IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES AND IN GUNS OR ORDNANCE USED FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bessemer, of Old Saint Pancras Road, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES
AND IN GUNS OR ORDNANCE USED FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bessemer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Pétition, on the
24th November 1854.
I, HENRY BESSEMER, of Old Saint Pancras Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROJECTILES, AND IN GUNS OR ORDNANCE USED FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME," to be
as follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly, to that kind of projectiles which are of
an elongated or cylindrical form, and consist in imparting to such projectiles
a rotary motion about their longer axes during their passage through the air
without the aid of rifle grooves, or any deviation from the true cylindrical bore
of the gun. To effect this object, I make a suitable passage or passages in the
projectile parallel to its axis, and open at that end of it which is nearest to
the breech of the gun; through these openings a part of the exploded charge
of powder finds its way, and is emitted from the opposite sides of the projectile
in the direction of a tangent to its circumference, whereby the reactive force
of the exploded gunpowder produces a rotary motion of projectile in an oppo-
site direction to that in which the gaseous matters are emitted from it; or in
lieu of this, the projectile itself may be made to contain a separate charge, the

page_text: explosion or combustion of which will produce a like effect. When applying
this principle to projectiles of the rocket class, I prefer to make the holes for
the emission of the gaseous matters near to the front or foremost end of the
projectile, but in a direction pointing to the back part of it, the holes being in
a slanting or spiral direction, so as to produce a rotation of the rocket-simul-
taneously with its forward motion. In-order-that the charge of powder used
in firing projectiles may produce a greater mechanical effect thereon than ordi-
nary,
I use a gun whose bore is larger in diameter than the projectile which is
to be fired from it. The projectile is fitted into a cylindrical case of wood or
other suitable material. This case is also accurately fitted to the gun, and
thus it presents a larger area for the powder to act upon than would be pre-
sented by the projectile alone; the case may be used either for cylindrical or
spherical shots. The increase of weight caused by the elongated form of pro-
jectiles as compared with the spherical ball of the same diameter renders it
necessary that a large charge of powder should be used; I therefore increase
the internal diameter of the bore of the gun at the breech end of it, or I
form that part into a spherical chamber, the entrance to which is not less than
the full diameter of the bore. When cylindrical or other elongated projectiles
are used, their weight will be much greater than a spherical shot of the same
diameter; this circumstance renders it necessary that an increase should also
be made in the weight and strength of the gun. This increase of weight
would be productive of great inconvenience in the removal of the gun over
bad roads, or in a marshy or mountainous district; I therefore construct guns,
the barrels of which are composed of two, three, or more pieces of a convenient
weight, which are bolted together by flanges and "lugs," having steel or iron
bolts passing through them. In order to insure sufficient accuracy, the flanges
are turned, and each piece is made to fit a short distance into the other; I
also use lead or other packing, fitted into an annular groove, to keep the joint
as air-tight as possible. To avoid any undue strain on the bolts, by the action
of the exploded powder between the joints, I make the flanges approach
each other as nearly as possible at the central part of them, beyond which I
form an annular recess on the face of the flange, from which there are radial
openings, so that whatever gaseous matters escape from the central part may
find an easy egress through them without exerting much expansive force upon
the joints. By this mode of forming the gun of various parts, I am enabled
to use wrought iron and steel in some cases, and thus form a gun of great
strength, the parts of which are of comparatively little weight, while it also
admits of the various parts being made of the metals most suitable to resist
the peculiar strain and wear to which they are severally subjected when in use.

page_text: In order to facilitate the removal of. the different parts of which the gun is
composed, I construct a suitable carriage for each piece, and so fix them
thereon as to be in a convenient position for being wheeled up to and placed
in juxtaposition with the piece to which it is to be screwed. The gun is
supported on trunnions, which rest in a low carriage or truck, the wheels of
which run on rails, secured to a massive timber frame, so that the gun may
be run out freely after the recoil.. The rail frame has a movement laterally at
one end; by, which means the gun may be pointed as required: For the facility
of loading and cleansing the gun, I so construct its carriage as to admit of
its turning entirely round in a horizontal direction, either on a-smooth metal
circular slide or on wheels. The foundation frame has on it graduations,
numbered in' such a manner that the position of the rail frame may be brought
at any time to a known point, while on the trunnion a pointer is also used
to indicate the exact elevation, so that the gun may be used at night, and
be directed to any desired point which had been ascertained, and noted during
the day-light..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Bessemer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BESSEMER, of Baxter House, Old Saint Pancras Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Bessemer, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Bessemer, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Bessemer, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES,
AND, IN, GUNS OR ORDNANCE USED FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Bessemer, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: ANOW 10, that 1, the said fenry Dessemer, do nereby 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
thereof (that is. to say):-
My improvements relate, firstly, to that kind of projectiles which are of an
elongated or cylindrical form, and consist in imparting to such projectiles a
rotary motion about their longer axes during their passage through the air
without the aid of rifle grooves, or any deviation from the true cylindrical bore
of the gun. To effect this object,. I make a suitable passage or passages in
the projectile parallel to its axis, and open at that end of it which is nearest
to the breech of the gun.. Through these openings a part of the exploded
charge of powder finds its way, and is emitted from the opposite sides of
the projectiles in the direction of a tangent..to its circumference, whereby the
reactive force of the exploded gunpowder produces a rotary motion of tlie
projectile in an opposite direction to that in which the gaseous matters are
emitted from it.
In order that the construction of the said projectiles may be fully under-
stood, I have represented one of them on Sheet A of the annexed Drawings;
F gure 1 being a longitudinal elevation; Figure 2, a similar elevation, taken
in a direction at right angles to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross section
on the line 1 and 2 of Figure 1. a is the foremost end of the projectile;
b, b, are two passages formed therein on opposite sides, and parallel with
its longer axis; c, c, are short passages, at right angles to the passages b,
and which communicate with them, so that a line passing through the
passages c will form a tangent with the cylindrical part of the projectile; at
the parts marked d a space is formed for the more' ready expansion of the
issuing gases. I prefer that the projectile be truly turned, so as to fit the bore
of the gun; although I have shown only two main passages 6, a greater number
may be used.
As the weight of such clongated projectiles may in some cases be found too
great for the guns now in use, in such cases I form in them a hollow chamber,
so as to reduce them to the desired weight. A projectile, made on this plan is
also shown on Sheet A, Figure.4, which is an elevation of the same; and
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 6 a cross section. e, e, e, are
the passages for the gases to escape by; f is the hollow chamber to reduce
the weight; and g. shows one of the emission apertures which are formed
in the conical end. of the projectile..

page_text: fit the gun, so as to prevent as far as possible the loss of power.by windage.
The
space allowed may be made about one-half of what is generally allowed
for spherical shot of the same diameter, in which case the area of .the escape
passages added to the area of the space between the projectile and the gun
will be about equal to the area allowed at present for windage in the common
spherical ball, and hence no inconvenience will be felt from loss of power;
or, in lieu of the passages communicating with the charge of powder in, the
gun, the projectile itself may be made to contain a separate charge of powder
within it, the explosion of which simultaneously with the firing of the gun
will produce a rotary motion of the projectile by the escape of the exploded
gases through tangential openings, as before.described. This modification of
the projectile is shewn at Figure 7, Sheet A, which is a longitudinal section;
n is the chamber for the contained charge of powder; i, a small passage
leading to it, and through which its contents are inflamed at the time it is
fired off; j,j, are passages for the emission of the charge contained in the
chamber. When applying this principle to projectiles of the rocket class,
I prefer to make the holes for the emission of the gaseous matters near,.to
the front or foremost end of the projectile, but in a direction pointing to the
back part of it, the holes being in a slanting or spiral direction, so as to
produce a rotation of the rocket simultaneously with its forward motion. In
order that the charge of powder used in firing projectiles may produce.a
greater mechanical effect thereon than ordinary, I use a gun whose bore is
larger in diameter than the projectile which is to be fired from it. The
pro-
jectile is fitted into a cylindrical case of wood, or other suitable material; this
case is also accurately fitted to the gun, and thus it presents a larger area for
the powder to act upon than would be presented by the projectile alone.
The case may be used either for cylindrical or spherical shots. The appli-
cation of this principle to a common spherical ball is represented in section
in Figure 8, Sheet A, where l is the ball, and m is a ring of iron attached to
the piece of wood n, which forms a seat for the ball to rest in, while its
external part fits the gun, and thus presents an area for the exploded gun-
powder to act upon larger than that which the ball itself presents to the
atmospheric resistance. In some cases the iron ring may be omitted, and
the shield in which the ball is enclosed may be made of any suitable light
material, and of greater depth, as shown in Figure 9, Sheet A, where it is
represented in section. The increase of weight caused by the elongated.
form of projectiles, as compared with the spherical ball of the same diameter,
renders it necessary that a large charge of powder should be used; I

page_text: therefore increase the internal diameter of the bore of the gun at the breech
end of it, or I form that part into a spherical chamber, the entrance to which
is not less than the full diameter of the bore. In order that this mode of
forming chambers in guns may be fully understood, I have shown at Figure 10,
Sheet A, of the annexed Drawings, a section of the breech end of a gun so
constructed, where o is the chamber, of a cylindrical form, one_end_thereof
being closed and the other communicating with the bore of the gun, a portion
of the chamber at o" being bevilled, so as to fill up the angle that would other-
wise be formed at the point of junction of the chamber and the bore of the
gun. In Figure 11, Sheet A, the chamber p is shewn of a spherical form,
which presents a smaller surface to the exploded powder than any other form
containing a like quantity of powder.
It will be observed that in both cases the entrance to the chamber is of the
full size of the bore of the gun; in order that the elastic gases formed therein
may act freely on the projectile. In all cases where these enlarged chambers
are formed in guns, care must be taken to strengthen the breech, of the gun
by an additional thickness of metal at that part. I would also observe that
the powder should be put into a bag capable of adapting itself to the form.
of the chamber when rammed home. When cylindrical or other elongated
projectiles are used, their weight will be much greater than a spherical shot of
the same diameter; this circumstance renders it necessary that an increase
should also be made in the weight and strength of the gun. This increase of
weight would be productive of great inconvenience in the removal of the gun
over bad roads, or in a marshy or mountainous: district; I therefore construct
guns, the barrels of which are composed of two, three, or more pieces, of a
convenient weight, which are bolted together by flanges and "lugs," having
steel or iron bolts passing through them. In order to insure sufficient accuracy
the flanges are turned, and each piece is made to fit a short distance into the
other; I also use lead or other packing, fitted into an annular groove, to keep
the joint as air-tight as possible. To avoid any undue strain on the bolts by
the action of the exploded powder between the joints, I make the flanges
approach each other as nearly as possible at the central part of them, beyond
which I form an annular recess on the face of the flange, from which there are
radial openings, so that whatever gaseous matter's escape from the central part
may find an easy egress through them without exerting much expansive force
upon the joints. By this mode of forming the gun of various parts, I am
enabled to use wrought iron and steel in some cases, and thus form a gun of
great strength, the parts of which are of comparatively little weight, while it
also admits of the various parts being made of the metals most suitable to

page_text: resist the pecumar stram and wear to which they are severany, subjected
.
to when in use. In order that this mode of constructing guns may be
fully understood, I have shewn details thereof on Sheet B of the annexed
Drawings;. where, Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a cross section on the line
A, B, of Figure 4; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the breech end of the
gun, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section thereof. The gun, in the
example shown,. consists of three principle parts, namely, the breech piece A,
the trunnion piece B, and the muzzle piece .C; on each. piece is formed
a series of lugs or projecting parts D, which terminate in a wide flange E,
running entirely round each piece, in order that the different parts forming
the gun may be kept accurately in place; a raised part is made. at A* on
the breech piece A, which fits into a recess B* in the trunnion piece B, and
so in like manner the junction of the trunnion piece B with the muzzle
piece C is effected; the whole of these parts should be turned truly, so that
each piece is made to fit firmly against the other. The lugs D have holes
bored through them to receive the large screw bolts F; these bolts have a
solid head F, at one end, a screw thread at the other, to which the nuts
G are fitted. These nuts are of a cylindrical form, as shown in Figure 5;
they have grooves or key-ways formed on the outside, by means of which. they
are firmly held by the spanner, used to tighten them; to prevent the..jarring
loose of these nuts, a jamb nut His fitted to a left-handed screw on the end
of the bolts F. I, I, are semicircular annular recesses formed on the ends of
the pieces A, B, and C, for the purpose of receiving any gases that may find
their way between their surfaces; from these recesses the gases, can escape-by
radial passages J; leading to the outside of the gun, so that the pressure of the
gases so escaping is exerted only on an area included within the annular
recesses I. In order to facilitate the removal of the different parts of, which
the gun is composed, I construct a suitable carriage for each piece, and so fix
them thereon as to be in a convenient position for being wheeled up,to,and.
placed in juxtaposition with the piece to which it is to be screwed; for this
purpose I form a four-wheeled carriage, as represented in side elevation at
Figure 12, and in end elevation at Figure 13, Sheet A, of the annexed
Drawings. K, K, are the carriage wheels, which have stout axletrees L, L;
passing through their naves, and resting on these axletrees is a bed N,
hollowed out in its upper side, so as to correspond with the curved exterior of
the gun. M, M, are two moveable stop pieces, morticed into. the .bed to
prevent the slipping off of the load, which, in the case represented, consists
of the muzzle end of the gun; there are ring bolts at N*, for the purpose of
passing a rope through, so as to lash the gun-piece firmly to the carriage, and

page_text: in this way each piece of the gun may be conveyed separately to the place
where the main gun carriage is erected. The gun is supported on trunnions,
which rest in a low carriage or truck, the wheels of which run on rails secured
to a massive timber frame, so that the gun may be run out freely after the
recoil: The-rail-frame has a movement laterally at one end, by which means
the
gun may be pointed as required. For the facility of loading and cleansing
the gun, I so construct its carriage as to admit of its turning entirely round
in a horizontal direction, either on a smooth metal circular slide or on wheels.
The foundation frame has on it graduations, numbered in such a manner that
the position of the rail frame may be brought at any time to a known point;
while on the trunnion a pointer is also used to indicate the exact elevation, so
that the gun-may- be used at.night, and be directed to any desired point which
had been ascertained and noted during the day-light. The particular form of
the gun, carriage which I. prefer to use for guns of heavy weight, and con-
structed in several parts, as before described, is represented in Sheet A of the
annexed Drawings, where Figure 14 is a side elevation of the gun mounted on
its carriage and frame, and Figure 15 is a plan of the same.
P is the gun,
composed of three parts, bolted together, its trunnions resting on a carriage Q,
which is supported on wheels R; these are provided with flanges, as is usual
with wheels which run on rails. S, S, is a stout timber framing, consisting
chiefly of two stout timbers, which are parallel to each other, on which flat
iron bar rails are screwed, so as to form guides for the carriage wheels to run
on; the frame S is made higher at one end than at the other, in order that
the force of the recoil may be in part taken up by the whole mass having to
ascend an inclined plane, which will also have the effect of rendering it more
easy to run out the gun, as it will then have to descend an inclined plane. The
frame S is supported upon another piece of frame-work T, which should be
firmly bedded on the ground; a large iron pin U passes through one end of the
frame S, and is fastened to the frame T, where it forms a centre of motion for
the frame S to turn upon; the other end of the frame S rests upon the curved
part T of the lower frame-work; this curved part is graduated, as shown.
On the trunnion of the gun I have also placed a pointer, with a graduated
quadrant beneath it, formed on one side of the carriage frame, so that whenever
any particular direction of the gun, which has been found serviceable during
the continuance of day-light, may be given to it in the dark, if the indicator on
the two graduated arcs are noted, and the gun pointed in accordance with such
indications.
Having now described the several parts of my said Invention, and the
manner. in which the same are carried into effect, I wish it understood that

page_text: I do not confine myself to the precise details herein specified, so long as
the peculiar-character-of-my-said-Invention be retained; but what I do
claim,
-
Firstly, is giving a rotary motion to projectiles used in ordnance of various
kinds by the reactive force occasioned by the emission of a part of the exploded
charge of powder used to propel the said projectile, the gases so emitted passing
through tangential apertures formed therein, as described.
Secondly, I claim giving a rotary motion to projectiles used in ordnance of
various kinds by exploding a charge of powder within them simultaneously
with the explosion of the usual charge contained in the piece of ordnance, and
by causing the gases produced by the charge contained in the projectile to
escape therefrom by tangential apertures.
Thirdly, I claim the mode herein described of causing the exploded powder
used in ordnance to act upon a larger propelling surface than is presented by
the projectile, by encasing it in the manner described.
Fourthly, I claim the use of chambers in ordnance used to discharge
elongated projectiles, the entrance to such chambers being equal in size to the
bore of the gun.
Fifthly, I claim the making of ordnance in parts or sections, which parts
are held together by bolts passing through lugs and flanges, as described; also
the mode herein described of insuring the proper relative position of such parts;
and also the use of channels or spaces for the purpose of lessening the pressure
of the exploded powder between the surfaces of any two separate parts of
such piece of ordnance; and also the construction of separate carriages suitable
for 'the separate parts of which a gun is constructed as herein described.
Sixthly, 1 claim the mode herein described of mounting heavy guns formed
of parts or sections on rails and frames.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bessemer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
B. GOBEY,
4, Old Square, Lincoln's Inn.
HENRY BESSEMER. (L.S:)