An Improved Recoil Brake for Field and Siege Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Italy),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 10th July, 1891.
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Recoil Brake for Field and Siege Guns.
I, ERNESTO BREDA, of No. 7, Via Antonio Bordoni, Milan, Italy, 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 field and siege guns and consists in an improved form of
recoil brake applicable to such guns.
In carrying my said invention into practice I mount the gun carriage loosely
upon the wheel axle, which said axle may be either loose or fixed in the wheels.
I fix on the axle near its centre a single or double crank, the pin of which is
connected with the gun carriage by means of an elastic tension rod.
During the recoil, the axle rotates with the wheels, and the aforesaid elastic
tension rod becomes stretched and stores a part of the energy of recoil. When the
recoil is exhausted the tension rod developes all the energy stored therein and serves
to return the carriage in battery.
In the annexed drawings I have shown in sectional elevation and sectional plan
an improved brake constructed according to my invention applied to a gun of small
calibre.
As shown in the drawing the wheels are fixed upon the axle, the movement of
which is checked by the action of an elastic and resistant device. When the energy
of recoil causes the gun carriage to move rearwards, the wheels rotate with the
axle, storing, by means of the elastic device a part of the energy of recoil, and
when the recoil is exhausted the said elastic device causes the axle and the wheels
to rotate in the opposite direction, thus returning the gun carriage into the battery.
The axle is provided at its centre with a crank a to which the rod e' is attached,
and at or near its ends the said axle is provided with levers i to which are attached
the brake blocks or shoes & the points of the said shoes being supported by th
links .
The tension device comprises a cylinder having a piston c provided with a screw
threaded rod c' by means of which the length of the tension device may be adjusted.
In the space d of the cylinder are arranged compressed springs which always tend
to push the piston towards the bottom.
The connection between the tension rod and the gun carriage is formed by means
of a crank b which is operated by crank g.
When the brake is not required the crank g is placed in the opposite position to
that shown in the drawing the tension rod cb and the cranks a and i being moved
backward and the brake blocks somewhat raised.
For bringing the brake into operative position, the orenk g is turned into the
position shown in the drawing, and the tension rod is thus caused to move forward,
the cranks a i, being also moved forward, and the brake blocks forced between the
wheels and the ground.
The firing of the gun causes the gun carriage to recoil to the position shown by

page_text: the dotted lines, the brake blocks making the wheels fast with the axle which in
its rotation with the wheels under the gun carriage.compresses the springs contained
in the cylinder.
After the recoil is exhausted the springs expand again pushing the piston towards
the bottom of the cylinder thus causing the rotation of cranks a axle cranks i,
brake blocks and wheels in the opposite direction to that of the former move-
ment, thereby returning the gun carriage into the battery.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
olaim is :-
:.
First. A recail brake for a field or siege gun constructed substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. A field or siege gun provided with a recoil brake constructed sub-
stantially as hereinabove described and operating as specified.
Dated this 10th don of Tuli 1901
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.