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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



stand the .shock of impact, and does not explode on the instant of strik- 

 ing the plate. This is a very severe test — the severest of all. An 

 explosive which will stand this impact on the plate, where the en- 

 tire velocity of the projectile is overcome, while moving its length 

 through the plate, is proved to be so insensitive that there 

 can be no danger in its projection from ordnance at any desired 

 velocity. That is to say. there will be no danger of the explosive 

 going oil' in the gun, because the shock of acceleration in the gun 

 is necessarily very much less than the shock of retardation when the 

 projectile strikes the armor-plate. 



Maximite has passed all of the above tests satisfactorily. When 

 it was subjected to the heat test and no change was manifested at the 



Fig. 1. 



Twelve-inch forged steel armor-piercing shell, weighing 1,000 lbs., be- 

 fore and after exploding the Maximite. There ait- about 7.000 fragments shown 

 in the photograph from which this illustration was made. 



end of fifteen minutes — the required time — the material was allowed, 

 at my request, to remain under the lest for a period of two hours, and 

 there were no .-igns of decomposition even then. 



A 12-inch forged steel armor-piercing shell, weighing 1,000 pounds, 

 and provided with a detonating fuse, Inning electrical connections for 

 tiring, was filled with Maximite. The shell was buried in the sand and 

 exploded. So terrific was the detonation that 7,000 fragments were 

 nciualh recovered and photographed. 



The accompanying illustration. Fig. 1, shows the shell before 

 exploding. On the right of the shell are 7,000 fragments which were 

 recovered. II will he observed thai the fragments do not have the 



