US1201264A - Gun and gun-mounting. - Google Patents

Description

A. IVIl COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2, 1915.

Patented OUI. 17, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

u I I A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.27.191s.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

A TTH/VEY A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING. APPLICATION FILED ocTfzI, I9I5.

1,201,264.. lamented OCI. 17,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I I I zA-I A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2, I9I5.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ANDREW M. coYLE,' oF NEW YORK, N. VY.

GUN AND GUN-MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17', 1916.

Application filed October 27, 1915. Serial No. 58,156.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW M. COYLE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guns and Gun- -Mountings, of which the following is a speci-4 fication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to the mounting of guns and has special .reference to the mountingA of coast and land defense guns which may have a permanent, stationary foundation.

Guns o1' cannon from the time of their earlier production have been more generally used in the. field or on shipboard where it is obviously necessary to make provision for the recoil of the gun because no foundation of adequate strength and rigidity can be conveniently provided to take the direct reaction of the gun fire. This conception has also prevailed up to the present time with reference to coast and land defense guns. It is however, entirely practicable to construct guns for land defense, eve'n of the larger sizes, which do not recoil, and there are many advantages arising from this construction.

One object of myinvention is to provide a mounting for guns particularly for land and coast defense purposes, that shall be capable of withstanding the tiring reaction of the largest known guns without recoil,

with a view to improving the accuracyl and increasing the rapidity of firing large caliber ordnance, and of substituting for the elaborate and costly mechanisms of the present breech block, recoil system and traversing table, a few massive and simple parts which may be constructed at less cost and which are not liable to derangement.

Another `\o,bject of my invention is to eliminate the longitudinal strain on the inner tube ofthe gun, due to the pressure on the breech block, and thereby to increase the radial 4strength and elasticity of the gun and avoid the tendency to shift the bands or jackets when the gim is fired.

Another object. is to provide a carriage or mount which shall permit of all-around tire and of .any desired elevation of the gun, So as to provide a land'or coast defense weapon which shall combine the lduties of gun. ho'witzer and mortar and be available against ships, air craft or land attacks. i The latter' consideration is of great importance In order `to meet these requirements, Iy provlde a massive abutment` member, ar-k ranged to be rotated, within a .fixed bowl or chamber,labout a vertical axis, and means for supporting the g'un upon trunniors turning in supports fixed to the abutmentv .member in such manner that a prepared surface on the abutment member shall cooperate with and support the breech block of the gun when the latter is in firing position. vI also provide a breech block of eX- tremely simple form with means for facilitating its removal .and means for supporting the block while the gun is being loaded.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forth hereinafter, and in order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I will now proceed to describe the same in the following specification and then poin out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figurel is a partially sectional elevation of a coast or land defense gun having a carriage and mounting embodying my invention, the gun itself and particularly the b`reecli block, being also arranged and constructed in accordance therewith. Fig. 2 is drawn to a larger scale but corresponds to Fig. l, except that the gunis partially broken away and the gun carriage and -its mounting are shown in section. A plan view of the gun and mounting of Fig. 2 is shown in Fig. 3, with parts broken away and other vparts shown in section. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the gun .showing a splinter-proof shell which is adapted to protect the gunners. Fig. 5 Ais a plan view of the rear end ofthe gun itself, showing the breech-block mechanism more in detail.

The character of the foundation required for the mount will depend upon the character of the ground selected for th'e work. If native rock is available, it may be sufficient to 'provide a vsuitable cavity in the rock and set the vmount in this cavity ,with proper grouting. If, howeventhe ground is of a more ;.or. less yielding character, it will be necessary. to providea massive reinforced concrete foundationsimilar tothat shown in the drawings. This reinforced foundation which is'indicated'at 10is a feature of my invention and comprises a largemass of concrete in a form suitable to the contour of the ground having a cavity or basin indicated at 11 and very massive walls which are reinforced by vertical rods 12, inclined rods 13, and circular rods 11 located substantially as shown. The inclined rods radiate from the center of the cavity extending outward and upward in radial groups of substantially parallel lines. Near the center of the bottom of the cavity is a recess 15, to which a drain pipe 1G is connected and into which is led a conduit or pipe 17 for the transmission of power. The conduit or pipe may include compressed air hose, electric power wires, telephone wires and the like.

In the center of the concrete foundation is the cavity 11 which is here shown as having sloping sides and an enlarged upper section 1S shaped to receive the metal bowl or chamber 19 which forms the base of the mount or carriage. The bowl 19 is preferably of cast steel and is provided with a flange 20, the function of which is to strengthen the upper edge of the bowl and to provide additional bearing surface. The bowl may be cast in a single piece or may be of two or more sections, depending on the size. I prefer however, to' use as few sections as possible as the cost of construction is thus reduced. The bowl sections have cooperating flanges 21 which are secured together by bolts 22. The flange 2() is provided with a plurality of holes 23 through which a plastic filler may be introduced into theo space around the bowl. In practice, the cavity in the foundation having been formed, the bowl is set therein and beveled upon blocking, care being taken to leave the casting'clear of the concrete foundation. The plastic filler is then introduced into the space about the bowl. This filler may be a. fine concrete or cement grout, but I prefer to use some composition having a greater elasticity. For example, asphalt, a rubber compound, or the like, may be employed, but there are many suitable compounds on the market used for flooring, paving and to some extent, in-engine foundations.

The bowl may be cylindrical, conical or of any suitable shape. I prefer a spherical segment comprising slightly more than a hemisphere.- The interior surface is accurately machined and ground true to form a working bearing surface atall points where it coperates with the working surface of the carriage or abutment member 25. A rack or internal gear 24 is provided inside the bowl for the purpose of traversing the carriage in azimuth.

IVithin the bowl is a massive carriage or abutment casting 25 having a spherically curved bottom section 26v which fits into the bottom of the bowl, and a body section 27 having a spherically curved outer bearing surface which fits into the upper portion of thc bowl. The body portion is a segment of an annulus so that it engages a large area within the bowl as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and The working surfaces of the bowl and of the carriage are continuously lubricated, forced lubrication being preferable. A series of oil grooves is provided in the surface of the casting to facilitate lubrication. I prefer to utilize relatively heavy oil or grease for lubricating the engaging surfaces of the bowl and carriage` Aand I furthermore maintain a film of lubrication between the breech block or plug and the abutting surface of the carriage with which it cooperates. The lubricant serves not only to reduce the friction and facilitate the adjustment ofthe carriage in the bowl and the gun on the carriage, but also fills any slight irregularities in the surface and constitutes a very thin cushion which is very etlicient in transmitting the forces from the breech to the carriage and from the carriage. to the bowl without severe shock.

The carriage casting hasl the form of a yoke having webs 31 to which are aflixed a pair of trunnion brackets 27A. These brackets are seated on c vlindrically curved surfaces 28 of the. webs 31 to which they are secured by bolts or some other suitable means. There is a hole 28 in the bottom of the bowl into which a plug 29 extends. This plug projects upwardly into the bottom section 26 of the casting 25 and limits the movement of the carriage in the cup to rotation about a vertical axis. The plug has longitudinal yholes to accommodate the conduit 17 which extends through one of them as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and to provide for the drainage of the carriage.

The gun which is indicated at has trunnions 36 'and is mounted in the trunnion brackets 27A. The breech of the gun extends between the webs 81 of the yokeshaped carriage casting see Fig. 3) which has an abutment surface 32 preferably faced with a hardened steel plate or liner 33. This surface is cylindrically curved about the trunnion axis of the gun as a center, so that the-breech of the gun is at a constant distance from the-abutment surface on the face of the liner 83.

The gun instead of having a breech-block securelyA attached by a very expensive. and carefully prepared vinterlocking connection, has a breech-block 41 which merely fits into the breech of the gun and is not locked or secured to the gun in any way. The breechblock of the gun is in the form of a cylindrical plug provided with a gas check (not shown) and it is ground or otherwise iinish'ed at its outer end, to a cylindrical surface to coperate with the hardened steel liner of the abutment member. The arrangement of parts is such that the distance between the breech-block or plug and the hardened abutment surface is very small, as for example, a few thousandths of an inch. IVhen the gun is fired the reaction of the breech-block or plug is directly sustained by the carriage casting 25 as hereinafter eX- plained.

rlhe gun may obviously be set either in a horizontal position or to any desired elevation, as indicated by the broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2. While the gun, as shown, is arranged to be elevated to an angle of about thirty degrees, it is obvious that the finished abutment surface may be extended to provide for any desired degree of elevation. In order to load the gun it may be swung into the position shown in dot and dash'lines 35A in Fig. 1. The breech-block is then in a position above the abutment surface of the casting Q5 and may be'pulled out of the gun to permit the gun to be blown out and loaded.

The breech-block or plug fits closely into the breech of the gun and in order to facilitate its removal it is provided with handles 42 having cam or wedging projections 43 which, when the handles are pulled outwardly, engage the rear end of the gun and wedge the breech-block loose so that it may be readily pulled out. The breech-block or plug is supported when removed from the gun, by a bracket 7 0 which is attached to it and is suspended from a bar 71. Extending upwardly from the top of the gun is a lug or pivot pin 7 3 and near the breech of the gun is a curved track or guide-rail 74, the center of curvature of the rail being coincident with the axis of the pivot pin. The

bar 71 has a slot 75 at one end which engagesthe pivot pin 78 and near its opposite end it is supported by a carriage 7 6 having rollers 77 which run on the rail 74. The arrangement of parts is such that the lost motion connection between the bar 71 and the pivot pin 73 permits a sufficient longitudinal movement of the bar and the bracket to withdraw the breech-block from the gun, and the carriage provides for the lateral swinging-of the breech-block to one side to uncover the breech and permit the loading of the gun.

Secured 'to the carriage casting 25 is a splinter-proof shell 45 having a trunnion projection 46. Arranged to rotate about the trunnion 46 as a center, is an ammunition carrier consisting of a frame, the lower end of which is carried by wheel 49 which rolls upon the edge of the casting 19. Extending from the frame 47 is a bracket 47A provided with rollers which support a shell carrier 48 which is arranged to be pushed forward upon said rollers in order to deliver th projectile to the un.

It will be understood t at various means may be employed for elevating the gun and traversing the carriage, Aand I have shown and will now describe briefly only one of many possible mechanisms for accomplishing these results. The gun is traversed in azimuth by a pair of pinions 50 which mesh with the stationary rack or internal gear 24 and are mounted on shafts 51 supported by brackets from the bottom section 26 of the casting 25. Secured to the same shafts are a pair of worm wheels 52 with which cooperate a pair of worm gears'53 mounted on a common transverse shaft 54. This traversing mechanism may be operated by hand, or by compressed air,'electricity or any suitable power. The method of operation forms no part of the present invention. For elevating the gun I prefer to use a rocker shaft G2 which carries a rocker arm 63, connected to the gun by a link 6,4., This rocker shaft may be operated fon quick elevation by means of the hand wheel 61 through gears GO and segment 65. The arrangement of elevating mechanism is not part of this invention. In'the case of mortars and guns ranged for'high angle fire, the elevating link is above instead of below the gun. A plate iron casing 80 is provided within the bowl and is attached to the abutment member or carriage for the purpose of protecting the whole bearing surface of the bowl and providing a platform on which the gunners may stand. Around the inner edge of the bowl isv a flange or shield 81 which overhangs the upper edge of the casing 80, the arrangement being such that water and extraneous matter will enter the casing instead of entering .the bowl and from the casing it is drained through one of the longitudinal holes in the plug 29 and is carried off through the drain-passage 16. A Vernier 90 is attached to the base block and is adapted to coperate with the azimuth circle which is engraved -on the shield. The azimuth reading may thus be obtained with any desired degree of accuracy.

Attention is particularly directed` to the fact that the gun shown and described as an embodiment of my invention, may'be used for coast or land defense to advantage because it is capable of being turned to point in any direction and hasl a range of elevation from the horizontal to a high angle. The last-named advantage adapts my invention for use not only in the construction of. coast or land defense guns, but also in the construction of mortars and aerial guns. Furthermore, vas already intimated, all springs and oil buffers are eliminated and the gun fires from a fixed position and is therefore more accurate than guns having a recoil mount.

I have shown the vbowl in ,which the abut. ment member is mounted, as spherically curved and I now believe this arrangement to be preferable because the casting by this means has the greatest Strength for its Weight and furthermore, When the gun is fired in a horizontal position the reaction member tends to f rotate Without being wedged into the bowl. essential that the bowl shall be made in any specic form, as it may be frusto-conical, cylindrical or some other shape. The plug which prevents the abutment member from swinging about a horizontal axis, serves also to guide the member about its vertical axis of rotation. The Weight of the abutment member is preferably great so as to better distribute the strain over the surface of the bowl; and so as to balance the gun. Attention is further directed to the fact that the trunnion brackets are mounted on cylindrically curved surfaces of the abutment member, these surfaces as Well as the abutment surfaces being machined about a com-mon center Which is the center of the trunnions. By this means the great accuracy of the machine work can the more easily be secured. Since the variousl surfaces are machined as above described, from the trunnion center, the breech-'block when in position in the breech of the gun, is adapted to slide upon the hardened steel surface of the abutment member with the least possible Working clearance.

The operation of the gun is as follows:- In order to load the gun the muzzle 4is depressed until the breech plug rises above the abutment member. The handles 42 With which the breech plug is provided, are grasped by the gunner Who then exerts an outward pull and removes the plug from the breech, the plug being supported as above indicatedA by the bar 71. The plug is swung to one side to uncover the breech and the gun loaded. The plug is then replaced and the gun set to the desired elevation and azimuth. When the gun is fired, it is of course, subjected to the bursting force of the explosion but as above indicated, there are no strains tending to shift the jackets of the gun one over the other. After the gun has been fired, the loading process is repeated as above described, except that the gun will of course be blown out in the usual manner.

The structure of the abutment and of the foundation may. obviously be modified in various Ways; for example, the abutment member 'may bel stationary 4and constitute a part of the foundation, the abutment surface being enlarged to accommodate the complete range of the gun. Such an arrangement may usually be practicable only when the range of the gun is limited. Instead of providing a complete hemispherical basin o r bowl, a segment of a hemisphere may be utilized When all-around firing of the gun is not required. The n may be arranged to be moved beyond the abutment However, it is not l surface for loading in a horizontal instead of in a vertical plane. Other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art and I intend that only such limitations be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.'

What I'claim is:

l. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped support having a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within the cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun ,pivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surfaceV at the breech of the gun.

2. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped support having a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate Within the cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun pivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a bearing surface coperating with the reaction surface of the support and a cylindrically curved abutment surface at the breech of the gun having its center of curvature coaxial With the pivotal mounting of the gun.

3. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped support having a spherically curved interiorsurface, a carriage rotatively mounted Within said cupshaped support, means for preventing the oscillation of the carriage about a horizontal axis, trunnion brackets mounted on the carriage and adapted to pivotally support a gun, said carriage having a bearingsurface coperating with the reaction surface of the support and a curved abutment surface at the'breech of the gun.

4. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped support having a spherically -curved interior surface, a carriage rotatively mounted Within said cupshaped support, means for preventing the oscillation of the carriage about ahorizontal axis, trunnion brackets mounted on the carriage and adapted tov pivotally' support a gun, said carriage having a cylindrically curved abutment surface at the breech of the gun having its center of curvature coaxial With the pivotal mounting of the gun.

5..The combination of a cup-shaped support, a carriage having a .massive body mounted in the cup to rotate about a vertical axis and having trunnion brackets and an abutment surface With its center of curvature coincident With the pivotal trunnion axis, of a gun pivotally mounted in the trunnion brackets having anopen breech, and a breech-block adapted to extend into the open breech and coperating With the reaction surface of the carriage. Y

6. The combination of a cup-shaped support, a lcarriage having a massive body mounted in the support, trunnion brackets and a reaction surface With its center of curvature coincident with the pivotal trunnion axis, and means for limiting the support to a rotative movement about a vertical axis, of an open breech gun mounted on the trunnion brackets, and a breech plug or block extending freely into the open breech and adapted to engage Athe abutment surface of the carriage.

7 The combination with a stationary cupshaped support having a spherically curved inner surface, a carriage mounted within the cup and having a spherically curved outer surface cooperating with the interior of the cup, means for limiting the movement of the carriage to a rotation about a vertical axis, trunnion brackets on the carriage,y said carriage having a cylindrically curved reaction surface between the trunnion brackets, the trunnion axis being the center of curvature, of a gun pivotally mounted in the trunnion brackets having its breech extending between the brackets and close to the reaction surface, a breech-block or plug for the gun adapted to be freely mounted in the open breech of the gun and to copcrate with the reaction surface of the carriage.

S. The combination with a gun having an open breech, a carriage on which the gun is pivotally mounted having an inner reaction surface and an outer bearing surface, and a breech-block loosely mounted in the gun and reacting upon said inner reaction surface, of a stationary support having an inner surface adapted to coperate with the outer bearing surface of the carriage.

9. The combination with a gun having a breech block, land a carriage on which the gun is tiltably mounted having an abutment surface adapted to cooperate with the lbreech block in various firing positions of ther gun, of a support in which the carriage is rota` tively mounted having a reaction surface, said carriage having a bearing surface to cooperate with the reaction surface of the support in the various positions to which the carriage may be adjusted.

10. The combination'with a gun having an open breech, a block loosely fitted into the breech, and a carriage on which the gun is tiltably mounted having` a curved abutment surface adapted to cooperate with the breech block in the various firing `positions of the gun, of a stationary support in which the carriage is rotatively mounted having a curved reaction surface cooperating with the carriage in the various positionsY to which the carriage'may be rotativcly adjusted.

1l. The combination with a gun having` an open breech, a breech block loosely fitted into the breech, and a carriage on which the gun is tiltably mounted about an axis in one plane, said carriage having a cylindrically curved abutment surface having an axis coincidentI with the tilting axis of the gun and adapted to coperate with the breech block in the various firing positions to the gun, of a stationary support having a curved reaction surface with an axis normal to the plane of the tilting axis of the gun. said carriage having a bearing surface cooperating with the curved reaction surface of the support.

l2. Mounting for ordnance comprising` a stationary cup-shaped support having a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within the cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun pivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surface.I at the breech of the Igun. and lubricating fluid interposed between the bearing surfaces to transmit the reaction to the support.

13. The combination with a gun having a breech block and a carriage on which the gun is tiltably mounted having an abutment surface adapted to cooperate with the breech block in various firing positions of the gun, of a support in which the carriage is rotatively mounted having a reaction surface. said carriage having a. bearing surface to cooperate with the reaction surface of the support in the various positions to which the carriage may be adjusted. and lubricating fluid -interposed between the bearing surface of the carriage and the reaction surface of the support to transmit the forces from the carriage to the support.

1l. In a mounting for ordnance. a stationary cup-shaped support having a curved bearing surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within the cup-shaped support and having a cooperating bearing surface, and a gun pivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surface at the breech of the gun, of a dish-shaped casing affixed to the carriage within the cup-shaped support, and an inwardly extending flange on the support overhanging the edge of the dish-shaped casing. Y

15. In a mountingfor ordnance, a stationary cup-shaped support having a curved bearing surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within the cup-shaped support and having a cooperating bearing surface. and a gun pivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surface at the breech of the gun` of a dish-shaped casing affixed tothe carriage within the cupshaped support, and an inwardly extending flange on the support over-hanging the edOfe of the dish-shaped easing, said flange. being graduated to constitute an azimuth circle andeonstituting a shield to protect the bearing surfaces.

In witness whereof, l have. hereunto set my hand this 26th dav of October. 1915.

ANDREW M. COYLE.

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