US1108714A

US1108714A - Aeroplane-gun.

Info

Publication number: US1108714A
Application number: US64536511A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cleland Davis
Original assignee: ORDNANCE DEV Co
Current assignee: ORDNANCE DEVELOPMENT Co; ORDNANCE DEV Co
Priority date: 1911-08-22
Filing date: 1911-08-22
Publication date: 1914-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1931-08-25

Description

o. DAVIS. AEROPLANE GUN. APPLICATION FILED 11119.22, '1911.

1,108,714. Patented Aug.25,19.14..

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CLELANID DAVIS, or THE UNITED srarns navy, assrenon r0 oanunncn nsvnnor- MEN'J. COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE.

AEROPLANE-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22,1911. Serial No. 645,365.

- Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

new and useful Improvements in Aeroplane- Guns; and Ido hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

It having been demonstratedthat it is practicable to navigate the air under normal atmospheric conditions, and while as yet the practice is too hazardous for ordinary comand military purposes.

mercial purposes, still air craft have already become a part of the military equipment of most of the civilized nations, and those of the heavier than air type have been found to be specially useful for both naval They have, however, so far developed little, if any, ofiensive value, it being obviously impossible to strike a comparatively small target, such as the hull of a battleship, the vulnerable point of a fort, or even a large building, by merely dropping explosive from a high altitude. This might be possible if the air craft was close the the target, but such proximity would result in the almost certain shooting of the aviator, while objects dropped from a great height would partake of the motion of air craft, and it would be very difficult to land them with any degree of accuracy. Furthermore, the mere dropping of a high explosive on the deck of a ship, or a fort, would occasion very small damage, for the force of the explosive would ordinarily,

aboard ship, be confined to the region above the protective deck, and little damage would be done from such explosion.

In order to secure the desired velocity to penetrate even thin armor, or a protected position anywhere, the explosive would have to be contained in a, projectile, and this projectile would haveto be propelled with suiiicient velocity to penetrate said armor. It would be impracticable to drop an explosive from such a great height as would cause it, under the influence ot gravity alone, to obtain said velocity; and moreover, it would: be impracticable to aim a projectile dropped from such aheight with any reasonable degree of accuracy. For

these reasons, therefore, in order to sue-' cessfully attack a ship with'explosive froman air craft, it is necessary that the explosive shall be contained in a projectile with walls thick enough to penetrate the protective deck without breaking up, and that the pro ect le shall have sufficient velocity to enable tto be directed with accuracy, and to enable it to penetrate when striking. TlllS can only be accomplished by discharging the projectile from-a gun. In order for a'gun to be effective for such purposes, it

must comply with the following condi tions:-(l) It should be of. caliber sufficiently large to discharge a projectile carrymg a considerable quantity of explosive. (2) It should be capable of giving a muzzle vjllocity to the projectile would enable aimed shots to be fired at distances of2,000 yards, or more. (3) It should be so'designed that the shock of recoil will bring little, or no strain upon the structure of the aeroplane. Inorder to meet the above conditions, I

have devised the apparatus disclosed in theaccompanying drawings, to which reference W111 now be had.

Figure l is a side elevation, showing the biplane and its parts diagrammatically. Fig. 2 shows a central axial section through the sleeve and gun. Fig. 3 shows a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 1 shows the apparatus applied to a monoplane. g

A represents a biplane, having the usual so-called planes B, and the usual framework with elevating rudder a, and also the steering rudders and propeller (not shown) I do not make an claim to the special construction of the ying machine proper, as this is not partof my present invention,

and this construction is well known in the art.

0 represents the platform of the biplane, on which are erected stanchions D, into which the trunnions g of the tube G are journaled, This tube is elevated and depressed through a small angle by means of suitable elevating gear, such as the curved rack 6', attached to the sleeve G, the pinion e meshing .in said rack and the hand wheel e p F represents the sight, which is attached to the side of the sleeve in any convenient way. Any suitablesight may be provided for this purpose, preferably the well known telescope sight, with cross hairs mounted in the side of thesleeve.

The sleeve G'is normally tilted at a considerable angle, since the gun platform would be always at an elevation, and generally at a considerable distance above the target.

In order to protect the aeroplane from injury from the blast of the gun, the lower end of the sleeve is made to project below the framework of the aeroplane, and also above said framework. 'In a biplane, the upper plane would be-slotted fore and aft to permit the passage therethrough just strong enough to serve as a launching -tion, such as the set screw 9.

tube for the gun, and to protect the oc-- cupants of the aeroplane from injury by the lateral spread of the explosive gases, and also to prevent the aeroplane from being set on; fire incident to the firing of the. gun. Co'ntained in this sleeve is a gun H, which is attached to the sleeve by a friable connec- This gun is made as light as practicable, preferably of some very tough and strong metal, such as vanadium steel,,and'it is not necessary that the gun shall weigh much, if any, more than the projectile with its explosive charge. This gun is provided-with a primer I, preferably an electric primer operated by a suitable source of electricity P, such as a dry cell, the connections being completed by any suitable conductors p and p, and the circuit may be closed by any suitable switch Q. The powder in the gun K propels the projectile M, which has its chamber filled with high explosive N, and any suitable kind of percussion fuse I may be used.

The shell should be held in the gun by some friable connection, such as m, and the resistance of shearing of the set screw 9 should be slightly in excess of the resistance required to start the shell in the bore, so that theishell begins to move forward before the gun starts to the rear; the idea being that the shell proceeds in the direction of the target, and the powder gases in the gun will blow the barrel of the gun up through the top of the sleeve and in rear of the aeroplane, the gun being expended along with the projectile at eachshot. By this arrangement of having the gun and the projectile fiy in opposite directions, comparatively small shock will be thrown on the framework of the aeroplane, and the sleeve may be used for several shots.

It will be' obvious that the apparatus should be so arranged that the resistance to I j the rearward travel of the gun in its sleeve should be approximately equal to the resistance of the projectile in itspassage through 1 the bore of the gun. Thus these two forces would approximately neutralize each other,

relieving the gun support of any heavy strain.

The sleeve is pointed downward and for-' ward, which gives the advantage not only of being ready to fire when first approaching the target, and before those on the target have much chance of observing, much less injuring, the aviator; but an additional advantage is secured in that the velocity of the aeroplane is added to the velocity given to the projectile by the powder charge in the tions might be made in the herein described apparatus, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention. I Having thus described my invention, what ent of the United States is 1.'Ina flying machine, the combination with a gun sleeve of a gun shdably mounted therein and adapted to pass rearwardly through and entirely. clear of said sleeve, and a projectile adapted to move forward as the gun moves backward with approximately equal force whereby the strain on the gun support is reduced to a minimum, substantially as described.

2. In a flying machine, the combination with a gun platform of a sleeve'trunnioned' thereon, a gun connected to said sleeve by a friable connection, and a projectile containing a high explosive mounted in said gun,

with means for firing said gun, substantially as described.

3. In a. flying machine, the combination with a gun platform of a sleeve trunnioned thereon, an elevatin gear for turning said sleeve through a limited angle in depression, a gun connected to said sleeve by a friable connection, and a projectile containing a high explosive mounted in said gun, with means for firing said gun, substantially-as described. V I

4. An apparatus adapted for firing projectiles from flying machines, comprising a tube open at both ends, agun mounted in 100 I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patsaid tube and adapted to contain a projectile and a propelling charge, a severable connec-' tion between said gun and said tube, and means for firin said propelling charge whereby said pro1ectile is discharged in one direction out of said tube, and said gun is expelled inthe oppositedirection entirely clear of said tube, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus adapted for firing projectiles from flying machines, comprising a tube open at both ends, a gun mounted in said tube and adapted to contain a projectile and a propelling charge, a severable connection between said gun and said tube, and means for firing said propelling charge whereby said projectile is discharged in one direction out of said tube, and said gun is expelled in the opposite direction entirely clear of said tube, with means for elevating and depressmg said tube, substantially as described.

6. In a flying machine, the combination with a gun platform of a sleeve trunnionod thereon, a gun connected to said sleeve by a friable connectiomand a projectile mounted in' said nn, with means for firing said gun,

substantially as described. o

7. In a flying machine, the combination with a gun platform of a sleeve trunmoned thereon, an elevating gear for turning said 'sleeve throu h a limited angle in depression,

a gun connected to said sleeve by a friable connection, and a projectile mounted in said gun, with means for firing said gun, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

7 CLELAND DAVIS;

l Vitnesses: I

W. G. LANGDON, J. L. WHITE.