IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN RIFLED PROJECTILES AND MACHINERY FOR
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir Joseph Whitworth, Baronet, of Manchester,
in the County of Lancashire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN RIFLED PROJECTILES AND MACHINERY FOR
Sealed the 2nd August 1870, and dated the 17th June 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Sir Joseph Whitworth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 17th June 1870, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Sir JOSEPH
WHITWORTH, Baronet, of Manchester, in the County Lancashire, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE ARMS AND ORDNANCE AND IN RIFLED PROJECTILES, AND MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME," and have petitioned Her most Excellent

page_text: Majesty Queen Victoria to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made
solemn Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms and
ordinance and in rifled projectiles and machinery for the manufacture
of the same, and relates firstly, to breech-loading fire-arms. At the
fore part of the chamber of the barrel, which is cylindrical and receives
the portion of the cartridge containing the powder, I form a bullet
chamber which is larger than the bore, and is similarly rifled, so
that the inside of that part of the cartridge case containing the bullet
may be of the same size as the bore and in prolongation of the same.
The thickness of the cartridge case determines the diameter of the rifled
bullet chamber.
This arrangement is shown in the accompanying Drawing, Figures 1
and 2, where Figure 1 represents the breech end of the rifled barrel in
section, A being the bore; B, the rifled bullet chamber; and C, the
powder chamber. Figure 2 shows a similar section with the cartridge
in its place, also in section. Figure 3 is a section taken at the line a, a,
Figure 1.
I claim as respects this part of my Invention the construction of
breech-loading fire-arms with an enlarged and rifle bullet chamber
and a plain cylindrical or unrifled powder chamber substantially as
described.
My improvements in fire-arms consist, secondly, in the external
shape which I give to solid double barrels for fowling pieces. I
make the external profile of a combination of three right lines, by
which arrangement I ensure greater truth in the barrels, as this form
admits of being more accurately produced and repeated than the
form heretofore adopted.
The form of barrel I adopt by preference is shown in the accompanying
Drawing, Figure 4, which represents the exterior of a pair of double
barrels made out of one piece of metal as described in my Patent, dated
12th June 1857, No. 1645, the three right lines above referred to being

page_text: the ones from A to B, from B to C, and from C to D; the relative
lengths of these lines may however be varied, but the proportions
indicated by the Drawing I prefer. Figure 5 is a side view of the
barrels; Figures 5* and 6 are end views of the breech and muzzle
respectively; and Figure 7 is a section taken at the line a, b, Figure 5.
I claim as respects this part of my Invention the construction of solid
double barrels with a profile consisting of a combination of right lines
substantially as described.
-
My improvements also relate to machinery for the manufacture of
rifled projectiles, and consists in a self-acting moulding and ramming
machine for the preparation of the sand moulds used for casting the said
projectiles, by means of which, a definite quantity of sand being always
rammed into a given space, I obtain the same density in every mould,
and much more uniformity than when the ramming is effected by hand,
and consequently I am enabled to produce projectiles constantly to a
uniform size, and thus dispense with the operations of planing and
shaping the projectiles which were heretofore necessary to make them fit
sufficiently accurately to the rifled bore.
Figures 8 and 9 are respectively side and front elevations of the
machine I employ, and Figures 10 and 11 side and front elevations
partially in section of the lower part of the machine drawn to a large
scale for the sake of greater clearness. The same letters refer to the
same parts in all the different Figures.
A is a vertical spindle sliding through the bearings B, B, and carrying
at its lower end a disc or cross head C, to which are attached the three
rammers D, D, D, used for consolidating the sand; a vertically recipro-
cating motion is communicated to the spindle A by the cam or
excentric E on the end of the shaft F, to which a rotary motion is
given by means of the cone pulley G; at the same time a slow rotary
motion is communicated to the spindle A by means of the shaft Hand
the change wheels I, I, I. The moulding box J is shown in Figure 8
in the position for commencing the operation of ramming the sand, the
iron pattern K being raised up to the required height according to the
length of projectile to be made. In Figure 9 the moulding box is shown
in the position it occupies when the ramming is completed and the
pattern K is withdrawn into the inside of the cylinder L; so that the

page_text: moulding box may be removed. The moulding box J is placed upon
the upper end of the cylinder L; this cylinder is furnished with four
arms M, M, M, M, which are bored out and slide upon the guide
rods N, N, so that the centre of the moulding box is always kept in
a line with the axis of the ramming spindle A. The upper end of the
cylinder L is closed by a plate or disc O, through which the pattern K
is raised or lowered, as will be hereafter explained. To the lower end of
the cylinder is attached the screw P passing through the nut Q, to which
motion is communicated from the cone pulley shaft F by means of the
two pair of bevil wheels R, R, and S, S, the spur wheel T, the spur
pinions U and U¹, the worm and worm wheel V and X, and the spur
wheels Y and Z; by this means the cylinder L carrying the moulding
box J is caused to descend gradually and at an uniform rate while the
sand is being rammed around the parallel part of the pattern K.
The operation of moulding is performed as follows:-The cylinder L
having been raised to the proper height the moulding box is placed upon
it, and the pattern K is caused to rise through the plate O by means of
the screw a actuated by the three pairs of bevil wheels b, b, b¹, b¹, c, c,
and the handle wheel d. A tin funnel e is then placed upon the top of
the moulding box J, and motion is communicated by means of a strap
to the shaft F, the clutch f coupling the bevil wheel S to the shaft g,
being at this time raised out of gear by the lever h. The required
quantity of sand is then poured into the funnel e, and the clutch f put
into gear by the attendant, the cylinder L carrying the moulding box J
now begins to descend with an uniform motion until the upper end of
the projectile is reached, when the downward movement of the moulding
box is arrested in order to allow the sand around the nose of the
projectile to be well consolidated by an extra amount of ramming;
this is effected in the following manner: -The shaft carrying the
pinion U¹is prolonged to the opposite side of the machine, where it gives
motion by means of the worm and worm wheel i and j to the screw k;
this screw raises or lowers a nut 7 working between the guides m, m; to
this nut is fixed a double inclined face n, which working against the end
of the rod o throws the pinion U₁ out of gear with the pinion U by
means of the lever p and the clutch q, and thus stops the movement of
the screw P, and consequently the downward motion of the cylinder L
with the moulding box J. As soon as the inclined face n has passed the

page_text: end of the rod o the spiral spring draws back the pinion U into gear
with the pinion U, and the downward motion of the cylinder L is
resumed and continued as low as is necessary to clear the rammers,
when by means of a stop s acting upon the lever t, the rod v, the
clutch is raised out of gear, and the further movement of the cylinder
arrested. The pattern K is then withdrawn by means of the handle
wheel d and the mechanism connected with it, which has already been
described, and the mould which is now complete is removed from the
machine. By means of the shaft x and the pulleys y a quicker motion
is communicated to the screw P, and the cylinder is raised rapidly to its
upper position ready for commencing the ramming of another mould.
A stop z is provided, by which the strap is thrown on to the loose pulley
and the motion of the screw arrested, when the moulding box has been
raised to the desired height.
I claim as respects this part of my Invention the arrangement of
machinery for the manufacture of rifled projectiles, substantially as
described.
My improvements relating to rifled projectiles consist also in a modifi-
cation of the exterior form of polygonal projectiles which I am enabled
to adopt where such projectiles being moulded by machinery just
described, I can use them as cast and dispense with the subsequent
processes of planing or shaping, at the same time the internal capacity of
thesc projectiles when used as shells is increased by this modification.
The modification consists in adding to each side of the projectile a
segmental projection, as will be readily understood by reference to the
accompanying Drawing, where Figure 12 shows the full size section of
a nine, inch projectile of the modified form, and Figure 13 a similar
section of the present form with the segmental additions a, a, a, a, a, a,
shaded in a different manner to the body of the projectile. The only
modification required in the gun is to bore out the cylindrical portion so
as to admit the increased diameter of the projectile, the rifling remaining
unaltered.
I claim as respects this part of my Invention the construction of
polygonal projectiles with segmental projections substantially as
described.
My improvements in breech-loading ordnance consist in a mode of
closing the end of the bore of the gun. Two sliding blocks are

page_text: employed for closing the breech, these blocks are provided on their
upper and lower surfaces with a series of serrated ridges, the profile of
which is similar to that of the angulated threads which I use for
securing the breech screws of my muzzle-loading guns. These ridges fit
into corresponding grooves formed on the upper and under sides of a
transverse slot or channel cut across the face of the breech end of the
gun. Various modes may be employed for moving these blocks
backwards or forwards so as to open or close the bore of the gun, such
as a rack and pinion, a screw, or an arrangement of levers.
Figures 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 show an arrangement with racks and
pinions. Figure 14 is an end view of the breech as it appears when
closed; Figure 15 is a horizontal section taken at the line a, a, Figure 14;
Figure 16 is an end view with the breech open; Figure 17 is a hori-
zontal section taken at the line a, a, Figure 16; Figure 18 is a vertical
section taken at the line c, d, Figure 16.
A thread is cut upon
spiral thread formed
A represents the breech end of a breech-loading gun, of which B is
the bore; C, the gas check; and D, D, are the blocks closing the bore,
the serrated ridges or threads being seen in section at e, e, e, e, e, e; F is
a circular disc of metal furnished with two curved slots G, G, which act
upon the two studs H, H, fixed in the two blocks D, D. On motion
being given to the disc F by means of the pinion J and the curved
rack K, the blocks D, D, are caused to approach or recede from one
another and so open or close the bore of the gun.
the circumference of the disc F which works in a
on the interior surface of the ring of metal L, by means of which as the
blocks D, D, are drawn up together they are at the same time pressed
against the breech end of the gun and supported by the disc F; M is a
ring or cap of metal screwed upon the exterior of the breech A, and
also of the ring of metal L, and moved round by means of the rack N,
and the pinion O. When it is desired to open the breech the ring M is
moved round in the direction of the arrow (Figure 15) until the
openings P, P, in the ring M are opposite the ends of the blocks D, D,
as shown in Figure 15, so that these letter can project through the
ring M when the bore is open. When the bore is closed the ring M is
turned round in the opposite direction and the thread on its interior
surface then fits into a similar thread formed on the ends of the
blocks D, D, and holds them fast endways.

page_text: I claim as respects this part of my Invention the construction of
apparatus for closing the breech of breech-loading ordnance by means
of two sliding blocks meeting in rear of the bore substantially as
described.
day of
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this
in the
_year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JOSEPH WHITWORTH. (L.S.)