Base plate designs weights

As mortar parts continued to break, battalion conunanders began to criticize the design and construction of the weapon, claiming that it should be able to withstand the rigors of combat without an extraordinary amount of repairs and replacement. They were especially critical of the construction of the base plate. The standard base plate weighed 150 pounds, a heavy item when carried by hand. In the European theater where hand-carry was at a minimum (the weapons and ammunition were usually conveyed by jeep trailer) it would have been practicable to have a heavier base plate if the additional weight would have added to its strength. 

In addition to the base weight of metal in the shell and heads, the designer must include an allowance for plate overages per Table 2-18, The mill never rolls the plates the e.xact specified thickness since there would be the... 

Cut n. (1) An expression commonly used to designate a typographic printing plate. (2) To dilute with ink, lacquer or varnish with solvents or with clear base to thin. (3) The proportion of shellac gum in alcohol. A shellac varnish is referred to as a 4 pound or five pound cut, or weight, which means 4 or 5 lbs of shellac gum to 1 gal of alcohol. (4) In the fiber industry, including glass and asbestos, the number of 100-yard lengths of fiber per pound. 

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