US60569A - Improvement in electric fuses - Google Patents

Description

PATENT OFFICE.

TALIAFERRO P. SHAFFNER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRIC FUSES.l

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 60,669,77dated December A18, 1866.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, TALIAFERRO P. SHAFF. NER, of Louisville, in the county of J eli'erson,

and State of Kentucky, have made new and useful Improvements in Fuses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the nature, construction, and operation of the same, sutcient to enable one skilled in the art to which it appertains to construct and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a view of one of the wires, partially insulated, and with the ends laid bare; Fig. 2, A is a sectional View, and B an elevation of the head of a primer-fuse for ordnance, which is shown complete in Fig. 3; Fig. 4, A is a sectional view, and B an elevation of a head of an artillery, mine, or torpedo fuse, which is'shown at Fig. 5 with the batterywires attached, and at Fig. 6 'in situ, in the cylindrical cham ber which contains the charge.

My invention consists in the method of connecting and attaching the battery-wires to the head of the fuse, and also in the construction of the said head, whereby a protected recess is provided for the fuse composition, and a recess for the non-conductin g cement, which surrounds the wires at their point of entrance into the head of the fuse. It also consists in the construction of the charge-chamber.'

-The form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 is intended for a primer-fuse, and the form shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6 for a torpedo or magazine fuse. It consists of a perforated head of non-conducting material, through which the positive and negative wires of the battery are passed, and through which they project into a compositionchamber, where the electric current, passing between the terminals of the .wir-es, through an inferior conducting but igniting substance or composition, explodes `the same.A 4

I will first describe the primer-fuse shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3: a is a block of wood, with a recess, b, andtwo periorations, c c, Fig. 1, through which pass the positive and negative wires PN, which are to be attached to those which proceed from the battery. These wires are wrapped for a portion of their length,

y `Fig.`1, but are naked at the portion embraced in theehead a they project a short distance into the chamber b, which has in it a composition which is a comparatively poor conductor, but is readily ignited bya passing electrical current as it passes between the terminals ofthe wires. This fuse composition is'contained in the chamber b, a bladder, n, Figs. 5 and 6, being fastened over the openingto prevent the access of moisture; or a quill, h, with a cap, l, is so inserted into the chamber 'b as to be retained therein, and con tain the fuse composition i. The wall of the chamber b is coated with black leador varnish, to resist moisture. The chamber e, at the other end of the head a, contains a non-conducting cement, which serves to retain the wires in their proper position relati'vely'to each other and to the head a. As will be observed, the wires project only a short distance into the chamber b, and it is an object to maiutain their exact adjustment, which is attained by gluing or cementing them fast in the cham ber e.

In everything but its yexterior form, the head shown detached in Fig. 4, in, its relation to the wires in Fig. 5, and in situ in Fig. 6, is similar to that just described, in so far as its orifices c c are similar, and its chambers b and c',- but it has a cylindrical form, Fig. 4, or, perhaps, preferably, a form composed ot' .two cylinders of varying sizes, Fig. 6, with a depression or waist, f, by. which it may be tied in the neck of a bag or cartridge, or by which enlargement it may be retained in a cylinder, j, by means ot'.a rib, j', as shown in Fig. 6. The cylinder in the latter ligure has a main charge-chamber, j, and acap,k, which is blown o' by the explosion, throwing a jet of flame into the magazine or torpedo, or whatever charge it may beV attached to. This hasa. superior effect to fuses'which scatter. tire iu differentlyT in all directions, as the ilame by direction becomes more concentrated, and

ignition is more ei'ective. The quill h in Fig.

3 acts in a similar manner, the cap l being blown off by the explosion, and the flame directed into the charge in the piece of ordnance. In the form shown in Fig. 6 the portion m of the cylinder may containthe non-conducting cement which holds the wires in their places, and the chamberc may be discontinued. The cylinder j may be taken to represent a cartridge, which is choked upon the neck f of the head d by' e tie which passes around the cylinder j.

Having described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.

l. The fuse-head a or d, with its chambers Z1 e, one or both, as and for the purpose or purposes described.

2. The indented or dan ged cylinder jj', with its cap ic zmdhead d, for the direction of the dame of the fuse, es described.

` 3. ii claim the mode oi" attaching/the wires to the fuse-head, by means of e non-conducting cement inserted into a. chamber in said head, or in the cylinder in immediate connection therewith, as described.

4. E claim the protecting water-proof membrane or cover n, for closing the mouth of the composition-chamber b.'

5. I claim the water-proof lining to the composition-chamber b, to prevent access of moisture to the said composition.

TAL. P. SHAFFNER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, ALEXB A. C. KLAUcm.

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