New-York tribune., 1891-05-10
NICKEL STEEL TRIUMPHS.
THE NEW HARVEY PROCESS APPLIED TO
ARMOR PLATES.
ANOTHER INFORMANT TEST AT ANNAPOLIS
DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF THE
NEW INVENTIONS.
,sy TELEGRAPH TO THE 1RBUNE.l


Washington May 9.-There has been another arinor
test at the Annapolis ordnance proving erouno "i0i
more important results than those OF the foreign p&e
trial Of hast september This time the test was OF
American material and embraced the various types OIL
srmor recommended by previous trials Ihefe "erc
Ave plates all from the Carnegie works, OF the too"
,nc description: One all-steel plate untreated' one
pekel-steel plate, copy of tbe triumphant Creulot
n,ate another nckelstee plate OF higher carbon one
sstee plate treated by the Harvey process ana one
n,ckel-steel plate treated by that process. The
mates were smaller than those used in the september
trials being eight feet long, six feet wide ana Vlee
inches thick. The idea Of the Department was 10
ascertain the least possible thickness Of plate compa
BILE with protection, and II planned to begin win
the snallsized plate first. The results OF the present
trial. however have demonstrated the value OF nickel
steel and the experimental stage may be SAID 10 nave
been passed.
The test was made severe by the discharge Of the
six-pounder Hotchklss rapidArfng gun In suihcienuy
close proximity to the face of the plates to give the
proectIes striking velocity of loOO feet per seconu
or $50 feet per second more than enough 10 per-
forate a plate OF ordinary Steel Carpenter forged
Steel armor piercing prolectiles were used twenty
one shots being fred at each plate. Those proeeues
which rebounded broken into fragments, although
they were considered of excellent quality The Piate
NJ simple steel pierced by the proiecue In nearly
every instance, and showed weakness early In the
contest At the end of the twenty yone rounds, the
nlate was badly cracked and was practically de-
moDshed. The nickelsteel plate Of lower car
bon was not cracked although large number OF the
proectles went through The companion plate OF
higher carbon showed better results, for none OF the
proectes succeeded In getting through The deepest
penetration OF three inches, but there were no
cracks. There was bulging of the back but the
plate was in fairly good condition and by many would
have been regarded as the second best plate OF the
series The results interesting in the comparison
with the nckelsteel plate of lower carbon. Inc
ordnance authorities regarded second best the all
steel Harvey plate. Their determination was arrived
at In spite of the slight cracking Of the plate There
was no penetration by the protectles except in two
instances and then the indentuTes were only two
inches deep The projectue points hattened on
the surface.
The best results OF the firing and those which gve
value to the trial and present new incident in the
history Of armOr development, attended the attack ON
the Harvey nickel steelplate The superiority OF
steel with nickel alloy homogeneous metal was
demonstrated at the foreign plate test. and no less
suueroty is observable nckelsteel treated by the
Harvey process over the untreated nickel Steel The
plate at the end of the attack showed no assures eN
cept SMALL insignificant, threadike crack attributable
Ia internal strains It's appearance was not due to the
proiectle for the point of impact was remote Irom
the crack No shot entered the plate more than one
ouarter of an inch. the target presenting surface
marked by slight indentatons where the pro]ectes
had struck The Harvey process had shown lUs
value in the all steel plates, and in combination with
the nickel steel had presented the two ideal qualities
in arnor the nickel alloy giving the plate tenacitS' ana
the treatment giving il hardness of surface
The effects Of this result are far reaching H
presents condition Of armor entirely new 10 une
ordnance experts 1t will virtually revoutonze naval
construction if the present superiority Of armQr over
the projectiles can be maintained IL IS estlnatou
that eight inc Of nickel steel Harvey uedleu, Ho
enunl "a fen inches of all steel. This means tIe
nossiIdltN of leSsening the thickness OF arnor anu
aevotfng the weight gained TO other as toraloADe
of the armor belt of battleshp may be used to m
crease fine efficiency OF the armament or 70 ado 10
the ammunition supplies, without az the same n
time lessenng the protection OF the vessei. he
Latest results are not likely to be disturbed Tor IN
reality the most recent trial is the fourth gwen OF
steel treated by the Harvey process: - ,.
This process developed by the Naval Orunnlce
Bureau and treats metal by superclal caDolSalloI-
II Ia an invention OF II. A. Harvey, of Newark, j.
The tIro firms with whom the Navy Department. mas
arnor plate contracts will be encouraged 10 esId9nsIi
nlarts at their works for the treatment OF metal p
this process and in the order for ten ana nan mn
mates soon to be given to Carnegie, Pmpps 70.
and the bethlehem lion Works, the Harvey process
viii he adOpted. Nickle steel, already denonstrdleI
as ihs successful armorplate material Is as the name
imnues a combination Of STEEL with peIcentage-ln
thd Cren1ot pIate 8 per cent-Of niclle.
The Navy Department by experiments has secured
the two most valuable elements of modern af1nOr.
II ie nrenared BY contracts with the manufac tu1ers
af stedI Inc Inventor of the Harvey process and the
holders of nickel ore to proceed with the preparation
of armor plates for the new Navy.