Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-03-26
HEXAGONAL POWDER.
Why AND HOW CANNON POWDER
Is RAMMED BEFORE 1T is USED.

Il Is Compressed by Hydraulic Machines
Into Convenient Little Frisms-Some-
| thing About the Press That Does the
Work-A Complicated Process.
| A large number of persons who WIS.,
| tied the scene of the disastrous powder
explosion of the Du Pont Powder mills
carried away with them, as mementos
of the explosion, little six-sided pieces Of
a black material which they generally
| supposed to be iron or some soft metal.
| These mementOs We're six sided, about
| II inches long, one inch in diameter, and
| were pierced by a small round hole.
/ They appeared to be blank six sided nuts,
| ready to be tapped or threaded to make
them available on the bolts of the mill
machinery. They appeared to be inno-
venient to carry, and served nicely as
mementos of the great explosion.
| In reality these innocent looking me-
| mentos are Jumps of concentrated ex-
| plosive energy. They are prisrns or
| humps of prismatic powder. The name
| is doubtless owing to the peculiar shape
| given to each piece or block, which is
| that of a short hexagCnal prism. This
| form is the result of intense pressure to
| which the powder is exposed in its pas
sage through a powerful hydraulic press.
| 1t was chosen for the same reason that
| the honey bee chooses to make the cells
| in its comb heXagOn-ecOnOmy of space.
| In building cartridges for big guns out
Of this powder the pieces fit snugly to-
| gether.
| The compression has put every posi-
bic ounce Of force into the prism, the
small size of the pris1ns enable the gun
| uers accurately to measure the force of
| each charge, and the hexagons pack to-
| gether without loss of space in the load
| chamber of the gun. In the manufacture
| of this powder science has learned to
ram the charge of powder before putting
| it into the gun barrel.
THE MACHINE.
| The concentration of power by means
| of the hydraulic press is so great that
| solid prisms of shis powder loaded into a
gun would probably burst it, and if not
| would be wasted by ejectment from the
| gun before it was all burned. The round
| hole in the prisrns of powder, which
| makes them a complete duplicate of a
blank six sided iron nut. is to secure ex-
| pansiOn equally in all directions, and to in
| sure the combustion of all the explosive.
The machines by which these prisms
| of concentrated power are manufactured
| are models of compact, strong and accu-
rate working machinery. One of them
stands about eighteen feet high, and will
| t,rh n1Dc17+ SN GAA Wounds
| floor space 4 feet 4 inches by feet
| inches, is capable of exerting pressure
| of 135 900 pounds on Il surface of about
| fifty-four square inches in area, and will
make ffty-foUr prisms of powder at
| every stroke of its pistons.
The most apparent feature of this press
! is its weight and strength, and its surpris-
ing characteristic is ease Of movement
| ard control. It is composed Of two water
cylinders and two rams, connected by
| four polished iron rods about four and a
| half inches in diameter. standing on a
rectangular foundation. The cylinders
| and rams are at opposite ends Of these
rods. The rams work toward each other
| centrally with the rods.
| Between the rams are four cast iron
| plates six inches thick, 3 feet inches by
feet in area, three of which move
| with the ram and one is stationary. This
stationary plate is perforated with fifty
four round holes, about two inches in
diameter, that have been partially filled
| with brass bushings. Through these
bushings are the six sided holes in which
| the powder is compressed.
THE PROCESS.
I -.
similar one attached to the ram of the
upper cylinder, and guided by the four
polished iron rods which fit into half
round recess at each Of its corners. 1t is
armed with six sided brass plungers,
which in its descent pass into the six
sided holes III the stationary plate. Be
low the stationary plate is another
plunger plate similar to the upper one,
and below this is the needle plate. The
needle plate is armed on its upper sur
face with fifty-four long steel needles,
which extend up through the lower
plunger plate and into the hexagon holes
III the stationary plate. These needles
make the round holes in the prisms of
powder.
The power of these presses is generated
in the cylinders simp-y by pumping
water into them and. behind the rams.
The cylinders are II, u and 13 inches in
diameter. The upper one has two COM
partments-the ram filling the lower one,
and above it is q cylinder with a lifting
piston by which the ram is raised after
its downward stroke i'll COMPRISING the
powder. The lower ram is raised by
pumping water under it, and is lowered
by letting the water out, which will be
accomplished automatically.
In operation the parts of thls press are
so adjusted that the plungers of the up
per and lower plunger plates and the
needles approach each other through the
movement of the rams. The holes IN
the stationary plate are stopped on the
lower side by the ends Of the plungers,
and the needles entering through the
plungers extend up through the station
arv plate. The hexagon holes are then
filed with wet powder and the rams
brought together, exerting q pressure OF
2,50O pounds on the powder III each OF
the holes, COMPRISING into solid hex
agonal prism II inches long, one inch in
diameter. with hole of about { inch in
diameter through it longitudinally.-
Wilmington News.
If you wish to hear a fly walk, yon can
do it without the aid of the nugaphone-
Having made friends with the fly, spread
silk handkerchief over your ear and