RESERVE Specially Adapted for Quick Firing Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left. 5th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Oct., 1888
RESERVE
Specially Adapted 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:-
The object of this invention is mainly to allow of the gun being mounted on a
travelling carriage in such a manner that it will be automatically brought back into
firing position after each discharge and that within certain limits it can be trained
without the trail end being moved.
The gun I mount within trunnion bearings of a fork or crosshead with a pivot
which fits in a socket provided with compressors (hydraulic or otherwise) for checking
the recoil and springs for again running the gun forwards when the recoil ceases.
The top of the trail is provided with guide plans which control the movement of the
socket and compressors which partake in the recoil of the gun. The piston rods are
fixed to the top of the trail which is fastened to the axle. The other end of the trail
rests as usual on the ground when the shot is fired. The guide plans at the top of the
trail are placed so that the gun, crosshead, socket and compressors will recoil in an
inclined direction towards the ground; the springs being strong enough to bring the
gun up and forward into firing position ready for the discharge of the next round.
The gun can be trained boilí laterally and vertically. At the breech of the
fixed an elevating screw which can be raised or lowered by turning a nut actuated by
a hand wheel. This nut is placed between the two trail-sides and moved transversely by
means of screw with hand wheel. By moving the elevating nut sideways the gun
gets lateral training. The connection between the elevating nut and the traversing
screw is arranged in the following way. Between the trail sides and on each side of
the elevating nut are two cheeks which at one end are connected and form a nut which
is worked sideways by the traversing screw. The other ends are by a spring pressed
against a guide bolt which keeps the sides of the trail together and which also
generally takes the brake hinges and one end of the stays connecting the trail and
the axle.
gan is

page_text: The spring I generally make of V shape and of the same width as the trail.
The elevating nut is fixed between the cheeks by means of trunnions or screws
round which it can pivot. When the gun recoils the end of the elevating screw
follows the gun and the nut pivots on its centres.
The end of the elevating screw would then describe a circle but as the gun recoils in
a straight line the elevating screw will be pressed down with its nut which will
through the cheeks compress the V spring. In order to still more soften the blow
I place some india rubber buffers in the nut. The position of the trunnions of the
elevating nut are so chosen that in the recoil of the gun their movement will be the
smallest possible even when the gun is fired in different elevations.
The rest of the carriage is of ordinary description.
Instead of crosshead with pivot and socket I sometimes use a ring with trunnions
which are kept in trunnion bearings. These trunnion bearings are in one piece with
the compressors or buffers. Generally the trunnions of a gun are kept horizontally
for allowing a vertical movement of the gun in this case I place the trunnions
vertically and in turning round them the gun will get a horizontal or lateral move-
ment. The trunnions of the gun are kept in trunnion bearings in the ring. The ring
is made in two halves which are joined at the trunnions on the ring.
When the ring turns round its trunnions the gun gets its vertical movement.
In this case there being no socket between the compressors they can be placed
between the trail sides and get full protection from them or only one compressor can
be used. I employ the same kind of traversing and elevating gear as described
before.
Th: 19th 1
1035

page_text: Specially Adapted 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 :-
The object of this invention is mainly to allow of the gun being mounted on a
travelling carriage in such a manner that it will be automatically brought back into
firing position after each discharge and that within certain limits it can be trained
without the trail end being moved.
In the annexed drawings Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a gun
mounting arranged in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is part of a rear
elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a plan of the mounting with the gun removed.
The gun a I mount by its trunnions in the trunnion bearings of a fork or cross-
head with a pivot which fits in a socket e provided with compressors c¹ (hydraulic
or otherwise) for checking the recoil and springs for again running the gun forwards
when the recoil ceases. The top of the trail d is provided with guide planes which
control the movement of the socket c and compressors which partake in the recoil of
the gun. The piston rods are fixed to the top of the trail which is fastened to the
axle. The other end of the trail d rests as usual on the ground when the shot is fired.
The guide planes at the top of the trail are placed so that the gun, crosshead, socket
and compressors will recoil in an inclined direction towards the ground; the springs
which surround the piston rods being strong enough to bring the gun up and forward
into firing position ready for the discharge of the next round.
The gun a can be trained both laterally and vertically. At the breech of the gun
is fixed an elevating screw e which can be raised or lowered by turning a nut f
actuated by a hand wheel f¹. This nut is placed between the two trail-sides and can
be moved transversely by means of screw g with hand wheel g'. By moving the
elevating nut sideways the gun gets lateral training. The connection between the
elevating nut and the traversing screw is arranged in the following way. Between
the trail sides and on each side of the elevating nut are two cheeks which at one end
are connected and form a nut which is worked sideways by the traversing screw.
The other ends are by a spring i pressed against a guide bolt which keeps the sides
of the trail together and which also generally takes the brake hinges and one end of
the stays connecting the trail and the axle.
The spring I generally make of V shape and of the same width as the trail.
The elevating nut fis fixed between the checks by means of trunnions or screws
round which it can pivot. When the gun recoils the end of the elevating screw
follows the gun and the nut pivots on its centres.
The end of the elevating screw would then describe a circle but as the gun recoils
in a straight line the elevating screw will be pressed down with its nut which will

page_text: through the cheeks compress the V spring. In order to still more soften the blow
I sometimes place some india rubber buffers in the nut. The position of the trunnions
of the elevating mutare so chosen that in the recoil of the gun their movement will
be the smallest possible even when the gun is fired in different elevations.
The rest of the carriage is of ordinary description.
Instead of the crosshead with pivot and socket I sometimes use a ring with trunnions
which are held in trunnion bearings. These trunnion bearings are in one piece with
the compressors or buffers.
This arrangement is illustrated by the Figures 4 to 8. Figure 4 is a side elevation,
Figure 5 is one half front and the other half rear elevation, Figure 6 is a plan,
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of a part, Figure 8 is a section on the line A B
in Figure 7. is the gun and 7 the trunnion ring.
Generally the trunnions of a gun are kept horizontally for allowing a vertical move-
ment of the gun, in this case I place the trunnions vertically and in turning round
them the gun will get a horizontal or lateral movement. The trunnions of the gun
are kept in trunnion bearings in the ring. The ring is made in two halves which
are joined at the trunnions on the ring.
When the ring turns round its trunnions the gun gets its vertical movement.
In this case there being no socket between the compressors m m which as before
form part of a piece or carriage sliding upon the trail they can be placed between the
trail sides and get full protection from them or only one compressor can be used.
I employ the same kind of traversing and elevating gear as described before.
When in
The other and ordinary parts of the mounting clearly shown by the drawing do not
call for detailed description. The arrangement of the brake however is peculiar. The
brake blocks n n are hung by rods o o from points p eccentric to the axle.
action the brake blocks are let down to rest on the wheels and when these tend to run
back they jam and hold them fast. India rubber springs are inserted to reduce the
strain and allow the brake to arrange itself for the inequality in diameter of the
wheels. For travelling the brake blocks are suspended from the trail in the position
shown.
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 :-
1. In a gun mounting the combination consisting of the fork or crosshead with
its trunnion bearings and pivot and the socket piece c with the compressors e¹ sliding
upon the upper part of the trail d substantially as described.
2. The combination in a travelling carriage of aiming gear consisting of the screw
supporting the breech of the gun, a trunnion nut with hand wheel, a transverse screw
with hand wheel and checks or arms carrying the trunnion nut and pivoting round
the transverse screw and a spring that keeps the said cheeks or arms pressed against
a bearing but yields to pressure on the elevating screw.
3. In a gun mounting the arrangement admitting of vertical movement and also
horizontal training of the gun; such arrangement consisting of a ring or part sur-
rounding the gun, with bearings within it for the guns trunnions and also with
trunnions on its exterior held in bearings upon the trail or in a piece or carriage
sliding upon the trail.
4. Gun mountings substantially as described and represented by the annexed
drawings.
1
7A
3000