An Hydraulic Machine for Resizing Ordnance Cartridge Cases.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1899-Accepted, 2nd June,
1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Hydraulic Machine for Resizing Ordnance Cartridge Cases.
CHARLES SALMON, Oakhurst, Erith, I.M.R.N., and JAMES RAMSAY, Park
Crescent House, Erith, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine, self
contained, or capable of being coupled up to an existing hydraulic installation,
for the purpose of resizing ordnance cartridge cases. According to the usual and
well known practice, ordnance metal cases are used over and over again and are
usually subjected to a resizing operation after each round is fired.
For this purpose therefore, we provide a hydraulic machine which may be built
either vertical or horizontal or at any desired angle. For the purpose of description
we will assume that the machine is built vertical.
The chief components of the frame work of the machine are:- -the base plate,
stancheons, hydraulic cylinder, and water reservoir and these may be either
built up or cast or forged in one piece, or partly both. The chief detail components
are, the resizing die, with trunnions or adapter ring with trunnions, bearings for
ditto, piston & rod, glands, water pump, bye-pass valve and other small fittings
usual to a hydraulic machine. About the middle of the stancheons vertically,
there are provided suitable bearings to carry the resizing die, or its adapter ring.
The die or its adapter ring is provided with trunnions at or near its centre of
gravity. One of the trunnions is produced through one of the stancheons and
provided with a hand wheel by which the die can be swung on its trunnions and
secured in any angle with reference to the vertical axis of the machine. This
movement is provided for placing the die in suitable positions for inserting the
case, for pressing it into the die for pressing it out, and for removing it.
In the cylinder there is provided the usual piston, piston rod, hydraulic packings,
and the lower end of the rod is provided with a button ram, made suitable in size
for bearing on the top of the cartridge case. This button is further provided
with two small trunnions or their equivalent, to which is attached one end of
a hand lever fulcrummed on one of the stancheons. This lever is provided for
moving the piston up and down quickly by hand. Round the piston rod is
placed preferably a coiled spring, of sufficient resistance to carry the weight of the
piston and rod and water in the top of the cylinder or it may be made sufficiently
strong to carry the piston and rod to the top of its stroke.
On the top of the cylinder is provided the water reservoir, which carries the
hand pump, and is also provided with a bye pass and controlling valve, which
when open forms a passage or channel between the cylinder and reservoir. It
follows that if the piston is moved up or down by hand lever afore mentioned
the water in reservoir will flow into the cylinder, or be expelled from it, according
to the position of the piston. The part of the cylinder on the top of the piston
is therefore always full of water, so that there is no lost motion in pumping
required to bring the piston rod into position before effective resizing is com-
menced.

page_text: Supposing now the pump to be worked by hand the actions and operations in
working the machine would be approximately as follows:-The die is swung into
the horizontal position, to receive the case to be operated on; then into the vertical
position. The bye-pass valve is opened and the piston rod brought hard down
by hand lever on the top of the case head the bye pass valve is closed and the
hand pump started and continued until the case is quite home in the die. The
die is again swung round upside down and through the medium of a portable
punch the case is pressed out of the die, the die is now swung into the horizontal
position and the case removed by hand. There are also provided sundry fittings
usual to hydraulic machines such as provision for a safety valve, pressure gauge,
or when desired means for attaching to any existing hydraulic installation.
1st June 1898.
C. SALMON.
JAMES RAMSAY.
Age Cases,
We, CHARLES SALMON, "Oakhurst," Erith, I.M.R.N., and JAMES RAMSAY, Park
Crescent House, Erith, Mechanical Engineer, 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: --
It is customary with metallic cartridge cases for ordnance to use the same
repeatedly for the sake of economy. Therefore in order that any deformation
that may take place in their shape, after they have sustained the stress of dis-
charge, shall be rectified prior to their being re-charged and used again, they
are subjected to an operation termed resizing which ensures their proper entrance
and fitting in the breech chamber of the gun.
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine for
hydraulically effecting the aforesaid resizing of the cartridge cases. The said
machine comprises essentially a resizing die adapted to be readily adjusted
angularly about a transverse axis in order to bring in into the various positions
required during the working of the machine, and an hydraulic piston or ram for
operating on the cartridge case in the die, the said ram being so arranged that
it is brought into and out of contact with the cartridge case manually and depends
on the hydraulic power only for exerting the heavy pressure required for the
resizing operation. We thus avoid the loss of time which would be entailed if
the entire stroke of the ram were effected hydraulically.
We sometimes use a spring or a weight in conjunction with said ram for
returning or assisting in returning it to its normal position.
In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation, and
Figure 2 a side elevation of the machine.
Figure 3 is an elevation of a tool to serve as a punch for the purpose herein-
after described.
A is the resizing die and B is the hydraulic ram or piston which, in the present
example, is arranged vertically above the aforesaid die.
The die is provided with lateral trunnions a which are supported in semi-
circular recesses or bearings in the main framing or stanchions A₁ of the machine.
One of the said trunnions is formed to receive the prolonged boss or stem of a

page_text: hand-wheel a¹ by which the die can be shifted angularly about its trunnions.
This hand-wheel is formed with notches or recesses in its periphery which are
adapted to engage with a spring bolt a³ for the purpose of temporarily retaining
said hand-wheel and the die in any of the required angular positions to which it
may be adjusted. The spring bolt is provided with a handle by which it can
be disengaged from the aforesaid notches a³ to release the hand-wheel and permit
the die to be shifted into a fresh angular position.
The ram or piston B works in a cylinder C which may be constructed in one
piece with the aforesaid main frame or stanchions A¹ of the machine. The outer
extremity of the ram is provided with a head 13¹ of a size to suit that of the
Hanged end of the cartridge case upon which the machine is intended to operate.
b is a hand-lever pivotally mounted on one of the said stanchions of the machine
and forked at its inner end b¹ to engage with lateral pins or projections on the
aforesaid head B¹. Around the said ram or piston B and within the cylinder C
is arranged a spiral spring B2 which is of sufficient strength to support the piston
and parts connected therewith in the normal position in which they are represented
in the drawings. Or if desired this spring may be made of increased strength so
that in reacting after each downward stroke of the piston it will serve to return
the latter to its normal position.
D is a hand pump situated within a reservoir D¹ containing the water or other
liquid used for hydraulically actuating the piston B when the hand pump is
operated. The plunger of this hand pump is elongated at its upper end to work
in a cavity formed in a boss D2 in the cover of the reservoir, said cavity serving
as a guide for the plunger. D3 is a short horizontal axle having a lateral
arm D to engage with the plunger and having one of its ends extended through
the wall of the reservoir to receive a hand lever D5 by which the said hand pump
is operated. This pump communicates with the upper end of the cylinder C
through a passage d, a non-return valve d' being arranged in said passage. d
is the inlet valve by which the liquid in the reservoir is drawn into the
each upward stroke of the plunger. d is a by-pass leading from the passage d
pump at
to the reservoir D¹; it is provided with a valve d' having a screw stem which
extends through a gland and terminates in a hand-wheel d for enabling said
valve to be shifted to open or close the by-pass.
The operation of the inachine is as follows:-
The die A is first arranged angularly about its trunnions, by means of the hand-
wheel a', in a horizontal position to receive the cartridge case to be resized. Into
the said die, the interior of which is slightly taper, the case is inserted in about
the position shown in Figure 1. The die is then turned into the vertical position
represented in the drawing and locked in such position by the spring bolt a³,
after which the by-pass valve is opened to establish communication between the
cylinder C and the reservoir D¹. The ram B is then depressed by means of the
hand-lever b and the head 13' is thus brought into contact with the flanged end of
the cartridge case in the die, the spring B2 being compressed during this movement
of the ram.
The by-pass valve is then closed and the hand-pump D started
working, whereby the powerful hydraulic pressure necessary for effecting the re-
sizing of the cartridge case is created above the piston in the cylinder C, such
pressure being maintained until the cartridge case has been caused to completely
conform to the internal shape of the die. This operation having been completed
the by-pass valve is opened and the spring B2 thereby permitted, by its reaction,
to elevate the ram B and return it to its original position; or if such spring be
not made of sufficient strength for this purpose, the hand-lever b is depressed to
raise or assist in raising the ram. Then the die A is turned into an inverted
position to bring the mouth of the cartridge case uppermost and, by means of the
portable tool or punch represented in Figure 3, the said case is freed from its
tight fit within the die, and the latter is then turned into a horizontal position to
permit the case to be removed by hand.
Instead of employing a long cylindrical die A of a size to enclose the entire

page_text: cartridge case, we may make the die in the form of a ring for enclosing only the
Or instead of forming
flanged end and adjacent part of the cartridge case.
the said cylindrical die with trunnions we may use an adapter ring or die holder
furnished with trunnions, such holder being provided with means for enabling
the die to be readily detached and replaced by another of different dimensions.
In this way the machine can be used for acting upon cartridge cases of various
sizes.
The aforesaid spring Be may be replaced by a weight located near the outer end
of the hand-lever b.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the arrangement
of the die A, the cylinder C and the reservoir D¹ vertically one above the other as
illustrated in the drawings; it will be obvious that the machine can be so con-
structed that the hydraulic cylinder is disposed horizontally or at any suitable
angle with respect to the die A, and that the reservoir D¹ can be arranged in any
other position that may be found convenient. Or the said reservoir may be dis-
pensed with when hydraulic pressure is available in the place where the machine
is to be used and in this case the cylinder C would be connected with the hydraulic
system by a pipe communicating with the passage c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An hydraulic resizing machine provided with a die or die holder which
is capable of angular adjustment about a transverse axis substantially as described
and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with the hydraulic ram of means for enabling it to be
operated manually as well as hydraulically for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with the aforesaid ram of a spring or its equivalent for
returning or assisting in returning the ram to its normal position.
4. An hydraulic resizing machine having its parts constructed arranged and
operating substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings
for the purpose specified.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.