Interrupted screw

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Breech from Russian 122 mm M1910 howitzer, modified and combined with 105mm H37 howitzer barrel

Breech from Russian 122 mm M1910 howitzer, modified and combined with 105mm H37 howitzer barrel

Illustration of an M109 breech plug

An interrupted screw or interrupted thread is a mechanical device typically used in the breech of artillery guns. It is a screw that has a section of thread along its axis removed. The screw is mated with with a hole at the rear of the weapon's chamber---i.e., where the screw has threads the hole does not, and vice versa. The screw can thus be smoothly inserted all the way into the gun, after which as little as 1/6 of a turn can engage the two sets of threads securely, sealing the breech. Interrupted screws are occasionally seen in loose gunpowder rifles, as this mechanism was historically one of the few practical ways to achieve a gas-proof seal with a breech-loading firearm which does not employ cartridges.

[edit] See also

• Rifled breech loader
• Welin breech block

[edit] External links

• Interrupted screw breech mechanisms
• Navweaps.com Interrupted threads used on naval guns

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