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Offline TonyK

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Cold weather question
« on: January 03, 2011, 09:52:32 AM »
Hello to all.  I am a recent addition to the board and have been attempting to soak up some knowledge and not ask any questions that will bring my sanity or IQ into question. I have not owned my cannon very long and this will be the first winter with it.  I searched the board but was unable to find an answer to this. 

At what temp do you all think is too cold to fire your cannon?
Are there any special steps ie. preheating? 

I recieved some 2.25 cannon balls for Christmas and really want to shoot a few.

Thanks

Tony
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Offline armorer77

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2011, 10:09:07 AM »
January 1979 in Korea we shot 105mm in -20 temps . Powder was so cold that max charge would barely reach min. range .
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Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2011, 10:12:09 AM »
Hi Tony! It's too cold to fire your cannon when you don't have the proper clothing to protect any part of your body from getting frostbite. ;)  Fire away!
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2011, 10:59:12 AM »
TonyK --

WELCOME to the board!

I've shot the beer-can mortar as low as -10dF (in IOWA).

I will echo what my boss mentioned about being in Alaska in the 1940's - that at 40 or 60 below that metal did strange things.  I think though he was referring to aluminum and magnesium aircraft parts.

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2011, 04:01:10 PM »
New Years eve couple of nights ago. It was 12 below zero and blowing snow.  RV Mike and I were going load the 165 pound  JYD 6 PDR Mortar in my truck and haul it down to   RV Mike's closed for the season RV park. Then we were going to carry the  mortar through the snow to the cliffs over looking the  Grand Canyon of  Cut  Bank Creek and fire it off and ring in the New Year!   Only problem RV Mike went to Florida for the winter...So I decided it was too cold to shot the cannon and went to bed early.
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Offline dan610324

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2011, 02:01:07 AM »
WARNING
ALL METAL GET MORE BRITTLE THE COLDER IT IS

so please be careful , but I guess that down to minus 10 celsius it might not be any problem
BUT THATS JUST A GUESS
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Dan Pettersson
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better safe than sorry

Offline seacoastartillery

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2011, 02:38:03 AM »
    Dan lives in the land of ice and snow, (Sweden), so he should know!  Incidentally, -10 C. is 14 F. deg.

 To convert Celsius temperatures into Fahrenheit:

    * Begin by multiplying the Celsius temperature by 9.
    * Divide the answer by 5.
    * Now add 32.

FYI,

Tracy
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Offline TonyK

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2011, 08:13:45 AM »
Thanks to everyone for the feedback.  There seems to be a wealth of knowledge here on the board.  I hope that someday I can contribute something useful but until then I will just sit back and learn a few things.
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2011, 08:33:53 AM »
Quote from: TonyK on January 04, 2011, 08:13:45 AM
Thanks to everyone for the feedback.  There seems to be a wealth of knowledge here on the board.  I hope that someday I can contribute something useful but until then I will just sit back and learn a few things.

Don't just sit back -  ask quesitons!
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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2011, 01:16:14 AM »
Tony -

THANKS for posing the question.

I stumbled across this link: http://www.ims.vanderbilt.edu/mse150/Fracture/Brittle/brittle.htm

Which is a clue to the technical answer to your question. 

"When 1018 steel is Charpy Impact tested below the Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT), it fractures with a brittle mode".

We need to find HOW cold the DBTT is for EACH material.
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Offline dan610324

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2011, 08:19:41 AM »
I know it have happened that crankshafts have broke into 2 pieces when engines have been started in extremely cold weather
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Dan Pettersson
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better safe than sorry

Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2011, 08:45:53 AM »
Quote from: dan610324 on January 06, 2011, 08:19:41 AM
I know it have happened that crankshafts have broke into 2 pieces when engines have been started in extremely cold weather

And I've heard of aircraft landing gear snapping -  the concept is real and MEASURABLE, so SOMEONE will have some data on it.
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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Artilleryman

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2011, 10:53:57 AM »
I don't know about the rest of you, but if it is cold enough outside that the water in the sponge bucket starts to freeze soon after it is filled or if the sponge freezes while you are trying to use it, it is too cold to be shooting.   When it is that cold I would rather be inside reading about artillery.
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2011, 12:21:19 PM »
Quote from: Artilleryman on January 06, 2011, 10:53:57 AM
I don't know about the rest of you, but if it is cold enough outside that the water in the sponge bucket starts to freeze soon after it is filled or if the sponge freezes while you are trying to use it, it is too cold to be shooting.   When it is that cold I would rather be inside reading about artillery.

That is, of course, only reasonable.  But I recognize that there are times, like when it's been below -20dF for more than three weeks, when reason is superceded by the urge to smell sulpher!  I don't ever expect to see those temperatures here in the mountains of Virginia (unlike IOWA); but it would be nice to know if one has passed the threshold of safety when one passes the borderline of sanity.

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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2011, 12:40:17 PM »
Quote from: Artilleryman on January 06, 2011, 10:53:57 AM
I don't know about the rest of you, but if it is cold enough outside that the water in the sponge bucket starts to freeze soon after it is filled or if the sponge freezes while you are trying to use it, it is too cold to be shooting.   When it is that cold I would rather be inside reading about artillery.

Thank you Norm again your voice of reason and common sense!!!!    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Offline Zulu

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2011, 12:53:33 PM »
The temperature has been below 70 degrees for 3 weeks now.  Am I safe?
Zulu
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #16 on: January 06, 2011, 12:58:01 PM »
Quote from: Zulu on January 06, 2011, 12:53:33 PM
The temperature has been below 70 degrees for 3 weeks now.  Am I safe?
Zulu

That depends on how far below.  http://papers.sae.org/2005-01-1413/;WebLogicSession=MMvQnw1cy7G3qXpFyVl4lBhx6rys8D3B9wd2VGr9ZgKhDllvv34G!-637026000 indicates the DBTT for AISI-1018 is 41dF.  What it's significance is I know not, not yet.

Hmmmm. Temperature was an issue with SOME of the Liberty ships.

This link: www.engr.sjsu.edu/~sbates/images/.../tech_LN13_temperingsteel.doc gives one of the best quick reads on how steel is hardened and tempered and includes info on DBTT.  (A lab from SJSU.)

There is a wealth of info - but it gets more technical.  Not to make quick assumptions as to it's meaning.
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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #17 on: January 11, 2011, 01:15:10 PM »
Quote from: Artilleryman on January 06, 2011, 10:53:57 AM
I don't know about the rest of you, but if it is cold enough outside that the water in the sponge bucket starts to freeze soon after it is filled or if the sponge freezes while you are trying to use it, it is too cold to be shooting.   When it is that cold I would rather be inside reading about artillery.

Now this is reasoning I can understand, and I'd bet it stems from 1st hand experience as opposed to anecdotal evidence. ;)  I will still feel perfectly at ease shooting firearms and cannons in cold weather, and I'd only cancel the game when it got to the point of feeling uncomfortable to be outdoors.


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Offline GGaskill

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Re: Cold weather question
« Reply #18 on: January 11, 2011, 02:03:56 PM »
The temperature has been below 70 degrees for 3 weeks now.  Am I safe?

I think you have at least another 40° before you should be concerned. ;D
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