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. 



815 



