Improvements in Field, Siege, and similar Gun Mountings.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by Jean Baptiste GUSTAVE ADOlphe Canet,
of 87, Avenue Henri-Martin, Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer.]
Improvements in Field, Siege, and similar Gun Mountings.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firin of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:
This invention relates to field, siege and similar gun mountings and has for its
object to provide for diminishing the recoil of such mountings.
The most important feature of my said invention relates to the construction of
the mounting in two principal parts, viz. the body of the mounting, and the trail,
which parts can slide axially the one within the other in the same manner as the
tubes of a telescope. One of the said parts is adapted to be fixed or anchored to the
ground and the other of the said parts recoils with the gun. In some cases I provide
In combination with the
for more than two parts sliding relatively to each other.
aforesaid telescopic parts I provide a brake for diminishing the recoil, and recuperator
apparatus for storing up energy during recoil to be used for restoring the gun to
battery after recoil.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown a hydraulic brake, but I wish it to be
clearly understood that I may use an electric or friction or other suitable kind of
brake. In the different arrangements illustrated, the trail is anchored or rendered
immovable by means of a spade fixed thereto which spade is driven into the ground
by the recoil at the first discharge, or which can be previously driven into the ground
by the gunners.
I am aware that the employment of a spade at the rear end of the trail for fixing
the latter to the ground already known, and consequently I do not claim the
exclusive right to the same.
In some instances in lieu of rendering the trail immovable I allow it to recoil
freely with the gun and I fix the body of the mounting to the ground by means of
a spade of suitable form.
Another important feature of my invention relates to the employment in com-
bination with the telescopic mounting of a friction brake for assisting to check the
recoil which brake operates during the recoil preferably with an intensity which can
he proportioned to the energy of recoil and which automatically ceases to act or
becomes very weak during the return to battery.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a mounting constructed in accordance with
my invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section showing slight modifications in the
details of the mounting.
Figure 3 is a section on the line of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of my improved mounting.
Figure 5 is a face view of a modified form of spade hereinafter described.
Figures 6 to 15 show various forms of friction brake for assisting to check the
recoil as hereinafter described.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the trail; B is the spade secured to the lower end of the trail and adapted'
to enter the ground to prevent the recoil of the trail after firing. N is the body.

page_text: of the mounting which can slide telescopically on the trail A.
carried by the axle Q wbich is cranked for this purpose as
Formed with or secured to the body N are side cheeks R in the
are formed the bearings for the trunnion of the gun L.
The said body N is
shown in Figure 3.
upper ends of which
The trail A carrying at its extremity the spade, encloses, in the forms or
modifications shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hydraulic recoil brake which is of
the well known central-rod type previously patented by the communicator of
this invention. The central rod C is fixed at D by a screw as shown or by
other suitable means.
For effecting rapid dismounting, this rod C can be drawn
back through an aperture C' provided for this purpose in the bearing-plate E.
The liquid passes from one side of the piston to the other by a series of orifices G, G,
the total sectional area of which available for the flow varies according to the shape
or diameter of the rod C.
His a movable watertight partition, piston, or head traversed by the piston
rod I and furnished with the necessary watertight packing. Between the forward
face of the piston or head H and the forward fixed end of the trail A is placed
the elastic recuperator apparatus which may be of any well known or suitable
type. I can use for this recuperator either spiral or helical springs, Belleville
discs, or other metallic elements, or compressed air or other compressible fluid.
The piston rod I of the brake is attached at O to the forward end of the body of
the mounting N.
The spade B which I use is preferably of the form shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The means for securing it to the bearing plate E are preferably such as will allow
it to be quickly removed and replaced. For this purpose the spade has on its upper
face a tenon B³ Figure 2 which corresponds with a groove of the same form provided
in the bearing plate E. The spade proper B comprises two vertical sides B', an
a rear inclined face B².
I sometimes use a spade consisting of a simple sheet metal plate, shaped as shown
in Figure 5 for example, and having its lateral edges bevelled.
The central-rod type of brake above referred to is that which I prefer to employ
but there are cases where I find it desirable to replace this by other well known
forms of brake already patented by the communicator of this invention; for
example the orifices for the flow of liquid from one to the other side of the
brake piston may be provided in the periphery of the said piston, and the
sectional area of flow may be so adjusted as to proportion at each instant
the resistance opposed by the passage of the liquid to the impulse due to the
recoil by a series of bars of a suitable shape which extend through the said grooves
in the piston.
In other instances I provide around the periphery of the brake piston a
slight space for the passage of the liquid and I regulate this space on which
the sectional area of flow depends, by suitably shaping the interior of the brake
cylinder.
The operation of my improved mounting is as follows:-that is to say, at the
moment of putting the gun in battery the spade B simply rests with its edge on the
ground, but at the first discharge it is driven into the ground more or less deeply
according to the nature or condition of the ground and is thus fixed for the next
and following discharges; I thus provide for diminishing the recoil and storing up
energy necessary for the return of the gun to battery. During the recoil, the
body of the mounting N slides on the cylinder of the trail A carrying with it the
wheels, and the brake piston, which latter compresses the liquid and forces it
through the aforesaid orifices G. The displacement of a portion of the liquid in the
brake cylinder by the piston rod I causes the head H to be moved in the trail A in
the opposite direction to that of the recoil, thereby compressing the recuperator,
which, as soon as the recoil ceases, gives back the stored up energy and returns the
gun to battery.
Should the brake or the recuperator from any cause become inoperative, I rigidly
fix the trail to the body of the mounting, and the firing may then be continued, the

page_text: mounting then acting as an ordinary field or siege carriage with a spade and rigid
trail.
To facilitate this change I may replace the centre rod C, which as above stated
is easily dismounted, by another rod having a diameter and length necessary for it
to abut against the brake piston in the firing position; or I provide the end of the
rod C with a cap of suitable shape and dimensions, to engage the piston F and
prevent the recoil.
I may accomplish the same end by placing a sleeve A¹
indicated by dotted lines Figure 2 on the trail cylinder between a shoulder A* of
the latter and the rear end N₁ of the body of the mounting, or by inserting (when
the dimensions of the trail cylinder permit it), a circular divided ring in a
corresponding groove. in the side of the trail cylinder to bear against the rear face
of the body of the mounting when in the firing position.
In a modification of my invention I secure the wheels to the fixed trail instead
of to the recoiling part N. The body of the mounting is furnished with suitable
shoes and is arranged to slide in a cradle which is itself securely fixed to the crank
axle and attached to the fixed trail by two lateral girders. In this mounting.
therefore the trail, the cradle, and the wheels form the non-recoiling part, while
the body of the mounting, the cheeks, and the gun form the recoiling part. Any
suitable type of brake may be used.
The operation of this mounting is otherwise substantially the same as that
herein before described, and in case the brake becomes inoperative I render the
body of the mounting immovable with regard to the trail by means of one of the
devices hereinabove described.
A further modification differing from the above in the interior arrangement of
the brake and the recuperator is shown in Figure 4. It can be employed either ini
the case where the wheels participate in the recoil or in that where they do not
recoil. The brake is constituted by the body of the mounting N which contains
the liquid, the recuperator being placed in the trail A. The rod C carries at its
rear end the watertight piston H. The forward end of said rod C passes through
a stuffing box O¹ in the end of the body N and is furnished with a head C¹ to
prevent withdrawal. The forward end A° of the trail serves in conjunction with
the rod C to provide the required variable resistance to the recoil in the various
stages thereof. The spade B is of the form shown in Figure 5.
The operation of this mounting is the same as that above described. The
recuperator may, according to circumstances, be constituted by metal springs or
the like, or by compressed air.
The various forms of friction brake which I may employ for assisting to check
the recoil, illustrated in Figures 6 to 15, will now be described.
The brake shown in Figure 6 is composed essentially of a tubular sleeve a
covered with wood a',. copper, leather or other analogous material. In certain.
cases the cylinder is not covered but in such case its rubbing surface is prepared so
as to cause great friction. This plate is split longitudinally and is placed around
the trail A and within the cylinder N. The said sleeve has a certain amount of
longitudinal play which is limited by two collars b, b' fixed on the trail.
The said sleeve is furnished with two grooves or inclines c, c in or between which
project two radial studs d, d fixed on the trail A. During the first part of the
recoil, the sleeve a adheres sufficiently to the body of the mounting N to be carried
back by said body until it has traversed the whole or a part of the longitudinal
play allowed it by the aforesaid collars 66 and the grooves c, c are thereby caused
to travel over the studs d, d. By this means the sleeve a is expanded and pressed
very tightly against the body of the mounting N. The distance through which the
sleeve a is moved and the intensity of the friction produced by its expansion
depends on the shape of the inclines or grooves c, c. The friction can be pro-
portioned at each instant to the energy due to the recoil. In certain cases instead
of acting directly on the elastic sleeve a, I interpose one, two or more springs
between it and the mounting, or between the said sleeve and the mechanism which
produces the expansion of the sleeve.

page_text: As the gun returns into battery, the sleeve a moves with the mounting N, and
its inclines or grooves c, e glide over the studs d, d by which means the pressure of
the sleeve against the part N is relieved, and the said sleeve contracts again on the
cylinder of the trail. It is seen that the operation of this brake is automatic and
can be regulated at will.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 the mounting is similar to the
preceding, but for expanding the sleeve 1 provide a wedge e which is pressed
between the edges of the sleeve, that is to say, in the slit or division by a spring f
which bears against a piece f¹ that rests on an inclined part f2, f2 of the fixed
trail A.
The operation of this device is as follows: At the beginning of the recoil the
divided ring a is carried backward by the part N with which it is in frictional
contact, and the spring f is thus caused to mount on the incline f², f, thereby
forcing the wedge e further into the division of the sleeve and expanding said
sleeve, thus tightening it against the part N. As soon as the return into battery
commences, the ring a moves forward with the body of the mounting until arrested
by meeting the Hange or collar 6 by which movement the spring is again
slackened and the friction reduced, whereupon the mounting returns easily to the
firing position. The wedge e can be replaced.by other devices which will give the
same result.
It is obvious that the sleeve a may be made in two or more parts each provided
with a spring sliding over a corresponding incline on the trail A.
Figure 9 illustrates a modification of the arrangements above described. The
brake is composed of a ring divided into any suitable number of parts (four in the
drawing) mounted on the trail cylinder A between the fixed collars b, b. In
the firing position, said parts adhere slightly to the body of the mounting N
being pressed thereagainst by springs f which I have here represented as plate
springs but which may be of any other suitable description. The forward part of
the trail is shaped to the form of a truncated cone in such a manner that during
the recoil the springs mount said coned part and operate to press the divided parts
of the ring against the body of the mounting Ń with progressively increasing
pressure.
The operation is the same as that of the brake last described but the springs
instead of acting on the edges of the divided ring press on the centre portions of
the parts thereof.
It is clear that in this case as in the preceding, each of the portions of the ring
forming the brake can be joined to the one next to it by any suitable means which
allows of the required expansion of the ring.
As herein before mentioned the brake can in certain cases be arranged to operate
on the exterior of one of the sliding parts of the mounting. Such a construction
is shown in Figures 11 and 12. The split ring or clip a constituting the brake is
connected to the body of the mounting N by two side slotted links g, g secured to
the said ring a. Fixed to the body of the mounting N on each side thereof is a
radial pin g projecting through the slots in the said links g. The clip bears on
the fixed trail either directly or through the intervention of a lining a¹ of some
material which gives great friction. Its free edges are terminated by two
arms a² a² which are connected by a screw bolt h one end of which has right-
handed threads, and the other left handed threads; according to the direction in
which this bolt is turned, the clip a will be opened or closed and consequently
will be slackened or tightened on the fixed trail A. The tightening of the clip
during the recoil and the slackening thereof during the return into battery is
effected as follows. That is to say, secured to the bolt screw h is a double lever or
arinj adapted to be controlled by two inclines or projecting parts k k¹ provided
respectively on the fixed trail and on the movable part N of the mounting. By
this means the lever j is tilted during the recoil and return into battery in one
direction or the other according to the position of the ring or clip a on the trail,
and consequently produces the tightening or slackening of the said ring. The

page_text: .
operation is as follows: After the discharge, the body of the mounting N first
recoils independently of the ring a until it comes in contact with said ring. The
ring then recoils with the body of the mounting N. During the first part of the
recoil before the ring a commences to move, the incline operates to turn.
the lever and tighten the clip on the trail. At the end of the recoil the tail of
the lever strikes the incline and the said lever is tilted back, the clip a being:
thereby slackened. The body of the mounting N is then returned into battery by
the recuperator. It is necessary that the incline k¹ shall be able to pass the
lever on the return without raising said lever; for this purpose the said lever j is.
furnished with a pivoted arm j' which can turn in the direction of the trail around
an axis. The said arm j¹ is so turned by the projection without raising the
lever and when the incline has cleared the lever, the arm j¹ returns to its.
primitive position under the action of the spring 3. As soon as the pins g' have
arrived at the ends of the slots in the links g the ring a is again drawn along by
the body of the mounting N and the different parts are thus returned to their firing;
position. It is clear I can employ other equivalent means for ensuring that the
ring a shall automatically tighten and slacken in the manner and for the purpose.
above specified.
Figures 13, 14 and 15 represent a modification of the preceding arrangement..
In this construction the friction takes place between plane surfaces. The ring is.
as before connected to the body of the mounting by means of one or several
links 9 and tightening is produced by the alternating movements of a lever j one:
of the extremities of which carries an arm oscillating in the direction of the trail
and which is returned to its initial position by a spring. To increase the friction
surface I provide one or more flexible plates 1 connected to the trail at their ends..
Between these plates 11 are placed bronze or other metal plates a¹ covered with a
material which produces great friction. These different sheets are in one piece.
with the part a through which the tightening screw is passed. A small bronze
platen is interposed between the screw and the plate. The operation is the
same as that of the mechanism shown in Figures 11 and 12.
All the arrangements which I have just enumerated can evidently be modified.
according to the relative positions of the mounting and the trail. Although I
have shown in the drawings the body of the mounting external to the trail, it can
also be internal; also the friction can take place either on the interior or the
exterior of either one of these two pieces. The recuperator can similarly be of the
metallic, liquid or fluid type or a combination of any two or more of such types.
1 may further modify the construction of the mounting so that the common
axis instead of being straight as shown in the accompanying drawings is curved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A wheeled gun carriage or mounting consisting of two or more parts.
arranged telescopically so that one will slide relatively to the other during the
recoil and the return into battery, for the purposes specified.
2. The combination, with the aforesaid mounting, of a hydraulic brake such as
that shewn in the drawings or any other suitable form of brake for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination with the aforesaid mounting of elastic apparatus forming a
recuperator for returning the gun to battery after recoil.
4. In a wheeled carriage or mounting, the body of the mounting and the trail
arranged to act telescopically during the recoil of the gun, the trail being
provided with means for fixing it to the ground while the body moves with the
gun, and the said trail carrying within it a hydraulic brake and a recuperator
separated by a water-tight partition, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings for the purpose specified.

page_text: 5. The modified form of such mounting wherein the brake is arranged in the
recoiling part of the mounting and the recuperator is in the trail.
6. In a gun carriage or mounting constructed with two or more parts acting
telescopically along their common axis during the recoil and the return to battery,
the combination with these parts of a suitable friction brake for the purpose
specified.
7. The modification of my invention which comprises a fixed cradle which is
attached to the bearing plate and to the wheels so that the latter are rendered
immovable during the discharge and which cradle permits the sliding of the body
of the mounting during the recoil and the return to battery, for the purpose
specified.
8. The gun carriage or mounting provided with a spade of either of the forms
shown in the accompanying drawings, which spade is fixed on the bearing plate
substantially as described so that it can easily and quickly be removed and
replaced.
9. A gun mounting constructed substantially as described, so that in the case of
a stoppage of the action of the brake or the recuperator, the body of the
mounting can be rendered immovable on the trail or the cradle and the firing may
be continued.
10. A gun carriage or mounting constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figure or to Figure 2, or to Figure 4, and operating as, and for the
purpose, specified.
11. The herein described improvements relating to brakes and their application
to the aforesaid gun mountings as described with reference to any of the various
forms and arrangements illustrated in Figures 6 to 15 of the drawings for the
purpose specified.
1004
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.