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REPORT NO. 15-43

INATION OF TAPANESE 371M AMIUNTION

19 July 1943.

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NAVAL. PROVING GROUND
DAHLGREN, VIRGINIA

REPORT NO. 15-43. 19 Tuly 1943.

EXAMINATION OF TAPANESE z37?M Al.JJITION..

NAVAL PROVINlG GROUND CAPTURED ENI EQUIPMENT.

REPORT NO. 77.

APPROVED: DI I DRICK,
CAPTAIN USN
CO,",-DING OFFICER.

Report: 5-43.
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~PREFACE

AUTHORIZATION

Specific directives for this investigation were

issued in Buord ltr EF74(Relb) dated*17 February 1943,

OBJEC2

To make a physical, chemical and. retallurgical

study of one complete round of Japanese -'i ammunition.

SULZRY

Thi, report is supplementary to Naval Proving

Ground Report No. 5-43, Captured Enemy Equipment Report No.
57. It is shown that the present ammunition differs, from
the same caliber ammunition previously examined, in the
following respects:

(a) The projectile was machined from steel of

approximate SAE 1080 grade, as compared
to SAE 1060 u..d in the former.

(b) The nose-hardening heat treatment has been

altered to eliminate a pronounced weakness.

(c) The cartridge case is sho.txer in length

and has a larger diameter.

(d) A decoppering foil is used containing 63%

tin, 22.5% lead and 15% zinc. Japanese
foils examined previously contained only
traces of zinc, it appears that the zinc has
been used to substitute fo'r lead.

Page ii

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 £ C ONTENTS

I INTRODUCTION ........ . .......... 1

ii IINESTIGATION ........................
(A) PSCAL ........... 1
(B) CHEMICAL .................... 2

fr(C) 1,ETALLURGICAL .................. 2-3

Page ii
 K

LIST OF FIGTJZS

Opposite Page

Fig. 1 1PG Photo. No. 731 (APL), 4mmunition

a-s received. 1

Fig. 2 i'TG Photo. No. 739 (APL), Base view of

aimunition as received, 1

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Fig. 3 I4PG Photo. No. 744 (APL), Cross section
of cartridge case. 1

Fig. 4 hPG Photo. No. 887 (APL), Comparison of

heat treatment and hardness. 3

Table A. Characteristics of anrunit.ion. 2

Table B. Chemical analyses. 2

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 " I INTRODUCTION

. - One complete round of Japariese 37ram A.D. ammunition

was received by the Armor and Projectile Laboratory of the
Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, for physical,
cheimical and metallurgical examination.
-This a=inunition was assigned Buord identification
number CZE 514.

iI INVESTIGATION
-\

PHYSICAL

A projectile and fuze sirailar to those previously

reported on in Naval Proving Ground Report No. 5-43, Captured
Enemy Equipment Report No. 57 is used in this ar-munition;
the cartridge case, however, is of a different design.

Component parts f this a~unition are shown in

Fig. I and the principal characteristics are listed in Table A.

- -

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 - I

TABLE A

-* PROJECTILE

Weight: 1.19 lbs.

Capacity: Without fuzo, 1.3 cu. in.; with fuze, .81
cu. in.
Identification i:arkings: Black nose, orange and yellow
bands at bourrelet, black on body, white
band fore of rotating band, black on boattail,
CARTRIDGE CASE

V.eight; .88 lbs.

Propellant capacity: 12.2 cu. in.
identification .arkings;
On base: i71- ' . F i:

O. primer: ~

Weight: .5 lbs.
Identification : arkngs 7t +f ".P

DECOPPERING FOIL
Weight: 1.312 gms.
Thickness: .001 in.

TABLE B
C r-.:IC .A L-Y 7S OF JAPI'ESE 37i.i ::I
.P. TOIcr
C P S n Si Cr Ni Mo V Ti ; Cu

.83 .018 .033 .68 .3 .08 .06 iT N T T

.59 .023 .026 .79 .28 NT .05 MI T NT T

Cu Zn Sn Pb Fe Ni
Cse 62.4 36.9 .05 .03 .55 --
Prizaer 59.5 39.8 .18 .05 .27 .10
Foi. -- 14.7 62.7 22.5 .. ..
Rotat 4: .. and 0
 . . . • • *! I ,

Chemical analyses of the component parts of this

armunition are given in Table B. Steel analyses are spectro-
chemical with the exception of carbon, phosphorus and sulphur,
which have been obtained by standard wet-chemical procedures.
Non-ferrous analyses are wet~chemical,

The projectile analysis, corresponding rou&hly to

steel of SAE 1080 grade, shows a higher carbon content than
the projectile examined previously vihich ;as made from steel
similar to SAE 1060 grade.

U:hile the design of the cartridge case is indicated

as beim quite different from the former one investigated,
it is interesting to note that the two analyses are almost
identical. Surprisingly, it is not of the familiar 70-30
comoosition, but ap.-roaches the analysis of a M1untz lietxl,
altoug it is definiteiy of inferior grade, containing
appreciable iron and lead which are considered undesirable in
cartridge brass.

The decopperin foil is quite unlike Japanese foils,

examined previously in that it contains considerable zinc.
It apears ti'at the zinc has been added as a substitute for
lead, ""ia.ch is considered a critical netal in Jaoanese war
ecoonom.y,
Usual Japanese practice is shon in the prl.aer
which is made from untiz mo-tal.

1AT
LLURGICL

Inl .-Osig~n and- i2anufacture n rojectile of this

er:nunticn was found to be simi-lar to -he projectilc
'rovicusly re-ort:d on, being achined from bar stocK to
ari,1;, . sazo nrofi-ling. The c.hmica l analysis, as
given in Table A, sholws that there has b3en no change in t he
composition of the s t,.;. except for carbon :hich has been
lncreasuQ fron .595 to .83%.
The heat treatment, as inci-at-d by a st4 Off the
hardness distribution ana microstructure sho-vn An Fig. 4
has been. ircv-d to eliminate a serious weakness which
existed at a.;Droxi.atoiy aid-body.
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2 to

~20!Zcu
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 *During nose hardening, the noses of the projectiles
are immersed in a molten salt or metal bath to a predeter-
.. ned depth and held for a fixed time. Fig. 4 shows that
the previously examined projectile was immersed to mid-body,
and held for too long a time, which resulted in complete
austenitization of the nose half of the projectile. The
quenching and tempering which followed then produced the
extremely sharp hardness drop from 62 to 20 R C at mid body.
This weakness has been eliminated in the present projectile,
by irnmersing only up to the bourrelet, and b.- holding for
a time sufficient to austenitize the immersed metal only as
far as the nose of the cavity. Quenching and tempering pro-
duced a drop in hardness, 62 to 25 RO, similar to that noted
previously, but its position has been moved forward and the
soft zone does nou extend to the cavity.
*-' The increase of the carbon content from ..
60% to
, ,,*.80% is interesting because this permits the present projee-
tile to be tempered at a higher draw teoperature than the
0.60% carbon projectile to obtain the same nose hardness.
The higher tempering temperature probably results in a
projectile of increased toughness.

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