IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE CARRIAGES, COMPRISING APPA- RATUS FOR GOVERNING THE RECOIL, AND LIKEWISE FOR MOVING THE PIECE OF ORDNANCE BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
THOMAS ASPINWALL, of Bishopsgate Church Yard, in the City of
London, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of June, in the
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Aspinwall, my exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Thomas Aspinwall, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Aspinwall, my exors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time, and at all times during the term of therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE CARRIAGES, COMPRISING APPA-
RATUS FOR GOVERNING THE RECOIL, AND LIKEWISE FOR MOVING THE PIECE OF
ORDNANCE BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS," communicated from abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
years

page_text: Thomas Aspinwall, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Thomas Aspinwall, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the 'same is to be performed, aro
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, referenco being had to the Drawings hercunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thoreon, that is to say:
This Invention comprises various pieces of machinery added to a
gun or cannon carriage, of the kind used in ships of war. This
machinery thus added is intended to control or govern the recoil of
the gun, and also to remove the gun forwards and backwards when in
action. The several parts or pieces of machinery as seen in connexion
with the carriage in the Drawings hereto annexd. Figure 1, shows
an elevation of the carriage with the several parts added to the same;
Figure 2, shows a horizontal section; Figure 3, shows a vertical
section made through the winding shaft, to be hereafter described;
Figure 4, shows an enlarger view of one of the friction plates; Figure
5, shows an enlarged section of the friction plates and springs with
other appendages. An inspection of the Figures will shew a carriage
of the common description mounted upon four wheels. It will be seen
that the forward wheels are placed nearer together than the hinder
wheels, and to permit this arrangement the sides of the carriage are
cut away upon the outside, as shown in Figure 3.
of
Through the sides of this carriage, directly under the gun, is passed
au iron shaft A, A; upon this shaft is arranged a flat band B, B, made
rope,
bound together by a weft of small line (the weft is not shewn
in the Drawing). This band resembles a very coarse tape, of which
the rope forms the warp and the line the weft. The section Figure 3,
shows the band as cut through when wound upon the shaft. The
is made of one piece of rope, doubled to make ten strands (or
warp

page_text: more or less) or lines of warp, and is secured to the shaft A, A, by
having the bights or bends or doublings of the rope at the one end of
the band pass through holes made through the shaft A, A, as shewn
at Figure 3. Iron pins are passed through each doubling of the
rope, which prevents its being drawn from the shaft. Through the
doublings of the rope, at the other end of the band, there is passed an
iron bolt C, C; this bolt likewise passes through three links D, D, D;
these links are connected by another bolt with the shackle E, E; the
shackle
passes through an eye bolt fixed to the side of the ship, or to
Upon one end of the shaft
any other form or immoveable object.
A, A, are placed a number of plates or discs F, F, which are so
arranged by having projections upon the holes through which the
shaft passes, pointing towards their centers, and passing into grooves
cut into the end of the shaft, that they are forced to turn with the
shaft, but are at the same time capable of moving towards each other
or from each other on the shaft. Figures 4, and 5, show Drawings, on
a larger scale than the other Figures of one of the plates and other
parts connected with the shaft A, A. Between each two of the plates
The shaft A, A, pases
F, F, there is placed another plate G, G.
freely through a larger hole in the centre of the plates G, G.
Two springs H, H, are placed one upon each side of the plates
F, F, and G, G, the end of the shaft A, A, passing through the springs,
as seen in Figures 1, and 5. These springs are drawn together at
their ends by the screw bolts as seen in Figure 2. There are two
bolts I, I, which pass through the spring H, H, and through the
plates G, G, outside of the plates or discs F, F. A forked stud K, is
fixed to the side of the carriage, and passes over the springs H, H,
near one end; two pieces of iron L, L, are fixed to the outside plates
G, G, through which the springs press upon the plates. The object of
this apparatus is to make a powerful friction to resist the turning of
the shaft A, A, and the unwinding of the band B, B, and consequently
to restrain the recoil of the gun and carriage when the gun is fired.
The operation of this is as follows:-Let the gun and carriage be car-
ried forward, so that the band B, B, shall be wound firmly upon the
shaft A, A, one end of the band being fixed to the shaft, as before

page_text: described, and the other end to the eye bolt; then let the springs
H, H, be drawn together by the screw bolts, so that the sides of the
plates or discs F, F, and G, G, shall be pressed against each other.
Now when the gun is discharged the carriage cannot move back-
ward without unwinding the band B, B, by which the shaft A, A, must
be turned round. This must cause the plates or discs F, F, to revolve,
but as the plates G, G, are connected by the bolts I, I, with the springs,
which are prevented from turning by the stud K, the plates F, F,
in revolving must rub their sides against the sides of the plates G, G,
and this friction must resist the turning of the shaft A, A, the unwind-
ing of the band B, B, and consequently the recoil of the gun and
carriage. The necessary friction may be made by a single plate or
wheel made to rub against springs or any fixed object, but I prefer
several, say from ten to twenty, arranged as herein described, as with
springs of a given elastic forco the resistance of the friction is directly
as the number of plates or rubbing surfaces. To relieve the plates from
friction and permit the shaft A, A, to turn freely, the apparatus now to
be described is used. Between the springs H, FI, and passing from one
spring to the other, there is placed a bolt M, M. The middle part of
this bolt is round, but its ends, which pass through the springs H, H, are
made square or flat, so that the bolt cannot turn or revolve. Over the
body or middle part of this bolt, and occupying the whole space between
the springs, are placed two chucks or pieces of iron N, N, one of which
is confined to the bolt M, and the other, to which is fixed the handle
or lever O, O, can revolve upon the bolt M, M; the faces or ends of
these chucks are cut in spiral forms, and the two spirals rest upon each
other. Now when the handle O, O, noves, the chuck fixed to it moves,
while the other remains stationary upon the bolt M, M. By this move-
ment the spiral faces move upon each other, and the springs are pressed
apart, or from each other, or are permitted to approach each other, and
by this means the frictio may be applied to the plates or removed
from them, as may be desired. Upon the end of the shaft A, A,
opposite to that which bears the friction plates and springs heretofore
described, is placed the wheel or pulley P, P, made of two plates of
sheet iron connected by stud bolts, as seen in Figure 2. A cord or

page_text: rope is fixed by one end to the wheel P, P, and may be wound three
or four times round it upon the studs between the plates. By drawing
this cord so as to turn the wheel P, P, the shaft A, A, is made to revolve
and the band B, B, is wound upon the shaft A, A. Now whenever it
is required to move the gun forward to be discharged, the operations
are as follows:-First, move the handle O, O, so as to open the springs
H, H, and relieve the friction plates; then by drawing upon the rope,
before described as wound about the wheel P, P, the shaft A, A, will
be turned round the band B, B, wound upon the same, and the gun and
carriage moved forward. Then, by moving the handle O, O, in the
direction to permit the springs H, HI, to approach each other, the friction
plates will be brought in contact, with the resistance of the friction
restored. When the gun is to be discharged the carriage is guided
directly backwards and forwards by means of the guide tongue Q, Q.
This tongue is secured to the side of the ship or immoveable object by
a bolt directly under the eye bolt, to which the shackle of the band B, B,
is united. The tongue then passes backwards under the carriage, through
notches cut out of the under sides of both axletrees, to a distance as great
as is required for the recoil of the carriage. Two pieces of timber are
bolted upon the axletrees, one upon each side of the notches upon
which the tongue is placed, and two plates of iron are bolted upon the
bottom of these timbers. The guide tongue rests upon these plates,
which raise it about an inch above the deck or platform upon which
the wheels of the carriage are placed. The parts last described, there-
fore, videlicit, the notches of the axle trees, the timbers bolted to them,
and the iron plates, form a square guide box, which moves over the
guide tongue and causes the motion of the carriage to be parallel to the
guide tongue.
As the guide tongue turns freely upon the bolt which secures it to
the ship, as upon a centre, the guide tongue and carriage can be moved
sidewise, so as to train the gun to direct to the right or left, as may be
required. A bar of iron R, R, is let into a groove in the top of the
guide tongue lengthwise to a level with its upper surface. The top of
this bar is ragged, or formed into teeth. Across the hindermost part of
the carriage passes the rocker shaft or bar S, S, capable of turning in

page_text: proper boxes fixed to the carriage. Upon the rocker bar is fixed the
lever, a handle T, T, pointing upwards, and the arm U, U, directed
downwards. Connected with the arm U, by a moveable joint, is the
ratchet or catch V, V, which may fall into the teeth of the bar R, R,
and prevent the carriage from moving forwards, and by means of which
likewise the carriage may be drawn backwards. To do this it is only
required to move the handle T, backwards, and the end of the ratchet
or catch V, falling into the spaces between the teeth of the bar R R,
becomes immoveable, and the carriage is forced to pass in the direction
of the motion of the handle T. When the carriage is drawn forwards
in the manner heretofore described, it is necessary to raise the end of
the ratchet from its connection with the teeth of the bar R, R.
Having thus fully described a gun carriage of the improved con-
struction, which description embraces several parts in common use, and
for which I do not claim Letters Patent, I will now specify the parts
which comprise the Invention and improvement, for which alone I
claim Letters Patent. I declare that the following apparatus and
machinery, which, added to any gun carriage of the common form, will
constitute the improvements. for which I claim Letters Patent:-The
shaft A, A, with the band B, B, and the parts by which it is connected
to the side of the ship or other immoveable object. The friction plates
F, F, and G, G, whether one only of the plates F, F, or more than one
be used.
The springs H, H, and the apparatus by which the same are con-
nected with the carriage and regulated and used as heretofore described.
Likewise the wheel P, P, in connection with the rope for turning tho
shaft A, A. Likewise the rocker shaft S, S, and the several parts used
in connection with the same, for moving the carriage backwards in the
manner herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Aspinwall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
THOS (L.S.) ASPINWALL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of
December, in the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Thomas
Aspinwall came before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing
therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose