IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE, FIRE-ARMS, PROJECTILES, AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Whitworth, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORDNANCE, FIRE-ARMS, PROJECTILES, AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE
THEREOF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Whitworth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd April 1855.
I, JOSEPH WHITWORTH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE, FIRE ARMS, PROJECTILES, AND MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to breech-loading apparatus, consisting of two
chambers having a reciprocating action, both of which can be alternately
charged and fired.
Secondly, to projectiles made in a spirally shaped form, so as to fit exactly
the interior of a piece of ordnance or fire-arm made of a corresponding form,
thereby enabling harder metais to be used, economising the force hitherto
expended in pressing the projectile into rifle grooves, and diminishing the loss
by windage and friction.

page_text: Thirdly, to the application of two cutting tools in combination with a con-
centric stay for turning gun barrels and ordnance.
Fourthly, to apparatus for shaping the inside of gun barrels and ordnance,
having a bar with cutters or grinders placed midway between its ends, being
sufficiently long to allow of a support at each end, and to admit of great tensile
force being applied to it endwise, so as to prevent deflection of the bar.
Fifthly, to apparatus in which is employed a combination of rectilinear and
rotatory motions acting simultaneously with a dividing motion acting at inter-
vals, for cutting the interior and exterior of gun barrels and ordnance, and the
exterior of projectiles.
Sixthly, to apparatus for drilling or boring the barrel when in a vertical
position, the lubricant being applied to the cutter by pressure, and the cuttings
being removed by their own gravity.
And, seventhly, to apparatus for drilling or boring the barrel horizontally,
having a cutter operating at each end of the barrel, at the same time both
being withdrawn at intervals by a self-acting movement, so as to get rid of the
cuttings.
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, med
by the said Joseph Whitworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WHITWORTH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Whitworth, Her special licence that 1, the said Joseph Whitworth,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Whitworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 ORDNANCE,
FIRE-ARMS, PROJECTILES, AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, 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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My improvements in breech-loading apparatus consist in the application to
fire-arms of a moveable breech piece oscillating upon a joint pin, and having
two chambers, which by a reciprocating action can be alternately, moved by
hand opposite the barrel.
In Drawings, Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a transverse section,
and Fig. 3 a plan, of my improved breech-loading apparatus. A is the barrel,
having screwed on at the breech end tho metal frame or breech holder B,
which is also attached to the stock C. In the breech holder B is placed the
breech D, having two chambers a, a, to receive the cartridge or charge. It is
made to oscillate upon the pin b, so as to bring one of the two chambers oppo-
site the end of the barrel A, the other projecting at the side of the barrel so as to
be charged, a portion of the stock C at c being cut away for that purpose. In
Fig. 2 the double-chambered breech D is shewn in its two positions in full and
dotted lines. The breech holder B has two projections d¹ and 2, for the
double-chambered breech D to abut against. The projection turns upon a
pin quarter round to allow the double-chambered breech to be removed for
cleaning, or when it is desirable to employ two or more of such breech pieces
for rapid firing, the arrangement affords the facility of readily changing the
breech pieces. To admit of this, the joint pin b has one flat side e, and the
cylindrical hole through the double-chambered breech D has a segment cut
away. The double-chambered breech D is adjustable longitudinally by the
incline E, and screws f, f, so as to remove the play between it and the end of
the barrel A. The lock and trigger of the gun being of ordinary construction
are not shewn in the Drawings. The hammer F is placed in the centre of the
lock instead of at the side, an opening being cut in the breech holder B to
receive it, and it acts alternately upon the nipples g¹, g, as they are brought
under it. To retain the double-chambered breech piece in suitable positions
for firing, a pin his attached to and worked by the hammer F, which at the
time of discharge inserts the pin h in one of the holes 1, 2, on the double-

page_text: chambered breech piece D, corresponding to the chambers a¹, a. My
improved projectile is made of such a shape that the bearing surfaces of the
projectile shall exactly correspond to and fit the internal surface of the barre
for which it is intended, so that if the barrel have a bore of a spiral polygona
shape, as much of the projectile as bears upon the inside of the barrel has also
a spiral polygonal shape, the ends of the projectile being of the ordinary form
In this system it will be seen that the projectile bears a similar relation to the
barrel which an ordinary moveable screw does to a fixed nut.
In the accompanying Drawings, Sheet 1, Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 repre-
sent my improved projectiles for the improved fire-arms and ordnance described
in the Specification of a Patent granted to me on the First day of December
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, for improvements in cannons,
guns, and fire-arms," the sectional outline of which is a polygon of the same
number of sides as the barrel, and the longitudinal lines have the same spiral
course as the rifled interior of the barrel. The rear end is shewn flat, but may
be made hollow, or if desirable, of any other shape. The front end B is
conically shaped, similar to ordinary elongated shot. Figs. 10 and 11 exhibit
my improved form of projectile suited to the ordinary military rifle now in use.
It is shewn hollow at the back A, and the front end B is of a similar shape
to that known by the name of the Minie projectile. It may, however, be
found better to have ends of the same shape as in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The
lines a, a, and surfaces b, b, of its exterior between the ends A, B, correspond
with the lines and surfaces of the interior of the barrel. When the projectiles
are made up into cartridges the rear end of the projectile should be cut away
or shouldered down, so as to leave a shoulder to which the casing may be
attached. By making the barrel and projectile of corresponding shape, as above
described, I am enabled to use a harder metal or combination of metals for
the projectiles, and the projectile will be propelled to a greater distance by
making a mechanical fit in the first instance, and employing the powder to
propel instead of expanding it to compress the ball into the grooves of a rifled
barrel. In making my improved projectiles I do not confine myself to any
particular apparatus or machine to obtain the peculiar form, but I prefer to
cast the projectile of approximate shape in suitable moulds, and to press them
into or cut them to exact shape, either by dies in an ordinary fly press or by
other apparatus.
My improvements in lathes for turning the barrels of guns and ordnance
consist in the application of two cutting tools, one placed opposite to the
other, in combination with a traversing concentric stay, as herein-after
described, by which means I am enabled to do a greater quantity of work in

page_text: a given time and of a superior quality, as the forces are balanced and the
lateral pressure on the barrel under operation is considerably reduced.
In the accompanying Drawings, Sheet 2, Fig. 11 is a plan, Fig. 12, a front
elevation, Fig. 13, a transverse section, and Fig. 14, an end elevation, of my
improved lathe for turning gun barrels. A is the bed; B, the standards;
C, the fast headstock, carrying the spindle a, with fast and loose pulleys b, and
strap-shifting apparatus D; E is a train of wheels for communicating motion
from the spindle a to the guide screw F; G is the moveable headstock, which
is of the ordinary construction; c is the barrel under operation; H is the
traversing concentric stay which fits upon the upper surface of the bed A, and
is made to move longitudinally thereon by means of the clasp nut d and guide
screw F, in the usual manner; or the clasp nut d may be disconnected from
the guide screw F, and the concentric stay H may be moved along the bed A
by the handle e; f. f. are two cutting tools, placed on opposite sides of the
lathe centres in inverted positions to each other. They are fixed in the two
horizontal slides I, by the tee bars and set screws g. g. Both cutting tools are
independently adjustable endwise by the screws h, h, and laterally by the side
screws g. g., . are two vertical slides corresponding with the two 'hori-
zontal slides I, 1; i, i, are four dies placed equidistantly from the centre of
the lathe, and screwed to the inner ends of the four slides 1, I, h, k, which
are attached to the front of the concentric traversing stay H, by the vee-edged
plates L, L, and screws . ; M, M, are four pins, which are screwed into the
slides I, I, k, k, and pass through elongated openings in the stay H, and
take into the four eccentric grooves 1, 1, cut in the circular disc N. The
edge of the circular disc is conical, and it is attached to the back of the con-
centric traversing stay H by the conical ring 0; P is a lever, one end of
which is fastened to the circular disc N. and at the other is the roller n, which
rolls upon the curved bar Q; the latter is fixed to the bed A by the brackets
2, 0. The mode of operation, so far as the longitudinal traversing of the
concentric stay, is similar to the sliding movement. in ordinary lathes, and will
be familiar to those conversant with such machinery. The radial movement
of the dies i, i, and cutting tools f, f, is produced by the curved bar Q, which,
is the roller traverses along it, imparts a motion to the circular disc N, and
by means of the eccentric grooves 1, 1, causes the four dies i, i, and the two
cutting tools f. f. to move radially and simultaneously to or from the lathe
centre, according to the direction in which the concentric stay may be
raversing. This radial movement of the dies and tools is necessary to form
he conical exterior of the gun barrel c, and the curved bar may be shaped so
s to produce a barrel of any other shape than that of conical. In sliding

page_text: cylindrical work, the curved bar is dispensed with, and the disc, after the dies
have been set to the requisite diameter of cylinder, is made fast..
My improvements in machinery and apparatus for shaping the inside of gun
barrels and ordnance consist in the employment of a tension bar supported at
both ends, having cutters or grinders placed in the middle, to which tensile
force is applied endwise for the purpose of diminishing deflexion in the bar,
whilst the operation of rifling or grinding is going on. Also in the combina-
tion of a dividing motion with the rectilinear and rotary motions, by which
the cutter is made to take a succession of light cuts down each groove in
turn, instead of each groove being finished before commencing another, as
heretofore.
These my improvements are represented by Drawings, Sheet 3.-Fig. 15 is
à front elevation, Fig. 16, a side elevation. Fig. 17, a plan, Fig. 18, a horizontal
section, of the machine; and Figs. 19, 20, and 21 are detached views, on
an enlarged scale, of part of the tension bar, before referred to. A, A, is an
upright frame, to which is attached the bracket B, B, carrying the shaft c, c.
On one end of the shaft C, C, is keyed the bevil wheel a, a, gearing into a
bevil wheel b, b, on the vertical shaft D, D, on the opposite side of which also
gears another bevil wheel c, c. This latter bevil wheel runs freely on the
shaft c, c, and has a long tubular boss, on the end of which is keyed the inner
pulley d', the outer pulleys d', d, being fast and loose pulleys on the shaft c, c.
On the upper end of the vertical shaft D, D, is keyed the spur wheel e,
gearing into another similar spur wheel F, this latter being keyed on the
screw : G is a grooved plate sliding on to the vec surfaces formed in the
front of the frame A, A, to which grooved plate is attached the screwed nut
e, e, through which the screw i, f, passes; H', H, are two bearings (one being
adjustable) on the grooved plate, and which are to be placed at the requisite
distance apart according to the length of the barrel under operation. Through
the upper bearing H', is passed the chuck tube h, which has a conical hole
through it corresponding with the conical exterior of the barrel at the breech
end. The barrel g, g, is put through this conical hole, and is secured therein
by screws h, k, and the cramp plate 1, 1, which has an open side, so that it
may be swivelled for taking out the barrel when finished. At the top of the
chuck tube h, h, and projecting on one side is the arm m, m, carrying the
worm n, n, which works into the worm wheel k. This latter is fixed to
the side of the spur wheel L, L, and both of them work freely on the chuck
tube h, h; M, M, is another spur wheel in gear with the spur wheel L, L
having a spindle N, N, and bearing O, on the grooved plate. The lower end
of the spindle receives the square spiral shaft P, P, secured therein by a se

page_text: screw. The tension rod p, p, (sec detached Figs. 19, 20, 21,) is made in
two lengths p, p, and at the middle between them is screwed the short cutter
holder Q, Q. The tension rod p¹, p, passes through two cross heads q¹, q,
and terminates in screwed ends, upon which are placed the nuts o¹, o, for the
purpose of applying tensile force endwise, as before referred to. The cross
head q. at the top has a bush r, r, which allows the gun barrel to be taken.
through. Both cross heads are bolted to projections on the frame A, A, and
are connected together by the compression stays R, R. The cutter. holder
Q, Q, has a slot or opening, in which two cutters S, S, are placed," one oppo-
site the other, so as to balance the pressure. The cutters have cach a hinge
pin s, s, in the middle, and at their ends are the conical adjusting screws t, t
passing at right angles through the holder Q, Q. These conical adjusting
screws t, t, bear against the inner edges of the cutters which are purposely
bevilled, and as one screw or the other is pressed against or released from
them, the cutters are made to protrude more or less beyond the cutter holder,
and are easily adjusted. Instead of the cutters S, S, grinders or files may be
substituted. The square spiral shaft p, p, passes downwards through a socket
T, T, having a bearing u, u, attached to the main frame A. The socket T, T,
has a hole of the same size and form as the square spiral shaft P, P, and at
its top is a ratchet wheel V, V, having a number of divisions or teeth corre-
sponding with the number of sides or grooves to be cut or ground in the
barrel. 1 is a lever, which vibrates on the axis of the ratchet wheel V, V,
and has a catch which takes into it; 2, 2, is a dividing wheel attached to the
ratchet wheel, and having the same number of notches cut in it; 3, 3, is a
retention lever, which is pressed into one of the notches by the spring 4, 4,
fixed on one of the compression stays R; 5, 5, is an adjustable stop, fixed to
the upper part of the grooved plate G, G, and having on its side the moveable
inclined piece 6, 6, which is pressed inwards by the spring 7, 7, so as to abut
against the stop 5, 5. As the grooved plate descends, the bevilled edge of the
inclined piece 6, 6, comes in contact with the retention lever 3, 3, and lifts it
out of the notches in the dividing wheel, and keeps it out until the ratchet
wheel V, V, is moved one division by the lever 1. After that is accomplished,
the retention lever 3, 3, is pressed by the spring 4 into the next notch, and
as the grooved plate G, G, descends, the projecting end of the retention lever
passes down inside between the inclined piece 6. 6, and the stop 5, 5. The
lever is connected by the jointed rod 8, 8, with the slotted lever 9, 9, which
latter vibrates in the bearing 10. At 11 is another lever keyed on the same
axis as the slotted lever 9, 9, and having, a roller which takes into the groove

page_text: of the cam, which in part of its circumference is abruptly curved. The
cam 12 is keyed to one end of the tube shaft 13, on the other end of which is
keyed the worm wheel 14, worked by the worm 15, on the vertical shaft D.
Passing through the tube 13 is a spindle against which the stops 16, 16, alter-
nately come in contact. The stops 16, 16, are fastened in a circular groove
made in the wheel 14, and may be fixed at any part of it. At the opposite
end of the spindle is keyed the double-ended lever 17, which at its lower end
is connected by the link 18, with the bar on which the strap fork 19 is fixed.
The bar slides through bearings attached to the frame A, A; rotary motion in
the proper direction being imparted by a strap to the inner pulley d', con-
nected with the bevil wheel c, the vertical shaft D is driven round and conveys
the rotary motion by means of the wheel E, F, to the screw, which causes
the slide G, G, carrying the gun barrel g to move upwards. When it has
arrived at the top, the stops 16, 16, on the worm wheel 14, come in contact
with the lever 18, and carry it from right to left, causing the double-ended
lever 17 to move the strap over to the outer pulley ", which reverses the
direction of motion, and the slide carrying the barrel then descends until
the other stop 16 conies in contact with the lever 18, which again reverses the
motion, and so on. in succession, the distance traversed rectilineally by the
slide being determined by the distance the stops 16, 16, are placed apart.
The rotary motion of the barrel, which is going on at the same time as the
rectilineal reciprocating action above described, is given by the square shaft P.
which is in the form of a spiral, corresponding to the spiral required to be
imparted to the barrel to be rifled. The square bar P rotates in passing up and
down the socket T, the latter being held stationary by the retention lever 3, 3;
and by means of the spur wheels L, M, a rotary motion is imparted to the gun
barrel. The dividing motion is intermittent, and acts in combination with the
reciprocating rectilinear and rotary motion above described, and is obtained as
follows: The cam 12 revolves with the worm wheel 14, and as the curved
part of its groove arrives at the lever 11, it is made to vibrate on its axis, and
this movement is conveyed by the slotted lever 9 and rod 8 to the lever 1, and
its catch being at the time engaged in the ratchet wheel V, it is carried round
through one division, and the intermittent dividing motion is transmitted by
the socket T to the square bar P, and through it to the spur wheels M, L, and
to the gun barrel g. When a light cut has been taken down each groove, the
cutter may be made to protrude further radially from the centre of the cutter
holder by screwing up one and releasing the other of the conical screws t, l,
by hand, and another cut is then taken down each groove, and so on in

page_text: succession. The gun barrel may also be turned on its axis by hand, indepen-
dently of the rotatory and dividing motions above described by the worm n and
wheel K, so as to give a circular feed or cut.
In my improved apparatus for drilling or boring gun barrels vertically, the
drill cutter is made of thin steel, and is placed crosswise at the top of a tube,
the exterior of which is grooved from end to end. The lubricant is forced by a
pump or other means along the grooves, and the cuttings fall down the interior
of the tube, and make their escape below, the barrel being for this purpose placed
above the drilling apparatus. Fig. 22 represents a front elevation; Fig. 23, a
side elevation; Fig. 24, a plan from above; and Fig. 25, a partial plan from
underneath. A is the main frame; B, the driving shaft, having on one end
the fast and loose pulleys a, a, and at the other a bevil wheel b, gearing into
the bevil wheel c; the latter runs freely on the bossed plate d, and has a driver
plate e screwed to it, with two studs projecting upwards. f is the gun barrel,
inserted at its lower end into the cup or hollow centre g, and having a carrier
h screwed to it, which runs in contact with the studs. At the upper end of
the barrel is a second hollow centre i, brought against it by the cylinder and
screw C, D. E, E, are two stays, for supporting the barrel and preventing
deflexion whilst being -bored. The spur wheels F and vertical shaft G serve
to bring the handle wheel H to a convenient height from the ground. I is
the drill tube, which has a hole through it, and at its upper end across the
centre is fixed a bridge-formed cutter K; the exterior of the tube I has two
grooves cut, in it extending from the plain part to the cutter, along which
grooves the oil or other lubricant is forced, whilst the cuttings removed from
the barrel are carried by their own gravity down the inside of the tube. L is
an ordinary force pump, worked by an eccentric M on the driving shaft B.
The lubricant is supplied from a cistern (not shewn), and passes from the
pump L into the receiver N. from which it has no mode of issue except along
the grooves, and is prevented from returning by the gland ; the part of the
main frame is bored to receive the cylinder P, in which the drill tube I is
inserted and secured by a set screw or pin. The cylinder P has likewise a
hole through it, so as not to obstruct the passage of the cuttings as they fall
down, and on its lower end is fixed a cross arm Q, at the extremity of which
are two, screwed holes to receive the screws R, R; at S is a bearing plate sup-
porting the screws R, R. and the spur wheels T, T. keyed on to them. At U
is another plate supporting the two carrier wheels V, V, in gear with the wheels
T, T, and with the driver wheel W, which latter is keyed on the bottom of the
vertical shaft X. At the top of the vertical shaft is fastened the handle. I,

page_text: on which is a catch m, taken into the ratchet wheel n. o is a worm wheel,
in which the worm pworks, and is driven by the pulley q' from the pulley qon
the first driving shaft B. The gun barrel (which is formed out of a solid
cylindrical bar of iron) has the carrier h screwed on its end, and it is then put
into its place in the lower hollow centre g. and the upper hollow centre i is
brought into contact with it by the handle wheel H. Rotary motion being
communicated to the machine by a strap applied to the fast pulley a', it is
imparted to the gun barrel by the means described, and the drill is pressed
upwards by the screws R, R; at the same time the pump L forces a quantity
of oil or other fluid sufficient to lubricate the cutter, which, with the cuttings,
descends as before described. When the boring of the barrel is completed, the
catch is detached from the wheel n, and the tube and drill may then be
lowered by the handle 1. The top hollow centre is then raised, and the barrel
taken out of the machine for another to be inserted.
My improvements in machinery and apparatus for drilling and boring the
barrels of guns and ordnance when in a horizontal position, consist in the
employment of a drill at each end of the barrel at the same time, so as to effect
a saving of time, and to produce a bore with great accuracy (each drill being
only half the length of that used for drilling the whole length of the barrel).
In the annexed Drawings, Fig. 26 is a front elevation; Fig. 27, a plan; and
Fig. 28, an end elevation of the machine. A is the bed; B, the standards;
C, C, are two bearings, bolted to the bed A for supporting the tube D, in
which the gun barrel E is inserted and fixed by the chuck F. a, a, are a fast
and loose pulley on the tube D, to which rotary motion is cominunicated by a
strap or other means; b' is a small cone pulley keyed on the tube D. C, C, are
the two drills, supported at their entrance into the barrel by the stay G, G, and
at the other end by the rack bars H, in which they are fixed by set screws d, d.
The two rack bars H, H, pass through bearings e, e, in the headstock f, and
have a rack on their under side, into which the pinions h respectively work.
The pinions are keyed on shafts i, having on their outer ends the clutches ķ.
are two worm wheels, each working loosely on the shaft i, and having a
clutch I fast to one side; are two worms, driving the two worm wheels 12, 1;
K is a shaft, carried by bearings on the side of the bed A. On each end of the
shaft K is a worm L, gearing into the worm wheel m; a cone pulley b² is keyed
is keyed to the middle of the shaft K, and receives motion from the pulley b¹ on
the tube D. This motion is conveyed by the two worms to the worm wheels
the clutches k being then put into gear with the clutches on the worm
wheel
by the lever M, the motion is transferred to the shafts i and pinions h,

page_text: which the two drills C, C, are
By disconnecting the clutches
and from the latter to the rack bars H, by
advanced towards each other simultaneously.
and applying handles to the shafts i, the drills c, c, may be withdrawn by hand,
so as to remove the cuttings and to lubricate the cutters; that method being
found convenient, though, if necessary, a self-acting movement may be
employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
Joseph Whitworth, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.