IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OF LARGE OR SMALL CALIBRE as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN BALDIE of 21 Pattison Road Plumstead in the County of Kent, Smith
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OF LARGE OR SMALL CALIBRE
as follows:-
" to be
The object of my Invention is to provide a mode of manufacturing steel shells for
ordnance of large or small calibres in a more efficient way than has been hitherto
known. Most of the steel shells now made are made by casting the steel into
moulds, when they are liable to become unsound, or when wrought steel shells are
required they are generally forged solid and bored out, which is very expensive, or
they are welded, more especially for shrapnel shells, in which case it is difficult to
use sufficiently hard steel.
I propose to forge the steel shells hollow in the following manner, which will
enable me not only to make them at a reasonable price sound and concentric, but
also enable me to use cast steel with a high percentage of carbon so as to give to
thin steel shells a considerable penetrating power, while at the same time the shell
when ready will require much less adjustment by turning or machinery than other
modes of making them.
In the first operation I roughly form a solid projectile from a bar of steel under
a steam hammer with top and bottom dies making it of a length to give the
required weight of metal. Two or more solid shot with conical points can be
formed at the same time.
After reheating the projectile in a furnace I place its point into a die of the
required form and forge the body of the projectile under a steam hammer into a
round flat plate.
The forging then consists of this round flat plate with a point projecting from
its lower side. The point may be of conical or other shape as required.
After the projectile has been again reheated it is placed point downwards on the
top of a ring die the upper edge of which is curved or rounded.
By means of a suitable punch fixed on a hammer head the solid point of the
forging is pressed through the ring die and the round flat plate is drawn through
after it.

page_text: This forms a sort of cup shaped figure, which is again passed several times
through smaller dies until the round flat plate is drawn into a solid thick tube
which forms the body of shell with the solid conical point of any required degree
of thickness. The interior form of the shell so produced corresponds with the
exterior form of the punch employed.
The shell thus partially formed I.again place into a furnace and reheat it to
the required temperature and again subject it to a series of drawing operations
through smaller dies under the hammer till the shell is of the required length and
thickness.
The point and body of the shell being thus completed I next heat the rear end
of the shell keeping the point and body partially cool-I then place it into a
suitable die under a hammer.
Fixed in the hammer head I provide a suitable flat ended punch which can pass
freely into the die. I also provide a small central pin projecting in front of said
punch to form a small hole in the base of shell.
The action of the hammer swages or forges in the rear end of the shell, the outer
diameter being held in the die the metal cannot spread outwards and is therefore
forced to close in toward the centre pin that forms the hole in the base of shell.
In this way any required degree of thickness can be given to the base.
In place of the base being formed in, the above manner a separately made base
might be inserted and welded into the end of the drawn shell taking care that the
base has a rim of the full calibre of the shell against which the tubular portion of
the shell can abut.
By thus forging a shell of steel with suitable high percentage of carbon I can
without boring it out of the solid, make the sides of the shell very thin without
making it too weak, and I can thus allow a large bursting charge while I can gain
a large penetrating power from the solid point which is still more increased if I place
the fuze in the base of the shell.

page_text: I JOHN BALDIE of 21 Pattison Road Plumstead in the County of Kent, Smith
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OF LARGE OR SMALL CALIBRE" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following Statement :-
The object of my Invention is to provide a mode of manufacturing steel shells
for ordnance of large or small calibres in a more efficient way than has been
hitherto known. Most of the steel shells now made are made by casting the steel
into moulds, when they are liable to become unsound, or when wrought steel shells
are required they are generally forged solid and bored out which is very expensive,
or they are welded, more especially for shrapnel shells in which case it is difficult
to use sufficiently hard steel.
I propose to forge the steel shells hollow in the following manner, which will
enable me not only to make them at a reasonable price sound and concentric, but
also enable me to use cast steel with a high percentage of carbon so as to give to
thin shells a considerable penetrating power, while at the same time the shell when
ready will require much less adjustment by turning or machinery than other modes
of making them.
Figures 1 to 4 of the annexed drawings show the invention as applied to the
production of shell adapted for penetration.
It will be understood that throughout the operations the metal is to be reheated
as often as may be necessary.
Figure 1 illustrates the first operation. I take a round bar of steel approximately
of the diameter of the shell which it is desired to produce and having beated the
bar I forge it under a steam hammer in such a manner as to divide it into two parts
each with conical or tapering ends. The operation is so conducted that one of the
pieces already contains the proper amount of metal to form a shell. The other
portion I proceed to cut from the end of the bar to make it similar to the first.
A piece thus produced having been reheated I place point downwards in a die of
suitable form, and by striking on the top with the steam hammer, I spread out the
upper part to the form indicated in Figure 2, and simultaneously the pointed end
is reduced approximately to the shape required for the projectile.
The piece now consists of a suitably formed head or end and a flat disc like flange
around it.
The next operation is to support the piece by the edges of the flange upon a
ring which itself rests upon the anvil of a steam hammer. The anvil has a hole
through it and by the blows of the hammer the piece is driven down into the ring
to reduce it to the form indicated by Figure 3.
The next operation is to place the piece upon a ring having an opening of smaller
diameter say about 4 inches and supported in the same way upon the perforated
anvil; then by a tool brought down by the steam hammer the piece is pushed
through this ring and thereby reduced in diameter at the upper part. A similar
operation is performed several times using smaller and smaller rings and an internal
tool corresponding in form and diameter with the internal cavity of the shell until
by degrees the disc like flange first formed has been brought into the form of a
cylinder open at one end,

page_text: When this has been done the partially formed shell is driven by means of the
drift or mandril into a die or mould corresponding in form to that of the shell to
be produced and the mandril is driven down by the hammer so as to reduce the
amount of metal in the solid head or end and bring the head or end exactly to the
dimensions required. A mark previously made on the drift or mandrel will indicate
when the mandrel has been driven sufficiently far into the mould. Afterwards
the mould is turned upside down and the shell and mandrel are driven out from
it-the bottom of the mould being loose to admit of this being done. The shell
is then heated to allow of the mandrel being withdrawn from it at a draw bench.
The next operation is to heat the rear part only of the shell and then to place
the shell again into the die or mould from which the heated end projects only a
short distance. The heated end of the shell is then set down with the hammer so
as to thicken the sides of the projecting. end of the shell. A cup shaped tool is
then placed over the top of the projecting end and is forced down onto it by the
hammer and is so caused gradually to turn the end inwards. When by the use of
a series of such cup shaped tools the end has been sufficiently turned inwards it is
finally flattened down by a flattening tool having a cylindrical pin projecting from
its face which as the walls of the shell are closed inwards preserves the central
passage or charging hole.
In this way the shell is brought to the finished form such as shown at Figure 4.
The shell represented in this figure is of a form adapted to pierce plating of
moderate thickness. The invention is also applicable, to the production of other
descriptions of shells. The Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate its application to the
production of a common shell having a fuse in the head. In this case the end of
the shell which it is important to have solid and without weld is the base.
I commence as before, with a round steel bar; in this case the bar is cut into
cylindrical pieces each containing a suitable amount of metal to form a shell,
I place the piece suitably heated in an upright position in a die, its lower end
entering a cavity in the centre of the die and then with the hammer I spread out
the upper part producing a flat disc like flange as before and as represented in
Figure 5. Then in the manner already described I raise this flange causing the
piece to pass successively through the form shown by Figure 6 and after this by a
continuance of the operation of passing through rings as already described I make
the shell truly cylindrical from end to end. Then as before I place the shell in the
die or mould and by forcing down the drift or mandrel I reduce the bottom to the
proper thickness. Next I heat the open end only of the shell and place it in the
die or mould. I set down the metal so as to thicken the walls of the shell at their
outer ends and by cup like tools I draw the sides inwards thereby reducing the
shell to the form shewn at Figure 7. The cup tool has a pin in the centre which
keeps open the passage into which the fuse is inserted.
my Invention.
Figure 8.shews a shrapnel shell which I also produce according to
When the walls of the shell are thin as is the case with this shell I form a central
opening in the bottom of the finishing die or mould to receive the metal displaced
by the drift or mandrel when the bottom is reduced to the proper thickness. The
superfluous metal entering this cavity is cut off afterwards.
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. Forming a shell from a piece of metal such as may be cut from a bar, by
forging the same so as to produce first a head or end with a disc like flange around
it, and then to raise this flange until it becomes approximately cylindrical enclosing
the cavity of the shell substantially as described.
Second. Producing a shell from a piece of metal representing the head or end of
the shell with a disc like flange around it by raising the said flange to an
approximately cylindrical form substantially as described

page_text: Third. Forming the open end of a shell by forging the tubular body so as to
thicken its walls at their outer ends and to close them inwards substantially as
described.
Fourth. The manufacture of shells for ordnance substantially as described and
represented by the annexed drawings.
Dated thin oth
Naomba 1001