Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 4th Aug., 1887
Complete Accepted, 5th Nov., 1887
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark in
the County of Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this invention is to allow a centrally pivotted gun to be trained rapidly
through a large angle and also to allow it to be slowly moved when giving the final
adjustment.
In order to permit of the gun being readily rotated its centre of gravity should be
in its pivot or nearly so. The pivot has fixed to it a toothed wheel which gears with a
toothed pinion upon whose axis is mounted a worm wheel The gun is trained by
means of a handle on one end of a shaft whose other end carries a worm which takes
into the teeth of the worm wheel. The handle is at the rear of the gun as is also the
handle of the shaft for elevating.
The shaft of the training gear is hollow and has fitting within it a rod the fore end
of which drops into a bearing in the frame of the carriage. The rod can be withdrawn
from its bearing by pulling a button or handle fixed to it and projecting beyond the
rear end of the tube. The shaft can then be pressed to one side thereby throwing the
worm out of gear with the worm wheel. A spring may be provided to assist in
bringing the end of the rod back into its bearing.
In order to train the gun slowly the training or worm shaft is turned thereby
driving the wheel on the axis of the gun through the toothed pinion but when it is
desired to turn the gun quickly through a large angle the worm is thrown out of gear
with the worm wheel and the gun is turned directly by the gunner. A shoulder piece
may be provided at the rear of the gun for the gunner to push against for this
purpose.
Dated this 5th day of November 1886.

page_text: I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark in
the County of Surrey, 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 to allow a centrally pivotted gun to be trained
rapidly through a large angle and also to allow it to be slowly moved when giving the
final adjustment.
In order to permit of the gun being readily rotated its centre of gravity should be
in its pivot or nearly so. The pivot has fixed to it a toothed wheel which gears with
a toothed pinion upon whose axis is mounted a worm wheel. The gun is trained by
means of a handle on one end of a shaft whose other end carries a worm which takes
into the teeth of the worm wheel.
In order to train the gun slowly the training or worm shaft is turned, thereby
driving the worm wheel on the axis of the toothed pinion but when it is desired to
turn the gun quickly through a large angle the worm is thrown out of gear with the
worm wheel and the gun is turned directly by the gunner. A shoulder piece may be
provided at the rear of the gun for the gunner to push against for this purpose.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed is a side elevation partly in section
and Figure 2 a plan of apparatus for training guns constructed in the above manner.
A is the fixed central pivot around which the gun mounting turns. B is a ring of
teeth around the base of this pivot. C is the pivotting bed of the mounting which is
supported by and can turn around the pivot A. D. D are pedestals rising up from
this bed. E is a carriage carrying the trunnions of the gun F and capable of sliding
along the top of the pedestals. G are hydraulic recoil cylinders.
H is a vertical axis carried in bearings on the pivotting bed C, on its lower end it
has upon it a toothed pinion I which gears into the fixed ring of teeth B and on its
upper end it has fixed upon it a worm wheel J. K is a worm which can be made to
gear with the worm wheel-it is fixed on one end of a hollow axis L and can be turned
by a hand wheel M fixed on the opposite end of the axis. The axis at its centre can
turn in a bearing O, carried by the side of one of the pedestals D. P is a rod which
passes through the hollow axis L as will be better seen in Figure 3 which shows on a
larger scale a longitudinal section of the two ends of the hollow axis. When
the worm is gearing with the worm wheel the fore end of the rod enters a hole in the
casing D¹ which forms part of the pedestal D. When the rod is drawn back by
the handle P¹ at its rear end the fore end of the rod is drawn out from the hole and the
fore end of the hollow axis can be moved aside so as to put the worm out of gear with
the worm wheel. R is a spring bearing against a collar on the rear end of the rod P
to force it forwards and cause its fore end to spring into the hole in the casing D¹
whenever the worm is brought into gear with the worm wheel. S is the hand wheel
of the elevating gear.

page_text: For guns of larger dimensions it may be more convenient to work the training
gear at the side instead of in rear of the gun as in the construction just described in
which case I modify the arrangement for putting the worm in or out of gear with the
worm wheel in the manner shewn at Figures 4 and 5.
I fix the worm wheel J on the fixed pivot A and the end of the axis L which carries
the worm I mount in bearings in a slide T which can be moved towards or away from
the worm wheel by a lever Ü- -so that by turning this lever the worm can be put in
or out of gear with the worm wheel as will be better seen at Figure 6. The rear end
of the axis L has upon it a bevil wheel V which has gearing into it a bevil pinion W
on the axis of which is a hand wheel M.
The bearing in which the rear end of the axis L is carried is free to swivel on
a pin concentric with the axis of the pinion W.
The gun mounting shown in Figures 4 and 5 is in other respects formed in the
manner described in an application for Patent made by me and numbered 527 in the
year 1887, the general features of its construction is clearly shown by the drawing so
that it is unnecessary to give any description of it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In apparatus for training guns the employment of a worm which can readily be
thrown in or out of gear with a worm wheel to allow of the gun being trained quickly
when the worm is out of gear and slowly when thrown into gear substantially as
described.
2. Training gear for guns constructed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated at Figures 1, 2 and 3.
3. Training gear for guns constructed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated at Figures 4, 5 and 6.
1000