US29272A - Improvement in projectiles for rifled ordnance - Google Patents

Description

B. B. HOTCHKISS.

Projectile.

No. 29,272. -Patented July 24, 1860.

@5W UNMENTLER 4 wmwlss nire STATES arena* *FFICEG ll. D. HOTGHKISS, OF SHARON, CONNEC'IICUT.

.jnsciicalion Vorming part ol' Leiters Patent i\`o. 29,2?1?. dnlrd .lnly fil, lrUL same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Aforming a tion.

My improvement relates to and is an improvement on the construction orl projectiles invented by my brother, Andrew Hotchkiss, and patented by him on the 16th of October, 1855.

The nature ot' my invention consists in the employment of a body and soft-metal belt of a peculiar form, in combination with the eappicce for controlling the extent of the action 011 the belt, the object of this ncombination being the expansion of the forward part ofthe belt, equally or nearly equally with the back part, and at the same time insuring thatthe expansion shall not exceed a certain moderate amount.

The nature of my invention also consists in causing the cap or wedge piece to be forced into the metal of the packing or belt between its inner and outer surfaces, in lieu of between it and the body of the projectile, for the purpose of holding the rear edge of the belt more iirmly to the shot and preventing it from bcing torn therefrom in iiring.

The nature of my invention also consists in a combination of a lip to hold or coniine the forward edge of the belt with the above peculiar means of holding the rear edge of the same, for the purpose of holding the portion of the belt to the shot in case the belt is separated, longitudinally, in two or more parts.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, by the aid ofthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a half-elevation and half-section ot the projectile as placed in the cannon. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the packing-ring expanded, and Fig. 3 is a rear view with the cappiece removed.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

part of this specifica- A is the body of the projectile, made in a convenient form at the point and rear, but smaller 'for a little more than halfits length, to allow for the packing or belt of soft metal. rIhe forward portion of that' part of the body of the projectile which is encompassed by the belt, is tapered toward the rear, as shown at B. The rear portionis of uniform section. At C is an annular lip or projection which stands in the edge of the belt or packing, as represented. Upon A, I iit the packing or ring D, composed of lead, or other suitable soft metal,

at G, under which is placed the cap or wedgepiece F, which is driven home with a ham'mer with sufficient force to induce it to remain and allow the projectile to be handled inthe ordi-v nary manner without danger of a separation. The projectile is placed in the gun in this condition, as shown in Fig. l, with the cap F next the powder. In firing the gun the force of the explosion is received by the cap F, which is thereby forced with great violence against and into the lead 01 soft-metal ring D, the adhesion of which to the bodyAB is very slight, so that it is free to slip forward thereon, the

driving forward the belt D uniformly, or nearly so, but only to the extent due to the motion of F. rlhis expansion of both ends of D follows from the form of the several parts, as follows: The sharp edge of the cap F is driven into the rear edge of the belt D until the shoulder f meets the same. The mass of D is then compressed and changed in forni, being ups'et-77 as v the change is termed, or, in other words, shortened and thickened. The mass of D is also moved forward by the same force upon A.. By the form due to my invenytion the upper or forward portion ot' Dis the thinnest and is most easily compressed, so that the hinder and central portions move forward, and the tapering form of B and greater upsetting of that part oi' D expands the forward portion in such a manner as to cause it also to fit the bore and grooves of the gun. The belt under these conditions expands equally and to the proper extent at both ends and also at the middle, and D iits tightly to the gun throughout its whole extent, as shown in Fig. 2. The

with a'flan ge or projection on its rear, as sh own force of the explosion both compressing and edge C and the wedgeF cut into the met-al otv the ring, and tend to prevent the latter from bel coming removed from the body of the shot, either in the gun or after it has leftthe muzzle.

The belt of soft meta-l has hitherto been held to the body ofthe projectile only by its maintaining its integrity as a complete belt or hoop, and so soon as it is separated into two or more parts, it would fly asunder under the resistance of the air upon its front edge. By my improvement the soft metal loeks under a portion ofthe body at its forward edge and under :t portion of the cap at its rear edge, so that if it were split into mzmyparts or sections, each extending the entire length from F to C, none of the partsould escape from the body of the shot, but the whole would remain in one single proj eetle.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim ns new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isa

1. The tapering body B andthe Correspond ing form of the belt D, in combination with the cap-piece F f, or its equivalent, for the purpose of expanding Dequztlly and to zt definitelycontrolled extent at each end, substantially as herein set forth.

2. Causing the edge of the eztp F to embrace a portion of the belt D, so as to look and coniine D at that edge, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and specified.

3. The combination of the lip C at the forward edge with the means herein described of confining the rear edge of the belt D, for the purpose of retaining the parts of the lat-ter between them when burst open or otherwise friletured, as herein set forth.

B. B. HOTCHKI'SS.

\V it n esses:

THOMAS D. SfrE'rsoN, G. H. BABoocK.

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