Improvements in Gun Mountings.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Mountings.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the Firm of G. F. Redfern & Co.,
The General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of
London, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a com-
munication to me by Ernst Ternström, of 8, Rue Auber, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Civil Engineer,) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an elastic gun mounting specially applicable for case-
mates and caponnieres in fortifications, which mounting protects the gunners and
effectually excludes from the service room all smoke caused by the firing of the
gun itself or by the explosion of the enemy's shells.
In carrying out the invention a frame of iron or steel is fixed in the masonry or
concrete of the wall and inside this frame one or more tempered steel discs is or
are inserted and held to the frame by a ring bolted thereto. In the centre of the
discs is an orifice in which the gun is mounted.
In order to permit of training the gun the latter is carried in this orifice by
means of a universal joint say for instance a ball and socket joint the ball portion
of which can be made as part of the gun itself or as a separate piece screwed on
to the gun, whilst the socket or outer part is made in halves bolted or screwed
together and secured to the disc or discs. An opening is made through the ball
part of the joint for sighting which opening can be closed by introducing a telescope
or otherwise.
The inner edge or edges of the tempered steel disc or discs is or are advan-
tageously held to the socket part of the joint by a ring screwed or bolted to it in
front of the disc or discs.
When the gun is fired the elasticity of the tempered steel discs allows a short
movement of recoil to the gun, after which they bring it back into firing position.
This recoil softens the shock of the firing and thus protects the masonry or
concrete, which would be destroyed by continuous firing without recoil, in a
simpler and less expensive manner than by the use of hydraulic recoil buffers.
The frame, the discs and the joint effectually close the opening of the casemate
or caponniere so as not to admit into the service room any deleterious smoke
or gases.
Å brake is provided for securing the gun in any position of elevation or lateral
direction; this brake can be made in the form of a bolt fitted into the ball part of
the joint and moving in grooves cut inside the socket part of the said joint, the
said bolt being pressed against and locked into the socket part of the joint by an
eccentric on a bar which can be turned by a handle. Or the socket part of the
joint can be made somewhat elastic and be pressed together or contracted by an
eccentric-ring in order to hold the gun in a fixed position during the firing.
Or instead of using a brake or locking device the gun can be laid vertically by
an elevating screw moving the ball part of the joint in relation to its socket part
in the vertical plane of the centre line of the gun, the lateral movements being
effected by a dirccting screw which moves the gun (which in this case is provided
with a vertical trumion) and the ball part of the joint round a cylindrical block

page_text: let into the inner part of the joint, which is prevented from turning by the elevating
screw.
Dated the 15th day of June 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Gun Mountings.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the Firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Einsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by Ernst Ternström, of 8, Rue. Auber, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Civil Engineer) 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 an elastic gun mounting specially applicable for case-
mates and caponnieres in fortifications, which mounting allows a short recoil of the
gun, protects the gunners and effectually excludes from the service room all smoke
caused by the firing of the gun itself or by the explosion of the enemy's shells.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation shewing the gun and mounting in its
embrasure; and,
Figure 2 is a rear view:
Figure 3 is a front view of the embrasure; and,
Figure 4 a front view of the mounting inside the embrasure:
Figures 5 to 9 are views hereinafter described of mechanism for laying the gun
and drawn to an enlarged scale.
In carrying out the invention a frame a of iron or steel is fixed in the masonry
or concrete of the wall behind the embrasure and inside this frame one or more
tempered steel discs is or are inserted and held to the frame by a ring c bolted
thereto. In the centre of the discs is an orifice in which the gun is mounted.
The gun is carried in this orifice by means of a universal joint, say, for instance
a ball and socket joint, the ball portion d of which can be made as part of the gun
itself or as a separate piece screwed on to the gun whilst the socket or outer part e
is made in halves bolted or screwed together and secured to the disc or discs b, a
flange formed on the socket part e resting behind the discs whilst a ring g is
screwed on the said socket part in front of the said discs, so that the edges around
the orifice in the centre of the discs are located between the said flange f and the
ring 9.
In order to provide against the destructive effect of shells with high explosives
bursting near the outer end of the embrasure, I make the front part of the socket
portion of the joint protrude forwards and attach to it a ring i of larger outside
diameter than the narrowest portion of the aperture in the frame a. If, for instance,
a melinite shell explodes outside near the embrasure the gases force the mounting
backwards further than the recoil of the discharge would do until the ring i is
arrested by the narrowest part of the frame a thus protecting the rest of the
mounting and the gunners.
An opening is made through the ball part d of the joint for sighting (which
opening may be closed by introducing a telescope, or otherwise) and the front
part of the socket is shaped and the embrasure is cut away as shewn in Figures 4
and 3 respectively so that they shall not project into the line of sight.
With the arrangement hereinbefore described when the gun is fired the
elasticity of the tempered steel discs 6 allows a short movement of recoil to the

page_text: gun, after which they bring it back into firing position. This recoil soften:-
the shock of the firing and thus protects the masonry or concrete (which would be
destroyed by continuous firing without recoil) in a simpler and less expensive.
manner than by the use of hydraulic recoil buffers.
The frame a, the discs and the ball and socket joint effectually close the
opening of the casemate or caponniere so as not to admit into the service room any
deleterious smoke or gases.
When the gun is laid by hand or by the shoulder, a brake is provided for
securing the gun in any position of elevation or lateral direction; this brake can
be made in the form of a bolt k fitted into the ball part d of the joint and moving.
in grooves cut inside the socket parte of the said joint, the said bolt k being pressed
against and locked into the socket parte by an eccentric / on a shaft m which can
be turned by a handle n. Or the socket part of the joint can be made somewhat
elastic and be pressed together or contracted by an eccentric ring in order to hold
the gun in a fixed position during the firing.
Or instead of using a brake or locking device the gun can be laid vertically and
horizontally by screws moving the ball part of the joint in relation to its socket.
part in the vertical or horizontal plane.
One way of arranging such gear for vertical and lateral laying is shewn in
Figures 5 to 9, Figure 5 being a longitudinal section; Figure 6 a horizontal
section on the line 6-6, Figure 5, and Figure 7 a rear view of the part of the
mounting in which the gear is fitted. Figures 8 and 9 are respectively sections on
the lines 8-8, and 9-9, Figure 7.
In this arrangement a block o enters with its upper part into the ball portion d
of the joint, and serves as a pivot for the borizontal training of the gun, the said
ball portion d turning round it. Its lower part p has flat sides p', p' which enter
into a longitudinal groove g in the socket parte of the joint thus preventing the
block o from turning horizontally but leaving it free to be turned in a vertical
plane in the groove q. The upper part of the block o is cylindrical except where a
certain number of teeth are cut which engage with a traversing screws, fitted
on the shaft t, provided with a ratchet lever u, the said shaft having its bearing in
the ball portion of the joint.
Other teeth are cut in the under surface of the block o, with which teeth the
elevating screw w engages, the said screw being fitted on the shaft provided with
a hand-wheel y, the said shaft having its bearing in the socket portion of the
joint.
By the described construction it will be seen that the horizontal traversing of
the gun is effected by means of the ratchet lever which turns the ball portion d
attached to the gun while the vertical laying is effected by means of the hand-
wheel y which causes the elevation and depression of the gun by moving the pivot
block o along the grooves 9 in the socket portion e of the joint.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
clain is:
1. A gun mounting for caponnieres or other embrasures comprising one or
more elastic discs, provided with means for supporting in their centre the gun
which passes through them, the said discs being attached by their outer edges to
the embrasure or to a frame and allowing the gun a certain recoil and replacing it
after the discharge of each shot into firing position, substantially as described.
2. In a gun-mounting such as described in the first claim, a spherical or
universal joint for supporting the gun in the centre of the elastic discs, such joint
being so constructed as to allow the required vertical and horizontal training of
the gun while the embrasure remains closed by the gun and its mounting,
substantially as described.
3. In a gun-mounting such as described in the first claim, a ring or other
protruding part of the mounting which participates in the recoil, the outer diameter

page_text: of which ring or protruding part is larger than that of a stationary part of the
embrasure or mounting; the said ring or protruding part being so
placed that it
abuts against the stationary part if, from the pressure of gases of high explosives
or from other causes, the movable part of the mounting is driven back further
than the predetermined maximum recoil, substantially as described.
4. In a gun-mounting of the kind hereinbefore described the arrangement of
elevating and traversing screws and pivot block in combination with the spherical
or universal joint supporting the gun in the centre of the elastic discs, substantially
as described.
5. The improved gun-mounting consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and operating as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Dated this 12th do of Ansil 1905
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.