IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES.
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Max Sombart, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and
Company, Engineers and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of
Germany, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES.'
communication from Henry Studer, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
"
A
Sealed the 8th April 1879, and dated the 21st October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Max Sombart at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st October 1878.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of Magdoburg, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GUN CARRIAGES." A communication from Henry Studer, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
The Invention relates to gun carriages intended for use in open batteries, and
consists in mounting the carriage upon a turntablo or plate situated at the bottom
of a circular pit of convenient depth, and of proportionately small diameter. The
trunnions of the gun repose upon the carriage, which is a lever standing nearly
vertical, and provided at its lower end with a pivot fixed to the turnplate at
bottom of the pit; at the upper part the lever is provided with an arrangement
which, when the gun recoils, allows said lever to move in a vertical plane, moving
on the pivot at its lower end. The arrangement of the upper part of the lever is
also combined with one or more hydraulic brakes, and the whole fixed to a covering
plate connected with the turn-plate by means of a framing of metal or other suit-
able material supporting the covering plate, which is made circular, but of smaller
diameter than the pit, and is kept in position by a number of rollers bearing against
the wall of the pit.
The gun is pointed by means of convenient gearing fixed to any part of the lever.
In the covering plate apertures are left for the recoil of the lever, and for the party
pointing the gun.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Max Sombart in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 15th
April 1879.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany. IMPROVEMENTS
IN GUN CARRIAGES.” A communication from Henry Studer, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
The improvement which refers to carriages for stationary guns is shewn in the
annexed Drawing as applied to a naval gun. Figure 1 represents a section through
the body of the ship, and the lower support of the carriage; Figure 2 is a front view
of the carriage, whilst Figure 3 shows the compressors for receiving the carriage
during the recoil after the gun has been fired. The gun carriage is constructed in
its main parts as follows:-A long lever A, inclined towards the front, and carrying
at its lower end a strong trunnion B, by means of which it can be turned in
bearings C, forms the main body of the gun carriage. The upper part of the lever
has the shape of a fork a, each arm of which is provided with a bearing for carrying
the trunnions of the gun D. A double-armed lever E, for laying the gun, placed
within a groove below the fork a, turns round the pin b, fastened to the back of the
lever A. The short and pointed arm of the lever È passes through a ring c on the
lower side of the gun, whilst the other arm is provided at the end d with a slot for
the reception of a rod e. The latter is placed in a groove of the lever A, and
extends with its lower end through a bracket ƒ fastened to the front part of A.
This lower end of the rod e is provided with threads which correspond with
female threads in the boss of a conical wheel g placed above and fixed underneath
the bracket f, and gearing into a second bevel wheel h, which may be turned by
means of wheel-gearing and the hand-wheel F. If the wheel g is moved in such a
manner that it screws itself up on the rod c, thereby shortening the distance between
the slot d and the wheel g, the mouth of the gun will be lowered; on moving, how-
ever, the wheel g in an opposite direction, the gun barrel will be elevated. A
hydraulic contrivance may be substituted for the arrangement above described for
directing guns by means of wheel gearing, in which case all the wheels would be
omitted. The gun carriage is almost entirely surrounded by a cylindrical casing G,
the bottom of which is formed by plate girders carrying the bearings C for the
trunnions B of the lever A; these bearings may be placed either in the middle or
on one side of the bottom. The cylindrical casing is provided at a short distance
from its upper end with a strong cover H, through an aperture of which the gun
carriage A passes. The front part of the carriage rests against the wall of this
aperture, whilst the latter is sufficiently long towards the back, in order to allow
of the carriage recoiling after the gun has been fired. The side walls of the aperture
serve as guides for the gun carriage. In order to reduce the recoil of the carriage
to the least possible extent a hydraulic brake I is placed at each side of the
carriage on the cover H, the piston rods i of these brakes being connected with
each other by a cross head . Two rods l, connected at one end with this cross
head, and fastened with their other ends to a pin m passing through the gun
carriage A, cause the brake pistons to be drawn back during the recoil of the
carriage. The centre of gravity of the lever A together with the gun being situated
in front of the point of support of the trunnion B, the gun will return after recoil
automatically into the firing position. In order to prevent, on the full recoil of the
gun carriage, a sharp blow to the latter, two buffers K and corresponding heads n
fastened to lateral projections are placed underneath the cover H. The latter is
provided at the side of one of the hydraulic brakes with an opening L, through
which the entrance to the inside of the cylinder is effected. The whole cylinder G
is placed in a pit M, and in order to turn the former, the bottom of the latter is

page_text: provided with a flat ring N, the upper surface of which is bevelled. A similar ring O
is fastened to the bottom of the cylinder G, and between these two rings a number
of conical rollers p are placed, kept inside and outside at equal distances from each
other by means of intermediate rings. A circular rack P, with pinion for turning
the cylinder with the gun, is attached to the lower part of casing G. Instead of the
two rollers N and O, and the conical rollers p placed between them, the bottom of
the cylinder G may be provided at the centre with a pivot pin, the bearing of which
is fastened to the bottom of the pit M. The cover H projects over the outside of
cylinder G, and serves as a sort of journal or guide to the latter. The inside of the
pit M is provided at the height of the cover H with a rim Q, which corresponds
exactly with the outer edge of the cover. Into the annular space between
the two, and at equal distances from each other, rollers q are exactly fitted, and
kept at top and bottom in their proper position by the rings ?. This system of
rollers, formed by the upper and lower ring r and the rollers q, is supported by the
rollers s fastened to the cylinder G. Claim.-The improved arrangement of gun
carriage, substantially as herein described and illustrated.
8
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Max Sombart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, A.D. 1879.
CHARLES MAY COMPADA