IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECTILES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
October 1864. A communication from abroad by James Finlay, of
Cold Spring, in the State of New York, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECTILES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Projectiles" has
for its object to impart rotary motion round their longitudinal axis to pro-
jectiles discharged from smooth-bore arms, the result of which rotary motion'
will be to ensure greater accuracy in the flight of the projectiles, and longer.
range. Rotary motion is imparted to projectiles discharged from rifled arms'
by means of the grooves made in the bore of the arm, and which grooves
cause the projectile to turn on its axis while it is passing out of the barrel,
and as this rotary motion continues after the projectile has left the gun the
well-known extraordinary accuracy of rifled arms is obtained.
Various attempts have been made to obtain a similar result with projectiles
discharged from smooth-bore guns, that is, to impart rotary motion thereto.
To effect this object it has been proposed to construct the projectile with
grooves or projecting ribs, or by the adaptation thereto of moveable appendages
or wings, which by being acted on by the air as the shot flies will cause the

page_text: latter to turn on its axis. It does not appear, however, up to the present time
that the desired result has been successfully attained by these means.
According to the present Invention rotary motion is given to the projectile
by forming in the rear part thereof a series of cylindrical chambers, (three,
four, or more, as may be found convenient,) the axis of which chambers shall
be placed at an inclination or angle to the plane. of the. longitudinal axis of
the projectile. These chambers are open at their rear ends, so as to be
exposed to the gases evolved by the explosion of the charge. Separate small
charges of powder are made up for these chambers, (or, if desired, a portion
of the main charge of powder may be taken and divided into small charges,)
and these small charges are placed in the inclined cylindrical chambers, and
when exploded by the main charge they by the force of the recoil acting
on their end cause the projectile.to_rotate on.its.axis the same as if discharged
from a rifled gun. It will be evident that the small chambers may be made
either in the rear of the projectile itself, or in a sabot to be adapted thereto
so that the projectile itself may, if desired, be constructed of steel, and also
made hollow, while the sabot will be of cast iron, or other suitable material
The small charges in the cylindrical chambers at the rear of the projectile
may be secured therein by a paper covering or by a-varnish of collodion or
other suitable preparation that will be penetrated by the fire, evolved during
the explosion of the main charge. A certain amount of rotary motion will be
given to the projectile, even if there are no charges in the small chambers in
the rear of the projectile, such rotation being due to the action of the explosive
gases on the chambers, but I prefer to use small charges in the chambers in
the manner, explained..
1341
:
In order to prevent windage, and to utilize as far as possible the whole
explosive force of the powder, the rear end of the projectile or the sabot is
provided with an expanding ring of metal, which when acted on by the
explosion of the charge will expand and be made to accurately fit. the bore,
and will therefore prevent the escape, of the gas past the projectile. If thought
necessary the projectile may be held in its proper and parallel position in thio
gun and be made, to fit the same by means of a. packing of rope yarn, which
must be well greased and inserted in a groove or grooves cut round the sabot
and projectile for the purpose.