Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Movements of Guns in Recoil and Running Out.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Movements of
Guns in Recoil and Running Out.
I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of The London Ordnance Works Southwark in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENTS OF GUNS IN RECOIL AND
RUNNING OUT" to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to a method of controlling the running out of gun
carriages fitted with hydraulic compressors in which the cylinder or cylinders are
completely filled when the gun is out, but become partially emptied during recoil
by a volume equal to that of the portions of the piston rods which the motion of
the carriage has left uncovered.
In order to compensate for the volume thus removed and maintain the cylinders
nearly or quite full during recoil I provide a reservoir arranged on each cylinder
and communicating therewith at the end not under pressure of recoil so that during
recoil the reservoirs become emptied into the cylinders.
In carriages fitted with more than one cylinder the reservoir need only be fitted
to one cylinder unless the cylinders are in communication with each other.
The reservoir may be open to the atmosphere or may be closed in which case a
space will be left for air which will be compressed prior to firing by the gun
running out or may be compressed by a pump-the pressure thus generated serving
to force the liquid out of the reservoir on recoil more rapidly than by its own
gravity.
Or instead of an open surface of liquid I cover it by a piston which by its weight
with or without the aid of the atmosphere serves to force the liquid out of the
reservoir on recoil.
Or I cause the piston to be actuated by pressure derived from that in the
compressor due to recoil by establishing a suitable connection between the end of
the cylinder under pressure during recoil and the piston.
The passage through which the reservoir is emptied is closed by a valve kept on
its seat by a spring which acts by opening as the reservoir is being emptied during
recoil and shuts by the carriage tending to run out after recoil and reversing the
flow of the liquid thus keeping the carriage at the end of its recoil By raising.
this valve from its seat by a screw or other suitable means the carriage will run
out or if kept off its seat before firing the carriage will run out of itself during
which the reservoir again becomes full,
"

page_text: Instead of disturbing the valve for running out I in some cases fit a by-pass.
communication between the reservoir and the cylinder closed by a suitable plug by
raising which the carriage will run out-or the plug may be left raised in which
case the reservoir will fill up as it allows the carriage to run out.
I prefer to make the reservoirs cylindric of as large diameter as convenient so
that the travel of their pistons may be short and where the pistons are actuated by
pressure from the compressor the latter acts on a tail piece of smaller diameter
formed on the pistons and fitting in the passage communicating with the end of
the cylinders opposite to that in communication with the reservoir.
D
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hm 1001
Guns in Recoil and Running Out.
I JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Southwark in the County
of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
These improvements relate to a method of controlling the running out of gun
carriages fitted with hydraulic compressors in which the cylinder or cylinders are
completely filled when the gun is out-but become partially emptied during recoi!
by a volume equal to that of the portions of the piston rods which the motion of
the carriage has left uncovered.
In order to compensate for the volume thus removed and maintain the cylinders
nearly or quite full during recoil I provide a reservoir arranged on each cylinder
and communicating therewith at the end not under pressure of recoil so that during
recoil the reservoirs become emptied into the cylinders.
The reservoir need only be fitted to one cylinder.
The reservoir may be open to the atmosphere or may be closed in which case a
space will be left for air which will be compressed prior to firing by the gun'
running out or may be compressed by a pump-the pressure thus generated serving
to force the liquid out of the reservoir on recoil more rapidly than by its own
gravity.
Or instead of an open surface of liquid I cover it by a piston which by its weight
with or without the aid of the atmosphere serves to force the liquid out of the
reservoir on recoil.

page_text: Or I cause the piston to be actuated by pressure derived from that in the.
compressor due to recoil by establishing a suitable connection between the end of
the cylinder under pressure during recoil and this piston.
The passage through which the reservoir is emptied is closed by a valve kept on.
its seat by a spring which acts by opening as the reservoir is being emptied during
recoil and shuts by the carriage tending to run out after recoil and reversing the
flow of the liquid thus keeping the carriage at the end of its recoil. By raising
this valve from its seat by a screw or other suitable means the carriage will run
out or if kept off its seat before firing the carriage will run out of itself during
which the reservoir again becomes full.
Instead of disturbing the valve for running out I in some cases fit a bye pass
communication between the reservoir and the cylinder-closed by a suitable plug,
by raising which the carriage will run out-or the plug may be left raised in which
case the reservoir will fill up as it allows the carriage to run out.
I prefer to make the reservoirs cylindric of as large diameter as convenient so
that the travel of their pistons may be short-and where the pistons are actuated
by pressure from the compressor the latter acts on a tail piece of smaller diameter
formed on the pistons and fitting in the passage communicating with the end of
the cylinders opposite to that in communication with the. reservoir.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 show respectively sectional elevation and plan of a gun carriage
fitted with hydraulic cylinders or compressors a¹ a² one of which a¹ is shown fitted
with a reservoir b communicating by the passage c with the end of the cylinder
not under pressure due to recoil. The valve d in this passage opens from the
reservoir to the cylinder. The valve d is kept lightly on its seat by means of the
spring e. The liquid in the reservoir b may be exposed only to the pressure of air
entering by the inlet valve f in the cover when the gun recoils or air may be
pumped in through the valve to give increased pressure on the liquid-or a packed
piston g may be fitted acting by its weight with or without the aid of pressure of
air above it but it is preferred to use this form of the apparatus without a piston.
The shape of the reservoir is unimportant provided it has capacity to supply the
quantity of liquid necessary to compensate for the volume of piston rod uncovered
by the recoil, On the gun recoiling and the cylinder a¹ going with it the piston
rod is left uncovered and a more or less complete vacuum is formed in the
cylinder at the rear of the piston i. This is filled up completely or nearly so by
the liquid passing from the reservoir. b by virtue of its own weight and of the
pressure on its upper surface into the cylinder a¹ past the valve d.
On the gun tending to run out the entry of the piston rod h causes a pressure in
the cylinder which closes the valve d and keeps the gun in. In order to run out
the valve d is forced sufficiently off its seat by turning the regulating screw k so
that the liquid can return from the cylinder a¹ to the reservoir. If the screw k is
slightly kept off its seat before firing the gun will run out automatically.
To avoid disturbing the valve & I sometimes fit instead of the screw k a bye-pass
plug or valve in the passage m between the two sides of the valve d as shown by
Figure 3 and then in running out the liquid from the cylinder to the reservoir it
traverses the passage m past the plug instead of past the valve d. The plug
can be set to accurately regulate the speed of running out.
If the cylinders a'u have a communicating passage at their forward ends the
apparatus may be fitted on both cylinders or means may be provided for closing
the passage.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 show another form of the apparatus fitted to the cylinder a¹
of a gun carriage having hydraulic cylinders or compressors a¹ a². A reservoir n
by preference of cylindric form is made above the cylinder a' in this reservoir is

page_text: fitted a packed piston o having on it at the fore side a tail piece p or ram at the
fore end of which q there is another packed piston fitting in the small cylinder r
which communicates with that end of the compressor cylinder a¹ which is under
pressure of recoil by means of the passage s. The reservoir n communicates at its
rear end with the rear end of the cylinder a¹ by the passage t past the valve u
opening from the reservoir-the valve being held lightly on its seat by the
spring v.
On the gun recoiling. the pressure in the cylinder a' due to recoil acting on the
piston q forces it and the piston o to the rear and causes the liquid in reservoir to
How into the cylinder a¹ filling up the void left by the piston rod being uncovered.
On the gun tending to run ont the valve u will be closed and keep the gun in
and the gun is allowed to run out by turning the screw w forcing the valve u
sufficiently off its seat-and the liquid flowing from the cylinder back into the
reservoir will force the piston o to its original position.
In order to avoid disturbing the valve u a bye-pass arrangement may be made
around this valve in a similar manner to that described in connection with the
first form of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1). An hydraulic compresser in which during the recoil of the gun the piston
rod leaves the cylinder and in which then the space in the cylinder previously
occupied by the piston rod is supplied with liquid drawn in past a valve which
liquid afterwards prevents or obstructs the entrance of the piston rod into the
cylinder when the gun tends to run out.
(2). An bydraulic compresser such as the above and in which the liquid to supply
the space left in the cylinder on recoil is supplied from a closed reservoir in which
air also is confined under pressure.
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(3). An hydraulic compresser such as the above and in which liquid to supply
the space left in the cylinder on recoil is forced in by the bydraulic pressure.
resulting from the recoil operating on a piston or ram of small area.
(4). Apparatus substantially as herein described and shown for controlling th
movements of guns in recoil and running out.