Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Safe and Armor Plates.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1889
Specification Accepted, 6th Apr., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Safe and Armor
Plates.
1. WILLIAM HENRY MELANEY, residing at the Corner of 46th and Davison Streets
in the City of Pittsburg, County of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, one of the
United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to plates in safes or vaults to prevent penetration by drilling
tools, or as armor plates to protect vessels, marine and other batteries, etc., from the
penetration by projectile. In safes or vaults it is well known that the most desirable
quality in the walls of the safe or vault to render it burglar proof is a metal which will
resist drilling by such tools as the ordinary burglar can carry and employ within a
period of say 40 hours, which is practically the longest time at which any work can
be continuously applied to a safe, while at the same time it is necessary that the walls
of the safe be of sufficient strength to resist all blows or jars such as they might be
able to bring upon the same, and therefore the most approved burglar proof safes
heretofore constructed have been made of plates composed of alternate layers of hard
steel and soft steel or wrought iron, these plates being generally formed from ingots
composed of several layers of such metals which are rolled to shape. Though cast
metal has been suggested for use in connection with safes, yet in the advancement of
the skill of burglars it has been found either io be too brittle or too easily cut, so that
it could be fractured by blows or a hole of sufficient size to introduce a cartridge could
be quickly formed, and so in the manufacture of safes only wrought metal or some
peculiar kind of cast metal could be employed. In plates for armoring vessels, etc.,
many different kinds of armor plates have been employed or suggested, but it has been
found that wrought metal, either iron or low grade of steel was, so far as known, best
for the purpose, such metal resisting the effect of the missile without fracture and so,
though it might be bent by the impact of the projectile, acting to give it protection;
though as the projectile itself was often case-hardened it is evident that a means of
resisting such projectile and preventing its penetration would add greatly to the value
of the armor plate. In some cases the hard cast iron has been attempted to be used

page_text: for this purpose, but as it was liable to be fractured by the impact of the projectile and
could not be so supported as to entirely prevent its being crushed by the blow, it has
not been employed in practice to any extent.
The object of my invention is to provide a safe or armor plate or block which will
combine in it the advantages of the extremely hard surface or substance to resist the
cutting of the same by any drilling tool as for safe plates, or the impact of any
projectile as for armor plates, while at the same time this facing is firmly united to and
supported by a backing or body of metal which has sufficient strength and toughness
to resist all the jars or blows, and therefore can by its strength and tenacity support
the hard surface united thereto; and to this end my invention consists, generally
stated, in a safe or armor plate having a body of steel and a facing of chilled cast iron
united thereto by fusion. It also consists in this plate formed in sections connected by
interlocking joints which are formed of or in the steel body of the plate or block
so that a proper means of uniting the several sections is provided in the strong or
tenacious part of the plate or block and therefore the several sections can be firmly
held together and any size or shape of safe or armoring for vessels, etc., be built up
therefrom.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the
same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a
perspective view of a block or plate for safe purposes; Figure 2 is a side view of section
of plate for armoring purposes; and Figure 3 is a view illustrating the building up of
the plates in a safe.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.
My improved plates or sectional blocks for safe and vault purposes are formed with
the body a of steel, and the facing of chilled cast iron, the body and facing being of
any proper thickness according to the desire of the safe builder; but in large vaults or
safes a block well suited for the purpose being formed about 2 feet long, 1 foot wide
and 6 inches thick; and the block having its outer face 6 formed of chilled cast iron
which is united to the body a by fusion, so that this chilled cast iron facing b forms
practically one mass with the steel body a. The body a of the block or plate is
generally made of low grade steel in order to obtain all the desired tensile or trans-
verse strength to sustain jars or blows, to which it may be subjected, and for that
purpose I prefer to employ steel which is as tough and strong as possible, and I include
under the term "steel" a steel or iron as low or free from carbon as can be properly
melted and cast within a mold. The chilled cast iron facing is made of a certain grade
of cast iron which chills when coming in contact with the metallic surface within the
mold adapted to chill or rapidly congeal the same, and in so chilling becomes practically
so hard that but few tools will cut it and the drilling thereof is a very slow and tedious
process. The block or plate therefor unites in it a tough and strong body, together
with a facing thereon which is adapted to resist the action of all cutting or drilling
tools, this facing being so hard that when formed as generally desired of a thickness of
about one inch to one and one-half inches, it would require a week or more to drill
through the facing on the steel plate or block with the ordinary hand drilling tools.
My improved plate or block safes can be built up in any desired manner and can be
connected in any way considered desirable by the manufacturer, that shown in the
drawing being well suited for the purpose, namely, a dove-tail connection at the top
and bottom of the block, (and if desired on the side edges of the blocks), by which the
several blocks or plates can be united, such a dove-tail projection being shown ate and
a dove-tail recess to receive the same being shown at d, these dove-tails being formed of
and in the steel portion of the plate or block to obtain the desired strength, and being
such that the edges of the plates can be drawn so close together that no opportunity
for the entrance of a wedge or like tool is afforded. Instead of the dove-tail connec-
tion a tongue and groove or other suitable interlocking joint may be used, the essential
feature being that the joint is formed in the steel portion or body of the block or plate.
These blocks or plates may be built up in vaults or safes either as the outer plates, or
as is preferred by me, as a backing within the safe beyond an outer solid plate of
sufficient size to protect and cover all the joints between the sections, as shown at f

page_text: Figure 3. When such an outer plate is employed in building up the vault or safo
though the outer plate may be penetrated by the tools, yet it acts to protect the blocks
and prevent access to any of tho joints between the sections, while any drilling tool
employed to penetrate the outer plate is checked by the chilled cast iron facing on my
improved plate or block, so that all such attempts to drill through the wall of the safe
are rendered futile. At the same time as my improved blocks or plates are composed
almost entirely of low tough steel body and where the interlocking connections such as
suggested or other suitable connection is employed between the blocks such connections
being made in the tough steel portion of the block or plate, it is evident that all attempts
to shatter by heavy blows the body of the safe and thus obtain access thereto would be
rendered futile.
Where my improved plates are employed as armor plates for armoring vessels and
such purposes, they are formed of substantially the same construction, though the means
for securing them to the body of the vessel may be varied according to the means found
best adapted to secure in place such heavy bodies of metal, there being many different
means for supporting the armor plates on the vessel and uniting them so as to enable
them to resist the blows or impact of any projectile. In the plates shown in the
drawing the plate is intended to be secured to the vessel by means of bolts passing
through bolt holes e, the outer ends of which are made outwardly flaring so that the bolt
can thus obtain a hold upon the plate without its head projecting beyond the surface
thereof, and these bolt holes extending entirely through the body of the plate. Where
however, it is desired to connect the several plates a dove-tail connection such as that
shown can also be employed. In such plates the tongh body a is of such strength
and tenacity that it will resist without breaking or fracturing the great impact, pressure
or jar from the missile or projectile, and so will protect the body of the vessel, the
force of the blow if brought directly upon the plate simply acting to slightly bend
the same, while the deep penetration of the plate by the projectile is prevented by the
chilled face, the plate thus retaining all the advantages of the iron or steel plates now
employed on account of the toughness and strength of its body, and at the same time
its power to resist penetration being very largely increased by the chilled cast iron
facing which is so hard as to resist the blow of the hardened metal employed in such
projectile and minimise the effect thereof on the armoring of the vessel. It has also
the further advantage that in case the impact of the projectile is not directly against
the plate, but its blow is at an angle, the hard motal of the chilled cast iron facing will
act to more perfectly deflect the projectile and prevent its penetration action on the
armor of the vessel. If the blow of the projectile is so great as to cause the bending of
the body of the armor plate as the chilled cast iron facing is united to said plate by
fusion, it is evident that instead of said hard outer facing being crushed and broken off,
the chilled cast iron facing will hold to the body of the plate and consequently the
outer hard facing of the armoring will be preserved, this action of the chilled cast iron
facing in connection with the steel body of the block or plate having been fully proven
under the severest tests.
In forming my improved safe or armor plate, I first cast within a mold of suitable
shape, which it is not necessary to show, the chilling cast iron of suitable quality
regulated by the mixture of iron as is known to those skilled in the manufacture
of such articles, this chilling cast iron coming in contact with the surface of the
mold chill within the mold and being rapidly chilled and congealed thereby, and sub-
sequently I cast within the mold the molten steel of proper quality which will unito
with the heated surface of the chilling cast iron and by fusion form a perfect union
between the steel and the chilled cast iron facing. In forming the safe or armor plate
I may either cast the same with the mold chill in the upper or side portions of the mold,
or at the base thereof, and in the former case I fill the mold entirely with the molten
cast iron so that the molten cast iron will in this manner be. brought in contact with
the surface of the mold chill and will be chilled thereby, and in the latter case I intro-
duce only approximately such a portion of cast iron within the mold as will form the
necessary facing of chilled cast iron thereon, and in either case subsequently to tho
introduction of the cast iron into the mold I feed thereto the molten steel, the steel on

page_text: account of its great specific gravity driving out all. the molten or unchilled cast iron
remaining within the mold and so coming in contact with the inner surface of the
chilled facing therein and finally uniting therewith by fusion in such way that the two
metals cannot be separated even by the severest blows. In the first case the body of
the mold is filled with the body of cast iron and the unchilled portion is floated off
therefrom by the molten steel, and in the second case if any unchilled or molten cast
iron remains within the mold this is floated out in the same manner by the molten
steel, the mold being provided with suitable escape runners in the upper portion
thereof, so that all the molten cast iron may escape from the mold. In forming my
improved plate for armor purposes or in some cases for safe purposes, suitable sand
cores may be employed for the formation of the bolt holes in the plate, or if desired
the bolts themselves may be inserted within the mold before the casting operation and
may be united to the steel body of the casting, the necessity of their extending through
the outer chilled iron facing being overcome.
I am thus enabled to provide a block or plate which can be formed by casting and
which contains all the desirable features of the ordinary safe or armor plates, and at
the same time a much harder face having the highest properties for resisting cutting
or drilling tools or projectiles, and as the plate is cast it can be formed to any desired
shape and at a much lower price than the ordinary wrought metal plates employed for
the same purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. As a new article of manufacture, a safe or armor plate having a body of steel
and facing of chilled cast iron united thereto by fusion, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
2nd. A safe or armor plate having a body of steel and a facing of chilled cast iron
united thereto by fusion, said plato being formed in sections connected by interlocking
joints formed of and in the steel body of the plate, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
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1009
WILLIAM HENRY MELANEY.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.