Year: 1899

page_text: I, JACQUES LUCIANI, of 100, Rue d'Amsterdam, Paris, France, Engineer; do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto projectiles for portable warlike weapons have been formed
by a lead core and a sheathing of harder metal. This mode of con-
struction entails numerous inconveniences. If the metal of the sheathing is
very hard, it causes considerable heating in the weapon and an alteration
of the bore after a small number of shots; it results also in a reduction of
the velocity in consequence of the too great friction. If the metal of the
sheathing is comparatively soft, it allows of deformations both whilst the pro-
jectile is in the weapon, where they result in a reduction of velocity and of
precision, and also at the instant of penetrating resisting materials, where
the result is a reduction of the penetration.
To avoid some or others of these defects attempts have recently been made to
construct projectiles of a single metal of medium hardness; but it is quite.
evident that this mode of construction could not obviate the inconveniences
hereinbefore mentioned; it possesses, moreover, the serious defect of reducing
the weight of the projectile, or of leading to an exaggerated length, if it be
desired to keep the weight unaltered.
་
.
Now according to this invention, in order to avoid all the inconveniences
hereinbefore mentioned, the front and rear parts of the projectile are made of
metal of appropriate hardness, these parts are connected by a rod or a tube
of a diameter considerably less than the calibre of the weapon and integral or
not with the said parts, and the peripheral gap thus produced is filled with
lead, which consequently appears on the exterior of the projectile all over its.
middle portion. The diameter of the external lead body is determined by the
effect that it is desired to obtain on the rifling; it is generally equal to the
calibre of the weapon.
The advantages attained by this new method of construction are as follows:
1. The projectile is better balanced.
2. For an equal length, the projectile is heavier and capable of offering more
resistance.
3. The heating of the weapon is considerably diminished, owing to the

page_text: reduction of the friction, and the non-liability of the projectile to deformation
during its course through the weapon.
4. The velocity and the precision are increased for the same reasons:
5. The alteration of the bore of the weapon is no longer to be feared.
6. For equal velocity and weight, the penetration and the range. are increased
owing to the non-liability of the projectile to deformation on traversing more
or less resisting media.
Projectiles may be similarly constructed for non-portable warlike weapons and
especially for quick-firing guns in which heating is to be feared.
Projectiles for rifled weapons have hitherto been made cylindrical in the
middle; flat at the back or base; and ogival or of the shape of a truncated
cone, or even flat, at the head.
An extended experience has led me to modify the ordinary shape of the ends
in the following manner:
-
The base, instead of being solid and flat, is hollowed out so as to present a
hollow of the shape of a truncated cone. This hollowing out has the effect of
diminishing the pressure of the gases by increasing the space in which they
are generated, and also of insuring perfect obturation and the more or less
forcible bearing of the base against the wall of the rifle, gun, or cannon until
the projectile leaves the latter, and this in consequence of the elasticity of the
thinned wall of the base, which last mentioned wall bears against the wall of the
rifle, gun, or cannon as the projectile travels along its bore.
The head of the projectile instead of being of one of the ordinary shapes,
has, at its point, a central hollow of a suitable shape, as of the shape of a
truncated cone provided may be with a rounded narrow end, so that the front
part of the projectile forms an annular cutter. The diameter of this annular
cutter, the thickness of the annular strip, and the depth of the hollow, may be
varied according to the object to be attained.
By varying the diameter I can regulate as I please the cross sectional
area of the incision made by the projectile in the resisting medium and
consequently the penetration, which depends to a large extent on this; when
there is no incision and the head of the projectile is solid, it is obliged
to push the fibres asunder in order to pass and experiences on this account
a great resistance, since this pushing apart is possible only to a certain extent.
The wounds caused by projectiles shaped as described are much less serious
in their final consequences than those caused by projectiles of the shape hitherto
used, because the wounds are always clean and the projectiles carry away with
them all the parts that they have cut out. On the other hand, they are much
more painful at the moment, because they cannot close up completely immediately
after the tissues have been traversed, so that a much larger surface of tissue
is left exposed to the air, contact with which is very painful. Thus the chief
object that should be sought by every army is attained-namely, placing every
combatant hit hors-de-combat, if only momentarily, in order to create disorder
in the hostile ranks and to prevent the wounded from continuing to assist in
endeavouring to obtain success in a battle, without, however, causing dangerous
wounds slow to heal, like those caused by certain bullets to which some nations
have been recently obliged to have recourse because the small bore bullets with
which they were armed had been proved to produce no appreciable effect when
they did not touch the head or the heart.
A projectile thus formed may, by a slight addition, he made capable of pro-
ducing a shrill whistling as it passes through the air. To effect this it is
sufficient to make two saw-cuts, along two diameters at right angles, across the
edges of the annular cutter forming the extreme head of the projectile. The
openings thus made, the number and the shape of which may, moreover, be
greatly varied, allow the air that comes into the anterior hollow in the pro-
jectile during its course, to escape with a noise capable of demoralizing an
adversary outside the trajectory but near to it.

page_text: It is obvious that, if desired, some or one of the improvements hereinbefore
described may be employed without the others.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant, .
Improvements in Projectiles.
I, JACQUES LUCIANI, of 100, Rue d'Amsterdam, Paris, France, 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:-
Hitherto projectiles for small-arms, or portable warlike weapons, have been
formed by a lead core and a sheathing of harder metal. This mode of con-
struction entails numerous inconveniences. If the metal of the sheathing is
very hard, it causes considerable heating in the weapon and an alteration
of the bore after a small number of shots; it results also in a reduction of
the velocity in consequence of the too great friction. If the metal of the
sheathing is comparatively soft, it allows of deformations both whilst the pro-
jectile is in the weapon, where they result in a reduction of velocity and of
precision in firing, and also at the instant of penetrating resisting materials, where
the result is a reduction of the penetration.
To avoid some or others of these defects attempts have recently been made to
construct projectiles of a single metal of medium hardness; but it is quite
evident that this mode of construction could not obviate the inconveniences
hereinbefore mentioned; it possesses, moreover, the serious defect of reducing
the weight of the projectile, or of leading to an exaggerated length, if it be
desired to keep the weight unaltered.
Now according to this invention, in order to avoid all the inconveniences
herein before mentioned projectiles are constructed as will be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section
and Fig. 2a plan of an example. The front and rear parts A and C of the
projectile are made of metal of appropriate hardness, these parts are connected
by a rod or a tube B of a diameter considerably less than the calibre of the
weapon and integral or not with the said parts, and the peripheral gap G thus
produced is filled with lead, which consequently appears on the exterior of the
projectile all over its middle portion. The diameter of the external lead body
depends upon whether or not it is intended to engage with the rifling; it is
generally equal to the calibre of the weapon-i.e., the diameter of the bore
excluding the rifling grooves.
.
The advantages attained by this new method of construction are as follows:-
1. The projectile is better balanced.
2: For an equal length, the projectile is heavier and capable of offering more
resistance.
3. The heating of the weapon is considerably diminished, owing to the
reduction of the friction, and the non-liability of the projectile to deformation
during its course through the weapon.
4. The velocity and the precision of firing are increased for the same reasons,

page_text: 5. The alteration of the bore of the weapon is no longer to be feared.
6. For equal velocity and weight, the penetration and the range are increased
owing to the non-liability of the projectile to deformation on traversing more
or less resisting media.
Projectiles may be similarly constructed for artillery, or non-portable warlike
weapons, and especially for quick-firing guns in which heating is to be feared.
Projectiles for rifled weapons have hitherto been made cylindrical in the
middle; flat at the back or base; and ogival or of the shape of a truncated
cone, or even flat, at the head.
An extended experience has led me to modify the ordinary shape of the ends
in the following manner:-
The base, instead of being. solid and flat, is hollowed out so as to present a
hollow E of the shape of a truncated cone. This hollowing out has the effects of
diminishing the pressure of the gases by increasing the space in which they
are generated, and of insuring perfect obturation, the more or less forcible bearing
of the thinned wall of the base against the wall of the rifle, gun, or cannon, until
the exit of the projectile therefrom, being caused by its elasticity and the pressure
of the gases thereon.
The head A of the projectile, instead of being of one of the ordinary shapes,
has, at its point, a central hollow D of a suitable shape, as of the shape of a
truncated cone provided may be with a rounded narrow end, so that the front
part of the projectile forms an annular cutter. The diameter of this annular
cutter, the thickness of the annular strip, and the depth of the hollow, may be
varied according to the object to be attained.
By varying the diameter of this cutter I can regulate as please the cross-
sectional area of the incision made by the projectile in the resisting medium and
consequently the penetration, which depends to a large extent on this; when
there is no incision and the head of the projectile is solid, the projectile is obliged
to push the fibres asunder in order to pass and it experiences on this account
a great resistance, since this pushing apart is possible only to a certain extent.
The wounds caused by projectiles shaped as described are much less serious
in their final consequences than those caused by projectiles of the shape hitherto
used, because the wounds are always clean and the projectiles carry away with
them all the parts that they have cut out. On the other hand, they are much
more painful at the moment, because they cannot close up completely immediately
after the tissues have been traversed, so that a much larger surface of tissue
is left exposed to the air, contact with which is very painful. Thus the chief
object that should be sought by every army is attained-namely, placing every
combatant hit hors-de-combat, if only momentarily, in order to create disorder
in the hostile ranks and to prevent the wounded from continuing to assist in
endeavouring to obtain success in a battle, without, however, causing dangerous
wounds slow to heal, like those caused by certain bullets to which some nations
have been recently obliged to have recourse because the small-bore bullets with
which they were armed had been proved to produce no appreciable effects when
they did not touch the head or the heart.
A projectile thus formed may, by a slight addition, be made capable of pro-
ducing a shrill whistling as it passes through the air. To effect this it is
sufficient to make saw-cuts F, F, F, F, (Figs. 1 and 2), along two diameters
at right angles, across the edge of the annular cutter forming the extreme
head of the projectile. The openings thus made, the number and the shape of which
may, moreover, be greatly varied, and which may be mere holes made in the
cutter as shown in the vertical section and plan Figs. 3 and 4, allow the air that
to escape
comes into the anterior hollow in the projectile during its course,
with à noise capable of demoralizing an adversary outside the trajectory but near
to it.
It is obvious that, if desired, some or one of the improvements hereinbefore
described may be employed without the others,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A projectile in which between the head and the base, which are connected
by a rod or a tube integral or not with them, there is a middle part of lead
intended to insure the bearing of the projectile on the wall and rifling of the
weapon, to increase the weight of the projectile, and to diminish friction.
2. A projectile whose base has a hollow of the shape of a truncated cone, with
the objects of providing a larger space for the expansion of the gases and
insuring a perfect obturation of the projectile against the wall of the weapon
until its exit therefrom.
3. A projectile whose head has a central hollow forming an annular cutter of
a diameter and a height greater or less according to the object to be attained.
4. A projectile according to Claim 3 in which the annular cutter is provided
with air-holes made either by cuts or by holes made in the metal in such a
way as to insure the escape of the air.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.