Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALFRED CHRISTOPHER KOERNER engineer of 21 rue Royale, Paris, France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Rapid firing guns for naval service require a carriage of special design, which
offers the greatest facilities for rapid pointing of the gun and in which the pointing
and firing of the same are placed in the hands of a single man, in order to obtain
the greatest accuracy of fire under the continual movements of the vessel carrying
the gun, and the moving enemy. The gun, in fact, must be always ready for fire,
as the rapidity of fire of a gun of this class is entirely dependent on the rapidity
and facility with which it is possible to point it. The carriage herein described is
arranged for the Hotchkiss rapid firing gun but can, by slight modifications be
adapted to the Nordenfelt or any other system of gun.
The carriage is constructed on the well known Albini principle, consisting of a
hydraulic cylinder connected to two rocking arms, the lower end of which are
jointed to a base plate and the upper end of which act as trunnion bearings for
the gun. My invention comprises the application of the said principle conjointly
with the hereinafter described devices, comprising a bed plate upon which the
whole construction is mounted, a swivelling frame carrying the moving parts
a shoulder piece for the gun a device for raising and lowering the gun by a hand
wheel, a clip or clips for connecting the swivelling frame to the bed plate and the
adaptation of a recoil spring or springs to the rocking arms above referred to.
In the annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of my naval
carriage with a Hotchkiss rapid-firing gun. Fig. 3 shows in detail, in vertical
section the rocking arms to which the hydraulic cylinder is connected.
.
The bed plate and pivot 2 consist of a single casting which is bolted to the
deck or other suitable part of the vessel; upon the same is mounted a pivoting
frame 3 which carries the moving parts of the carriage. Its forward end is turned
up at to form a support for the hydraulic cylinder 5. The frame is free to swing.
about the pivot 2 having one or more rollers 6 under its front end to facilitate
movement whilst it is held to the bed plate by a front clip 7 and a rear clip 8.
The rear clip 8 is fitted with a screw clamp 9 to hold and set the gun in any
desired position of training if required.
The gun is mainly supported by the rocking arms 10 10 Fig. 3 whose upper end
form the truunion bearings, the lower ends being pivoted to the pivoting frame 3.
The arms 10, 10 are connected by ribs and by a tubular bearing 11 Fig. 3 for the
axis which receives the head of the hydraulic piston.

page_text: The movement of the rocking arms 10, 10 and consequently of the gun itself is
controlled first by the piston of the hydraulic cylinder which is secured to them
and regulates the recoil; second by two volute springs 12, 12 let into a boss 13, 13
of the frame 3 and fitting under arms 14, 14 projecting from the rocking arms 10.
The said springs 12, 12 act in the first place to check the recoil and in the second
place to forcing the gun back to its original position after firing.
The elevating and parallel motion apparatus consist of a main bar 15 whose
forward end pivots on the axis 16 of the rocking arms 10, 10 the elevating
screw 17 being attached to the rear end and engaging internal threads of a second
screw 18 fitting a nut 19 secured to the swivelling frame 3. To the upper end of
the second screw 18 is fastened a hand wheel 20. The screws 17 and 18 are right
and left handed in order that a greater rapidity of motion may be obtained.
A parallel motion bar 21 connects the main bar 15 with the breech of the gun.
Projecting from the rear of the pivoting frame 3 is the shoulder piece 22 by
means of which the gun is trained in direction.
The gunner bears the shoulder piece 22 to his left shoulder while by the hand
wheel 20 he works the elevating screws 17 and 18 with his left hand and fires the
gun by pulling the lanyard with his right.
By this arrangement of carriage, sufficient recoil is given to the gun to greatly
reduce the deck strains and without involving great extra weight or space.
Neither the elevating screws or shoulder piece 22 are effected by the recoil of
the gun, so that the gunner is in no danger from having his hand at either point
whilst firing. The gunner is able to elevate and train at the same time, whilst his
right hand is entirely free to fire, the moment his aim is on.
As hitherto made, the bore of the hydraulic cylinder for the passage of the piston
is the same from one end of the stroke to another; it follows that the resistance of
the piston is at all points of the stroke the same. Now, I find that it is an
advantage in causing the resistance to the motion of said piston to increase with
the stroke. To this end the bore of the cylinder instead of being cylindrical, as
hitherto practised, is conical, the greatest diameter being at the commencement of
the stroke when the recoil takes place and the piston meeting with less resistance
from the fluid contained in the cylinder the said resistance increases in the same
ratio as the decrease in the diameter of the cylinder.
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
The herein described arrangement of naval carriage constructed on the Albini
principle whereby it is made possible for one single man to point the gun in
direction by means of a shoulder piece and in elevation by means of the elevating
gear, the said arrangement comprising a bed plate 1 with pivot 2, a swivelling
frame 3 carrying the parts and having one or more rollers 6, a front clip 7, a rear
clip 8 with screw clamp 9, a shoulder piece 22 secured to the swivelling frame 3;
a parallel motion device consisting of the main bar 15, the connecting bar 21, the
rocking arms 10, 10, the hydraulic cylinder 5; recoil springs 12, 12 fitted under
arms 14; an elevating gear consisting of two right and left hand screws 17 18 and
hand wheel 20, the whole operating substantially as hereinbefore described.