A Short Acount of an Improved Cannon: And of the Machinery and Processes Employed in Its Manufacture (Classic Reprint)
Book Details
Author(s)Daniel Treadwell
PublisherForgotten Books
ISBN / ASIN1332281842
ISBN-139781332281848
AvailabilityUsually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank8,399,911
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
Excerpt from A Short Acount of an Improved Cannon: And of the Machinery and Processes Employed in Its Manufacture
Weight, or rather inertia, is likewise required in a certain amount to restrain excessive recoil.
The first cannon made after the invention of gunpowder were of wrought iron. They were commonly formed of staves and hoops, united together by brazing. These engines, it seems, answered for throwing light projectiles, as stone balls, the powder probably being much inferior to that now used with artillery. It is certain, however, that none of the old wrought-iron cannon, made in this way, would withstand a single discharge, if loaded with modern powder and solid iron shot. The early abandonment of these guns, and the substitution of those made of bronze and cast iron in their place, does not prove, however, that the material was inferior to bronze or cast iron, as it is evident that this mode of construction must, in itself, be essentially defective. No fact in the arts seems to be more confidently relied upon, than that wrought iron is much stronger than cast iron or bronze, and this is certainly true if we expose the wrought iron to the testing force in one particular direction only. But all wrought iron is in its structure fibrous, the fibres being more or less distinctly marked, according to the process followed in the manufacture of the iron. In wire it is most clearly apparent, the fibres, in some cases, being so easily parted, that the wire can be split with a knife. In sheets, formed by the rolling-mill, the fibres are arranged in plates or laminae, and these often so slightly adhere one to another that they may be separated like the layers of a pasteboard.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Weight, or rather inertia, is likewise required in a certain amount to restrain excessive recoil.
The first cannon made after the invention of gunpowder were of wrought iron. They were commonly formed of staves and hoops, united together by brazing. These engines, it seems, answered for throwing light projectiles, as stone balls, the powder probably being much inferior to that now used with artillery. It is certain, however, that none of the old wrought-iron cannon, made in this way, would withstand a single discharge, if loaded with modern powder and solid iron shot. The early abandonment of these guns, and the substitution of those made of bronze and cast iron in their place, does not prove, however, that the material was inferior to bronze or cast iron, as it is evident that this mode of construction must, in itself, be essentially defective. No fact in the arts seems to be more confidently relied upon, than that wrought iron is much stronger than cast iron or bronze, and this is certainly true if we expose the wrought iron to the testing force in one particular direction only. But all wrought iron is in its structure fibrous, the fibres being more or less distinctly marked, according to the process followed in the manufacture of the iron. In wire it is most clearly apparent, the fibres, in some cases, being so easily parted, that the wire can be split with a knife. In sheets, formed by the rolling-mill, the fibres are arranged in plates or laminae, and these often so slightly adhere one to another that they may be separated like the layers of a pasteboard.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
