Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM ANDERSON of 3 Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to guns mountings in which the gun is carried on oscillating
arms as in what is known as the Moncrieff system.
These mountings I so construct that the supporting arms have to pass somewhat
beyond the perpendicular to bring the gun into firing position so that the gun at the
first part of recoil has to rise some inches which diminishes the strain on the holding
down connections.
The bydraulic cylinder used for checking the recoil I place in front of the arms
and a crosshead attached to the arms I connect to the end of its piston rod.
The cylinder is carried by trunnions received in bearings at the front end of a frame
which at this end turns on a vertical pivot and is supported at its rear end on trucks
or rollers which may be furnished with eccentric spindles so that when the gun is
about to be fired the trucks are put out of gear and the transom at the rear end
of the frame takes a bearing along its whole length.
Beneath the recoil cylinder are carried two storage cylinders in which, rams slide
and are held down by disc springs similar in construction to those described in the
specification of a former Patent granted to me No. 15649 dated Novr. 30th 1886.
A passage is formed from the front of the cylinder to a valve held down by a spring
and which opens towards the storage cylinder, it can be opened by a hand lever but
cannot be prevented from opening.
Projections are cast on the back and front of the piston of the recoil cylinder
which slide into recesses at either end of the cylinder imprisoning liquid which is
allowed to escape gradually to bring the gun to rest in a gradual manner.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Liquid is filled into the cylinder and a
certain initial pressure put on the springs when the gun is up. The gun is then fired
and in recoil the liquid is forced through the valve into the storage cylinder storing

page_text: up sufficient power to raise the gun for the next round the excess being absorbed in
friction of the passages. The valve then closes automatically retaining the liquid in
the storage cylinder and the gun is reloaded-when the loading is completed the valve
is opened and the pressure allowed to act on the piston and raise the gun to the firing
position.
For mountings for forts or ships the storage cylinder can be placed underneath the
mounting or under cover and pipes can be led from the cylinder to it to convey liquid.
For larger guns it would probably be better to have a hollow plunger and
connecting rod working in a fixed cylinder instead of a piston in an oscillating
cylinder.
Di
101
1
1000
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I WILLIAM ANDERSON of 3 Whitehall Place in the City of Westminster Engineer
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:
This invention relates to gun mountings in which the gun is carried on oscillating
arms as in what is known as the Moncrieff system.
These mountings I so construct that the supporting arms have to pass somewhat
beyond the perpendicular to bring the gun into firing position so that the gun at the
first part of recoil has to rise a little before falling which diminishes the strain on the
holding down connection.
The hydraulic cylinder used for checking the recoil I place in front of the arms and
a crosshead attached to the arms I connect to the end of its piston rod.
The cylinder is carried by trunnions received in bearings at the front end of a frame
which at this end turns on a vertical pivot and is supported at its rear end on trucks
or rollers which may be furnished with eccentric spindles so that when the gun is
about to be fired the trucks are put out of gear and the transom at the rear end of the
frame takes a bearing along its whole length.
Beneath the recoil cylinder are carried two storage cylinders in which rams
slide and are held down by disc springs similar in construction to those described
in the specification of a former Patent granted to me No. 15649 dated November
30th 1886.
A passage is formed from the front of the cylinder to a valve held down by a spring
and which opens towards the storage cylinder it can be opened by a hand lever but
cannot be prevented from opening.
Projections are cast on the back and front of the piston of the recoil cylinder
which slide into or on to recesses at either end of the cylinder imprisoning liquid
which is allowed to escape gradually to bring the gun to rest in a gradual manner.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Liquid is filled into the cylinder and
a certain initial pressure put on the springs when the gun is up. The gun is then
fired and in recoil the liquid is forced through the valve into the storage cylinder
storing up sufficient power to raise the gun for the next round the excess being
absorbed in friction of the passages.
the
The valve then closes automatically retaining the liquid in the storage cylinder and
gun is reloaded. When the loading is completed the valve is opened and the
pressure allowed to act on the piston and raise the gun to the firing position.
For mountings for forts or ships the storage cylinder can be placed underneath the
mounting or under cover and pipes can be led from the cylinder to it to convey
liquid.
For larger guns it would probably be better to have a hollow plunger and
connecting rod working in a fixed cylinder instead of piston in an oscillating
cylinder.

page_text: Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed is a side elevation of a gun mounting
constructed in the above manner. The gun is shown in its firing position. Figure 2
is a plan and Figure 3 an end view with some parts cut away. Figure 4 is a
cross section through the recoil and storage cylinders. Figure 5 a side elevation
partly in section of these cylinders and Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of one of
the storage cylinders.
A are the arms upon which the gun is mounted. B is the shaft upon which they
turn and which as shewn in Figure 1 is in rear of the trunnions of the gun when
the gun is in its firing position.
The shaft is supported by a frame C which has sides of steel or iron plate and
angle pieces connected together by a pivot plate D and a rear transom E. F is the
oscillating recoil cylinder in which slides a piston, whose rod passes through the rear
cover and is connected to a cross-head G attached to the arms or levers A.
The trunnions of the cylinder F are received in bearings in the front end of the
frame C as shewn in Figures 1 and 4.
HH are two storage cylinders fixed beneath the cylinder F. H¹ are rams sliding
in these cylinders and forced inwards by springs I as shewn in Figure 6. The
cylinders at their front ends communicate one with the other by a passage not shewn
in the drawing, and one of them is connected by a pipe J with one of the hollow
trunnions of the cylinder F. Where the pipe J enters the storage cylinder a throtting
arrangement is applied by which the recoil can be regulated. In the hollow trunnion
is a valve K hold down by a spring against the end of a passage leading from the
hollow trunnion to the front end of the recoil cylinder. The end of the hollow
trunnion is closed as shown in Figure 4 and through its closed end passes a screw L
by turning which the valve can be drawn away from its seat M is a small tank above
the recoil cylinder and containing liquid which passes into the recoil cylinder in front
of the piston when the piston is drawn back by the recoil of the gun. After the gun
has recoiled and the valve K has been opened to allow liquid to be forced back
from the storage cylinders to the recoil cylinder, the piston is forced forwards to its
former position into the cylinder, and the liquid which has passed into the cylinder
from the tank is forced back into the tank through the small passages N. As the
piston arrives at the end of its stroke a portion of the piston passes over and covers
these openings one after the other and so brings the gun to rest in a gradual manner.
Similarly when the gun recoils it may be gradually brought to rest by a projection
from the piston gradually obstructing the passage of liquid from the cylinder to the
spring loaded valve past which the liquid has to be forced before it enters the storage
cylinders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A disappearing gun mounting in which the gun is allowed to go beyond the
perpendicular in its highest position, so as to diminish the upward strain at the
moment of discharge.
2. A disappearing gun mounting in which power for raising the gun is stored up
during the recoil by springs acting on a hydraulic cylinder.
3. A disappearing gun mounting constructed substantially as hereinbefore described.
W. ANDERSON.