Improvements in the Manufacture of Shells for Ordnance or for Machine Guns.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1890-4ccepted, 26th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Shells for Ordnance or for
Machine Guns.
I, CHARLES EDMUND TAUNTON, of Bencliffe, Priory Road, Balsall Heath, in the
County of Worcester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the manufacture of what are
known as
"solid-drawn" shells for ordnance or for machine guns the said shells
being formed from cylindrical blocks or discs of steel or other ductile metal or alloy
by drawing through processes performed with suitable dies and mandrils. The
object of this invention is to insure greater accuracy in the finish of the said
shells so as to reduce the percentage of wasters made during the processes of
manufacture.
According to one method of carrying out my invention 1 take a cylindrical block
of steel or other ductile metal or alloy a little larger in diameter than the finished
shell and of a proper length; this block is made perfectly circular outside by any
convenient means such as by being forced in a heated state into a cylindrical die
which is by preference made slightly taper. When cold this block is drilled
centrally with a small hole for a certain distance down so as to leave the base rather
thicker than the base of the finished shell. This hole is bell mouthed. The said
block is then heated and placed with the open end of the hole upwards in a
cylindrical die which extends above the top of the block. A mandril having a
pointed end and suitably guided so as to move in a straight line is now by
hydraulic pressure or other means forced into the central hole in the block thereby
enlarging the hole and causing the metal to rise upwards. By drilling the central
hole in the said block before it is operated upon by the mandril as above described
(and this is one of the chief, features of this invention) the point of the mandril is
compelled to follow the hole and descend in a perfectly straight line and the hole
formed by the mandril will be perfectly concentric with the outside of the block.
The partly formed shell is now finished on mandrils by the usual drawing down
processes which being well known require no further description here and the top
of the shell is closed and pointed in the usual way.
In making shrapnell bodies, the base of which is provided with a chamber for
containing the bursting charge and a shoulder on which rests the diaphragm which
supports the bullets above the bursting charge, 1 make the pointed end of the mandril
which is forced into the small hole in the heated block as above described with a
shoulder a short distance above the pointed end so as to leave a chamber and shoulder
at the base of the shell which chamber and shoulder are, if required, finished to the
proper shape and size by another mandril having a domed or other shaped end and
a shoulder corresponding with the required chamber and shoulder in the shell. By
this means I am enabled to finish the top of the chamber perfectly sharp and square
which has hitherto been found difficult or almost impossible to attain.
Instead of operating upon a cylindrical block as above described the block may be
forged or otherwise formed outside with a pointed end to about the shape of the
required shell and then forced in a heated state into a die having internally the
shape of the outside of the finished shell so as to give the block the proper outside
form. When cold a small bell mouthed hole is drilled centrally for the proper
distance up the base of the shell as above described and the shell is heated and
placed in a die and the hole enlarged by a pointed mandril as above described thereby
increasing the density of the metal at the point of the shell which is an important
requirement in arınour piercinơ shells.

page_text: According to another method of carrying out my invention I bore out the said
block rather larger than the inside of the finished shell and leaving the base rather
thicker than the finished size. The bottom of this hole is by preference rounded.
The block thus formed is then finished on mandrils by the usual hot or cold drawing
through processes above referred to.
:
According to another method of carrying out my invention in which the shell is
formed from a disc of ductile metal or alloy the said disc is thickened centrally at
one side and tapered towards the periphery so as to have the appearance of an
inverted flattened truncated cone the top of the truncated cone forms the base of the
required shell. At the centre of the plate and at the flat side thereof I form by
boring or stamping or other means a circular hole leaving the metal at the bottom
of the hole rather thicker than the base of the finished shell. When this disc
raised into a cup shape by being forced by a mandril through a die in the usual way
the end of the mandril fits into the said hole and ensures the base finishing true with
the sides of the shell and the hole being concentric with the sides.
When making shrapnell bodies according to this part of my invention the disc is
forced through the die by a mandril having a domed or other shaped end and a
shoulder corresponding with the required chamber and shoulder in the shell so that
the chamber and shoulder will be formed simultaneously with the raising of the plate
into the cup form.
Dated this 13th day of May 1889
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Shells for Ordnance or for
Machine Guns.
I, CHARLES EDMUND TAUNTON, of Bencliffe, Priory Road, Balsall Heath, in the
County of Worcester, 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:—
33
This invention has reference to improvements in the manufacture of what are
known as
[ solid-drawn shells for ordnance or for machine guns the said shells
being formed from, cylindrical blocks of steel or other ductile metal or alloy by
drawing through processes performed with suitable dies and mandrils. The object
of this invention is to insure greater accuracy in the finish of the said shells so as to
reduce the percentage of wasters made during the processes of manufacture.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 represents a cylindrical block for forming a shell according to this invention';
Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate different stages in the formation of the said block into the
shell illustrated by Fig. 5, and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrato some of the dies and
mandrils for operating on the said block and also shew how the said dies and
mandrils are used. Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate how my invention is applied to
the manufacture of shrapnel bodies and Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 illustrate a
modified method of carrying out my invention which is applicable more particularly
to armour piercing shells.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
Figures of the drawings.
According to one method of carrying out my invention as illustrated more
particularly by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, I take a cylindrical block a of steel or
other ductile metal or alloy as illustrated by Fig. 1 a little larger in diameter than
the finished shell (see Fig. 5) and of a proper length to form the same; this .block
is made perfectly circular outside by any convenient means such as by being forced
in a heated state into the cylindrical die shewn by Fig. 6 which is by preference
made slightly taper. When cold the block a is drilled centrally with a small hole b
(see Fig. 2) for a certain distance down so as to leave the base rather thicker than

page_text: the base of the finished shell and the said hole is bell mouthed. The block a is then
heated and placed with the open end of the hole upwards in a cylindrical die of
corresponding diameter which extends above the top of the block (see Fig. 7). A
mandril c having a pointed end e¹ and suitably guided so as to move in a straight
line is now by hydraulic pressure or other means forced into the central hole bin
the block a (see Fig. 8) thereby enlarging the hole and causing the metal to rise
upwards so that the block will now have the form illustrated by Fig. 3. By drilling
the central hole b in the block a before it is operated upon by the mandril as above
described (and this is one of the chief features of this invention) the point c¹ of the
mandril is compelled to follow the hole and descend in a perfectly straight line and
the enlarged hole formed by the mandril will be perfectly concentric with the
outside of the block a. The partly formed shell is now finished on mandrils by the
usual drawing down processes, which being. well known require.no further description
here, so that it ultimately assumes the form illustrated by Fig. 4. The top of the
shell is then pointed in the usual way.
In making shrapnel bodies, such as that illustrated by Fig. 9, the base of which is
provided with a chamber d for containing the bursting charge and a shoulder e on
which rests the diaphragm which supports the bullets above the bursting charge, I
make the pointed end c¹ of the mandril which is forced into the small hole in the
heated block as above described with a shoulder c² a short distance above the pointed
end as illustrated by Fig. 11 so as to leave a chamber & and a shoulder e at the base
of the shell (see Fig. 10) which chamber and shoulder are if required finished to the
proper shape and size by another mandril illustrated by Fig. 12 having a domed or
other shaped end c¹ and a shoulder e corresponding with the required chamber d and
shoulder e in the shell. By this means I am enabled to finish the top of the
chamber d perfectly sharp and square which has hitherto been found difficult or
almost impossible to attain without machining.
Instead of operating upon the cylindrical block as above described the block may
be forged or otherwise formed outside with a pointed end, as shewn by Fig. 13, to
about the shape of the required shell and then forced in a heated state into a die
having internally the shape of the outside of the finished shell so as to give the block
the proper outside form, as illustrated by Fig. 14. When cold a small bell mouthed
hole is drilled centrally for the proper distance up the base of the shell as above
described (see Fig. 15) and the shell is heated and placed in a die as shewn by
Fig. 17 and the hole enlarged by a pointed mandril c as above described so that the
partly finished shell will now have the form illustrated by Fig. 16 thereby increasing
the density of the metal at the point of the shell which is an important requirement
in armour piercing shells. The partly finished shell illustrated by Fig. 16 is then
drawn down on a mandril in the usual manner if required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improved method of manufacturing a hollow projectile or shell hereinbefore
described and illustrated by Figs. 1 to 12 both inclusive of the accompanying
drawings which consists in first forming a cylindrical block of steel or other suitable
ductile metal or alloy with a small central hole drilled or bored axially partly through
the same, then enlarging the said hole and elongating the said block by forcing a
pointed mandril into and along the said hole whilst the block is heated and supported
outside in a suitable die and then working the said block by means of dies and
mandrils, when required, into the desired form so that the solid end of the block will
form the base of the finished shell substantially as described.
2. In manufacturing shrapnel bodies by the method denoted under claim 1 the
employment of a shouldered mandril or mandrils as, and for the purposes,
described.
3. The improved method of manufacturing a hollow projectile or shell herein before
described and illustrated by Figs. 13 to 17 both inclusive of the accompanying

page_text: drawings, which consists in first forming a pointed cylindrical block of steel or other
suitable ductile metal or alloy with a small central bole drilled or bored axially
partly through the same towards the pointed end then enlarging the said hole and
elongating the said block by forcing a pointed mandril into and along the said hole
whilst the said block is heated and supported outside in a suitable die and then
working the said block by means of dies and mandrils, when required, into the
desired form so that the solid end of the block will form the pointed end of the
finished shell substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of February 1890.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.