The Scientific Works of C. William Siemens; Electricity and Miscellaneous (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889. Excerpt: ... In the discussion of the Paper "ON FORCES AND STRAINS OF RECOIL CONSIDERED WITH REFERENCE TO THE ELASTIC FIELD GUN-CARRIAGE," by Henry Joseph Butter, M. Inst. C.E., Dr. Siemens thoroughly agreed with the mathematical proposition put forward by Professor Unwin, which, indeed, admitted of no doubt. At the same time, as Mr. Cowper had already pointed out, there were great deductions to be made. All the friction had to go in reduction of recoil, and that friction must necessarily be largest at the commencement of the action when the charge was rammed tight home. Then, again, the friction of the gun-carriage upon the ground might be very considerable, and that had to go in reduction; so that theory and practice, as propoimded, and so well argued by the author, seemed to agree nearly enough for general acceptance. He should like to add a word with regard to an observation from Mr. Cowper regarding his connection with the question of hydraulic compressors. All that Dr. Siemens could claim was the mere suggestion of hydraulic compression for gun-carriages, and that had been gracefully acknowledged by the then head of the department (Colonel H. Clerk, RA., F.R.S.), in a Paper, read about a year after the suggestion was made, before the British Association. The fact of his suggestion, however, in no way detracted from the great merit due to the officers of Woolwich, and especially to the author, for the thorough way in which the hydraulic pressure had been worked out for stationary guns, and had been now brought forward as applicable to field guns. He could not help thinking that the term "elastic gun" was unfortunate, because it gave a wrong idea. Although the author had explained that it meant only one portion of the elastic action without the elastic rebound, i...