IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE."—A
communication from abroad by John Ericsson, of the City of New York,
in the United States of America.
Sealed the 31st January 1867, and dated the 2nd August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd August 1866.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE,'
to be as follows:-
In carrying out this Invention a core either of cast or wrought metal is
first formed; this core is turned down true externally, and is bored out in
the usual manner to the proper calibre; this core is strengthened by the
application of a series of wrought-iron washers, thin annular discs or plates,
which are forced on it so as to form the exterior of the gun, which may be
finished off in the usual manner. The trunnions, of the gun are formed
from projecting pieces or wings which form some of the washers, discs, or
plates; when the latter are placed and secured on the core the trunnions are
turned down from these projecting pieces or wings into a cylindrical form like
ordinary trunnions. It will be obvious that this mode of constructing
ordnance may be adapted for strengthening guns or ordnance made in the

page_text: ordinary or any other known manner, for which purpose that part of the
existing gun which it is desired to strengthen must be turned down externally
to a cylindrical form, and then the wrought-iron washers, discs, or plates are
to be placed and secured thereon, as above described, for forming new guns
on & core.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE," being a communication
from abroad by John Ericsson, of the City of New York, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing ordnance so as to

page_text: render the piece stronger than when made in the ordinary manner. To this
end there is a central core or barrel containing the bore, and surrounded or
enclosed by a system of bands, hoops, or rings of wrought iron. These bands,
hoops, or rings surround the central core from the breech to within any
desired distance of the muzzle.
The Invention further consists in a certain novel construction of and mode
of combining the several parts whereby the fibrous character of the wrought
iron is preserved, and the union of the several parts is rendered such that
their proper relation will not be disturbed by the firing of the piece, or by the
heating or cooling to which it is subjected when in use, the object of the
Invention being in short to so construct ordnance as to obtain the necessary
strength with the least weight of metal.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section of a
cannon constructed according to the Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section
of the same, taken through the trunnions; Fig. 3 is a side view of part of
the gun shewing. the end of the trunnions; Fig. 4 is a side view of the
central core of the gun; Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a
modification of part of the Invention.
A is the central core or barrel, which by preference should be made of
wrought iron or steel forging of a length equal to the entire length of the
gun, and of such external diameter that when bored to the desired calibre
and turned externally there will be thickness for the chase and muzzle of the
gun, and around the breech end there is forged a solid flange or collar a,
Figures 1 and 4. This core or barrel is bored from the muzzle to within a
suitable distance of the breech end, to leave a sufficient depth of breech, and
its exterior is so turned as to present the form of a series of cylinders b, c, d,
e, f, g, h, of slightly varying diameters, as shewn best at Fig. 4; the largest b,
next the flange a, and the diameters diminishing in a forward direction to the
smallest h, which is some distance in front of the trunnions. In front of the
cylinder h there is cut a screw thread i, Fig. 1, of slightly smaller diameter,
and from this thread there should be a slight taper to the muzzle. In Figures
1 and 3, j,j, are the bands, rings, or hoops, made of rolled iron plate, such
as is commonly known as boiler plate. These bands, hoops, or rings are
confined between two heavy forged wrought-iron rings or collars k and l, one
of which is fitted tightly to the first and largest cylinder 6 on the exterior of
the core A and against the flange a, and the other is fitted tightly to the last
and smallest cylinder h, where it is held firmly against the hoops j, j', by
means of a screw, nut, or ring m fitted to the screw thread i. The hoops j, j',
after having been cut from the plate and hammered flat on both sides are

page_text: turned or bored internally to fit tightly to the cylinders b, c, d, &c., as many
being fitted to each cylinder as will occupy its whole length when they are
all pressed tightly together. These hoops or rings are so put on or arranged
on the core A that the fibre of the iron in each will run nearly at a right
angle to the fibre in the next one on either side of it. The width of the
several hoops j, j', from their inner to their outer circumferences is such as to
give the necessary reinforcement to the barrel or core A, and to give a
desirable form to the gun when finished, 'except that a number of the hoops j¹
are of a sufficiently increased size to enable the trunnion n to be formed by
their extension in the manner shewn in the Drawing. In order to hold the
extreme projecting parts of the hoops which form the trunnion firmly
together, rings n', Figures 1 and 3, of wrought iron are shrank round the
same, this ring at the same time forming a collar at the end of the laminated
trunnion. The band k which bears against the solid flange a is formed wider
in front, so as to present a broader bearing for the hoops j, and to obviate the
necessity of making the flange a so large as would otherwise be necessary.
The band is formed wider than the nut m, as shewn at 5, 5, in Fig. 1, for
the purpose of applying hydraulic pressure in order to press the several hoops
as closely as possible together before screwing up the nut m.
The several parts are all put together in a cold state by the aid of hydraulic
pressure or other powerful means; the hoops j, j', being severally so tightly
fitted to their respective cylinders b, c, d, &c., on the core or barrel A as to
require very powerful pressure to bring them to their places. By putting the
parts together cold the joints are made closer, and the gun is made more solid
than if the parts were put together hot, as though in the latter mode the
several bands could be tightened circumferentially by the shrinkage in cooling,
the shrinkage would produce openings between the several hoops and between
the faces of the hoops and the bands k, l, m.
.
Fig. 5 represents a modification in which a band p is substituted for the
nut m; this band p is placed on the core or barrel while hot, and is shrunk
thereon by cooling. The screw thread i is in that case dispensed with, but to
prevent the band p from slipping off a shallow groove or recess 6 is turned in
the core or barrel for the reception of a slightly projecting fillet formed around
the interior of the band, the thickness of the fillet being such that by the
expansion of the band produced by heating it may pass over that portion of
the core or barrel which is to be occupied by the larger portion of the interior
of the band when the latter is in place close to the band . This band p is
equivalent to the nut m. Owing to the manner in which the tightly fitted
Loops j,, and bands k, 7, are put on, it is of great importance to have the

page_text: part of the exterior of the core or barrel A on which they are placed turned
in the form of a series of cylinders of various diameters, as herein-before
described, as by that means none of the hoops or bands require to be pressed
a great distance along a tightly fitting surface, and hence the destruction of
the surfaces of their bores, and injury to their fit, which might occur if they
were pressed along the whole or a great portion of the length of the gun, is
obviated. The manner of forming the trunnion out of the projecting parts of
certain hoops is also of great importance, especially in making guns of large
size, as it dispenses with the necessity of making a separate trunnion band
with trunuions. To prevent any abrasion of the outer surface of the core of
the gun by putting on the band k the band may be sufficiently warmed before
being put on, to so expand it as to enable it to pass easily over the said core.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Ordnance," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, as communicated to ine by my foreign correspondent, what I claim and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, the construction of a piece of ordnance of a central core or barrel A
provided with a solid flange a around its rear end, and fitted with a series of
plate iron hoops or rings j, j', and forged bands k, l, & laminated trunnions n,
as herein specified.
Second, making the trunnions of a piece of ordnance composed of a central
core or barrel, and a series of surrounding hoops or bands, as described, by
extending the metal which composes the middle portion of the series of
hoops j,, in such a manner that cylindrical projections will be formed on
opposite sides of the gun of appropriate length and diameter the form the
trunnions. Such projections being surrounded at their termination with
rings shrunk over the projecting parts of the hoops which form the trunnions.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the First day of February, in the of
year
.
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)