Driving Bands - Securing to Projectiles

[ammocat]

I am trying to find photographs of projectiles with the driving bands removed to show the various methods of securing a driving band to a projectile. I am specifically trying to show the 105mm Howitzer HE M1 Projectile, which I believe uses knurled rings to secure the driving band, however I am interested in all methods used. Can anyone provide me with some photos?

 

[peteblight]

Missing Driving Bands

Here's some pictures of projectiles missing their driving bands, although they're pretty old you can still see how some were attached.

 

[US-Subs]

There was a series of books put out in the US from the 70s and 80s that covered that in pretty good depth. They had a few titles, but were generally referred to as Foreign Projectile Fragment ID Guides, FOMCATs, etc. They were printed by DIA and FSTC, gave all sorts of high detail in drawings, including the rotating band seats. Any of these will give you a good band of info on many pieces, though not much on US.

 

[ammocat]

Thank you both for the photos and information, this will certainly help me complete the project I am working on. I will have to try to source out the publications you mentioned.

Cheers,

 

[EODGUY]

Ammocat,

I can't provide photos of an actual projectile, but I have attached pages from a 1954 fragment identification guide on US and other nations projectiles used in the Korean War. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but the document was printed overseas and the original has poor quality images. There are 3 keying rows on the M1 and they are straight. The dimensions of the keying and segments are given on the page. The other fragment identification guides mentioned above do not cover US ordnance. There are about 300 different projectiles covered from other countries, but no US ones. There are many versions of that document, the Projectile and Warhead Identification Guide---Foreign. I think I have about 5 or 6 different editions of it. Hope the attachments are of help to you. Bob

 

[ammocat]

Thanks very much EODGUY, that information is beyond what I expected. I am going to push our tech library to find some of these publications. Thanks again.

 

[US-Subs]

A few of the publication numbers to look for:

ST-CW-07-29-74
DST-1160W-029-76
DST-1160Z-029-94

 

[Big Al]

The book "Shrapnel Shell Manufacture", Industrial Press, 1915, shows a smooth ring on the shell were the driving band was hydraulially pressed on.

The book "Paris Kanonen - the Paris Guns" by G. V. Bull and C. H. Murphy also shows the complicated driving bands of the gun.

 

[EODGUY]

The Projectile Fragment Identification Guides were never a part of the FOMCAT series of publications. The latest title is Projectile and Warhead Identification Guide--Foreign and it is unclassified, but requires DIA approval for issue outside the US. The FOMCAT series (Foreign Ordnance Materiel Catalog) is long since discontinued and they were all classified. The attachment is a page from the ID Guide. All the entries showing details are drawings, not photographs, and not every entry has details on the rotating band seat. Still a good document, but I don't want you to think that it is a treasure trove of significant details on all rotating band seats for the several hundred ordnance items in the document. The latest issue (of which I can't locate my copy right now..grrrrrr!) was published in the early 2000's from what I recall.

 

[Gspragge]

some older information

The Driggs style seems to have become standard on U.S. made small shells, the Hotchkiss system seems to have been only used on relatively slow or low pressure rounds even by them, it never caught on other wise - I think for good reason. The 18 pdr describes how the wavy undulating ridges were made on these which seems to be a British style. The Driggs study shows the exterior band style which became as far as I can tell a standard U.S. style, the shape of the band on the 1892 projectile is the same as on 105mm Howitzer shells which is your interest, but the design goes way back as far as the band is concerned.