Improved Applications of the Compression of Gases to the Propulsion or the Bursting of Projectiles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 8th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Applications of the Compression of Gases to the Propulsion
or the Bursting of Projectiles.
We ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER Civil Engineer of 3 Leamington Park
Villas Acton, London and EMILE VIARENGO Gentleman of the same address do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A
Our improved applications are based on the utilisation of the power stored in a
gas by compression. This compression may be to such a degree as to render the
compressed gas liquefied. We form a cartridge in the following manner :
cylinder, of a resisting metal, contains a small tube or detonator. The cylinder is
filled, by a pump, with a compressed gas or several compressed gases. The small
tube is filled with an active explosive and a cap fitted at its extremity protrudes out
of the base of the cylinder. The cylinder is made so that a part of the top of this
cylinder is of weaker material than the rest of this same cylinder. If this cartridge
is fixed in the chamber of a gun, the hammer of the gun can in the ordinary way
strike the cap and so explode the detonator or tube containing an active explosive.
This tube will be burst by the explosion and the pressure of the compressed gas or
gases, the weaker part of the cylinder will be burst and the gas or gases in the said
cylinder being in liberty will act by their expansion as a propulsor of a projectile
in the barrel of the gun.
If we use two compressed gases in the cartridge, we can choose them so as to
form a detonating mixture and store them in the cartridge in the convenient
moleculary proportions. In this last case the detonator or small interior tube of
the cylinder, when exploding, will explode the detonating mixture in the cylinder,
by the moleculary vibration produced, and the restitution of the unites of heat
necessary for the transformation. Then the action on the projectile in the gun will
be made by the explosion of this detonating mixture, the force of propulsion being
proportional to the moleculary compression of the gases.
A (Fig. I.) is the cylinder. F is the detonator tube. N is the cap of the
detonator. B is the weak part of the cylinder A. M is the projectile. The
disc D forms the base of the cylinder A.
A. is
The Fig. II. illustrates the same cartridge made for the use of a cannon.
the cylinder. E E the weak part of the cylinder A. C the detonator. Ga special
box to receive the fusee or étoupille for the firing of the cannon.
B the other.
F is
The Fig. III. illustrates a shell, containing as explosive, two compressed gases,
forming together an explosive mixture. A receives one gas.
the detonator. M M N N form a double diaphragm. E E E E is the weak part
of the said diaphragm. C C¹ the filling plugs. D is a disk forming the base of
the shell.
The cartridges are filled with the compressed gas or gases by means of a
pump. A small aperture in the disk D permits the filling of the cartridge,
this small aperture being closed by a plug screwed when the cartridge has been
filled.
DL L
T
1001
ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER.
EMILE VIARENGO.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Applications of the Compression of Gases to the Propulsion
or the Bursting of Projectiles.
We ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER Civil Engineer of 23 Plato Road
Brixton London and EMILE VIARENGO Gentleman of the same address 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:-
Our improved applications are based on the utilisation of the augmentation of
power given to a detonating mixture by the high compression of the gases before
the explosion and the utilisation of the power stored in gases by compression. Our
invention consists in the making of cartridges which can be used in an ordinary gun
or rifle or as ammunition for the use of cannons.
A sheet of drawings annexed to the present Specification will illustrate our
invention.
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent our invention applied to the manufacturing of
cartridges for the use of guns or rifles.
A is a cylinder of metal or of a metal coated with a resisting covering. B forms
the base of said cylinder A and is tightly fixed to the cylinder A by screwing and
soldering and the cylinder A may be shrunk on the piece B. The piece C is
screwed and soldered to the piece B. This piece C receives an ordinary cap F
and is open at the top, a ball E fixed between the top of the tube C and a com-
pressed part C¹ forms a sort of valve. If a pressure of gas comes through the
tube C, it will lift the ball E, and as this ball will be stopped by little protuberances
cut in the opening of the top of the said tube, the gas will find a way out of the
tube C by the aperture at the top of this tube C. If on the contrary the pressure
is from the top towards the bottom of the tube C, the ball E, forming a stop valve,
will prevent the gas from passing.
A tube G serves to fix the bullet H to the tube A. A circular cut OO serves
to weaken the top part of the cylinder A.
This cartridge is not filled with powder, but with two gases compressed to a high
degree and in proportions so as to make a good detonating mixture. To charge
the tube A. with the said mixture, the base B of this tube, is compressed sufficiently
on a piece of indiarubber or of leather fixed on a solid plate of metal. The
indiarubber or leather, and the plate of metal are traversed, in their centre, by
a small tube in connection with two cylinders containing gases at a sufficient
pressure.
The gases, when in communication with the little tube C, open the valve E and
enter the cylinder A. When the cylinder A has received a sufficient quantity of
the gases, the communication with the feed cylinders, is closed by taps and the
pressure, in the tube C closes the valve E. The tube C is then filled with an
active explosive and the cap F is put in place and closes the tube C. The
bullet H is then fixed to the tube A by the little tube G. If this ammunition is
placed in the chamber of a gun or a rifle, the hammer of the said gun or rifle,
can in the ordinary way strike the cap F and so explode the explosive in the small
cylinder C. This cylinder will by this explosion be burst and the heat of the
explosion producing the restitution of the units of heat necessary for the trans-
formation, and at the same time lighting the detonating mixture in the cylinder A,
the part OO located at the mouth of a recess in the bullet H, and being the
weakest part of the cylinder A, will burst. An action on the projectile H in the
gun, will then be made by the combination of the explosion of the explosive in
the tube C and also of the detonating mixture in the cylinder A, the force of
propulsion being proportionate to the initial molecular compression of the gases,
multiplied by 23 for every Centigrade degree of heat produced by the combustion

page_text: of the detonating mixture, added to the pressure produced by the explosive in the
tube C.
In this
Our cartridge if made in a different form may be used for cannons.
case Fig. 5 represents our arrangement. The chamber M M receives, through the
plug P, the detonating mixture. N is a tube cast with the chamber M M and
containing an active explosive. To the chamber M M is fixed by screws or rivets,
a jacket of thin metal. It also contains an active explosive, in communication
with N. The cut OO weakens the upper part of M. If this cartridge is placed
in the chamber of a cannon, a metal pin sent through the touch hole of the piece,
will make a hole through the thin metal of the jacket Q, and an ordinary fuse will
then, by the usual means, produce the explosion of the explosive in the jacket Q,
the tube N is burst, and acting on the same principle as in the previous case, the
detonating mixture will explode, the weak part O, O, will then burst and act as
described for the rifle, on the shell in the cannon.
The shell we
We use also our invention for causing the bursting of a shell.
employ is represented Fig. 6. It is made of a jacket of solid metal leaving inside
two chambers R and S. These chambers are separated one from the other by the
two diaphragms T and T₁ leaving between them a third chamber X. A tube U
screwed to the diaphragm T and to the top of the shell contains the lighting fuse
and a certain quantity of an active explosive, the chamber X containing the same
explosive. The explosive mixture to fill the chambers R and S is composed of
two gases in suitable proportions; one gas is introduced into the compartment R
through the hole stopped by the plug W and the other into the compartment S
through the hole stopped by the plug W₁. This arrangement of separating the
two gases is taken so as to obviate the danger of the gases detonating while the
shell is in the cannon, the detonation being caused by the enormous molecular
vibration created by the impulse of the shell and also by the temperature of the
said shell increasing considerably by the friction of the same against the sides of
the interior of the cannon. The ordinary fuse placed in the tube U by exploding
the explosive in the said tube and in the compartment X will cause the explosion
and the bursting of the shell.
If we do not require a very high velocity to be given to the projectile, we can,
instead of a detonating mixture, employ only one gas compressed highly, even so
as to render it liquid or solid in certain cases. In this case the detonating of
the detonator C in the gun cartridge and of the detonator N in the cannon cartridge
will produce the rupture of the weak parts OO by the force of their explosion
combined with the expansion of the compressed gas in the cartridge caused by the
heat produced. The action on the projectile will be the force stored by
the compression in the gas and also the force non employed of the explosion of
the explosive.
When we use the word explosive we mean an active explosive such as nitrates or
fulminate of mercury.
By detonating mixtures we mean mixtures of two gases forming a detonating
mixture as for example: Oxygen and hydrogen or oxygen and ammonia or oxyde
of carbon and oxygen or air or even ordinary gas and oxygen or air.
We can also obtain a good detonating mixture with oxygen and a rich liquid
hydrocarburet of hydrogen as for instance gazoline or naphthaline.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
1º-Our improved cartridge combined with a detonator and compressed gases as
we have described it for a gun or a rifle.
2°-Our new cartridge as we have described it for a cannon.
3° Our new shell.
1
mintun
with

page_text: detonator and a weak part in the cartridge as described for the making of
cartridges.
5°--The lighting in a cartridge of a detonating mixture by a detonator C or N
acted upon by percussion or by a fuse as described.
60-The weakening of certain parts of the metal of the cartridge to regulate the
bursting of the same.
7°-The combination of detonators as described with a highly compressed gas to
produce the propulsion of a projectile in a gun or a cannon.
Dated this 7th day of October 1891.
ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER.
EMILE VIARENGO.