Improved Apparatus for Cooling the Barrels of Firearms.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Cooling the Barrels of Firearms.
I COLOMBO RICCI of 47 Campana Road Walham Green in the County of London
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to that class of firearms which are provided with a refrigerator
or water jacket for the purpose of cooling the harrel or reducing the temperature of
the same, during a rapid firing. Such water jackets are generally provided with a
Valve (for the escape of steam generated therein) which either works by gravitation
or has to be set by hand, according to the gun being trained on depression or on
elevation.
In both of these cases, great inconveniences very often arise either by the failure
of the Valve to work at the proper time, or by the forgetfulness of the gunner to
open it, and then, either the water is thrown out instead of the steam, or the pressure
of the steam itself reaches such a point that the refrigerator bursts and renders the
weapon useless.
The object of my present invention, is to provide for the same purpose an auto-
matic steam outlet, which, whether the gun be horizontal, or trained on depression
or on elevation, the steam only will be allowed a free escape, without any loss of the
water contained therein. For this purpose, I preferably. use a valve, (mounted on
the water-jacket, some two or three inches above the trunnions, with its stem
horizontally & at right angles with the axis of the barrel) made in the manner of
a three-way cock, one opening of which is in communication with the uppermost
front part, and the other with the uppermost rear part of the water-jacket; the
third opening, which I preferably make through the stem of the valve, is in
communication with the atmosphere.
This stem is provided with a handle or lever projecting downwards, abutting
against & kept in contact, by means of suitable spring, with a shoulder or
projection fixed on the carriage or any other part of the stationary mounting.
The whole mechanism, is so arranged, that when the gun is in a horizontal
position, both ends of the water-jacket are in communication with the atmosphere
so as to give free escape to the steam only. When the gun is trained on elevation,
the fixed shoulder on the carriage, causes the valve to rotate on its stem, increasing
the opening for the communication with the front of the water-jacket, & completely
closing the opening that was in communication with the rear.
If however the gun be trained on depression, the valve will be rotated in the
opposite direction by means of the above mentioned spring that serves to keep the
stem's handle in contact with the fixed projection.
It is obvious that by these means in whatever position the gun may be, the steam
only will be free to escape from the water-jacket without any attention from the
gunner, without any loss of water and any danger of explosion.

page_text: Instead of a rotary valve, a vertical or horizontal sliding valve may be used,
connected either directly or indirectly to the carriage or stationary mounting without
parting from the principle of my invention.
Improved Apparatus for Cooling the Barrels of Firearms.
I COLOMBO RICCI of 47 Campana Road in the County of London, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of firearms which are provided with a refrigerator
or water-jacket for the purpose of cooling the barrel or reducing the temperature
of the same during a rapid fire.
Such water-jackets, are generally provided with a valve for the escape of steam,
which either works by gravitation or has to be set by hand, according to the gun
being trained on depression or on elevation.
In both of these cases however, great inconveniences very often arise, either by
the failure of the valve to work at the proper time, or by the forgetfulness of the
gunner to set it right, and then either the water is thrown out instead of the steam,
or the pressure of the steam itself reaches such a point that the refrigerator bursts
and renders the weapon useless.
The object of my present invention is to provide for the same purpose, an
Automatic Steam Valve, which, whether the gun be horizontal, or trained on depres-
sion or on elevation, the steam only will be allowed a free escape to the atmosphere
without any loss of water and without a danger of explosion.
The accompanying drawings represent one of these Automatic valves arranged
and constructed according to my present invention.
Fig. 1 shows a machine gun with one of these valves mounted on it, at a reduced
scale.
Fig. 2 shows one of these valves full size in the position when the gun is horizontal.
Fig. 3 shows the same valve in the other two different positions; when the gun
is trained on elevation (in full lines) & in dotted lines when the gun is trained on
depression.
The same letters refer to similar parts in the different figures.
A is the water jacket, B the barrel, C the body of the gun; the whole mounted
or hinged by means of the pin d on the stand or mounting D, which is provided
with a stationary projecting arm E.
F is the body of the valve, cast with, or fixed by any suitable means to the water
jacket A, horizontally & at right angles with the axis of the barrel. On the body
of the valve F. are fixed or screwed the two tubes G & H by which the valve
itself is put in communication with the uppermost rear & front parts of the
waterjacket A.
I. is a conical rotary valve (resembling in principle the central part of a water tap)
provided with the ports J & K & the central passage L.
This rotary valve I which when in position projects slightly on one side of the
water jacket, is provided with two arms M & N..
•
The arm N. is always kept in contact with the arm E of the mounting D by means
of a coil spring O which is attached at one end to the arm M and secured at the
other end on the water jacket A by means of a stud P.

page_text: When the gun is in a horizontal position, the ports J. & K. Fig. 2, are so arranged
as to be both slightly open and allow thus a free escape for steam through both
tubes G & H & the central passage L to the atmosphere.
If however the gun be trained on elevation i.e. with a barrel pointing upwards,
the valve I. Fig. 3 by means of the coil spring O. will be rotated in the position
shown in full lines by this fig. increasing the communication with the tube G and
completely closing the other with the rear of the water jacket through H. If on
the other hand, the gun be trained on depression, i.e. with the barrel pointing
downwards, the arm E of the mounting D will cause the valve I. (by means of its
arm N.) to rotate in the opposite direction as shown in dotted lines by Fig. 3 with a
free communication with the rear of the water jacket through the passage H &
completely stopping that with the front through G.
I sometimes, instead of a rotary valve as the one joint described, use a sliding
valve provided with a spring & projecting arm similar to N. which gearing with the
arm E causes the valve to slide to & fro or up & down according to the position
of the valve itself; and performs the same operation by either closing or opening
the rear & front communications with the water jacket according to the training
on elevation or on depression as the case may be.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention, & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1st. In a machine gun or other firearm provided with a water jacket for cooling
the barrel; an Automatic Steam Valve which by means of a fixed arm, projection
or its equivalent of the mounting or carriage, will, (when the gun is trained either
on elevation or on depression) simultaneously close & open the communications
with the front & rear of the water jacket according to the said different trainings.
2nd. In a machine gun or other firearm provided with a water jacket for cooling
the barrel; an Automatic Steam Valve with the parts arranged & combined
substantially as shown and described & for the purpose specified.
11 To 1907