Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-10-28
COSTLY MONSTER MISSILES.
Stool Tempered with Is Much Care As .
Razor Blade.


Steel Tempered with Is Much Care as .
Razor Blade.
The invention Of the modern high
power guns have brought into use pro-
jectiles that are the finest product OF
ingenuity and improved machinery,
calling forth the best efforts Of skilled
artisans. Instead Of cast iron globes
that could be turned out by any foun-
dry twenty years ago, use is now made
Of the grades of steel, tempered with
as much care as razor blade, anu
ground and polished with as much ex-
actitude as a surgical instrument. Inc
complete story of the manufacture OF
armor-plercing projectiles by the steel
works in Reading is a secret so care
fully guarded that 1t has always been
hard to obtain, but at present, when
the big plant is running on war foot
ing, it is still more difficult, as only
employees and government inspectors
are permitted to enter the company's
immense machine shops. Shells 4, b,
6, 8, 10, u and Is inches in diameter
are being made for the navy, and s, 9
and u inch sizes for the army. Here
is the history Of the making of 10
inch shell, and as the projectiles of all
sizes are made in the same manner II
gives some idea of the vast amount OF
labor required to equip fleet. In the
| casting shop molten steel is cast into
solid piece twelve and a half inches
| in diameter. 1t is then taken to the
| forge room, where, after being reheat-
| ed, it is hammered down to ten ana
three-quarter inches, and considerably
elongated during the process. Next 1t
| is conveyed to the machine room and
placed upon specially constructed
larhe and turned and pointed. The
only parts Of the shell that bear
against the rifled surface Of the gun
are the conical end and the copper
ring that encrcles the base. This ring
Is soft, SO as not to injure the ritl1ns.
After the finishing cut has been given
| to the projectiles the diameter OF the
largest part of the cone Is 1915 inches,
and that Of the body Of the shell IL
go inches Then the Extracting
score" Is cut. There is V-shaped
| groove, in which tool can be fastened
when 1t is desired to withdraw the
shell from the gun. The next move
is the boring Of flve-inch hole in the
base Of the projectile to a depth Of
fourteen inches. Tcmpering follows.
In this process the shell is suspended
point downward, into receptacle
| filled with molten lead, and is allowed
| to settle until the metal rises above the
| cone base. At first the temperature
| of the lead is but 500 degrees, but it is
increased gradually to 1900 degrees.
The work Of heating continues for
| many hours, when the shell is with
drawn and sprayed with water, to give
it a hard exterior. Next follows a
bath in vat filled with secret ingre-
dents, after which the shell is cooled
with a jet of water. Once more the
shell goes back to the machine shop,
where the hole in the base is widened
half an inch and the depth increased
two inches. The hole is then thread
ed and screw plug inserted. The
grinding room is next. Here the ex-
IRENE diameter of the cone is ground
down to ten inches exactly. The work
men now apply the band score
which is groove for the reception of
the soft copper band. After the soft
steep cap has been fitted to the tip
Of the projectile, on the theory that
when the shell strikes the armored
side of a battle ship the point will lie
protected without any interference
with its penetrating power, the work
is finished so far as the steel company
Is concerned. 1t is then boxed up and
shipped to some United States arsenal,
where it is filled with an explosive
compound and made ready for its
work Of destruction. - Philadelphia
| Record.