The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-12
CASTING AND HOPPING.
Description of the Cylindro-Pris-
NAUTICAL Breech Wedge.
PROJECTlLES AND CHARGES.
Efficiency Of the Guns Against Modern
Iron-Ciads.

ring around Plevna In the Shipka Pass, and else
where in Bulgaria and Armenia are simply BE-
tweon Krupp guns served by Russians pitted
against Krupp guns served by Turks, or obouxhoh
guns Of the Krupp system against genuine
Krupps and Armstrong; description OF the great
works at Essen In Rhenish Prussia, which have pro-
uced the greater part the heavy armament OF both
contendng Powers, viii be found especially interests
Ing Krupp for years furnished, and Is still
furnishing with great impartiaity, steel rihed cannon
10 tho Russian aud Turkish well TO other foreign
governments.
THE MANUFACTURE
Krupp guns made of solid low cast steel, manu-
featured in crucibes. The pig used at the works
is manufactured from notably FREQ from sulphur
ana phosphorus and rich In manganese 1t is manu-
actured at the nrms various blast furnaces from ore
taken from mines owned by the firm, SO that the
manufacture not of the guns alone, but Of the crude
materials used Is under the same CONTROL in Itself
very great advantage AL the metal be used In the
crucibles undergoss preparatory pudding. One
quality OF pig iron puddled to Steel afterward being
placed under the hammer and then passed through the
rolls. When taken from the last rolling 1t Is cut up
into rectangular bars which broken into pieces Of
size suitable for insertion in the crucbles
Another sort Of pig Is puddled still longer until
wrought roa Is produced. This, ike the crude Steel
10 rolled, barred and cut into lengths suitable for
transferral the crucibes. The mix ure placed in
the plumbago clay crucbes consists OF the steel and
wrought iron in proportions which long prac-
lice has to BIO advantageous and OF several
other ingredients not known to tho outside world
In the buildings OF the casting department there are
sufficient number of furnaces to accommodate the
large number OF 1000 crucbles, having average
pacity OF seventy pounds OF metal zach.
The proportions OF each ingredient for each crucbe
ire regulated with great accuracy and constant an
llyses made to see that the ingredients all Of
The crucibes be for tho casting OF gun of
he Same quality, that the grade OF steel ured
INTO the casting pit from the crucibles shall
I'll be the same
After the manufacture OF the steel in the crucibles
hey, with their molten contents, are carried 10 tho
casting pit The crucblos arc emptied as they arrive
Into an immense vessel placed over the mould and
tapped from the bottom. Thus a continuous stream
OF molten steel is kept up until the cast mould
Is fulL The Auid steel, rising in the mould IL con-
antly stirred and agitaed induce homogenity aud
10 facilitate the rising OF the scora until the contents
Of the last eruclbls have passed in With such
Ind regularity does the work 60 that the casting OF
he ingot Tor tho tube Of 56-ton 14inch gun is
ifair OF but comparatively few minutes. In about
iwelve hours the Is taken out and stream OF
water let in to cool the cast stool ingot This treat
ment 10 continued Tor several days until tho is
somewhat cooled. The ingot is then hosted by a
steam from the pit and taken to the part OF the
building set apart for that purpose, where It lays tor
months with sister ngots being kept covered with hot
ashes from the furnaces which ty renewed
The metal, from this treatment unlergoes a process
u anneallng, which softens, toughens and temper3
It. This process, IS claimed, takes the place OF and
answers better than the temperng by oil practisod
in England and Russia. After this the steel ngot Is
transported on car TO the smithery, and rum
all into the heating furnaces preparatory to the forg
inE The heating takes several days, the temperature
being kept constant and moderate. On being brought
to the required Temperature the and its load
drawn out and 10 the hammer. The heating OF
such large masses Of steel uniformly throughout with
put burning the outside is operation OF great deli
racy and which is very successfully performed at the
Krupp works On arriving ut tho hamme the crane
chains placed around the ingot and hosted
the anvil, underneath the hammer. For the immense
b0-ton steam hammer, which Is the largest In at
the works, the anvil or casting which receives tho
transmitted blow weighs 300, 900 pounds, rests
upon foundation which Is built up from an excava
non 100 feet in depth. Alter being wrought under
the great steam hammers give the metal the tex.
ture required and the gun inRot the necessary FORM
tine tube ngot taken the boring turning estab-
lsnments, where the exterior is to no
ceive the FIRST layer hoops tho brecch block and
ths interior channel bored out In tho operation OF
turning the ingot loses halt its weight the LATHE
HooPING
The tube Is now ready TO the first layer OF
hoops For these large steel ngots cast and forged
into fiat lengths. These cut into pieces Of the
required for the rings and forged into peculiar
shape These have holes near either end, which
are joined by slot being cut into the ingoL Wedges
driven into the slot ana is gradually widencd
and worked under BANNER into ring Ike
shape. This has at this stage OF the operation
half tlo
ness of the finished hoop II is then heated and
put the rolls OF a machine similar to those used
in the manufacture OF wheel tires In revolving the
rolls approach each other gradually, rolling the hoop
!" ITS desred size. BY this operation 1t Will be seen
That an endless fibre IS being developed in the drec-
ton OF The hoop circumference. jet OF water
10 constantly playing over the steel mass while
Is beng developed on the rolls thus preventing any
distortion. IL is stated that this wa, hoops any
exceeding six inches These hoops u iartu ed
have, ike the large tube ingots, no seams YIELDS
and are very UNIFORM texture Everything bciog
ready Tor the hopping the tube is placed " uzze
end up, In vertical POSITION and the hoops slipped
in boiling lead aud when the expansion is Judged sui
acient are takcn out OF the bath, wiped Clean sung
above the muzzc IN limo with their intended posi-
tion aud let 20. They fall heavily along down tho
tube until they reach their position Here they cool
slowly, and contracting form perfect contact with
his tube. The hoop manufacture anu subsequent
adjustment are very delicate operations The
fluctuations involved are very nice, ,he
iiamoter OF the hoops nrst manufactured.
have 10 ne so calculated that after the expansion in
Ibe bath aud suDsequsnt cooling they wall,
tracting have a diameter which will cause them 10
Exert certain pressure, to be the same all OF tho
bamo layer, upon the main tuba aud upon each other
when super IA posed IL Is necessary for instance
that the second layer should grcaer pressure
upon the first and Inner tube than the rst the
tube IL Will 10 seen, therefore, mat the shrinking
OF hoops by what Is known as initial preston
operation requiring much care and skill tho part OF
Gil concerned Upon tho successful performance Of
the ho0piDs dopends, 10 u great degree, tile gun IS
strength aud durability Tho ursL layer OF hoops
Ing been placed IN position shc gun agan taken TO
tho turning establishment, ami the surface Of the
first layer which 10 10 receive tho second Is
turned down 10 tho required diameter. The second
and third layer being 10 place tno end hoop on
the gun again goes tie turning establishment rho
hoos are kept working by Key rings, these be-
scores cut to receive thcm in the tube aud nrst
layer and the FIRST and second layer he brooch OF
The gun IL then shaped tho bore carefully rned
Lhc required number OF grooves aud the eccentric
chambcr formed The closing mechanism the
brcccn Is adjusted and the gun is flushed.