US406334A

US406334A - Projectile

Info

Publication number: US406334A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 1906-07-02

Description

7 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. GAIL. PROJEGTILE.

No. 406,334. Patented July 2, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sh'et 2.

R. GAIL. PBOJEGTILE.

No. 406,334 Patented July 2, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD OAIL, OF NEWVOASTLE-UPON-TYNE, COUNTY OF NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND.

PROJECTILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,334, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed January 30, 1889- Serial No. 298,065- (No model.) Patented in England December 16, 1886, No. 16,542 in France February 21, 1887, No. 181,688, and in Germany March 2, 1887, No. 41,195.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD GAIL, civil engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Newcastle-npon-Tyne, in the county of Northumberland, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles for Ordnance, and especially Projectiles for Piercing Armor-Plates, (for whichI have received Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 16,542, dated December 16, 1886; in France, No. 181,683, dated February 21, 1887, and in Germany, No. 41,195, dated March 2, 1887,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object improvements in projectiles for ordnance, and especially projectiles for piercing armor-plates. For this purpose I make the nose of the projectile of a conical form, and upon the face of the cone I form a spiral groove or screw. The side of the groove is parallel to the axis of the projectile and presents a square-shouldered cutting-edge in the direct line of force, which, as the projectile penetrates the plate,

acts progressively to pare away the sides of the hole produced by the pointed end of the projectile and enlarge the hole to the full size to permit the body of the projectile to pass through without incurring the lateral 3o resistance in the plate to be pierced to which the ordinary segmental point is subjected.

I prefer to employ a gun with a smooth bore and to obtain the rotation of the projectile by a suitable configuration of its ex- 3 5 ierior.

I provide a gas-check at the rear of the projectile, consisting of a copper ring angular in. section. It is attached by tap-screws to the flat base of the projectile, and also bears 0 against the bore of the gun; or an external jacket may be provided which projects at the rear, so as to form a gas-check. These projectiles can be loaded either from the muzzle or rear and are suitable for smooth or rifled guns.

Figure 1 shows a side View, partly in section, of a projectile constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows a transverse section on the line X Y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a rear view of the same. Fig. 1 isa longitudi- 5o nal section, and Fig. 5 a transverse section, of

a modified projectile.

As is seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the nose of the projectile is made with a square-shouldered spiral groove 0. a around it.

b b are the grooves around the body of the projectile, by which it is rotated when fired from a smooth-bore gun These grooves extend from the front end of the body to within a short distance from the rear end. In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 these grooves are covered by the jacket 0, which is shrunk on the body of the projectile.

dis the gas-check of angular section, which makes a tight joint between the projectile and the bore; but inclined holes 6 e are bored outward and forward from the rear of the projectile to the ends of the rifle-grooves upon its surface and allow gas to pass into the open rifled grooves, or they might be tubes.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the rear end of the jacket forms the gas-check, holes e ebeing provided, as before.

I claim- 1. A projectile having a spiral groove with an annular cutting or boring edge extending circumferentially around its nose, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A projectile provided with an annular recessed gas-check at its. rear, and having upon or near its surface helical grooves or tubes registering with the recess in the annular gas-check, the ends of said helical grooves or tubes being open, so as to allow the powder-gases to pass through them to rotate the projectile, substantially as hereinbcf we set forth.

RICHARD GAIL.

lVitnesses:

J NO. WM. NORTH, MATTHEW SHAW,

Clerks to lllessrs. Wade, Bilbrough, Booth d2 00., Solra, Bradford.