Improvements in Tripod Mountings for Machine Guns.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1900-Accepted, 16th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Tripod Mountings for Machine Guns.
We, Sir W. G. ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTH & COMPANY, LIMITED, Manufacturing
Engineers, ALBERT GEORGE HADCOCK, late R.A., and RALPH THEW BRANKSION,
Engineer, all of Elswick Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, do hereby declare the
nature of his invention to be as follows:-
This mounting is designed so that a machine gun can be mounted and fired
on it, either when standing on its three legs, or when the legs are lying flat on
the ground; the first position being suitable for a gunner when seated on the
rear leg of the tripod, the second position being suitable for a gunner lying prone.
It is so arranged that, when the legs are lying flat on the ground they form
convenient handles for carrying the gun and mounting in "litter fashion."
The legs of the tripod can also be folded close together forming a compact load
when carried on a pack saddle.
The mounting consists of a carriage in which are formed bearings for the
gun trunnions, this carriage is capable of revolving round a pivot giving an
all round training movement to the gun; the pivot can be adjusted and clamped
vertically, no matter what position the mounting may be in or the slope of the
ground on which it may be placed. This is effected, by means of a universal
joint, the bottom of the pivot being formed into a ball-socket, and in this socket
is a ball which is fixed to the tripod top. The ball is hollow and a conical
wedge is screwed into it from underneath which causes the ball to expand and
grip tightly in the ball socket, thus preventing all movement when the gun
is fired: the top half of the ball has one or more slits or saw cuts in it which
allows the ball to expand under the action of the wedge, and the pivot has
a spirit level fixed into it, by means of which the pivot is brought exactly vertical
before being clamped. The carriage is also fitted with two clamps, one for
clamping the training movement, the other for clamping the elevating move-
ment of the gun.
The tripod consists of three tubular legs and a tripod top, the rear leg being
fixed to the tripod top and the two front legs hinged to it; the axes of these
hinges being inclined to each other in such a manner that when folded back,
these legs come together against the rear leg, and when moved forward they
become sufficiently wide apart to allow a man to walk between them when
carrying the mounting.
Each hinge of the front legs is disc shaped and is held on to a face on the tripod
top by a bolt and spring washer giving a certain amount of resistance to the
movement of the legs. The legs are locked in any of the three positions
required by means of a spring bolt which engages in notches cut in the edge
of the disc.
The rear leg of the tripod is fitted with a collapsible seat which can be folded
down on to the rear leg when not required; the seat is hinged at the front to the
leg and a ferrule or sleeve capable of sliding on the rear leg is connected to the

page_text: rear of the seat by two links, the movement of this ferrule to the rear raises
the seat into position while the movement of the ferrule forward folds the seat
on to the leg.
Sometimes we modify the arrangement of the ball and socket as previously
described and instead of the vertical pivot being attached to the ball-socket and
the ball to the tripod, we reverse the arrangement and attach the ball to the ver-
tical pivot and the ball socket to the tripod top. We also sometimes form an
eye on the tripod top, in which a horizontal axletree may be fitted and which
may be provided with wheels for travelling on roads. This axle tree with
the wheels removed from it, is sometimes used for supporting a shield to protect
the gunner when seated on the tripod. The shield, or shields, are flat or curved
plates, the bottom edges of which rest on the ground and are sloped backwards,
and rest against the axle tree to keep them from falling.
In a second modification of the universal joint for adjusting the vertical
pivot the ball and socket is replaced by a gimbal joint, in which
the bottom end of the vertical pivot is forked and hinged so that
the pivot may be adjusted in a forward or rearward direction; inside
the fork of the pivot is another hinge at right angles to the first, and this allows
the pivot to be adjusted sidewise. A clamping bolt passes through both hinges
in such a manner that when it is screwed up it clamps both hinges and prevents
all movement when the gun is fired.
Dated 14h day f Luust 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tripod Mountings for Machine Guns.
We, SIR W. G. ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTH & COMPANY, LIMITED, Manufacturing
Engineers, ALBERT GEORGE HANCOCK, late R.A., and RALPH THEW BRANKSTON,
Engineer, all of Elswick Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mounting and Figure 2 is a rear elevation
with the gun removed.
This mounting is designed so that a machine gun can be mounted and fired on
it, either when standing on its three legs a ab as shown in Figures 1 and 2 or
when the legs are lying flat on the ground as shown in Figure 3, the first posi-
tion being suitable for a gunner when seated on the rear leg b of the tripod, the
second position being suitable for a gunner lying prone. It is so arranged that,
when the legs are lying flat on the ground they form convenient handles for
carrying the gun and mounting in "litter fashion." The legs of the tripod can
also be folded close together forming a compact load when carried on a pack
saddle
The mounting consists of a carriage e in which are formed bearings d for the
gun trunnions, the carriage is capable of revolving round a pivot giving an
all round training movement to the gun. This pivot is shown in vertical section
to a larger scale in Figure 4 and in rear elevation in Figure 5. The pivot

page_text: can be adjusted and clamped vertically no matter what position the mounting
may be in or the slope of the ground on which it may be placed. This is effected
by means of a universal joint, the bottom of the pivot being formed into a ball-
socket c and in this socket is a ball f which is fixed to the tripod top g. The
ball is hollow and a conical wedge is screwed into it from underneath, which
causes the ball to expand and grip tightly in the ball socket, thus preventing
all movement when the gun is fired; the top half of the ball f has one or more
slits or saw cuts f in it which allows the ball to expand under the action of
the wedge, and the pivot el has a spirit level e fixed into it, by means of which
the pivot is brought exactly vertical before being clamped. The carriage c is
also fitted with two clamps c¹ ca, c¹ for clamping the training movement, for
clamping the elevating movement of the gun.
The tripod consists of three tubular legs aab and a tripod top g, the rear leg b
being fixed to the tripod top and the two front legs hinged to it; the axes of
these hinges being inclined to each other as shown in Figure 2 in such a manner
that when folded back, these legs come together against the rear leg, and
when moved forward they become sufficiently wide apart to allow a man to walk
between them when carrying the mounting.
Each hinge a of the front legs is disc shaped as shown in Figures 6 and 7
and is held on to a face g' on the tripod top g by a bolt j and spring washer j¹
giving a certain amount of resistance to the movement of the legs. The legs
are locked in any of the three positions required by means of a spring bolt k
which engages in notches 2 in the edge of the disc a¹.
The rear leg of the tripod is fitted with a collapsible seat 7 which can be
folded down on to the rear leg when not required; the seat is hinged at the
front to the leg and a ferrule or sleeve m capable of sliding on the rear leg
is connected to the rear of the seat by two links n, the movement of this ferrule
to the rear raises the seat into position as shown in Figure 1 while the movement
of the ferrule forward folds the seat on to the leg as shown in Figure 3.
Sometimes we modify the arrangement of the ball and socket as previously
described and instead of the vertical pivot el being attached to the ball socket e
and the ball f to the tripod, we reverse the arrangement and attach the ball f
to the vertical pivot e¹ and the ball-socket e to the tripod top. This arrangement
is shown in Figure 8.
a
We also sometimes form an eye o Figure 8 on the tripod top in which
horizontal axle-tree may be fitted and which may be provided with
wheels for travelling on roads. This axle tree with the wheels
removed from it, is sometimes used for supporting a shield to protect the gunner
when seated on the tripod. The shield or shields, are flat or curved plates, the
bottom edges of which rest on the ground and are sloped backwards, and rest
against the axle tree to keep them from falling.
In a second modification of the universal joint for adjusting the vertical pivot
shown in Figures 9 and 10 the ball and socket is replaced by a gimbal joint,
in which the bottom end of the vertical pivot el is forked at e2e2 and hinged so
that the pivot may be adjusted in a forward or rearward direction; inside the
fork of the pivot is another hinge at right angles to the first, and this allows
the pivot to be adjusted sidewise. This hinge is formed of the split sleeve pp
and of the slotted tube g. The inside of the sleeve and the outside of the tube
are grooved to prevent longitudinal movement. A clamping bolt r passes
through both hinges in such a manner that when it is screwed up it clamps
both hinges and prevents all movement when the gun is fired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
--
1. The combination substantially as described of the vertical pivot and the
ball and socket joint.

page_text: 2. The use in apparatus such as is referred to in Claim 1 of a split ball and a
wedge for expanding it.
3. The combination substantially as described of the hinges for the legs and
the spring bolts for locking them.
4. The collapsible seat substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
5. Tripod mountings substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of May 1900.
SIR W. G. ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTH, & Co., LIMITED,
W. NOBLE,
A. G. HADCOCK,
R. T. BRANKSTON.
Director,
T. M. FALKNER,
Secretary.