, 1900-06-09
ARMOR REVOLUTION
INTERESTING HISTORY OF THE
PROCESS BOTH HERE
AND ABROAD.
Views of an Expert in Steel Making
Experiments in Earnest Date Only
From the Year 1880, Although
Some Investigations Previous to
That Time.

Rear Admiral Charles O'Neil, chief
of the bureau of ordinance, United
States navy, has written an interesting
article descriptive of the manufacture
Of armor plate, which is printed in
this weeks edition of Golfers Week
~. Admiral O'Neil is particularly
qualified to write on this subject, and
the history or armor plate development
which he gives in full of instructive in
formation.
According to Admiral O'Neil the
credit for the first systematic investiga-
ton of the action of projectiles on sol
id substances belongs to France, al
though Sir Isaac Newton, Robbins, Hill
ton and Rumford had previously ex-
perimented to some extent in the same
field. The French experiments were
carried on at Metz, beginning in 1880
Previous to this, however, John Stevens
built at Hoboken in 1912 a vessel whose
guns were protected by inclined ar.
NOR. Congress paid no attention Il
this, but in 1912 Robert Stevens made
a report on the effect of %projectiles on
armor and submitted a design of G
steam-propelled, armored war vessel
which was referred to the committee
on cost d~efenses. Congress acted, anC
in 1854 the keel of the Stevens bat.
terry was laid, a few months before the
construction of ironclads began in Eu'
rope, where France led the way. By
1868 solid plates of six, seven anC
eight inches thickness were tested ant
in 1875 the first steel plates of Besse,
mer steel two and one-half inches thicl
were tested, showing only a slight ad,
vance over wrought iron. Then cam
the compound plates, of iron and steel
which proved of greater resisting pow
er than the all-steel plates, but they
faxed badly. Then by the introduc
ton Of a small percentage of nicke
into the all-steel plates, the desired
toughress was produced.
This" Admiral O'Neil says, "wal
the armor situation when the United
States government commenced til,
building of armored vessels for its new
navy, and while the armor ordered TO
the first vessels was Of plain steel, l
was quickly followed by that contain
ing nickel, as the result of the frs
important rmo test made in the Uni
ted States at the Annapolis provin.
ground in September, 1890, this ties
being made principally to determin'
the respective value of plain steel an
of nickel-steel plates, and also of com
pound armor. Three plates Of equa
dimensions, viz: eight feet by six fee
by ten and one-half inches, were sub
jected to similar attacks. They con
sisted of a compound plate made b.
CANNED & Co., of England, a plail
steel plate made by Schneider & Co
of France, and a nickel-steel plate alst
made by the latter. All these plate
were subjected to five impacts by
100-pound projectile, fired from a six
inch gun with a striking velocity o
2,075 foot-seconds, n shot being di
rected at each corner of the plates, an
a fifth impact by a 21O-pound projec
tile fired from an eight-inch gun will
a striking velocity of 1850 foot-sec
onds, at the center of the plate. Al
three plates were supported by thirty
Ieight inches of oak backing. The com
pound plate was perforated by all th'
shells and practically destroyed by thu
six-inch alone. The plain steel plat,
kept out all the shells, but was badl.
cracked by the eight-inch. The nickel
steel plate kept out all the shells AM
remained without cracks"
These tests decided the government
to adopt nickel steel armor. The mex
important step was the introduction
Of the Harvey process. Mr.. Harvey!
experiments attracting the attention o
the navy department, it procured from
Schneider & Co. a steel plate 1O1A inch
es in thickness.
This plate was treated at the Wash
ington navy yard in January, 1891, un
der the direction of Admiral O'Neil il
accordance with instructions prescrib
ed by Mr.. Harvey. The Harvey pro,
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