Improvements in and relating to Cartridges.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1993
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Cartridges.
We, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of Baldwyn's Park, Bexley in the County
of Kent, Engineer, and ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20 Abchurch Lane, in the
City of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in cartridges charged with a sinokeless
explosive.
Certain kinds of smokeless explosives can be readily ignited by a fulminating
primer, provided that they are sufficiently reduced or divided. The combustion of
a finely-divided charge of such an explosive is, however, inconveniently rapid, so
that the resulting pressure in the weapon is too high. To lessen the rate of
combustion, the explosive is employed in a condition of division wherein the pieces
or grains are too large to permit the direct ignition of the charge, in a large
cartridge, by the fulminating primer; for ensuring successful ignition under these
circumstances it is not only necessary that the flame from the primer should come
in direct contact with the explosive but it is also necessary that a considerable
pressure should be set up at practically the same instant, otherwise a proper
explosion of the charge will not occur. This is particularly necessary in large
cartridges, for a primer which would ignite a small charge of smokeless explosive
in a rifle cartridge would completely fail to ignite the same explosive in a larger
cartridge, say, for instance, a cartridge of one inch and a half in diameter.
It is therefore necessary to employ in the larger sizes of cartridges, means, in
addition to the primer, to set up the necessary pressure. Small bags of black
powder have hitherto been employed for that purpose, placed against the primer in
the cartridge. The employment of the said bags and of the black powder for such
a purpose is open to grave objections, inasmuch as they produce a considerable
amount of smoke, which, if they are used in cartridges employed in a machine or
quick-firing gun, very quickly obscures the view of the target.
By the adoption of our improvements hereinafter set forth we are enabled to
employ a coarse smokeless explosive in large cartridges, which may be fired without
the production of smoke, and which generate low initial pressure in the gun.and
impart high muzzle velocity to the projectile.
According to our said invention we employ in substitution for the aforesaid black.
powder a disc or piece of canvas or similar cloth or textile material, which is
thoroughly nitrated, somewhat as in the conversion of cotton into nitro-cellulose.
We place the disc or piece within the cartridge, at the base, and in proximity to
the primer. One, two, or more thicknesses, or one, two, or more discs or pieces of
the said material can be employed, according to the weight and arrangement
of the explosive charge, the diameter of the interior of the cartridge, and the
thickness of the material. A small primer suffices to ignite the said disc or piece
or discs or pieces with great rapidity, and, by the explosion of the same the
necessary pressure is created within the cartridge-case and a thorough ignition of
the charge is effected.
The use of the said thoroughly-nitrated discs or pieces enables uniformity in the
muzzle velocities to be obtained, by reason of the ease and certainty with which
exactly similar pieces, of uniform character, can be manufactured, and because it
admits of the use of the explosive in pieces or grains of large size as compared
with the size of the same as hitherto employed in similar cartridges and ensures
a thorough ignition throughout the entire case... Moreover, the said discs or pieces

page_text: are so formed and so placed in the cartridges that they will not be displaced by any
rough usage to which the said cartridges may be subjected.
The fabric employed for the aforesaid discs or pieces may be thin and may be
nitrated in the ordinary manner. If thick, it should preferably be first treated
in a solution of nitrate of potash, then thoroughly dried, and afterwards nitrated
in the ordinary way.
The preliminary treatment of the fabric by a solution
of nitrate of potash enables thick material to be satisfactorily employed, as the
subsequent treatment ensures the conversion of the whole of it into trinitro-
cellulose.
Dated this 4th day of March 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Cartridges.
We, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of Baldwyn's Park, Bexley, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, and ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20 Abchurch Lane, in the City
of London, Gentleman, 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 :-
.
Our invention relates to improvements in cartridges charged with a s:nokeless
explosive.
Certain kinds of smokeless explosives can be readily ignited by a fulminating
primer, provided that they are sufficiently reduced or divided. The combustion of
a finely-divided charge of such an explosive is, however, inconveniently rapid, so
that the resulting pressure in the weapon is too high. To lessen the rate of
combustion, the explosive is employed in a condition of division wherein the pieces
or grains are too large to permit the direct ignition of the charge, in a large
cartridge, by the fulminating primer. For ensuring successful ignition under these
circumstances it is not only necessary that the flame from the primer should come
in direct contact with the explosive, but it is also necessary that a considerable
pressure should be set up at practically the same instant, otherwise a proper
explosion of the charge will not occur. This is particularly necessary in large
_cartridges, for a primer which would ignite a small charge of smokeless explosive
in a rifle cartridge, would completely fail to ignite the same explosive in a larger
cartridge, say, for instance, a cartridge of one inch and a half in diameter.
It is therefore necessary to employ in the larger sizes of cartridges, means, in
addition to the primer, to set up the necessary pressure. Small bags of black
powder have hitherto been employed for that purpose, placed against the primer in
the cartridge. The employment of the said bags and of the black powder for such
a purpose is open to grave objections, inasmuch as they produce a considerable
amount of smoke which, if they are used in cartridges employed in a machine or
quick-firing gun, very quickly obscures the view of the target or object.
By the adoption of our improvements hereinafter set forth we are enabled to
employ a coarse smokeless explosive in large cartridges, which may be fired without
the production of smoke, and which generate low initial pressure in the gun and
impart high muzzle velocity to the projectile.
According to our said invention we employ in substitution for the aforesaid
black powder a disc or piece of cotton, canvas, or similar cloth or textile material,
which is thoroughly nitrated, somewhat as in the conversion of cotton into nitro-
cellulose. We place the disc or piece within the cartridge, at the base and in
proximity to the primer.
In order that our said invention may be clearly understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with reference, by way of example, to the accompanying

page_text: drawing, which illustrates, in longitudinal central section, a cartridge with our
improvements applied thereto.
A is the case of the cartridge. A¹ is the cap chamber. B is the primer, C is a
disc or piece of canvas or similar cloth or textile material placed in proximity to
the primer and forming, in lieu of the black powder aforesaid, an intermediate
charge. The disc C fits, approximately, the interior of the cartridge. D is the
principal explosive charge. E is the projectile.
The disc C is thoroughly nitrated, somewhat as in the conversion of cotton into
nitro-cellulose. One, two, or more thicknesses, or one, two or more discs or pieces
such as C can be employed, according to the weight and arrangement of the
principal explosive charge, the diameter of the interior of the cartridge, and the
thickness of the material. A small primer suffices to ignite the said disc or piece
or discs or pieces with great rapidity, and, by the explosion of the same the
necessary pressure is created within the cartridge-case and a thorough ignition of
the charge is effected.
The use of the said thoroughly-nitrated discs or pieces enables uniformity in the
muzzle velocities to be obtained, by reason of the ease and certainty with which
exactly similar pieces, of uniform character, can be manufactured, and because it
admits of the use of the explosive in pieces or grains of large size as compared with
the size of the same as hitherto employed in similar cartridges and ensures a
thorough ignition throughout the entire case. Moreover, the said discs or pieces
are so formed and so placed in the cartridges that they will not be displaced by any
rough usage to which the said cartridges may be subjected.
The fabric employed for the aforesaid discs or pieces, if thin, may be nitrated in
the ordinary manner, that is to say, merely dipped into the acids without preliminary
treatment. If thick, it should preferably be first treated in a solution of nitrate of
soda or nitrate of potash, then thoroughly dried, and afterwards nitrated in the
ordinary way. The preliminary treatment of the fabric by a solution of nitrate of
soda or nitrate of potash enables thick material to be satisfactorily employed, as
the subsequent treatment ensures the conversion of the whole of it into trinitro-
cellulose.
Instead of the discs or pieces aforesaid we can employ pulped gun-cotton, or
gun-cotton dust, enclosed in a bag, or between two discs of any suitable material
connected at their circumferences to form a receptacle. The said bag or receptacle
may be of un-nitrated cotton, or silk or shalloon, or it may be of nitrated material.
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. A cartridge, having a charge of nitrated cellulose placed between the principal
explosive charge and the primer, for the purposes specified.
2. A cartridge, having an intermediate charge consisting of a disc or discs of
nitrated cellulose in the form of textile fabric placed between the principal
explosive charge and the primer, for the purposes specified.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.