Improvements in Projectiles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1893-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
Improvements in Projectiles.
I ARTHUR MORROW Major New Zealand Volunteer Force Brigade Office
Auckland New Zealand 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 refers particularly to the rifling of guns and the destructive effect
resulting therefrom to such guns which I have endeavoured to overcome by the use
of wheels to supersede rifling and as a means of minimising friction it being a well
known fact that the rifling of guns has in many instances caused their destruction.
The projectile-shot or shell-to be cast with slots to accommodate the several
boxes containing the rotating studs or guiding wheels (see letter A drawing Sheet 1)
the boxes to be made of gun or other metal in order to perfect the bearings for the
axles as possibly slots could not be cast in the projectile of sufficient perfection to
meet this requirement. The axles to be of any material but preferably to be made
of wrought steel with rounded ends to prevent friction or liability of catching and
of sufficient thickness to bear the strain necessary and to be coated with copper or
other material whether milled or smooth (vide drawing letter B Sheet 1) to insure
sufficient gripping power the diameter of the wheels and the width of their faces to be
regulated by the calibre of the gun. I do not confine myself to any size but
perhaps one and one half inches in the width of the face would be sufficient for
a 10-inch gun (vide letter C drawing Sheet 1) axles to be lubricated to prevent the
possibility of non-revolution. These rotating studs or guiding wheels to consist of
such a number and to be set at such an angle as to insure the desirable pitch of
rotation on the exit of the projectile. The drawings are only intended to illustrate
the principle and are based on the angle of grooving of a nine pounder gun-in
the drawing Sheet No. 2. The rotating studs should be set at intervals on the
circumference in such a manner that those of each successive set should divide the
spaces of the previous ones see drawing Sheet 1, in order to prevent a weakening
of the projectile. The wheels being somewhat in excess of the circumference of
the projectile-where they occur-one eightieth of an inch more or less may be
found to be practically sufficient-an independent gas check would be required to
prevent windage. The principle of the invention consists in this that guiding
wheels which when used on a plane surface-as in the case of bicycles, tricycles or
road engines &c., are always immediately effective in directing the motion of
whatever they may be attached to. In order to realize the effect of these rollers
consider the cylindrical portion of the projectile to be unrolled so that all the
rollers may rest on a table it will then be at once understood that if the body be
propelled somewhat obliquely to the direction in which the rollers run its direction
will be altered by that given to it by the rollers. The same effect imparted to the
projectile in the bore of the gun is changed into a revolving motion and whilst the
grip of driving wheels ordinarily used is only due to the weight resting on them in
this case the grip may probably be immensely increased by compression between
the opposite sides. The point of least resistance being that represented by the
axles this point must of necessity give way first and thereby cause the wheels to
revolve.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. Shot or shell with wheels to revolve on axles fixed into the periphery or

page_text: surface of their cylindrical portion for the purpose of making the shot or shell
rotate within a smooth bored gun.
2. Wheels or their equivalent fixed and fitted into the surface or periphery of
the cylinders of shot or shell so as to give to them a rotary motion on being fired
from a smooth bored gun.
3. Shot or shell made substantially as described.
Dated this First day of November 1893.
ARTHUR MORROW,
Major Dist. Staff.