US23468A - Improvement in rotating shot and shells - Google Patents

Description

J. B. HYDE. Projectila,

No. 23,468. Pategted Apr. 5, 1859.

UNITED, STATES PATENT 'Ornncn J. B. I-IYDE, OF NEWARK, NElV JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT m. ROTATING SHOT AND SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent XOI'JZIAGS dated April 5, 1859.

the city of Newark, county'of Essex, and State of New J eresey, have invented a new and use;

and whicltspring outas the shot lca-vesthe ful mode for rotating oblong shot and shells while in their flight from the gun, and of which Ihereby declare the following to be a.

' venience of charging the shot in the laboratory f nil-description.

Many plans, have been devised to induce the rotation bf shot or shell to obtain more =accu-- rate range in firing. In some cases the gun has been rifled with screw-like grooves, the shot having a smooth-surface, and others the shot has been provided with projecting lines on the sides fitting the grooves of the gun. 'In,

many cases shot have beenused with wings or feathers on the sides, or with'a' terminalat the rear end like a fish-tail,with a slighttwist. Other shot have been provided with curved projecting; pieces to fit intorccessesin the shot,

gun. All these appendages are made more or less ware-like or screw-shaped to induce rotation by atmospheric resistance thereto, and all of which are constructed to be fired from smooth-bored guns. Smooth shot have'been also fired from smooth guns with an elliptical bore, which has a twisted or sli ghtl y screw-like turn as the bore extends into the gun. This is'intended to produce rotation of the shot by its impinging along the minor axis of the bore.

' All the before-recited plans have failed for The grooving of practical use and benefit. large guns for smooth shot, 'or for shot with project-ions fitting the grooves, and-the twisted elliptical bore with smooth shot have all been attended with so many difficulties 'as to be per inanently abandoned by all officers who have given them the most thorough trials, while the plans of causing rotation tothe shot by the impingement of the air against projecting parts thereof presents the axiom that just in pro: portion to the area so exposed must the range ot'tli/e shot be diminished. Several plans have also. been devised for causing the rotation of smoothsurface shot from smooth-bored guns by charging cells made in lhc rear part of the shot with rocket composition.

erally is intended to cause'the rotation of the I The gas from the combustion of such mixture escaping.lat-,-

have been encountered which.l 'r.rve rendered them for all useful purposes impractical, as, first, in the charging of the composition to a proper and uniform density; second, int-he liability of the composition tobreak up and explode from theshock of the projecting charge of the'gun; third, in the necessity and inconprojectile,

or before going into action; fourth, in the 1iability of the composition to undergo a change in its burning time from slow to quick conlbustion, as isoften the case with war-rockets when kept packed away for sometime the atmosphere at its natural pressure, find it in a rarefied condition as it is thrown off by the advancing portion of the body; hence cannot react on the shot with such advantage and effect as-when the fuses are placed nearer the front end, where the gases meet the air in a compressed condition as it is divided by the thus immensely increasing the rotating power of the gas. For the purpose of combining the greatest weight of metal with the best configuration for flight and the admission of the fuses atthe largest diameter, I

i prefer these shot to bein length twice the minor diameter, the base end hemispherical, and the front end'parabolical -to one third the length. ofthe shot, the space between the two curved linesto be cylindrical. In the configuration of the interior of this shot I have considered that shape which should give the great est possible -weight ofmetal, "which I wish to meet the following requisites: First, that the forward end of the shot shall be of such fornr I as will present the least" resistance tothe air by throwing it oh at the most acute angle possible with the line of flight, at the same time to preserve a proper weight of metal forward and allow space for the rotative cell; second, that the rear end of the; shot shall present to a scales the projecting charge such a curve as will insure the greatest amount of force from the gas due to the sectional area of the projectil e,while it will during flight afford the least possible drag of the air in its rear, (a difficulty with all shot whose bases incline to a plane,) at the same time btaining a good and properlyshaped bursting-chamber; third, as the direction of all oblong rotating shot in their flight is due in an essential degree to the parallelism of the longitudinal axisof the missile'with the axisofv the bore of thegnn at the instant of projection,-I unite the curve of the base with the curve of the forward end by the cylindrical portion. around the shot, and on this line mark three or more points equidistantfrom eachother. At each of these points I form reces'sesby cutting to a proper depth longitudinallyandin line of 'a radius of the shot. I then make a circular or gouge-shaped cnt .to form-a groove on the left side from the surface of the shot at a proper distance from and thence to the bottom of the longitudinal cut. The groove should; curve slightly toward the rear of the shot. Intothe face of the part formed by the longitudinal cut, and at the bottom and center th ercof, I bore a hole of proper size and depth tangential with the shot and as near the "surface as possible.

lengths when. required for use, previous to For a thirtytwo peunder gun this tangential hole should be which they are properly charged with fuse or strong rocket composition and rammed as hard as possible. The better plan will be to have the tubes or fuses cut at an acute angle to present the largest surface of the composition possible for igniting.

In use the fuses are pressed into the shot at the battery, when it is placed in the gun in the usual way.. The discharge ignites the fuses. The

j force of the gas reacting. on the shot causes it to rotate on its minor axis with rapidity,and, having no friction to retard its motion,the rotation is continued to the end of its 'fiight, although the fuse may have burned out at half the distance. These shot I intend to be used without/as well as with the bursting-charge, the bursting-chamber being in the rear part, having the elliptical end solid with preponderat-ing weight of metal, and through the center of which the fuse-hole is made.

I can make use of the ordinary fuse, or of a metallic plug properly inserted and ignited by a percussion cap or wafer attached to the end of the plug. Either of these plans for igniting the charge in the shell may be applied at the battery at will.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 rep resents a side elevation of a shot, and Fig. 2, a sect-ion of the same through a B.

The letters 0 0 represent the recess and fuse-holc. C shows the same, with the fuse inserted ready for firing; and shows the same with the fuse ignited, showing the lines formed by the escaping gas which the shot rotates.

The composition may be rammed into the shot itself, dispensing with the tubes; but the advantage of the latter will be readily apparent to all practical men. I

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The use of tangential holes bored from the outer surfaceinto the solid portion of the front end of the shot forreceiving the rotating composition, and the useiof the adjustable tubes or cases ofrotating composition.

. J. B. HYDlrh Witnesses:

.VM. H. VAN Grsson, Josnr GRUNBERRY.

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