BREAD LOADING ORDNANCE
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Vavasseur, of the London Ordna n
Works, Southwark Street, London, S.E., for the Invention of
BREAD LOADING ORDNANCE"
" TunnAKEYENOO
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Vavasseur at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th July 1872.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of the London Ordnance Works, Southwark
Street, London, S.E., do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE," to be as follows :-
Heretofore in breech-loading ordnance the escape of gas at the breech
has been stopped by what is called a gas ring, which is fitted into a
recess in the breech end of the gun and rests against the face of the
wedge or block by which the breech is closed. In order also that the back
face of the gas ring may adapt itself to and fit truly against the face of
the wedge or block, the exterior circumference of the ring has been made
spherical and the ring has been received into a corresponding recess.
In

page_text: some cases also the ring has been caused to bear against a plate let into
a recess in the wedge or block, and to compensate for the wear arising
from the repeated movements of opening and closing the breech it has
been usual to introduce between this plate and the wedge or block
packings of paper, and as the wear increases packings of sheet metal.
To obviate the necessity of these packings, I employ a gas ring with
the exterior surface, or the part fitting into the recess in the gun, parallel,
so as to allow by the movement of this ring for the wear of the wedge or
block and the gradual diminution of its thickness, but as the wear of the
wedge may not be equal I make that part of the gas ring plate which
bears against the bottom of the recess in the wedge or block spherical,
so that should the wedge or block wear more at one part than another
the gas ring plate will adjust itself to this unequal wear so as always to
present a surface parallel to the face of the gas ring, so that while the
gas ring moves along the recess in the chamber of the gun to allow for
the diminution of the thickness of the wedge or block the gas ring plate
adjusts itself on its seat so as to allow for unequal wear, and while
bearing fairly and evenly in the recess always presents a surface parallel
to the face of the gas ring, thus preventing the escape of gas when the
gun is fired and entirely obviating the necessity for the use of
packings.
The gas ring plate is kept in its place by means of a bolt passing
through the wedge or block; the nut of this bolt is recessed into the
back of the wedge and bears against a spherical surface struck from the
same centre as the spherical surface of the recess for the gas ring plate
in the front of the wedge. This allows the nut to move with the gas
ring plate, and always keeps the plate close back in the recess whatever
position it may assume through the unequal wear of the wedge or
block.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Josiah Vavasseur in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
VAVASSEUR, of the London Ordnance Works, Southwark Street, London,
S.E., send greeting.
E

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Josiah Vavasseur, Her special license
that I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, my
executors, administrators, 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 Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters

page_text: To obviate the necessity of these packings, I employ a gas ring with
the exterior surface, or the part fitting into the recess in the gun, parallel,
so as to allow by the movement of this ring for the wear of the wedge or
block and the gradual diminution of its thickness, but as the wear of
the wedge may not be equal I make that part of the gas ring plate
which bears against the bottom of the recess in the wedge or block
spherical, so that should the wedge or block wear more at one part than
another the gas ring plate will adjust itself to this unequal wear so as
always to present a surface parallel to the face of the gas ring, so that
while the gas ring moves along the recess in the chamber of the gun to
allow for the diminution of the thickness of the wedge or block the gas
ring plate adjusts itself on its scat so as to allow for unequal wear, and
while bearing fairly and evenly in the recess always presents a surface
parallel to the face of the gas ring, thus preventing the escape of gas
when the gun is fired and entirely obviating the necessity for the use
of packings.
The gas ring plate may be kept in its place by means of a bolt passing
through the wedge or block; the nut of this bolt is recessed into the
back of the wedge and bears against a spherical surface struck from the
same centre as the spherical surface of the recess for the gas ring plate
in the front of the wedge; this allows the nut to move with the gas ring
plate and always keeps the plate close back in the recess, whatever
position it may assume through the unequal wear of the wedge or
block; other means for keeping the plate in its position may be em-
ployed.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I have in the Drawings hercunto annexed shewn two
sections of the breech portion of a breech-loading gun.
The section shewn at Figure 1 shews the arrangement heretofore in
use, and the section shewn at Figure 2 the improved arrangement above
described; in this Figure a represents a sliding wedge capable of being
slid to and fro in a taper slot at the breech end of the gun, and carrying
a screw or worm bas heretofore, to retain the wedge when the breech is
closed and also to facilitate the moving of the wedge to and fro to open and
close the breech; c is the gas ring, capable of moving endwise in a recess d
at the breech end of the bore of the gun; e is the gas ring plate, made
spherical at the back and received in a corresponding recess in the face

page_text: of the wedge a; f is a bolt for retaining the plate, and g is a nut screwed
on to the end of the bolt so as to bear against a spherical surface h
struck from the same centre as the spherical surface at the back of the
plate e.
Other means of retaining the plate e into the recess in the face of the
wedge may however, as before stated, be adopted.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim as my
improvements in breech-loading ordnance, the employment of a gas ring
plate made spherical at the back and received in a corresponding recess
in the face of the wedge or block by which the breech is closed, to form
an abutment for a gas ring at the breech end of the bore, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of January, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
year of
J. VAVASSEUR. (L.S.)