Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-27
SOMETHING NEW IN STEEL.
Making Siege Guns of the Weight OF
Field HOWifZers,


Following the recent developments IN
the use of dynamite shells In common
field cannon charged with powder, says
the New York Sun, is a new departure IN
the manufacture of cannon. 1t comes
from the apparently endless variety OF
uses made of mild, or Bessemer process,
STEEL and is probably the most astonlsh-
ing application yet made of that metal.
In 1880. about the time mild steel came
largely into the market, the President OF
a company manufacturing seamless Drass
and copper pipe concluded to try mid
steel as a substitute in certain directions
for tie more expensive brass, copper aud
other metals used in his establishment.
The process of manufacture was simple.
4 plate of metal was placed over a ole
and a mandrel forced the plate INTO
it Just as lady might place
a piece of tissue paper over her
thimble and then force it in with her
finger. The mandrel would force the
metal into a shape like deep bowl, with
sides of uniform thickness. BY repeating
this process with other dies and mandrels,
hydraulic presses being used to shove
the mandrel through the die, the plate OF
steel eventually became a steel tube OF
uniform thickness and perfect bore and
circumference. The steel was found to
work as easily as the brass or copper, and
no change of tools was necessary.
AS steel was cheaper than copper, the
advantage of substituting drawn steel
seamless tubes for brass or copper ones
was manifest. But the saving in price
was altogether the smallest gain. To the
establishment of those engaged in the eX-
pertinent, the steel was found to have
radically changed it's character in the
process. 1t went into the machine soft
and pliable. 1t came out, although drawn
cold, beautifully tempered spring. If
tube was compressed, it would instantly
resume lis shape when the pressure was
removed. If struck with a hammer it
rang like a bell, while tests of the in
creased strength of the metal showed a
change that was wonderful. To fully
| test it's strength boiler of the size and
| style used beside every range in New
| York flats was made from the steel by
this process. The metal of the boiler was
drawn out to a thickness of about 1-30th
of an inch, and it then stood pressure of
600 pounds TO the square inch, giving way
when that limit was passed.
After this and other tests the expert
mentors began to wonder why a gun
| barrel could not be made of steel by this
process that would be superior to any
other. They first made a tube of six
| inches bore and half an inch thickness
of metal. This was drawn cold. Then
another was made of the same thickness
| of metal, and OF a bore that would permit
| it to be showed over the first one by the
| hydraulic press when it was warmed, the
| first remaining cold. A third was then
| drawn over the two, and thus was COM
| pleted a cannon. 1t was found that it
would stand a water pressure or 10000
| pounds to the square inch. This cannon
has been sent to Sandy Hook, and the
| officers of the artillery corps will try to
| burst 1t by the usual tests applied to new
cannon. They have before them the
| astonishing spectacle of a gun that VIII
throw solid shot weighing 100 pounds,
although the metal is only one inch and a
half thick around the powder. To peo-
| pie accustomed to seeing the common
| cannon, enormously thick at the breach,
it will seem incredible that an inch and
a half of this metal will serve the purpose
better.
1t is well known that one cause of the
high price of Illuminating gas to the con-
sumner is the great quantity lost by leak
age through the cast-irOn pines used. In
Pttsburg it was found that this leakage
| of the natural gas was so great that Sc
riOus and fatal explosions occurred.
Every foot of the cast-irOn mains there
has in consequence been ordered out.
The great size of the bore needed pre-
| vented the use OF lap-Welded wrought
iron pipe. and the seamless pipe of paper
thickness will be used, it's great density
being proof against any leakage of gas
or liquid under any pressure. The ten
dency to cOrrode even under ground is
very small, but this objection to steel will
be wholly obvIated by cOatings either of
tin or aluminium bronze within and with.
out. The steel pipe is not only better, but
cheaper.
Milk cans are being made of the new
steel tubing. The bottom is an eighth of
an inch thick, and the sides about one
fourth Of an inch. The banging of the
most vigorous Yankee cheese maker or of
the most reckless brakeman on a milk
train cannot dent them or seriously injure
them.
The experimenters have also turned
their attention to clock springs, and they
have found that the new process no. only
makes a cheaper, but superior quality
OF spring. Just what change the metal
undergOes in this process of drawing has
not been determined. That it becomes
fibrOus is plain. Iron drawn out into
wire becomes fbrous also, but it does not
become tempered spring.