Improvements in Carriages or Mountings for Quick Firing Guns.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriages or Mountings for Quick Firing Guns.
We, ANDREW NOBLE, a Companion of the Bath, late Captain in the Royal
rtillery, and RALPH THEW BRANKSTON, both of the Elswick Works, Newcastle-
pon-Tyne, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
llows:
According to this invention I construct a recoil mounting in which an ordinary
un with trunnions can be placed, the clevating eye which is ordinarily used in a
eld or other mounting being made available for taking the recoil-press, piston rod.
The mounting is provided with a shield and this is carried from the mounting
y flexible or spring supports to avoid damage to the mounting should the shield
e struck.
The gun mounting I form of :-
(a) A revolving slide or cradle in which the gun rests, and in which recesses
are formed to receive the gun, trunnions, and in which is cast the recoil press
and spring box.
(b) A revolving pivot block in which is carried the rocking slide, and which
carries the elevating and training gear.
(c) A pivot or base plate upon which the revolving pivot block revolves upon
live rollers, or the block may have a long spindle descending from it and
entering a corresponding socket in the pedestal.
(7) A shield carried from the revolving bracket, by means of flexible
supports.
(e) A pedestal which carries the mounting and shield, and which forms
protection against shell.
The rocking slide or cradle is provided with a recess on each side to receive the
unnions of a gun as ordinarily made. The trunnions are arranged to slide in this
ecess during recoil, and they serve to take the rotary strains on the gun due to the
ction of the projectile in the rifling. The piston rod of the recoil press is attached
an eye forged on the rear of the gun. This eye is also designed to be serviceable
or use in elevating when the gun is placed in a field carriage or other mounting.
The hydraulic press for absorbing recoil, and the springs for returning the gun
ring position, are placed underneath the gun. A small rod forming a continuation
E the piston rod is carried through the forward end of the recoil cylinder, it passes
rough coiled or other springs contained in a casing forming a continuation of the
ecoil cylinder.
into
A long hollow nut screws on to the end of the rod and the head of the nut serves
retain a piston or plate ugainst the end of the spring.
The nut also serves to compress the spring initially. During recoil, the spring is
ompressed, and after recoil is spent, the gun is immediately returned into the
ring position. The cradle is provided with trunnions upon which it and the gun
ock, the trunnion being on the common centre of gravity of the gun and cradle.
The revolving pivot block in which the cradle is mounted has an arm extending
ackwards from it, and carrying a shoulder piece for the man aiming the gun to
st against.
The sighting gear is fixed to the cradle, and does not recoil with the gun. It
onsists of a bar fixed to the cradle by means of T headed bolts, and is arranged to
e readily removed; by giving each bolt one quarter of a turn, the bar can be
rawn off. To the fixed bar is pivoted a sight bar carrying the front and rear
ght. At the rear end of the sight bar is an arc working through a corresponding

page_text: socket carried by the fixed bar. The arc is formed with a rack by which the arm
can be moved to give the necessary elevation or depression to the sights.
The elevating gear is carried on the revolving pivot block near the shoulder
piece, and is worked by means of a hand wheel, which drives, by means of toothed
gear, a worm gearing into a rack on the cradle. The hand wheel is placed in such
a position that the man can conveniently work it when resting his shoulder on the
shoulder piece.
The training gear is by a hand wheel working a worm engaging a worm wheel
attached to the pivot plate. This hand wheel is also placed conveniently, so that
it can be reached by the man when resting his shoulder on the shoulder piece.
The shield is carried from the revolving bracket by means of flexible supports,
these supports being made of thin steel plates, and arranged so that they will
spring or bend should the shield be struck, and so reduce the shock, and avoid
damage to the mounting; in place of supports shown spiral or volute springs may
be used.
The pedestal is made of armour plate to give protection against shell fire.
When the revolving pivot block is formed with a long spindle descending from it
the socket for the pivot may be carried down to the deck, and be surrounded by a
cylindrical armour wall which is separate from it, thus avoiding damage to the
mounting should the armour wall be struck.
Dated this 20th day of November 1890
A. NOBLE.
R. T. BRANKSTON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriages or Mountings for Quick Firing Guns.
We, ANDREW NOBLE, a Companion of the Bath, late Captain in the Royal
Artillery, and RALPH THEW BRANKSTON, both of the Elswick Works, Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, Engineers, 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:—
Our improvements in carriages or mountings for quick firing guns are illustrated
by the drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a plan partly in section.
Figure 2 is a vertical section.
Figure 3 is a sido elevation with the shield only in section.
Figure 4 is a rear elevation.
Figure 5 is a front elevation.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of the gun and cradle near the trunnions.
Figure 7 is a vertical section and shows another form of the invention.
We so construct a recoil mounting that an ordinary gun with trunnions can be
placed in it, the elevating eye which is ordinarily used in a field or other mounting
being made available for taking the recoil-press piston rod.
The gun mounting we form of the following parts
-
(1). A rocking slide or cradle c in which the gun rests, and in which recesses are
formed to receive the gun trunnions, and in which is cast the recoil press c¹ and
spring box c².
(2). A revolving pivot block d in which is carried the rocking slide, and which
carries the elevating and training gear e and f.
(3). A pivot or base plate y upon which the revolving pivot block revolves upon
live rollers. Or according to the modification which is shown by Figure 7 the block
may have a long spindle descending from it and entering a corresponding socket in
the pedestal.
(4). A shield a carried from the revolving bracket, by means of flexible
supports as is described in the Specification of a Patent No. 17807 in the
year 1890.

page_text: (5). A pedestal which carries the mounting and shield, and which forms
protection against shell.
The rocking slide or cradle c is provided with a recess on each side to receive the
trunnions of a gun as ordinarily made. The gun trunnions with cubical dies upon
them are arranged to slide in this recess during recoil, and they serve to take the
rotary strains on the gun due to the action of the projectile in the rifling. The
piston rod ex of the recoil press c is attached to au eye i forged on the rear of
the gun. This eye is also designed to be serviceable for use in elevating when the
gun is placed in a field carriage or other mounting. The hydraulic press at a for
absorbing recoil, and the springs at c for returning the gun into firing position, are
placed underneath the gun. A small rod forming a continuation of the piston
rod ex is carried through the forward end of the recoil cylinder, it passes through
coiled or other springs contained in a casing forming a continuation of the recoil
cylinder.
A long hollow nut k screws on to the end of the rod and the head of the nut
serves to retain a piston or plate against the end of the spring.
The nut also serves to compress the spring initially. During recoil, the spring
is compressed, and after recoil is spent, the gun is immediately returned into the
firing position. The cradle is provided with trunnions upon which it and the
gun rock, the trunnion being on the common centre of gravity of the gun and
cradle.
The revolving pivot block d in which the cradle is mounted has an arm d
extending backwards from it and carrying a shoulder piece d² for the man aiming
the gun to rest against.
The sighting gear is fixed to the cradle, and does not recoil with the gun. It
consists of a bar I fixed to the cradle by means of T headed bolts and arranged to
be readily removed; by giving each bolt one quarter of a turn the bar can then be.
drawn off. To the fixed bar is pivoted a sight bar carrying the front and rear
sight. At the rear end of the sight bar is an arc working through a corre-
sponding socket carried by the fixed bar. The arc is formed with a rack by
which the arm can be moved to give the necessary elevation or depression to the
sights.
The elevating gear is carried on the revolving pivot block near the shoulder
piece and is worked by means of a hand wheel m which drives, by means of toothed
gear, a worm gearing into a rack on the cradle. The hand wheel mis placed in
such a position that the man can conveniently work it when resting his shoulder on
the shoulder piece d³.
The training gear is by a hand wheel n working a worm engaging a worm
wheel o attached to the pivot plate. This hand wheel is also placed conveniently
so that it can be reached by the man when resting his shoulder on the shoulder
piece.
The shield is carried from the revolving bracket by means of flexible supports a³,
these supports being made of thin steel plates and arranged so that they will spring
or bend should the shield be struck, and so reduce the shock and avoid damage to
the mounting; in place of supports shown spiral or volute springs may be used.
The pedestal is made of armour plate to give protection against shell fire.
When the revolving pivot block is formed with a long spindle descending from it
as is shown by Figure 7 the socket for the pivot may be carried down to the deck
or to a support fixed thereon and be surrounded by a cylindrical armour wall which
is separate from it, thus avoiding damage to the mounting should the armour wall
be struck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A quick firing carriage or mounting adapted to carry a gun with trunnions

page_text: and elevating eye; the former being received into a rocking cradle in which it can
slide and the latter being attached to the piston of a recoil press.
2. The combination of the cradle and pivot block and parts connected therewith
substantially as described; the cradle carrying a spring box and recoil press cylinder
beneath the gun and sighting apparatus in such position that it can be used by a
gunner at the side of the gun; and the pivot block on which the cradle is mounted
by its trunnions carrying a shoulder piece and elevating and training gear also in
position to be used by the gunner at the side of the gun and when looking along
the sights upon the cradle.
3. The sighting apparatus consisting of a bar adapted to be clamped to the
cradle and the sight bar carrying front and rear sights pivotted to the bar and
the graduated arc at the rear of the sight bar working through a socket on the
bar 7.
4. Carriages or mountings for quick firing guns such as represented by the
annexed drawings.
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