Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-08
NICKEL STEEL ARMOR,
The First Attempt in America to
Make the Plates q Success.
GOOD RESULTS THAT FOLLOWED
The Initial Trial at Carnegie. Phipps
Co.'S Homestead Mill.
SATISFACTORY TESTS ALSO MADE
rrRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT! !

rFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENTS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7.-Secretarv Tracy
has received a report giving the results at
tanned at the Homestead Steel Works, of
Carnegie, Phipps & Co., near Pittsburg, in
the first attempt made in this country to
produce nickel-steel, and he is very much
gratfed at the success attained. The ex-
pertinent was made by Carnegie, Phipps &
Co. for the Navy Department, and the re-
suits seem to have fully justified Secretary
Tracy and the Ordnance Bureau in under
taking the development of nickel-steel. In
fact, if such results as we're attained in this
experiment can be uniformly produced, it is
believed the business OF making steel will
be revolutionized, especially as at this time
DR.. Emmens the chemist, claims to have
perfected method of obtaining iero-nickel,
especially adopted for making nickelsteel,
from the ore at greatly reduced cost.
In the experiment at the Homestead
works the object was to reproduce, as nearly
as possible, the alloy used in the nickel
steel armor splate made at LeCreusot,
France. and recently tested at the Annap-
oils proving grounds with such GOOD re-
suits. That this was successfully done is
shown by the chemical test, which shows
that in the French plate the percentage of
nickel was 332, while in the Homestead
metal it was 3.16.
Surprising Results of the Tests.
The experiment at Pittsburg was not with
small quantity of metal on such scale
as might be conducted in laboratory, but
was with fve-ton heat In Bessemer con-
verter. Part of this heat was rolled into
three-tourth inch plates. from which a num-
ber of test specimens were cut Two or these
pieces were tested Friday and gave surpris-
ing results.
The elastic limit was respectively SO, 900
pounds and 60, 600 pounds The ultimate
tensile strength was 100000 pounds and
102, 900 pounds, respectively. The elonga-
tion was 15H per cent in each specimen,
and the reduction of area at fracture was
29H per cent and 2613 per cent, respectively.
These figures show that the elastic limit
and ultimate tensile strength were raised
by the nickel alloy to almost double the
limits reached in the best grades OF boiler
plate steel, and the elongation was reduced
to a scarcely appreciable extent.
Thus the desirable qualities of hardness,
strength and elasticity were combined in a
wonderful degree in metal of great
ductility. These results, surprising as they
are, were attained in the first attempt and
with steel made BY the Bessemer process.
1t is believed that better results can be OBJ
tanned even now by the open-hearth process,
and it is reasonable to suppose that with
more experience still further Improvements
will be made.
Great Possibilitie es in Store.
1t is impossible to foretell what will be
the ultimate effect of this development of
nickel steel. Secretary Tracy Is very en-
thusiastic on the subject, and is naturally
gratifed at being one of the pioneers in TAX
ing up the new alloy, which was first used
as material for armor plates, but now
promises to enter into the construction of
not only armor plates, guns and projectiles,