IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gilbert Alfred Cassagnes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1883.
GILBERT ALFRED CASSAGNES, Civil Engineer of Paris in the Republic of France
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE"
Ordnance as at present constructed are usually strengthened internally with
cylindrical hoops heated and shrunk into position
These hoops of iron or steel offer considerable resistance in a transverse direction,
but add nothing to the longitudinal resistance of the gun.
The object of this invention is to so form and apply the hoops that they are
compelled to participate in the longitudinal resistance.
With this view I give a truncated form to the internal and external surfaces of
the hoops when several layers are superposed, the inclination of these superposed
cones being placed inversely, care being taken to cross or alternate the joints.
Thus the inner surfaces of the first layer of truncated cones formed by the
cylindrical hoops have their bases facing towards the breech of the gun, whilst the
exterior of these same conical hoops, and the interior of the second or outer layer
have their bases turned to the mouth of the gun.
That is to say the inner summit of each of the conical hoops of the first layer
faces the muzzle whilst the external summit of each of these same cones as well as
the internal summit of each of the cones of the second layer is placed towards the
breech.
The result of this arrangement is that any displacement of the metal tube which
would have a tendency to unbreech the cannon would have the effect of wedging
the hoops in the respective layers
This novel mode of hooping cannon causes the hoops to bear not only the
transverse but also the longitudinal strain and also prevents breakage as well as
unbreeching the gun,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Gilbert Alfred Cassagnes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th August 1883.
GILBERT ALFRED CASSAGNES Civil Engineer of Paris in the Republic of France
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORDNANCE,
This invention has for its object improvements in ordnance and relates especially
to devices for obtaining greater strength longitudinally.
Guns as at present constructed are usually strengthened internally with
cylindrical metallic hoops, heated and shrunk in position. These metallic hoops
offer considerable resistance in a transverse sense, but add little to the longitudinal
_ resistance of the weapon.
The object of my invention is to so form and apply the hoops that they are
-compelled to participate in the longitudinal resistance of the gun.
With this view I give a conical form to the internal and external-surfaces of the
hoops.
The inclination of the internal surfaces of each layer of hoops being placed
inversely in each layer in order to make the hoops wedge together when the tube-
of the gun is strained longitudinally by the firing of the gun.
I cross the joints of the hoops in such a way that I leave a collar on each hoop
of every layer above the first row of hoops in order to hook the parts of hoops
which are kept together longitudinally by the shrinkage only instead of the
wedging action.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed.
The figure is a longitudinal section of a gun made in accordance with my
invention.
Hoops A, A, A",.... of the first layer have their internal surfaces made
conical, the apex of these internal cones being turned towards the breech of
the gun.
The hoops B, B1, B"………. of the second layer have their internal surfaces made
conical, in steps, the apex of these cones being turned inversely to that of the
internal conical surfaces of the first layer so that the apex of the conical surfaces
of the hoops of the second layer is turned towards the muzzle of the gun, but in
crossing the joints I place the joint of the hoops in rear of the beginning of each
conical surface.
In the drawing I have exaggerated the incline of the conical surfaces in order to
render them more visible. The result of this arrangement is as follows: The
pressure of the powder gases against the breech mechanism has a tendency to blow
off the rear of the tube (say a):
With the conical surfaces, the rear part of the tube is wedged into hoop A, the
strain is transmitted to hoop B, on account of collar b. The hoop B will commu-
nicate the strain to hoop A' by a wedging action, and the strain will pass to
hoop B, for the reason of, and by the collar b¹.
Thus the strain will be transmitted to A" and so on successively to the trunnion
hoop.
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 invention the
improvements in ordnance consisting in the method of disposing the hoops of guns

page_text: with conical surfaces, the inclination of the cones being reversed in each layer, in
combination with collars left on the rows of hoops above the first layer in order to
give longitudinal strength to the gun substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Gilbert Alfred Cassagnes have hereunto set my
hand and seal this eighth day of August in the Year of Our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
GILBERT, ALFRED, CASSAGNES. (L.B.)