US173752A - Improvement in machine-guns - Google Patents

Description

ZSheets-Sheet 1.

F. L. BAILEY.

MACHINE-GUN.

Patented Feb,` 22,1876.

No. 173,752. Y

UNI-TED -STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FORTUNE L. BAILEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.. 173,752. dated February 22, 1876; application filed f Nvember 29, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, FORTUNE L. BAILEY, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machine-Guns, which improvement isA fully set forth in the following specification, reference being-hadV to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists, rst, in the construction of a machine-gun, with barrels moving -longitudinally in a revolving frame, and governed in their movements by a xed guide or cam, so that each, when brought into proper alignment for firing, shall close back over a cartridge, which has been brought into proper position by means of a belt passing over a drum, forming part of the revolving frame, and shall, after being tired and discharged, move forward and be withdrawn from the cartridge-shell, leaving it upon the belt. It consists, second, in the combination, with the base of a revolving breech-block or support,.of a

series of pivoted spring-actuatedhammers,

one for each barrel, which shall be` cocked and released, each in turn, at the proper moment for striking the cartridge to be iired by means of a fixed cam on the inner face of the casing covering the hammers; and it consists, likewise, in the combination of improved cartridge-holders, with a belt arranged to pass over a drum in the breech.of the gun, whereby the cartridges are supplied to thegun and brought into proper position to be covered successively by its barrels, as required for ring.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved gun mounted upon its carriage; Fig. 2, a transverse verti-l near the front end thereof.

ac x of Fig. 5, illustrating the combinationofv the cartridge-.belt with the gun.

A A, in the drawings, is the gun-carriage, made after any approved design, and mounted, as

usual, upon wheels B. U C is the fixed frame,

which carriesthe trunnionsaJ a, (see Figs.v 1 and 5,) by which the gun is suspended over the earriage; and D, Fig. l, the elevating-screw for adjusting the gun vertically in sighting it. To -the rear portion of this xed frame@ is secured a casin C C which covers and. in-

closes the butt-ends of the barrels and the firing mechanism and rotating gear of the gun, and forms its breech and cascabel. (See Figs. l, 4, and 5.) The upper half, C', of the casing is hinged or made detachable, so that it ma-y be thrown open to uncover the mechanism of the gun for inspection, b representing a lock or catch arranged to secure it when closed.- E, Fig. 4, is a revolving shaft, extending longitudinally through the center of the iixed frame C (l, and whose journals at each end are supported and turn freely in suitable bearings formed therefor in the cross-bars of the frame at front and rear. rI his shaft is enlarged at a point near its rear end to form a drum, E', to receive the cartridge-belt, and it serves as vthe axis of a frame revolving with it, which consistsA of flanges F G, projecting radially from each end of the'drum outward to the inner periphery'of the casing, and of a third flange or disk, G', secured to the shaft The disks or iianges Gr and G constitute respectively the supports or bearings for the ends of a series oi' gun-barrels, H H, arranged in parallel lines at equal distances apart around the shaft, and which pass through apertures pierced in` said flanges to receive them, and have free longitudinal play therein. The remaining' flange F serves as an abutment o'r breech-block for the butt-ends of said barrels H H, vwhen they are loaded and ready for ring. The butt-ends of the barrels are left open, and are each bored out to form a suitable chamber for the reception ofa metallic cartridge case or shell, made to iit closely therein. Each barrel'is prevented from turning upon its axis by means of a feather, fw, Figs. 3 and 5, on the rear end :drum E.- and thickness' as-to fit nicely within said rebinding upon the belt.

belt, L is laid over the drinn E the underA strips n n drop into the longitudinal recesses -m m inthe drum, and the cartridges Q Q snp-v thereof, which engages a notch in the angc G, (see Fig. 6,) while a longitudinal reciproeating movement is imparted thereto when the shaft E revolves, by means of a continuous guide-'rib or cam, K, (see Fig. 4 and dotted lines in Fig. 5,) formed upon the inner'face of the inclosingcasing, so as to project there. from inwardly around its entire circumference and engage a notch, s, (see Fig. 4,) formed in a lug projecting from each barrel. '(See Figs. 3, 4, and 5.) This xed guide-rib or cam'K is made to follow such inclined and parallel lines around the inner circumference of the casing, (see positive and dotted lines, Figs. 4 and 5,) as that each barrel in its revolution, being made to engage and follow said cam-rib, is,

--awhen approaching its highest central point in line over the axis of the shaft E, carried back,

so as to nearly strike the flange Fforming its .breech-block, and having passed the central kpoint is gradually withdrawn from said ange F, so that in making the next quarter revolution it is carried forward a distance equal to vthellength of a cartridge, whereupon its.longitndinal movement ceases until it commences Longitudinal recesses m m,

each barrel.` v, l

L, Fig. 1, isa flexible belt, upon the under side of whichmetallic strips or bars n n (see ,'Fig. y4) are secured transversely. at regular vintervals correspondingtothe distances between the longitudinal recesses mm in the The strips nu are of such width cesses m m, and to the end of each strip, along one edge of the belt L and parallel thereto, a -metallic ring, or annular plate, P, is secured,

whose outer diameter is equal to thatof the base of thecartridges Q Q to be used in the greater than the -radius of 'one of the gun- '.barrels'H atits butt-end, so that the same barrel vmay slip over the cartridge without When this cartridge-` ported in the annular disks P P are each brought-into rline with the bore of the gun# barrel, so.. that the axes of both cartridge andl 4barrel' shall exactly coincide. Hence, when thel barrels are successively forced back, the

rear end of each, as it approaches the highest point, will slip over the cartridge supported in line therewith and force it back closely against the breech-plate or flange F, (see Fig. 4,)

which will afford it lirm support, and serve to receive theforce -of the recoil when the cartrid ge is exploded.

The belt carrying cartridges is made in end of the bel-t upon one side, and when unloaded are detached and removed lupon the opposite side of the gun, to be reloaded vand again attached, the passage of the sections I over the drum, and the presentation of cartridges to the barrels, thus continuing without break or intermission so long as the gun is in operation.

The hammers by which the cartridges are exploded at the'proper moment consist of rightangled bent levers N N pivoted in 4a cylindrical case, T, which slips over the end of the shaft E in the vrear of the flange F," against which it is firmly secured. These right-angled levers are pivoted at their angle to suitable offsets projecting inwardly either from the rim or the hub of the cylindrical case T, so that each lever shall vibrate in a radial .plane,-with its outer arm projecting outwardly horizontally, ornearly so, through a slot in the rear or base ofthe cylindrical case T, audits inner arm through a slot in the periphery of said case, this last arm terminating in a head which projects through an aperture in the flange F, so as to strike the cartridge formed in position on the other side. 'v Springs e e are secured to the shaft .E so as to bear up one under the outer arm of each hammer, and to carry thc ham mer-head forcibly against the cartridge.

Ther number of hammers spondwith the number of barrels inthe gun, and being secured to the same shaft, revolve therewith, so that each hammer is always in line kwith its own barrel. The spring controlling each hammer is depressed, and the hammer. thereby cocked, and again released at the moment its appropriate barrel has been brought into proper position for iring, so as the shaft projecting rearwardly through the cascabel, or preferably, by means of axcrank, O, placed'upon one side, as shownin the drawings, from which motion is communicated to' the shaft by means of a bevel-spur wheel, U', secured thereto, engaging bevelis made to corre cogs y y upon the periphery of the cylindrical hammer-case T. t

In operating this gun a cartridge-belt, L, is passed over the drum E', the stripsupon the under side of the former being placed in the counterpart recesses in the periphery of the latter, and, the gun is ready for firing. The gun is then loaded and tired automatically by -simply turning the crank U.

By the revolution of the shaft E, produced by turning the crank, the gun-barrels are brought successively in a central vertical plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the gun, and, by means of the fixed cam-guide upon the casing,'are, While approaching this position, forced back over a cartridge, which -has been brought into proper alignment by 4Which the gun has been aimed, the lever-arm passes from underfthe end of the cam, and the hammer thus released instantly drops and strikes with the full force of thespring upon the cartridge to explode the same.

Under the continued revolution of the shaft, as the next barrel is brought into line, the barrel just fired is gradually withdrawn from the empty cartridgeshell until the latter is entirely released therefrom, and, being carried bythe belt. can be readily removed for reloading. As fast as one length or section of belt passes to the gun, another may be hooked on, and the belt be thus made practically endless, and the supply of cartridges to the gun be continued Without interrupting the tiring so long as may be required, the sections of emptied cartridges being unhooked and removed from the other side, to be again reloaded. All the movements of the gun in loading, firing, and removal of the discharged cartridges, are thus automatically produced with precision and regularity, and without cessation or interruption, so long as the crank is turned and the sections of loaded cartridges are attached tothe belt. As each barrel is fired When in line With the center of the gun-cari riage, as well as on the exact line of sight, the

utmost precision of aim may be obtained with the gun, and its position when trained to cover any mark Will, while the firing 'continues, remain unchanged, without any extra stays or supports. The combination of' the one single cam directly with the hammers obviates the use of all complicated lock mechanism. i

It is evident that a continuous groove may be substituted for the continuous guide-rib K, to receive a lug formed on each barrel in place of the notch s, the barrel being guided by an engagement of the lug With the groove. I contemplate also the substitution ot' a hopper, in combination with the drum E', to supply the cartridges to the barrels in due order in -place of the belt L, each cartridge being conned against the abutment-{iange F by a suitable device until the barrel is Wholly Withdrawn therefrom.

l claim as -my'invention- 1. A series of reciprocating gunbarrels, combined in the construction of a machinegun, with a revolving shaft and supportingflanges, and with a fixed camway or guide, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. A belt carrying cartridges, combined with the revolving shaft and reciprocating barrels of a machine-gun, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. A series of annular plates or disks, P P,

combined with a belt, L, each to uphold a car-p tridge in a transverse position over the belt, apart therefrom, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. 1n combination with the respective barrels of a machine-gun and with a single fixed cam in the casing thereof, a series of springactuated hammers pivoted to the revolving shaft, carrying said barrels and successively cocked and released by the cam during the revolution of the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. 4

FORTUNE L. BAILEY. In the presence of- UHARLEs P. JACOBS, WALTER V. LIPPINGOTT.

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