US44119A - Improvement in ordnance - Google Patents

Description

PATE-NT Fries@ CHARLES W. STAFFRD, OF NEV YORK, N. Y;

yliviPRilVt'EWENT INORDNINICE.

`Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,119, dated September 6, 1864i.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, UHAnLns W. STAFFORD, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new-and useful improvement in Ordnance; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description 4of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speciication, in which- .Figurel is a plan or top View of a cannon, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 represents a vertical axial section of the main 'portion of the gun and aside elevation of the breechpiece 4and plug, hereinafter described. Fig. 3 represents a vertical axial section of the entire gun.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views. i

lvly invention relates to an improved maxi. .ner or" constructing a cannon or other fire-arm with one cr more accelerating charge-chambers, the nature and benefits of which peculiar construction will be clearly understood from 'the vfollowinxg description.

A represents the main body of the cannon, constructed. with an enlarged. open chamber for the reception of a cliambered breech-piece, B, which may be of the form representedin the drawings, and may be secured 'Within the gun by a screw-thread, 1),' secured uponl its central part, fitting a corresponding thread in the gun.

T T represent the trunnions, formed upon a band, U, adapted to .encircle the' gun,and

i l formed at back with an inwardly-projecting flange, u, which lits against a shoulder, c, on the gun, so as to prevent the displacement of the trunnion -band -in a forward direction.. 011e, two, or more re-enlibrce bauds, R R', of Wroughtiron, are shrunk onto the breech in customary manner to strengthen the gun, a-nd serve also to secure `the trunnion-band in place. The edges ofthe sald trunnion and re-enforce bands are tongued and grooved, as shown at fr, to aiord mutual strength and support to each other. v

p represents a screw-plug occupying an aperture in the upper side ci' thebreeeh, and affording communication with an annular chamber, C, around the smaller front part, B', of the breech-piece IB.

U C represent channels communicating between the chamber, C and the bore ofthe gun.

'ol'- a'shot after it is in motion.

In constructing a gun 'according'to my invention the 'main part is first formed solid, of either east or wrought ircn,with the enlarged chamber at back, andthe latter threaded to receive and hold the breech-piece; The said.

breechpice, also cast solid, and formed on its exterior as shown, is then screwed in and the various bands applied in customary-manner, vthe 'trunnion-bandibeing driven on and the 'ree'nforce..bands heated and shrunk on.

The pieceis then bored from the muzzle i through the main body of the gun and into the breech-piece, thechannels c c, already formed upon the forward end of the breechpieeeaf'ordi ng communication between the bore and chamber C.

'plugged opening may be made to communicate with the uuder'sideof the chamber C, so that the latter may be thoroughly cleansed by running through it any suitablewash. The

Aplug p may be formed with a sightingapcr ture, as indicated at p.

Operation: The explosion of the powslel` E overcomes the rst inertia of the projectile and sets it in motion at about the usual velocity. As soon as the projectile passes the channels or corrugations c, (which may communicate with the bore near its longitudinal center,) the. burning gases communicating through the said channels with the charge in the chamber'G ignite and explode the said powder, and the pressure from this explosion, acting upon the projectile while it is already in motion, imparts a very high velocity thereto.

I do not claim, broadly, the use of a secondv chamber in a dre-arm to increase the velocity In my inven tion the breech-piece of the peculiar construir tion shown aiords a convenient and effective means of forming the accelerating-chamber and adapting the charge therein to be exploded unfalingly after the shot has passed the trunnion's. The strain upon the arm is thus ma` terielly lessened and distributed equally over the entirere-cnforced part .of the breech. v

A further advantage of the entire invention is that it produces a gun of great strength in proportion to its capacity. Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and de- Sire to seeure by Letters Patent:

Thebreceh-pieee B,construeted and applied, as specified, to form an accelerating-chmuber MARAIS) around the 11min bore, und greeted or verrugated at .its lbrwnrd end to )nro-fide mmmn'oeation between the bore and. the snrrmnnlng ehzunber.

The @lieve specification of my impl-moment in ordnance signed this 27th day of Moy, wei.

` O. XV. C'lAFliUlD. "Vitnesses: l

Oc'rAvl Us. KNGHT, CHARLES D.` SMITH.

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