Improvements in the Construction of Gun Carriages, Specially Applicable to Field Pieces.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1889
Complate Specification Left, 17th June, 1890-Accepted, 19th July, 1890
T
ODDLERS
Improvements in the Construction of Gun Carriages, Specially
Applicable to Field Pieces.
We CHARLES OSCAR LAURENCE of the Bank of England Hotel, Pollard Street,
Ancoats, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Barman, and HENRY HALEY of
6 Arthur Terrace, Bury New Road, Manchester aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of our Invention to be as follows:-
Our said Invention relates more particularly to field pieces although it is also
applicable to the lighter class of ship and battery guns. In field guns as at present
used it is necessary before opening fire to unlimber the gun and remove the horses.
This is requisite because as at present constructed the gun carriage recoils upon being
discharged and must therefore be clear of the horses. According to our invention we
provide means whereby this recoil is taken up without the carriage being moved so
that in using the gun it is not necessary to unlimber or disconnect the horses whereby
a great deal of time is saved and the firing can be cominenced sooner and prolonged
further than is at present the case. The said means for taking up the recoil are as
follows. The body of the carriage is composed of a strong tee shaped frame
supported upon the usual wheels, the central member of the frame being connected'
atrits free end by a pivot to the limber axle so that the limber can swivel thereon.
The horses are yoked to the limber in the ordinary manner and are never disconnected
nor is the gun unlimbered when in action.
Upon a turn table on the axle bear of the gun carriage we pivot a trough shaped
slide upon which is mounted the headstock which carries the gun in trunnions. The
slide and consequently the gun can be pointed to any useful angle in a horizontal
plane by means of a band-wheel, spindle and worm which last engages with a worin
segment carried by the aforesaid slide turntable. To train the gun in a vertical plane
we employ another hand-wheel connected by gearing to a shaft, and worm which
latter acts on a worm segment keyed upon one of the trunnions of the gun. Between
the beadstock and the end of the trough slide we place springs which may be of any
suitable form, for example a series of bow or coach springs which are so arranged
that when the gun is discharged the recoil of the gun and headstock compresses the
springs or it might be places them in tension so that the energy of the recoil is taken
up and the gun brought safely to a state of rest. To prevent the compressed or
extended springs from returning the gun to its normal position too violently we
employ a buffing arrangement which is constructed as follows. Fixed to the axle
beam or slide or other part not moving with the headstock we have a cylinder bored
to fit a hollow plunger which is fixed to the headstock. The outer end of the hollow
plunger has an air inlet and the inner end has a valve both so arranged that when
the headstock shoots back with the recoiling gun, air flows readily through the hollow
plunger and valve into the cylinder. On the return the valve closes and the
compressed air in the cylinder is allowed to escape back through the hollow plunger
by means of a small perforation in the valve. The gun is thus allowed to return
gradually until the headstock meets terminal buffers and rests there.
The worm
which operates the worm segment on the trunnion of the gun is attached to its
spindle by a slip feather and groove which allow the worm to accompany the segment
and gun at each recoil and return.
We employ a brake to hold the wheels of the gun carriage but should this prove
insufficient from the nature of the ground or from other causes we also make use of
spiked dogs and place them before the wheels so as to prevent any possibility of the
carriage recoiling. In the case of battery or ships' guns the slide instead of being
supported as in the case of field guns upon a carriage and wheels is mounted and

page_text: pivotted upon a circular or segmental casing secured to the deck of the ship or floor
of the turret or battery. The end or ends of the slide are fitted with antifrictional
rollers running upon a path on the casing and so arranged that the gun will swivel
the whole or part of a circle as required.
Apart from these obvious differences the arrangements of springs and the means
for training and adjusting the gun may be substantially the saine as those already
described.
Dnted this 16th dow
ahon 1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
1. St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Gun Carriages, Specially
Applicable to Field Pieces.
We CHARLES OSCAR LAURENCE of the Bank of England Hotel, Pollard Street,
Ancoats Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Barman and HENRY HALEY of
6 Arthur Terrace, Bury New Road, Manchester aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to be
perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying drawings:-
"
Our said Invention relates inore particularly to field pieces although it is also
applicable to the lighter class of ship and battery guns. In field guns as at present
used it is necessary before opening fire to unlimber the gun and remove the
horses.
This is requisite because as at present constructed the gun carriage recoils: upon
being discharged and must therefore be clear of the horses.
According to our Invention we provide means whereby this recoil is taken up
without the carriage being moved so that in using the gun it is not necessary to
unlimber or disconnect the horses whereby a great deal of time is saved and the
firing can be commenced sooner and prolonged further than is at present the case.
In order that our said Invention may be properly understood we will now proceed.
to describe the same more particularly reference being had to the annexed sheet of
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved gun carriage.
Fig. 2 is a view from the front.
Fig. 3 is a plan.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view partly in section showing the trunnion headstock, and
slide trough more clearly.
The body of the carriage is composed of a strong tee shaped frame supported
upon the usual wheels
the central member of the frame a being connected at its
free end by a pivot to the limber axle d so that the limber can swivel thereon.
The horses are yoked to the limber e in the ordinary' manner and are never
disconnected nor is the gun f unlimbered when in action.
Upon a turntable g on the axle beam of the gun carriage we pivot at gla
trough shaped slide i upon which is mounted the headstock j which carries the gun
in trunnions k. The slide i and consequently the gun can be pointed to any useful
angle in a horizontal plane (as shown for example at Fig. 3) by means of a hand-
wheel spindle and worm 2 which last engages with a worm segment m carried
by the aforesaid slide turntable g. To train the gun in a vertical plane we employ
another hand-wheel connected by gearing n to a shaft n² and worm n³ which
latter acts on a worm segment o keyed upon one of the trunnions of the gun.
Between the headstock j and the end of the trough slide we place springs p which
may be of any suitable form for example a series of bow or coach springs p as shown
in Fig. 3 which are so arranged that when the gun is discharged the recoil of the
gun and headstock compresses the springs p or it might be places them in tension so
that the energy of the recoil is taken up and the gun brought safely to a state of

page_text: rest.
To prevent the compressed or extended springs p from returning the gun to
its normal position too violently we employ a buffing arrangement which is constructed
as follows.
Fixed to the axle beam or to the slide or other part not moving with the
headstock we have a cylinder q bored to fit a hollow plunger which is fixed to
the headstock j. The outer end the hollow plunger has an air inlet at and
the inner end has a valve at r2 both so arranged that when the headstock j shoots
back with the recoiling gun, air flows readily through the hollow plunger and
valve into the cylinder q. On the return of the gun by the springs the valve at
closes and the compressed air in the cylinder is allowed, to escape back through the
hollow plunger by means of a sinall perforation in the valve. The gun is thus
allowed to return gradually until the beadstock meets terminal buffers 88 and rests
there. The worm n³ which operates the worin segment on the headstock of the gun
is attached to its spindle n by a slip feather and groove which allows the worm
to accompany the segment and gun at each recoil and return. We employ a brake t
operated from a hand wheel t¹ and screwed spindle to hold the wheels 6 of the
gun carriage but should this prove insufficient from the nature of the ground or
from other causes we might also make use of spiked dogs such for example as the
dogs marked and place them before the wheels so as to prevent any possibility of
the carriage recoiling. In the case of battery or ships guns the slide instead of
being supported as in the case of field guns upon a carriage and wheels is mounted
and pivotted upon a circular or segmental casing secured to the deck of the ship or
floor of the turret or battery. The end or ends of the slide may be fitted with anti-
frictional rollers running upon a path on the casing and so arranged that the gun
will swivel the whole or part of a circle as required.
Apart from these obvious differences the arrangements of springs and the means
for training and adjusting the gun may be substantially the same as those already
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts for taking up
the recoil of field and other artillery and without the necessity of unlimbering field
guns substantially as described and shown.
2. In apparatus for taking up the recoil of artillery the employment of springs p
in combination with a pneumatic or other fluid brake cylinder and ram to prevent a
too sudden return of the gun substantially as described and shown.
3. In apparatus of the indicated nature the means for elevating, depressing and
swivelling the gun substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 16th day of June 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.