Evening journal., 1898-08-17
STEEL NODDED Ike poueH.
How Armor-PiercinG shells Are Made
Under High Pressure in
brooklyn.


There are number OF concerns in
the United States that arc now busy
making steel projectiles for Uncle
Sans big rifles, but it is said In only
one Of them is it possible to see steel
mot what is technically known as soft
steel, either-moldcd like so much
dough. That Is literally what is done
in Brooklyn. Usually such projectiles
are formed by cutting. and are then
bored otft to make chamber for the
explosive.
Both armor-piercing and semi-armor-
piercing shells are made in sizes rang
ing from six-pounders TO eight-inch
The raw material is steel, partially
hardened in round bars. from two TO
about eight inches in diameter. These
bars are sawed into length varying
from about four inches 10 1s or 90
inches. The work OF cutting up the
steel bars Is such as may be seen in
any machine shop. But the next step Is
n surprise to the ordinary mortal, who
has always conceived steel TO be a re-
frnctory and difficult material 70 work
into a given form. Entering q great
room. which has dirt floor, he sees
about him fiercely hot furnaces and
huge hydraulic presses. A solid cylin-
der of glowing white metal is carefully
adjusted In the die of the hydraulic
press that performs he first operation.
The press operator pulls down lever
with an easy movement of one hand,
and down comes the mighty mandrel.
eNertlng pressure OF hundreds Of tons
upon the chunk Of hot steel. When the
mandrcl Is withdrawn the piece Is au-
tomntically elected from the die. 1t Is
now slightly conical in form, having
been squeezed into this shape by the
great pressure as easily as n it had
been putty or dough. Immediately II
goes 10 another OF the great presses,
where Il Is held In die with the thicker
end up. Here. when the mandrel has
silently applied It's force and been with.
drawn, the piece shows deep hole
punched In the center, and has taken
form roughly resembling the finished
prolcctile. without rehe6ting. sorapid
Is the process, the shell now goes into
n third press, from which II comes still
more nearly shaped 10 the proper pat
tern, and fourth forming operation
makes II ready for the finishing room.
The shells are finished and trued In
lathes. A rihing band of copper Is
welded on near the base. Around the
nose of the full armor-pierciug projec-
tiles, short distance from the front, a
groove Is cut. This Is Cor soft steel
cap. which Is put on by the govern
mcnt when the shells are loaded. The
cap serves to prevent the shell from
glnncing when IL strikes obliqucly, and
also acts as lubricant. enhancing its
penetrating power.
In the tempcring of the shells the
government requirements are such thnt
IL Is seemingly necessary TO work for
two ends that lie in exactly different
directions They must be both tough
and brittle A certain number are Sc
lected at random from each for test
ing. One-half Of these are fired
at an armor-plQte target, and must
pierce II without receiving any damage
(often they come through with hardly
a scrgtch), the other half Is loaded and
exploded in pit. and the requirement
IS that they shall bo literally blown to
pieces. II in the FIRST test a shell Il
broken or hattened or badly injured In
any way, or II in the second test the ex-
ploslon simply rips the shell open OF
rcnds Il apart the whole lot Is rejected.
To such perfection has the work been
brought, however, that the company
never has any trouble in meeting the
apparently paradoxicnl requirements
OF the official tests.
Curiously enough, tho four forging
operations for making a projectile by
this process are identical with the first
four operations for making drawn
steel tubing The company hos In con-
nectlon with its proiectile plant large
bicycle tubing plant. The light, strong,
cold-drnwn tubing, which Is considered
superior 70 all other kinds, Is made
from solid chunk of steel, sawed of
great bar. There are four hot opera
tions on the piece from the last of
which Il comes in the form OF q cylin-
Ger or tube five inches in diameter. or
. thereabouts, and several feet long, with
one end closed. The closed end is then
hammered down into tongue. After
that the tube goes into draw benches,
the tongue serving to give a grip for
the steel jaws, and is drawn out cold.
As many as II cold operations are per-
formed on some OF the tubing. Il be-
ing annealed after each. II Is then
Strengthened and tempered.
The plant Of this concern Is probably
under higher pressure than any other
in the country. The power throughout
Is hydraulic. and q constant pressure OF
$500 pounds to the square inch Is main
tanned over the whole system.-N. Y.
Sun.
sense OF Touch In surgery.
There has been OF late more or less
J discussion on the use of antiseptic
I t.f. ,tr1.I