Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 265, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1911 — New Metal for Armor-Plate. [ARTICLE]

New Metal for Armor-Plate.

A series of tests have recently taken place with a metal which, it has been discovered, possesses qualities of great resistance against the penetration of super-caliber projectiles, and, says the London Standard, - its first practical use has been offered to the British admiralty. If the result of the experiments that have been made prove satisfactory, and the admiralty decide to employ the metal on the armor plating of their warships, it will mean that the thickness of the armor will be raduced, with a consequent lessened displacement in the vessels. The metal is known as molybdenum, and it is used to alloy with nickel in steel. Experiments have been carried out on government firing grounds under official supervision, and it is stated that the process has proved to be superior by 15 or 20 per cent, tq the recognized armor plate standard. The metal is found in small quantities in Canada, South Africa, Norway, and Sweden, and the pure specimens are worth about $1.75 a pound. It has wonderful hardening qualities when treated with nickel, and the results of the trial to which it is being subjected is with considerable interest by the engineering world.