IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PROJECTILES AND OF CARTRIDGES
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Coope Haddan and Carlo
Minasi at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 26th August 1861.
We, JOHN COOPE HADDAN, of Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and CARLO MINASI, of Saint James' Terrace,
Camden Town, in the said County, Professor of Music, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PROJECTILES
AND OF CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention embraces the manufacturing projectiles (which are to receive
the rifle twist from rotation imparted to them by or from a belt of lead or soft
metal situate at their front or forward part) by constructing them with a
hard metal body, and the soft metal belt so formed and so disposed with regard
to each other as to present or leave a recess or channel around the projectile
and rearward of the belt, that the direct force of the explosion may cause the
belt the more readily to expand into and follow the rifling of the cannon from
which such projectiles may be discharged.
Also, the manufacturing projectiles intended to centre themselves in the
bore of the gun, as in several Patents granted to me, the said John Coope
Haddan, for former Inventions, by forming them with the swells or projections
for receiving the twist situate at the rear of the projectile and not at the front
or forward portions, such swells or projections being either solid, that is to
say, cast or formed in one with the body of the projectile, or separate there-
from, but fitted thereto.

page_text: Also, the manufacturing projectiles similar to those lastly above set forth,
excepting that in addition to hard metal swells or projections at the rear they
are to have soft metal swells or projections at their front or forward portions,
or spiral ribs or projections along them for centering such portions, the hard
swells or projections at the rear being more especially intended to impart the
rotation, and further in combining therewith at the rear or base a ring or belt
of lead for lessening the loss from windage.
Also, with reference to shells intended to burst and break up into fragments,
the following special mode of manufacturing the cast-iron pieces intended for
filling cases previously cast, as in the "Armstrong " shells, or for having cases
cast on to or around them, as in the "Britton" shells, that is to say, the
casting such pieces with thick parts and with thin or weak parts so shaped
as that they may be fitted together in pairs or sets of pieces, the thick parts of
the one fitting against the thin or weak parts of the other, and the thickness
and form of such weak parts being such that fracture may readily and easily
occur.
And further, the manufacturing elongated projectiles by so building within
a case, or so casting a case on to such pieces, or other pieces intended to break
up and separate, as to leave a chamber for the bursting powder to be used,
principally situate at the rear end only of the projectile, and not extending
throughout its length, except for purposes of ignition.
And in manufacturing elongated shells manufactured as lastly above set
forth, or otherwise, with the breaking up pieces so formed and disposed or
placed as to form a suitable receptacle for the moveable plug or plunger intended
for carrying the percussion cap for exploding the shell and in making the front
part of the shell itself removeable, for the purpose of allowing tho cap to be
applied when required.
And the manufacturing spherical shell by casting a case on to or around a
number of separate pieces fitting together, and themselves also oither easily
separable by fracture or otherwise, so as to leave a chamber for bursting powder
within the case, whether such chamber be situate in the middle thereof or at or
against the side, and not in the middle thereof.
Also, in manufacturing that description of percussion shell which carries
an internal fuse, and in which the ignition of the fuse is caused by a sliding
plunger, by forming the tube or passage within which the plunger slides of a
conical or enlarging form, so that on the plunger sliding forward it may move
with less friction than if sliding within an uniform tube passage, and so as to
permit the axial lino of motion of the plunger to vary within the limits of the
conical form or enlargement of the tube or passage from the axial line of

page_text: motion of the entire shell, in order the better to ensure ignition when the blow
is not direct.
And as to the cartridges, our Invention consists in so partially cutting,
stamping, perforating, or acting upon their cases, covers, or wrappers that they
will readily open, tear, separate, or part at a certain place or position, or places
or positions as required, either before being placed in the gun or when pressed
down to or near the breech.
And in manufacturing cartridges as lastly described, or otherwise, with a
plug, stopple, cork, or other equivalent contrivance for holding in the powder
and keeping it dry, and which is removed when the twisted end is broken off
or removed.