IMPROVEMENTS IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE MOUNTING OF ORDNANCE
Year: 1881

page_text: 'LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Longsdon, of New Broad Street, in the City of
London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH
THE MOUNTING OF ORDNANCE" A communication from abroad by Alfred
Krupp, of Essen, in the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Longsdon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1881.
ALFRED LONGSDON, of New Broad Street, in the City of London: "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE MOUNTING OF ORDNANCE." (A com-
munication from abroad by Alfred Krupp, of Essen, in the Empire of Germany,
Cast-steel Manufacturer.)
The improvements refer to the mounting of ordnance of all calibres, and
particularly to that class of pivot ordnance for which Her Majesty's Letters
Patent were granted to me the 11th April 1878, No. 1441.
According to this present Invention as applied to pivot ordnance the carriage or
cheeks in which the piece of ordnance is mounted is supported and carried by the
pivot shaft.
The carriage or cheeks are provided with collars or bearings in which the piece
of ordnance is free to slide and is adjustable therein. The muzzle end of the gun
is provided with a collar or appliance formed of one or more pieces or parts which
screw on to or are otherwise secured to the muzzle end and extend towards the rear
or breach end as far as considered necessary. This collar or appliance forms
one abutment to cupped or other shaped springs interposed between the other
abutment, which is formed by the collar connected to the carriage or cheek. The
number of the springs and the shape thereof, as well as the material of which
they are made may be varied. Towards the rear end of the piece of ordnance I
place another collar or collars, which forms or form an abutment for another spring
or springs between it or them and the carriage or cheek. When the piece is
Prina Bd1

page_text: discharged the forward springs counteract or take up the recoil, and when the
reaction or expansion thereof takes place the back spring or springs stops concussion
that might otherwise arise from the action of the others or otherwise.
This system for checking and controlling the recoil may be applied to ordnance
of other construction by making the gun without trunnions and causing it to be
contained in a trunnion ring, in which the gun is capable of sliding when fired, the
recoil being checked and contracted by means of collars, as above described in
reference to the pivot arrangement. Instead of cupped or dished springs alone or
in combination with india-rubber or other similar elastic material there may be
employed friction brakes, hydraulic compressors, or any other known means for
checking or taking up the recoil of ordnance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Longsdon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th February
1882.
"
ALFRED LONGSDON, of New Broad Street, in the City of London. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE MOUNTING OF ORDNANCE." (A com-
munication from abroad by Alfred Krupp, of Essen, in the Empire of Germany,
Cast Steel Manufacturer.)
The improvements refer to the mounting of ordnance of all calibres, and
particularly to that class of pivot ordnance for which Her Majesty's Letters
Patent were granted to me the 11th April 1878, No. 1441.
According to this present Invention as applied to pivot ordnance the carriage or
cheeks in which the piece of ordnance is mounted is supported and carried by the
pivot shaft. The carriage or cheeks are provided with collars or bearings in which
the piece of ordnance is free to slide and is adjustable therein. The muzzle end
of the gun is provided with a collar or appliance formed of one or more pieces or
parts, which screw on to or are otherwise secured to the muzzle end, and extend
towards the rear or breech end as far as considered necessary. This collar or
appliance forms one abutment to cupped or other shaped springs interposed
between the other abutment, which is formed by the collar connected to the carriage
or cheek. The number of the springs and the shape thereof, as well as the
material of which they are made, may be varied. Towards the rear end of the
piece of ordnance I place another collar or collars which forms or form an
abatement for another spring or springs between it or them and the carriage or
cheek. When the piece is discharged the forward springs counteract or take up
the recoil, and when the re-action or expansion thereof takes place the back spring
or springs stops concussion that might otherwise arise from the action of the other
springs or otherwise. This system for checking and controlling the recoil may be
applied to ordnance of other construction by making the gun without trunnions and
causing it to be contained in a trunnion ring in which the gun is capable of sliding
when fired, the recoil being checked and controlled by means of collars, as above
described in reference to the pivot arrangement. Instead of cupped or dished
springs alone or in combination with india rubber or other similar elastic material
there may be employed friction brakes, hydraulic compressers, or any other known
means for checking or taking up the recoil of ordnance.
And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood I will describe
the same with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a breech-loading pivot gun, constructed
according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a plan view; Figure 3 an end view, and
Figures 4 and 44 and 5 and 5ª are detail views. The gun A, Figures 1, 2, and 3, is
mounted in a carriage or cheeks F on a pivot G, in the manner described in
my aforesaid Patent Specification, and the trunnion part B has its adjustable
trunnion bearings in the said cheeks F. The muzzle part of the gun has a ring
or sleeve D¹, which is held securely thereon by a screwed collar or nut E. The
ring D' forms an abutment for four combined saucer shaped springs C, the other
abutment being formed by the front end of the trunnion part B, wherein the
gun can slide, but is kept from turning by feather and groove a, b, or otherwise.
C is another saucer shaped combination spring interposed between the trunnion
part B and the collar D² at the rear end of the gun. The form of the springs is
illustrated in Figures 4 and 44, and I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do
not by any means confine myself to the form of spring here shown, as any other
suitable form or forms of springs may be used; neither do I confine myself to the
mode of forming the spring abutments here shown.

page_text: In Figures 5 and 5ª I have shown a different form of the collar D¹ on the muzzle
end of the gun.
The action of this arrangement is as follows:-When the gun is discharged the
forward springs C counteract or take up the recoil, thus partly or wholly relieving
the gun carriage and other parts from the shock; on the other hand, when the
re-action takes place and the gun A returns to its original position, the rear springs C¹
take up the forward thrust, and thus prevent the concussion that otherwise would
take place.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention, and in what
manner the same is performed, I declare that I claim,―
The application of springs to pieces of ordnance in the manner and for the
purpose set forth..
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Longadon, have hereunto set my-
hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
TODA
TANGSDON