IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGE CASES OR CONTAINERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALEXANDER PARKES of 32 Park Road West Dulwich in the County of Surrey
Chemist do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGE CASES OR CONTAINERS" to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture production and use of
materials capable of being employed in the manufacture or production of cases or
holders of Cartridges and consists in the employment of malleable iron as free from
carbon as possible and of steel more particularly that which is known as mild or
soft steel, this iron and the steel being employed either alone or alloyed with
nickel.
The Cartridge Cases or holders which it is desired to produce may be formed
either by drawing a disc through dies in the usual method for the production of
Cartridge Cases consisting either of brass or of copper or other alloys.
In the production of the before mentioned improved Cases or holders composed
of either of the metals or alloys before mentioned it is necessary to submit them to
what is known as the annealing process which by preference is carried out in
closed vessels between the several operations as often as required in order to
produce a soft ductile metal and give a sound and smooth result when finished.
In carrying out the annealing process by preference I employ a method similar
to that which is now employed in the production of malleable cast iron or I employ
oxide of zinc or oxide of manganese in the annealing vessel as is well understood.
Since the great improvements introduced in the production of iron and steel by
Sir Henry Bessemer and others it is possible to obtain both iron and steel that will
bear the strain of drawing through dies as well as the making of tubes with great
facility.
I also form the Cartridge Case or holder by drawing steel or alloyed steel or iron
or alloyed iron as hereinbefore mentioned the same being by preference in the form
of a tube or cylinder.
Having thus formed a tube of the desired form and shape composed either of
steel or of an alloy of steel or of iron or of an alloy of iron or other metal I insert a
bottom disc of the proper shape and strength composed of either of the metals or

page_text: alloys hereinbefore mentioned or of other suitable metal the same being firmly
retained by submitting the cylinder containing the disc to pressure in suitable dies.
The Cartridge Cases or holders thus formed I prefer to coat with a metal or
alloy such coating being effected or produced either by the employment of &
metallic solution or metallic solutions such for example as nickel copper tin zinc or
other metal or metals being effected by any of the well known methods for
precipitating metal-Cartridge cases or holders thus protected will be found to be
more durable and less liable to corrosion.
Cartridge Cases or holders produced as before mentioned may be made to receive
a protecting coating either by galvanizing or tinning-Instead of employing the
metal or alloys in the manner hereinbefore mentioned the same may be employed
in a laminated or rolled condition and formed either into a spiral or other
container,

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Cartridge Cases or
Containers.
I ALEXANDER PARKES of 32 Park Road West Dulwich in the County of
Surrey Chemist 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 improvements in the manufacture of Cartridge Cases or
Containers and consists in the production for and use in the said manufacture of
materials as hereinafter explained.
According to my Invention I employ for the manufacture of such Cases or
containers homogeneous iron that has been melted in the Bessemer Converter or
iron melted in other furnaces or pots and after it has been run into ingots in
moulds such as are usually employed is afterwards rolled into sheets. This iron
being quite homogeneous is the best and only iron fit to make perfect solid drawn
Cartridge cases or containers according to my Invention (puddled iron I do not
claim to use as I have found it is not suitable for the purpose) or I employ steel
of the kind known in commerce as mild or soft steel the said steel being employed
either alone or alloyed with nickel as hereinafter described.
What I have found best and prefer to use is an alloy of steel or iron (of the
kind hereinbefore mentioned) with nickel, the percentage of nickel varying from
about one to two per cent or more of the mixture-These alloys of steel or iron
with nickel are much softer and more ductile and much less liable to oxidation
than steel or iron alone.
I find a very good plan for introducing the nickel either to iron or steel, is to
add thereto from one to three per cent, of an alloy of equal parts of nickel and
copper or manganese; thus alloyed, the iron or steel will roll and draw very
perfectly and is exceedingly ductile, but I may use nickel without the copper or
manganese, if desired.
The cartridge cases or containers may be formed by drawing a disc from the
said metals or alloys through dies in the method employed for the production of
brass or copper cartridge cases or containers, using any necessary number of dies so
as to give such a gradual shaping as may be necessary owing to the nature of the
materials employed.-Generally, for iron or steel, of the kinds described (alloyed or
not,) I find that about four or five operations are necessary for a small Cartridge
case.
In the production of the before mentioned improved cases or containers
composed of either of the metals or alloys before mentioned, it is advisable to
submit them to what is known as the annealing process, which by preference, is
carried out in closed vessels between and after the several operations of the dies,
as often as required in order to produce a soft ductile metal and give a sound and
smooth material when finished-The annealing process may be similar to that
which is now employed in the production of malleable cast iron, or I employ oxide
of zinc or oxide of manganese in the annealing vessel as is well understood.

page_text: When manufacturing cartridge cases or containers from tubes of soft or homo-
geneous iron, mild or soft steel, and whether the iron or steel is employed alone or
alloyed with nickel as described I proceed as follows.
c
Having formed a seamless tube of the desired form and shape composed either
of iron or steel of the kinds herein before described or of an alloy of such steel or
iron with nickel, or with nickel and copper, or manganese I insert a bottom disc
or piece of the proper shape and strength composed of either of the metals or alloys
herein before mentioned or of other suitable metal the same being firmly retained
which may be effected by submitting the cylinder containing the disc to pressure
in suitable dies-or the bottom may be screwed in.
The cartridge cases or containers formed as hereinbefore described I prefer to
coat with a protecting coating of copper, tin, zinc or nickel or other suitable
metal or alloy such coating being effected or produced either by the employment
of a metallic solution or metallic solutions the deposition of the metal or metals
being effected by any of the well known methods of electro or magneto deposition
for precipitating metals or by galvanizing or tinning Cartridge Cases or containers
thus protected will be found to be more durable and less liable to corrosion than
they would be if not so protected.
When employing mild or soft steel for the purposes of my Invention I prefer to
use such steel decarbonised as much as possible and I find soft steel now sold as
manganese steel or steel alloyed with nickel according to my Invention is
considerably softer and tougher than ordinary steel and draws through the dies
with scarcely any waste and finishes with a perfectly smooth surface and when
coated with other metal or metals the Cartridge cases or containers will be
perfectly protected from oxidation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The manufacture of Cartridge Cases or containers for small arms or
ordnance wherein is employed fused homogenous iron or homogenous iron alloyed
with nickel or mild soft or decarbonised steel alone or alloyed with nickel
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. The manufacture of Cartridge cases or containers as herein before
described and claimed by the preceding claim but coated or covered with copper
tin zinc nickel or other metals or alloys for the protection thereof substantially as
herein before described.
D
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1000