The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

CO LO LO MESSRS. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. as those already descril ed for rnedium-calibre guns. The example shown applies to 24-centimetre guns in turrets. Weight of gun 23,000 kg. 50,692 1b. ,, slide and movable housing 6500 kg. 14,326 1b. ,, projectile ... ,, service charge (smokeless powder) 170 kg. 374 1b. 90 kg. 198 1b. Muzzle velocity in service 680 m. 2230 ft. Elevation + 15 deg. + 15 deg. Training - 5 deg. — 0 deg. 270 deg. 270 deg. The mounting consists of a gun-housin g carrying slide with the elevating mechanism, a movable housing with hydraulic brake, and a compressed-air recuperator. On the gun is fitted a jacket with slide shoes, which run on the flanges of the lateral slides of the gun-housing ; I the jacket contains also the two lateral recoil cylinders j placed at the bottoin, and is fitted besides with the buffers, lubricators, and Controlling pistons. The carrying slide is formod of two vertical wroutfht-iron checks, fitted with I trunnion-plates, and bolted on a revolving platform that forms part of the turret ; they carry tbe transmission mechanism for elevating the gun. The movable housing consists of two lateral beams, joined together in the front and in the rear by stay rings. It is made to oscillate on two trunnions placed at the front. To the rear ring are fixed the rods of the hydraulic-brake cylinders, and the trunnions of the elevating screw shells ; the elevating screws are worked by conical pinions and endless screws from a horizontal shaft, worked by hånd or by elec- trieity. The compressed-air recuperator consists of a gun-metal cylinder joined by a wrought-steel tube to a valve ehest, which cominunicates with the hydraulic brake cylinders. A conical-shaped rod fitted to the valve ehest and worked from the outside enables the communication between the valve ehest and the recuperator to be interrupted at will. During recoil the piunger pistons, by sliding in their cylinder, displace a certain quantity of liquid, which lifts tlie valve fitted to the communication tube, and acts on the separator piston of the recuperator cylinder by com- pressing the air it contains. Wlien recoil is spent, the valve falls back on its seat, and the liquid driven by the water can only fill the space it occupied previously, by pässing through a narrow vent made in the valve ; the gun thus runs out again progressively, and the buffers meet without shocks. This takes place auto- matically throughout, and under the Best conditions of rapidity. I2-Centimetre (4.724-In.) 50-Calibre Quick-Firing Guns (Fig. 751, Plate CXXX.). Weight of gun... „ projectile ... „ charge (smokeless powder) Muzzle velocity Weight of mounting ... ,, shield Elevation 3300 kg. 22 kg. 8.250 kg. 810 m. 2850 kg. 3850 kg. + 20 deg. — 5 deg. 7273Jb. 48i Ib. 18j Ib. 2657 ft. 6282 Ib. 8485 Ib. + 20 deg. - 5 deg. The mounting is central pivoting, with a limited recoil and automatic return. It consists mainly of an oscillating housing, two slides or recoil cylinders, a pivot transom, and a bedplate. This type of mounting fulfils the following conditions : It allows the gun a very limited recoil, and insures quick and automatic return ; it does away with the per- cussion efforts, whatever be the position of tbe gun, which recoils along its axis, and meeting the action of the brake direct. The eftects due to firing are divided over a larg-e number of points, thus reducing the wear and tear on the various parts. It allows the gunner to elevate, train, and fire the gun direct, without having to interfère in any way with the loading. The gun is constantly maintained in battery by the action of the running-out springs ; the recoil cylinders are kept filled with incongealable liquid, and the joints, which are very few in number, are so arranged that they keep tight. The mounting is, therefore, always ready for firing. The mounting body is of cast steel; it consists of a housing in two parts firinly bolted together in the middle, and provided with trunnions which fit in the sides of the slide, and which carry the gun, the slides, and the gun- carriage proper. The two slide-shoes, of forged steel, are placed symmetrically, and are uniform in their work- ing. Each one tits in the grooves made in the gun, and are provided in front and in the rear with cylindrical seatings of equal diameter and length, which constitute the recoil cylinders, When the gun, during recoil, drives back the slide-shoes, or, in other words, the recoil cylinders—the pistons re- maining fixed—the liquid which is in front of the pistons is driven violently back, and flows through the grooves of various sections cut in the cylinders. The section of these grooves is so designed as to öfter a constant résistance on the whole length of the recoil, which extends over 200 millimétrés (7| in.) as a maximum. Return is effected automatically by a recuperator formed of two sets of direct-acting springs. To elevate the gun a handwlieel is provided, which Works, through an endless screw gearing, a pinion that engao-es a circular rack fitted on the left side of the ffun- carriage. The endless screw wheel is fitted by friction, to allow, if necessary, of a slight displacement during firing. The gun is trained by means of a handwheel, through an endless screw, a hélicoïdal wheel, and a vertical pinion which engages a circular rack surrounding the bolster. 15-Centimetre (5.905-In.) 50-Calibre Quick-Firing Guns (Fig. 752, Plate CXXX.). The gun slides in a housing which is of uniform type whatever be the style of mounting used. It consists of a .cylindrical body, fitted with the trunnions and the recoil cylinders ; the latter afford a constant résistance, owing to the variations in the dimensions of the vents. Each cylinder is formée! of a ehest, with two regiets of varying