Improvements in the Construction of Armour Plates, on the Harveyised or other Principles, for War Ships.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1896
f
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
:
Improvements in the Construction of Armour Plates, on the
Harveyised or other Principles, for War Ships.
THOMAS FEATHER Stone Merchant Waverley House Knowle Road Mirfield
in the County of York. I THOMAS FEATHER do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
That instead of the armour plates being constructed with a plain surface, I
construct them under my invention with the surface covered with pyramidically
shaped pillars, on the Harveyised or other principles, which may be joined together
at the base, or a certain space left between them as desired, each pyramidical pillar
forming a sharp point, and which may be made to any dimensions as desired,
and by this means when the shot or ball strikes the plates, it is caught by these
sharp pointed pyramidically shaped pillars, and the force of the impact is de-
centralised, and is spent in tearing itself to pieces, and thus is prevented from
penetrating the armour plate.
Dated this Sixth day of August 1896.
THOMAS FEATHER..
Improvements in the Construction of Armour Plates, on the
Harveyised or other Principles, for War Ships.
THOMAS FEATHER Stone Merchant Waverley House Knowle Road Mirfield
in the County of York. I THOMAS FEATHER 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of armour plates on
the Harveyised or other principles, for war ships.
That is to say that instead of the armour plates being constructed with a plain
surface, I construct them under my invention with the surface covered with sharp
pointed pillars (preferably pyramidically shaped) but I do not confiue myself to
the exact shape of the pillars, which may be made on the Harveyised or other
principles, and which may be joined together at the base, or a space left between
them as desired, each pillar forming a sharp point, and which may be made to any
dimensions as desired, and by this means when the shot or ball strikes the plates,
it is caught by these sharp pointed pillars, and the force of impact is de-centralised,
and is spent in its own destruction, throwing off the force of impact from the
plate to the ball or shot, which is thus spent in self destruction, and by this means
is prevented from penetrating the armour plate.
The pyramidically or other shaped pillars, answering in the same manner as if
wedges were driven into the ball or shot, for the purpose of splitting them to
pieces, the force of the ball accomplishing the whole of the work, which force is

page_text: not spent on the ship's plate, as nearly the whole of the force is transferred to the
ball in its own destruction..
Consequently on this account the thickness and weight of the armour plates
may be greatly reduced, and thereby greatly reduce the weight of the vessel,
which reduction in weight will more than counterbalance any reduction of speed
of the vessel, which the pyramidically shaped pillars may have effected.
Having now, particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1st. The method of constructing the armour plates with pillars on the surface
instead of constructing them with a plain surface, each of these pillars forming
a sharp point, which may be made to any dimensions, and may be joined together
at the base, or a space left between them as desired, and may also be made or
hardened on the Harveyised or other principles.
2nd. I also claim that these pyramidically or other shaped pillars may be made
any thickness at the base, and brought up to a sharp point (preferably pyramidically
shaped).
.3rd. I also claim that these pyramidically or other shaped pillars may be made
any length from the base, or any width at the base, but tapering up to a sharp
point, the whole of these dimensions and shape or pattern, may be regulated
according to requirements.
Dated this Seventeenth day of November 1896.