Improvements in Gun Mountings.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Mountings.
We, VICKERS SONS & COMPANY, LIMITED, of River Don Works, Sheffield, in the
County of York, Steel Manufacturers, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of Oak Park,
Sheffield, Superintendent of Ordnance Works, and FRANK WILLIAM HAWKINS, of
River Don Works, Sheffield, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to appliances in gun mountings whereby the supply of
ammunition is facilitated and the gun, after recoil is returned to firing position. In
order to facilitate the supply of aminunition we employ a ring or carriage that can
rotate around the lower part of the hoist and is so arranged in two parts running on
rollers or balls that it can be locked to and rotate with the hoist, or can be unlocked
and rotated independently. On this ring or carriage we mount on vertical axes a
number of carriers or holders for the ammunition, which, by turning the ring can be
brought into line with the cage or cages of the hoist to which the ammunition can be
transferred by a suitable rammer or otherwise.
In order to return the gun to firing position after recoil, we connect to the saddle
of the gun the ram or piston of a cylinder containing fluid under pressure, which
cylinder is connected by a pipe or conduit to a second cylinder also fitted with a ram
or piston loaded with strong springs. By the recoil of the gun the ram or piston
is driven into the first cylinder causing the fluid in it to pass to the second cylinder
and force out its ram or piston thus straining the springs. On the gun coming to
rest after its recoil the elasticity of the springs by forcing the fluid back into the first
cylinder returns the gun to the firing position.
Dated this 14th day of October 1806
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Mountings.
We, VICKERS SONS & COMPANY LIMITED, of River Don Works, Sheffield in the
County of York, Steel Manufacturers, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, of Oak Park,
Sheffield, Superintendent of Ordnance Works, and FRANK WILLIAM HAWKINS, of
River Don Works, Sheffield, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our

page_text: invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to appliances in gun mountings whereby the supply of
ammunition is facilitated and the gun after recoil is returned to firing position as we
shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section and Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus
for facilitating the supply of ammunition to a pair of guns, the hoists rotating with
the gun mounting. The apparatus is however equally applicable to a mounting for a
single gun.
Figure 3 is an elevation partly in section of the apparatus for returning the gun to
firing position after recoil.
In Figures 1 and 2, a, a¹ is a ring or circular carriage that can rotate around the
lower part of the hoists b, b and is composed of two parts a and at, the part a being
mounted on a set of rollers or balls a running on the part al, and the part a', being
mounted on a second set of rollers or balls a running on a fixed path a. The ring a,
can, by means of the lever c and bolts c¹, c³, or other equivalent means be locked
either to the ring al, or to the framework b¹, which lattter is rigidly connected to the
hoists b, b.
On the ring a, we mount on vertical axes a number of carriers or holders d, for the
ammunition which, by rotating the ring a, can be brought into line with the cage or
cages 62, 62, of the hoist or hoists, the ammunition can then be transferred to the
cages by means of any suitable rammer such as b³.
The carriers d, are preferably made to swivel about their vertical axes.
The ring al is rotated either by hand or power. When the ring a is locked to the
ring a it can be rotated about the hoist or hoists either to bring a particular carrier
or carriers into line with the hoists, or to place empty carriers in position for being
charged again. But when a is locked to the framework b', it rotates with the hoists
independently of any motion of the ring a.
As a modification, the ring may surround a fixed hoist or hoists being carried on a
revolving part of the mounting, and instead of it being at the base of the hoist, it
may be placed higher up.
In Figure 3, h, a portion of the saddle or top carriage carrying the gun has
connected to it the plunger of the cylinder k which is attached to the non-recoiling
part of the mounting. The cylinder k is connected by means of a pipe m to a second
cylinder n, the plunger n' of which butts against strong springs o, o. The cylinder k
and pipe m are filled with suitable fluid under pressure. When the gun recoils the
plunger is driven into the cylinder k displacing the fluid, which flowing through
the pipe m into the cylinder n forces out the plunger n¹ compressing the springs o, o.
When the gun comes to rest, the elasticity of the springs o, o causes ths plunger n¹
to force the fluid out of the cylinder n into the cylinder k and the plunger ² returns
gun to the firing position.
The cylinder n and the springs o, o may be attached to any convenient part of the
mounting. A non-return and bye-pass valve may be fitted in the pipe m to prevent
the gun from running out after recoil unless desired.
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 the mounting of a gun, a ring or circular carriage formed in two parts so
arranged that it can be rotated with or independently of the revolving part of the
mounting, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the ring above referred to carriers for ammunition mounted
thereon, so that by turning the ring they can be brought in line with the cage of the
hoist, substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for supplying ammunition to a gun, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: 4. Apparatus for returning a gun to firing position after recoil substantially as
described with reference to Figure 3.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.