US545540A - smith - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. F. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 545,540. Patented Sept. 5, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M; P. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 545,540. Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

wttmeoau mvmlioz (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.-

I M. I. SMITH. HYDRAULIC REGOIL GUN CARRIAGE.

Patented sept. 3

Wfimaxii UNITED STATES MORRIS 1'. SMITH, ()l PHILADELPHIA,

PATENT OFFICE.

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VILLIAM CRAMI & SONS SIIII AND ENGINE BUILDING COMPANY, OF

SA M E PLACE.

HYDBA ULIC-RECOIL GUN-CARR IAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatenilNo. 545,540, dated September 3, 1895.

Application filed March 4, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic- Recoil Gun-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to hydraulic-recoil ro field or land carriages for rapid-fire guns, and it has for its object to improve and simplify the construction of such carriages to better adapt them for the uses for which they are intended, especiallyiu connection with relar5 tively large guns; and to this endmy invention consists in the various features of construction and arrangement of parts having the mode of operation substantially as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated one preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the carriage, one of the wheels being removed the better to show the remaining parts. Fig. 25 1 is an enlarged detail view of one of the axle-supports. Fig. 2 is a plan view, some of the details being in section. Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the carriage, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing one of the recoil-cylinders.

' In the use of rapid-fire guns, especially in connection with field-carriages, it is desirable that the carriage should be made as light as possible and at the sameitime should have 5 the greatest practical rigidity, in order that the various parts can successfully withstand the strains brought to bear upon them in the operation of the gun, and it is also desirable that the recoil of the gun should be properly o taken up in such a manner as to prevent displacement of the carriage, injury thereto, and more especially to prevent the jumping or rising of the muzzle of the gun, and it is with the objectof furnishing a carriage which a will overcome these and other objections that my present invention is made, andI will now proceed to describe in detail the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The carriage, as is usual in this class, coni- Serial No. 540,492- (IIo model.)

prises an axle A, which is made of steel or other suitable material and is supported in the wheels A, and in the present embodiment of the invention I prefer to make these wheels somewhat less in diameter than is usual for this class of carriages, in order that the gun when mounted as hereinafter set forth will be at a convenient height for operation, and also to aid in preventing the displacement of the carriage during the recoil, and it will be seen hereinafter that by thus constructing the carriage certain advantages accrue without any corresponding disadvantages. Thus, for instance, the trail B may be made in such a way as to normally lie in more nearly parallelism to the earth, and thus furnish a better resistance and support for the gun.

As the gun is usually mounted about the center of the axle, the greatest strain during recoil is exerted on the axle at this part, and it has a tendency to bend or distort the axle, often rendering the carriage inoperative, and it is one of the essential features of my invention to provide means to overcome this difiiculty without the necessity of making an exceedingly strong and therefore expensive axle, and this I do by not only making the trail exceedingly strong in. itself and providingit with ribs and connections with the axle, 8a which will tend to brace the same and support it against recoil, but I also provide what I have termed axle supports or brackets, which are secured to thetrail and are mounted on the axle in such a manner as to aid in taking-up the resistance of the recoil'and relieving the axle of a greater portion of its strain and produce the greatest resistance by the least amount of metal.

The traiLB is preferably made of sheet-steel '90 plates B, having their edges flanged or bent inwardly, as at b, which may be suitably braced and are preferably united to an end piece or casting B to which are attached links or sockets, 6.20., for manipulating the trail, and 5 for attachihgit to the limber in the usual way. This end piece is made in a peculiar way, in that the lower surface I) is extended to a considerable extent, practically parallel with the ground, so as to furnish a substantial bearing roe )r the trail, and which will aid in preventing :51 being driven into the ground on the-recoil, nd further to prevent the carriage being riven backward I provide the end piece with spade b, which is cast or formed integral with the end piece, and extends downward at n acute angle, substantially as indicated, so hat it will embed itself in the ground, and urther aid inmaintaining the'position of the arriage. By thus constructing the bearing urface of the end piece and attaching the pads in the mannerindieated I improve upon he usual construction of trails and. accomlish the results stated ina most satisfactory manner. The sides B of the trail extend forrard and are mounted on the axle A, they ieing perforated to receive, the axle, and are lreferably arranged so as to embrace the axle .djacent the sides of the gun-supporting rame, hereinafter described.

In order that the axle may be strengthened n the manner indicated, I' provide what I |ave termed supports or brackets C, rhich comprise a sleeve (3', fitting the axle, vhich is formed. with or attached to an end )late which is preferably of a contour substantially corresponding with the ends of he side pieces of the trail, and which are sezurelyattached thereto by bolts or rivets '0, l0 as to practically become a part of the trail. lhe bracket is further provided with ribs 0 which aid in strengthening or bracing the same, and I also provide extensions 0 on the .mder side for the reception of the brace or stay-piece B, which is attached to the sides at the trail by any suitable means, as by bolts Mounted on' the sleeve and 'forming a part thereof is-the bracket-plate C, which is preferably cast in one piece with thesleeve and the plate 0', and not only serves as a support for the ammunition-boxX, but also acts as a stiffening-plate for the axle. In order that the supports or brackets may be more securely attached to the sides of the trail, I preferably provide the sleeve 0 with an extension 0, which fits into an opening in the sides of the trail, as best seen in section in Fig. 2. The bracket-plate is provided with suitable hooks and lugs c to furnish a ready means of attaching the ammunition-box.

From this construction it will be seen that the supports or brackets embrace the axle on both sides of the gun-supporting frame and furnish a practically rigid support therefor" which will prevent distortion thereof, owing to the fact that the plate 0 is relatively very wide compared to its thickness, giving great strength in the lineof distortion, and, further,

owing to the ribs and braces, which all co-op-- erate in connection with the sides of the trail to prevent the bending of the axle during recoil.

In this class of guns it is desirable to lock the wheels, so as to aid in maintaining the carriage in its position during the operation of the gun, and I have shown ratchet-wheels A, attached to the hubs of the wheels, and a pawl a", arranged to slide in a chamber 0, attached to or formed with the trunnion-plate, and this pawl can be operated in the usual manner to lock the wheels. From this construction so far described it will beseen that I provide a carriage which is relatively exceedingly light, and still has the requisite rigidity to prevent distortion under .recoil, and by locking the wheels and using the end piece of the shape before set forth, in connection with the spade, as well as having the axle low relative to the ground, I have been able to provide a carriage which will remain ractically stationary during recoil.

Heretofore in mounting guns on such carriages various means have been suggested to take up the recoil, such as springs and other well-known devices, but so far all have had some disadvantages and failed to satisfactorily meet the requirements, and it'is one of the features of my present invention to provide a recoil apparatus which can be used in connection with the carriage, by means of which the recoil will be successfully overcome without disturbing the position of the carriage, and, what is perhaps of more importance, preventing the jumping of the gun before the projectile leaves the muzzle, and I will now proceed to describe the apparatus shown for accomplishing this result. Mounted on the axle A is a gun-supporting frame D,

which in the present instance comprises a slide-plate D, having flanges or ribs D forming partial bearings for the frame,and which, in "connection with the bearing-pieces D form a convenient means for adjustably attaching the frame to the axle. The slideplate is connected with some suitable means for adjusting the altitude of the gun, and I have shown a screw-threaded rod D pivotally connected to the slide-plate and operating in connection with an internally and externally screw-threaded sleeve D and an internally screw-threaded sleeve D which is pivotally mounted in thetrail, and also mounted in IIO connection withthe sleeve D. is a bevel-gear D engaging a bevel-wheel D operated by a hand-wheel D, whereby the gun-supporting frame may be elevated and depressed in the well-known manner. This mechanism for elevating and depressing the frame is not new, but is simply used as a convenient construction, and any other well-known elevating and depressing mechanism may be substi-.

tuted therefor, and I do not deem it necessary to describe its construction more in detail. Mounted on the slide-plate D is what I-have termed a guide-plate E,and this is provided with a boss e, fitting a depression din the slideplate and forming apivot for the guide-plate, and it is also provided with a. bolt E. The slide-plate is also provided with a. dovetailed grooved recess d, in which fits and moves the dovetail e' on the guide-plate, and the slideplate is also provided with an extension or offset d over which fits a gib e on the guideplate, so that the guide-plate is held in place scaso on the slide-plate bythe boss, the dovetail,- and the g'ib, and the bolt and gib also aid in preventing the guide-plate rising from the slide plate under the eliects of recoil. The guide-plate can be adjusted laterallyon-zthe slide-plate byany suitable means to train the gun for azimuth, and I have shown aworm-'- wheel E engaging a rack E on the guide-plate and operated by a hand-wheel E or othersuitable means. The gunG is mounted in a sleeve F, which is securedv thereto in' any suitable way and moves with the gun on recoil, and this sleeve is provided witha suitable recoil apparatus, about to be described. In the-pres ent instance I have shown two cylinders F connected to or formed with the sleeve F, al-

though in some instances a single cylinder may be used, and these cylinders operate in .gun, and thereby inducing a failure to make a good target, and'one of the features of my invention is to overcome this tendency, and this I accomplish. in connection with my improved recoil apparatus. Thus the cylinder or cylinders F are arranged to move over the piston H, and the cylinders, as is usual, are filled with some liquid, as glycerine andwater, and the recoil is taken up by causing the liquid to pass'from one side to the other of the piston in the cylinder. 1 so arrange the piston'in connection with the bore of the cylinder that'upon the dischargeef the gun' there will be a practically uniform resistance oifered to the movement of the cylinderfor a certain time, (until the projectile has passed beyond the-muzzle of thegun,) and then the resistance will gradually increase until the recoil is f ullytaken up. In order to accomplish this,I bore or otherwise form the cylinders F for a certai'n distance from their rear ends-say to the line f in-front of the pressure face of the pistons-of a unifiorm diameter and relatively considerably larger than the diameter of the piston H, as bestindicatedin Fig, 4. From'the pointf to the point f, for instance, the cylinder tapers gradually to about the diameter of the piston Bland from thereon'to its end it maybe practically the same diameter as the piston] From this it will be seen that *from the md ent'o'ffiring until the gun has recoiled a certai distance and until the projectile has reached the muzzle there will be a uniform resistance, and this will not be excessive, and

I have found that'this prevents the tendency of the gun jumping or disturbing the carriage until the projectile has passed beyond thernuzzle of the gun,and then as the resistance gradually increases thedisturbanceto the gun and position.

carriage is reduced to a minimum, and whatever disturbance there'is .will not interfere with accurate target practice. This feature of my'invention may beaccomplished in different;v

ways, and'the size of the bore'can be accurately adjusted to suit any recoih The cylinders F in thepresent instanceare provided with plugs F screwed in their. rear ends, and these plugs are preferably hollowed at their inner ends, as indicated at ffi-so r'ts to form a cushion for the pistonwhenthe gun is returned to firing The piston-rods in this instance are made hollow throughout a portion of their length, as'at H and-a stem or guide-rod I is mounted in the. plug F and moves in the piston-stem to properly "guide the piston in the cylinder. In orderto return the gun to firin g position, 1 mount in the cylinder springs J, which are shown as surrounding the'pistorilfod H, and-which are compressed during recoil, and are of-sufi'icient strength to gradually return the gun to firing position in a manner well understood. These features, as thus described, and as shown in the drawings, have proven to be most satisfactory in connection with a gun of relatively-high caliber-say, for instance, a twelve-pounder--and I have found that not only is the recoil satisfactorily taken up by my arrangementi without danger of jumping or disturbing the carriage until the projectile has actually pdssed the muzzle of the gun, but that even after'that there is comparatively little disturbance to thecarriage itself, so that the gun having been once adjusted, both for altitude and azimuth, a series of projectiles can be rapidly fired, if desired, without readjustment of the gun or carriage. Furthermore, by the construction of the trail and the axle-supports in the manner set forth I find that the tendency to bend or distort the axle or-other parts of the carriage is overcome, and the carriage has stood the test of rapid and heavy firing without injury to any of the parts, and it will be observed that all the parts are relatively light, so that the. carriage as a whole is lighter and stronger thanothers of this class thit have heretofore been made. w Having thus described in detail (sutficiently to enable others to make and use my invent'ron) the various features of construction and arrangement, and set forth their mode of operation, without limiting myselfto the precise construction and arrangement set forth, what I claim-is- 1, In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, of two supports or brackets each comprising a sleeve surrounding the axle, an end plate secured to the trail and having ribs, and braces connected to the trail, substantially as described. 2. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, of supports or brackets comprising a sleeve fitting the axle, an end plate secured to the trail, and abracket-plate too connected to the sleeve and end plate and forming a support for the ammunition-box, substantially as described.

the trail, an end plate secured to the trail,

and a horizontal bracket-plate, substantially .as described.

4; In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, the latter comprising steel plates embracing the axle, of asupport-or bracket at each side of the trail also en1bracing the axle, each of said supports comprising a sleeve, an end plate, and a bracket-plate formed in one piece and secured to the trailplates, substantially as described.

5. In a gun-carriage, the combinationwith the gun-supporting frame, of a sleeve sup porting the gun, and hydraulic cylinders and pistons interposed between the sleeve and frame, the cylinders having a uniform bore for a certain distance in front of the pressure face of the pistons and then a tapering bore,

whereby a uniform resistance isoll'ered' to the recoil at first, and then gradually increased, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed 'my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

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