A Method of and Means for Testing the Condition of the Firing or Flash Holes of Metal Cartridge Cases.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr.,
1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Means for Testing the Condition of the Firing or
Flash Holes of Metal Cartridge Cases.
I, PAUL PONDORF, of Goessnitz, Saxe-Altenburg, in the Empire of Germany,
Doctor of Science, 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, reference being had to the drawings hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say: -
This invention relates to a method of and means for testing the condition of the
firing or flash holes of metal cartridge cases and the essential features of the said
invention may be briefly stated as follows:-
At a suitable part of the drilling machine are arranged two needles each of
which is movable endwise independently of the other, and is provided with a
projection or stop rigidly secured to or formed integral therewith.
The diameters of the lower ends of the said needles are smaller than the
diameters of the firing or flash holes to be drilled, whilst they are formed to a
gradual taper or increase in thickness somewhat toward the rear.
Now when it happens that the requisite holes in the cartridge case have not been
made in consequence of the drill having broken for example or have not been made
deep enough, or are too narrow or too wide, one or both of said stops, as the case
may be is or are either arrested sufficiently far back, or allowed to proceed a
sufficient distance forward to set in operation certain arresting or locking mechanism
by means of which the drilling machine is thrown out of gear and stopped.
If, however, the two firing or flash holes of the cartridge cases being tested are
bored to the required dimensions both needles will enter the cartridge case for such
a distance as will cause them to be arrested in a pre-determined intermediate
position, when the stops will check the locking or arresting mechanism and prevent
its coming into operation.
By the arrangement of parts hereinbefore described the drilling machine can
only remain in uninterrupted operation so long as the drill works in an uniform
to a standstill
and satisfactory manner, whilst the entire machine comes
immediately a single article in course of treatment proves to be defective.
In the accompanying drawings which represent a flash or firing hole drilling
machine fitted with an arrangement constructed according to the present invention
for carrying out the novel operation above described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the drilling machine.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the arrangement of the combined
needles and stops.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of parts drawn to a reduced scale and illustrating
more particularly the strap guide.
Figure 4 is a plan of the drilling machine and,
Figure 5 is a detail view of the parts of the arresting mechanism acted upon by,
the stops.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference, the parts of the machine for fastening or mounting the cartridge cases in
position, for moving and centreing the mounting clamping or gripping device,
and for operating the drills, are only shown in outline as said parts are common to

page_text: existing machines of this class and which are well known, so that they do not come
within the scope of the present invention:
The drilling machine together with the above-mentioned apparatus for testing
the condition of the flash or firing holes is erected upon a base or bed-plate a
and carries upon its shaft b' a gripping or clamping device or holder 6 wherein
the cartridge-cases to be operated upon are inserted and securely locked or clamped
in position at 1, by means of any suitable contrivance.
Motion is imparted to the shaft b₁ from the strap or band o through the medium
of the shaft 2, worm 6, worm wheel 4, Figure 3, and a toothed segment z,
mounted on the shaft or spindle f of the said worm-wheel which segment gears
with the toothed wheel z¹ on the shaft b' and at each revolution of the shaft f turns
the said wheel for a distance equal to one sixth of its circumference, so that,
consequently, the cartridge case gripping device b is also turned 600 at each
revolution of the shaft f.
or
The cartridge-cases piaced in the holder at 1 successively take up their position
in front of the two drills c, as at 2 and 3 and are here provided with firing
flash holes in the well-known manner after which the cases move up to the testing
needles, at 4, where the condition of their firing or flash holes is ascertained and
are lastly removed from the gripping device or holder.
The test is performed by means of the following arrangement of parts. Upon a
suitable part of the frame of the machine are provided two slides or carriages d d¹
which carry needles by means of which the holes are tested and these needles
are controlled by springs d', which springs constantly tend to press the said
carriages in the direction of the gripping device.
During the period in which the said gripping device turns, the carriages dd¹
are held in their rear ward or retracted position by means of an eccentric a
mounted upon the shaft f which through the medium of the lever arm 611
and the intermediate piece or pusher de forces back the said carriages dd in doing
which it overcomes the resistance of the springs d.
When, however, the said eccentric a¹¹, leaves the position in which it is shown in
Figure 1 in continuation of its revolution, the springs dd push forward the
carriages d and d₁ toward the clamping device or holder b, the motion of which has
in the meantime been arrested, and in so doing move forward the intermediate
piece or pusher and the lever arm 6 and the needles are now caused to
enter the firing holes, with the following results:-
If the firing holes have been bored normally that is to say, of the required
dimensions,. the tapering needles du will enter said holes to a pre-determined depth
and be thus arrested in a pre-determined intermediate position, with the result
that the stops ee¹, projecting from the carriages or slides dd, will likewise be
arrested in a given intermediate situation, the dimensions of the parts being so
proportioned that the said stops e e', when in this intermediate position shall exactly
be facing the front ends of the two slides hh.
At each revolution of the shaft these slides are moved once toward the
carriages dd, inasmuch as the cam f2 once in every revolution releases the
double-armed lever g¹, engaging with the noses or tappets in the rear, thereby
allowing the springs hh to come into operation.
When the stops cel take up the intermediate position above described which
indicates that the firing or flash holes have been drilled in a proper manner, the
ends of the two slides hh come against the corresponding ends of the stops e el,
and the mechanism hereinafter described, by means of which the machine is
arrested in case of defective drilling is prevented from coming into operation,
whilst the cam f2, by means of its rise immediately pushes the two slides hhi
back into their rearward or retracted position, even before the needles
had time to leave the drilled holes after the completion of the test.
have
If, however, owing to the defective operation of the machine no holes have been
drilled at all, or they have been made too wide or too narrow or if there should be
any other defect in one of the holes, or if both holes are defective from some cause,

page_text: then, according to circumstances one or both of the needles will either be
prevented from entering the hole or holes far enough or will be allowed to advance
too far as the case may be the result in all cases being that both needles will
fail to stop precisely in the intermediate position above described.
The operation of the mechanism forming the subject of the present invention
will in principle be the same in all cases without regard to the precise nature of the
flaw discovered and it will therfore suffice herein to describe only the case
exemplified in Figure 4 in which neither of the firing holes has been partially or
entirely formed in consequence, for example, of the perforating tool or drill
having become broken.
In this case the needles " cannot enter the cartridge cases and therefore the
stops e el remain in the position represented in Figure 4.
When the cam f2, in the revolution of the shaft f releases the lever g¹, and
consequently the slides h and h¹, these slides are driven by the springs h³ and h³
toward the sliding carriages d' without meeting with any resistance on the part
of the stops e e¹.
The slides h h¹ therefore advance until the inclines meet the incline m of the
fork-shaped guide of the strap or band o and in the meantime the spring catches ii'
have taken up their position beyond the vertical pin of the double armed lever g.
As the shaft f continues to revolve carrying with it the cam fl, this eam,
through the medium of the lever g, moves the catches ii', and also the slides h hi
further towards the carriages dd so that the said inclines force back the
incline m and shift the strap guide or fork n, which assisted by the weight g³
transfers the strap o to the loose pulley 62* thereby automatically throwing the
whole mechanism out of gear and stopping the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A method for automatically ascertaining the condition of the firing or flash
holes of metal cartridge cases whilst they are being operated upon in the drilling
machine; the main feature of which method is that two needles, movable inde
pendently of each other, are made to act in accordance with the condition of the
holes to be tested, the effect of their operation being that, in the total absence of
either or both of the holes, or if either or both holes should be made too wide or
too narrow, and one or both of the said needles is or are, in consequence, either
allowed to advance too far, or stopped too far back, such a situation of the needle
or needles will arrest the operation of the machine substantially as herein shown
and described.
2. Apparatus for carrying into effect the method referred to in the preceding
claim, the main feature thereof being that two slides such as d, which carry
the testing needles are adapted to act, by means of their stops e e¹ upon two
periodically advancing carriages or slides, such as hh, and to arrest the further
progress of said carriages or slides h h¹ if the holes in the cartridge case have been
bored properly, whereas if the boring be defective said stops allow one or both of
the said slides hh' as the case may be to move forward sufficiently to engage with
cam-actuated gearing, such as figi by means of which they are brought into
engagement with suitable arresting mechanism so as to bring the machine to a
standstill substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this with day of February 1899.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents.