Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/843

 Giant Press Used in Making Shrapnel Shells

��IN the manufacture of brass cartridge cases for shrapnel or high-explosive shells, fifteen to twenty- operations are required before the case is completed. Start- ing with a brass disk or blank, a number of cupping, drawing and indenting operations are performed before the case is ready for the heading opera- tion. Hydraulic presses on which dies and corresponding punches are employed, are used for all of these opera- tions. A very powerful hy- draulic press is used for the heading oper- ation which is shown by the accompanying photograph.

The head- ing operation is a c CO m - 1 i s h e d by inserting a "full ering- block" exactly matching the indention previously made, be- tween the head of the press and the top of the cartridge case, the latter being held in place by a suitable die. As the pres- sure is applied the fullcring-block causes the brass to flow outward in all direc- tions, thus forming the head of the shell. The pressure is furnished by a motor-driven, triplex, hydraulic pump, which delivers water at a pressure of thirty-two hundred and fifty pounds to the square inch.

The press has a revolving turret with dies to receive three shells. This

���A pressure of over three thousand pounds to the square inch is dehvered by this machine in making shrapnel shells

��provides for an almost continuous opera- tion, as there is always one shell awaiting the heading operation and one shell being unloaded, while the other shell is undergoing the heading operation. The rotation of this turret is controlled by an indexing device, so that the shell is accurately held in place directly beneath the fullering-block.

The pho togra ph shows a rear view of the press. The lever controlling the indexing device is shown at the extreme right.

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