Improvements in and relating to Disappearing Gun Carriages.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 24th July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Disappearing Gun Carriages.
We, WILLIAM BRANDON GORDON, Captain in the United States Army, of
Cold Springs, State of New York, and THOMAS REES MORGAN Senior,
Manufacturer, of Alliance, State of Ohio, both in the United States of America,
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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in disappearing gun carriages.
The invention consists in the parts and combination of parts as will be more fully
described and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a carriage
embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a
view in plan, and Fig. 4 is a view in section through the cylinder.
A represents a base or bed plate constructed in any desired manner and rigidly
fastened to the hydraulic pivot C for traversing. The lower end of this pivot
moves in cylinder D and can be elevated by hydraulic pressure, carrying with it
the gun carriage and gun thereon. When in this elevated position the carriage
rests on the hydraulic pivot thus formed and the traversing can be readily and
quickly accomplished. After the carriage has been turned to the desired position
the pivot is lowered into the cylinder and the carriage to its bearings on the
traverse circle.
The side frames E of the carriage are permanently fastened to the bed plate A.
In the construction shown the bed plate and side frames are made in two castings,
one half of the bed plate being cast with each side frame. Each side frame is
provided on its upper edge with bearings E' in which are mounted the crank
arms. These arms are arranged parallel, two to a side and are connected at
their upper ends to shafts G, which pass through the cheek pieces H rigidly
braced a suitable distance apart to receive the gun between them, each piece
having trunnion bearings for the reception of the trunnions of the gun I. The
shafts G pass through the top carriage from side to side and are journalled therein,
one in front and one in the rear, and are rigidly fastened at their outer ends to the
parallel arms F of the crank arms. These arms are each in effect two cranks, the
inner cranks F, which as clearly shown, are located in planes inside the inner
faces of the side frames, and support the top carriage, and the outer cranks F
rest on the outside of the side frame and support the counterweights K, which
latter counterbalance the weight of the gun. The four parallel crank arms are
as before stated journalled in the side frames E of the lower carriage and af
their lower ends to the counterweights, it follows that when the upper carriage
with the gun thereon is rising the counterweights are descending and vice versa.
In the construction set forth in Specification of Letters Patent No. 10214
of 1893 of which this is designed as an improvement the counterweights are shown
and described as transomed together at their ends so as not to interfere with the
movable parts carrying the top carriage. In this construction the counterweights
are independent of each other. As the crank arms are connected at their tops to
the top carriage they together with the counterweights carried thereby are
prevented from moving independently, but to further strengthen and tie the other
Poin

page_text: series of crank arms together, I have connected the front arms on line of front
crank bearings by a through shaft F which as will be readily seen operates to tie
the counterweights together and prevent their independent movement. This allows
of the omission of front and rear transoms connecting counterweights and also
permits of the shortening of the latter. This is important in reducing the length
of the whole carriage to less than the length of the gun, thus giving the greatest
practicable economy of space in the battery.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the carriage as thus far described
consists of a bed plate mounted on a hydraulic pivot for traversing and carrying
a main carriage or side frames, parallel crank arms journalled in said side frames,
counterweights each carried by two arms, and a top carriage carried by the four
arms, so that as the gun and top carriage move rearwardly and downwardly from
the effect of the recoil, the counterweights move forwardly and upwardly until
they come to a rest. When in this latter position the gun is in its lowest position
or in its position for loading, and the counterweights are in their elevated
position, and hence in a position to raise the gun or assist in raising it to its firing
position.
The gun is mounted on the top carriage and moves with it in recoil without
change of elevation, the top carriage being provided with an elevating device-m
which is independent of any other part of the carriage.
'
The device for taking up the recoil consists of a hydro-pneumatic cylinder. U
secured to the bed plate A and provided with a piston and piston rod, the front or.
outer end of the latter engaging and secured to a cross head N carried by the rack
bars N. These rack bars are located near the side frames and are preferably
mounted on wheels N2 journal!ed in bearings carried by the bed plate. The bars
are preferably flanged as shown so as to overlap the wheels N2, but if desired the
wheels might be grooved to receive the bars, or the bars might run in stationary
ways. These details are immaterial as any devices for guiding the bars and
preventing lateral displacement of same will answer all purposes.
The rack bars
are engaged by the toothed idlers O journalled on or secured to a shaft O'
mounted in the side frames, and the idlers O are in turn engaged by the toothed
wheels or segments P secured to the rear crank arms and concentric with the axis
of said arms.
Located within the side frames or housing, or formed directly in said frames or
housings are the air reservoirs P' shown clearly in dotted lines in Figure 1. By
placing the reservoirs in side frames or housings, we not only economize space,
and protect the cylinders, but we are also enabled to employ larger air reservoirs,
which makes the pressure vary less from beginning to end of stroke of piston. These
reservoirs are connected as shown in Figure 2, to the rear end of the cylinder U,
valves being interposed to permit of the passage of the fluid from the cylinder to
the reservoirs when the piston is moving inwardly, and to retain fluid under
ressure therein, the fluid being released from the reservoirs by a bye-pass leading
irom the reservoirs to the cylinder. The cylinder U shown in Figure 4 is con-
ected at d with passages leading to the air reservoirs through the check valves.
The piston rod C which works in the cylinder U is also a cylinder. Another
ylinder C³ which is rigidly fastened to the rear head of the cylinder U works in
e cylinder. A valve opens or closes a passage e' leading from the cylinder C³ to
the front end of the cylinder U at co.
To raise the gun to the firing position it is simply necessary to close the valve c³
and pump liquid into the cylinder C, thus forcing the piston C* out of the cylinder,
and by means of the racks and gears before described lifting the gun and lowering
the counterweights.
To lower the gun to the loading position, the valve is opened and liquid
pumped into the cylinder C³ as before. The liquid pressure is then on the interior
of the cylinder C as before, but also on the face of the piston head c³. The
area of this face is greater than the interior cross section of the cylinder C* and

page_text: therefore the tendency of the liquid pressure is to force the piston rod C* into the
cylinder C and thus lower the gun and raise the counterweights. When firing the
recoil of the gun forces the piston C into the cylinder, and the liquid in front of
the piston head e is thus driven through the check valves into the air reservoirs.
At the same time the liquid in the cylinder of piston C is driven through the open
valve and passage into the cylinder behind the head c. But by providing
another valve leading from the cylinder U the liquid in cylinder of piston.C
may if desired also be driven into the air reservoirs. The effect of this arrange-
ment would simply be to increase the effective area on which the air pressure
acts during recoil, and hence would allow a corresponding reduction in the air
pressure necessary for service, without in any way affecting the principles of the
design.
It is readily seen from this operation that the energy of recoil is stored in the
air reservoirs, and by opening a bye-pass around the check valves, this energy is
available for lifting the gun to the loading position.
In Fig. 1, we have shown the gun in its firing position and the cross head N in a
position slightly in advance of the top carriage. As the charge is fired the gun
begins to move rearwardly and downwardly and necessarily elevating the
counterweights. As the top carriage begins to descend, the rack bars move the
piston rod rearwardly and consequently force the fluid contained in the cylinder
into the air chambers and by the time the pistou has reached the end of the stroke
the gun and counterweights have moved to the loading position. During the recoil.
the system rotates about the journals of the parallel cranks, the loading position
being as nearly as may be, directly under the firing position, thus securing the
maximum amount of cover.
If desired the counterweights and the outer sections of the double crank arms
may be omitted and replaced in effect by increasing the air pressure in the recoil
cylinder. If desired two or more cylinders may be employed. With the counter-
weights omitted the fluid under pressure would raise or assist in raising the gun to
its firing position, would sustain it in its elevated position, and would also oppose the
rearward motion of the gun during recoil, in exactly the same way as above
described for the design with counterweights, the only difference being that the
cylinders would have to do an additional amount of work equivalent to the lifting
of the counterweights.
With this structure we employ an air pump for forcing air into the reservoirs,
aud a pump or pumps for the liquid.
We would also have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the details
herein shown and described but consider ourselves at liberty to make such changes
and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms and a top carri.ge for a gun,
the said carriage supported upon the upper ends of said pivoted arms, of a cylinder
containing a resistance medium and gearing connecting one or more of the pivoted
arms with the piston of said cylinder substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms and a top carriage for a gun,
the said carriage supported upon the upper ends of said pivoted arms, of a cylinder
containing a resistance medium, a rack bar connected to the piston rod of said
cylinder and gearing connecting said rack bar and one or more of the pivoted arms,
substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, and a top carriage mounted
on the upper ends of said arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance medium, a
piston therein, rack bars connected to said piston, and gearing connecting said rack
bars with one pair of pivoted arms, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4. The combination with two. pairs of pivoted arms, and a top carriage mounted
on the upper ends of said arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance medium, a
piston and piston rod, rack bars connected to said piston rod, toothed wheels or
segments attached to and concentric with the axis of one pair of pivoted arms, and
idlers meshing with said wheels or segments and with the teeth on the rack bars.
5: The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, a top carriage for a gun, the
said carriage supported upon the upper ends of said pivoted arms, and counterweights
carried by the opposite ends of said arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance
medium, and gearing connecting one or more of the pivoted arms with the piston of
said cylinder, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, a top carriage for a gun, the
said carriage supported upon the upper ends of said pivoted arms, and counterweights
carried by the opposite ends of said arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance
medium, a rack bar connected to the piston rod of said cylinder and gearing
connecting said bar and one or more of the pivoted arms, substantially as set
forth.
7. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms a top carriage mounted on
the upper ends of said arms and counterweights carried by the opposite ends of
said arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance medium, a piston therein, rack bars
connected to said piston and gearing connecting said rack bars with one pair of
pivoted arms, substantially as set forth.
8. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, a top carriage mounted on
the upper ends of said arms and counterweights carried by the opposite ends of said
arms, of a cylinder containing a resistance medium, a piston and piston rod, rack
bars connected to said piston rod, toothed wheels or segments attached to and
concentric with the axis of one pair of pivoted arms, and idlers meshing with said
wheels or segments and with the teeth on the rack bars, substantially as set
forth.
9. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, a top carriage for a gun and
gun elevating devices carried by said top carriage, of a hydro-pneumatic cylinder
containing a resistance medium and gearing connecting one pair of pivoted arms
with the piston of said cylinder, substantially as set forth.
10. The combination with side housing, a reservoir therein, and pivoted arms
mounted thereon, of a top carriage mounted on the upper ends of said pivoted armis,
a cylinder containing a resistance medium and communicating with the reservoir,
and gearing connecting one or more of the pivoted arms with the piston of said
cylinder, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with side frames or housings each having an air reservoir
therein, and pivoted arms mounted on said frames or housings, of a top carriage-
carried by said arms, a cylinder communicating with said air reservoirs, piston and
piston rod and means connecting the piston rod and one pair of pivoted arms,
substantially as set forth.
12. The combination with side frames or housings having compartments therein
for storing air under pressure, a cylinder communicating with said compartments
and a piston and piston rod, of arms pivoted to said housings, a top carriage carried
by said arms, and means connecting said piston rod and one pair of pivoted arms,
substantially as set forth.
13. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, and a top carriage for a
gun, the said carriage supported by said arms, of a through shaft on line with the
axes of the front pair of pivoted arms and connecting said arms, a cylinder
containing a resistance medium, a piston and a piston rod and means connecting said
piston rod and one pair of pivoted arms, substantially as set forth.
14. The combination with pivoted arms, and a top carriage supported by said
arms, of a cylinder having an inner tube open at one end and opened or closed by a
valve at the other end, and a port leading from the rear to near the front end of
said cylinder the said port connecting the rear end of the inner tube with the

page_text: cylinder proper a piston and a piston rod surrounding the inner tube and means
connecting said piston rod with one pair of pivoted arms, substantially as set
forth.
This outh of T. 1901
R. HADDAN,
Of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agent for Applicants.