M1917 Water-cooled Browning machine gun

[Herkynut]

This is just a curiosity question...
I see many photos of Browning's M1917 water-cooled .30-cal machine gun with an external water can connected to the barrel tank with a hose. But how did the water flow? There was no pump that I know of to pump more water into the barrel tank as the water dissipated... What was the purpose of the hose, to drain hot water? Then what, how do you add more cool water? Very confused as to the function of the hose and the water can.

 

[Clay]

as I understand it, it works like a radiator and overflow on your car.

You heat the water, it expands, some turns to steam and is routed to the can where it condenses to water. The can is actually called a 'condenser can'.

Then once the water around the barrel cools, it creates a vacuum and draws water back up.

So Im assuming you would start with the condensing can partially full so you could also make up for what ever water/steam was lost over time, just like in the overflow of your car which has a max/min level.

 

[indy1919a4]

This is just a curiosity question...
I see many photos of Browning's M1917 water-cooled .30-cal machine gun with an external water can connected to the barrel tank with a hose. But how did the water flow? There was no pump that I know of to pump more water into the barrel tank as the water dissipated... What was the purpose of the hose, to drain hot water? Then what, how do you add more cool water? Very confused as to the function of the hose and the water can.

Herkynut, here is a passage that has served me well to understand the process over the years.. Go to the 1st Bill Akins response,, It is a great balance of simple and Technical..

How does a water cooled machine gun work? - THR

 

[Herkynut]

Herkynut, here is a passage that has served me well to understand the process over the years.. Go to the 1st Bill Akins response,, It is a great balance of simple and Technical..

How does a water cooled machine gun work? - THR

AHA! Now I understand it. In some ways it's kinda like a compound steam engine that condenses the steam and recirculates the water back to the boiler. Got it!

Thanks, Guys!

 

[TheUziButton]

1917 goodness...

 

[ljk]

[video=youtube_share;w7k5zjFbR4c]http://youtu.be/w7k5zjFbR4c[/video]

 

[BigMoose]

Yep, and once it turned back to water. The assistant gunner poured it back in the barrel.

In Korean subfreezing weather. The grunts took to filling the guns with antifreeze and discovered it didn't boil off as much ether.

 

[warthog]

I have a jacketed .30 cal barrel, just nothing to put it on these days...

 

[Clay]

In Korean subfreezing weather. The grunts took to filling the guns with antifreeze and discovered it didn't boil off as much ether.

I wonder if that worked as well. traditional ethylene glycol antifreeze isn't near as good at removing heat as water is. In fact if you could run pure water in your car, the radiator would work better.... if you live where it never gets cold enough to freeze.

 

[03A3]

I wonder if that worked as well. traditional ethylene glycol antifreeze isn't near as good at removing heat as water is. In fact if you could run pure water in your car, the radiator would work better.... if you live where it never gets cold enough to freeze.

You have a point with antifreeze vs water, but in Korea they didn't have any other good option. It was either use antifreeze or run the guns dry when it was so cold that water would freeze before you could even get it to the gun, let alone get it into the gun.
I've read about them carrying canteens under their clothing to keep the water liquid, and then trying to fill the water jacket under fire when they needed to put the gun the gun into action.
It was colder than what most of us will ever see. I don't see how they stood it, and still managed to hang in there and hold their ground. But they did.