US36934A - Improved liquid-fire shell or projectile - Google Patents

Description

A. BERNEY.

Shell.

No. 36,934. l lntented Nov l]7 1862.

muelles.

"NITE Sfrnfrns ALFRED BERnEr, or JERSEY Grrr, NEW JERSEY.

IMPRovEo LIQUID-FIRE SHELL on PRoJEcnLi-z.

Specification thrilling pmt of Leiters Patent No. 36.@34, duted\l\ovemher 1l, 1862.

To n/ZZ whom, it may cor-cern:

Be it knownthat I, ALFRED BER-Nm', of Jersey City, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Composition for Filling Shells or Irojectiles;V andI do hereby declare that the following .is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1- represents a central longitudinal section of a shellcontaining my improvement. Fig. 2 is a similarsection of a spherical shell.

Figs. 3 and 4 .show still other modes of 'applying my invention to both spherical and conical shells. Fig. 5 is-a cross-section on the line :v m of Figs. 1 and 2;

Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention relate/sto that kind of project iles known as incendiary-shells, which are used for setting on fire forts, ships, buildings, or other structures; and it consists in a new and improved 4composition for filling such shells, and in the combination of such filling with a hollow shot of such construction as hereinafter described, so as to produce a new and eicient incendiary-shell for war purposes.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention relates to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it.

' The materials which I use as my filling composition Vare the following, and I employ them in about the proportions set forth, viz: For making, say, twelve pounds, Itake of benzole of good quality, four pounds; crude petroleum, two pounds; coal-tar, two pounds; turpentine, two pounds; residuum from distilled petroleum, one pound; 4coal-oil from' coal-tar, one pound. These proportions may beva'ried and some of the materials may be omitted; but the-proportions I have given are the best, and each of' the ingredients adds to the value of the compound.

barrels or tanks for use. 'hen to be applied in filling shells, the shell` is first filled with whatl is known as cotton waste,77 or some similar fibrous material, and the composition is then poured into the shell and a tight plug putin to prevent leakage. The use of the cotton waste is to absorb the liquid and pre- After the materials arel thoroughly mixed, they may be kept in close vent its scattering too much on Vthe explosion of rthe shell; Vand I would here remark that I have found by experience that cotton waste applied in the manner set forth is the best instrumentality -for filling shells of any description with any kind of infiammable 1iq` uid.

The above liquid is the composition which I prefer for filling all kinds 'of fire-shells, (or rockets.) I do not confine myself strictly to the proportions given, since they maybe' slightly varied. A liquid which will answer very well may be made by. combining one or more heavy fluids of high boiling-pointsuch as the residuum from petroleum or coal-tar,

ter-such as benzole, naphtha, the light oils from petroleum,'camphene, turpentine, &c.--

the use of the heavy fluid being to furnish a persistent burning materialgwhil the volatile matter is easily ignited by the powder being ignited. Any such fluid may be used in my complete fire-shell hereinafter described, and which is referred to in the second clause of my claim; but the fluid madeby the above formula, and which is referred to in the-first clause of my claim, is that which I prefer. l

There have been great diiculty and uncertainty in the use of shells of the kind to which viated the difficulty by making a strong tube for the powder; This tube will not be broken either by the shock of firing the shell from the cannon, or on the striking or falling of the shell; in fact, it will not burst until nearly the whole of thepowder has burnt, and thus the powder is not mixed with the fluid, butis permitted to burn, and exert its whole force in tearing to pieces and scattering vthe shell. Besides the powder being retained in the tube until its strong walls give way, exerts all its force at once upon the outer shell, and so never fails to explode the latter, while such shells as were made prior to this invention,

4the powder.

` having the powder-chamber of weak material, or too thin, and otherwise faulty, broke by the shock of firing the gun, orby the striking of the shell, or was burst as soon as the upper portion of the powder was fired; and so the powder, becoming mixed with the liquid, did not explode the shell. This has proved heretofore to be-the fault, and none have been in actual service of the United States but mine, which have proved to be serviceable, and are now in use. In constructing my invention I use hollow shot, the making of which is well understood. In Figs. 1 and 2, A represents such hollow shot. C is the `strong tube to contain the charge of powder. To make this tube, I take apiece of wrought-iron boiler-flue of from one to two inches in diameter, (other sizes may be used, according to the strength of the shell,)

and eut it in suitable lengths, so as to reach the bottom of the shell, as shown in Figs. 1

and 2. The lower end is closed by welding in a plug of wrought-iron. The other end is vformed to receive the fuse-plug, and to have a screw cut on the outside, as shown, (letter K,`)

to screw it in the shell, although, to save expense, the tube may be driven in and rusted, but the screw is the best.' The upper portion of the screw or plug is cut ofi", as shown at e, so as to have a channel, which is filled with iron'ilings and sal-ammoniac to form a rustjoint. This plug -is to have a hole drilled in it and a screw cut in it, (see H,) in which time or percussion fuses are Ito be inserted to ignite Thesmall orifice or vent @which may be made one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch in diameter, is for filling the tube with powder and for igniting it by means of the fuse. It is necessary that this orifice should be made as small as possible on accountvof the great force required to burst the tube; or the charge might blow out through the vent, and

thus' fail to rupture the tube.

B shows filling of liquid and cotton waste or similar substance.v l) shows filling-hole for liquid and waste, to put in the shell.

.form a tube of such leakage andt o prevent an enemy from opening the shells.'

In Figs. 3 and 4.1 have shown a modification of myinvention. The part H, for the fusevplug, is the same as in Figs. 1 and 2; but instead of the tube there is a chamber for the powder, made by a partition, C. This partition may be cast with the hollow shot, to be thinner than the outside of the shell-about one-half as thick. I form the tube C of boilerflue; but any sufficiently strong metal tube will answer my purpose, the object being to strength as to meet the conditions already referred to, and for which I have found boilerfiiue to be a good and eficient material. v

I am aware that shells have been made with hollow shot, a central tube of sheet metal, such as tin, zinc, &c., and a liquid; but such shells have not proved serviceable, for the reasons given.

I am awarethat several of the ingredients employed .by me have been before used for fire-balls, either by themselves or mixed with sulphur. I therefore do not claim to be the first to use such materials, but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The composition for filling shells, eomposed of the materials and inthe proportions substantially as set forth.

2. As a new manufacture, a fire-shell com-k posed of a hollow shot, A, short tube or chamber C, for the bursting-charge of powder, and

the filling B, all substantially and for the pur-4 pose set forth and described.

` ALFRED l BERNE Y.

Vitn'esses: i

D. CozznNs, ANDREW J. Toni).

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