IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES AND ORDNANCE, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Nelson Hutchinson, of Devonport, in the
County of Devon, a Major-General in Her Majesty's Army, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES AND ORDNANCE, AND IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 30th May 1862, and dated the 7th December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Nelson Hutchinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th December 1861.
to b
WILLIAM NELSON HUTCHINSON, of Devonport, in the County of Devon, a
5 Major-General in Her Majesty's Army, do hereby declare the nature of the
"said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES AND ORDNANCE, AND IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:
"
I
...This Invention relates to a peculiar form of projectile, and ordnance to be
used-therewith, whereby increased range, greater accuracy of aim, and
O increased penetrating power are obtained, combined with lightness, and
economy.. The improved projectile is, of a discoidal form, in place of being
spherical, cylindrical, or conoidal, and may have its circumference or periphery
either bevilled on both sides, so as to present a sharp edge, or made flat, and
of the same width as the minor axis of the disc..
זח
$

page_text: This peculiar form of projectile is equally applicable to solid and hollow shot
and shells of all kinds, and from the peculiar mode of firing the same is par-
ticularly well adapted to be used as red-hot shot.. The discoidal projectile is
intended to be forced from the mouth of a short unchambered barrel, the
length of which need not be much more than is sufficient to contain the
heaviest charge of powder to be used. The sides of the mouth of the barrel
are expanded, to conform partly to the discoidal shape of the projectile, and
they are prolonged beyond the actual muzzle of the gun, so as to form a space
for the reception of the shot, and in order that the expanding gas thus partially
restrained may act the longer on the starting projectile. The discoidal pro-
jectile is inserted edgewise, either in a vertical or horizontal plane, into the
mouth of the gun, and the muzzle of the gun is shaped so as to correspond to
the sharp bevilled edge of the shot which fits up against the wad. The shot
is held in its place in the mouth of the gun by a cord or band of suitable
strength passing round it, which cord is broken or severed by the firing of the
gun. The barrel itself is contained within a wrought-iron cradle or frame
'supported upon a suitable stand and platform, which will admit of the cradle
and barrel pivotting or turning into a convenient position for receiving the
shot. The platform extends considerably beyond the mouth of the gun, and
is capable of the lateral or vertical adjustments required for properly pointing
the
gun. The front portion of the platform carries a series of four guiding
bars supported in suitable standards, which bars serve to guide the shot on
leaving the gun, and impart a rotatory motion thereto on its minor axis, if
shot be so adjusted in the gun that the line of fire be slightly above or below
the centre of gravity of the shot. A simple contrivance is proposed to be
adopted for determining the centre of gravity of the discoidal shot, consisting
of vertical slides, upon which the shot is laid horizontally, and balanced on
different diametrical lines, hence the exact segment in which the centre of
gravity lies can be readily determined. In order to counteract or deaden the
récoil of the gun, a spring is placed between the breech end thereof and the
rear end of the cradle, and the barrel lies upon india-rubber in its cradle, or
by india-rubber bands attached to the frame or platform and to the rear of the
cradle, the barrel being in that case allowed to recoil up an incline plane,
whilst the guiding bars remain stationary on their platform. When very large
projectiles are to be thrown, the muzzle of the gun may be made to enter the
projectile in-lieu of embracing it. In such case that part-of-the-periphery-
where the aperture is left for the muzzle of the gun would require to be
strengthenied:
!
These forms of projectiles and guns are equally applicable to heavy ordnance

page_text: and light field pieces, and in-field practise it is proposed to use a projectile
composed of a number of thin discs placed side by side, which will separate on
being fired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Nelson Hutchinson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NELSON HUTCHINSON, of Devonport, in the County of Devon, a Major-General
in Her Majesty's Army, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Nelson Hutchinson, Her special licence that I, the said
William Nelson Hutchinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Nelson Hutchinson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 Inven
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES AND ORDNANCE, AND IN APPARATUS TO
"BE USED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Nelson Hutchinson, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Nelson Hutchinson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed; that is to
say:
This Invention relates to a projectile of a concentric discoidal form, and to
ordnance to be used for. discharging the same, whereby increased range,
greater accuracy of aim, and increased penetrating power are obtained, cum-

page_text: bined with lightness and economy. The projectile may have its circumference
or periphery either bevilled on both sides, so as to present a sharp edge, or
made flat, and of the same width as the minor axis of the disc. This pro-
jectile can be made solid or hollow, and is applicable to shells of all kinds, and
from the peculiar mode of firing the same is particularly well adapted to be
used as red-hot shot. The discoidal projectile is intended to be forced from
the mouth of a short chambered or unchambered barrel, the length of which
need not be much more than is sufficient to contain the heaviest charge of
powder to be used. The sides of the mouth of the barrel may be expanded, to
conform partly to the discoidal shape of the projectile, and they are prolonged
beyond the actual muzzle of the gun, so as to form a space for the reception
of the shot, and in order that the expanding gas thus partially restrained may
act the longer on the starting projectile. The discoidal projectile is inserted
edgewise, either in a vertical or horizontal plane, into the mouth or muzzle of
the
gun, and the mouth or muzzle of the gun is, as before stated, shaped so
as to correspond to the edge of the shot which fits up against the wad. The
shot is held in its place in the mouth of the gun by a cord or band of suitable
strength passing round it, which cord is broken or severed by the firing of the
gun. The barrel itself is contained within a wrought-iron cradle or framė
supported upon a suitable stand (resting on a platform), which will admit of
the cradle and barrel pivotting or turning into a convenient position for
receiving the shot, and will also admit of the cradle with true barrel being a
little raised or lowered, so that the line of fire may be a little above or a little
below the geometrical centre of the projectile when the gun is loaded. The
platform extends beyond the mouth of the gun, and is capable of the lateral
or vertical adjustments required for properly pointing the gun. The front
portion of the platform carries guiding bars supported in suitable standards,
which bars serve to guide the shot on leaving the gun. A rotary motion on
its minor axis is imparted to the projectile, if it be so adjusted in the gun t that
the line of fire be slightly above or below the centre of gravity, or the
geometrical centre of the shot. I determine the centre of gravity of the
discoidal shot by means of a machine consisting of vertical slides, upon which
the shot is laid horizontally, and balanced on different diametrical lines, hence
the exact segment in which the centre of gravity lies can be readily determined.
In order to counteract or deaden the recoil of the gun, a spring may be placed
-between-the-breech-end-thereof-and-the-rear-end-of-the cradle, and the barrel-
may lie upon india-rubber in its cradle. This cradle is attached to the front
part of the frame or platform by india-rubber bands from its rear, the cradle
with the true barrel being-in that case allowed to recoil up an inclined planė,

page_text: while the guiding. bars remain stationary on their platform. When very large
projectiles are to be thrown, the muzzle of the gun may be made to enter the
projectile instead of embracing it. In such case, should the projectile be
hollow, or a shell, that part of the periphery where the aperture is left for the
muzzle of the gun would require to be strengthened.
J
These forms of guns and projectiles are equally applicable to heavy ordnance
and light field pieces, and sometimes in field practice I use a projectile com-
posed of a number of thin plates fashioned or curved like a boomerang, placed.
side by side, which will separate on being fired.
:
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of a gun con-
structed according to my Invention, mounted upon a field carriage, with one
of the wheels unlimbered, in order to show the parts clearly; Figure 2 is á
vertical section of the barrel of the gun and projectile I prefer to employ.
a, a, is the barrel, the internal form of its mouth is made to correspond with
the shape of projectile to be fired; b, b, is a cradle encircling the barrel a, and
supported upon a rest or stand c, which is connected to a platform or table d,
and this is supported on the carriage e by the trunnions f, f; 9, 9, 9, are
standards or brackets supporting guide bars h, h, which serve to prolong. the
barrel in a skeleton form; i is the projectile; and is a band or strip of some
fabric passing round the front of the projectile for retaining it prior to the
discharge of the gun close to the true barrel or charge chamber. I prefer to
form this band of less strength at that part which passes round the front of
the projectile than at any other, so that it may break freely at that part. lis
a traversing screw for moving the table to the right or left; and m is a screw
for raising or lowering the rear of the platform or table; n is a spring, between
the external rear end of the barrel and the internal rear of the cradle, to lessen
the jar produced by the recoil, and if desired to further reduce this, the barrel
may rest in its cradle on vulcanized india-rubber.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the machine or apparatus I employ for
determining the centre of gravity of the discoided shot. The projectile is first
supported along one of its diameters by the fixture Y; it is then supported in
a diameter at a right angle to the other by means of the slide Z. When great
accuracy is necessary, additional slides can be arranged parallel and close to
the slides X and Z respectively.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not limit myself to
the precise arrangements herein-before described, as, for example, the guns
may be made of any dimensions, and mounted on any conveniently constructed

page_text: carriages; but I claim as "my improvements in projectiles and ordnance,
and in apparatus to be used therewith,"―
First, the construction of projectiles of a concentric discoidal - form, with
their circumference or periphery bevilled, or not bevilled, but made flat, and of
the same width as the minor axis of the projectile, as herein-before described;
and the employment of such projectiles in guns or ordnance constructed with
a barrel supported in a cradle or frame, and terminating in a skeleton barrel
or frame, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
And, second, the employment of an apparatus or machine for determining
the centre. of gravity of discoidal projectiles, constructed in manner herein;
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Nelson Hutchinson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two.
W. N. HUTCHINSON. (L.S.)
Major-General.