IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OR FOR MACHINE GUNS to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: I MAURICE DELMARD, of Plumstead Common, in the County of Kent Gentle-
man do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OR FOR MACHINE GUNS to be as
follows:-
”
My invention relates to the manufacture of shells for ordnance or for machine
guns and is designed to improve the construction of the said shells.
In carrying my present invention into practice I first take a disc of steel or iron
of suitable dimensions and heat the same in a furnace and place it upon a die
having a conical or other suitably shaped recess. I then reduce the thickness and
enlarge the diameter of the said disc and force some of the metal of the same into
the said recess in the die by hammering or stamping, or by pressure. I thus form
a disc having on one side thereof a central projection of conical or other shape
which projection, when the shell is completed, forms the apex thereof.
I then take the disc thus formed and place it upon a die having a conical recess
into which the said disc is forced by pressure or impact by means of a conical die
which fits into the said recess. The said disc is thus made to assume the shape of
a conical cup, the apex of which is formed by the aforesaid projection. This cup
is then bent or worked by means of dies, or otherwise, into the form of an ordinary
shell-body. In order to lengthen the tubular portion of the shell-body I may, if
desired, draw the same upon a mandril.
I construct the base of my improved shell in either of the manners described
in the Specification of my former Letters Patent dated 4th December AD, 1882,
No 5770 or otherwise.
The number of dies employed in the manufacture of my improved shells will
obviously vary according to the dimensions of the shell to be made.
Dated this 21ot dow of Tanuorn 1884
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: I, MAURICE DELNARD, of Plumstead Common, in the County of Kent, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
MANUFACTURE OF SHELLS FOR ORDNANCE OR FOR MACHINE-GUNS
My invention relates to the manufacture of shells for ordnance or for machine-
guns, and comprises an improved method of manufacturing a shell by first forming
a dise or circular piece of steel or iron with a central projection (which, when the
shell is completed, will constitute either its apex or its base) and then working the
said disc or piece into the desired form by means of dies or otherwise. My said
invention further comprises a method of forming the base or apex my improved
shell with an aperture for the insertion of the fuse.
In the accompanying drawing,
of
Figures 1 to 5 are different views illustrating the manufacture of a shell having
the aperture for the fuse at its base.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are sections shewing an improved manner of forming the
base of the said shell.
Figures 9 to 13 are different views illustrating the manufacture of a shell having
the aperture for. the fuse at its apex.
Figure 14 is a longitudinal section of a completed shell-body made in this
manner.
Figures 15 to 18 are sections illustrating the manufacture of a shell with a
chamber for the bursting-charge at its base.
In making a shell with the fuse at its base, I proceed as follows, that is to say:-
I take a disc or circular piece A of steel or iron of the requisite dimensions, heat
the same in a furnace, and place it upon a die B, Figure 1, having a recess or
cavity b. I then reduce the thickness and enlarge the diameter of the said disc
and force some of the metal thereof into the said recess or cavity by hammering or
stamping, or by pressure. I thus give the piece A the form of a disc or circular
piece having a central projection a as shewn in Figure 2, which projection, when
the shell is completed, constitutes the apex thereof. I then take the piece A and
place it upon a die C having a conical recess or cavity c, as shewn in Figure 3, and
force the said piece, by pressure or impact, into the said recess or cavity by means
of a die D, as shewn in Figure 4, so that the piece A will have the cup-shaped form
shewn in this Figure. It is then worked by means of suitable dies or otherwise
until it has the form shewn in Figure 5.
The base of this shell is made either as described in the specification of my
former Letters Patent, dated 4th December A.D. 1882, N° 5770, or otherwise. By
reference, however, I form the said base in the manner illustrated in Figures 6 to 8,
that is to say,
first thicken (if necessary) the end of the tubular shell-body by
jumping or up-setting, I then swage it by means of suitable dies until it has the
form shewn at a¹ Figure 6. I then cut off the extremity of the said shell-body at
the dotted line x, x, and gradually work the end of the said body by means of dies
or otherwise until it has first the form shewn in Figure 7 and then that shown in
Figure 8. During the formation of the base in this manner, the aperture a² therein
must be kept open to permit the escape of the gases from the interior of the shell-
body. This aperture afterwards serves for the introduction or insertion of the
fuse.

page_text: In making a shell with the fuse at the apex, I employ a die E, Figure 9, having
a recess or cavity e. Upon this die I place the disc A which is to form the shell-
body. I then proceed, in a similar manner to that above described with reference
to Figures 1 to 5, to reduce the thickness and enlarge the diameter of the said
disc and form thereon a' projection a* which, when the shell is completed, will
constitute the base thereof. The various stages of manufacture are shewn in
Figures 10 to 12 of the drawing.
I sometimes work the piece A in the manner described with reference to these
Figures into the form shewn in Figure 13, and then draw it, in a cold state, by
means of a draw-bench or a hydraulic press, until it is of the proper length and
thickness, as shewn in Figure 12.
I form the apex of these shells in any convenient manner, for instance, I first
thicken the end of the tubular portion of the shell-body by jumping or upsetting,
and then work it by means of dies or otherwise, into the form shewn in Figure 14,
leaving an aperture a for the introduction or insertion of the fuse.
When the shell is to have a chamber for the bursting-charge at its base, I proceed
in the manner illustrated in Figures 15 to 18, that is to say, I employ two dies E, F,
having recesses or cavities e, f. Between these dies I place the piece A, and
hammer, stamp or press the same to give it the form shewn in Figure 16, and
I subsequently work it, by means of suitable dies or otherwise, into the form shewn
in Figure 18, g being the chamber at the base of the shell.
Instead of forming the projection which is to constitute the apex or base of the
shell by means of a die as above described, I sometimes cast a disc or circular piece
of steel having a central projection as shewn in Figure 2 or in Figure 10, or
having two central projections as shewn in Figure 16, and then work this disc or
circular piece, in the manner above set forth, into the desired form.
Having thus 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 above described improvements in the manufacture of shells, consisting
in first forming a disc or circular piece of steel or iron with a central projection
(which, when the shell is completed, constitutes its apex or base), and then working
the same by means of dies, or otherwise, into the desired form, substantially as
set forth.
Second. In the above described manufacture, the improved manner of forming
the base or apex of the shell with an aperture for the insertion of the fuse,
substantially as described.
Dated this 31st day of October 1884
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.