Improvements in Breech Loading Ordnance.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Ordnance.
We, DOUGLAS VICKERS, of River Don Works Sheffield, in the County of
York, Managing Director of Vickers Sons & Co. Ld., Steel Manufacturers, and
GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, of River Don Works, Sheffield aforesaid, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to breech mechanisms of the class in which the breech is
closed by a breech plug with interrupted or segmental screw threads or rings; the
breech plug being pivotted on a stem on a carrier arm hinged to one side of the
breech end of the gun and being of such a form that it can be swung out of the gun
immediately after the partial turn for unlocking.
We effect the unlocking of the breech plug by means of what is commonly
known as a toggle joint, one link of which works on a pin fixed to the face of the
plug and the other is pivotted on a piu in a recess in the carrier arm, and capable
of being turned round this pin in a plane at right angles to the axis of the gun, by
means of a hand lever and right angle motion, preferably mitre or helical teeth,
this hand lever moving in a horizontal plane as usual..
In large guns a worm and worm wheel actuating the right angle motion may be
substituted for the lever.
The breech plug being unlocked by moving the hand lever or worm wheel
through a certain angle comes up against a stop which prevents it from turning
further, and then further motion of the lever or worm wheel swings it out of the
breech opening, a catch falling in to lock it in its position on the carrier arm when
out of the gun.
To extract the cartridge case from the gun, we pivot on an axis pin fitted to the
gun a lever one end of which bears under the rim of the cartridge case, and the
other is so placed that it is struck by the carrier arm at the last part of its
movement in swinging clear of the gun.
Against the arm of the lever which bears under the cartridge rim we fit a wedge
shaped piece which is forced between the above arm and the gun by the earlier
travel of the carrier arm, thus easing the cartridge from its seat before the lever is
struck by the carrier arm.
Dated this 10th day of October 1895.
ABEL & IMKAI,
Agents for the Applicants.
COME LEIE DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Ordnance.
We, DOUGLAS VICKERS, of River Don Works, Sheffield in the County of
York Managing Director of Vickers Sons & Co. Ltd. Steel Manufacturers and
GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM of River Don Works, Sheffield, aforesaid 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:-
Our invention relates to breech mechanism of the kind in which the breech is

page_text: closed by a breech plug with interrupted or segmental screw thread or collars, the
breech plug being pivotted on a stein on a carrier arm hinged to one side of the
breech end of the gun, and being of such a form that it can be swung ont of the gun
immediately after the partial turn for unlocking it from the threads or collars in
the breech.
We shall describe our invention referring to the accompanying drawings in
which similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts,
Fig. is a rear elevation of a gun having breech mechanism according to our
invention in this figure the breech plug is in the locked position.
Fig. 2 is a rear elevation shewing the breech plug in the unlocked position, but
not swung out.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the breech end of the gun and the breech mechanism, the full
lines shewing the mechanism locked, the dotted lines shewing it unlocked, and the
breech plug swung out.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew a worm gear to be substituted in large guns for the lever E,
shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which for such gun would not be sufficiently powerful.
Fig. 6 is a sectional plan, and Fig. 7 à part elevation of the mechanism for
extracting the cartridge cases.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, we pivot in a recess in the carrier arm A an
arm B, which is connected by a pin at its extremity to a link C, the pair forming a
toggle joint. The link C is connected to the breech plug D by a stud D' projecting
from the rear face of the plug.
The arnis en pable of being turned round its pivot B' in a plane at right
angles to the axis of the gun by a hand lever E, which moves in a horizontal plane
and is pivotted to the carrier arm A, and imparts the turning motion to the arm R,
preferably by helical teeth G and GP' formed on the bosses of the arm B and the
hand lever E respectively.
By arranging the centre of the arm B immediately over the centre of the
lever E, mitre teeth could be substituted in some cases for the helical teeth
shewn.
The breech plug D may be of any suitable form that will swing out clear of the
gun immediately after being unlocked, without requiring any longitudinal move-
iment to the rear.
The breech plug D is attached to a fixed stud A¹, projecting inwards from the
carrier A, by screw threads preferably interrupted and equal in pitch to those on
the breech plug D.
The netion of opening the breech is as follows:-
On swinging the lever E away from the gun the arm 13 is turned downwards by
means of the helical teeth. This movement of the arm B through the connection
of the link C to the stud D¹ causes the breech plug D to turn partly round, at first
slowly, and then more rapidly, owing to the toggle action of B and C, until it
becomes unlocked, at which point the boss of the link around the stud D' comes
against a stop a formed in the carrier arm and the plug can turn no farther. Then
by continuing to swing the lever E away from the gun, the carrier A is swung out
withdrawing the plug D from the breech. As the carrier recedes from the breech,
In spring catch (the end of which was bearing against the rear face of the gun)
is liberated and enters a notch H' in the flange of the breech plug D, preventing
the plug D from turning except when it is in position for locking with the threads
of the breech, the catch I being then pushed out of the notch.
The breech is closed by swinging the lever E towards the gun, the plug Dis
thus first introduced into the breech J, and when in position for locking the
catch H being pushed back has freed it, and then it is turned partly round and
locked.
We arrange the travel of the arm B, and the link C, so that when the plug is
locked, the centre of the pin K has passed the straight line joining the centres
of D and 13', thus forming a locking arrangement such that the plug D cannot
become unlocked by shock when the gun is fired.

page_text: We fit on the face of the plug carrier A, a spring catch A having a rounded
end entering a bollow of the lever E so as to hold the lever from dropping when
the breech end of the gun is depressed, but to allow of its being pulled rearward.
In Figures 4 and 5 in which is shewn a worm and wheel gear in place of hand
lever E, the construction is as follows:-
We fix a worm wheel L on the hinge pin J' of the carrier arm A, this worm
wheel is also fitted with teeth which gear into a pinion M pivotted on the carrier
arin. This pinion works the arm B and thereby the link C, as above described.
The worm which gears with the worm wheel is rotated by a hand wheel or
handle N.
For
In Figures 6 and 7 we show mechanism for extracting the cartridge case.
this purpose, we pivot on an axis piu P fitted to the gun, a lever Q, one end of
which bears under the rim of the cartridge case at S, and the other end is so
placed that it is struck by the carrier arm A at the last part of its movement in
swinging clear of the gun.
Against the arm Qof the lever Q which bears on the cartridge rim, we fit a
wedge shaped piece T, one end of which is connected to and actuated by a
projection U formed on a lever U. The toe of the lever U bears against a cam
shaped band A³, formed on the carrier A; bearing against this toe of the lever [J
is a spring bolt Q3, which is held in a boss Q³ formed on the lever Q.
The action is as follows:-
On swinging the breech plug D out of the breech the lever U is actuated by the
cam A3 which forces the wedge picce T up the incline formed on the lever Q, thus
easing the cartridge from its seat, and, at the last part of the movement of the
carrier A, it strikes the lever Q and ejects the cartridge from the gun. On
swinging the carrier towards the gun the spring bolt Q bearing against the toe
of the lever U forces it back and with it the wedge piece T into its original
position.
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. In combination with the breech plug of a gun pivotted on a carrier, an arm
pivotted on the carrier, forming with a link connecting the arm to the breech plug
a "toggle joint" working in a plane at right angles to the axis of the gun and
actuated by a hand lever, or worm and wheel, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the breech end of a gun, an extractor so actuated by the
swinging back of the carrier arm that the cartridge case is first loosened and then
cjected, substantially as described.
Dated the 7th dan of July, 1906
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.