IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON, AND OF PRO-. JECTILES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO CASTING METAL
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left. by John Coope Haddan.at. the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the. 7th. Decem-
ber 1860..
I, JOHN COOPE HADDAN, of No. 14, Bessboro Gardens, Pimlico; in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON, AND OF PRO-.
JECTILES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO CASTING METAL," to
be as follows:-
A part of these improvements has reference to casting cannon; and is appli--
cable also to other castings of metal, the object being to prevent or lessen the
cellular or "honeycomb" character of the cannon or other castings (to be
manufactured) which results from the splash' consequent upon pouring molten
metal into deep moulds, and more particularly so when' the description of steel.
for casting known as "Mushet's metal is employed,
"Mushet's metal is employed, the said part of the
improvements consisting in constructing the moulds in pieces so fitting one:
over or upon another as that the' moulds may be built up in successive grada-.
tions or stages, and in building them accordingly during the process of casting,
so that the molten metal may be "dropped or poured from a short height
or distance only, the several pieces of the moulds being added one after another
as required till the desired height is attained. The mould, when intended to
stand or to be erected vertically; may be in pieces; each constituting a complete
circumference or girt for the casting; and when inclined the mass or body of

page_text: the mould may be in one length or piece constituting the greater portion of
a complete circumference or girt for the casting, and then the upper side or
part only of the mould will require to be constructed in pieces and built up in
gradations or stages.
Another part of these improvements consists in casting or constructing
muzzle-loading cannon with their touch-holes either in a line with the axis of
the bore or nearly so, and with guards or screens having surfaces so inclined
as to cause the fuse tubes used for discharging cannon when blown back or
out of the touch-hole to become diverted and glance off upwards.
And a further part of these improvements consists in so constructing and
mounting cannon (which are made without trunnions) in a cradle or support
having trunnions on which the cannon and cradle may move or turn situate at
the front or forward part of such cradle, the back or hinder part serving to
resist the recoil of the cannon when fired instead of its being directly resisted
by a trunnion belt impeding expansion of the cannon as has hitherto been the
case.
The improvements in the manufacture of projectiles to be used with the
said improved cannon or otherwise embrace the constructing them of an
expanding character, with a hard metal body surrounded by a lead or soft
metal expanding belt situate near to the front or forward portion of 'the pro-
jectile, and so formed and disposed that the direct force of the explosion may
cause it to expand into and follow the rifling of cannon or other fire arms, the
projectile thus receiving the twist motion at, by, or from its front or forward
portion instead of at the rear as in Britton's shells.
This description of projectile will be found especially applicable to muzzle-
loading cast-iron guns, which, when these projectiles are used with them, may
have the length of the rifle cuts shortened by the distance between the forward
and hinder portions of the projectile, and consequently there will be a. longer.
portion of the gun not rifled, and it will be less weakened than if rifled down
to the position of the rear of the projectile when placed within the gun ready.
for discharging.
And the improvements in the manufacture of projectiles also. have reference
to such as are non-expanding, but are required to have upon them self-
centering wings or projections which slide within rifle cuts or grooves formed
within cannon or other fire-arms, these said last improvements embracing the
constructing such projectiles with a soft metal body girted by a belt of harder
metal, such as copper, brass, or iron, and in squeezing or compressing the parts
together between dies, so as either entirely so to produce the wings or pro-
jections, or if those are previously formed in or on the belt, to force up the

page_text: soft metal firmly and solidly into them. In either case the completely shaping
of the projectile may be effected at the same operation. This improvement
will be found specially applicable to small projectiles, such as bullets, for which
the belts may consist of short lengths of tubing drawn either with or without
the wings or projections, and if with them, either with or without a rifle twist.