In this joint, and in others belonging to the gun, the connected pieces are arranged, metal to metal, to insure perfect alignment, and the packing recess has its sides opposite to that of the fluid-pressure angularly disposed, so that the packing, whether solid, hollow, or cup shaped, is crowded toward the joint by the fluid-pressure. The recess is formed with a re stricted portion, so that the connected pieces will bite upon the packing to obtain an initial sealing, and this restricted portion is also large enough to receive any excess of the packing that may be forced into it on the complete assembling of the pieces. This arrangement also permits the use of many face-to-face joints properly packed. The valves of the gun consist of a main firing-valve 4, controlling the opening c between the jacket-reservoir and the gun breech behind the projectile; an auxiliary valve 32 (Fig, 2), arranged in a casing secured to the valve section of the jacket, for opening and timing the opening of the main valve, said auxil iary valve also embracing a tappet fly-over valve 7, a tripping-lever or detent 60, and a sup plemental valve 66 for moving the lever or detent; and a pilot-valve 70, located in a casing in the left-hand trunnion, with a hand-lever for operating it, the said valve controlling the admission of fluid through the pipe 69 to automatically operate the auxiliary valve. The main valve is an annular one, normally seated to close the breech communication, and held seated by the fluid-pressure on its back end: the auxiliary valve in its normal closed position connecting the fluid-pressure passage for this purpose, is also held in this position by the fluid-pressure. The auxiliary valve is a piston-valve, having differential areas controlling passages 26, 31. for the Buid to hold the main valve closed, and when moved closes one of said passages (31) on the pressure side, and opens the other (36) to the atmosphere. so that the pressure may exhaust from behind the main valve and allow the fluid-pressure on the other side of the main valve, acting upon a shoulder for that purpose, to operate-to move said VSIve open. The tappet II -over valve. is normally held closed, and so allows the fluid-pressure to act upon the larger area of the auxiliary valve as well as upon the area of itself, has its initial motion imparted by the movement of the tripping-lever or detent by hand, or through the action of the supplemental valve by the admission of pressure from the trunnion on the opening of the pilot-valve. The movement of the tappet-valve shuts off the fluid-pressure from the larger area (back chamber 53) of the auxiliary valve and from the like area (back chamber 3) of itself, then opens connection with its back chamber to the atmosphere through opening 53. The back chamber of the tappet-valve being exhausted, the fluid-pressure acts upon the differential shoulder of the valve and automatically moves it the remaining part of its stroke till it seats on huffer in the hack chamber, thus avoiding all personal equation in firing. Its tappet 59 participates in this motion, having been farther projected into the hack chamber 53 of the auxiliary valve. In this position of the tappet-valve the back of auxiliary valve is open to the atmosphere through bulb 51, and tappet-valve to opening 58. This ex hausts said back chandler, ttnd the auxiliary valve moves open by the fluid-pressure upon its first differential shoulder, the second differential shoulder being idle. The auxiliary valve moves under this pressure until the pressure is allowed to act upon the second differential shoulder, when the valve is forcibly seated to its buffer 35 at end of the back chamber. In the latter part of its stroke it meets the tappet 59 of the tappet-valve and forces the tappet valve almost to its normal position, then the pressure is admitted in back chamber of the tappet-valve, which completes the movement. The fluid-pressure is then admitted to back chamber of the auxiliary valve and moves this valve back to its normal position.
In the passage composed partially by the pipe 56 between the fluid-pressure supply 31 and the hack chamber of the auxiliary valve, there is placed a regulating cock 55 and the bulb 51, by means of which the duration of opening of the auxiliary and main valve is regulated—the regulating cock is adapted to vary the size of the admitting orifice for the pressure, and the bulb its capacity. The passage from auxiliary valve is extended to near the bottom of the
bulb to insure the effectiveness of the operation of the bulb.
The supplemental valve operating the tripping-lever is composed of two piston-valves 66, 67, of different areas, joined loosely together, the stem of one of the valves being connected to the tripping-lever. The smaller valve is normally seated by pressure from the reservoir through pipe GS, while the pressure to the larger valve is admitted by pipe 69 during the mo ment of firing by the opening of the pilot-valve. The tripping-lever or detest is provided with a trigger Cl, held in position by a spring 63, arranged in such manlier that when the movement of the lever is complete it removes the trigger from the end of the tappet-valve, so that the latter may be free to return.
All the valves are constructed so that the leakage of the pressure is prevented by seating them endwise. against seats and buffers in their respective chambers; and their seating faces may be concaved or grooved to insure more complete seating and longer life of the seat. The pilot-valve 70, controlling the admission of fluid from the jacket-reservoir to the supplemental valve, is held closed by the fluid-pressure, a spring being provided to return the valve closed should the pressure be absent. The stem of this valve is perforated longitudinally and with radial openings, so that., should the pressure leak past its valve when seated, it will pass to the atmosphere without danger of passing to the supplemental valve, the exhaust from the cham ber of the latter being reg,ulated by screws 73 adjacent to the stem of the pilot-valve.
The gun-breech is opened for the insertion of the projectile and tightly closed by a packed breech-gate 0, pivoted to the breech-casting and adapted to rotate nd swing open and shut. The breech-gate has an interrupted flange. so that it and its gate-lever u need he moved but a fraction of the circle to release the gate. With the gate is connected a locking-gear p, which, as the lever is first moved to release the gate, the latter moves the locking-gear through connecting-rods and lever into position to positively lock the auxiliary and sup plemental valves and tripping-lever Go against accidental movement from their normally closed position, as. for instance, by inadvertently moving the pilot-valve hand-lever. The packing gear is provided with a spring or similar device, so that upon the opening of the gate it is automatically locked against accidental movement until the gate is closed. The gun-breech is also provided with it vent-opening just in rear of the projectile which is normally open to t he atmosphere, so that, should the fluid-pressure leak past the nun valve into the barrel, the pmjeet fie will be in no danger of being prematurely fired therefrom. This vent may be con trolled by a spring-pressed valve held open against any pressure caused by a leakage into the barrel, but which will automatically close upon the sudden admission of the pressure into the barrel. It may, however, be controlled positively by a valve moving positively in unison with the auxiliary valve or any other movable part. of the system. as through rods from IP with the tripping-lever GO, so that. upon the early movement thereof the vent-valve will have closed the vent. and thus prevent the leakage of the fluid-pressure when the projectile is to be fired, The loading-carriage consists of at wheeled truck running on a circular way having the training axis of the gun-earriage as its center. The wheeled carriage supports as pair of rails, inclined to an angle of loading. On these rails is supported the projectile-trough, that can he moved back and forth by it pinion and rack or a winch, operated hr a hand-lever, to deliver the projectile into the breech of the gun. The trough is held in position by a spring-pressed detest., curried by the truck, acting againtkt a stop on the trough. The trough also carries a loading-rani, moved by rope and pulleys connected with a hand-operated winch supported by the truck, to force the projectile into the gun-barrel. The truck is also adapted to transfer projectiles from the magazine to the gun. (See also TORPEDOES.) Hammer, see