Year: 1886

page_text: ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Charles Eaton Creecy of Washington, United States of America Counseller at Law)
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to means for operating guns and gun carriages.
Heretofore guns and gun carriages have been operated by hydraulic power and
also by steam power; and in the employment of these the gun has been moved out
or to battery and moved in has been elevated depressed and traversed; and it has
also been attempted to take up the recoil of the gun in hydraulic mechanism by
the intervention of water and in connection herewith of an air cushion; but in no
case so far as known, has compressed air alone been employed as the sole motive
and checking power in operating ordnance, thus to constitute in the true sense a
purely pneumatic device."
The object of this invention then is to utilise compressed air or any suitable gas
or elastic fluid designated hereinafter as an aëriform fluid as distinguished from
steam and by the employment of this to provide simple and less complicated means
than heretofore employed for operating heavy guns and gun-carriages which means
shall be immediate direct reliable and certain in operation and enable the position
of a gun to be changed in the shortest possible time; the object is further to
provide mechanism which shall be so protected as to be safe from injury in an
engagement and whereby heavy guns may be manipulated by a much smaller
number of men than has heretofore been requisite; and finally the object is to
produce novel means whereby a cushion is provided by which the force exerted by
the recoil of the gun is taken up.
To these ends, the invention consists in the combination with a gun-carriage of
a cylinder or cylinders provided with pistons and supplied with a suitable fluid
under pressure to operate them and through their rods to run the gun out or iu;
furthermore in the combination with a gun carriage of a cylinder or cylinders
similarly provided and supplied to traverse the gun; furthermore in the combination
1. CA

page_text: with a gun carriage of a cylinder or cylinders similarly provided and supplied to
elevate and depress the gun; and finally in the combination with a gun carriage
and gun of a body of confined compressible fluid which takes the force of the recoil
of the gun acting as a buffer.
In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a gun carriage and gun thereon showing in
section and in detail an embodiment of that part of the invention by which the
gun is run in or out also showing means for elevating and depressing and for
traversing.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rear end of the gun showing in
detail an embodiment of that part of the invention by which the gun is elevated
and depressed.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the carriage and gun showing in section and in
detail an embodiment of that part of the invention by which the gun is traversed
or moved from side to side and :-
Figure 4 is a plan view of the carriage and gun showing the invention particularly
the transverse portionĵadapted to a vessel.
In this drawing A represents a gun provided with the usual trunnions which rest
in suitable bearings in the cheeks of the carriage.
The carriage is provided with the usual slide so that the gun may be run out or
to battery or be run in and is also provided with the usual supporting wheels upon
which the carriage traverses.
C represents a cylinder of proper dimensions which is attached to the carriage
preferably beneath the gun in such position as to be protected from becoming
damaged or disabled in action. This cylinder is provided near each end with ports
where any suitable compressed fluid is admitted or allowed to escape according to
the direction in which it is desired to move the piston of the cylinder.
Air is furnished to the cylinder through a supply pipe E and branch pipes e at
the point of juncture of which is placed a four-way cock so arranged as to admit
the Huid upon one side of the cylinder and to form an escape passage upon the
other side thereof, for the escape of the air confined between the piston and the end
of the cylinder, so that the piston may be moved in either direction to accomplish
the desired movement of the gun.
It will be apparent that a cushin of compressed elastic fluid may be formed for
taking up the recoil of the gun, by cutting off the escape through the rear part of
the cylinder C just before the gun is fired. This will cause the air, or other elastic
fluid which is confined between the end of the cylinder and the piston to become
compressed as the gun moves back in recoiling and its elasticity will tend to reduce
the shock of the recoil.
On land the apparatus for supplying the compressed elastic fluid is placed in a
protected position while on ship board it is preferably placed below decks in order to
be free from danger in an engagement and offer no obstruction to the manipulation
of the gun.
The raising and lowering of the breech of the gun is accomplished by means of
the cylinder C² placed upon a suitable part of the gun carriage and having the
projecting end of the piston-rod connected to the breech of the gun. This cylinder
is provided with ports above and below the piston through which air is admitted
or allowed to escape according as it is desired to raise the breech and depress the
gun or lower the breech and elevate the gun. The fluid under pressure is supplied
to this cylinder through the pipe E", and by suitable branch pipes at the point of
juncture between which is placed the four-way cock D" having the operating
lever by means of which the port through which the fluid is admitted and that
through which it is allowed to escape is controlled and the amount of fluid admitted,
regulated.
The traversing of the gun is accomplished by means of the two cylinders C¹ C₁
which are mounted upon the rear portion of the carriage and have their piston rods

page_text: connected to a pin mounted eccentrically on one of the supporting wheels. The
cylinders are supplied with compressed fluid from a pipe El and branch pipes H
and I the latter being connected to the cylinders respectively above and below the
pistons. At the point at which the supply pipe E¹ and the branch pipes H and I
join, is placed a four-way cock D¹ so constructed as to be capable of being turned
to allow the inlet of the compressed fluid to either of the supply pipes simul-
taneously with the outlet of the same from the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In mechanism for operating guns, the combination with the gun-carriage and
with a supply or reservoir of compressed aëriform fluid of a cylinder provided with
suitable inlet or exhaust ports, and having its piston connected with the carriage
whereby a gun may be run out or to battery or be run in, entirely by pneumatic
pressure as described.
2. In mechanism for operating guns the combination with the supporting frame
of the gun carriage and with a supply or reservoir of compressed aëriform fluid, of
a cylinder located beneath the gun and thus protected and having its piston-rod
connected to the sliding portion of the carriage and provided with suitable ports
for the admission and discharge of compressed aeriform fluid of conduits for con-
ducting such compressed fluid to the cylinder and conveying it away therefrom and
of means for controlling the How of the liquid whereby the device is operated by
compressed aeriform fluid alone substantially as set forth.
3. As a means of traversing a gun carriage two cylinders mounted upon the
carriage and having their piston-rods connected to a crank upon one of the
supporting wheels, the said cylinders being provided with inlet and outlet ports
and suitable means for regulating the inlet and outlet of compressed fluid by which
the pistons are operated.
4. In mechanism for operating guns, the combination with the gun carriage and
with a supply or reservoir of compressed aeriform fluid, of a cylinder provided on
opposite sides of the piston with inlet and exhaust ports and having its piston
connected to the breech of the gun whereby a gun may be directly elevated or
directly depressed entirely by pneumatic pressure substantially as described.
5. In combination with a gun-carriage or gun and with a supply or reservoir of
compressed aeriform fluid, of a cylinder containing a body of compressible aeriform
fluid and valve mechanism to admit such fluid to either side of the piston to act as
a buffer and counter-check substantially as described.
6. In mechanism for operating guns, the combination with a gun-carriage and
gun and with a supply or reservoir of compressed aeriform fluid of a cylinder or
cylinders provided with suitable inlet or exhaust ports and having the piston or
pistons connected to the part to be operated of conduits for conducting the com-
pressed aeriform fluid to the cylinder or cylinders, means for controlling the flow
of such liquid and a reversing cock or cocks whereby the compressed aeriform fluid
may be admitted to either side of a piston and allowed to escape from the other
substantially as described.