US1294407A - Water butt. - Google Patents

Description

W. C. CORYELL.

WATER BUTT.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Fuel

WILLIAM C. CORYELL, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WATER BUTT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Application filed June 29, 1918. Serial No. 242,690.

To (ill whom it may concem Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. CoRYELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water Butts,'of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to butts for use in artillery and small arms testing. Heretofore it has been customary when testing guns, shells, fuses and explosives to fire the shells into the open field, into the open water, or into banks of sand called sand butts. The latter are used where the shell .or bullet is to be examined. For this purpose the shell which enters the sand must be dug out. This digging may be done by hand, by steam shovels, or by grab buckets, but in any event it is a slow and laborious undertaking. The principal object of the present invention is to produce a butt in which the projectile will pass into a body of water in which its energy will be readily absorbed and from which it may be readily removed for examination. The invention also contemplates the employment of protective works before the water butt to protect the same against misdirected shots. These works absorb all the energy of such projectiles as may hit them and so protect the water butt. An opening through the protective works allows such projectiles to pass through as are in line to enter the water butt. The entrance of a projectile into the water of the water butt is through a target of penetrable material located in one of the 'walls of the water inclosure of the butt. Likewise, approach to the target can be had only through the opening in the protective works.

One advantage of my invention over the I sand butt is that it permits of more rapid a large amount of explosives are being tested; and will help in other ways, to say nothing of the economy financially.

The various features and aspects of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, Figure I is aplan view of a water butt constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 11 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same showing certain parts in full; Fig. III is a transverse section taken on a plane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. II; and FigJIV is a diagram indicating the relative positions of a gun, the water butt and the protective works before the latter, 1n thls case a sand butt. Throughout these views like characters refer to like parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates an inclosure for the water of the water butt, B the target or battle which closes an opening in one of the walls of the inclosure, C gates for closing the opening in the Wall when it is desired to replace or repair the bafiie B, D the hinges for the gates C, and E the thimble or rim located in-the opening of the wall, to which thimble the baffle B is secured. The inclosure A is preferably composed of concrete, but -may be built of steel, wood or any other suitable construction material. sired dimensions, but should be of sufficientlength to allow the water contained in it to fully take up the energy of the projectile before the projectile reaches the distant end, and of suflicient depth to prevent ricochett-ing. Preferably the cross-section is V- shaped so as to cause the projectiles to settle down into a definite channel at the bottom of the inclosure. WVith such a section, the projectiles can always be readilydocated and withdrawn from the receptacle. This recovery of the projectile can be made either .by draining the butt, or by a diver who will aiiiX a lifting tackle to the projectile, or by lifting magnets. Of course any suitable means may be employed for this purpose. The shape of the walls of the inclosure A,

may be, of'course, varied as desired. In the present instance the lower wall or base is thickened at its center as indicated by the It may also be of any dedotted lines in Figsl II and III and the rear and side walls inclined on their inner faces as shown in Figs. II and III. The target or bafiie B is secured in any desired way to the front edge of the thimble or ringE which in turn is positioned in a hole in the front wall of the inclosure A. The target B must be removabl secured in order that it may be replaced y other targets when destroyed. The gates C are mounted on the vertical hinges D and when in closed position meet at their outer edges and thus form a substantially water-tight stop for the openin through the ring E. The gates are made substantial and rest when open against recesses in the wall so as to withstand theshock due to the shell passing. In practice these gates stand in open position as indicated in "Fig. I and the projectile is fired through the target B into the water contained in the receptacle A. The target should consist of some easily penetrable material and preferably consists of thin sheet metal or Wood or other like material. The passing of the projectile through the plate B will leavea hole through which the water contained in the inclosure will flow. ()rdinarily this opening can be closed by means of a wooden plug. As the shell enters the inclosure it will meet with resistance in ap proximate proportion to the density of the water as against the density of sand or earth works. In other words, the body of water within the inclosure will quickly stop a projectile fired at ordinary velocities. In operation the ates C will be put in the open position, ba e B will be attached and the inclosure A filled with water. When this is done the apparatus is ready for firing. The water being relatively solid will otter such resistance to the plate B that the plate will be readily supported and penetrated by the projectile fired against it. As the latter enters the water it will meet with such a resistance as to be quickly stopped within the inclosure A. The water which streams out through the opening in the plate B made by the projectile will then be stopped by a suitable plug either with or without closing the gates C as may be found best. Whenever desired, the projectile may be removed from the inclosure A and subjected to examination.

Means of filling and draining the butt is not essential for the illustration of this invention. Neither is the means of filling or emptying the space between the target and the gates, nor is the means of opening and closing the gates essential to the specification of this invention.

()rdina-rily the area of the late B which constitutes the target bears such relation to the gun and the distance of the latter from the target that the projectile fired will hit the target and not hit the front wall of the inclosure A. In order, however, to protect the inclosure A from shots that may be fired when the gun is not accurately positioned, I provide protective works which may consist of a bank of sand or earth, through which I provide an.opening in line with the gun muzzle and the target. This arrangement is illustrated particularly in Fig. IV, wherein G designates the gun and F the protective works in the form of a sand butt having the opening H through it in line with the gun G and the target B of the inclosure A of the water butt. In case of a misplaced shot the earth or sand F of the sand butt will take up the energy of the projectile and stop it before it can reach the front wall of the inclosure A. A properly fired shot, however, will pass through the opening H and penetrate the target B and finally have its energy absorbed by the water contained in the inclosure A.

It will be seen that in the structure herein disclosed 'the plate B is subjected on the one side to atmospheric pressure and on the other side to hydrostatic pressure, the latter being due to the column of water having the mean distance measured from the center of the plate B to the surface of the water. This column should be of sufiicient height to stop the projectile in case it tends to ricochet or curve upwardly in the water, before it can pass out of the water. It may be here pointed out that the gates C may be made of steel plate, wood or any other suitable material and that they may be differently mounted than upon the hinges D. Likewise the portion of the front wall which forms the target B might be variously constructed, the requisite being that it should be a penetrable area and one which is subjected to atmospheric pressure on one side and hydrostatic pressure on the other. It will be apparent that many changes might be made in the structure herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A butt, comprising an inclos11refor water into which the projectile is to pass and a target through which said projectile must ass to enter said inclosure.

2. butt, comprising an inclosure for water into which the projectile is to be fired. and a target forming a portion of one of the water-inclosing walls of said inclosure.

3. A butt, comprising an inclosure for water into which the projectile is to be fired, and a target of penetrable material open to the atmosphere on one side and subject to the pressure of the water within said inclosure on the other side.

4. A butt, comprising an inclosure for water, one of the walls of said inclosure having a limited area to serve as a target, one

side of said area being subject to atmospheric pressure and the other side to the pressure of the water contained in said inclosure.

5. In a water butt, the combination of a wall having a target opening, a diaphragm of penetrable material closing said opening and serving as a target, and movable gates for closing said opening to retain the water in the butt While said diaphragm is being replaced or repaired.

6. The combmation with a water butt having an inclosure for water and a target through which the projectile must pass to reach the water in said inclosure, of protective works before said water butt, having a mass of material to take up the energy of a projectile forced into it, said works having an opening therethrough in line with said target through which opening said projectile must pass in order to reach said target.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of June, 1918, A. D.

WILLIAM G. CORYELL.

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