St. Landry democrat., 1885-05-09
SOMETHING NEW IN STEEL.
dow Siege Guns Are Made of the Weight
of Field HOwitzers.

The use of dynamite shells in common
field cannon charged with powder, is a
new departure in the manufacture of
cannon. It comes from the apparently
endless variety OF uses made of mild, or
Bessemer process, steel, and is probably
the most astonishing application yet
made of that metal.
In 1880, about the time mild steel
came largely into the market, the Presi-
dent of a company manufacturing seam
less brass and copper pipe concluded to
| try mild steel as a substitute in certain
directions for the more expensive brass,
copper and other metals used in his es-
| tab1ishment. The process Of manufact-
ure was simple. A plate of metal was
placed over a die and a mandrel forced
| the plate into it Just as a lady might
place piece of tissue paper over her
| thimble and then force it in with her
finger. The mandrel would force the
metal into shape like deep bowl,
with sides of uniform thickness. BY
repeating this process with other dies
and mandrels. hydraulic process being
used to shove the mandrcl through the
| die, the plate Of steel eventually became
q 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 steelwas 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 astonishment of those engaged in
the experiment, the steel was found to
have radically changed its character in
| the process. 1t went into the machine
soft and pliable. 1t came out, although
drawn cold, a beautifully tempered
| spring. If q tube was compressed, it
would instantly resume its shape when
/ the. pressure was removed. Ii struck
with hammer, it rang like a bell,
while tests of the increased strength of
the metal showed change that was
wonderful. To fully test its 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 thickness of about one-thirtieth of
an inch, and it then stood a pressure of
| six hundred pounds to the square inch,
giving way wh0n that limit was passed;
! After this and other tests the expert
menters began to wonder why gun
| barrel could not be made of steel by
this process that would be superior to
any other. They first made tube of
six inches bore and half an inch thick
ness 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 completed a cannon. 1t
was found that it would stand water
pressure of Seventy-five thousand pounds
TO the square inch. This cannon has
been sent to Sandy Hook, and the Off
GERS of the artillery corps will try to
burst it by the usual tests applied to
new cannon. They have before them
the astonishing spectacle of gun that
will throw solid shot weighing one
hundred pounds, although the metal is
only one inch and a-half thick around
| the powder. TO people accustomed to
seeing the common cannon, enormously
thick at the breach, it will seem in
credible that an inch and a-half of this
metal will serve the purpose better.
1t is we'll known that one cause of the
high price Of Illuminating gas to the
consumer is the great quantity lost by
leakage through the cast-iron pipes
used. In Pittsburgh it was found that
this leakage of the natural gas was so
great that serious and fatal explosions
occurred Every foot of the cast-iron
mains here has in consequence been
ordered out. The great size of the bore
needed prevented the use of the lap
welded wrought-iron pipe, and the
seamless pipe of paper thickness will be
used, its great density being proof
against any leakage of gas or liquid
under any pressure The tendency to
| corrode even under ground is very
small, but this objection to steel will be
wholly obYiated by coatingS either of
tin or aluminium bronze within and
without. The steel pipe is not only bet
ter but cheaper.
Milk cans are being made of the new
/ steel tuDing. 1he 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 can not dent them or serious
| ly injnre them.
The experimenters have also turned
their attention to clock springs, and
they have found that the new process
not only makes a cheaper but superb
or quality of spring. Just what change
the metal undergoes in this process Of
] drawing has NOT been detarlninad That