US479957A - seabtjry - Google Patents

Description

(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 'S'. SEABURY. BREEGH LOADING CANNON.

No. 479,957. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

Wafizesses: @l/

(No-Model.) 2 Sheets- -Sheet 2f S. SEABURY.

BREEGH LOADING CANNON.

M I m f m.

NITED STATES SAMUEL SEABURY, OF THE UNITED STATES NztVY.

PATENT OFFICE.

BREEbH-LOADING CANNON.

SPECIFICATION forming part clf Letters IPatent 1107479957, dated August 2, 1892.

Application filed February l2 1892. Serial No. 421,337. (No niodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SEABURY, lieutenant in the United States Navy, residing at Bergen Point, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Cannon, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates particularly to breech-loading cannon in which, according to my United States Patent No. 425,584, dated April 15, 1890, a screw breech-block movable directly back and forth into the breech of the gun is employed, in combination with a swinging carrier, which is hinged to the breech of the gun and into which the said block is received when withdrawn from the breech, and with a swinging retractor, which is hinged to the breech to move independently of the said carrier for the purpose of withdrawing the said block from the breech into the said carrier and pushing it therefrom into the breech.

I will first describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings of the breech portion of the gun to which it is applied, and will afterward specifically point out its novelty in claims.

Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of the breech and carrier and shows the breech-block partly in section and partly in side view and screwed up. Fig. 2 is a rear view corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear view of a portion ofthe breech and of the breech-block and its operating mechanism, showing the breech-block unscrewed and ready to be withdrawn. Fig. 4 is a side view of the pin which constitutes the pivot of the hinge of the carrier and retractor, the said pin having afiixed to its upper end a crank for operating the retractor. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the pin and crank. Fig. 6 represents a horizontal section of the breech of the gun and a plan of the breech-block and its operating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, of the rotator by which the turning of the breech-block is effected. Fig. 8 is a plan of the breech-block retractor.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A is the breech, bored, screw-threaded, and grooved to receive a mutilated screw-threaded breech-block B, which is represented as of ordinary pattern externally, the said breech and 1 block having, prefierably, four longitudinal grooves that the block may be unscrewed and screwed up by one-eighth of a turn.

0 O C O designatea hinge-bracket aflixed to the breech for the purpose of attaching the breech-block carrier D D D and the breechblock retractor E, the said bracket consisting of a plate 0, which is dovetailed into the breech, two arms 0' C projecting rearwardly from said plate, and a strengthening-web C between said plate and arms. The dovetailed plate 0 of the said bracket is secured to the breech by screws a a.

F is the hinge-pin, upon which the breechblock carrier D D D and breech-block retractor E are fitted to swing freely, the said pin having forged in the same piece with it or otherwise afiixed to its upper end acrankarm G, which carries two wrist-pins b b, one above and the other below, the upper one b being for the purpose of unscrewing and screwing the breech-block, and the lower one Z) being for the purpose of operating the breech-block retractor E. The said pin F is fitted to turn freely in the fixed arms 0' C of the hinge-plate. The lower end of the said pin is represented as having securely afiixed to it a worm-gear 11, which engages for the purpose of turning it with an endless screw I on the horizontal shaft 1, which is fitted to bearings c c c on the breech, the said bearings c 0' consisting of lugs projecting from lower arm C of the hinge-bracket. This shaft 1' is represented furnished with a handcrank 1 by which it is turned for the purpose ations of the breech mechanism.

J is what I term the breech-block rotator for screwing up and unscrewing the breechblock. This rotator consists of a rod or bar for connecting the breech-block with the upper wrist-pin b of the crank G, the said rod or bar having at one end a curved hook or slotted yoke with an open mouth and being permanently attached to the upper part of the rear of the breech-block by a pivot is, which is screwed into the block. The hook or yoke j receives within it and engages with the crank wrist-pin b. The sides of this pin have a rounded profile, and the transverse section of the sides of the hook or yoke are made of corresponding form to accommodate the slight of turning'the hinge-pin to produce the opervertical oscillation which the rotator .I has upon the pivot 7: in the turning movement of the breech-block produced through it by the action of the crank G.

As during the movement of the hinge-pin F and crank G, which takes plate after the unscrewing of the breech-block and prior to screwing it in again, the rotator J is disengaged from and unsupported by the crank, I o provide'on the back of the breech-block f the support of the said rotator at such times a projection q, represented as a piu screwed into the block. This pin supports the rotator, as shown in Fig. 3, in position for its re-engagement with the crank G by the entry of the wrist-pin Z) into is open mouth of its hook or yoke. From t tat end of the rotator J which is connected with the breech-block there projects downward a tail-piece or extension 1) to serve as a safety-cover for the vent in the breech-block or gas-check.

The rear end of the breech-block is shown as having a central recess (Z to receive the nuts eon the stem of the gas-check, and inside of this recess is a circumferential groove f, (shown in section in Fig. 1, and also shown in Fig. 8 by breaking away part of the rear of the block, and shown in Figs. 2 and 6 in dotted outline,) for the reception and engagea ment of a wrist or pin g, which projects upward from the extremity of the breech-block retractor E, the said wrist or pin by operating in the said groove serving to retract the block, and the groove providing for the turning of the block to unscrew it and screw it up without interference with the said retractor,which consists of an arm fitted to swing horizontally upon the hinge-pin F, and which is represented in Figs. 2 and 3 as bifurcated or having a two leaves where the hinge-pin passes through it, so that it connects with the said pin above and below the upper arm C of the stationary hinge-bracket. The said retractor is moved back to withdraw the breech-block by the 5 pressure of the crank-wrist bagainst its front edge; but as the said wrist will not operate to return the retractor, I here provide, as described in my hereinbefore-mentioned Letters Patent, the return-bolt 0, which works up and\ a down through guide-holes provided for it in the two leaves of the retractor-arm and into and from a hole Z,provided for it in the crank G, the said movement being produced by a lateral projection on the said bolt working in 5 a cam groove in the rounded end of the bracket-arm G I have shown a spring n applied to the said bolt to push it upward.

The breech-block carrier D D I) consists of a tray D, of a common form, to serve as a a seat for the breech-block, arms D D, to the end of which the said tray is attached, and a hub D from which the said arms project and which is fitted to turn on the hinge-pin between the retractor E and the arm 0 of the stationary hinge-bracket. The said tray D has at its sides, as is common, longitudinal parallel guides h for the purpose of guiding the breech-block during its withdrawal from and return to the breech, the said block being provided with grooves if t', which come opposite the said guides when the breech-block is unlocked. For locking the carrier to the breech of the gun at all times, but when it is required to take breech-block away therefrom,

and for locking the breech-block in the tray of the carrier after it has been withdrawn from the breech into said tray, I provide a tray-latch, such as is well known and is described in my hereinbefore-mentioned Letters Patent, consisting of a hooked lever K, which is pivoted by a pin r to the tray D of the carrier and engaging with a hook s, affixed to the breech, the said latch being disengaged from the said hook to liberate the carrier by the rear end of the breech-block passing over its upward projection t,which projects through an opening in the tray, and the block being afterward locked in the tray by the entrance of the said projection 1. into the notch 20, provided in the block for its reception.

To look the breech-block when it is screwed up, I provide what I term a gravity lockinglatch, consisting of a bolt L, having dovetail edges and fitted to work easily in a nearly radial groove of corresponding dovetail form in the rear face of the breech-block. The outer end of this bolt when the breech-block is screwed up drops into a notch in the counter bore or screw-box of the breech, as shown in Fig. 2. Before the unscrewing of the breech-block the said bolt or latch has to be lifted up out of the notch u. by a handle v, provided on it for the purpose, and held so lifted while the block is turned far enough for the end of the said bolt or latch to be supported within the counter bore of the breech, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having now described the construction and separate operations of the several parts of the breech-block and its operating mechanism, I will now proceed to describe the operations for loading and firing the gun.

The gun having been fired and left with the parts of the mechanism in the position in which they are represented in Fig. 2 and in bold outline in Fig. 6, to open the breech,

first raise the latch L out of the recess 11..

Then turn the shaft 1 by means of the handcrank l in the direction to cause the endless screw I to turn the worm-gear H and the hinge-pin F and crank G in the direction of the arrow shown near the hinge in Fig. 6. During the first portion of this movement of the hinge-pin the upper crank-wrist I), working in the yoke or hook j of the rotater J, produces the turning of the breech-block to the left, as indicated by the arrow shown near it in Fig. 2. \Vhen by this movement the block is unscrewed and ready to be withdrawn from the breech, the lower wrist b of the crank comes against the retractor E, and the continued turning of the hinge-pin and crank produces, through the operations of the said wrist b on the retractor and of the wrist g of the retractor in the slot f of the breechblock, a complete withdrawal of the said block from the breech into the tray D of the carrier, which is new first unlocked from the breech by the passage of the block over the projection t of the tray-latch K and then looked to the breech-block by the entrance of the projection 25 into the notch 10. By the further continued turning of the hinge-pin the wrist b, continuing in action on the retractor, pulls back the breech-block and with it the carrier until the block and the whole of the mechanism are thrown aside to the position shown in dotted outline in Fig. 6,1eaving the breech completely open for loading. Prior to the commencement of the move; ments above described for opening the breech the tail -piece 1) of the rotator J left the vent uncovered, as shown in Fig. 2; but by the unscrewing of the breech-block the vent is brought behind the said tail-piece, as shown in Fig. 3, where it remains during the remainder of the opening movements and until the breech-block has been again inserted into and screwed up within the breech, the tail-piece thus serving as a safety-cover to the vent at all times but when the breech-block is screwed up. When in the movement of the crank G the lower crank-wrist b has come into contact with the retractor and begins to move it and the breech-block, the rotator J, owing to its superior speed. due to the difference in radial length between the retractor and the crank, disengages itself from the wrist b, the yoke and hook j in the rotator being made open at the end to allow the said wrist to pass out. During that part of the movement of the crank G which takes place before the wrist 1) begins to act on the retractor the return-bolt o is held down by the groove m in the arm C of the hinge-bracket and the crank passes over the upper end of said bolt until, as the wrist b arrives at the retractor, the hole Z in the crank arrives over the said bolt, which, as the retractor moves back, is raised by its lateral projection running in the said groove m, and is'thereby caused to engage the retractor with the crank ready for the return movement of the breech-block. To close the breech, the movement of the handcrank J 2 is reversed. The return movement then takes place as follows: The whole of the breech-block-operating mechanism swings back, and as the tray D of the carrier with the breech-block in it arrives at the breech of the gun the tray-latch K is stripped from the block by the hook-stud s, and the continued movement of the retractor E with the hingepin F and its crank G pushes the breechblock back into the gun. When this position is reached, the return-bolt 0 has been nearly withdrawn from the crank-arm by its movement in the groove m of the hinge-bracket arm C and the further turning movement causes the return-bolt to be withdrawn from the crank G. As the crank is thus released from the retractor, its wrist Z1 operates in the yoke or hook j of the rotator J, (the rotator having overtaken the crank-wrist I) while the block was being pushed into the gun,) and pulling the latter to the right turns the block from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2, thus'coinpleting the closing of the breech. As soon as the breech-block is screwed up thqgravity-latch L drops into its notch u in the gun, and upon firing the gun takes the strain of the turning effort, thus relieving the various parts of the breechblock operating mechanism. The endless screw I and worm wheel H effect another lock always in action should its latch L be dispensed with. The vent is uncovered, as shown in Fig. 2, by the final movement of the breech-block and the rotator durmg the operation of screwing up, and a prlmer may then be inserted in the vent. Although the vent is covered by the rotator at all times e cept when the breech-block is screwed up it is not thus rendered inaccessible for clearing when the breech is open, for, should the clearing be necessary, by lifting the hooked end of the rotator the tail-piece or safety-cover 19 may be carried clear of the vent. Only design, however, will enable this to be done. It cannot occur through accident.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a breech-load ng cannon and a breech-block for the same WhlOll has both a rotary and a backwardand forward movement, a swinging carrier for said breech-block, andahinge-pin attached to the breech and constituting a pivot upon which the said carrier swings, of a crank on said pin and a bar or rod pivoted to the breechblock and having a hook or slotted yoke engaging with a wrist of said crank, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with a breech-loading cannon and a breech-block for the same which has both a rotary and a backward-and -forward movement, a swinging carrier for said breech-block, a swinging retractor for drawing the breech-block into the carrier and pushing it therefrom into the gun, and a h1n gepin attached to the breech and constituting a pivot on which said carrier and retractor swing independently of each other, of a bar or rod pivoted to the said breech-block and having a curved slotted yoke or hook and a crank on the hinge-pin having two wrists, one of which engages with the said slotted yoke or hook for turning the breech-block and the other engages with the retractor for withdrawing the breeoh-block from the gun, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the breech-loading cannon and a breech-block which has both a rotary movement and a backward-and-forward movement in the breech thereof and in which there is a circumferential groove, of a breech-block retraetor hinged to the breech and engaging in said groove in the breechbloek, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4:. The combination, with a breech-loading cannon and a breech-block having a turning movement therein, of a pin pivoted to the breech, a crank on said pin, and a bar or rod which is iivoted to the breech-block and eon-' anects the crank therewith and a portion 0' which covers and leaves uncovered the vent in the breech-block as the latter is turned in

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