US36553A - Improvement in combined time and percussion fuses for shells - Google Patents

Description

UNTTEn STaTss FaTnnT Urrutia'.

FRAJCIS ALGER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

lMPHOVEMENT'lN COMBINED TIME AND PERCUSSION FUSESFOR SHELLS.

Speeilicatiou forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,553, dated September 30, 1852.-

.zo @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRilN'oIs ALGER, of Boston, iu the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Iniproved Fuse i'or Shells, which I call Algers Time and Percussion Combination-Fuse;77 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure lis a longitudinal section ofthe fusecase k and its stopper s, showing the charged plunger c and the time-fuse c g la in perspective. Fig. 2 is a. side View of the fuse complete; Fig. 3, a side View ger c; Fig. 4, a side View, partly in section, of the head ofthe time-fuse, of -which fuse Fig. 5 is a side View. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the charged plunger. Figs. A and B are end Views ot' the fuse-stopper S,- Figs. C and D, views of the upper and lower' ends of the charged plunger c; Figs E and F, views of the upper and lower ends 0f the head of the time-i`use.

The same letters refer to like parts in the several figures.

My invention relates, nist, to the use of a time-fuse in a percussion-shell, so as to combine the advantages of a shell exploded in a given time and one exploded by percussion.

The best method of-embodying this part ot" my invention I now proceed to describe.

I make my fuse-case as represented in Figs.

l and 2, 7s, with a cylindrical bore the greater part of its length and a smaller conical bore the remainder. The fuse-case is closed by the stopper s, to be described more fully hereinat ter. Below this stopper in the cylindrical bore of the fuse-case I place the charged plunger c, which-I makesxnall enough to more freely in the fuse-case. Below this plui'iger, its head in the cylindrical bore of the case, the remainder of it Vin the conical bore made to iit it, I place the iimest'use e y la, Figs. 1, 2, and 5. The charged plunger is held up near or in contact with the stopper by any suitable interior conneet-ion strong enough for the purpose, and not too strong to prevent its proper action on the discharge of the shell. When the shell is to be discharged, the stopper s must `Joe secured in so that its plane surface, Fig.l A, 'may be presented to the cap (Lof the plunger. The plunger will then be disconnected romt c e stopper, and its lower end will rest o the p of the charged plun-4 f of the time-fuse,`unless (as I prefer) the connection between the stopper and plungcris such that the plunger will retain its former situation; but whether it is connected or not, its inertia will, on-thc start of the shell, cause it to strike and explode the cap j' of the timefuse either by breaking or stretching its connection with the stopper or by a-sudden pressure equivalent to a blow, if not so connected but in Contact with the-cap f. The explosion of this cap ignites the time-fuse. y During the flight of lthe shell the charged plunger remains in contact with the cap of the tiniefuse, used,it returnsy again to its original position, and if t-he shell strikes before its timeffuse explodes it the inertia ot' tue plunger causes its cap to strike the plane surface of the stopper s and thus be exploded. The plunger is charged with powder, which is exploded bythe cap d, (see Fig. 6,) which explosion forces out the metallic cores m m, n'liichiill small apertures bored in any suitable place in the fuse-case, leaving a passage for the iiame through the fuse-case into the shell.

Having thus described the operation of my combination time and percussion fuse, 'I will now give a more particular description ofthe various parts.

The difference between the form of inyiusecase and that in ordinary use will be readily seen from the drawings, Figs. l and 2. Ihe apertures m. m, I prefer to make about an eiglith of an inch below the lower end ofthe plunger, when its cap rests against the stopper, though b and it is of yery little consequence are made, provided they are not to prevent the blowing out oftheir Cores. The size ofA these apertures is not material; Au eighth of an iuchin diameter is perhaps the best. I prefer to make the outer .and inner orifices of these apertures larger than their middle portions, in order that their cores may be securely held. The cores should be made of some metal that will not be loosened bythe start of the shell, and should be no fire from the burning time-fuse can enter the shell through the apertures.

The time-fuse shown is the welL-known Algers safety-fuse,77 with the addition of' the head e, Figs. 4, E, and F. The lower surface w11 ere they of this head, Fig. F is bored out to receive or (perhaps). if an elastic connection is the place shown in the drawings answers well;

so placed as so tight that the vlarger Yend of the fuse, on which lit is secured. I cut a numberof longitudinal grooves (four in the drawings) on this head as passages `for the escape of the fumes from the burning Afuse composition,"and as a further provision for this escape I bore holes 1'1 in the lower part of the head. The best place i'or these holes is in the lower part of the grooves. This I regard vas the simplest way of providf ing for this escape, though many other ways' are obvious. On theupper surface of this head I put anipplc and cap f. Primi'ng may be used, though I do not iind it'neees'sary.

The charged plunger c is bored out to contain a small quantity of powder. (I usev six or ten grains for a shellfor a six or twelvel At a suitable place in these smaller grooves I bore a hole of little depth to receive. the ends of the elastic cord, which I prefer as a means of connectingthe stopper and plunger. The stopper s is a short cylinder of metal with al thread eut on its outer surface, so as to screw into and close the upper end ol-thc fuselcase. Ithas 'a deep groove turned in it .near the middle of its' length, thus making it two disks of metal united by a core. Through one of these disks, lthe outer surface of which is left plane, holes n, In are drilled, opening on the groove. (See Figs. 1 and A.) I cut small longitudinal grooves on the sides of this stopper to receive the cord which connects it with the plunger; and for the same purpose I bore a hole,"y, through fthe center ofthe core which connects the two disks. 'A recess, t, is cutY in the other face ofthe stopper deep enough and Wide enough to prevent the cap di'rom strik- -ing its bottom or sides when that surface'of the stopper rests against the upper surface 0f the plunger. The holes p p in this face oi' the stopper (see Fig. B) do not extend through to the groove inthe stopper, but are bored .deepenough to receive the ends of a piece Qf wire bent into a U shape, usedfor screwing and unscrewing the stopper. The elastic cord,

holding the plunger up tothe stopper, passes from the hole w, bored'in the shallow groove y in the plunger, Fig. 6, up that groove into the groove, g, through the hole y, and down the Vother groove, q, (all in the stopper,) into and down lie other shallow groove, x, in the plunger, and into the other hole, w, I secure the endso'f this cord by a wedge of soft metalor wood. \Vhen the shell is to be transported,

" of a charged some soft substance, such asp'aper or rubber,

should be interposed between the time-fuse cap and plunger, and the recessed or safetyl surface of the stopper, Fig. B, should be pre'- sented to the plunger. ,D

My invention relates, secondly, to freeing the fuse-case from the gases produced by the burn--` ing of the tinie-fuse- To effect this, lI provide' a i'ree passage for those gases (by means of the;

holes and groo."cs inthe head and plunger, as described) to the upper part of the fuse-case.

Here they haveffrce passage through the holes in thc inner disk oi' the stopper, Figs. l and4 A,'into the space between the disks. Holes cfu are drilled through the upper rim .of the fuse-ease opening into this space. These'holes are drilled on the side not' this upper rim, and

ha've aflip projecting over them,` so that thepassage of the shell through theA atmosphere will make a partial vacuum around the mouths. of the holes c c, and thus exhaust the' interior 1 o'f the fuse-case and free it from the greater part of the gases as fast as they are produced, y

ment shown. The apertures, for instance, may

be made throughl the upper part of the shell itself, or, if the stopper were lengthened so as to project above the rinipf the fuse -case, through that. i

I do not claim the combiation of a time and percussion fuse in one l'useplug as I am aware that this is not new. constructing the rear end of the plunger-case or fuse case in such manner that such rear end shall separate the plunger-chamber from the.powdeneharge of the shell, and on eXplQ- f sion of the charge of thev plunger' bebroken away thereby, as that, Iain aware, is not my invention; but i 'X'Vhat I do claim as -iny invention, and detire to'securc by Letters Patent, is-

I l. The combination, inonefuse'ease orstoek,A

plunger and a time percussion- 2. The apertures oe, substantially as for the purpose specified. Y .3. The plugged holes m m through 'the sides ofthe fuseease, for the* purpose of transmit-l ting iire to the interior 'of the shell, substan .l

tially as described. l

l runners ALGER.

W'itnesses:

GoNsTnNr BRowNE, J. E. MAYNADIERL Nor do 'I' claim?.

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