US399882A

US399882A - James weir graydon

Info

Publication number: US399882A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1906-03-19

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. W. GRAYDON.

REVOLVING PNBUMATIQ GUN.

Vn l v un M Z v o .rv m M 7 V B w V n n M un. r. w ly k Ill nl? vw I Il Q y.: :y T, l l* 75l/514745K l. lllllllllll V .1.. L

62mm/Lamas,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- JAMES 'EIR GRAYDON, OF IVASIIINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR 4TO ROBERT SOUTIIIVORTII I.A\\"RNCE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

REVOLVING PNEUMATIC` GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,882, dated March 19, 188.9. Application filed November 8, 1888. Serial No. 290,289. (No model.)

lumbia, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements in Revolving Air-Guns, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a revolving air-gun for throwing dynamite or other high-explosive projectiles; and its object has been the production of a gun in which, by the simple turning of a crank, the projectiles may be automatically placed in the barrels, the barrels-revolved, and the projectiles discharged under a predetermined regulated degree of air-pressure.

The invention will lirst be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then clearly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal section of the gun, taken on the line :1: Fig. 3, the reservoir and the air-pressure regulator being shown in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the gun, taken on the line y y, Fig. 3, and a diagram of the reservoir and air-pressure regulator. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the gun, taken on the line .Z s, Fig. l, showing the loading, revolving, and

- discharging mechanisms. Fig. is ahorizontal section of the air-pressure regulator. Fig.

5 is a sectional detail showing the two-way cock in the pipe connecting the reservoir and regulator.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the breech-piece, provided at its rear end with a door, a.

B is the frame of the gun.

C C are the assembling-disks.

D is the main shaft, which passes through the disks, and is rigidly secured thereto, it being loosely j ournaled at its front end in the frame and at its rear end in the breech-block.

E represents the barrels, preferably five in number, which are mounted in and carried by the assembling-disks, the rear ends of the barrels being screwed into the disk C.

The mechanism for revolving the barrels is as follows: F represents the pin-wheel, consisting of a short cylinder having a series of pins or projections, 1 2 3 -l 5, (corresponding in number with the number of barrels,) on one end. This is rigidly secured on the rear end of the main shaft D, with the pins'to the 5 5 rear.

G represents a worm-wheel located in th breech-piece in rear of the pin-wheel, and mounted on a shaft, H, journaled in one side of the breech-piece land also in a standard, I, 6o inside the breech-piece. The worm on the wheel G is of the same width for about threefourths the circumference of the wheel, and then Vgradually narrows down and flares outward to the sides, leaving a groove, 6, as seen in Fig. 3, and the worm-wheel is so positioned with relation to the pin-wheel that only the lower pin will engage with the groove. The worm-wheel is revolved by means of a crankhandle, h, on shaft H.

The loading mechanism` will next be described. j y

In the vupper portion of the breech-piece there is formed a channel yor guideway, b', part of which is open, as at b2, and above this 75 open part of the channel is located a magazin e, J, for containing the projectiles j, as seen in Figs. 2 and Il.` In this channel, directly in front of the open part, is located a loadingpiston, K, for pushing the projectiles into the 8o barrels, the piston being provided on one side with astud, k. which passes through a Slot, s, in one of the side walls of the guideway b, as seen in Fig. 3. A gear-wheehil', on the inner side of shaft II,'n1eshes with another gear- 85 wheel, u", on a short shaft, S, journaled in standard I and in the side of the breech-piece, and on `this shaft is secured a cam, S', which Works within a link, L, which is pivoted at its lower endt to the bottoni ot' the breech- 9o piece. This link is provided with an arm, 1 Whose upper end passes loosely through an opening in stud k, as seen in Fig;

A description of the pneumatic mechanism is now in order.

M represents the air-reservoir, which is a steel cylinder mounted in any suitable framework (not shown) connected with the gun proper, and M is a pipe leading fromv any suitable air-pump (not shown) to the reserloo Voir. I have illustrated but one reservoir, although more maybe employed, if desirable,

rod, P2, connected thereto and to the shaft H,

for admitting air from the reservoir to the air-chamber, and also for shutting off the air from the reservoir and permitting the escape of so much of it, through a dischrgeopen ing, o, in the pipe, as will be suliicicnt to allow spring W to again open the valve, as `will be more fully explainedhereinafter.

y V represents the valve-chest, located in one corner of casing N, the said chest being square and provided centrally with bearings v for the valve-shaft.

V indicates the valve, which consists simply of a plain metal plate neatly fitting the interior of chest V and carried by a shaft, V2, journaled in the bearings 'v in the chest. The plate forming the valve passes through a'slot in the shaft, and is held in place therein by means of screws .7. When open, as in Fig. 44, the Valve lies horizontal, and its underside rests on lugs 8, cast inside the valve-chest at one end, while' its upper side rests against othder lugs, 9, cast in the chest Vat the other en A pipe, R, screwed through the frontv Wall, near the rear end of box O and through the adjacent wall of the valve-chest, 'slightly above the valve, when in lit-s open position, connects the air-chamber\0 and the valvechest, and another pipe, R', leads from said chest forward to the inner side of the airreservoir, and thence out through the top of the reservoir, its outer end being screwed into the under side of the breech-piece of the gun in line with an air-duct, R2, leading to the front face of the breech-piece, with which duct the bore of fthe. lower barrel of the gun registers. There is an elastic packing, 10, set in thefront face of the breech-piece and surrounding the'outer'end of duct R2, for the purpose of forming a tight joint between the barrel and breech-piece, as seen in Fig. 1.

T represents a cylinder, the open front end of which is screwed into the front wall of the air-chamber O flush with the inner side thereof. In this cylinder is located a piston,

T, secured to one end of a piston-rod, T2, whose other end is pivotally connected att to an arm, V3, journaled on a crank-arm, V4, secured on yalve-shaft V2.

U is abeveled gear-wheel secured on'.a hollow arbor, U', located in the end Wall of cylinder T. That portion ofthe arbor Within said wall is screw-threaded 'exteriorly to' engage with an intcriorly screw-threaded thimble, U2, rigidly' secured to a perforated disk,

in, within cylinder T, and 'a coiled sp1-ing, w,

encireles the piston-rod 'l2 between this disk and the piston the piston-rod passing through the disk, the arbor, and the .gear-wheel U.

An annulargroove,u, is cut in the arbor, into which depends a flange, f, from the `end wall of cylinder T, to prevent longitudinal movement of the arbor. gears with another bevel-wheel, U4, mounted `on a short shaft, U5, journaled in one of the sidewalls 0f the regulator-casing N, which shaft bears on its outer end a crank-handle, X, and on the out-er side of casing N, just outside the arc described by the crank-handle, there is a segmental scale of figures to indicate the different degrees of pressure to which the regulator may be set.

It is tobe understood that the above-described air-pressure regulator is not claimed The said bevel-wheel U- specifically herein, but only in combination f I with other elements embodied in the revolving g'un, said regulator itself forming the subj ect-matter of another application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 287,627, filed by me on the 9th day` of October, 1888.

Y The operation of my revolving air-gun is as follows: The magazine being filled with shells and one of the barrels loaded, as seen in Fig. 2, then on turning the shaftHone of the pins on the pin-wheel F will engage the groove 6 in the worm on wheel G and be moved to the opposite side of the worm, thus turning the barrels one space. As the worm is straight IOO IIO

earryrhe loading-piston and the projectile in f the guideway forward far enough to place the',

latter within the barrel, the loading-piston being drawn back to its former position on further revolution of the cam, when another projectile will drop by gravity intothe guideway, and so on. In the revolution of the shaft H the eccentric-'rod l?2 is caused to operate the two-way cock P to admit air from the airreservoir to the gun at proper intervals. Now

we will suppose that it is desired to discharge the projectile under an air-pressure of five hundred pounds to the square inch, whichin the illustration isthe minimum pressure denoted on the scale, and that the spring W is of such tension as to be compressed'just at that pressure. the spring will hold the valve. open, as seen in Fig.-4-, until the air-pressure against the projectile in the gun shall have reached iive hundred pounds, when that pressure will force the piston T backwardagainst the ten-' Then it will be evident that sion of the spring, which action, through the instrumentality of the piston-rod T2, arm V3,

course the projectile will commence moving before the pressure runs up to tive hundred pounds, but the increase of pressure will be so rapid that the maximum will be reached almost instantly. As soon as the gun is discharged ,and the valve closed, the two-way cock P is turned to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, which cuts oif communication between the reservoir and the valve and at the same time permits the escape from t-he air-chamber C through the dischargeopening o of a suflicient quantity of air to allow the spring I/V to again open the valve. As the valve when closed presents the same superficial area on each side of its shaft, the air-pressure against it must necessarily be the same below the shaft as above it, and consequently the valve will be balanced. Again, we will suppose that the air is to be admitted to the gun at a greater pressure than that above stated-say two thousand` five hundred pounds to the-square inch. In this case I turn handle X around until it registers with the figures 2,500 on the scale, and in thus turning it I also, through gear-wheels U4 and U, turn arbor U', which tends to screw thimble U2 outward, the arbor being prevented from moving longitudinally by the engagement of fiange f of the end wallof cylinder.

-f 'l with the annular groove it in the arbor.

This outward movement of the thimble, and consequently of disk U3, compresses springW between the disk and pistonT to an extent sufficient to require a pressure on the piston of two thousand Iive hundred pounds to the square inch to overcome the tension of thel spring. This being done, the operationof the valve in other respects is the same as that above described.

Having thus fully described the const-ruction and operation. of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 1. The combination, with the series of revoluble barrels, the breech-piece having a duct in registerwith one of said barrels when the in register with the lower barrel when the latter is in position fordischarge, and mechanism for revolving the barrels, of an airreservoir, an automatic air-pressure regulator, a pipe provided with a shut-off cock, connecting the reservoir and regulator, and a pipe leading from the regulator into and out of the reservoir and connecting with the duct in the breech-piece, whereby the lower barrel is discharged when the air exerts a predetermined degree of pressure in the regulator.

3. In a revolving air-gun constructed substantially as described, the combination, with the worm-wheel shaft, the reservoir, the automatic air-pressure regulator, and the' pipe connecting the reservoir and regulator, of a shuto cock in said pipe, and an eccentric-rod journaled on the worm-wheel shaft and connected to said cock, whereby air is admitted to the regulator from the reservoir in proper relation to the loading and revolving operations.

4. The combination, with the breech-piece provided with a guideway in its upper portion, and a loading-piston in saidy guideway, of a link pivoted to the lower portion of the breech-piece and provided with an' arm which engages with the loading-piston, a cam within the link, and mechanism for revolving the cam to rock the link, whereby the loadingpiston is reci-procated in the guideway, for the purpose set forth.

' 5. The combination, with the breech-piece provided with a partially-open guideway in its upper portion, a magazine above the open part of the guideway, and a loading-piston in said guideway, of a ,link pivoted'to the lower portion of the breech-pieeeand provided with an IOO arm which engages with the loading-piston, a

gagement with the loadingpiston, al shortI shaft journaled in the breech-piece and carrying a gear-wheel in meshwit-li the one on the worm-wheel shaft, and a cam within the link secured on said shortsl1aft, substantially as described, and for the purposes stated.

, In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

y JAMES WEIR GRAYDON.

Witnesses: y

G. W. BALLOCH, C. F. ROBERTS. p

IIO