Improvements in or relating to Projectiles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 13th Jan. 1890-Accepted. 12th Apr. 1890
"E
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Projectiles.
A communication from HENRY EICHBAUM, of Hotel Meurice, Calais, in the Republic
of France, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
.M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: ..
The object of this invention which is applicable to pneumatic guns or those operated
with powder or other explosive is to delay the movement of the projectile until the
predetermined pressure is obtained. It is known that as at present constructed the
projectile is usually at least started on its course if not entirely expelled from the gun
before the full pressure has been obtained and the object of this invention is to
censure the obtaining of the determined pressure before the projectile escapes. In
carrying out this invention as applied to the projectile for a pneumatic gun I prefer
to employ two pistons or discs adapted to approximately fit the cylinder, the leading
one of which serves as a gas check. These two pistons are connected by any suitable ro
or equivalent which is preferably constructed to stand a predetermined breaking
strain. I prefer to employ for this rod or equivalent mild steel, copper or other
suitable metal which will elongate somewhat before breaking; this rod may of course
vary considerably in.form or construction or may in fact be many rods instead of one
the object being to connect the pistons. In the pneumatic gun this apparatus is so
placed behind the projectile that the openings into the gun barrel for the air pressure
come between the two pistons and the result of employing this apparatus is that until
a sufficient pressure is obtained the two pistons are simply balanced, then as the
pressure increases the connection or connections between the two pistons give way
and the projectile is thus gradually started on its course during the elongation of the
ties between the pistons but before it fairly escapes the predetermined pressure has
been obtained and the projectile is thus discharged from the gun with the requisite
pressure an increased range being thus secured.
I have so far described the employment of a tie or ties between the pistons which
will elongate and thus be gradually severed, but I wish it understood that I can
if I choose employ a tie or ties which do not elongate before breaking though I
prefer the former arrangement.
In applying this invention to guns fired by powder or other similar explosive I
can use the projectile itself as the forward portion of this apparatus although I can if
preferred use a piston or gas check, either instead of it or in addition to it. The
back piston is connected with the forward piston or with the projectile in a manner
similar to that already described in connection with the pneumatic apparatus and the
powder or other explosive occupies the space between the two pistons or the one
piston and the projectile; as in heavy guns where the projectile is separate from
the charge of powder I should employ the two pistons which would thus form the
ends of the cartridge the powder occupying the position between.
Where powder or other explosive is used I may construct the tie rods or equivalent
of metal or material such for example as copper which will not be likely to ignite
the powder or I may surround or cover the ties with any suitable metal or material
to obviate this danger.
The operation in both cases is substantially the same; in the pneumatic gun the
air entering between the two pistons the effect upon the projectile is nothing, as
the pistons balance each other, until the ties give way. In the case of the powder
gun upon the ignition of the powder the effect upon the two pistons or upon the one
CD

page_text: piston and the projectile is balanced so that the projectile is not started on its course
until the tie gives way thus securing better ignition of the powder as the resisting
power of the ties can be adjusted to secure the complete ignition of the powder.
Dated this 12th der of Anil 1980
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Projectiles..
A communication from HENRY EICHBAUM, of the Hotel Meurice, Calais, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 :-
The object of this invention which is especially applicable to pneumatic guns is to
delay the movement of the projectile until the predetermined pressure is obtained.
It is known that as at present constructed the projectile is usually at least started
on its course if not entirely expelled from the gun before the full pressure has been
obtained and the object of this invention is to ensure the obtaining of the determined
pressure before the projectile escapes. In carrying out this invention I prefer to
employ two pistons or discs adapted to approximately fit the cylinder, the leading
one of which serves as a gas check. These two pistons are connected by any
suitable rod or equivalent which is preferably constructed to stand a predetermined
breaking strain. I prefer to employ for this rod or equivalent mild steel, copper or
other suitable metal which will elongate somewhat before breaking; this rod may of
course vary considerably in form or construction or may in fact be many rods instead
of one the object being to connect the pistons. In the pneumatic gun this apparatus
is so placed behind the projectile that the openings into the gun barrel for the air
pressure come between the two pistons and the result of employing this apparatus
is that until a sufficient pressure is obtained the two pistons are simply balanced,
then as the pressure increases the connection or connections between the two pistons
give way and the projectile is thus gradually started on its course during the
elongation of the ties between the pistons but before it fairly escapes
the pre-
-determined pressure has been obtained and the projectile is thus discharged from
the gun with the requisite pressure an increased range being thus secured.
I have so far described the employment of a tie or ties between the pistons
which will elongate and thus be gradually severed, but I wish it understood that I can
if I choose employ a tie or ties which do not elongate to any important extent before
breaking though I prefer the former arrangement.
In the accompanying drawings fig. 1 is a section of a portion of a breech-loading
pneumatic gun having within it a projectile to which is fitted one form of the delaying
or retarding device; fig. 2 is an alternative form of the tie for connecting together
the two pistons.
A and B are the two pistons the former of which as shown in the drawing, may
conveniently form or be the rear end of the projectile A¹ although if desired it may be
a piston constructed independently of the projectile as indicated by the dotted line a
in fig. 1. The piston A or B or the projectile moreover may serve as a gas check
and may if desired be provided with any suitable form of packing to make it fit
sufficiently tight in the gun barrel C.
D is the rod or equivalent by which the pistons A and B or the piston B and
the projectile are secured to each other and which may be of mild steel, copper or
other suitable metal and of square or other desired section.

page_text: When the before described projectile is placed in the barrel of a breech loading
gun it is pushed in until as shown in the accompanying drawing the pistons A and B
will be one in front and the other at the back of the opening through which the
compressed air is delivered into the barrel. The breach block C is then closed at
the back of the piston B.
When it is desired to fire the before described projectile the compressed air is
admitted through the opening C so that the pressure on the two pistons is balanced
until it exceeds the strain at which the rod D gives way when the projectile is ejected
by the full force of the firing agent on the piston A, the piston B meanwhile
remaining in the barrel.
The rod D so far as regards its breaking strain is proportioned to the pressure at
which it is desired the projectile shall be fired.
In the foregoing arrangement but very little movement will be given to the
projectile A' before the final breaking of the rod D and the rod D in fact yields less
at the initial admission of the pressure than when the rod approaches the limit of its
elasticity. As it is desirable to provide for a less abrupt initial movement of the
projectile before it is fired and a more easy or gradual accumulation of the pressure
behind it I may connect the pistons A and B or the piston B and projectile A¹ by a
tie constructed as shown in fig. 2. This is merely a spirally coiled or twisted or
curved or bent rod D₁ each end D³ of which is preferably enlarged and screw threaded
for attacliment to the pistons or piston and projectile. It will be readily seen that
with this arrangement the pressure will first straighten out the rod D' (which might
be to an extent of several feet) and then it would stretch and finally break it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The method of ensuring the accumulation of pressure behind the projectile in a
pneumatic gun by delaying the start of the said projectile.
2. As a means of delaying the start of the projectile in a pneumatic gun the
employment of two connected pistons or one piston connected to the projectile upon
which pistons or piston and projectile the pressure acts in opposite directions
substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. For the purpose of delaying the start of the projectile in a pneumatic gun the
employment of a bent curved coiled or twisted tie such as D' substantially as described
and illustrated in fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of January 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BUULI,
Agents for the Applicant.