructed as follows.
According to one arrangement shewn at Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings
the firing bolt g had on its outer end a head m having inclines v bearing against
corresponding inclines u ul on a sockets screwed into a breech piece and which
serves also to retain the helical spring through which the bolt passes and which
bears against a shoulder on the inner end of the firing pin. Both sets of inclines
have vertical drops which, by the rotation of the firing bolt by the attachment of
a lanyard to the studs are brought so as to face each other, whereupon the firing.
bolt which had been pushed back by the action of the inclines as shewn at Figs 3
and 3ª will be free to be propelled forward by the spring. Either the fixed inclines
or the moveable ones are stepped or notched at or about the middle of their length
as shewn at Figs 4 and 4ª so that when the firing bolt has been turned through
half the distance, the noses of the one set of inclines will spring into the said steps
or notches on the other set of inclines and the firing bolt will thus be held at half
cock, as shewn at Figs 2 and 2ª. In order to prevent the breech piece from being
opened except when the firing bolt is at half cock, a latch h pivotted to the breech
piece has its one end engaged in a groove in the before mentioned collar on the
inner end of the firing bolt, while its other end is so formed that while the bolt is
thrown forward it enters a notch k in the breech of the gun and thus prevents the
breech piece from being removed until by bringing the bolt to half cock, the latch
is brought into the dotted position at II. According to another modification shewn
at Figs 5 to 9 the inner end of the firing bolt is enlarged at m and has inclined
grooves at a and drops c and d formed on it, into which enter spring pins b situated
in the breech piece at right angles to the firing boit so that on the rotation of the
firing bolt the action of the spring pins upon the inclined grooves will cause the
bolt to be pushed backwards into the firing position. Steps or recesses c c are
formed at or about the middle of the length of the grooves, so that the spring pins
in entering such steps or recesses will hold the bolt at half cock as shewn at Figs 6.
8 and 9
.

page_text: Fig 7 shews the bolt moved back to full cock with the spring pin b situated at
the highest point of the groove a, so that on the further rotation of the bolt, the
pin will enter the drop d thus allowing the bolt to be thrown forward by the
spring. Fig 8 shews a section at A B Fig. 7 shewing the groove a with its recesses
cc for half cock and drops d d. Fig. 9 shews a developed plan of the groove a
with its recesses and drops.
The recesses c c also serve to permit the tails of the pins b which are pressed
inwards by springs f, to pass out of the recesses k k in the breech of the gun, as
shewn at Fig 6, so that when the bolt g has been brought to half cock, the breech
piece can be removed for the introduction of a new charge. The breech block
having been inserted again, and the bolt g rotated for firing, the pins 6 pass out of
the recesses c c into the groove a again, whereby their tails are again brought into
the recesses k so as automatically to lock the breech piece in position. It will be
readily understood that only one spring pin 6 may be employed in place of two, and
that the spring pin may be arranged on the firing bolt, and the groove a be formed
in the breech block or in a bush fitted therein as shewn at Fig 10. Fig 9ª shews
a developed plan of a modified form of the groove a in. which it is formed with
steps c in place of recesses.
The devices of the arrangements shewn at Fig. I to 4ª can be also made inverted
in position, that is to say, at the inner end of the bolt, as in Fig 5, and the arrange-
ment at Fig 5 may also be applied at the outer end as at Fig 1.
Figs 11 to 16 shew an arrangement with symetrically formed inclines and drops.
In this arrangement the axial movement of the firing bolt to full cock is effected
by the direct rotation thereof, while the axial movement to half-cock is effected by
the rotation of the breech piece on opening the same, during which time the
rotation of the bolt is prevented. The positions No 1 of Figs 11. 15 and 16 shew
the relative positions of the firing bolt with its inclines v and the fixed inclines u
after firing, the breech piece is assumed to be closed. In this position of the firing
bolt its crosshead x is situated against a projection y on the breech of the gun. If
now the breech piece be turned through the angle a in the direction of the
arrow 1 for unscrewing it, whereby the socket s with its inclines u u will be made
to turn relatively to the inclines vv, of the bolt g which is held stationary' as
described, and consequently the bolt will be moved backward until the half cock
position has been attained as at II Figs 13, 15, and 16.
If, after introducing the charge, the breech piece be closed again, being turned for
this purpose in the direction of the arrow 2, the firing bolt, situated at half-cock
is caused to participate in this motion whereby the crosshead ¹ will be moved
away from the stud y, and the bolt will assume the position II Figs 15 and 16.
In this position the firing lanyard can be attached and the bolt be rotated thereby
in the direction of the arrow 3.
The apices of the inclines will then pass out of the notches of u and the bolt
will be thrown forward by the spring so as to effect the firing, being thereby
brought back to the position I again.
The rotation of the bolt will have brought the crosshead x¹ against the study
again, so that on again turning the breech piece for reloading, the above described
action will be repeated.
The special movement for bringing the bolt to half cock is consequently dispensed
with in this arrangement. As the half-cock position is reached before the breech
block is opened, the arrangement is perfectly safe and the accidental opening of
the breech-block is also sufficiently guarded against by the resistance offered by the
firing bolt against its backward motion which would have to be effected as described.
In this case also, the inclines u with the notches might be formed on the firing
boli, and the inclines v be formed on the breech piece as at Fig 17. In place of
the inclines might also be used a groove and stud arrangement, as at Fig 18.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of, my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim, in

page_text: respect of mechanism for firing ordnance such as was described in the Specification
to my Patent No 4872 of 1883, is
1. The arrangement of the inclines v v Figs 1 to 4, or the inclines u u¹ Fig 4º, or
the groove a with inclines and recesses c Figs 5 and 9; or the groove with inclines a
Fig 9ª or the teeth or pins b Fig 10, directly upon a firing bolt, rotating con-
tinuously in one and the same direction, so that the inclines, grooves or pins in
revolving with the bolt, slide backwards and forwards against the corresponding
fixed inclines u u¹ or v v¹ or spring pins b b or in the stepped grooves a, whereby
the firing bolt is brought twice into the half-cock and full cock positions during
one revolution.
2. The arrangement of the inclines vv Figs 12 to 10, or the inclines uu Fig 17,
or the stepped grooves or pins Fig 18 directly upon a periodically reciprocating
firing bolt, the said inclines being symetrically situated in respect of the inclines
uul or v v¹ or pins, or steeped grooves upon the breech block k, and which are
rotatable therewith in the contrary direction to that of the firing bolt, so that the
bringing of the firing bolt k to half cock, as shewn at Fig 16 II, and Figs 17 and 18
is effected by the rotation of the breech piece while the firing bolt is prevented
from rotating, the forward motion of the firing bolt for firing being effected by the
rotation thereof in the contrary direction to that of the breech piece.
3. The arrangement of the spring pins b as catches for preventing the opening
of the breech piece except when the firing bolt is at half cock, the tails of the said
spring pins being made to enter notches in the breech of the gun.
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