IMPROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR FOR SHIPS AND FORTS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir Joseph Whitworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd March 1878.
"
SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH, Baronet, of Manchester. IMPROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR
FOR SHIPS AND FORTS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in armour for ships and forts, in
part based on those described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted
to me, and dated 4th May 1877, No. 1743.
I build up armour for ships and forts of concentric ring plates made of fluid-
pressed steel. At the centre there is a plug, and on to this plug the first ring plate
of the set is screwed (as a nut upon a bolt). Around and upon the periphery of
this plate another and larger ring plate is screwed, and so the structure is built up
to a convenient size.
The outer plate of the series is of hexagonal form on its outer periphery, so that
the several series of ring plates when screwed together and built up as described,
may fit the one against the other. This mode of construction enables the atoms
of the respective ring plates to be pressed and held in close contact as each
enclosing ring plate is shrunk on the plate it encloses. In this way the entire
armour surface is built up to any required size of parts severally consisting of ring
plates of the required breadth screwed one to another.
The armour is fixed to the side of the ship or fort by strong hollow cylinders
screwed into the central plugs passing through the backing and skin, and fastened
by means of elastic washers and nuts of large size beyond. At the back of the steel
ring plates I place plates of comparatively soft steel.
To connect the several sets of plate rings the one to the other, I insert when
required, screw plugs at the angles of the hexagons as described in the Specification

page_text: of the former Patent above mentioned, each plug thus serving to form a connection
between the outer hexagonal rings of three sections or sets.
In some cases I connect the armour upon one side of a ship with the armour upon
the other side by means of tubular stays running through the ship from side to
side, and the attachment between the armour and the stay is in each case made by 5
means of a steel plug screwed through the armour and into the mouth of the
tubular stay. These stays may serve as the deck beams of the ship.
In a similar manner in forts I employ tubular stays to brace the face armour to
other armour or massive plates placed some distance in rear.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sir Joseph Whitworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd September 1878.
SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH, Baronet, of Manchester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARMOUR
FOR SHIPS AND FORTS."
My improvements relate to the manufacture of armour for ships and forts, and in
part is based on those described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
granted to me and dated 4th May 1877, No. 1743.
I build up armour for ships and forts of concentric ring plates made of-fluid
pressed steel.
At the centre there is a plug, and on this plug the first ring plate
of the set is screwed (as a nut upon a bolt). Around and upon the periphery of
this plate another and larger ring plate is screwed, and so the structure constituting
the armour is built up to a convenient size. .
The outer plate of the series is of hexagonal form on its outer periphery, so that
the several series of ring plates when screwed together and built up as described,
may fit the one against the other. This mode of construction enables the atoms of
the respective ring plates to be pressed and held in close contact as each enclosing
ring plate is shrunk on the plate it encloses. In this way the entire armour is built
up to any required size, being formed of parts severally consisting of ring plates of
the required breadth screwed one to another. At the back of these ring plates I
place plates of comparatively soft steel, which may either wholly or partially cover
the back of the ring plates in such a manner as to provide a support where the
plates are not otherwise supported
The armour is fixed to the side of the ship or fort, or other place where it is
intended to be fixed by strong hollow cylinders screwed into the central plugs,
passing through the backing and skin, and fastened by means of elastic or compound
washers and nuts of a large size beyond.
To connect the several sets of plate rings the one to the other, I insert when
required, screw plugs at the angles of the hexagons as described in the Specification
of the former Patent above mentioned, each plug thus serving to form a connection
between the outer hexagonal rings of three sections or sets.

page_text: In some cases I connect the armour placed upon one side of a ship or other
structure with the armour upon a corresponding side, by means of tubular stays
running through the ship or structure from side to side, and the attachment between
the armour and the stay is in each case made by means of steel plugs screwed
through the armour and into the ends of the tubular stays. These stays, in the
case of a ship, may be made to serve as deck beams.
In a similar manner in forts, I employ tubular stays to brace the face armour to
other armour or massive plates placed some distance in the rear.
In order that the manner in which my Invention is performed may be fully
understood, I will now proceed to illustrate the same by means of Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a front view showing a portion of built-up armour; Figure 2 is a
vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section representing the built-up armour on both sides of a
ship connected by tubular stays.
a is a built-up armour plate composed of series of concentric rings screwed one
to the other, the periphery of the outer one being of hexagonal form. b, b, b, are
screwed plugs which form the connection when desired between the hexagonal
rings; c is the back plate of soft steel; d is the hollow armour bolt for securing the
armour to the side of the ship or fort; e is the screwed nut for the same; fis the
compound or elastic washer; g, g, are tubular stays which connect the armour on
both sides of a ship or fort together; h, h, are the screwed plugs which screw
through the armour and into the ends of the tubular stays.
Instead of the outer ring plate being made of hexagonal form on its outer
periphery, it may be made of a square or other rectangular form.
I find it advantageous where comparatively small armour plates are employed to
construct them of square slabs, and fasten them by means of screws or screw plugs
of comparatively large diameter. The square form of slab enables any required
extent of armour surface to be built up with external lines of a regular form as
shown in Figure 4.
Instead of covering several of the square slabs above referred to with a large
backing plate of comparatively soft steel, I place at the back of each front slab
another slab made of steel somewhat less hard in character than the front plate.
To the use of such square slabs so built up and held together with screw plugs,
I make no claim as forming part of my present Invention, as they are a modification
of the armour plates described in the Specification of my said former Patent.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The manufacture of steel armour consisting of concentric rings screwed
together and built up substantially as described.
Second. The employment as herein described of tubular stays to connect the
armour to strong plates at some distance in the rear, or to armour on the opposite
side of a ship or other structure so as to give stability to the whole mass.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.