Improvements in the Utilization of Explosives for the Production of Motive Power and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Utilization of Explosives for the Production
of Motive Power and in Apparatus therefor.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
from abroad by André Théodore Christophe, of 4, Rue Poisson Paris, Civil
Engineer) to be as follows
This invention relates to the method of utilizing powder and other explosives for
the production of motive power and to apparatus therefor, the said invention being
especially useful where heavy weights have to be quickly raised and lowered or
otherwise moved and to be under proper control, as, for instance, disappearing
fortification turrets, heavy guns and gun-carriages.
The chief objects of the said invention are to control the power generated by
the combustion of the explosive better than has hitherto been done, and to
prevent the inconvenience caused by the deposit of the residuary products of
combustion.
According to the said invention the explosives, instead of being so ignited that
the gases produced come into direct contact with the weight to be moved or with
the piston which may be employed for moving the weight, are ignited in a chamber
connected with the working cylinder by an intermediate tube or chamber containing
water or other suitable liquid, so that the pressure due to the explosives is com-
municated to the piston through such liquid.
In practice I prefer to use an explosive of a similar nature to some of the
present smokeless powders which burn slowly and with regularity, the time of
burning being readily varied by varying the composition and form of the explosive.
In order to prevent the gases from mixing with the liquid a gas-check is placed
between the explosion-chamber and the liquid, which gas-check moves with the
liquid and ensures the gases never reaching the part of the chamber in which the
piston moves. The sectional area of the gas-check can be made so much smaller
than that of the piston as may be most suitable for applying the power desired on
the piston from the available pressure.
In a convenient part of the water-tube or chamber is a valve by which the
movement of the liquid and that of the piston can be readily controlled; and a
second valve in the explosion-chamber serves to allow the escape of the gases. The
two valves are preferably connected in such a manner that the water-valve shall be
opened when the gas-valve is closed and vice versa. The gas-valve can be connected
with the portion of the apparatus by which the explosive is inserted into the
explosion-chamber, in such a manner that the explosives cannot be ignited until
the aperture through which the explosive is inserted is properly closed and con-
sequently the gas-valve also closed and the water-valve opened.
A rod is sometimes arranged in connection with the water-valve, which rod is
acted upon by a lug or other piece on the piston or moving weight in such a manner
that, when the piston approaches either end of its stroke, the valve will be acted
upon by the lug in the desired manner to diminish the speed of the movement of
the piston and stop it altogether at the desired point. The length of the stroke
and the speed of the movements can be controlled by means of this lug.
The explosives can be inserted into the chamber by means of cartridge-cases
(for the ejection of which, when empty, an extractor can be provided) in the form
of a quick match, or in any other suitable manner; and the explosive may be
ignited by electricity or percussion caps or by any other suitable means.

page_text: A closing mechanism can be arranged in any suitable manner to resist the inner
pressure and to suit the form, in which the explosive is used, and to suit the rapidity
with which successive explosives are required.
In cases where further elasticity than that provided for by the liquid is required,
an air-chamber can be placed in connection with such liquid, between the water-
valve and the piston, the air in which chamber remains under pressure and acts as
a cushion so long as there is any pressure upon the liquid.
It is sometimes advantageous to ignite the explosive in a chamber separate from
the cylinder in which the gas-check moves, with the object of using this separate
chamber for storing gases under pressure. A valve is in this case placed between
the separate chamber and the gas-check for the purpose of controlling the exit
of the gas therefrom. This valve can be connected with the water-valve.
The separate chamber can be arranged in such a manner that no explosive or no.
fresh compressed gas can be introduced into it until the pressure in the chamber
has been reduced to the minimum which is required for work.
It is sometimes preferable to make the piston in the form of a hollow tube with
the explosive chamber in one end of it, the gas-check moving inside the hollow
piston, which latter moves inside an outer casing or chamber. In this case the
controlling valve is operated by the gas-check during its movements.
Dated the 29th day of July 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Utilization of Explosives for the Production
of Motive Power and in Apparatus therefor.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by André Théodore Christophic, of 4, Rue Poisson, Paris, Civil Engineer)
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 the method of utilizing powder and other explosives
for the production of motive power and to apparatus therefor, the said invention
being especially useful where heavy weights have to be quickly raised and lowered
or otherwise moved and to be under proper control, as, for instance, disappearing
fortification turrets, heavy guns and gun-carriages.
The chief objects of the said invention are to control the power generated by
the combustion of the explosive better than has hitherto been done, and to
prevent the inconvenience caused by the deposit of the residuary products of
combustion.
According to the said invention the explosives, instead of being so ignited that
the gases produced come into direct contact with the weight to be moved or with
the piston which may be employed for moving the weight, are ignited in a chamber
connected with the working cylinder by an intermediate tube or chamber containing
water or other suitable liquid, so that the pressure due to the explosives is com-
municated to the piston through such liquid cushion.
In practice prefer to use an explosive of a similar nature to some of the present
smokeless powders which burn slowly and with regularity, the time of burning
being readily varied by varying the composition and form of the explosive.
The explosives can be inserted into the chamber by means of cartridge-cases
(for the ejection of which, when empty, an extractor can be provided) in the form
of a quick match, or in any other suitable manner; and the explosive may be
ignited by electricity or percussion caps or by any other suitable means.
A closing mechanism can be arranged in any suitable manner to resist the inner

page_text: which successive explosives are required.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings which shew my improvements arranged in
conjunction with a disappearing turret and gun.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus and of the turret
and gun hereinbefore referred to, the section being on a line at right angles to the
axis of the gun.
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section looking in the direction of the arrow 1,
Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a plan partly in section of the apparatus; and,
Figure 4 is also a sectional plan at a lower level than Figure 3.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the chamber in which the explosive is ignited, and a¹ a chamber con-
nected to the chamber a and serving as a hydraulic accumulator; a² is a piston
sliding in the chamber a' and acted upon by the pressure generated in the chamber a
to compress the water in the accumulator a', the relation between the area of the
explosion chamber and that of the accumulator being proportionate to the power
to be generated by the explosion and the power to be applied. The piston a² is
provided with a shank a³, which, when the piston a² is at the top of its chamber,
practically fills the same, a sufficient space only being left for the introduction of
the explosive charge which, as herein before stated, is advantageously in the form of
a cartridge. a is a pug constructed, for instance, in the same manner as an
ordinary screw breech-block and designed to close the chamber a.
It will be readily understood that when the explosive charge in the chamber a
is ignited, the gases will act upon the shank a³ of the piston a² and force the same
downwards, thereby compressing the water in the chamber a without any of the
gases coming into contact with the water, the said piston serving practically as a
gas-check.
as, as are openings formed above the piston a² and serving to admit air into the
chamber a above the piston when the latter descends, and to allow of the escape
of the air from the said accumulator when the piston ascends.
is the cylinder in which the power is utilized, and is a piston sliding in the
said cylinder and serving as the hydraulic rain, the said piston carrying upon its
upper end the weight to be raised. As shewn in the drawings this piston bis
provided with a supplementary piston 62 which will be hereinafter described, but
for the present I will assume the piston to be solid.
To the head of the piston bare secured rods or bars 3, which slide in
guides, respectively upon the walls of the cylinder b, as shewn most clearly in
Figure 4; the said bars and guides serving to prevent the rotation of the piston
within the cylinder.
c is the pipe which establishes communication between the accumulator a' and
the cylinder b, the said pipe having within it two valves c', c, the former of which
operates automatically to allow the water to flow from the accumulator to the
working cylinder, whilst the latter is operated by inclined surfaces, formed
upon the bar and engaging with a block upon the end of the stem c¹ of the
valve c, as shewn most clearly in Figure 4. The stem is formed in two parts
also as shewn in Figure 4, the adjacent ends of which are screw-threaded in
opposite directions and connected by a nut, the rotation of which serves to
lengthen or shorten the said stem. The rotation of the nut c in order to effect the
lengthening or shortening of the stem is accomplished through the medium of a
piston sliding in a cylinder d' and having its rod d in connection with a lever d³
upon the said nut. The piston is operated by water admitted from the cylinder 6
through the channel e, a valve e¹ and a pipe e², as shewn in Figure 4, the said
valve e being operated to be opened by a tappet e³, Figure 2, upon the bar b, and
to be closed by a tappet e also upon the said bar, the said tappets acting upon a
lever attached to the stem of the said valve. is a lever also connected to the

page_text: nut and adapted to be operated by a tappet d' on the bar to return the nut to
its normal position; a key or feather upon the stem serves to prevent the latter
from rotating with the nut c³.
is a valve which serves to control the passage through a pipe forming a
by-pass in the pipe e to cut out the valve the said valve being operated through
the medium of the lever, the link³, the lever, the shaft, the levers ƒ³, 1
and the rods ff as hereinafter described.
0
is a valve which serves to control the escape of the gases from the chamber a
through the pipe g', the said valve, as shewn, being operated from the lever f
through the medium of the rod 2, the lever g³, the rod and the bell-crank
lever, as shewn most clearly in Figure 1.
The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows, that is to
say, when a cartridge or other explosive charge is ignited in the chamber a the
piston a² is forced downwards, whereby the water in the accumulator is com-
pressed and forced from the accumulator through the pipe e and the valve c' (which
it lifts) and through the valve ² (which is open) to the piston-cylinder, causing
the piston or ram to rise and carry with it the rods or bars ³,
When the
piston has risen to a certain extent the inclines surfaces of the plate com-
mence to act upon the block ³ secured to the stem et of the valve c², and gradually
force the said stem inwards to close the said valve until, by the time that the
piston has reached its highest point, the said valve is only a short distance from
its seat. When the piston is nearly at its highest point the tappet upon the
lower end of the plate acts upon the lever e of the valve e and causes the
opening of the same, whereby a small quantity of water from the cylinder 6 passes
through the passage e, the valve e¹ and the pipe e² into the cylinder d', where it
acts upon the piston d and forces the same outwards, so that, through the medium of
the lever, the nut c is turned to elongate the stem sufficiently to force the
valve firmly upon its scat.
When the piston is to be lowered the by-pass valve is opened, whereby the
water can escape through the pipe back into the accumulator. When the piston
has descended a certain distance, the inclined surfaces upon the bar again act
upon the block 3 to draw the stem c backwards and open the valve and, as the
piston still further lowers, the tappet e strikes against the lever e' to open the
valve e, and then the tappet & strikes against the lever to rotate the nut c
backwards to shorten the stem e and to push the piston d back to its normal
position. During the return of the water to the accumulator the valve c¹ remains
closed so that the water only passes through a small hole therein, whereby the
sudden lowering of the piston is obviated.
The same movement which serves to open the by-pass cock falso, as hereinbefore
stated, serves to open the valve g, whereby the gases in the chamber a are allowed
to escape, thus permitting the piston a² to rise to its normal position under the
water-pressure due to the weight of the piston b¹.
The turret apparatus, which I have shewn as arranged in conjunction with my
apparatus for utilizing the explosive force of gunpowder or the like, is constructed
as follows, that is to say, upon the head of the piston is a ring to which are
secured two brackets i, connected by a brace and between which the gun is
mounted, each of the said brackets having projecting from it two other brackets jj,
as shewn most clearly in Figures 1 and 3. These brackets i, j, at their outer ends,
rest upon a ring k supported upon friction-rollers k¹, k¹ running upon a circular
bed carried upon the masonry of the pit in which the turret is placed, as shown
in Figures 1 and 2.
is the armour-plated cap of the turret which is supported upon the brackets i, j
and which is raised with the other parts of the apparatus in a well known manner
for the discharge of the gun. is a shield which surrounds the cap also in a well
known manner and serves to guide the same in its vertical movements.
In order that the turret and the mechanism, when elevated to the highest position,
shall be held rigidly, I secure to the ends of the brackets i, i, j, j depending

page_text: bars m, m, the ends of which are of a hook-shape, as shewn at m², and adapted,
when the turret is raised, to engage with a rib and groove m² formed integral with
the bed upon which the rollers A¹ run. Between the depending bars m plates m³
are introduced in order that when the turret is raised, the smoke, produced when
the gun is fired, shall-not penetrate into the interior of the turret.
n indicates the gun which is supported in a cradle and which, at its forward
end, projects through and slides within a block n' having a spherical surface fitting
against a correspondingly formed surface in the aperture or embrasure opposite
to the mouth of the gun, this block n² serving to inaintain a tight joint around the
muzzle, notwithstanding the angle of elevation at which the gun may be placed.
The cradle slides upon two longitudinal beams which, at their front ends,
are rigidly secured to the block and supported by journals no, no in bearing
blocks, secured to the brackets i, i; the axial line of the said journals n³, nº
passing through the centre from which the surface of the block n' is generated.
It will be noticed, by reference to Figure 1, that the cradle-guides nº, which
slide upon the tops of the beams, embrace flanges on the said beams in order
to prevent the latter from separating. The beams, at or near their rear ends,
are supported upon two blocks or brackets n', n' pivotted upon the head of
the piston or ram hereinbefore referred to, so that the raising or lowering
of the piston will cause the raising and lowering of the gun into and from
the firing position, the brackets n' which are free to slide upon the lower sides
of the beams, as shewn in Figure 1, being capable of taking the required
angle, for instance, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.
nn are Belleville springs which are introduced between the piston 3 and
the head to prevent any jar or shock in case the water enters the cylinder b
suddenly. The head n is provided with two lateral extensions no, no carrying
blocks n, n which slide in grooves n, n in the brackets i, i, the said blocks
and grooves serving to guide the piston & vertically during the raising and
lowering of the gun.
The angle of elevation at which the gun is to be fired is controlled by two
blocks o, o carried upon screws o¹, o' mounted in suitable bearings upon the sides
of the brackets i, i adjacent to the slots 2, the said blocks o, o being provided
with lugs or projections o², o entering the slots n¹, n, as shewn most clearly in
Figures 1 and 3. The screws o¹, o¹ are operated simultaneously to raise and lower
the nuts or blocks o, o by means of worm-wheels o³, o³ with which engage worms on
a shaft o operated by a hand wheel o*.
It will thus be understood that when the piston is acted upon by the water
under pressure it will continue to rise until the blocks n come into contact with
the projections o' upon the nuts o, o.
PP are hydraulic cylinders secured to the beams n', and containing pistons p¹, p',
the rods of which are secured to lugs p², p² on the cradle, and p³, p³ are Belleville
springs carried upon rods secured to the pistons p', ' and projecting through the
front ends of the cylinders p, the said hydraulic cylinders and springs serving to
check the recoil of the gun in a well known manner.
In order that, after the gun has been fired, the turret shall be automatically
lowered utilize the recoil for operating the valve hereinbefore referred to, and
for this purpose I place around the gun a collar through which pass, on opposite
sides, two rods y', ', each of which has, at one end, a head y² whilst at the other end
it is connected to one arm of a lever ³, which levers 73,73 are mounted upon a
shaft carried in the frames i, i. These levers 3 are each connected by a rod g°
with a lever and from the point of connection of each rod y and lever
depends a hooked-rod q', the hook of which engages beneath the flange 4 of a ring q
which slides upon the head of the piston . This arrangement of hook and ring
permits the said hook to engage with the flange of the ring at all times,
notwithstanding the position of the gun relatively to the lower fixed part of the
apparatus. From the ring depend two tubes 10, q within each of which slides
one of the rods hereinbefore referred to, the said rod having, at one end, an
10

page_text: The length
will
enlargement which prevents it from slipping out of the said tube.
of the rods is such that no movement will be imparted to the levers during the
movement of the turret from its lowest to its highest position but that the said
head will be in close proximity to the lower end of the said tube when the
piston is in its highest position. If now, the recoil takes place, the collar
impinge against the heads 72 of the rods 7 thereby operating the levers 73, 7
the
rods and the hooked rods ', ' to raise the ring, whereby the tubes will
be correspondingly raised and, as the lower ends of the aid tubes are in contact with
the heads of the rods, it follows that the said rods will also be raised, thereby
operating the system of levers hereinbefore described to open the by-pass valve f
and the gas-exhaust valve
9.
In practice the centres of the points of connection between the rods and the
levers are on the axial line of the journals, so that the elevating and
depressing movements of the gun have no effect upon the said levers 7³ to cause the
inadvertent operation of the valves.
To retain the by-pass valve open during the descent of the piston until the
valve is open, a spring-catch q", Figure 2, is provided which, when the levers fo
are raised as hereinbefore described, engages beneath one of them and holds them in
their raised position until the lower end of the tube 10 adjacent to the said lever f
impinges against a tail-piece 2 on the said spring-catch and moves it backwards
out of engagement with the lever, so that the latter is free to drop under the action
of its weight and that of the connected parts.
In order that, when the valves are opened and the turret descends, the ends of the
brackets, shall not come into violent concussion with the ring upon which
k
the ends of the said brackets normally rest, I provide upon the top of the said ring k
a wood-packing or buffer, as shewn clearly in Figures 1 and 2.
The lateral direction of the gun is effected by the rotation of the whole turret,
and this rotation is advantageously effected through the medium of the worms, the
worm-wheel s¹, the shafts, and the pinion engaging with gear-teeth s* upon
the periphery of the ring k.
I
As the turret is always in its lowest position, except for firing, it is necessary to
provide for the aiming of the gun before the latter is raised, and for this purpose
advantageously form on the bed 2, upon which the rollers move, a scale which
can be seen through an aperture t¹ and which serves for the lateral direction of the
gun. For determining the angle of elevation of the gun I advantageously form a
scale upon the edge of one of the grooves 12, as shewn at u, Figure 2, the said scale
serving to indicate the height to which the nuts o are to be elevated, thus ensuring
the gun being stopped at the required angle when being elevated by the piston 62.
In order to provide for the ventilation of the turret I advantageously utilize the
products of combustion escaping from the explosion chamber a for operating a
Brotherhood or other engine serving to drive a fan such as e, Figure 4; the dotted
lines in the said figure indicating the pipe through which the products of
combustion pass to the engine or to an accumulator in connection with the engine.
w is a platform upon which the persons operating the gun can stand to load the
same when the gun is in its lowest position, for instance, as indicated by dotted lines
in Figure 2.
z is a car or trolly running upon rails and serving to convey the ammunition from
a magazine to the platform.
The operation of the apparatus as a whole is as follows, that is to say, when the
charge is exploded in the explosion chamber a, the water in the accumulator a' is
compressed, whereby it is forced into the cylinder b. The first result of this will
be that the piston will be raised, thereby raising the gun from the position in
which it is loaded to the position in which it is fired, that is to say, until the
blocks upon the piston-head n³ come into contact with the projections o² of the
nuts o. As the pressure of water continues the piston commences to rise, this
notion continuing until the hooks mare in engagement with the flange and
groove m², at which point the water is shut off and the turret maintained in its

page_text: uppermost position. The gun is then fired by an electric spark or by other suitable
means and, as soon as the recoil takes place, the automatic lowering of the gun and
turret is effected in the manner hereinbefore described, the piston first of all
assuming its normal position and then the piston 6, when the gun can be again
loaded.
In some cases 1 may utilize the latter part of the movement of the gun when
returning to its loaded position to open the breech-lock and eject the empty
cartridge shell. This may be done by allowing a portion of the handle of the
fastening of the breech-block to strike against a stop placed in a suitable position on
one of the frames, and by the same arrangement the breech-block may be
automatically closed as the gun is raised to its firing position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the utilization of an explosive for the production of motive power, the
employment of a cushion of water arranged between the chamber in which the
explosion is effected and the weight or body to be moved, substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for utilizing, through the medium of a cushion of water, the power
produced by the combustion of an explosive, comprising two chambers separated by
a piston, one of the said chambers serving as the explosion chamber whilst the other
serves as a hydraulic accumulator, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claiming clauses, the
arrangement of valves for controlling the flow of liquid' from the accumulator to the
working cylinder and vice versa, substantially as described.
4. The combination with mechanism for utilizing the force of an explosive through
the medium of a water-cushion, of a disappearing turret and apparatus arranged
substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with mechanism for utilizing the force of an explosive
through the medium of a water-cushion and with a turret and gun operated by the
power generated by such explosive, of mechanism, arranged substantially as
described, for utilizing the force of the recoil of the gun for opening a valve for
permitting the escape of the liquid in the working cylinder, substantially as
described.
6. The combination with apparatus of the kind hereinbefore described for utilizing
the force of an explosive, of a disappearing turret and mechanism adapted to be
operated by the force so generated, the said mechanism being characterized by-
(a) The screws, nuts and connected parts which serve to adjust the angle of the
elevation of the gun before the turret is raised.
(b) The arrangement of friction-rollers upon which the turret rests when in. its
lowermost position, the said rollers serving to facilitate the lateral movement
of the turret.
(c) The depending bars m adapted to engage with the ring upon which the
friction-rollers run, the said depending bars having between them plates for
preventing the gases of combustion from entering the turret.
7. The improved apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially in the manner herein before described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, specified.
Dated the 28th day of May 1891
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.