The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

128 MESSES. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. Schneider and Co., at Chalon-sur-Saône. The following list explains the letters of reference : A. Galvanised sheet stores. B. Galvanising shops. C. Joiners’ shop. D. Offices, &c. E. Smiths’ shop. F. Stores. G. Moulding room. H. Machine-tool shop. I. Boat-building slips. K. Bridge érection yard. L. Tender construction shop. M. Store for plates, sections, &c. N. Shed for planishing rolis. O. Wood stores. P. Depot for finished material awaiting transport. Dépôt of Material.—The trains which bring every morning sheets, plates, bars and sections, arrive on the siding line, the wagons being distributed direct to the varions places, where unloading is effected by means of steam crânes. The sheets, plates, and wide flåts are deposited in the rear of the planishing shop, while the sections are deposited opposite the straightening shop. Planishing Shop.—This is a very light iron building ; it is provided witli a set of roils for planishing plates from 3 to 30 millimétrés (| in. to 1T% in.) thick, and another set for sheets millimétré to 2 millimétrés (.0098 in. to .0787 in.) thick. There are also 10 slabs for finishing off the sheets and plates. The thicker steel plates are straight- ened in the rolis only, as the spécifications do not allow using the hammer for planishing. Thin sheets only, and especially galvanised sheets for the Navy, are finished on the slabs. A series of rollers extending for a length of 25 metres (82 ft.) serve to carry the plates from the dépôt to the machine tools. On leaving the planishing roils, the plates are put on the slabs to ascertain that tliey are quite flat. All the transmission is underground, thus leaving the roils quite free of access. Besides being planished horizontally in the rolis, wide flåts are straightened on edge undér a powerful press ; this does away with the costly work of planing the edges, and has the advantage of leaving the webs of built-up gir- ders rather over size ; they are made flush when the angles are riveted on, thus insuring a perfect bearing. Sections are straightened by means of hånd screw- presses, whicli are also used for cold-bending the mediuin- sized sections and light sbip frames. The shop containing the presses is in communication with the tracing room. Moulding Room.—This is an iron building, fitted with tracks on which travel two IJ-ton overhead crânes which traverse the whole of the shop length. Owing to its large dimensions, 95 by 16 metres (311 ft. by 52 ft.), full-size templates can be laid out for bridge work, iron work for buildings, and for the longitudinal moulds of boats. There are in France two methods of laying out iron bridge and other construction work. The first consists in tracing separately from complété drawings, the pieces tliat are used as patterns, and in then making iron templates. By the second metliod, all the similar pieces are traced in the room, on a full-sized model of the piece. This second method requires a little more labour than the first, but as it gives more accurate results, it is the only one followed at the Clialon Works. To facilitate the handling of the pieces received from the planishing shop, a track runs in the tracing-room. The overhead travelling crânes unload the cars and distribute the pièces according to the tracing work in progress. In laying out ships’ huils, the methods cun-ently in use are followed. The transverse mould which serves during the whole of the construction to détermine tlie form of the sliip and the frames is kept on movable iron floors, formed of stiff panels fitted together in numbers which vary with the size of the tracing required. Punching and Boring Shop.—On leaving tlie inould- room, the templates are sent direct to the punching machines, the plates to be reproduced being brought out of store. Those sections fonning types of which many copies are required, are first sent to the reproducing shop which adjoins the moulding-room, and then to the punching machines, when ail the centres have been marked. Two horizontal punching machines serve for making the holes in curved frames ; this saves having recourse to drilling, which is costly, and does away with the inconvénient pits near tlie machine, which would otherwise be necessary. Mild steel being now generally in use, it is necessary to boi’e out the holes after punching to prevent damage and possible fracture of the steel. The plates are either bored out separately, or several are placed together. The holes are enlarged by the drilling machines in the shops, or with small compressed-air drills when tlie work is in course of érection. A 50 horse-power air-compressing engine supplies the necessary motive power, through underground mains to a series of portable boring, chipping, and riveting machines. Boring-out and countersinking holes in large and heavy plates for marine purposes, is done by means of three suspended radial drilling machines, arrangée! so as to work at a height of 20 in. from tlie floor level. These machines can drill plates 3.200 by 1.500 metres (10 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. 11 in.) without being sliifted. A series of carrying rollers, arranged at the height of the trucks and of the machines, allow the latter to be supplied with plates with little trouble. Riveting.—As a rule, spécifications prescrite now only mechanical riveting. Two methods are in use at Chalon— hydraulic and pneumatic riveting. The hydraulic riveting machines are placed in the machine-tool shop, and are used more especially for all light work ; the pieces to be riveted are held together by bolts, and are brought on trucks under the machines which are suspended from pivoting crânes. The pneumatic machines, on the contrary, are fixtures, being placed on the ground upon masonry foundations, underneatli overhead travelling crânes which run over a space 25 to 30 metres (82 ft. to 98 ft.) in length ; the rivet- ing machines are served in front and at tlie back by trucks. This plant is in the centre of the erecting yard, and is used for riveting heavy and eumbersome pieces, such as parts of large bridge beams. When the riveting processes are completed, the pieces are sent direct to the painting shed, where they are painted, marked, weighed, and delivered. Loading and unloading