US479799A - Machine-gun - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 5 Sheets8heet 1.

- F. M. GARLAND.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 479,799. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

-5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) F. M. GAREAND.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 479,799. Patented Aug. 2,1892.

(N0 Modei.) 5 Sheets-Sheet s.

P. M.- GARLAND.

MACHINE GUN.

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' I 5 Sheets"Sheet 4. P. M.- GARIJAND.

MACHINE GUN. No. 479,799. PatentedAu g. 2, 1892.

(No Model.)

w I Q (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

P. M. GARLAND. MACHINE GUN.

No. 479,799. Patented Aug. 2, 1892..

@444) e who fc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FRANK. M. GARLAND, OF NEW IIAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO- 'IIIIRDS TO EBENEZER B. BEECIIER, \VILLIAM A. FOSKETT, AND FRED- ERICK I. NEWTON, ()F SAME PLACE, AND THOMAS \VASIIINGTON, DISTRICT OF-COLUMBIA.-'

II. SHERMAN, OF

MACHINE-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,799, dated Aug-list 2, 1892.

7 Application filed October 10, 1891- Serial No. 408,321. (No inodcl.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Ile it known that I, FRANK. M. GARLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New IIaven,in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .llachine-Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification. p This invention relates to the class of ma- 1o chine-guns in which the cartridges are positively automatically fed to the barrels from a belt; and the object is to provide a gun of this class in which one or both of the barrels may either be discharged slowly or with great rapidity, the mechanism being simple, so that it may be run at high velocity withoutliability to get out of repair.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun. Fig.

2c 2 is an enlarged plan of the butt of'the gun with the shell out in central section. Fig. is a similar side view. Fig. l is a side view of the spindles and operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a plan of the same. Fig. (3 is a vertical section of one of the spindles, showinga firing-pin. Fig. 7 is a side view of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 8 is a view of the Iceding-wheels looking toward the front. Fig. J is a plan of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 10

is a side view of the hammer and operating mechanism. Fig. ll is a plan of the same. Fig. 12 is a plan of the spindle and hammer supporting frame. Fig. 13 is a face view of the same. Fig. 14 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 15 is an edge view of a portion of a cartridge-belt used in this gun.

In the views, the letterA indicates the shell, which is preferably formed of cylindrical tubes or castings. This shell, having a pertion that can be lifted to permit access to the mechanism, is supported by trunnions held in the yoke of any suitable mount B upon any common carriage C, provided with any desired form of elevating anddepressing device D.

Near the butt of the gun, supported by plates 0,, attached to the base, is a shaft a, having a. pinion 0?, that meshes with a gear a on the shaft of of the crank E, Figs. 1., 2,

and 'lwo disks or ratchets I), each having a notch or tooth I), are secured to the middle of the shaft 0, and outside of these the shaft loosely supports a pair of cam-blocks c, bearing on the inside spring-pawls 0', adapted to engage the teeth on the disks, so that the camblocks are driven bythe rotation of the disks. Two bolts (1, having handles on the exterior, pass through the cas'eabel F, so as to engage and release the pawls from the disks when pushed inward from the exterior. These bolts are'provided with notches (Z to hold them at either limit of their movement, and when they are both outthc rotation of the crank drives the cam-blocks, but when pushed in the pawls are released "from the disks and the cambloeks remain stationz'try, Figs. 2,3,10, and 11.

In engagement with the cam-surfaces on the peripheries of the blocks 0 are rolls on levers c, pivoted to a post c, the opposite ends of which levers engage slidesfithat pass forward side by side to a point near thetrun- 7o nions, where they bear racksf',that mesh with pinionsj"-. 'lhese pinions are wider than the slides f, and they also mesh with racks f on vertically-mo\-'ing posts f, that have other racks in mesh with segmental gears f loosely mounted upon shat'ts 1, supported longitudinally-en each side of the gun by parts of the shell. Leaves on thesegmcntal gears f bear pawls f", that engage with oppositelyt-urned ratchets 51', secured to the shafts g. These shafts also hear feed-wheels the peripheries of which are pocketed to receive the cartridges whichare to be fed into the gun. Adjacent to the rear of the feed-wheels are placed guides '5, adapted to receive the heads of the cartridges as they pass up the feedwheels. The slides fare moved forward by the levers e as the cams rotate and are returned by springs f, that areat one end attached to the shell or a portion of the frame upon each 9c side, while the opposite ends press rearwardly against studs projecting from each of the slides, this reciprocation oscillating the pinions f which reciprocate the vertical racks f and j, that oscillate the segmental gears 5 f, bearing the pawls f, so that through the ratchets g the feed-wheels are rotated alternately with an intermittent movement.

The cartridges, which are placed in the spring grasping-arms of a flexible belt G, are started on each side of the gun by placing the first cartridge in a pocket oftho feed-rolls, and as they are drawn up the arms h of the comb 71, secured to the shell by any suitable support, strip the belts from the cartridges, allowing the belts to pass out through the open bottom of the shell, while the cartridges are fed up the guideways i into the grasp of the spindles 70, Figs. 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9. These spindles, which slide freely in ways in the plates Z, are ieciprocated by means of toggle-levers m, pivoted to the spindles and to the plates (1' at the base of the shell. These levers are opened and closed by means of toggle-links m, having rolls that project into cam-grooves in the face of the blocks 0, the cams being so timed that the toggles are opened and closed to alternately reciprocate the spindles. The spindles have longitudinal mortises Z0, in'which the tiring-pins n are placed, the top of the mortises being covered by plates 7. at one end passed under and held down by the head of a screw 75, while the other end is held under the edge of a button with an eccentric or cut-away base. These cover-plates are provided with handles 70', so that when the buttons are turned a quarter of a revolution the plates may be lifted and the firing-pins removed for repairing, cleaning, or disabling the gun, Figs. 4:, 5, and (5. The forward ends of the spindles are mortised and have jaws k to receive and hold the rims of the cartridges. The mortised ends of the spindles at the backward limit of 'theirmovement rest directly over the guides t", and as the cartridges are pushed up the top one is pushed into the grasp of the jaws.

of the spindle, which then is moved forward by the operation of the cams and toggles and carries the cartridges into the barrels H, which are secured to a partition across the shell in any desired manner and are preferably surrounded with water to prevent undue heating. The plates Z, inwhich are the ways for the spindles, are secured to the upper edge of transverse plates Z, joined by longitudinal plates Z, and.this frame thus formed is held in place at one end by means of dowel-pins Z that pass into sockets in the transverse support Z permanently secured to the shell, while the opposite end is held to the support Z by means of a button Z, the

.base of which is eccentric or so cut that a quarter-turn will release the plates and allow the whole frame bearing the spindles and the hammersto be lifted from the interior and removed for cleaning, repairing, or disabling the gun, Figs. 2, 3, 12, 13, and 1t.

The hammers 0, which are pi'votedto the plate Z below the spindles, are normally forced upward, so as to come in contact with the firing-pins by rods 0, thrust forward by springs 0 and are forced downward to the cocked position by means of rolls k Fig. 6, sewured to the spindles in the path of the hammer as the spindles move rearward. Thehammers are held cooked by means of triggers o pivoted to the to engage cocking-notches 0 onthe hammers.

gage arms 1) on slides 17, that lie side by side below the center-0f the shell, Figs. 2, 3, 10, and 11. These slides j) are moved forward at the proper time by means of projections c on the backs of the pawls c, secured to the camblocks, which come in contact with the ends p of the slides to release the hammers and allow them, under the impulse of their springs, to strike the firing-pins, Figs. 2, 3, G, 10, and 11. Springs 17 that are at one end attached to the shell or a portionof the frame upon each side, while the opposite ends press rearwardly against studs projecting from each of the slides, force the slides backward, so that the triggers will be in position to engage and hold the hammers when again cocked by the rearward movement of the spindles, which withdraw the discharged the barrels. Vhen the next following cartridges are fed upward, the discharged shells are pushed out of the grasp of the end of the spindles and fall over into the trough q, supported between the spindles. The shells are guided so as to fall into the trough by the guard i on the end of the guide i, Figs. 7 and 8, and when the spindles again move forward to place other cartridges in the barrels the discharged shells are pushed by means of arms 0 projecting from the spindles over the trough, into the opening 5, made through the shell between the trunnions, and through this the exploded cartridges fall to the ground.

.The cartridges in the belts are fed into the gun on either side by the feed-wheels, and after the belts have been stripped from them they pass from the wheels through the guides, up which they are pushed by the following cartridges to the spindles, which place and hold them in the barrels until discharged. The spindles then withdraw the exploded shell, and the next cartridge which is pushed up crowds the used shell out of the way and occupies its position, and while the new cartridge is being placed in the barrels the exploded one is pushed along by the spindle so as to fall through the opening to the ground. If one of the barrels becomes disabled, bypushing in one of the bolts that project through from the rotating disk and all of the mechanism appurtenant to that barrel remains stationary, allowing the mechanism appurtenant to the other barrel to run unincumbered by the mechanism of the disabled barrel.

hammers, a quarter-turn of the holding-button so releases the frame that holds them that the hand may be inserted through the opening and the whole lifted out, while if one of plates Z having sear-notches 0" shells which they grasp from the breech of the cascabel one of the pawls is released' If it is desired to remove the spindles and On the end of the triggers are studs 0, that en- I I the firing-pins becomes disabled or disarranged a quarter-turn of the thumb-screw that holds its cover-plate allows the plate to be lifted and the pin removed.

The mechanism is simple. ,There are but two cam-blocks and the action is all positive, as is the feeding of the cartridges. lhus the gun is not liable to get out of order and the firing mechanism may be instantly removed for repairing or disabling the gun, and either one of the barrels may be fired independently of the other rapidly or slowly.

I claim as my invention 1. In a machine-gun, in combination with the loading and firing mechanism,, feeding mechanism consisting of a pair of wheels having pocketed peripheries mounted upon shafts on each side of the shell beneath the barrels, the shafts being connected with and alternately rotated by the driving-shaft, guides adjacent to the feed-wheels, adapted to receive the heads of the cartridges as they pass from the wheels, and combs attached to the shell adjacent to the wheels for stripping the car- }iridges from the belts, substantially as speci- 2. In a machine-gun, in combination with the loading and firing mechanism, feeding mechanism consisting of a pair of wheels having pocketed peripheries mounted upon shafts on each side of the shell beneath the barrels, the said shafts bearing ratchets, pawls for rotating the ratchets, racks fordriving the pawls, pinions for reciprocating the racks, slides bearing racks for driving the pinions, and levers in contact with cams upon the drivingshaft for moving the slides, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine-gun, in combination,cams loosely mounted upon the driving -shaft-, ratchets adjacent to the cams, with one piece secured to the shaft and the complementary pieces secured to the cams, bolts movable into and out of the path of the pawls, feeding mechanism connected with and driven by the cams, loading mechanism reciprocated by the cams, and firing mechanism released by the rotation of the cams, substantially as specified.

4. In a machine-gun, in combination, cams bearing pawls loosely mounted upon the driving-shaft, ratchet-disks secured to the shaft adjacent to the cams and adapted to engage the pawls, bolts projecting through the shell for releasing the pawls from the ratchets, feeding mechanism connected with and driven by the cams, loading mechanism reciprocated by the cams, and firing mechanism released by the rotation of the cams, substantially as specified. 6o

5. In a machine-gun, in combinatiomams bearing pawls loosely mounted upon the driving-shaft, ratchet-disks secured to the shaft adjacent to the cams, adapted to engage the pawls, bolts projecting through the shell for releasing the pawls from the ratchets, feeding mechanism consisting of wheels mounted upon shafts in termittently rotated through the means of levers oscillated by the cams, reciprocating loading-spindles, jointed levers operatedby the camsattached totheloading-spindles,

firing mechanism, and slides moved into and .out of contact with} the firing mechanlsm by contact with the pawls upon the cam-blocks as they revolve, substantially as specified.

6. In combination, in the herein-described machine-gun, reciprocating spindles, cams on the driving-shaft connected by levers with the spindles, each of said spindles having a longitudinal mortise, a firing-pin held in said mortise, plates covering said mortise, and a button having an eccentric base for holding each plate in place, substantially as specified.

7. In combination, in the herein-described machine-gun, reciprocating spindles, cams on the driving-shaft connected by levers with the spindles, each of said spindles having a longitudinal mortise,a firing-pin held in said mortise,acocking-roll secured to the spindle, andahammer in the path of the cocking-roll, whereby when the spindles are moved rearward the hammers are cooked, substantially as specified.

8. In combination with the shell of the herein-described machine-gun, a frame consisting of plates having ways for supper-ting the reciprocating spindles and plates for supporting the hammers and triggers, said frame being connected with the shell at one end by means of dowel-pins that pass into sockets in a part secured to the shell and at the opposite endby a button, a support rising from the shell holding the button, reciprocating spindles supported by the ways, and hammers and triggers supported by the frame, whereby a turn of the button releases the frame, allowing it with the hammers and triggers to be freely removed, substantially as specified.

' FRANK. M. GARLAND.

Witnesses:

J. P. WRIGHT, II. R. WILLIAMS.

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