IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN-CARRIAGES.
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August 1883.
WILLIAM GARDNER, of St. Leonards in the County of Sussex "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GUN-CARRIAGES.'
"
My invention relates to gun-carriages, and is designed to provide novel and
efficient means for deadening or diminishing the shock produced by the recoil of a
gün and thereby preventing injury by the said recoil to the gun, or to the carriage,
or to the structure upon which the carriage and gun are mounted, and for
accomplishing this result in such a manner that the gun will, upon being discharged.
or fired, yield rearwardly and then automatically resume, or return to, the position
which it occupied previous to the discharge, so that two or more shots can be fired
at one object without there being any necessity for relaying the gun.
The essential novel feature of my said invention consists in constructing the gun-
carriage substantially upon the principle of a parallel ruler of that kind in which
there are two bars or pieces so connected by arms or links that the said bars may
move nearer to, or farther from, each.other, but always remain parallel; that is to
say, I make the gun-carriage with an upper portion or frame and a lower portion
or base connected by means of parallel movable links, so that the upper portion is
capable of movement, relatively to the base, in such a manner as to turn the said
links around the bolts or pivots which connect them to the lower portion or base.
The manner in which I prefer to adapt this principle to the purposes of my
invention is hereinafter described.
In combination with the said links, I arrange one or more springs or other
devices to act as buffers or cushions for counteracting or neutralizing the recoil of
the gun. And I sometimes also employ one or more buffers or cushions for
counteracting or neutralizing the resilient force of the first named buffers after the
latter have been compressed.
These buffers or cushions may consist of springs of any kind or of hydraulic
cylinders and pistons or any other suitable devices, but I prefer to make them of
india-rubber as hereinafter set forth.

page_text: In some cases I provide two lovers each of which is formed integrally with, or
rigidly secured to, one of the said links and is provided with a recess to receive
one of the buffers.
The lower portion of the carriage may be so constructed and arranged that it
can be moved around any portion, or the whole, of a circle; but the upper portion
is preferably arranged to move, relatively to the lower portion, in a direction parallel
to the vertical plane passing through the axis of the gun.
I also provide means for obtaining the desired elevation or depression of the
gun, as hereinafter set forth.
My invention is applicable to the mounting of all varieties of ordnance, whether
for use in the field, or in fortifications, or on board ship, or otherwise.
I will describe my said invention more fully as applied to a carriage for a gun of
light calibre. This carriage is made with a base-plate designed to be secured to
the deck of a ship or boat or to any other suitable platform, and upon the said
base-plate is arranged a rotating portion or turn-table. I make the upper surface
of this turn-table flat and provide the same with two cheeks or side pieces. I
also provide two cheeks which are rigidly united to form the upper portion or
frame of the gun-carriage and which support the bearings for the trunnions of the
gun. These cheeks are connected to the cheeks of the said turn-table by means of
two parallel links having levers formed integrally therewith or rigidly united
thereto and projecting at right angles therefrom. These links are connected to the
upper portion of the gun-carriage by bolts passing through the said links and
secured in the same frame by screw-nuts. The said links are connected to the
lower portion of the said carriage by pius or pivots which pass through the said
links and through the cheeks or side pieces of the turn-table. The two portions of
the gun-carriage are thus united in a similar manner to the two portions of a
parallel ruler. One of the said levers is considerably longer than the other lever
and is made with a circular recess at its free end to receive a buffer of india-rubber
which bears upon the upper surface of the turn-table. The short lever is made
with a screw-threaded aperture at its free end to receive a correspondingly screw-
threaded piece provided with a recess to receive a buffer of india-rubber which
also bears upon the upper surface of the said turn-table.
These two buffers support the upper portion of the carriage so that it is a slight
distance above the lower portion or turn table, and the screw-threaded piece in the
end of the short lever is made removable and adjustable to regulate the compression
of the buffers.
When the gun is fired the force of the recoil is imparted to the turn-table or
lower portion of the carriage through the long lever and its buffer, and the shock
or strain upon the carriage is thus considerably diminished. The buffer in the
short lover serves to counteract the resilient force of the first buffer and thus
prevents any heavy shock or strain upon the several parts of the carriage.
I prefer to construct the carriage in such a manner that the buffers can be easily
removed and replaced when necessary or desirable, and for this purpose I so arrange
the aforesaid levers in combination with the other parts that, when the said screw-
threaded piece is removed from the short lever, the upper portion of the carriage
will descend and force the end of the long lever up, into a convenient position for
the removal of the buffer therefrom.
I provide the following means for obtaining the desired elevation or depression
of the gun, that is to say-I fix an arm to one of the trunnions of the gun and
provide the said arm with a pivotted screw-nut and I attach to the carriage, in any
suitable manner, a pivotted eye through which passes a rod provided with a hand-
wheel. This rod is free to rotate in the said eye, but is prevented from moving
longitudinally therein by fixed collars or other suitable devices. The free end of
the said rod is screw-threaded and passed through the said screw-nut.

page_text: "
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Gardner in the Patent Office on the 29th February
1884.
WILLIAM GARDNER, of St Leonard's, in the County of Sussex,
IN GUN-CARRIAGES
."
IMPROVEMENTS
My invention relates to gun-carriages, and is designed to provide novel and
efficient means for deadening or diminishing the shock produced by the recoil of a
gun and thereby preventing injury by the said recoil to the gun, or to the carriage,
or to the structure upon which the carriage and gun are mounted, and for accom-
plishing this result in such a manner that the gun will, upon being discharged or
fired, yield rearwardly and then automatically resume, or return to, the position
which it occupied previous to the discharge, so that two or more shots can be fired'
at one object without there being any necessity for relaying the gun.
I make my improved gun-carriage with an upper portion or frame and a lower
portion or base connected by means of parallel movable links, so that the upper
portion is capable of movement, relatively to the base, in such a manner as to.
turn the said links around the bolts or pivots which connect them to the lower
portion or base.
In combination with the said links I arrange one or more buffers or cushions for
counteracting, neutralizing or resisting the recoil of the gun. And I prefer to
employ one or more additional buffers or cushions for counteracting, neutralizing, or
resisting the action of the first named buffer or buffers.. These buffers or cushions
may consist of springs or other suitable devices, such as hydraulic or pneumatic
cylinders, but I prefer to make them of india-rubber as hereinafter set forth.
In some cases I provide two levers, each of which is formed integrally with, or
rigidly secured to, one, of the said links, and is preferably provided with a recess to
ryceive one of the aforesaid buffers or cushions.
The lower portion of the carriage may be so- constructed and arranged that it
can be moved around any portion, or the whole, of a circle; but the upper portion
should be arranged to move, relatively to the lower portion, in a direction parallel
to the vertical plane passing through the axis of the gun.
I also provide means for obtaining the desired elevation or depression of the
gun, as hereinafter set forth.
My invention is applicable to the mounting of all varieties of ordnance whether
for use in the field, or in fortifications, or on board ship, or otherwise.
I have shown in the accompanying drawings how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously applied to a carriage for a gun of light calibre.
Figure 1 is a plan of this gun-carriage with some of the parts removed.
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they assume when
the gun recoils, and
Figure 4 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they assume when
one of the buffers and a screw-threaded piece which holds it are removed.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the said buffer and screw-threaded piece.
Figure 5 is a section on the line y, y, Figure 1.
Figure 6. is an elevation of the left hand side of the said gun-carriage.
•

page_text: Figure 7 is a central vertical section showing another form or modification of
my improved gun-carriage, and
Figure 8 is a side elevation showing a further modification thereof.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings
a is a base plate provided with a flange a whereby it may be secured to the
deck of a ship or boat, or to any suitable platform. b is a turn-table or part of the
carriage arranged to rotate upon the said base-plate. This turn-table is made with
a central pivot b¹ which fits into a boss or hub'ain the centre of the base-plate a.
The upper surface of the said turn-tible is flat, and is provided with two cheeks
or side pieces b². A plate b³ is fixed to the underside of the front edge of the said
turn-table by screws, and projects under the flange a of the base-plate so as to
prevent the lifting or tilting of the turn-table by the recoil of the gun. c, c aro
two cheeks or side pieces which form substantially the upper portion or frame of
the gun-carriage and which are made with bearings c' for the trunnions of the gun.
These checks are rigidly united by bolts as hereinafter set forth, and are connected
to the tum-table by means of two parallel links d, e, having levers d', o, formed
integrally therewith. These links are connected to the cheeks.c by the bolts f. f'
which pass through the said links and are secured in the said cheeks by the screw-
nuts y. The said bolts are turned at their ends to form shoulders which are
drawn, by the said screw-nuts, against corresponding shoulders in the checks c, as
shown by dotted lines in Figure 5. The said links are connected to the cheeks b*
of the turn-table b by the pins or pivots, which pass through the said links
and checks.
The two portions of the gun-carringo are thus united in such a manner that they
may move nearer to, or farther from, each other, but always remain parallel. The
lever d is considerably longer than the lever e and is made with a recess or
cavity to receive a buffer i of india-rubber, which bears upon the upper surface
of the turn-table b. The lever el is made with a screw-threaded aperture o into
which fits a correspondingly screw-threaded piece j which is made hollow or
provided with a recess or cavity to receive a buffer / of india-rubber, which also
bears upon the upper surface of the said turn-table.
The piece is usually fitted with a plate or disc je secured in the recess i¹ by a
screw so ns to be free to rotate and thus permit, or facilitate, the removal of the
piece from the lever e', which might otherwise be prevented or rendered difficult
by the adhesion of the india-rubber to the turntable and to the said piece j.. The
buffers and support the cheeks c so as to leave a slight space between the
latter and the cheeks 2 of the turn-table b.
I prefer to construct the gun-carriage in such a manner that the buffers can be
easily removed and replaced when necessary or desirable, and for this purpose I so
arrange the aforesaid levers, in combination with the other parts of the gun-carriage,
that, when the screw-threaded piece j is withdrawn from the lever el, the buffer
can be removed and the checks c will descend and force the end of the lever di
upward until it is stopped by the bolt or rod as shown in Figure 4. The buffer i
can then be also removed. It is, moreover, desirable that the buffers i and should
bo compressed so that they will have an initial resistance, and by turning the
screw-threaded piece in one direction, or the other the compression of the said
buffers can be regulated as desired. The screw-threaded piece is made with a
hexagonal head to facilitate its removal from the lever e'. The bolt is secured
in the cheeks c by screw-nuts and serves, in combination with the bolts ſ, ƒ³, to
hold the said cheeks rigidly together.
The operation of my improved gun-carriage is as follows, that is to say:- -When
the gun recoils, the links d, e, move partly around their pivots in the direction
shewn by the arrows in Figure 3 and thus depress the lever d and raise the
lever . The depression of the lever d' compresses the buffer i which counteracts,
neutralizes or resists the recoil; and the raising of the lover c permits the
expansion of the buffer k. The resilience of the buffer causes the said links to

page_text: move in the opposite direction so that the lever d¹ is raised and the lever e¹ is
depressed, thereby compressing the buffer k, which counteracts, neutralizes, or
resists the action of the buffer i. These two buffers thus act in opposition to each
other, and the upper part of the carriage will oscillate slightly until the buffers
attain their equilibrium and the gun returns to the position which it occupied
previous to its discharge.
I provide the following means for obtaining the desired elevation or depression
of the gun, that is to say, I fix an arm m to one of the trunnions of the gun and
provide the said arm with a pivotted screw-nut n, and I attach to the carriage in
any suitable manner a pivotted eye a through which passes a rod p provided with
a hand-wheel g. This rod is free to rotate in the said eye, but is prevented from
moving longitudinally therein by the fixed collars p¹, or by other suitable means.
The free end of the rod p is screw-threaded and passes through the screw-nut n, so
that, by turning the hand-wheel q in one direction or the other, the gun will be
accordingly elevated or depressed.
It is obvious that, although I bave herein described and shewn the upper portion
of the carriage as connected by the links to a turn-table, the said upper portion
might be connected in a similar manner to any other suitable base; for example, to
a lower portion or base pivotted at its front end and provided with suitable means
for facilitating the rotation of the same upon its pivot. Moreover the levers d¹, ei
although shown at right angles to the links, may be made at any other suitable
angle thereto.
The employment of levers in combination with the parallel links is not
absolutely necessary, and in Figures 7 and 8 I have shown two forms or
modifications of my improved gun-carriage in which the said levers are dispensed
with.
In Figure 7, the turn-table b is made with a central boss or projection 65 formed
with two recesses or cavities on opposite sides thereof. The link d is also formed.
with a recess or cavity. The buffer i is placed between the said boss or projection
and the link d; and the buffer k is placed between the said boss or projection and
a recessed or cup-shaped piece 3 having a stem or rod j projecting therefrom and
rounded at its end to fit into a recess or cavity in the end of the screw-bolt r
which passes through a screw-threaded aperture in the link e. These buffers are
of india-rubber and operate in a similar manner to those above described.
In Figure 8, a buffer or cushion ¹ of india-rubber is shewn placed between the
two portions of the gun-carriage. This buffer or cushion performs the functions of
the buffers and k above described, and like these buffers it should be compressed
so that it will have an initial resistance.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that I do not
claim broadly or irrespectively of my improvements as herein set forth the
connection of the upper and lower portions of a gun-carriage by means of parallel
movable links, nor the combination, with such links, of hydraulic or pneumatic
apparatus for storing force, developed by the recoil of a gun, to be subsequently
used for raising the gun to its firing position, as I am aware that these devices
have been shewn and described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to
Alexander Moncrieff and dated 10th March, 1869, N° 739, but I claim :-
First. In a gun-carriage having its upper portion or frame connected to its
lower portion or base by parallel movable links, the combination, with the said
links and the buffer or buffers as shown (or other suitable divices for counter-
acting, neutralizing or resisting the recoil of the gun), of one or more additional
buffers for counteracting or resisting the action of the first named buffer or buffers,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Second. The device consisting in the combination, with the lever e¹, of the
hollow or recessed screw-threaded piece j and the buffer or cushion k, substantially
as, and for the purposes, set forth.

page_text: Third. The improved gun-carriage consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to either of the forms or
modifications shown in the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for, the
purposes, specified.
In witness whereof I the said William Gardner have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty eighth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.