IMPROVE. MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING THE RECOIL of ORDNANCE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Vavasseur, of the London Ordnance. Works, Bear
Lane, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND CONTROLLING THE RECOIL of
ORDNANCE."
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Sealed the 1st February 1878, and dated the 27th August 1877;'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Vavasseur at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th August 1877.
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JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark, in
the County of Surrey." IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING, AND
CONTROLLING THE RECOIL OF ORDNANCE."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for working and
controlling the recoil of ordnance. For these purposes I employ an hydraulic buffer
consisting of a cylinder containing oil or other liquid, and a piston working within
the cylinder. The piston is perforated, and the piston rod is attached to the gun
carriage, so that on the recoil taking place the oil or liquid is compelled to pass
through the holes in the. piston, which holes are of comparatively small area. So
far the arrangement does not present any feature of novelty, but according to my
Invention I cause the holes in the piston to be automatically gradually closed during
the recoil. They can also be closed, or partially closed, at any other time when it
is desired to prevent or control the movement of the gun carriage along the slide.
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I place on the face of the piston a cover plate, also provided with holes, and by
turning the plate the holes in it can be brought to correspond or otherwise with the
holes in the piston. The automatic turning of the cover plate during the recoil' I
effect by means of a twisted bar of square section, placed at the axis of the cylinder'
and entering within the piston rod, which is made tubular to receive it. The cover
plate of the piston has a square hole in the middle fitting this twisted bar, so that
when the piston moves along the cylinder the bar causes a partial rotation of the
cover plate noon the piston.
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page_text: In order to open or close the holes in the piston when the piston is stationary, or
irrespective of its movement, the twisted; bar can be turned partly round by means
of a lever at its end, and thus the holes in the piston can be opened or closed at
pleasure. After the twisted bar has been thus moved round, as soon as it is set free
it is returned to its normal position by a spring.
To prevent shocks and to compensate for the varying space in the cylinder
occupied by the piston rod, I form at each end of the cylinder a recess or pocket
having within it a small buffer piston loaded with springs, but capable of yielding
when necessary. Or, in some cases, I apply to the gun carriage a pair of hydraulic
buffers so arranged that whilst the piston rod of one is entering the cylinder, that
of the other is issuing from it, and I connect the cylinders by a pipe, by which
means the fluid space within the apparatus is maintained constant.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Josiah Vavasseur in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th February
1878.
JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark, in
the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND
CONTROLLING THE RECOIL OF ORDNANCE."
This Invention has for its object. improvements in apparatus for working and
controlling the recoil of ordnance. For these purposes I employ an hydraulic buffer
consisting of a cylinder containing oil or other liquid, and a piston working within
the cylinder. The piston 13. perforated, and the piston rod is attached to the gun
carriage, so that on the recoil taking place the oil or liquid is compelled to pass
through the holes in the piston, which holes are of comparatively small area. So
far the arrangement does not present any feature of novelty, but according to my
Invention I cause the holes in the piston to be automatically and gradually closed
'during the recoil. They can also be closed, or partially closed,' at any other time
when it is desired to prevent or control the movement of the gun carriage along
the slide.'
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I place on the face of the piston a cover plate, also provided with holes, and by
turning the plate the holes in it can be brought to correspond or otherwise.. with the
holes in the piston. The automatic turning of the cover plate during the recoil I
effect by means of a twisted bar of square section placed at the axis of the cylinder and
entering within the piston rod, which is made tubular to receive it. The cover
plate of the piston has a square hole in the middle fitting this twisted bar, so that
when the piston moves along the cylinder the bar causes a partial rotation of the
cover plate upon the piston.
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In order to open or close the holes in the piston when the piston is stationary, or
irrespective of its movement, the twisted bar can be turned partly round by. means
of a lever at its, end, and thus the holes in the piston can be opened or closed at
pleasure.
To prevent shocks and to compensate for the varying space in the cylinder
occupied by the piston rod, I form at each end of the cylinder a recess or pocket

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having within it a small buffer piston loaded with springs, but capable of yielding
when necessary. Or, in some cases, I apply to the gun carriage a pair of hydraulic
buffers so arranged that whilst the piston rod of one is entering the cylinder, that
of the other is issuing from it, and I connect. the cylinders by a pipe, by which
means, the fluid space within the, apparatus is maintained constant.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the general arrangement of the apparatus
when, one controlling cylinder is employed.
A is the gun slide, and B is the gun carriage mounted upon it; C is the buffer
cylinder fixed to the slide, and D is the rod of the piston working in this cylinder;
it is fixed at its end to the gun carriage, so that the recoil of the gun drives the rod
D into the cylinder C, and causes the piston to traverse within the cylinder,
Figure 2 shows in plan the slide A, the cylinder C, and the rod D.
Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of the buffer cylinder, and the parts around
it, to a larger scale. The part marked A is a portion of the slide; it has fixed to it,
in the manner indicated, the cylinder caps or ends C, C, into which the body C³ of
the cylinder is screwed. In each cap there is a gland, and through one of these the
hollow piston rod D enters the cylinder whilst through the other the bar E, is
passed. The portion of this bar within the cylinder is square in section and is
slightly twisted, as the Drawing represent. F is a handle upon the outer end of
the bar E, by which it can be turned partly round and locked in any position to
which it may be brought: The handle F and the bolt for locking it are seen more
clearly in Figure 4, which is an end elevation. G is a perforated piston formed of
a piece with the rod D; against its end rests the cover plate. H, also perforated, aud
held to the face of the piston by the screw cap I. In the centre of the cover plate
H'there is a boss with a square hole in it, through which the bar E passes and enters
the hollow piston rod D.
Figure 5 shows, to a larger scale, a transverse section of, the cylinder C and of the
rod D, and the piston is seen in elevation. In the cylinder caps C³, C', are formed
pockets or recesses of a cylindrical form; they are open to the main cylinder, and
contain the stall pistons K. L, L, are screw caps closing the ends of the pockets or
recesses, and between these and the pistons K the vulcanized india-rubber spring
rings 0, 0, are compressed. Metal plates are interposed between the spring rings,
as the Drawing shows. The main cylinder C is filled with oil or other suitable
liquid when the piston rod D is at the outer end of its stroke, but the oil or liquid
is excluded from the pockets in the cylinder caps by the small pistons K. When
the gun is fired, on the recoil taking place, the oil or liquid is compelled to traverse
the perforations in the piston G, to pass from one side of the piston to the other, and
as the piston comes back the passages are automatically closed by the action of the
bar E upon the cover plate H, and so the piston, and with it the gun carriage to
which it is attached, are brought to rest more or less rapidly, according to the
position in which the bar E has been previously set by means of the handle F. The
pistons K, K, yield to some extent to the pressure which comes upon them, the rings
0, 0, being flattened, and in this way the shocks upon the apparatus are lessened,
and room is provided for the piston rod D to enter the cylinder, although this is
already full of liquid.
Figure 6 is an elevation, and Figure 7 is a plan showing the arrangement when
two controlling cylinders are employed, the piston rod entering the one whilst it
passes out of the other.
Figure 8 represents a section of the apparatus to a larger scale. The two cylinders
C are connected by a pipe M, by which the surplus liquid from one cylinder can
pass into the other. In Figure 7, N, N, show filling and emptying holes, fitted
with plugs.

page_text: Figure 9 shows the handle for moving the bar E of one of the cylinders; this
handle is used in manoeuvring the gun. The bar E of the other cylinder is only
moved for the purpose of adjustment, and the means provided for moving and
locking it are shown at Figure 10. The general arrangement of the cylinders, and
the parts in immediate connection with them is as already described in respect to
Figure 3, except that in place of the bar E being twisted, the interior of the cylinder
C itself is rifled; and the piston is compelled to turn within it as it traverses from
end to end.
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In Figure 11, which is a section to a larger scale, the riffe grooving of the cylinder
and the corresponding projections upon the piston are more clearly seen. Or, in
the double cylinder arrangement, the smooth cylinder and the twisted bar may be
employed.
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Figure 12 is longitudinal section of one of the cylinders as then employed; it
differs scarcely from that shown in Figure 3.
Figure 13 is a transverse section of the cylinder in Figure 12, to a larger scale.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim as my improvements
in apparatus for working and controlling the recoil of ordnance,-,
First: The hydraulic buffer with perforated piston, the holes in which are automa-
tically closed during the recoil, substantially as described.
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Second. The means of regulating the holes in the piston by a bar entering the
cylinder, and which, when turned from the exterior, closes and opens the holes in
the piston, substantially as described.
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Third. The arrangement of apparatus substantially as described; and represented
in the annexed Drawings.
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In witness whereof; I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
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