An Improvement in Mounting Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 8th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Mounting Guns.
I. ALEXANDER MONCRIEFF, of No. 15 Vicarage Gates, Kensington, in the County
of Middlesex, Colonel, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the mounting of a gun in such a manner that it can be
conveniently trained in any direction and elevated for very high angles of fire, while
the recoil is received and arrested by a hydro-pneumatic buffer.
When the gun is a muzzle loader I fix it or its trunnions in blocks fitted to slide
in the direction of the axis of the gun, in guides in a frame or carriage which may
conveniently be made in the form of a strong sleeve enclosing or partly enclosing the
breech part of the gun. This frame or sleeve rests by circular segments on corre-
sponding segments fixed on a platform that is itself mounted on rollers in a circular
race on which it can revolve as on a vertical axis. Between the segments of the
frame and those of the platform antifriction rollers may be interposed. In the
breech part of the frame or sleeve is fixed a hydraulic cylinder against the plunder
of which the breech of the gun bears. This cylinder communicates by a small
adjustable passage with a reservoir which may annularly surround the cylinder,
and which contains in its upper part compressed air at such a pressure that it forces
the plunger and the gun up or forwards as far as stops on the frame or sleeve
permit. The plunger passes through a stuffing box at the front of the cylinder and
has on it a piston a little larger in diameter which works in the body of the cylinder.
The interior of the cylinder is grooved so as to allow passage for the fluid past the
piston and to the reservoir, this passage being restricted towards each end of the
cylinder. A segment on the frame or sleeve is toothed to gear with a pinion, and
the periphery of the revolving platform is also toothed to gear with another pinion.
The gun
is elevated or depressed by turning the former pinion, causing the frame
or sleeve to turn in a vertical plane around the centre of its segments as an axis,
which centre is selected so as to coincide as nearly as possible with the centre of
gravity of the gun with the frame or sleeve.

page_text: The gun is trained in any desired direction by turning the other pinion, causing
the platform to turn round its vertical axis.
When the gun has been thus elevated and trained, it can be fired. By the recoil,
the gun is made to slide back within the frame or sleeve forcing in the hydraulic
plunger in opposition to the pressure of the air in the reservoir and to the resistance
of the liquid as it is forced through the restricted passage. When the force of the
recoil is thus absorbed, the pressure of the air in the reservoir acting on the piston
and plunger again forces the gun up or forwards as far as the stops on the frame or
sleeve permit.
When it is desired to utilise an existing platform or a long platform arranged to
move on existing racers, for mounting the gun so as to take its recoil hydro-
pneumatically in the manner described, I mount the gun by its trunnions on two side
levers, which are fulcrumed on the front of the platform and which bear upon the
hydraulic plunger. The gun in this case is elevated or depressed by turning on the
axis of its trunnions, and is trained by training the platform carrying the levers and
hydraulic cylinder. This mode of mounting, leaving the breech of the gun clear and
accessible, can be applied to breech loaders.

page_text: An Improvement in Mounting Guns.
I. ALEXANDER MONCRIEFF of No. 15 Vicarage Gates, Kensington in the County
of Middlesex, Colonel 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 :-
My invention relates to the mounting of a gun in such a manner that it can be
conveniently trained in any direction and elevated for very high angles of fire, while
the recoil is received and arrested by a hydro-pneumatic buffer.
I will describe my invention referring to the accompanying drawings. Figs. 1 and 2
represent a side and an end view partly sectional respectively of the mounting of
a muzzle loader. I fix the gun or its trunnions in blocks A fitted to slide in the
direction of the axis of the gun, in guides B in a frame or carriage which may
conveniently made in the form of a strong sleeve enclosing or partly enclosing the
brecch part of the gun. This frame or sleeve rests by circular segments on corre-
sponding segments D fixed on a platform E that is itself mounted on rollers in a
circular race on which it can revolve as on a vertical axis. Between the segments C
and D antifriction rollers may be interposed as shown in Fig. 1. Instead of
employing segments C and D of large radius as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 they may he
in the form of irunnions and their bearings as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 which are
respectively a side view and an end view partly sectional shewing a modified con-
struction of the mounting. In the breech part of the frame or sleeve is fixed a
hydraulic cylinder G against the plunger P of which the breech of the gun bears.
This cylinder of which Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section communicates by a small
passagen with a reservoir H which may annularly surround the cylinder and which
contains in its upper part above the liquid compressed air at such a pressure that it
forces the plunger and the gun up or forwards as far as stops a on the frame or
sleeve perinit. The plunger P passes through a stuffing box at the front of the
cylinder and has on it a piston port p a little larger in diameter which works in the
body of the cylinder. The interior of the cylinder which is contractod in diameter at
each end and is grooved so as to allow passage for the liquid past the piston p to the
reservoir in such a manner that this passage is restricted as the piston approaches
each end of the cylinder. In this manner when the gun recoils or when it is caused
to ascend to firing position, the resistance to the plunger resulting from the restriction
of the passage for liquid brings the gun gradually to rest. A segment on the frame
or sleeve is toothed to gear with a pinion I.
The gun is elevated or depressed by turning the pinion I causing the frame or
sleeve to turn in a vertical plane around the centre of its segments or trunnions C as
an axis, which centre is selected so as to coincide as nearly as possible with the centre
of gravity of the gun with its frame or sleeve.
The gun is trained in any desired direction by turning the pinion J which works in

page_text: a circular rack K secured to the foundations causing the platform to turn round its
vertical axis.
When the gun has been thus elovated and trained it can be fired. By the recoil,
the gun is made to slide back within the frame or sleeve as far as permitted by
stops forcing in the hydraulic plunger P of the hydraulic cylinder in opposition to
the pressure of the air in the reservoir H and to the resistance of the liquid as it is
forced through the passage n and the restricted passage past the piston p.
When the
force of the recoil is thus absorbed, the pressure of the air in the reservoir H acting
on the piston and plunger again forces the gun up or forwards as far as the stops a on
the frame or sleeve permit.
The hydraulic cylinder and its plunger may be modified as shewn in the section
Fig. 6. In this case the cylinder H is made of annular form sliding with packing
along a stationary inverted plunger P that projects upwards from the bottom of the
frame G. This plunger is made a little larger in its top parip so as to fit as a piston
within the cylindrical bore of the cylinder H this hore being contracted in diameter
at each end and grooved so as to allow more or less restricted passage for the liquid
as above described with reference to Fig. 5 but in this case the liquid is only used to
cover the gland and to check the movement at each end of the stroke.
When it is desired to utilise an existing platform or a long platform arranged to
move on existing racers, for mounting the gun so as to take its recoil hydro-
pneumatically in the manner described I employ the arrangement shewn in the side
view partly sectional Fig. 7. Imount the gun by its trunnions on two side levers K'
which are fulerumed at on the front of the platform E and which bear by a
spherically ended thrust rod R upon the hydraulic plunger P. The gun in this case
is elevated or depressed by turning on the axis of its trunnions T, and is trained by
training the platform E. This mode of mounting, leaving the breech of the gun clear
and accessible can be applied to breech loaders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Mounting a muzzle loading gun in blocks fitted to slide in guides in a frame or
sleeve which is itself mounted to rock on a horizontal axis on a revolving platform,
the breech of the gun bearing on the plunger of a hydraulic cylinder operating hydro-
pneumatically to permit and restrain recoil and to cause re-ascent of the gun,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive.
2. Mounting a gun by its trunnions on levers which are pivotted on a platform and
which bear on the plunger of a hydraulic cylinder operating hydro-pneumatically,
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 7.
Dated this 8th day of December 1887.
ADEL
& IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant