IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR ORDNANCE AND IN FUZES THEREPOR
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR ORDNANCE
AND IN FUZES THEREPOR." - A communication from abroad by Isaac
Pettingill Tice of New York, in the United States of Americe.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th April 1863.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR ORDNANCE
AND IN FUZES THEREFOB," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to the employment of fulminates of
silver and mercury and other fulminating compounds for the bursting charges
of explosive projectiles, and its object is to obviate the accidental explosion of
such charges in the handling or transportation of or by the dropping of the
projectiles, and to this end it consists in the use, either mixed with the ful-
minate or interposed between small quantities of the fulminate so employed,
of cotton, gun cotton, curled hair, wool, flocks, sawdust, or other soft fibrous
or granular substance to reduce the force of the concussion between the grains
of the fulminate; also in the lining of the charge chamber of the projectile with
woollen, cotton, or other cloth, or flannel, or other soft material for the same

page_text: purpose; also in the division of the charge into a number of parts by means
of rigid partitions in the chamber, whereby the force of the concussion pro-
duced between the particles of fulminate in case of dropping the projectile or
subjecting it to severe concussion is reduced.
The second part of the Invention relates to the use of metallic packing for
the prevention or reduction of the windage between the projectile and the boro
of rifled ordnance, and for obtaining a rotary motion of the projectile in its
passage through the bore, and it consists in an improved arrangement of a
flanged follower in combination with an expanding concave, convex, or conical
packing ring.
The third part of the Invention relates to percussion fuzes for the ignition
of the bursting charges of explosive projectiles, and consists principally in the
construction of a percussion fuze, tube, or plug with two separate chambers,
one to contain fulminating powder, and another to contain sand, emery, or
other hard granular substances. The chambers are so arranged and combined
(by means of a lock of simple construction) as to be perfectly closed and
locked to prevent communication between them until the firing of the charge
of the piece of ordnance from which the projectile is to be thrown. The
unlocking is effected by the impact produced upon the projectile by the explo-
sion of the charge, and thus cominunication between the two chambers is
opened for the admixture of their contents. On the projectile, therefore,
striking, the concussion and friction produced between the fulminate and the
hard substance ignites the former, and so fires the bursting charge of the pro-
jectile. The construction and arrangement of the parts of the lock are such,
that though it shall be unlocked at or near the bottom of the bore of the gun
it will be prevented from opening communication between the two chambers
until after the projectile has left the bore of the gun.
The Invention also consists in the employment, in combination with fulmi-
nates in percussion fuzes, of cotton, wool, hair, cloth, or other soft material,
either mixed with the fulminate, or applied as a lining to the chamber which
contains it, or in the form of a cushion for the purpose of preventing premature
explosions by accidental concussions; and it further consists in the employ-
ment in the percussion fuze of an explosive projectile of two fulminates, one
of which is more sensitive or easily ignited, as fulminate of silver, and the other
of which burns more slowly or with a stronger flame, as fulminate of mercury,
the latter being mixed with the former or interposed between it and the
bursting charge to ensure the ignition of the said charge.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IN-
PROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR ORDNANCE AND IN FUZES THEREFOB," being a
communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton; do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
:-
The first part of this Invention relates to the employment of fulminates of
silver and mercury and other fulminating compounds for the bursting charges
of explosive projectiles, its object being to obviate the accidental explosion of
such charges in the handling or transportation of or by the dropping of the
projectiles. To this end it consists in the use, either mixed with the fulminato
or interposed between small quantities of the fulminate so employed, of cotton,
gun cotton, curled hair, wool, flocks, sawdust, or other soft, fibrous, or granular
substance to reduce the force of the concussion between the grains of the ful-
minate; also in the lining of the charge chamber of the projectile with woollen,

page_text: cotton, or other cloth, or flannel, or other soft material for the same purpose;
also in the division of the charge into a number of parts by means of rigid
partitions in the chamber, whereby the force of the concussion produced
between the particles of fulminate in case of dropping the projectile or sub-
jecting it to severe concussion is reduced.
The second part of the Invention relates to the use of metallic packing for
the prevention or reduction of the windage between the projectile and the boro
of rifled ordnance, and for obtaining a rotary motion of the projectile in its
passage through the bore, and it consists in an improved arrangement of a
flanged follower in combination with an expanding concavo-convex or conical
packing ring.
The third part of the Invention relates to percussion fuzes for the ignition
of the bursting charges of explosive projectiles, and consists principally in the
construction of a percussion fuse tube or plug with two separate chambers,
one to contain fulminate of silver or mercury or other fulminating powder, and
another to contain sand, emery, broken glass, or any other hard granular sub-
stances, the chambers being so arranged and combined (by means of a lock of
simple construction) as to be perfectly closed and locked to prevent commu-
nication between them, until the firing of the charge of the piece of ordnance
from which the projectile is to be thrown. The unlocking is effected by the
impact produced upon the projectile by the explosion of the charge, and thus
communication between the two chambers is opened for the admixture of their
contents. On the projectile therefore striking, the concussion and friction
produced between the fulminate and the hard substance ignites the fulminate,
and so fires the bursting charge of the projectile. The construction and
arrangement of the parts of the lock are such, that though it shall be unlocked
at or near the bottom of the bore of the gun it will be prevented from opening
communication between tho two chambers until after the projectile has left
the bore of the gun.
The Invention also consists in the employment in combination with fulmi-
nates in percussion fuses, of cotton, wool, hair, cloth, or other soft material,
either mixed with the fulminate, or applied as a lining to the chamber which
contains it, or in the form of a cushion for the purpose of preventing pre-
mature explosions by accidental concussions; and it further consists in the
employment in the percussion fuze of an explosive projectile of two fulminates,
one of which is more sensitive or easily ignited, as fulminate of silver, and the
other of which burns more slowly or with a stronger flame as fulminate of
mercury, the latter being mixed with the former or interposed between it and
the bursting charge to insure the ignition of the said charge.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section of
an elongated explosive projectile, in which the several improvements are illus-
trated, showing the several parts of the fuse in the condition in which
they remain until the act of firing the projectilo from a piece of ordnance
commences; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the fuse, showing the
parts in the condition they assume after leaving the gun; Fig. 3 is a back
view of an inner tube, which forms the partition between the two chambers
in the fuse tubo or plug, for containing the fulminate and the hard granular
material. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the
several Figures.
A is the body of the projectile, having a central chamber of cylindrical form
for the reception of the bursting charge c, c.
This chamber is loaded through
an opening a, a, in the base of the projectile, which is of as large diameter as
the chamber itself, and is fitted with a tight screw plug 6 to confine the
charge; h, h, are the partitions, which divide the charge 'c, c, into as many
parts or sub-charges as may be desirable, the said partitions being composed
of perforated metal discs fitting snugly to the chamber. Each of the sub-
charges is put into the chamber in a separate metal tube d, which fits to the
chamber, and the said tubes serve as a means of supporting the partitions h, h,
so that no one sub-charge can possibly be subjected to the pressure due to
the weight of another or others. Each compartment of the chamber is lined
with cloth, flannel, or other material e, which may be done by inclosing the
sub-charges in bags, such bags forming the linings of the compartments. It
is proposed to employ for the charges a mixture of about three parts by weight
of fulminate of mercury, and one part cotton, gun cotton, wool, sawdust, or.
other soft material, which will tend to break the force of the concussion
between the particles of fulminate in case of the dropping or jarring of the
projectile and in the firing of the projectile from the gun. The projectile
thus charged may have its charge ignited by a percussion or time fuse, and
the fire is conveyed from one sub-charge to another through the perforations
in the partitions h, h. B is the packing ring of brass or other suitable metal
or alloy fitted, to a projection f on the base of the projectile, such projection
being made of polygonal form to prevent the ring from turning. This ring is
made convex in front and concave in the back to permit of its being
expanded circumferentially by the driving forward of its outer portion. C is
the follower, consisting of a stout plate of a circumference a little smaller than
the bore of the gun from which the projectile is to be fired, and having a
rounded flange i projecting in a forward direction from its circumference.
This follower is attached to the forward end of the projectile by a screw bolt g,

page_text: which passes through a hole in its centre, and screws into a tapped hole in the
centre of the plug b, and which holds the flange i in contact with the back of
the packing ring. When the gun is fired, the explosion of its charge acting
upon tho follower drives it forward against the back of the packing ring, and
so by flattening the said ring in a greater or less degree produces the circum-
ferential expansion of the ring, thereby causing it to fill the bore and enter
the grooves of the gun. The follower is prevented from being driven up
further than is necessary to produce a proper expansion of the ring by coming
in contact with the base of the projectile. D is the fuse tube, made of brass
or other metal, with a solid flanged head j, and screwed into a tapped hole in
the head of the projectile; k is a pin secured in the centre of the head j, and
extending about half the length of the tube D; 1 is a small tube of brass or
other metal fitted to work casily on the pin k, and having at its front end a
flange ¹, and two lugs 1", ", by which it may be supported against a tubular
plunger m, which is just small enough to work easily within the cylindrical
interior of the tube D. The rear end of the tube is fitted to a countersunk
opening in the centre of a cup n, which is screwed into the interior of the
tube D, and which thus serves to hold the tube in place with its lugs ", 1",
against the plunger, and so to hold the plunger against the head of the tube D.
The length of the tube is the same as that of the pin k, and the plunger m is
of about half that length, so that when the tube is held in place in the manner
above described, and represented in Fig. 1, the pink enters about half way
through the tube l. p is a spring coiled round the tube l, and compressed
against the flange l' thereof by means of a cup q, which is screwed into the
tube D before the cup n, and which has a central opening just large enough
for the tube to pass through; is a plato screwed into the rear end of the
tube D after the insertion of the cup n, and used for closing the rear end of
the cup. The portion of the interior of the tube / not occupied by the pin k
constitutes the chambers for the fulminate and the annular space t between
the cups n and q surrounding the said tube constitutes the chamber for the
sand or other hard granulated material, by the friction of which the fulminate
is to be ignited when the projectile strikes, but these chambers are separated
by the tube and cups n and q, so that there is no communication between
them until the projectile leaves the gun, when what may be termed the lock,
composed of the lugs ", spring p, and plunger m, is unlocked, and the two
chambers are allowed to communicate, as will be presently described.
It is proposed to use in the chambers a mixture of about three parts by
weight of fulminate of silver, and one part of cotton, gun cotton, sawdust, or
other soft material, the soft material being to prevent accidental or premature

page_text: explosion. In the chamber both before and behind the fulminate mixture there
are placed small cushions v, v, or wads of cotton or other soft material, gun
cotton being preferred, at the rear end. The whole tube Z is lined with a piece
of cotton, flannel, or other soft cloth u to form a lining for the chamber s. The
cup n. contains a small charge w of gunpowder to ignite the bursting charge
of the shell, and between this gunpowder and the fulminate mixture in the
chambers there is placed in the mouth of the tube a little fulminate of
quicksilver to insure the ignition of the charge of gunpowder in the cup.n,
tho fulminate of silver sometimes, owing to its extremely rapid combustion,
failing to ignite gunpowder, though it will ignite the fulminate of mercury,
which burning moro slowly and with a stronger flame will ignite the
gunpowder.
The operation of the fuse is as follows:-When the gun is fired and the
projectile is started by the sudden impact of the explosion of the gunpowder,
the inertia of the plunger m causes it to hang back with sufficient force to
break off or bend back the lugs (", ", and so unlock the tubel, and allow it
to be driven forward by the expansion of the spring p, as shown in Fig. 2.
This driving forward of the said tube upon the pin opens the rear end of the
chamber 8 to the chamber t, and causes the pin to expel the contents of the
chambers, and deposit them into the chamber t, or, in other words, the
forward movement of the said tube merges the chambers into the chamber t,
and causes the contents of the two to be mixed, so that when the projectile
strikes, the concussion between the particles of fulminate and the sand or
other hard granular material, may produce the ignition of the fulminate, which
ignites the charge w. The explosion of this charge blows out the disc r, and
produces the ignition of the bursting charge of the projectile. The above-
described forward movement of the tube upon the pin is prevented from
taking place until the projectile has left the gun by the constant acceleration
of the velocity of the projectile as it passes through the bore, which is 50 great
as to prevent the elasticity of the spring from overcoming its own inertia and
that of the tube 1, and the possibility of the explosion of the projectile in tho
gun is thereby prevented, but after the projectile has left the bore of the gun,
and there is no further acceleration of its velocity, the tube is left to tho
influence of the spring p, which drives it forward as far as the head j of the
tube D. The flanged head j may have a recess in its face for the reception
of a Bormann's or other timo fuze.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in pro-
jectiles for ordnance and in fuzes therefor, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of carrying the same

page_text: into effect, I wish it to be understood that, under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, I claim, constructing: projectiles in the manner above.
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lanc.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.).