Improvements relating to Cartridges, Projectiles and Fuses, to Means for Regulating the Action of such Fuses, and to Apparatus for Use in the Manufacture of the said Projectiles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements relating to Cartridges, Projectiles and Fuses, to
Means for Regulating the Action of such Fuses, and to Apparatus
for Use in the Manufacture of the said Projectiles.
I, HAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 57° Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to cartridges, projectiles and fuses, and to means for regulating
the action of such fuses. It also relates to means or apparatus for shaping the said
projectiles.
The main object of my said invention is to provide improved cartridges which will
be very advantageous for use in shell-guns.
My said invention comprises a peculiar method of manufacturing the cases or shells
of such cartridges, whereby I am enabled to make the same advantageously from a
plate or sheet of steel or other hard and tough metal. It also comprises improve-
ments in the projectiles, whereby I provide for facilitating the compression of the
gas-check as it enters the rifled part of a gun-barrel, and for preventing rotation of
the said gas-check upon the projectile. It also comprises a peculiar method or
manner of hardening or tempering the projectiles when made hollow. And it
further comprises improvements in time and percussion fuses, and the provision of
means for adjusting such time-fuses, before the cartridges containing the same are
inserted into the barrel of a gun, in order to regulate the distance to be traversed by
the projectile before it bursts.
In making the cases or shells of my cartridges, I take a plate of steel or other metal
of the required thickness and preferably of such dimensions that a considerable
number of cases can be made therefrom. I cut this plate into pieces of the requisite
size to form the tubular part of the cartridge-case, the edges which are to be
subsequently united being cut in such a manner that they will interlock or can be
dovetailed together; the said pieces may be cut from the plate without any waste of

page_text: material. Each piece thus cut from the plate is bent into the form of a slightly
conical tube, and its edges are hammered together and brazed. The tube thus formed
is then brought to the required shape by placing it in a hardened steel chamber and
rolling it by means of a hardened steel roller applied to the interior of the said tube.
When the required shape or configuration has been imparted to the said tube, it is
firmly secured in a metal base or head, upon which the flange of the cartridge is
formed, and which supports the primer. The whole of the case is then galvanized
both externally and internally.
I make the projectile with a circumferential depression or groove for the reception
of the gas-check. The bottom of this depression or groove is formed with a series
of pyramidal projections, such as those produced by the operation of milling or
knurling, to prevent rotation of the gas-check on the projectile, and to facilitate the
compression of the said gas-check as it enters the rifled part of a gun-barrel. The
gas-check, when fitted in the said groove, rests only upon the summits of the sharp
projections or pyramids, and is, therefore, capable of yielding so that it readily adapts
itself to the rifling of a gun-barrel. The roughening of the bottom of the depression
or groove in the manner above described may be effected by any suitable means.
I prefer to make the projectile of steel by the peculiar method or manner of rolling
between dies or forging plates described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted
to G. F. Simonds and dated 9th June A.D. 1885, No. 7028. The groove for the gas-check
is, in this instance, formed with the pyramidal projections at the bottom thereof, by the
action of the said dies or forging plates during the rolling operation. I provide the
said dies or forging plates, for this purpose, with projections or raised portions,
the upper surfaces whereof are formed with teeth or serrations extending diagonally
across the same, in such a manner that, when the dies are placed one above the other,
the teeth or serrations on one die will be at right angles, or at any other suitable angles,
to those on the other die, and the indentations produced thereby in the projectile will
intersect each other.
When a hollow projectile or shell is used in my improved cartridge and is intended
for piercing armour-plates, I harden or temper the said projectile in the following
peculiar manner, viz:-I first heat the projectile and then cause a jet of cold water
to play upon the inner surface thereof and another jet of cold water to play upon the
outer surface of the point thereof. The cooling from the inside prevents cracking
of the metal and imparts great strength to the projectile.
Moreover I provide the said projectile or shell with either a time-fuse or a percussion-
fuse, or with fuses of both these kinds.
or
An important feature of my invention is the construction of a time-fuse in
such a manner that it may be readily adjusted to regulate the time during
which it will burn before it ignites the bursting charge of the projectile or
shell, so that the said projectile or shell may be caused to burst at any
desired distance from the gun. For this purpose, the fuse-mixture
combustible material is enclosed in a perforated tube, which is fitted to slide
longitudinally in a chamber in the interior of the cartridge. This chamber is so
connected with the powder-chamber of the cartridge and with the chamber for the
bursting charge of the projectile that, if the said tube is in its rearmost position,
when the projectile is discharged from a gun, the said projectile will burst com-
paratively near the gun; whilst, if the said tube is in its foremost position, the
projectile will burst at a great distance from the gun, or the bursting of the projectile
will not be caused by the said time-fuse. This result will depend upon the construction
and arrangement of the parts. I sometimes provide the projectile with a percussion-
fuse in addition to the time-fuse, so that the said projectile will be exploded by
impact, if it is not burst by the action of the time-fuse before its strikes an object.
By pushing the said tube back into any intermediate position, the distance to be
traversed by the projectile before it bursts will be more or less diminished in
proportion to the distance between the said tube and the rear end of the chamber.
A suitable attachment to the gun is, in some instances, provided for adjusting
the said tube for the purpose above specified. This attachment or adjusting device

page_text: is sometimes operated after the manner of sighting apparatus, or it is connected with
the sighting apparatus so that the movement whereby the sights are adjusted will effect
the adjustment of the time-fuse, that is to say, when the sights are adjusted for a range
of a thousand yards, the time-fuse will be so adjusted that the projectile will burst at
a distance of about from 900 to 950 yards from the gun; or, if the sights are adjusted
for a range of two thousand yards, the time-fuse will be so adjusted that the
projectile will burst at a distance of about from 1900 to 1950 yards from the gun, and
so on; the adjustment of the time-fuse being effected by the same agency that raises
and lowers the sights.
it must
The percussion-fuse which I prefer to employ is a safety fuse, that is to say,
have a powerful blow given to it from the rear before it can be exploded by a blow
from the front.
The movable or sliding piece of this fuse is held in position by means of two or
more metal segments bound together by a band of paper or similar material. The said
sliding piece is, moreover, formed with an inclined shoulder, which, when the shell is
discharged from a gun, is driven between the said segments and divides or tears the
band which holds them together, so that the said segments are, during the flight of the
shell, forced outward by centrifugal force into a groove or recess in the fuse, provided
for the purpose, leaving the said sliding piece perfectly free to move forward
and explode the shell, whenever sufficient resistance is offered to the flight thereof.
If desired, a spring is inserted within the said segments in such a manner as to ensure
the outward movement of the same when released as above described. This fuse can
be adapted for insertion either in the base or in the nose or pointed end of the shell.
In some instances, I drill a hole completely through the sliding piece, and place in
this hole a spiral spring, both ends of which touch the outer casing of the fuse and
produce sufficient friction to prevent the moving forward of the said sliding piece
except when suitable resistance is offered to the flight of the shell.
A cartridge for a shell-gun is conveniently and advantageously made as herein-
after set forth, that is to say :-The cartridge-case is made of steel in the manner
above described, and is charged from the forward end thereof. An explosive
projectile or shell is then inserted and secured therein, which projectile or shell has a
plug or base screwed tightly into the body thereof; this plug or base has a chamber
formed partly therein and partly in an extension thereof which projects into the powder-
chamber of the cartridge. The chamber in the said plug or base communicates with
the powder-chamber of the cartridge by means of one or more holes in the sides or
walls of the said extension and one or more holes in the rear end of the same. It also
communicates, by means of one or more holes at or near its forward end, with the
chamber containing the bursting charge of the shell. A central tube extends forward from
the said plug or base and fits tightly into the front end of the body of the shell. This
tube opens at its rear end into the chamber in the said plug or base. A rod is fitted
to slide longitudinally in the said tube and is provided, at its rear end, with a disc or
piston which fits with a capability of sliding in the said chamber. The fuse-mixture
or composition is enclosed in a perforated tube fitted to slide longitudinally in the
said chamber between the said disc or piston and the rear end of the said chamber.
The rear end of the perforated tube is closed by a disc of thick paper, metal or other
suitable material.
When the said perforated tube is at the forward end of the said chamber, the fuse-
mixture cannot be ignited by the explosion of the cartridge. By pushing in the said
rod a short distance, the fuse may be so adjusted that the whole of the fuse-mixture
must burn before the bursting charge of the shell will be ignited thereby. The
further the said rod is pushed in, the less will be the quantity of the said fuse-mixture
which must be burnt before the ignition of the bursting charge of the shell is
effected; the point at which the ignition of the fuse mixture takes place being closer
to the forward end of the fuse, the nearer the said fuse is to the rear end of the
chamber. When the fuse is as far back as it can be pushed in the said chamber, the
fuse-mixture will be ignited at the forward end of the fuse and will, therefore, cause
the bursting of the shell very soon after it leaves the gun.

page_text: A percussion-fuse is suitably arranged within the shell so that the said shell will
burst when it strikes an object, if not previously exploded by means of the time-fuse. :
When cartridges thus made are to be used in a gun having a cartridge-magazine or
feeder, I prefer to provide the said gun with means for adjusting the central rod and
fuse-tube as required before the cartridge is transferred from the magazine into
position to be thrust into the barrel. When such cartridges are to be used in an
automatic gun wherein the barrel, at each discharge, recoils and transfers a cartridge
from the magazine into such a position that it will fall in front of the breech-block,
I prefer to combine, with the barrel, a rod so arranged that, when moved backward
it will force inward the perforated tube of the fuse in the said cartridge. This rod
is, in some instances, connected with a lever or other suitable device operated by
the barrel in its recoil.
The powder-chamber of the cartridge preferably contains blocks of compressed
gunpowder, which are, in some instances, so arranged that the explosion thereof
will be progressive.
32
1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to Cartridges, Projectiles and Fuses, to
Means for Regulating the Action of such Fuses, and to Apparatus
for Use in the Manufacture of the said Projectiles.
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 57" Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical 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 :-
My invention relates to cartridges, projectiles and fuses, and to means for regulating
the action of such fuses. It also relates to apparatus for forming or shaping the said
projectiles.
The main object of my said invention is to provide improved cartridges for use with
shell-guns. Certain of my present improvements are, however, applicable to other
cartridges.
My said invention comprises a peculiar method of manufacturing cartridge-cases,
whereby I am enabled to advantageously make the tubular parts thereof from a plate
or sheet of steel or other hard and tough metal.
My said invention also comprises improvements in projectiles of the kind or class
provided with rings or bands of copper or other material adapted to enter and fill the
rifling of the gun-barrel and thus ensure the rotation of the projectile and prevent
the escape of gas around the same. By these improvements, I provide for facilitating
the compression of the said ring or band as it enters the grooved or rifled part of the
gun-barrel, and for preventing its rotation upon or independently of the projectile.
My said invention also comprises improvements in dies or forging plates, such as
are described in the specifications of former Letters Patent granted to G. F. Simonds
and dated respectively 9th June A.D). 1885, No. 7028, and 9th January A.D. 1886,
No. 396, whereby I adapt such dies or forging plates for forming or shaping my
improved projectiles, as hereinafter described.
My said invention, moreover, comprises a peculiar method or manner of hardening
or tempering hollow projectiles. And it further comprises improvements in time-fuses
and in percussion-fuses, and the provision of means for readily adjusting such time-
fuses, before the cartridges containing the same are inserted into the barrel of a gun,
in order to regulate the distance to be traversed by the projectile or shell before it
bursts.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of one form of my improved cartridge.
Figure 2 is a plan of a blank cut or stamped from a sheet or plate of steel or other
metal, for the manufacture of the tubular part of a cartridge-case.
Figure 3 is a side elevation illustrating one of the steps or stages in the manufacture
of the cartridge-case from the said blank.
Figure 4 is a side elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the base or rear end of

page_text: the projectile having the grove therein for the reception of the aforesaid ring or
band, a part of the cartridge-case being shown in central section.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal central section, also drawn to an enlarged scale, of one
form of my improved percussion-fuse.
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line a, a, Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal central section shewing another form or modification of
my improved percussion-fuse.
Figure 8 is a transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal central section of another form or modification of my
cartridge, showing means for adjusting by hand the time-fuse hereinafter described.
Figure 10 is a similar view shewing a further modification of my cartridge and of
the means for adjusting the time-fuse.
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation.
Figure 12 a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 13 a rear elevation, showing means whereby the time-fuse of a cartridge
will be automatically adjusted in the recoil of a gun, and showing also means for
simultaneously regulating or determining such adjustment and adjusting the sighting
apparatus, as hereinafter described.
Figure 14 is a sectional elevation showing other means for adjusting the time-fuse.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
a is the shell or case of the cartridge; b is the projectile.
In making a cartridge-case according to my said invention, I take a plate or sheet
of steel or other metal of the required thickness and preferably of such dimensions
that a considerable number of cartridge-cases can be made therefrom. I cut or stamp
from this plate a piece of the shape shewn in Figure 2, having teeth or serrations at
its edges a¹ which are to be subsequently united. Each piece or blank thus produced
is bent into the form of a slightly conical tube, as shewn in Figure 3, its toothed or
serrated edges being interlocked or dovetailed together and then hammered and
brazed. The tube thus formed is then finished and the exact shape or configuration
imparted thereto by placing it in a hardened steel chamber and rolling it by means of
a hardened steel roll applied to the interior of the said tube. The said tube is then
firmly secured in a groove in a metal base or head a² of suitable construction. The
whole of the cartridge-case is then galvanized or coated with zinc or other metal both
externally and internally.
The projectile is made with a circumferential depression or groove b¹, into which
is pressed or forced, in any well known or suitable manner, a ring or band c of copper
or other metal. To facilitate the compression of this ring or band when the projectile
enters the grooved or rifled part of a gun-barrel and to secure the said ring or band
from rotation upon the projectile, I form at the bottom of the groove in the said
projectile pyramidal projections, such as those produced by the operation of milling or
knurling, as shewn at 62 in Figure 4, or other suitable projections. The said ring or
band, when properly fitted in the groove b¹, rests only upon the summits of the sharp
projections or pyramids, and is, therefore, capable of yielding under the external
pressure to which it is subjected when the projectile enters the grooved or rifled part
of a gun-barrel, and will readily conform to the shape or configuration of the bands
and grooves.
The roughening of the bottom of the depression or groove 6 in the manner above
I prefer, however, to make my
described may be effected by any suitable means.
improved projectile by the peculiar method or manner of rolling between dies or
forging plates described in the said Specification of G. F. Simonds No. 7028, and to
make the said dies or forging plates in such a manner that the pyramidal projections
at the bottom of the groove for the said ring, band or gas-check will be formed by
the action of the said dies or forging plates during the rolling operation. I provide
the said dies or forging plates, for this purpose, with projections or raised portions,
the upper surfaces whereof are formed with teeth or serrations extending diagonally
across the same in such a manner that, when the dies are placed in their proper
positions relatively to each other, the teeth or serrations on one die will be at right

page_text: angles or at any other suitable angles to those on the other die, and the grooves or
indentations produced in the projectile by the teeth on one of the said dies will cross
or intersect those produced by the teeth on the other die.
My improved method of hardening or tempering hollow projectiles consists in first
heating the projectile and then directing a jet of cold water or other liquid upon the.
inner surface thereof, and another jet of cold water or other liquid upon the outer
surface of the conical or conoidal end thereof. The cooling from the inside prevents
cracking of the metal and imparts great strength to the projectile, whilst the cooling
of the exterior of the conical or conoidal end thereof imparts great hardness to the
same and increases the penetrativeness of the projectile.
The cartridge shown in Figure 1 is provided with a safety percussion-fuse, that is
to say, a fuse which must have a powerful blow given to it from the rear in order to
perinit its operation by impact when the projectile strikes any object against which
be directed.
it may
This fuse is shown more clearly in Figures 5 and 6, it is made with a hollow body
or casing d which is screw-threaded externally and is to be inserted in the base of
the projectile as shown in Figure 1. A pointed piece or striker e is fitted in the
casing d in such a manner that it can slide longitudinally therein, and a plug, in
which the priming is arranged, is screwed into the forward end of the said casing.
The sliding piece or striker e is held in position and its operation prevented by means
of metal segments g fitting partially into recesses or cavities d', e¹ in the casing d and
striker and bound together by a strip or band g₁ of paper or similar material. The
said striker is, moreover, formed with an inclined shoulder e² which, in the discharge
of the projectile or shell from a gun, is driven, by the force of the explosion in the
barrel, between the segments g with sufficient force to divide or tear asunder the
strip or band gl which holds them together, so that the said segments are, during
the flight of the shell, forced outward by centrifugal force into the recess or
cavity d leaving the said striker perfectly free to move forward and explode the
shell, when the latter strikes an object.
e,
If desired one or more springs are inserted within the series or group of segments g
in such a manner as to ensure the outward movement of the same when released by
the tearing asunder of the strip or band gl as above described.
When my improved percussion-fuse is to be inserted in the nose or pointed end of
the shell, the priming is arranged in the sliding piece or striker e and a pointed pin
or stud is fixed in the forward end of the casing d, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.
According to another modification of my said invention, I drill one or more holes
in or through the sliding piece or striker e transversely to its axis and place in the
said holes spiral springs which bear at one or both ends against the inner surface of
the casing d, thereby producing sufficient friction to prevent the moving forward of
the said sliding piece or striker except when the shell strikes an object.
My improved time-fuse is constructed in such a manner that it may, without
removing it from the projectile or shell, be readily adjusted to regulate the time
during which it will burn before it ignites the bursting charge of the projectile or
shell, so that the said projectile or shell may be caused to burst at any desired distance
from the gun. For this purpose, the fuse-mixture or combustible material is enclosed
in a perforated tube, which is fitted to slide longitudinally in a chamber in the interior
of the cartridge. This chamber is so connected with the powder-chamber of the
cartridge and with the chamber for the bursting charge of the projectile that, if
the said tubo is in its rearmost position, the projectile, when discharged from a gun,
will burst comparatively near the same; whilst, if the said tube is in its foremost
position, the projectile will burst at a great distance from the gun, or, if desired, the
bursting of the projectile will not be caused by the said time-fuse. This result will
depend upon the construction and arrangement of the parts. By adjusting the said
tube to any intermediate position, the distance to be traversed by the projectile before
it bursts will be more or less diminished according to the distance between the said
tube and the rear end of the chamber. .
I sometimes provide the projectile with a percussion-fuse in addition to the time-

page_text: fuse, so that the said projectile will be exploded by impact, if it is not burst by the
action of the time-fuse before it strikes an object.
The cartridge shown in Figure 9 is provided with an explosive projectile or shell
fitted with one of my improved time-fuses. The projectile or shell 6 has a plug or
base i screwed tightly into the body thereof; this plug or base is formed with an
extension which projects into the powder-chamber of the cartridge and with a
chamber which communicates with the said powder-chamber by means of one or
more holes in the sides or walls of the extension ¹ and one or more holes j¹ in the
rear of the said extension. The said chamber, moreover, communicates, by means
of one or more holes k at or near its forward end, with the chamber 63 for containing
the bursting charge of the shell. A central tube 7 is firmly fixed in the forward end
of the said plug or base and is fitted tightly into the conoidal end of the shell. This
tube opens at its rear end into the chamber ². A rod m is fitted to slide longitudinally
in the said tube, and is provided, at its rear end, with a disc or piston m which fits
with a capability of sliding in the said chamber 2. The fuse mixture or composition
is enclosed in a perforated tube n fitted in the chamber between the said disc or
piston and the rear end of the said chamber so that it can slide longitudinally therein.
The rear end of the tube n is closed by a disc n¹ of thick paper, metal or other suitable
material, the cylindrical part of the said tube being perforated with one or more
longitudinal rows or series of holes.
When the perforated tube n is at the forward end of the chamber 2, 'as shown, the
fuse-mixture cannot be ignited by the explosion of the cartridge.
To provide for adjusting the said fuse, a screw-thread is formed in the tube / as at 1,
and a series of interchangeable screws or screwed rods, such as that shown at o, are
provided, which are adapted to be screwed into the said tube 7 and are formed with
plain or cylindrical portions or extensions o³ of different lengths. By inserting one
of these screws into the tube 1, the rod m will be pushed inward a greater or less
distance, and the fuse thus adjusted so that more or less of the fuse-mixture must be
burnt before the ignition of the bursting charge of the shell will be effected; the point
at which the ignition of the fuse-mixture takes place being closer to the forward end
of the fuse, the nearer the said fuse is to the rear end of the chamber. When the
fuse is as far back as it can be pushed in the said chamber, the fuse-mixture will be
ignited at the forward end of the tube n and will, therefore, cause the bursting of the
shell very soon after it leaves the gun. The said screws or screwed rods are made of
such lengths that, by inserting one or other of them, the fuse can be adjusted to suit
any range for which the gun is to be used.
The cartridge shown in Figure 10 is substantially similar in construction to that
shown in Figure 9. A percussion-fuse p is, however, arranged within the shell, so
that the said shell will burst when it strikes an object if not previously exploded by
means of the time-fuse. Moreover, the rod m is slit at its forward end and formed
with projections m² adapted to enter grooves or notches 12 in the tube 7; and the said
rod is provided with projections m³ to permit the engagement of the key 9 therewith.
The said projections are taper so that, when the said key is forced upon them, the
end of the rod m will be contracted and the projections m² drawn out of the notch /²
with which they may be in engagement, and the said rod will then be pushed inward;
by the removal of the said key, the projections m² may then be permitted to engage
with another groove or notch 12.
q
To provide for regulating the adjustment of the said rod according to the range for
which the gun is to be used, I make the stem of the key g with a screw-thread q
and a graduated scale 92, and I fit upon the screw-threaded part thereof a nut q³.
By turning this nut in either direction upon the said key, the distance through which
the rod m is to be pushed inward can be accurately determined. If desired, instead of
the projections m², a screw-thread may be formed upon the rod m and fitted into a
corresponding screw-thread in the tube as shown in Figure 14, so that it can be
screwed in or out my means of a graduated key y or other suitable device.
If the cartridges provided with adjustable time-fuses as above-described are to be
used in an automatic gun wherein the barrel, at each discharge, recoils and transfers a

page_text: cartridge from the magazine into such a position that it will fall in front of the
breech-block, I prefer to combine, with the barrel, a rod so arranged that, in the recoil
of the barrel, it will force inward the perforated fuse-tube. I have shown a device of
this kind in Figure 11, in which ris a rod which is fitted at its rear end in a hole in
the magazine M, so that it is in axial alignment with the lowermost cartridge in the
said magazine. The said rod r is screw-threaded at its forward end and is fitted into an
arm or brackets attached to the barrel B, so that, in the recoil of the barrel, the said
rod will be moved backward and its rear end will enter the tube and adjust the rod m
and fuse-tube n. By turning the rod in one or the other direction, the
adjustment of the time-fuse may be regulated according to the range for which the
gun is to be used. The said rod may, if desired, be turned by hand; I prefer,
however, to connect it with the sighting apparatus so that the same movement
which effects the adjustment of the sighting apparatus will effect the regulation
of the adjustment of the time-fuse, that is to say, when the sighting apparatus is
adjusted for a range of a thousand yards, the rod r will be in position to so adjust
the time-fuses of the cartridges that the projectiles discharged from the gun will
burst at a distance of about from nine-hundred to nine-hundred and fifty yards from the
gun; by adjusting the sighting apparatus for a range of two thousand yards, the rod r
will be moved into position to so adjust the time-fuses that the projectiles will burst
at a distance of about from nineteen-hundred to nineteen-hundred and fifty yards
from the gun, and so on; the adjustment of the time-fuse being regulated or
determined by the same agency that raises and lowers the sight. For this purpose, I
sometimes fit upon the rod r a toothed wheel t which is connected with the said rod by
means of a key fitting into a long key-way in the said rod, so that the latter is free
to slide endwise in the said wheel. This wheel is geared by means of the
intermediate wheels t¹, t2, Figures 12 and 13, with a toothed wheel u² fixed upon the
shaft u, on which is also fixed a pinion gearing with a rack v for adjusting the sighting
apparatus.
When cartridges made with the said adjustable time-fuses are to be used in a gun
having a cartridge magazine or feeder and operated by hand, 1 sometimes provide
the said gun with means for adjusting the central rod m and fuse-tube n as required
before the cartridge is transferred from the magazine into position to be thrust into
the barrel. For instance, I provide a rod such as that shown at r, Figure 11,
designed to be pushed inward by hand and provided with means for regulating or
determining the adjustment of the time-fuse by means of the said rod.
A rod is, in some instances, connected with a lever or other suitable device
operated by the barrel in its recoil for the purpose above specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood that I
claim;-
First. The manufacture of the tubular part of a cartridge-case from a sheet or plate
of steel or other metal by first forming a blank by cutting or stamping, and then
bending the said blank and uniting the edges thereof, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Second. A cartridge-case consisting of a tube formed from a sheet or plate of steel
and secured in a metal base or head, substantially as set forth.
Third. The shaping or finishing of the tubular part of a cartridge-case by placing
the same in a chamber of hard metal of the required shape or configuration and
rolling it from the interior by means of a hard metal roll, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. A projectile in which the bottom of the depression or groove for the ring,
band or gas-check is formed with pyramidal or other projections, substantially as,
and for the purposes, set forth.
Fifth. The improved dies or forging plates provided with the projections or raised
portions having diagonal teeth or serrations so formed thereon that the grooves cut
by one die will cross or intersect those cut by the other die, substantially as, and for
the purpose, set forth.

page_text: Sixth. The improved method of hardening or tempering a hollow projectile by
cooling the same by means of jets of water directed upon the interior thereof and
upon the exterior of its conical or conoidal end, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. A percussion-fuse the striker or sliding part of which is held by means
of metal segments fitting into a groove or recess in the body or casing and bound
together by means of paper or similar material, and is made with an inclined
shoulder, (with or without the spring) all substantially as, and for the purposes,
set forth.
Eighth. A percussion-fuse the striker or sliding part of which has one or more
spiral springs arranged within the same transversely to its axis and bearing against
the interior of the body or casing, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Ninth. An explosive projectile or shell provided with a time-fuse so constructed
that, it may, without removing it from the said projectile or shell, be readily adjusted
to regulate the time during which the fuse-mixture will burn before it ignites the
bursting charge, as above specified.
Tenth. A time-fuse wherein the fuse-mixture is enclosed in a perforated tube fitted
to slide longitudinally in a chamber or hollow cylinder extending rearwardly from
the projectile or shell and formed with apertures or passages, substantially as, and for
the purpose, set forth.
Eleventh. The provision of means whereby the time-fuse of a cartridge contained
in the magazine of a gun will be automatically adjusted in the recoil or backward
movement of the barrel or other part of the gun, for the purpose above specified.
Twelfth. The provision of means for simultaneously regulating or determining the
adjustment of the time-fuse and adjusting the sighting apparatus, as, and for the
purpose, above specified.
Thirteenth. The employment, in combination with a time-fuse, of interchangeable
screws or screwed rods of different lengths for adjusting the tube containing the fuse-
mixture, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourteenth. The improved device substantially as described with reference to
Figure 10) of the drawings for adjusting the tube containing the fuse-mixture,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifteenth. The improved percussion-fuse consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 or to Figures 7
and 8 of the drawings, for the purpose specified.
Sixteenth. The improved time-fuse consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figure 9 or to Figure 10 of the
drawings, for the purpose specified.
Seventeenth. The improved cartridge consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figure 1, or Figure 9, or
Figure 10 of the drawings, for the purposes specified.
Dated this 17th day of August 1887.