USRE4472E - Improvement in gun-carriages - Google Patents

Description

J B EadsDeVLce for Sborhrbgmlp and, UbbLnzufLg' l i 1 the RecoLl, of Hema Glms #tra s? UNITED STATES* .PATENT OFFICE.

J'AMES B. EADS', OF SIXLOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMP'Rovi-:MENT'IN eiu'N-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 93,691, dated August I7, 1869; reissue No. 4,472, dated July I8, 1871.

DIVISION B.

. Device for Storing Up and Utilizing'the Recoil of Heavy Guns; and I do herebyldeclare the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', which will enable others` skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying1 drawing` forming part ot' this speciiication.

Figure lis a sectional side eleva-tion of one ,form of my device, the broken outlines indicat-l ing the loading position of th'e gun. Fig. 2 isla similar view ot' a modification of said device.

rlhis invention relates to Storing up the power developed in the recoil of large guns, so that it may be afterward utilized, at the will of the op erator, to run the gun into battery or raise it above a parapet or other defence to admit firing over the same. In order to carry my invention into operation.bythe compression of air, different methods may be employed. (.)f these, two are illustrated in the drawing, in both ofv which air of the natural density is used to take up and store the force ot' recoil for the purpose of restoring the gun again to the position for iirin'. I do not confine myself to the :two methods shown, as other equivalent arrangeinents may be used for the same purpose.

The gun A is supported by its trunnions a, in the upper end of' a lever-frame, B, pivoted by a cross shaft, C, shown in section, to the carriage, frame l), that may b c of any suitable construc tion. In Fig. 1 the lower ends ot the lever-frame B are connected by rods {('shown in dotted lines) to a plunger, L. The plunger works in a cylinA der, M, attached to the carriagetramc I). The cylinderpM, when the gun is in the iii-ing position, as shown by full lines, is filled with air at the normal atmospheric density, the interior of the cylinder being in communication with the outer air by an aperture, f, which is closed by `\trhe plunger as it is forced into the cylinder by the discharge and recoilot the gun. The inter1or of the cylinder M communicates with an airchamber, N, through the port ot'ayalve, O,

whose rod o is connected to a lever, p, by which it may be raised from its seat. The gun-carriage is shown supported on rollers E; but any form ot' support may be used. A modiiication is shown in Fig. 2. In 'this the cylinder M ispivoted to the carriage-frame D, and the plunger L is made tubular and pivoted to the frame B, as shown. The separate air-chamber N i'orms an extension ofthe plunger-cylinder L. der M contains water or other liquid, which may be in suticient quantity to till the whole interior of the plunger L when said plunger is forced into the cylinder' M by the recoil ofthe gun. In this case thc air is all forced in to the chamber N and retained there by the valve O until the valve is raised to allow the air to es :ape into the plunger L to force the .latter outward and restore the gun to its tiring position.

The operation is substantially the same in the two forms illustrated, and is as follows: The gun,

'being loaded and in its elevated or forward position, is diseha rged, and its recoil forces the upper end ot the frame B backward and downward. This movement of the frame forces the plunger L into the cylinder M and expels more or less of the contents of the said cylinder into the airfchamber N, where. it is retained until the gun is loaded. The valve 0 may be raised at any time and the air allowed to escape into the cylinder and to force the plunger L outward, which acts upon the frame B to throw the gun into `the tiring position., (shown byfull 1nes,) the loading position ot' the gun being shown by broken lines in Fig. l.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combina-tion of a gun with a cylinder, in which air of' the natural density is used to take up and store the force of recoil for the purpose of restoring the gun again to the position for tiring.

2. The combination ofthe gun A, frame B, carriage l), plunger L, and cylinder M, as and for the purpose forth. p

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

Witnesses: Y

SAML. KNIGHT, GEO. U. FABIAN.

` JAS. B. EADS.

The eylinv

Images