IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Fitzmaurice Palmer, of Northumberland Street,
Strand, in the City of Westminster, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES."
Sealed. the 12th May 1863, and dated the 15th November 1862.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Fitzmaurice Palmer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th November 1862.
I, FITZMAURICE PALMER, of Northumberland Street, Strand, in the City
of Westminster, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in projectiles relates to a novel mode of
constructing hollow projectiles such as shells, or projectiles to answer the
purpose of canister or grape shot. The object of the Invention is, first, to
construct a hollow projectile in such a manner that its flight shall be true and
not erratic, and that, whatever the range may be, the projectile shall strike
the object with the point or fore end foremost. This is effected by distri-
buting the weight in such a manner that the fore end or forward half of the
projectile, except bomb shells, which must be spherical, shall contain a large
excess, say, about two-thirds, of the entire weight..

page_text: Another part of the Invention consists in constructing the projectile of a
series of single rings, or compound rings, composed of two, three, or more
single rings, arranged and formed in such a manner, that on the projectile
exploding the rings shall be subdivided into a large number of pieces of nearly
equal dimensions, and of such a weight, that any piece, by its mere gravity
or weight when falling from a height, will be sufficient to kill or seriously
injure a man.
In carrying out this part of my Invention, the rings of which the compound
rings are composed are made of cast iron, steel, or other metal, and consist of
a series of diamond or wedge shaped pieces assembled together in an annular
form, and so constructed that each set of rings will fit into one another so as
to form a flat compound ring with an open centre. Any convenient number
of these compound rings may be piled one upon the other on an end plate,
the outer edge of which (if the projectile be intended for a rifled gun) may be
provided with a washer of brass or soft metal, which, upon the projectile being
fired from the gun, will be expanded and made to fit the grooves of the bore.
The forward end of the projectile is solid, and may be made either entirely of
or merely tipped with steel. The compound rings are combined with the
bottom plate and with the solid fore end by means of a strong wrought-iron
tie rod or bolt, which is screwed into the top and bottom pieces, and passes
freely through the central part of the rings. A hollow space or chamber will
therefore be left inside the compound rings to receive the exploding charge of
powder; but before placing this in the cavity, the latter is to be rendered air-
tight by being well payed over with a strong paint of white lead, zinc, or
other suitable composition, which will close the interstices between the rings.
Projectiles on this principle may either be made cylindrical or elongated with
conical or pointed ends, or they may be made spherical like ordinary bomb
shells.
The projectiles may be provided with a common fuze, which will be ignited
by the propelling charge in the ordinary manner.. A percussion fuze may
also be employed to explode the internal charge when, the projectile, strikes
any object; it is therefore of the greatest importance that the flight of the
projectile should be accurate, and that it should not be liable to turn end over
end in the air before it strikes the object.
By subdividing the compound rings into separate rings, each composed of a
series of pieces of a wedge or diamond shape, or other suitable form, it will
be understood that, upon the explosion of the internal charge taking place,
the rings and discs will be split up or divided into a vast number of fraginents,

page_text: and will be thrown with such force that each fragment will be capable of
killing or disabling a man.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Fitzmaurice Palmer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FITZMAURICE
PALMER, of Northumberland Street, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign;
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Fitzmaurice Palmer, Her special license that I, the said Fitzmaurice Palmer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Fitz-
maurice Palmer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exércise,-
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROJECTILES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Fitz-
maurice Palmer, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Fitzmaurice Palmer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Projectiles" relates to a novel mode of
constructing hollow projectiles such as shells, or projectiles to answer the
purpose of canister or grape shot. The object of the Invention is, first, to
construct a hollow projectile in such a manner that its flight shall be true and
not erratic, and that, whatever the range may be, the projectile shall strike

page_text: the object with the point or fore end foremost. This latter object is effected
by distributing the weight of the projectile in such a manner that the fore end
or forward half of it (except bomb shells, which must be spherical) shall
contain a large excess, say, about two-thirds, of the entire weight of the
projectile.
Another part of the Invention consists in constructing the projectile of a
series of single rings, or compound rings composed of two, three, or more
single rings, arranged and formed in such a manner, that on the projectile
exploding the rings shall be subdivided into a large number of pieces of nearly
equal dimensions, and of such a weight that any piece, by its mere gravity or
weight when falling from a height, will be sufficient to kill or seriously injure
a man.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of an elongated
projectile constructed on the improved plan; I have also shewn a sectional
view of a spherical bomb shell constructed according to the Invention.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through an elongated pro-
jectile in the line of its axis; Fig. 2 is a transverse or horizontal section taken
at right angles to the axis of the projectile.
On referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the projectile is composed of a
solid head a, a strong bottom plate b, and a series of compound rings c, c, c,
the whole being bound together by a strong wrought-iron tie rod d screwed at
both ends.
In carrying out my Invention, the rings c, c², and c³, of which the com-
pound rings c are composed, are made of cast iron, steel, or other metal, and
consist of a series of diamond or wedge shaped pieces assembled together in
an annular form, and so constructed that each set of rings will fit into one
another, so as to form a flat compound ring c with an open centre, as seen in
Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the outermost ring c¹; Figs. 4 and 5 are
similar views of the needle and inclined edges and c³. Any convenient
number of the compound rings c may be piled one upon the other on the end
plate b, as seen in Fig. 1, the outer edge of which plate (if the projectile be
intended for a rifled gun) may be provided with a washer e, of brass or soft
metal, which, upon the projectile being fired from the gun, will be expanded,
and made to fit the grooves of the bore. Fig. 6 is an end view of this plate,
shewing the brass washer e, which is cast on to the end plate 6, and is dove-
tailed therein in such a manner as to prevent it from turning on the end plate.
The dovetails which secure the washer in its place are shewn by dots in
Figs. 1 and 6.

page_text: a
It will be seen, on referring to Fig. 3, that the outermost ring c of the
compound rings c is provided with a projecting annular rib or feather f, which
fits into a corresponding groove made in the ring immediately above it, as seen
in Fig. 1. By this means the compound rings are prevented from shifting
laterally when placed one on the other, and when they are all secured in their
places they will form an air-tight joint. The forward end or head a of the
projectile is solid, and may be made either entirely of or merely tipped with
steel. A hole g is made through the piece a for the purpose of receiving
percussion tube and fuze. The compound rings, c are combined with the
bottom plate 6 and with the solid fore end or head a by means of the strong
wrought-iron tie rod or bolt d, which is screwed into the top and bottom
pieces a and b, and passes freely through the central part of the rings c. A
hollow space or chamber h will therefore be left inside the compound rings
to receive the exploding charge of powder, but before placing this in the
cavity, the inner surface of the latter is to be rendered air-tight by being well
coated over with a strong paint of white lead, zinc, or other suitable compo-
sition which will close the interstices between the rings c. If desired, this
composition or cement may be also applied between the rings so as to fill up
all the interstices.
Projectiles on this principle may either be made cylindrical or elongated,
with conical or pointed ends, as shewn in Fig. 1, or they may be made
spherical like ordinary bomb shells, as shewn in the sectional view, Fig. 7.
The projectiles may be provided with a common fuze, which will be ignited
by the propelling charge in the ordinary manner, or the charge may be
ignited by means of a percussion fuze, as is well known. The percussion
fuze should be adapted, as before mentioned, to the hole g, and will explode
the internal charge when the projectile strikes any object; it is therefore of
the greatest importance that the flight of the projectile should be accurate,
and that it should not be liable to turn end over end in the air before it
strikes the object. The correct flight of the projectile is ensured by placing the
excess of weight in advance of a point midway between the two ends, thereby
rendering the head or fore end the heavier of the two. By subdividing the
compound rings into separate rings, each divisible into a number of pieces
of a wedge or diamond shape or other suitable form, it will be understood
that, upon the explosion of the internal charge taking place, the rings c will
be split up or divided into a vast number of fragments, and will be
thrown with such force that each fragment will be capable of killing or
disabling a man.

page_text: Having now described my Invention of improvements in projectiles, and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, constructing hollow
projectiles of a series of rings arranged one upon the other, and held together
in any suitable manner, so that when the projectile explodes the rings may be 5
divided into a large number of fragments, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Fitzmaurice Palmer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
FITZMAURICE PALMER. (L.S.)