Improvements in Mountings for Quick-firing Guns.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Oct., 1889-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIUA,
Improvements in Mountings for Quick-firing Guns.
I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT, of 53 Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in mountings for quick firing guns.
The mounting has a circular base which is bolted down to a deck or platform.
There is a ring of teeth around the base and a cylindrical pivot projects vertically
upwards from the centre.
An upper frame is supported by rollers which run upon a roller track upon the
base.
The rollers are conical and are kept at suitable distances apart by a frame
which travels round with them.
In the centre of the upper frame there is a cylinder, it fits upon the cylindrical
pivot. A joint is made by the aid of a cupped leather and oil or liquid is forced in
by means of a pump so that the upper frame is floated upon the liquid and but little
pressure comes upon the rollers.
The upper frame has two standards with bearings for the trunnions of the cradle in
which the gun lies.
To relieve the weight upon the bearing a lifting bar is provided in each; it passes
up into the bearing and the trunnion rests upon its upper end.
The lower end of the lifting bar is formed as a plunger and it enters a cylinder
upon the standard and liquid under pressure is supplied to this cylinder.
The pivot cylinder communicates with the other cylinders and the areas are so
adjusted that the trunnions cannot be actually raised in the bearings because the rollers
previously mentioned would first be relieved of all weight.
The gun is without trunnions or similar projections but a jacket is shrunk upon it
where it rests in the cradle. Flats are formed at the bearing surfaces; these are
arranged on either side of and equidistant from the centre line and are inclined at
an angle of about 45 degrees. The gun is prevented from rising in the cradle by lugs
which project inwards from it on either side about on a level with the trunnions and
the jacket is grooved on either side so as to form shoulders which the lugs upon the
cradle overhang.
The elevating and training gear is so arranged that it can be worked by one man
by means of two hand wheels side by side on concentric, axes. On one of the standards
of the upper frame there is a bracket carrying an horizontal axis; on one end of this
axis there is a hand wheel and on the other a bevelled pinion. The pinion gears with
a corresponding pinion on a vertical shaft, which at its lower end carries a worm.
By the worm, a worm wheel on an horizontal axis is driven and on the same axis
held by a frictional coupling there is a toothed pinion and this latter gears into an
are of teeth upon the cradle. Thus by turning the hand wheel the elevation of the
guu can be adjusted. Another hand wheel is provided upon a sleeve surrounding
the axis of the first wheel and free to turn upon it. The sleeve also carries a bevilled
wheel and this gears with another similar wheel, on a vertical axis mounted upon the
standard and this axis at its lower end carries a pinion which is engaged with the ring
of teeth surrounding the exterior of the base. Thus by turning this second hand
wheel the gun can be trained.
The recoil is controlled by two hydraulic cylinders fixed upon the gun itself at its
breech end and rams projecting rearward from the cradle enter these cylinders.
Springs contained in these cylinders cause the gun to return again immediately after
recoil.
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mountings for Quick-firing Guns.
I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT, of 53 Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil 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:-
This invention has for its object improvements in mountings for quick firing guns.
The mounting has a circular base which is bolted down to a deck or platform.
There is a ring of teeth around the base and a cylindrical pivot projects vertically
upwards from the centre. An upper frame is supported by rollers which ran upon
a roller track upon the base. The rollers are conical and are kept at suitable distances
apart by a frame which travels round with them.
In the centre of the upper frame there is a cylinder, it fits upon the cylindrical
pivot. A joint is made by the aid of a cupped leather and oil or liquid is forced in
by means of a pump so that the upper frame is floated upon the liquid and but little
pressure comes upon the rollers.
The upper frame has two standards with bearings for the trunnions of the cradle in
which the gun lies.
To relieve the weight upon the bearing a lifting bar is provided in each it passes up.
into the bearing and the trunnion rests upon its upper end.
The lower end of the lifting bar is formed as a plunger and it enters a cylinder upon
the standard and liquid under pressure is supplied to this cylinder.
The pivot cylinder communicates with the other cylinders and the areas are so
adjusted that the trunnions cannot be actually raised in the bearing because the rollers
previously mentioned would first be relieved of all weight.
The gun is without trunnions or similar projections but a jacket is shrunk upon it
where it rests in the cradle. Flats are formed at the bearing surfaces; these are
arranged on either side of and equidistant from the centre line and are inclined at an
angle of about 45 degrees. The gun is prevented from rising in the cradle by lugs
which project inwards from it on either side about on a level with the trunnions and
the jacket is grooved on either side so as to form shoulders which the lugs upon the
cradle overhang. The elevating and training gear is so arranged that it can be
worked by one man by means of two hand wheels side by side on concentric axes.
On one of the standards of the upper frame there is a bracket carrying an horizontal
axis; on one end of this axis there is a hand wheel and on the other a bevelled
pinion. The pinion gears with a corresponding pinion on a vertical shaft which at its
lower end carries a worm.
By the worm, a worm wheel on an horizontal axis is driven and on the same axis
held by a frictional coupling there is a toothed pinion and this latter gears into an are
of teeth upon the cradle. Thus by turning the hand wheel the elevation of the gun
can be adjusted. Another hand wheel is provided upon a sleeve surrounding the axis
of the first wheel and free to turn upon it. The sleeve also carries a bevelled wheel
and this gears with another similar wheel on a vertical axis mounted upon the
standard and this axis at its lower end carries a pinion which is engaged with the
ring of teeth surrounding the exterior of the base. Thus by turning this second hand
wheel the gun can be trained.
The recoil is controlled generally by two hydraulic cylinders fixed upon the gun
itself at its breech end and rams projecting rearward from the cradle enter these
cylinders. Springs contained in these cylinders cause the gun to return again
immediately after recoil.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1. is a side elevation of the gun mounting together with a portion of the

page_text: Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section and Figure 4 is a rear
elevation. Figure 5 is another side elevation; in this figure the shield is partly in
section and many parts not shown in Figure 1 are here indicated by dotted lines.
Figure 6 is a partial side elevation and Figure 7 is a local section showing more
clearly the way in which the trunnions of the cradle are supported.
Figure 8 is a partial transverse section in rear of the trunnions and shows more
clearly the way in which the gun is carried in the cradle.
Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams from which the arrangement of the elevating and
training gear may be more clearly understood.
They are respectively a rear elevation and a side elevation of the gear but drawn as
if the axes were in two planes at right angles, which as will be, seen from the other
figures is not in fact the case.
aa is the base. it is bolted to a deck or foundation by bolts a¹_a'. The central
cylindrical pivot a forms part of the base and there is a roller track a³ around it. A
ring with teeth is fixed upon the base. and there is a flange upon the ring
which is embraced, by clips upon the upper frame. The upper frame consists of
a bottom plate or disc in the centre of which is the cylinder fitting over the
pivot and on either side the standards 4ª carrying the trunnions. are clips
upon the upper frame which embraces the flange
is the shield fixed to the
Upper frame.
ccare conical rollers interposed between the parts a and b and c¹
is a frame holding the necks of these rollers to keep them equidistant.
The ring
around the base coufines the rollers at their outer ends is the cradle and it
are its trunnions, is the gun lying in the cradle, and e' e its bearing surfaces
for the gun is without trunnions. These surfaces are formed upon a ring shrunk
around the gun. are notches formed in this ring on either side and d² d² are
lugs upon the cradle which enter the notches so that the gun can only slide endwise
in the cradle. is a cupped leather making a tight joint around the pivot a².
Z is a passage by which oil is forced from time to time into the cylinder b' by
means of a force pump not shown in the drawing in order to relieve the pressure upon
the rollers. are cylinders fixed upon the standards & they are provided with
rams which pass up through the bearings and press upon the undersides of the
trunnions . The cylinders are connected with the pivot cylinder b by pipes so that
the oil in all the cylinders is at the same pressure but the areas are so proportioned
that the trunnions cannot be raised in the bearings although most of the weight of
the cradle and gun is supported on the heads of the rams 8. The cradle has on it an
are of teeth and these teeth engage with a pinion upon an axis f carried by one of
the standards. The same standard also carries the upright axis and these are
geared together as shown by a worm wheel on the former and a worm
оп the
latter. To avoid undue strains the worm is connected with its axis by a frictional
coupling.
The axis f is geared by bevelled pinions with the horizontal axis falso carried by
the same standard. is a hand wheel on the axis and by turning this the proper
elevation is given to the gun in aiming. The axis fpasses through the hollow axis
or sleeve g carried in a bearing on the standard. is a hand wheel and g a bevelled
wheel both upon the sleeve. The bevelled wheel by a pinion drives the upright
axis on which is a pinion engaging with the teeth a The gun is trained or
directed by turning the hand wheel g'. The sights are upon the cradle at dª and di
and the gunner whilst looking along them is able to work both the hand wheels f³
and g
hare cylinders fixed to the gun at its rear end, their weight brings the centre of
gravity of the gun and the trunnions nearer to the breech than they otherwise would
be, are pistons in the cylinders and their rods are fixed to the cradle. Coiled
springs not shown in the drawings are confined between the front ends of the cylinders
and the pistons. The cylinders are closed in rear by covers hand they are filled with
oil or other liquid. The sides of the cylinders are grooved so that when the recoil
takes place the liquid can pass the pistons but with difficulty. Cupped leathers prevent

page_text: the escape of liquid at the forward ends of the cylinders. is a buffer provided to
check the gun in running forward.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination in a gun mounting of the base, the upper frame b supported
by rollers, the pivot cylinder charged with liquid relieving the load upon the
rollers, the standards on the upper frame, the cradled with trunnions d' carried in
bearings on the standard and the gun able to move longitudinally in the cradle.
2. The combination in a gun mounting of the base, the pivot, the upper
frame b, the standards 73, the cradle, the trunnions d' and hydraulic mechanism
partially supporting both the upper frame upon its pivot and the cradle upon its
trunnions.
3. The combination in a gun mounting of the base, the pivot a², the ring of
teeth, the upper frame b, the standards, the cradle, the trunnions, the
toothed are, the axis f, the sleeve g, the hand wheels f¹ and g' and gear connecting
the axis and sleeve with the teeth at and №³.
4. The combination in a gun mounting of the base a, the upper frame b, the
cradle, the gun e, the control cylinder or cylinders fixed upon the gun at its
breech end and the pistons i fixed to the cradle.
5. The method of mounting a gun in its cradle; by providing hearing surfaces e¹ el
on a ring surrounding the gun and corresponding surfaces upon the cradle, and
lugs on the cradle entering corresponding notches in the ring upon the gun.
Dated this 28th day of September 1889.
THN. NORDENFELT.