IMPROVED PROJECTILES
Year: 1855

page_text: Sealed the 25th January 1856, and dated the 1st August 1855.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Bashley Britten at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on
the 1st August 1855, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. BASHLEY
BRITTEN, of Anerley, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Bashley Britten, have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for an Invention for "IMPROVED PROJECTILES:"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bashley Britten, do hereby declare the
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
and the Drawing therein referred to, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is to increase the range and accuracy of pro-
jectiles to be fired from canuon and other pieces of ordnance, by adapting to

page_text: them the principle of the rifle or spirally-grooved gun; and also to construct
the projectiles in such a manner as to provide for their flying with the same
point constantly foremost.
The general form of the projectiles is conical, as shown in the Drawing
below. They are to be inserted in the gun so that the apex or point shall be
towards the muzzle, and the base or widest part towards the breech.
ojecte, Ich is made of cast iron;
B, a hollow cavity for containing explosive compound, which may be ignited
by a common fuse or other suitable means at the apex C. This cavity so
situated renders the hinder portion of the projectile of less weight in propor-
tion to size than the fore part, so that the centre of gravity of the whole body
will be in front of its greatest diameter, by which arrangement the flight of the
projectile will be with its point in advance. D, D, represents a coating of
lead or other soft metal, which extends round the circumference of the pro-
jectile at this part, and is formed at the hinder extremity as shewn. On the
explosion of the powder, the edge or wall of soft metal at the circumference
will expand and be driven forwards till it completely fills the bore of the gun,
and if the gun be rifled or grooved the soft metal will be forced into the
grooves, and by following the spiral turn will acquire a rotatory motion during
flight round the long axis of the projectile. The method of coating the pro-
jectiles with soft metal in such a manner as to stand the explosive force of
the powder is as follows:-The iron is first coated with zine by the process.
commonly known as the galvanising process, and while sufficiently hot to keep
the zinc in a fused state on its surface, it is plunged into a mould or vessel of
suitable form containing the lead or other soft metal in a fused state, and then
allowed to get cold. Care must be taken that the surfaces are free from
tarnish or oxide, and the lead should be as near as possible of the same
temperature as the zinc.

page_text: I do not confine myself to any of the above details, and hereby claim the
right to alter or modify the form or proportions of the projectiles, or to use
any other metal as well as or instead of zinc for uniting the soft metal to the
iron. What I claim as of my Invention is, the adaptation of the principle of
the rifle to ordnance by means of a coating of soft metal united to the iron
in the way described, and also the distribution of the material of which the
projectile is made, in such a way that the centre of gravity shall be in front of
the greatest diameter, so as to ensure the steady flight of the projectile with
the point first.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bashley Britten, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-five.
BASHLEY BRITTEN. (L.s.)
BASHLEY BRITTEN. (L.s.)