IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE RUNNING OUT AND IN OF ORDNANCE to be as follows :—
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works, Southwark in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE RUNNING OUT AND IN OF ORDNANCE
to be as follows :—
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in Apparatus for controlling the
running out and in of ordnance and may be applied in conjunction with hydraulic
compressors in which the piston rod passes through one end of the cylinder and is
in tension during recoil.
•
The piston rod is bored hollow for the greater part of its length the open end
being within the cylinder To the centre of the cylinder Cover is attached a rod
suitably tapered and passing inwards in the axis of the cylinder so that before
firing, this rod is almost wholly within the hollow part of the piston rod which fits
it more or less closely On firing the central rod will become more or less
uncovered by the relative movement of cylinder & piston rod and the central
hollow of the latter will become filled or nearly so with the liquid which
the cylinder contains To facilitate this filling up small holes may be made
transversely in the piston rod near the piston On the gun with its mounting
running out the central rod has to enter the piston rod against the resistance of
the liquid therein and the mounting can only run out a rate corresponding to the
displacement of the liquid which can be regulated as required by the suitable
adjustment of the size of the opening left for its exit and the gun and mounting
can be brought up gradually without an injurious shock.
In some cases in lieu of employing the taper rod the hollow piston rod is
connected with a tank containing liquid and then during the recoil of the gun
liquid is drawn into the cylinder past a valve which prevents return-An
adjustable bye pass when opened permits this liquid to flow back to the tank as
the gun runs out and the size of the bye pass passage governs the speed of the
movement.
A pump may be applied to force liquid into the cylinder through the piston rod
to run the gun in.
The Invention is applicable where the recoil is controlled otherwise than by
means of an hydraulic compressor.

page_text: and in of Ordnance.
"
I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Southwark in the County
of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE RUNNING OUT AND IN OF ORDNANCE
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 controlling the
running out and in of ordnance and may be applied in conjunction with hydraulic
compressors in which the piston rod passes through one end of the cylinder and is
in tension during recoil.
The piston rod is bored hollow for the greater part of its length the open end
being within the cylinder. To the centre of the cylinder cover is attached a rod
suitably tapered and passing inwards in the axis of the cylinder so that before
firing this rod is almost wholly within the hollow part of the piston rod which fits
it more or less closely. On firing the central rod will become more or less
uncovered by the relative movement of cylinder and piston rod-and the central
hollow of the latter will become filled or nearly so with the liquid which
the cylinder.contains. To facilitate this filling up small holes may be made
transversely in the piston rod near the piston. On the gun with its mounting
running out the central rod has to enter the piston rod against the resistance of
the liquid therein and the mounting can only run out at a rate corresponding to
the displacement of the liquid which can be regulated as required by the suitable
adjustment of the size of the opening left for its exit and the gun and mounting
can be brought up gradually without an injurious shock.
In some cases in lieu of employing the taper rod the hollow piston rod is
connected with a tank containing liquid and then during the recoil of the gun
liquid is drawn into the cylinder past a valve which prevents return. An
adjustable bye pass when opened permits this liquid to flow back to the tank as
the gun runs out and the size of the bye pass passage governs the speed of the
movement.
A pump may be applied to force liquid into the cylinder through the piston rod
to run the gun in.
The invention is applicable where the recoil is controlled otherwise than by
means of an hydraulic compressor.
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.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Figures 1 and 2 show a plan (partly in section) and an elevation of one
apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.
The piston rods a a pass through the cylinders b b at the forward ends and are
connected to the slide in brackets c c.

page_text: The cylinders b b form part of the gun carriage and recoil with the gun-the
rods a a are stationary and in tension during recoil.
Liquid is during the recoil forced through passages in the piston and these
passages are gradually closed in a manner described in the specification of a former
patent granted to me and which is now well known.
The piston rods a a are bored hollow as shown at d in the sectional view. To
the centre of the rear cylinder cover e is connected a taper, or suitable shaped, rod f
which passes into the hollow part of the piston rod and in the firing position nearly
fills it.
On firing the central rod f is drawn out of the piston rod according to the length.
of recoil and the hollow space in the rod becomes filled or nearly so with liquid
which the cylinder contains. To facilitate this filling up a few small holes gare
made transversely in the piston rod near the piston, so that the pressure due to
recoil will force liquid into the central hollow.
On the gun and mounting running out by gravity down the inclined slido the
central rodf bas to enter the piston rod against the resistance of the liquid therein,
and the gun can only run out at a rate corresponding to the displacement of the
liquid which can be regulated as required by suitably adjusting the size of the
taper rod with respect to the hollow in the piston rod.
To run the mounting in a pump may be employed. The pump is connected to
a reservoir i fitted to the slide and also by a pipe k to the front end of one of the
piston rods a-which is, when this arrangement is used, bored centrally up to
the hollow d. The two cylinders bb may either be connected by a passage or
may be distinct. On liquid being drawn by the pump from the reservoir i and
forced through the piston rod into the one cylinder it will pass to the other by the
passage if existant, and the gun will be run in by the pressure due to excess of
areas of the rear faces of the cylinders over those of the front faces-or by the
pressure in the one cylinder, where there is no communicating passage.
A bye pass plug m is provided, by closing this, the gun is kept back at the end
of the slide and by opening it the gun is allowed to run out by gravity by letting
the liquid flow back direct from the pipe to the reservoir i.
Figures 3 and 4 show a plan (partly in section) and an elevation and Figure 5 a
section of reservoir of a second proposed arrangement. The pistons a a cylinders bb
and brackets c c are similarly placed to those in Figures 1 and 2.
In this case one of the piston rods a is centrally bored throughout and connected
at the front end by a pipe e to a reservoir f which when the gun is out is nearly
filled with liquid, preferably under pressure of air therein. On the gun recoiling-
and a reduction of pressure taking place in the cylinder b to the rear of the piston
below that in the reservoir-liquid will be drawn therefrom past the non-return
valve g-into the cylinder b. The valve h allows air to enter the reservoir to
prevent the pressure therein falling below that of the atmosphere.
To allow the gun to run out the bye-pass plug i is raised allowing the liquid to
return to the reservoir from the pipe e by the passage k.
To run the gun in, a pump 7 is arranged so as to draw liquid from the reservoir
by the pipe m and force it into the cylinder b by passing through the pipe n above
the valve g into the pipe e and so into the cylinder. While running in by this
arrangement the bye pass plug i must be closed and it is raised to allow the gun to
run out by gravity.
The pump also serves to give a pressure of air in the reservoir by forcing
additional liquid into it. The two cocks op being closed and the two gr opened,
liquid being drawn in from any convenient source by the pipe 8 and delivered to
the reservoir by the pipe t.
The pump may also be placed inside the reservoir f and both pump and reservoir
be placed inside the slide the pump being worked from the outside of the slide by
suitably arranging the lever.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 show a modification of the central rod. Instead of being
tapered the rod is made cylindrical throughout, its exterior nearly fitting the hole

page_text: in the piston rod-a number of grooves are cut along it commencing to the rear of
the transverse holes in the piston rod. The grooves are made more or less tapering
in depth. The number of transverse holes in the piston rod corresponds to the
number of grooves in the central rod-and to the outer end of the latter is fitted a
lever working between stops by which it can be turned on its axis so as to be set
either with the grooves and holes in line with each other or more or less out of line
so as to give a more or less contracted opening for the liquid, thus controlling the
run out in accordance with the setting.
The transverse holes in the piston are also made inclining towards the front-
they lead from a channel cut in the face of the piston-the holes are drilled through
from the exterior of the piston and the holes in the outer portion afterwards closed
by plugs.
The Figures 6 and 8 show a modified form for the connection of the pipe from
the force pump to the forward end of the piston rod.
The central hole in the piston rod is stopped short of the front end and a
transverse hole made into it. A D shaped collar, the lower face fitting on the
slide, is put on the rod over the transverse hole. The collar is screwed to take the
coupling connecting the pipe from the pump to the collar. The joint is made by
the ferrule on the pipe pressing against a washer let into a seating made around
the transverse hole at the exterior of the piston rod. The collar is fitted preferably
so that the pipe passes to the inside of the slide.
In Figure 9 the passages through the piston are seen at xx.
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 in which the movement of a gun in running out after recoil is
controlled by the entrance of. a tapered or suitably formed rod into a passage
approximately fitting it and which passage is charged with water or liquid.
(2.) Apparatus in which the movement of the gun in recoil is controlled by an
hydraulic buffer with piston and piston rod and the movement in running out is
controlled by the entrance of a tapered or suitably formed rod into a passage
formed in the said piston rod and which passage is charged with water or liquid.
(3.) Apparatus in which the movement of the gun in recoil is controlled by an
hydraulic buffer and the movement in running out is controlled by a stop or valve
on a passage by which water or liquid passes through a hollow piston rod into the
cylinder of the hydraulic buffer during the recoil.
(4.) Apparatus in which the movement of the gun in recoil is controlled by an
hydraulic buffer with piston and hollow piston rod and in which a pump forcing
liquid into the cylinder through the hollow piston rod when required runs the gun
in without firing.
(5.) Apparatus substantially as herein described and shown for controlling the
movement of ordnance.