US455176A

US455176A - Manuel jose cuadros

Info

Publication number: US455176A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1908-06-30

Description

(No Model.)

M. J. GUADROS. APPARATU$ FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING TEE FIRING OI ORDNANGE 0N SHIPS.

Patented June 30, 1891 m, PNOTO-LITHEL, wAsMmnTuN a I:

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

MANUEL JOSE CUADROS, OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING THE FIRING OF ORDNANCE ON SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,176, dated June 30, 1891. Application filed August 2'7, 1890. Serial No. 363,190. (No model.) Patented in Belgium July 7, 1890, No. 91,179.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MANUEL J 0812 OUADROs, military attache, a citizen of the Republic of Peru, residing at present in Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Apparatus forAutomatically Regulating the Firing of Ordnance on Ships, (for which I have ob tained a patent in Belgium dated July 7, 1890, No. 91,179,) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

In firing ordnance on board ship precision is very difficult to accomplish on account of the slight stability of the vessel. The slightest shifting of the center of gravity results in a modification of the angle of firing, and this objection has not heretofore been practically remedied, in consequence of which few proj ectiles reach the desired aim.

The object of my invention is to avoid the objection stated and provide novel means whereby the gun is fired when it is in the determined angle forfirin g. To accomplish this object my invention involves the features of construction and the combination or arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail sectional elevation of sufficient of my improved apparatus to illustrate its construction and mode of operation. Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of the universal or gimbal joint for suspending the pendulum, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a vessel showing my invention applied thereto.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein the letter A indicates a pendulum suspended from the deck through the medium of a universal or gimbal joint A, so that the pendulum can oscillate in two directions. An upright post, standard, or frame A is rigidly fixed to a part of the vessel, and at its upper end portion is provided with a boxing A and bracket A to which latter is pivoted between its extremities, as at D, a lever 0, pivotally connected at one extremity with a vertical rod B and at its opposite extremity with a vertically-movable contactpin F. The contact-pin is movable vertically through the top plate of the boxing A and is connected with one pole of an electric generator or battery, while the upper extremity of the pendulum A is connected by a conductor with the other pole of the generator or battery and in practice-is suitably arranged to fire the gun when a contact is made between the pendulum and contact-pin. The rod B extends through the deck of the vessel, from which the pendulum is suspended.

The post or standard A and consequently the contact-pin F, follows all the movements of the vessel, and when the vessel is in its normal position the contact-pin is directly under the lowest point of the pendulum. If at this instant the electric circuit is closed, by raising the contact-pin through the medium of the levers B and O the gun is fired at the precise moment when it isat the desired angle of firing.

The gun being aimed at a determined angle for firing, if pressure is applied to the rod B the lever O is operated to elevate the contactpoint F, so that when the vessel reaches the normal position the pendulum will make contact with the contact-pin and thereby close the circuit and fire the gun. It will be obvious that when the vessel is in its normal position the axis of the gun will be in the determined angle for firing, but in all other positions of the vessel the angle chosen for firing is changed, and although the pendulum remains perpendicular it does not come in contact with the contact-pin unless the latter be raised by the lever mechanism or other contrivances suitable for the conditions required to raise the contact-pin and enable the pendulum to make contact therewith.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is- The combination, with a vessel and a gun thereon, of a pendulum suspended from a part thereof and having a conductor for electrically connecting with one pole of a generator or battery, a post, standard, or frame having a suit-able lever carrying a vertically-movable contact point located beneath the lowest point of the pendulum and having an electric conductor, and means for moving the lever to I00 elevate the contact-pin for the purpose of my name in the presence of two subscribing making contact with the pendulum to close witnesses.

an electric circuit which includes the charge MANUEL E GUADROS 1n the gun for firing the latter when the ves- 5 sel is in its normal position, substantially as Witnesses:

described.

R. J. PRESTON,

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed D. T. S. FULLER.-