IMPROVE- MENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir Joseph Whitworth, Bart., of No. 41, Chorlton
Street, in the City of Manchester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES."
Soaled the 2nd July 1872, and dated the 30th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir Joseph Whitworth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th April 1872.
I, Sir JOSEPH WHITWORTH, Bart., of No. 44, Chorlton Street, in the
City of Manchester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
=
This Invention has for its object improvements in gun carriages. For
this purpose I make each side of the carriage of one piece of steel, and
forge the bearing for the trunnion of the gun upon it, the whole being
in one solid piece. The axle passes through the sides underneath the
trunnions of the gun, and also through a flanged tube, which is placed
between and bolted to the sides. The ends of the axle receive the
wheels, which are bushed with brass, and on each end of the axle a screw
thread is cut; a nut on this thread when screwed up binds the wheel
tightly between two collars upon the axle, and so resists by friction the

page_text: tendency of the wheel to turn when the gun recoils on firing. The
Screws on the axle are right and left handed, and the recoil tends to
tighten the nuts.
In order to elevate the gun a forked lever is jointed to the sides
underneath the axle, and this lever at its rear end carries a trunnion nut,
in which a hand screw works. This screw is carried by a collar pro-
vided with studs or trunnions on citlier side, which are received into a
cross piece connecting the two side plates and there secured by a cap.
The forked lever is connected with the breech end of the gun by a rod
which is pin jointed both to the lever and to the gun. The connecting
rod has two or more pin holes in it, and by shifting the pin connecting
the rod with the lever from one hole to another an increased range of
clevation is obtained. On cither side of the gun a metal ammunition
box is hung upon the axle, the axle passing through the middle of the
box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lettors Patent,
filed by the said Sir Joseph Whitworth in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 30th October 1872,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Sir JOSEPH
WпITWORTH, Baronct, of No. 44, Chorlton Street, in the City of Man-
chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, Her special
license, that I, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Sir Joseph
Whitworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thero-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst
ofhers) that I, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, my executors or adminis- 3
tators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their

page_text: hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in gun carriages.
For this purpose I make each side of the carriage of one piece of steel,
and forge the bearing for the trunnion of the gun upon it, the whole
being in one solid piece. The axle passes through the sides underneath
the trunnions of the gun, and also through a flanged tube which is
placed between and bolted to the sides. The ends of the axle receive
the wheels, which are bushed with brass, and on each end of the axlo
a screw thread is cut; a nut on this thread when screwed up binds
the wheel tightly between two collars upon the axle, and so resists by
friction the tendency of the wheel to turn when the gun recoils on
firing. The screws on the axle are right and left handed, and the recoil
tends to tighten the nuts. In order to elevate the gun a forked lever
is jointed to the sides underneath the axle, and this lever at its rear
end carries a trunnion nut in which a hand screw works. This screw
is carried by a collar provided with studs or trunnions on either side,
which are received into a cross piece connecting the two side plates, and
there secured by a cap.
The forked lever is connected with the breech
end of the gun by a rod which is pin-jointed both to the lever and to
the gun. The connecting rod has two or more pin holes in it, and by
shifting the pin connecting the rod with the lever from one hole to
another an increased range of elevation is obtained. On either side
of the gun a metal ammunition box is hung upon the axle, the axlo
passing through the middle of the box.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
sondily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings here.

page_text: carriage; Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a back view partly in
section of the carriage.
The axle, side plates, and cross pieces of this gun carriage are all made
of my
"fluid compressed steel." The trail of this carriage is formed by
the two side plates C, C, connected at the rear end by the shoe F, and
by cross pieces or stays at E, Q, and R, each secured by bolts to the
side plates. The bearings at B, B, receiving the trunnions of the gun
are forged with and form part of the side plates C, C. The cross piece E
is a flanged tube bolted to the plates C, C, through which the axle D, D,
of the carriage passes, the hole being bored taper and the axle turned
correspondingly, so as to admit of the ready withdrawal of the axle.
On the under side of the flanges of the tube E there are forged two
projections W, W, one on each side, to which are bolted the extremities
of the levers L, L, connected with the clevating apparatus to be pre-
sently described. The inner face of the nave of the wheel receives
and bears against the steel collar K, and its outer face is in contact
with the collar H. On the extremity of the axle projecting beyond the
nave is cut a screw thread on which is placed the nut I, I, on turning
which the nave of the wheel is gripped tightly between the collars K
and H, whereby the wheel is locked and the recoil of the gun reduced.
The screw threads on the axle are right and left handed threads, so
that the tendency of the recoil is still further to tighten the locking
apparatus. The elevating motion consists of a connecting rod S attached
by a pin joint to the under side of the breech end of the gun; the other
extremity of this rod is received between the two bent plates L, L, to
which it is attached by the pin T. The two plates L, L, forming a
lever are bolted at one extremity to the projections W, W, forged on
the flanges of the tube E through which the axle passes, and embrace at
their other extremity the trunnion nut M. This nut engages with the
elevating screw N, which passes through and is attached as shewn to
the trunnion collar P contained in the cross piece Q of the trail of
the carriage; the cap V fixed by set screws to Q retains the collar or
trunnion P in position. A section of these parts is shewn at Figure 4.
The connecting rod S is provided with two or more pin holes, so that by
removing the pin T and lowering or raising the rod S the elevating
motion can give a range between 5 degrees of depression and 40 degrees
of clevation. The axle D passes through the middle of the metal
ammunition boxes U, U, placed one on each side of the gun. A side
view of one of the ammunition boxes (which also serve as seats) is

page_text: 0
shewn at Figure 5. The slot Y in the extremity of the trail lever
engages with the pin provided for this purpose in the cross stay ✗ of the
shoe F, and two pins or projections are forged one on each side of the
trail lever, which enter the curved slots in the two lugs or pieces Z, Z,
and so the lever engages with the trail of the carriage. The slot Y
allows the necessary motion about the pin X for engaging and
disengaging the lever; the lever when disengaged from Z is turned over
and lies along the inside of the side frame of the carriage.
I prefer to make the carriage of my "fluid compressed steel," and by
constructing it in the above manner the gun is brought very close to the
axle and less strain is accordingly thrown upon the frame, the force of
recoil being received more nearly in a direct line, whereby it is rendered
possible without danger of damaging the carriage to use larger powder
charges (for high elevations) than has hitherto been practicable.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,
the construction of gun carriages with side plates of steel, cach side
plate being forged in one piece with the bearing for the trunnion of the
gun upon it, substantially as described.
I also claim the construction of gun carriages with side plates of steel,
such side plates being pierced for the axle to pass through them immc-
diately beneath the trunnions of the gun, and being connected by a tube
surrounding the axle, substantially as described.
I also claim the method of locking the wheels of gun carriages by
means of right and left handed screws upon the axle, substantially as
described.
I also claim my improved gun carriage, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir Joseph Whitworth, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-