Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1887
Complete Left, 10th Feb., 1888
. Complete Accepted, 16th Mar., 1888
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by La Société Schneider et Cic. of Creusot in the Republic of
France Engineers to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to gun mountings having a disappearing action the weight
of the gun and its mounting being invariably balanced by an opposing force as
hereinafter described. With this object the gun and its carriage are placed upon a
plunger or buoyant body immersed in a suitable liquid such as water contained in a
well or pit. The volume or buoyancy of the plunger is so calculated that the dis-
placement produces an upward thrust counterbalancing the weight of tho gun and its
appendages in such a manner that the power necessary to produce the movements
connected with the disappearing action simply requires to be sufficient to overcome
the force of inertia and the passive resistances.
According to one mode of applying this Invention in practice a buoyant plunger
is connected by rods to a nut working on a vertical screw serving for adjusting the
gun vertically and this nut is connected by other rods with the carriage.
Stationary frames provided with guides carry the vertical screws which is capable
of being rotated by means of cranks and bevel gearing and works in the said nut.
This screw is incapable of moving in the direction of its axis so that by rotating the
screw the nut is moved upwards or downwards and imparts a corresponding motion
to the gun.
This arrangement of the mechanism for adjusting the gun vertically enables the
mounting to be maintained at a given angle for firing. Apart from the arrangement
of the motion for vertical adjustment any desired limits may be provided for the recoil
and for the horizontal adjustment of the gun.
It is evident that the mode of converting the adjusting screws or nuts with the
plunger and with the mounting may be modified without affecting the essential
features of the invention.
Dated this 10th dose of 1007
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disappearing Gun Mountings.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON, of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by La Société Schneider et Cie., of Creusot, in the Republic of
France, Engineers, 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 gun mountings having a disappearing action and consists
in improved arrangements whereby the weight of the gun and its mounting are
constantly balanced by an opposing force as hereinafter described so that the gun can
be raised and lowered with great facility. With this object the weight of the gun
and its carriage is supported by a float or buoyant body immersed in a suitable liquid
such as water contained in a well or pit underneath the gun.
This float or plunger is so constructed that the displacement of the liquid produces
an upward thrust or pressure counterbalancing the weight of the gun and its
appendages in such a manner that the power necessary to produce the movements
connected with the disappearing action simply requires to be sufficient to overcome
the force of inertia and other passive resistances such as friction.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent respectively a transverse
and a longitudinal section of a gun mounting according to this Invention.
According to this arrangement a well or tank C is formed underneath the gun
which is indicated at B. This tank contains a sufficient depth of water to enable a
float or buoyant plunger f to rise and fall therein to the extent required for the
disappearing action. This plunger may be of any suitable shape but its displacement
or buoyancy must be such as to balance the total weight of the gun B and all the
moving parts attached thereto-Two rods 'connect the plunger f to a nut or screwed
sleeve e working on a central rotating shaft or screw V and connected to a gun
carriage A of any suitable construction by two rods . The nut e is prevented from
rotating and is guided in a vertical direction by guides G figure 2 supported by iron
girders or other supports at the upper part of the well C. The screwed shaft V being
incapable of moving in the direction of its axis works in stationary bearings at v vi
and is provided with any suitable gear (such as the bevel gear, and crank handle m
shown in the drawing) by which a suitable rotary motion may be imparted to it in
order to raise or lower the nut e and gun B.
The float or plunger f being so constructed that the upward pressure resulting from
its immersion exactly balances the downward pressure resulting from the weight of
the Gun B carriage Å and other parts which have to be raised and lowered in working
the disappearing action, it is possible to turn the screw V in the nut e and thereby

page_text: raise or lower the gun and parts connected to the said nut without exerting any
greater force than that required to overcome the friction and vis inertia of the
parts.
11
In certain cases (when the relative elevation of the gun does not require adjustment
for example) the jointed connecting rods 1, may be dispensed with being replaced
by a single rigid rod proceeding directly from the plunger to the carriage A and
guided by the guides G.
This improved mounting may evidently be combined with any suitable arrangement
for adjusting the gun vertically or horizontally or for allowing the carriage to recede
on the recoil of the gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The combination for a gun mounting for a disappearing gun of a buoyant
plunger or float f immersed in liquid in a well or tank the said plunger or float
being connected to the gun carriage either by jointed connecting rods 17 guided at
their point of connection by vertical guides G or by a rigid bar or connection
similarly guided for the purpose of enabling the disappearing action or raising and
lowering the gun to be performed without the application of greater force than that
required to overcome the vis inertia and friction of the parts substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. In a gun mounting combined with a buoyant plunger or float as
hereinbefore described the method of connecting the plunger and the Gun carriage by
means of rods having a nut e interposed between them the said nut being
guided between guides G G and working on a screwed shaft V rotated by a crank
handle m with the object of enabling the position of the gun to be adjusted in a
vertical direction with a minimum expenditure of power the weight of the gun and
parts connected therewith being balanced by the upward pressure of the plunger
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The combinations and arrangements of parts constituting the improvements
in gun mountings substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of Ea1000