IMPROVED SHRAPNEL SHELL FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir William George Armstrong, of Elswick Works, New-
castle upon Tyne, Knight, C.B., for the Invention of "IMPROVED SHRAPNEL
SHELL FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 19th March 1880, and dated the 8th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir William George
Armstrong at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th October
1879.
SIR WILLIAM GEORGE ARMSTRONG, of Elswick Works, Newcastle upon Tyne,
Knight, C.B.
"IMPROVED SHRAPNEL SHELL FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE."
The object of this Invention is to obtain a greater capacity for bullets in a shell
of given weight than is attainable by any method of construction now in use.
The British Service Shrapnel for rifled guns consists of a cast iron cylindrical
case with a thick and consequently heavy bottom, cast in one piece with the
cylinder, and having a conoidal head of rolled steel attached to it by pins of such a
diameter as to be easily sheared by an internal pressure. In the base of the shell,
and beneath the bullets contained in the cylinder, there is a cavity for the powder
charge, and when this charge is exploded by the fuze the bullets are liberated either
by the bursting of the shell or by the shearing of the pins which secure the head,
in which latter case the head is blown off and the bullets are expelled from the
front.
In the improved shell which is the subject of this Invention the cylindrical case
consists of a steel or wrought iron tube, by which great reduction of thickness is
effected. The powder charge is contained in the head, thereby dispensing with a
powder cavity at the base which involves considerable weight of material to afford
the requisite strength to resist the backward action of the explosion. In the
improved shell the conoidal head is securely attached, by screwing or otherwise, to
the steel cylinder so as strongly to resist the force of the explosion; and the base,
which is a light disc of cast iron, is merely pinned to the cylinder in a manner
which readily yields to internal pressure. The cylindrical space is entirely filled
with bullets or other mitraille, and when the charge in the head is ignited by the
fuze the pressure of the gas upon the top of the contents shears the holding pins at
the base, and pushes out the contents from the rear.
A very feeble charge suffices to shear the pins at the base, so that the ejection of
the bullets does not involve any material diminution of their velocity.
The shell when emptied pursues its course, followed by the bullets which diverge
by centrifugal force alone, and are thus much more evenly dispersed than when
scattered by explosive force.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sir William George Armstrong in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th April 1880.
SIR WILLIAM GEORGE ARMSTRONG, of Elswick Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Knight, C.B. "IMPROVED SHRAPNEL SHELL FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE."
The object of this Invention is to obtain a greater capacity for bullets in a shell
of given weight than is attainable by any method of construction now in use.
The British Service Shrapnel for rifled guns consists of a cast iron cylindrical
case with a thick and consequently heavy bottom cast in one piece with the cylinder,
and having a conoidal head of rolled steel attached to it by pins of such a diameter
as to be easily sheared by an internal pressure. In the base of the shell, and
beneath the bullets contained in the cylinder, there is a cavity for the powder charge,
and when this charge is exploded by the fuze the bullets are liberated either by the
bursting of the shell or by the shearing of the pins which secure the head, in which
latter case the head is blown off and the bullets are expelled from the front.
In the improved shell which is the subject of this Invention the cylindrical case
consists of a steel or wrought iron tube, by which great reduction of thickness is
effected. The powder charge is contained in the head, thereby dispensing with a
powder cavity at the base which involves considerable weight of material to afford
the requisite strength to resist the backward action of the explosion. In the
improved shell the conoidal head is securely attached, by screwing or otherwise, to
the steel cylinder so as strongly to resist the force of the explosion; and the base,
which is a light disc of cast or wrought iron, is merely pinned to the cylinder in a
manner which readily yields to internal pressure. The cylindrical space is entirely
filled with bullets or other mitraille, and when the charge in the head is ignited by
the fuze the pressure of the gas upon the top of the contents shears the holding
pins at base, and pushes out the contents from the rear. A very feeble charge
suffices to shear the pins at the base, so that the ejection of the bullets does not
involve any material diminution of their velocity. The shell when emptied pursues
its course, followed by the bullets which diverge by centrifugal force alone, and are
thus much more evenly dispersed than when scattered by explosive force.
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.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing at Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of my improved shrapnel
shell. a, a, is the cylindrical or tubular body made either of wrought iron or steel;
b is the bottom; it is formed of cast or wrought iron, and attached to the body a
by four pins c, c. These pins, which may be of brass, copper, or wrought iron, arc
pressed tightly into holes formed to receive them in the body a, and they project on
the inner side into holes in the portion of the base b which enters within the body.
When the shell is fired from the gun the necessary rotation is imparted to it by
the gas check. The gas check is not shown in the Drawing, it being of well known
construction. It is attached to the projection b' upon the base of the shell, or in
the case of breech loaders rotation may be given by a copper hoop fixed on the
periphery of the bottom piece, in which case the projection 6 is not required. In
order that the base may communicate rotation to the body independently of the
pins c, a key fis inserted in a groove across the face of the bottom piece and fits
into notches on the end of the body; or instead of a key projections may be forined
on the bottom piece and made to enter corresponding notches in the end of the
body. Figure 2 represents the face of the bottom piece b, and in this Figure the
key bed is clearly seen at f'. d, d, are the balls or nitraille with which the body
is packed in the usual way, except that the body is entirely filled, no central pas-

page_text: sage being left as there is in the service shell. c is the head of the shell, and may
be of brass or of wrought iron stamped into the proper form. It is screwed firmly
into the fore end of the body, a thin metal plate having previously been laid over
the mitraille to keep it in place. c¹ is the powder chamber within the head. The
opening e" at the front of the head is screwed to receive the fuze. On the ignition
of the powder charge in the head the pins c, c, are shorn through, the base is
thrown off, and the mitraille is ejected from the body.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
First. The construction of a shrapnel shell with a steel or wrought iron cylin-
drical body having a bottom piece attached in such manner as to be readily forced
out, and a head sufficiently firmly fixed to resist the oxplosion of the charge.
Second. The construction of a shrapnel shell with the expelling charge in the
head, and with the whole of the body space available to be charged with balls or
mitraille.
Third. My improved shrapnel shell, substantially as described and represented in
the Drawing annexed.
In witness whercof, I, the said Sir William George Armstrong, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
W. G. ARMSTRONG. (L.S.)