IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE RECOIL OF GUNS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALBERT SAUVÉE, of 22 Parliament Street, Westminster in the county of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE RECOIL
OF GUNS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This application having been originally included in Patent N° 16736
20th December 1884.
In the Specification of Patent N° 279 dated 2nd January 1884 which has been
granted to me I claim as part of my Invention the arrangement and disposition of
Brake Cylinders for checking the recoil of Guns.
The improvements in the mode of loading described in my Specification
No 16736 dated 20th December 1884 refers to Naval Gun Carriages as well as to
Gun Carriages for land service. To secure the running out again of the carriage
immediately after the recoil the frames on which the gun carriage slides are
generally formed with an inclination just sufficient to bring back the carriage to
firing position with a reasonable speed under its weight.
As naval gun carriages are submitted to the action of the rolling of the ship this
is provided against by increasing the incline of the slides so that the running out
may be more readily effected. The result is that sometimes the speed of the
running out may become dangerous. This speed is controlled in some gun
carriages by means of brakes worked by the gunners after the recoil.
To secure the automatic running out of the gun at a reasonable speed and
therefore without dangerous shocks I have combined for each one of the best
known systems of hydraulic brakes now in use, some improved means that are
placed inside the brake cylinder and which, without. interfering with the action of
the brake during recoil, allow the running out again with as gentle a speed as
required, this improved arrangement constituting at the same time a hydraulic
cushion for completely stopping the carriage.

page_text: These improvements are shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Sheet 1) in which the
cylinders are supposed to be movable and the piston rods fixed. Inside the
cylinder C is fixed a bar c. The under face of this bar is so curved that when
passing from one side to the other of the piston during recoil the liquid remains at
a constant pressure. The piston P is slotted at d to let the bar c go through, and
which forms the opening with a section varying with the position of the piston and
through which the liquid passes from one side to the other of the piston.
Inside the piston P itself I place a small vertical piston p acted on by a light
spring which has a tendency to press the rod p' against the bar. The cylindrical
recess in which is fitted the small piston is provided with two openings one e on the
rod side and the other e¹ on the opposite side. The end p¹ of the small piston is
turned so as to have a small circular groove which acts for the outlet of water for
the running out; this outlet can be made as small as required.
A back rod P' placed in the same axis as the piston rod forms with the hollow
cylinder G bored in plug H the hydraulic buffer for the running out of the
gun.
As soon as the gun is fired, as the hydraulic cylinder is fixed to the carriage it
recoils with it, and the piston rod being a fixture, the liquid compressed in C runs
between the opening d and the bar c, the area of the opening increasing up to c¹
and at c it is completely closed again: during that time the pressure which is put
on small piston p through the opening e forces down this piston and in doing so the
outlet opening is completely opened.
When the carriage runs itself out again the pressure soon becomes strong enough
at c¹ to lift up the small piston in passing through the opening el, the speed of the
running out of the carriage being in proportion to the speed of the water flowing
through the groove at the top of piston rod p¹.
As soon as the short back rod P₁ enters the cylinder G the liquid in this cylinder
can only escape through the annular space between the cylinder and the rod and by
its increasing pressure it will completely stop the carriage.
Fig. 2 represents a similar arrangement of brake to the above, the bar inside
being done away with, but the cylinder has a groove on a similar plan to the bar
so as to vary the opening through which the liquid flows. The working of the
brake is identical to the first.
Fig. 3 represents an arrangement specially adapted to hydraulic brakes with
variable openings known as Vavasseur's. In this case the valve V which receives
a rotary motion by means of two helicoidal grooves cut inside the cylinder regulates
the area of the opening through which the liquid passes from one side of the piston
to the other.
To moderate the speed of the carriage when running out I alter the outlet
openings so that they pass through the piston and open into a recess provided in
the axis of the piston, where I place a valve S which rises during recoil to allow
the flow of the liquid from one side of the piston to the other; during the running
out under the action of a small spring and also of the pressure of the liquid at the
back of the piston this valve closes again and the liquid can only flow through the
small openings o bored in the piston or in the valve and their area is such that the
running out can only be effected at a considerably reduced speed: When arrived at
the position shown on plan, the carriage will be stopped as in the previous cases, as
the liquid cannot pass from G to C'.
In the case of brakes formed with openings closed by a valve acted on by springs
as shown in Fig. 4 1 simply bore one or two small holes o and o¹ in the valve S,
the area of these holes being so calculated that the carriage runs out at a moderate
speed. The piston carries also a short back rod P¹ which in working into the
recess G completely stops the carriage.
When the brake is provided with openings whose area does not vary the same
principle can still be adapted for the running out. Fig 5 represents one of these
brakes with, say four openings, I make the piston P to move on its rod and guide
it during its movement by a feather fixed on the rod. On this rod are mounted

page_text: two discs R and R¹. In the disc R³ are bored four holes corresponding to those on
the piston P. When the carriage recoils the pressure of the liquid bears on C and
presses the piston P on the disc R' and the liquid flows through the four holes in R'
and P; when the carriage runs out again P presses on R and the liquid can only
flow through one hole.
Another arrangement shown in Fig 6 allows me to obtain the same effect as when
the piston is bored with ordinary holes. Inside the piston P I make four openings
with a form as shown in the drawings. Four small movable pistons c are bored
with very small holes o¹ and calculated for the running out.
Opposite these four small pistons are four plugs a with very small openings o in
them. The four small pistons have also four grooves cut out on their periphery
and they can either bear on their seats or against the plugs a and the liquid passes
through the grooves e of the small pistons; on the contrary when the carriage runs
out the cylinders return to their position and the liquid can only pass through the
openings o.
In these two last arrangements I also use a short back rod P¹ working in a recess
to completely stop the carriage and act as a cushion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use of the well known bydraulic brake with tapered rods in combination
with small valves in the piston to check the running out, all substantially as herein
described and shown in the drawings.
2. The use of the well known hydraulic brake with grooves in the cylinders
in combination with small valves in the piston to check the running out, all
substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings.
3. The use of the well known Vavasseur hydraulic brake in combination with a
valve in the piston to check the running out, all substantially as herein described
and shown in the drawings.
4. The use of the well known hydraulic brake with loaded valves in combination
with small holes in the valves to check the running out, all substantially as herein
described and shown in the drawings.
5. The combination of the usual hydraulic brake with orifices closed partially
by a movable piston or valves to check the running out, all substantially as herein
described and shown in the drawings.
6. The use with all these hydraulic brakes of a hydraulic buffer to stop the
carriage at its firing position when running out, all substantially as herein described
and shown in the drawings.