Year: 1888

page_text: I, ALBERT SAUVÉE, of 22 Parliament Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Gustave Adolphe Canet,
Civil Engineer, of 91 Avenue Malakoff, Paris, France,) to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to an improved armoured turret, of which the
following is a description :-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the turret taken in a plane parallel to the axis of
the guns.
Fig. 2 a plan view.
Fig. 3 a transverse section, and
Fig. 4 a horizontal section taken in a plane beneath the platform of the turret.
The whole of the turret is completely enclosed in a casing of sheet iron fixed in a
setting of cement concrete. I do away with all foundations of masonry. The casing
of the turret rests upon courses of concrete arranged in steps. The communication
with the magazines is effected by means of a subterranean passage.
At the upper part of the block of concrete I place sheets of metal serving to protect
the block through a more or less extended zone and to cause projectiles to ricochet
or glance off.
The turret consists of:-
The armour plating.
The interior framework.
The guns and
The training and loading apparatus.
The armour plating consists of a dome of steel, wrought iron, or hardened cast
ron, having the form of a sphere or of a truncated cone A surmounted by a flat
roof B. The connection of the different parts may be effected in any suitable nianner.
Two openings I with projecting necks surround the mouth of the cannon.
J is a
manhole for the operator.
The interior framework consists of a movable platform C carrying the turret, which
by means of a ring of rollers D rests upon a fixed rolling track E. On the platform
The training and loading apparatus.
The armour plating consists of a dome of steel, wrought iron, or hardened cast
ron, having the form of a sphere or of a truncated cone A surmounted by a flat
roof B. The connection of the different parts may be effected in any suitable manner.
Two openings I with projecting necks surround the mouth of the cannon.
J is a
manhole for the operator.
The interior framework consists of a movable platform (carrying the turret, which
by means of a ring of rollers D rests upon a fixed rolling track E. On the platform

page_text: is mounted a circular girder F which supports the armour plating. The platform C
carries with it a central tube G for the passage of the charges. At the bottom of
the iron casing is a well H for counterbalance weights to hold the guns in equilibrium.
On one side K¹ the casing has a large opening through which the interior of the
turret may communicate with the underground gallery or passage. This turret is
provided with one or two guns; the drawings accompanying this description
showing two.
Each gun is mounted on a carriage L sliding on a frame. The frame is provided
in front at a with hydraulic break cylinders. The piston rods bare fixed to the
cariage and follow the movements of the gun. The lower part of the carriage is also
provided with two rods c on which are placed spring discs bearing against an abutment
or cross bar d on the frame. The spring discs are compressed during the recoil and
subsequently run the gun out again.
The frame carries a slide block moving in a circular segmental slide firmly secured
to the platform, and of which the centre is at the end of the neck of the firing
openings to this slide f the whole of the strain of the recoil which is not absorbed
by the break is transmittted through the block.
So as to enable the openings to be made as small as possible, I arrange the centre
of rotation of the gun at the end of the neck of the opening.
For this purpose I employ the following arrangement :-A lever is attached to the
circular girder at g, the other end thereof terminating in a cam groove h, in which
moves a roller i fixed to the frame. At j a connecting rod is attached and is
connected at K to the front of the frame. When the gun is displaced by the
elevating mechanism the roller i travels along the cam groove and lowers or raises
the lever, thus actuating the connecting rod K and the front of the frame. The
form of the cam groove and the length of the lever are such that the point K
describes an arc of a circle concentric to that of the slide f, and the rotary movement
of the gun takes place round the point as centre.
The guns are held in equilibrium by counterweights N. The elevation of the gun
is effected by a system O of pulleys and chains; or by means of a toothed sector; or,
again, by a small hydraulic piston.
The lateral adjustment, which is continuous, is effected by means of a chain
wound on the barrel P fixed to the underside of the platform.
This chain returns over two pulleys and passes over a chain pulley Q, to which
rotary motion is imparted by hand or by any suitable motor.
Loading apparatus. For raising the charge I employ a lift arranged in the
central tube of the platform of the turret. The charge carrier R, which contains two
projectiles and two cartridges, is guided by the slides S, which conduct it behind the
gun on the loading platform. The charge carrier is raised by means of a winch T
actuated by hand or by any suitable motor.
The loading tube is always in communication with the underground passage leading
to the magazines; the loading can therefore be effected at any moment, and in all
positions.
I arrange panels in the platform for the passage of the guns and the apparatus,
when desired to dismount same.
Strong rings secured to the roof serve to attach the hauling tackle.
It will be understood that the details, the dimensions and the arrangement may
be varied as desired.
Dated thin Touch
1000

page_text: The training and loading apparatus.
The armour plating consists of a dome of steel, wrought iron, or hardened cast iron,
having the form of a sphere or of a truncated cone A surmounted by a flat roof B.
The connection of the different parts may be effected in suitable manner.
any
openings I with projecting necks surround the mouth of the cannon.
for the operator.
Two
J is a manhole
The interior framework consists of a movable platform C carrying the turret,
which by means of a ring of rollers D' rests upon a fixed rolling track E. On the
platform is mounted a circular girder F which supports the armour plating. The
platform carries with it a central tube G for the passage of the charges. At the
bottom of the iron casing is a well H for counterbalance weights to hold the guns
in equilibrium. On one side K' the casing has a large opening through which the
interior of the turret may communicate with the underground gallery or passage.
This turret is provided with one or two guns; the drawings accompanying this
description showing two.
Each gun is mounted on a carriage L sliding on a frame. The frame is provided
in front at a with hydraulic break cylinders. The piston rods bare fixed to the
carriage and follow the movements of the gun. The lower part of the carriage is

page_text: also provided with two rods c on which are placed spring discs bearing against an
abutment or cross bar d on the frame. The spring discs are compressed during the
recoil and subsequently run the gun out again.
The frame carries a slide block moving in a circular segmental slide firmly secured
to the platform, and of which the centre is at the end of the neck of the firing
openings to this slide the whole of the strain of the recoil which is not absorbed
by the break is transmitted through the block.
So as to enable the openings to be made as small as possible, I arrange the centre
of rotation of the gun at the end of the neck of the opening.
For this purpose 1 employ the following arrangement: A lever is attached to the
circular girder at g, the other end thereof terminating in a cam groove h, in which
moves a roller i fixed to the frame. At j a connecting rod is attached and is
connected at K to the front of the frame. When the gun is displaced by the
elevating mechanism the roller travels along the cam groove and lowers or raises
the lever, thus actuating the connecting rod j K and the front of the frame. The
form of the cam groove and the length of the lever are such that the point K
describes an arc of a circle concentric to that of the slide f, and the rotary movement
of the gun takes place round the point as centre.
The guns are held in equilibrium by counterweights N. The elevation of the gun
is effected by a system O of pulleys and chains; or by means of a toothed
sector; or, again, by a small hydraulic piston.
The lateral adjustment, which is continuous, is effected by means of a chain wound
on the barrel P fixed to the underside of the platform.
This chain returns over two pulleys and passes over a chain pulley Q, to which
rotary motion is imparted by hand or by any suitable motor.
Loading apparatus. For raising the charge I employ a lift arranged in the central
tube of the platform of the turret. The charge carrier R, which contains two pro-
jectiles and two cartridges, is guided by the slides S, which conduct it behind the gun
on the loading platform. The charge carrier is raised by means of a winch T actuated
by hand or by any suitable motor.
The loading tube is always in communication with the underground passage leading
to the magazines; the loading can therefore be effected at any moment, and in all
positions.
I arrange panels in the platform for the passage of the guns and the apparatus,
when desired to dismount same.
Strong rings secured to the roof serve to attach the hauling tackle.
It will be understood that the details, the dimensions and the arrangement may be
varied as desired.
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. The employment of a casing of sheet metal which entirely lines the turret, and in
which are placed the various apparatus, such casing being set in a block of concrete
so that the use of all masonry is avoided.
2. The arrangement, consisting in the combined use of connecting rods and cam
grooves, permitting the whole of the system to turn round an axis situated as nearly
as possible at the exterior surface of the armour plating, to enable such opening to be
made as small as possible, the arrangement of connecting rods and cam grooves being
such as herein before described and shown, or any other arrangement which will effect
the same object.
3. The combination of the various apparatus substantially as described and shown.
10th