US18568A - Improvement in projectiles - Google Patents

Description

. UNITED STATES,

' HENRY vBarns, or New PATENT Grrrcn..

LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRQJECTI LES.

To all 'whom it may concern:

lBe it known that I, HENRY BATES, of New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newl and useful Improvements` in Bombs and other Projectiles 5 and I do hereby declare that the following' is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which- Figure l is a side view of a bomb-lance for whaling having my improvement applied. This view represents the lance in its flight. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same in the condition it is in while in the gun. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 represent modications of some of the details.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in'the several figures.

This invention consists-n1 the attaohme rit to the butt-end of a bomb `or other projectile of similar character of a spiral spring-'or coil of wire, which, whenthe -projectile is placed in tha gun from which it is to be discharged, is compressed together and lies close to the -projectile, but which, when the projectile is discharged, is caused, either by reason of its own elasticity or by the resistance of the atmosphere, to extend itself in the form of a tail some distance in rear of the projectile, where, by the resistance it meets with from the atmosphere, it serves to direct and steady the Hight of the projectile.

The invention further consists in preventing the fuse from being blown through the fuset'ubes of the bomb by the discharge of the gun, and thereby ignitiug the charge of the bomb before the latter leaves the gun by bending the said tubes after the insertion ofjthe fuse therein.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the body of the bomb; B, the lance- Apoint, and (l the butt-end. D is the spiral or coiled wire tail, which is attached securely to the body its butt-end that the whole length of the wire may be coiled outside the bomb, between the point ot' attachment and the buttend, as sho.wn in Fig. 2. The part of the body ofthe bomb from the point of attachment of the wire of the bomb at such a distance from to the butt-end is madeso much smaller than the other part that the exterior of the coil of the wire D shall be no larger in circumference than the exterior of the greater portion /o'f the length of the bomb, and hence that the bomb may be inserted with the coil around it into the gun from which it is to be fired, and yet fit properly'to the bore thereof. I prefer that the wire D shall be coiled so as to require compression of the coil to `insert it into the gun,-as shown in Fig. 2, and'then `it will tend to extend itself, as shown .in Fig. l, by its own elasticity as soonl as it is discharged. The coil is held compressed while in the.gun 4by the friction of the bomb gun.

`The outline of the bore of the guny is represented by two lines, e e Yin Fig. 2.

E is awasher or disk, which may be of metal, leather, or other materiai, 0'1" a-size to nt' easily to thebore of the gun, attached to the rear extremity of the coil so as to compel the spring to be discharged with the body of the bomb. This washer, after the discharge, serves as a medium of resistance to the air, to assist in the extension of the tail and guidaneeof the bomb.- It is perforated to allow the fire to reach the ends of the fuse.

G G, Fig. 2, are the fuse-tubes, two in number, soldered or otherwise securedto the butt ofthe bomb and extending nearly to the front 'of the chamber thereof, to convey the re to the front of the charge and to contain the greatest practicable length of fuse. The fuse 'F is made to iit these tubes as tightly as it can be drawn into them, after which the tubes are bent in the serpentine manner showuvin Fig. 2, or in the spirallnianner shown i'fi Fig. which represents a tube detached, and by that means it is rendered impossible for the fuse to be blown through them by the discharge of the gun, as, iu `addition to the obstruction that is offered by the bends, the' tubesare made to bite upon the fuse by the flattening which is, to'some extent, sureto be produced in them by the act of bending.

lo insure the tiringn of the charge in the bomb I propose to employ a compound fuse, of which Fig. 4 is a side View and Fig. 5 a transverse section, composed of three single'strands' of `simple fuse.

I do not claim the attachment to a projectilevv in the bore of the` of aA tail to be inserted with it into a gun and to be extended after leaving the gun,v as I am aware that tails of such character have'been applied to guu-harpoons for whaling purposes; but

to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The employment of a tail consisting of va.l spiral spring or coil 'of wire applied to the` bomb. or other projectile, substantially as an for the purpose herein set forth. v

What I claimv as my inventiomvand de'silie 2. Securing the fuse in the fuse-tubes of the bomb by-bending the said tubes after the insertion of the fuse therein,substantially as herein described. i

HENRY BATES.

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