The Wonder Book Of Knowledge Part 55

ARMOR PLATE MACHINE SHOP. (See page 423.)

The varied and complex machining required on armor plate demands tools of enormous size and strength as well as varied capacity. The equipment of this shop consists of large saws, planers, etc., together with numerous portable drill presses, grinders, etc. In this shop the different groups of armor are a.s.sembled in the positions they will occupy on the vessel and are finally inspected before shipment.

FORGING ARMOR. (See page 423.)

After heating, the ingot is placed under a 14,000-ton hydraulic forging press and forged to the required dimensions. The press is served by two 200-ton cranes with hydraulic lift and pneumatic travel. Weight of the porter-bar and chuck which hold the plate for forging is 125,000 pounds, exclusive of counterweights used.

SPECIAL CAR BUILT FOR THE SHIPPING OF LARGE AND HEAVY MATERIAL. (See page 424.)

Length of car over couplers, 103 feet 10-1/2 inches; capacity, 300,000 pounds. Weight of car, 196,420 pounds. Shown here loaded with casting of large 5,000-ton flanging press. Weight of casting, 252,000 pounds.

THE LARGEST STEEL CASTING IN THE WORLD. (See page 424.)

Combining the product of five 40-ton open-hearth furnaces. Steel casting forming part of a 12,000-ton armor-plate hydraulic forging press. Weight of casting, 325,000 pounds (145 gross tons).

[Ill.u.s.tration: BENDING ARMOR PLATE

After being rough-forged to size and re-heated, the plate is sent to the bending press to be straightened or bent to shape. The one shown is a nickel steel side armor plate, 14 inches thick. The press exerts a hydraulic thrust of 7,000 tons, with two independently operated plungers, and is served by direct-fired furnaces with movable car bottoms and two seventy-five ton hydraulic cranes.

_Courtesy of the Bethlehem Steel Co._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARMOR PLATE MACHINE SHOP.[42] (See page 421.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FORGING ARMOR.[42] (See page 421.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPECIAL CAR BUILT FOR THE SHIPPING OF LARGE AND HEAVY MATERIAL.[43] (See page 421.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LARGEST STEEL CASTING IN THE WORLD.[43] (See page 421.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BATTLESHIP TURRET.[44] (See page 427.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: NICKEL STEEL FIELD RING FORGED WITHOUT WELD FOR A 5,000-HORSE-POWER DYNAMO.[44] (See page 427.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: TURRET FOR TWO TWELVE-INCH GUNS FOR UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP "ALABAMA".[45] (See page 427.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: CONNING TOWER AND ENTRANCE SHIELD FOR UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP "Ma.s.sACHUSETTS."[45] (See page 427.)]

BATTLESHIP TURRET. (See page 425.)

Twelve-inch turret carrying two forty-five caliber twelve-inch guns for the U. S. Navy. These guns can be loaded at any angle of elevation or azimuth or while in motion. The turret is equipped with a broken or double hoist. The lower hoist supplying ammunition from the magazine to an upper handling room immediately below, and revolving with, the turret pan. This makes the upper or gun hoist shorter and increases the speed of ammunition service, besides interposing two fireproof bulkheads between the guns and the magazine handling room.

NICKEL STEEL FIELD RING FORGED WITHOUT WELD FOR A 5,000-HORSE-POWER DYNAMO. (See page 425.)

Forged dimensions: outside diameter, 141 inches; inside diameter, 131 inches; width, 51 inches. Rough machined dimensions: outside diameter, 139-3/8 inches; inside diameter, 130 inches; width, 50-3/4 inches; weight, 28,840 pounds. Average physical properties shown in United States Standard test bar taken from full-sized prolongation of end of forging: Elastic limit, 53,560 pounds per square inch. Elongation, 27.05 per cent.

TURRET FOR TWO TWELVE-INCH GUNS FOR UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP "ALABAMA."

(See page 426.)

Balanced type. Thickness of inclined plate, 14 inches; of side plates, 10 inches. Height of side plates, 7 feet. Largest diameter of turret, 393 inches. Weight of turret, 192.41 tons.

CONNING TOWER AND ENTRANCE SHIELD FOR UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP "Ma.s.sACHUSETTS." (See page 426.)

Conning tower, one piece hollow forging, nickel steel, oil tempered.

Thickness of walls, 10 inches. Inside diameter, 83 inches. Height, 82-1/2 inches. Top plate, nickel steel, oil-tempered, 1-1/2 inches thick. Shield, face-hardened nickel steel, 10 inches thick, 66 inches high.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SAFE DEPOSIT ARMOR PLATE VAULT

Size, 42 feet 6 inches by 24 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 6 inches high; weight, 450 gross tons.

_Courtesy of the Bethlehem Steel Co._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRONT DOOR, WITH TIME LOCK, FOR ARMOR PLATE SAFE DEPOSIT VAULT

Thickness of front door plate, 12-1/2 inches; weight of door plate, 12,000 pounds.

_Courtesy of the Bethlehem Steel Co._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Reproduced by permission of the Philadelphia Museums._

CASTING PIG IRON

Molten iron from the blast furnace in the rear is allowed to flow out on this molding floor in which the shape of the "pig" is molded in the sand. After cooling, the pigs are broken apart and stored.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Courtesy of Indiana Steel Co._

OPEN-HEARTH FURNACES

Iron is converted into steel by the basic or open-hearth method in the furnaces shown here. The 100-ton ladles are in position at the tapping side of the furnaces to receive the molten steel.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Reproduced by permission of the Philadelphia Museums._

POURING STEEL INTO MOLDS

The great ladle in the upper portion of this picture is filled with steel at the furnace. A traveling crane then takes it to the train of flat cars on which the molds stand and the steel is poured. After cooling, the molds are removed and the steel in the form of a "billet"

is taken to the next process in manufacture.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: GIRDLING THE EARTH WITH STEEL

A steel beam, red-hot, drawn out 90 feet long in a huge steel mill in Pittsburgh. Steel rolled here may find its place as part of a skysc.r.a.per in the Babel of New York, be builded into the framework of a vessel in the shipyards of San Francisco, or help to construct a railroad into the heart of China.