Improvements in Hydraulic Brakes for Checking or Controlling the Recoil of Ordnance.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hydraulic Brakes for Checking or Controlling the
Recoil of Ordnance.
I, HENRI SCHNEIDER, of the firm of Schneider and Co., of Le Creusot, in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to hydraulic brake enabling the recoil of ordnance to be
checked or controlled in accordance with clearly defined laws whereby the strain upon
the mounting is reduced to a minimum. The principle upon which the construction of
this brake is based is as follows. A liquid contained in a chamber is compressed by
the recoil and escapes through a number of orifices which are closed one after the
other by the movement of the recoil. The escape of liquid through these orifices
which gradually diminish in number opposes to the movement of the gun a resistance
proportionate to the speed of recoil the said resistance being dependent on the number
and area of the orifices.
According to one example of a brake according to my invention a tube or cylinder
is placed in a chamber or cavity connected to the carriage. The tube and chamber
are filled with a preferably incongealable liquid and a piston rigidly connected to
the stationary frame or platform by a rod placed in front or behind or both in
front and behind the piston works in the said tube or cylinder.
The tube or cylinder is perforated at intervals along a helical or other line with
a certain number of orifices the number and sectional area of the said orifices
being determined by suitable calculations. These orifices are so arranged that at
the moment when the recoil commences all the orifices are in front of the piston
and the liquid in the tube being compressed by the recoil can escape through all
the orifices but in proportion as the cylinder moves backwards the number of
orifices open to the liquid diminishes in front of the piston the total area of the
outlet thus growing less and less. It thus becomes possible by regulating the
dimensions number and position of the orifices to modify or control the rate or
speed of recoil to any desired degree.
When the gun is run out in battery the brake operates in the same way that
is to say the total section of the outlet being considerable at the commencement
gradually diminishes to zero if necessary to deaden the shock of the carriage on
the frame or platform. The piston and tube thus constitute a very simple brake
opposing to the movement of the gun a resistance proportionate to the effect of
the discharge; the amplitude of the recoil consequently remains the same for all
angles of laying the said amplitude being dependent solely on the area number
and position of the orifices. This brake in no way interferes with the handling of
gun in the operations of running in or out and it effectually prevents any sudden
running in of the carriage.
the
In the foregoing example the tube is moved by the recoil and the piston is fixed
but this arrangement may be reversed the piston being moveable and the tube
stationary the result being evidently the same in either arrangement. It is not
necessary for the tube to be cylindrical it may be of polygonal elliptic or other
suitable forin in transverse section the piston being of course shaped to fit the
interior of the tube. Several similar brakes may be employed on the same mounting
being regularly arranged in horizontal inclined or even vertical positions, in the
latter case they serve to diminish the effect of concussions.
:
The internal tube or cylinder herein before referred to may be dispensed with the
piston being made longer and forming a hollow plunger sliding in a correspondingly
formed orifice in a partition dividing the chamber containing the liquid into two com-
partments. This hollow plunger is provided on its circumference with orifices which

page_text: during the recoil pass successively from one side of the partition to the other so as to
progressively diminish the area of the outlet for the liquid.
According to another arrangement the liquid is forced by one or more solid com-
pressing plungers out of a chamber or chambers into a chamber containing a
compensating plunger provided with a hollow extension working in a partition
separating the chamber or chambers containing the compensating plunger from an
intermediate chamber supplied with liquid direct from the chambers in which the
compressing plungers work.
The number of orifices in this hollow extension open to the flow of liquid decreases
from the commencement of the movement as they pass to the other side of the said
partition and the area of the passage for the escape of liquid is consequently contracted in
the required proportion. The compressing chambers or cavities which may be of any
suitable shape simply require to be provided with tight fitting guides or stuffing boxes
for the passage of the plungers and consequently require very little fining.
The compensating plunger may be of annular forms and may partly enclose or
surround the compressing plunger.
In this case the area of the compensator in transverse section being a multiple of
the area of the compressor, its stroke is consequently shorter it is guided on one hand
by a stuffing box and on the other hand ou a stationary rod. The liquid in the
space between the rod and the compressor is compressed by the recoil and escapes
through the orifices in the annular compensating plunger which orifices are gradually
closed one after the other as the compressor enters the compensator. The area of
the passage for the flow of liquid also decreases according to the number size and
position of the orifices and in proportion to the speed of the recoil.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hydraulic Brakes for Checking or Controlling the
Recoil of Ordnance.
IHENRI SCHNEIDER, of the firm of Schneider & Co., of Le Creusot, in the Republic
of France, 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:-
This Invention relates to a hydraulic brake enabling the recoil of ordnance to be
effectually checked or controlled in such a manner that the strain upon the
mounting is reduced to a minimum. The principle upon which the construction
of this brake is based is as follows. A given quantity of liquid contained in a
chamber is compressed by the recoil resulting from the discharge of the gun and
escapes through a number of orifices which are closed one after the other by the
movement of the recoil. The forced escape of liquid through the open orifiers
which gradually diminish in number opposes to the movement of the gun a resistance
which increases in proportion as the speed of recoil diminishes the mean resistance
being regulated by the number and sectional area of the orifices.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
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 corresponding figures.
According to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 a chamber or cavity 1 is
connected to the carriage and a piston A is connected to the stationary frame or
platform. A tube B forming a cylinder in which the said piston works is arranged
in the chamber 1 and moves with the latter and the interior of the cylinder B
is placed in communication with the interior of the chamber 1 by means of
orifices o in the sides of the said cylinder. These orifices may be arranged in a
helical line as represented in the drawing or otherwise and the number and sectional

page_text: area of the orifices suitable for the gun to which the brake is to be applied is.
determined beforehand by suitable calculations. The said orifices are so arranged
that at the moment when the recoil commences all the orifices are in front of the
piston A and the liquid in the tube or cylinder B being compressed by the recoil
can escape through all the orifices simultaneously but in proportion as the cylinder
moves backwards in the direction of the arrow 2 the number of orifices open to the
liquid diminishes in proportion as the piston approaches the end of its stroke so as to
progressively diminish the total area of the outlet for the liquid. By these means the
speed of the recoil can be modified and controlled by regulating the dimensions number
and position of the orifices o through which the liquid in the cylinder B escapes into
the chamber 1.
When the gun is run out in battery the brake operates in a similar manner that is
to say the total section of the outlet being considerable at the commencement gradually
diminishes to zero if necessary in order to deaden the shock of the carriage on the
frame or platform. The piston A and tube B thus constitute a simple brake opposing
to the movement of the gun a resistance proportionate to the effect of the discharge
the amplitude of the recoil consequently remains the same for all angles of laying
the said amplitude being dependent solely on the area number and position of the
orifices o.
This brake in noway interferes with the handling of the gun in the
operations of running in or out and it effectually prevents any sudden shock in
running in the carriage.
In the foregoing example described with reference to Figure 1 the tube or cylinder
is moved by the recoil and the piston is fixed but this arrangement may be reversed
the piston being moveable and the tube stationary the result being evidently the
same in either arrangement. It is not necessary for the tule B to be of circular or
cylindrical shape it may be of polygonal elliptic or other suitable form in transverse
section the piston being of course shaped to fit the interior of the tube. Several
similar brakes may be employed in combination with one gun if required being
arranged in horizontal inclined or even vertical positions in the latter case they serve
to diminish the vertical effect of concussions.
Figure 2 represents a brake in which the piston is attached to a rod on one side
only and acts by compression or with a thrusting action being connected to the gun
mounting and moving in the direction of the arrow 2 during the recoil.
In Figure 3 the piston rod acts with a pulling action the rod being connected to
the stationary support and the cylinder being attached to the gun mounting and
moving in the direction of the arrow 2 during the recoil. In these two examples
the piston is provided with a rod on one side only and the apparatus consequently
takes up less room. In either case either the piston may be stationary and tho
cylinder or tube moveable or vice versa.
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate other modifications in the construction of brakes
operating on the same principle. In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 4 the tube or
cylinder B is dispensed with the piston being made longer and forming a hollow
plunger A sliding in a correspondingly formed orifice in a partition C dividing the
chamber B into two compartments. "This hollow plunger is provided on its circum-
ference with orifices o which during the recoil pass successively from one side of the
partition to the other so as to progressively diminish the area of the outlet for the
liquid as the gun recoils.
According to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 5 a liquid contained in cavities
or chambers D is forced out by solid plungers EE into an intermediate chamber G
separated by a partition h from a chamber G containing a compensating plunger F
provided with a hollow extension F sliding in an orifice in a partition separating the
chamber G from the chamber G. The hollow extension F is provided with a series
of orifices o and during the recoil the number of orifices open to the flow of liquid
decreases from the commencement of the movement as they pass from one side to
the other of the partition whereby the area of the passage for the-escape of liquid is
contracted in the required proportion. The chambers or cavities 1 which may be
of any suitable shape simply require to be provided with tight fitting guides or

page_text: Stuffing boxes for the passage of the plungers and consequently require very little
fitting. The total volume of the compressing plungers EE is always equal to the
volume of the compensator F so that during the movement of recoil the compensator F
is withdrawn from the chambers G G¹ to such an extent that the space which it
leaves free behind it is equivalent to the volume of liquid expelled by the com-
pressors EE. Any number of compressers and compensators may be employed
provided that the proper relation between their volumes be retained. All the
compressing and compensating pistons or plungers may be fixed to the carriage or
mounting so as to recoil with the gun; in this case the chambers in which these pistons
or plungers work are stationary and fixed to the frame or support. Inversely all
the plungers or pistons may be fixed to the frame or stationary the chambers being
connected to the mounting and recoiling with the gun. The compensating plunger
may be of annular form as indicated in Figure 6 and forms a perforated cylinder B
in which the compressing plunger A works.
In this case the area of the compensating-plunger or cylinder B in transverse
-section-being a multiple of the area of the compressing plunger A its stroke is
consequently proportionately shorter. The cylinler B works in a chamber C
attached to the gun mounting for example and is guided on one hand by a stuffing
box L and on the other hand on a stationary rod J. The liquid in the space between
the rod J and the compressor A is compressed by the recoil and escapes through
orifices o which orifices are gradually closed one after the other as the compresser
enters the compensator. The area of the passage for the flow of liquid decreases
according to the number size and position of the orifices and in proportion to the
speed of the recoil. In proportion as the plunger A enters the cylinder B the liquid
is expelled through the orifices o into the chamber C and forces out the hollow or
annular compensating planger B so that the displacement or withdrawal of this
compensater makes-room-in-the-chamber C for the liquid driven out of the chamber
in the cylinder B by the plunger A.
Figure 7 is-a modification of the arrangement illustrated in Figure 4. A hollow
plunger M perforated with orifices o on its circumference slides through a partition C
separating a chamber № from a chamber P the said plunger being attached by a
rod a to the gun earringe for example. The liquid expelled from the chamber P flows
through the orifices o which pass in succession from one side of the partition C to
the other. The area of the passage for the escape of the liquid is diminished pro-
gressively and the resistance is regulated in accordance with the number size and
position of the orifices o.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In hydraulic brakes for checking or controlling the recoil of ordnance the
combination of a piston or plunger or equivalent compressing device forcing a liquid
through a series of orifices so arranged that the total area of the passage for the
escape of the liquid diminishes in proportion as the compressing piston or plunger or
the like approaches the end of its stroke substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In hydraulic brakes for checking or controlling the recoil of ordnance the
combination of means for forcing a liquid by the action of the recoil through a series
of orifices as hereinhefore set forth and a compensating plunger arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawings.
3. The combinations and arrangements of parts constituting the improvements in
hydraulic brakes for checking or controlling the recoi of Ordnance substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th love of Outobar 1880
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.