The Iron Age 1906-05-24: Vol 77 Iss 21

THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, May 24, 1906. Hulett Coal Handlers at Duluth. At Duluth, Minn., on the dock of the Boston Coal Dock & Wharf Company, there have recently been installed two Hulett conveyor bridges designed and built by the Well man-Seaver-Morgan Company, Cleveland, Ohio, views of which are given in the accompanying engravings. It is the function of the machines to unload coal from lake barges alongside the dock and deposit it in stock piles, and, between the receipt of cargoes, to rehandle the coal from the stock piles to screens in the towers of the bridges, where the slack is screened from the commercial sizes, the latter being delivered to cars on adjoining rail- road tracks, while the slack is deposited on other storage piles. The manner in which the operations proceed from left to right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, will be recog- AAA es SUSI * > z= AW. a Aw AT A] Ou pagal i. oO “s he - peer Se AY oe an Ee oe th ailiees pr ad) onan chutes. which may be adjusted in length for convenience in discharging the coal into cars on the railroad tracks. On each bridge are two operators’ cabs, one on the shear leg from which the bridge is operated when unload- ing boats, enabling the operator to see into the hold of the vessel, that he may better direct the movement of the bucket, and the second on the machinery tower, which is used when handling coal from the storage piles to the screening hoppers. The operating conneetions to either tower may be readily connected or disengaged, as re- quired. Coal may be stored in open piles beneath the center span or beneath the rear cantilever extension. The folding cantilever is raised and lowered by means of a drum driven by the engine which operates the bucket, this drum being provided with a brake for holding it in any position, and also with a clutch, so that the drum may be disconnected from the engine when the bucket is ee ee oe, ne Ty Fig. 1.—Two Hulett Coal Handling Conveyor Bridges at Boston Coal Dock, Duluth, Minn., Showing Cantilever of One Bridge Raised » nized from a reference to those engravings, and Fig. 3 shows a nearer view of the tower where the screening is performed. Each conveyor consists of a bridge having a central span 176 feet long, a fixed cantilever at the rear end 130 feet long and a folding or hinged cantilever at the front end of the bridge 53 feet long. The latter carries the tracks for trolleying out over the hatches of the boats, but is arranged so that it may be swung to a vertical position to clear the masts and rigging of steam- ers and barges when the latter are docking or departing, or when the bridge is being traveled. The front end of each bridge is supported by a shear leg, and the rear end by a tower in which is located the machinery for operat- ing the trolley and bucket and traversing the bridge along its tracks. Steam is the motive power for operating the bridges, each being provided with one engine for handling the bucket and traversing the bridge, and another for trav- ersing the trolley, which is carried on tracks hung from the bridge, while a third engine operates the screening equipment. The towers are supplied with screening chutes and a belt conveyor for carrying slack coal to the outer side of the bridge. These screening chutes are arranged with gates at the hopper for accurately controlling the flow of coal and have at their lower ends telescopic to be used, or connected with it when the cantilever is to be moved. The bridges are equipped with Hulett patent excavat- ing buckets, each capable of holding two tons of coal. The hoisting arrangement of the ropes is along the lines of late Hulett patents, especially designed to obtain max- imum speeds of operation. The bucket with its load may be hoisted at a speed of 250 feet per minute and cross-traversed at 1000 feet per minute. The bridges are self propelling along the dock at a speed of about 75 feet per minute. lacie lisaiaciceataasa The Falls Hollow Cuyahog: Falls, Ohio, has recently received large orders from the Royal Railway of Saxony, the New Zealand Govern- ment railways, the Farro Carril Payta Piura Railway of Peru, and from three leading railroads of Japan. The company is now furnishing over 100 leading railroads of the United States, Canada and Mexico with hollow iron for repair work. Staybolt Company, It is shipping large quantities to the Baldwin Locomotive Works for new equipment, in which Falls hollow iron was specified. “A report of 16 test samples from the Baldwin Locomotive Works shows the following average result: “ Tensile strength, 50,833 pounds per square inch; elongation, 32.33 per cent.; re- duction of area, 49.1 per cent.; threading test, O. K.; bie ADR YMBREA GOs okie aH ol Pa ee z 4 ya ae. ORR AT HS > Sa er sas Te Pree opens a 4 CRUE i | y ‘Fy ty 9 Shan ges “i i ry ar B ah peer, ts . eae . 1670 THE IRON AGE double bending test, O. K.; vibratory test, the threaded specimens stood an average of 7713 revolutions when subjected to a deflection of 3-32 inch and a tensile load of 4000 pounds; etching test, this test shows the iron to be slab piled. This make of iron meets our proposed new specifications in every respect.” ——————»@—--e—___- Cost of Talbot and Stationary Open Hearth Furnaces. A paper by G. A. Wilson on “ The Talbot Continuous Process and Its Benefits in Steel Making,’ read before » May 24, 1906 “As to the cost of plant, I fail to see where practical engineers find a basis for argument that the Talbot plant is so much more expensive than a good modern fixed furnace plant, when equal outputs are considered. Com- paring it with a modern 50-ton standard American fixed furnace, we find that the gas and air chambers are the same size as they are in our 175-ton furnace, while the furnace is 29 feet between blocks and 14 feet wide, as against our 37 feet 6 inches between blocks and 15 feet wide. The 50-ton furnace would turn out with English practice some nine or ten charges per week, or, say, 450 to 500 tons, while the tipping furnace used in the con- Fig. 2.—One of the Two Coal Handling Bridges, Showing the Bucket Dumping. | “te ; Arle tel Bie 9 Fig. 3.—The Bucket as Used in Connection with the Screening Hopper in the Machinery Tower. the West of Scotland Iron and Steel Institute at Glasgow, was reproduced in The Iron Age of March 15, page 948. At a subsequent meeting of the institute various contribu- tions to the discussion of the paper were presented. In answer to a question as to the cost of a Talbot furnice installation, Mr. Wilson read the following statement from Mr. Talbot: tinuous process would turn out from 1100 to 1200 tons per week. In dissecting the cost of building the plants the only thing that is not common to the two is the cost of the iron work which is necessary for the tilting sec- tion, There is also the extra brick work which the longer furnace hearth requires. In modern American plants the same building is put over the 50-ton fixed furnace as we use over our 175-ton furnace; the only difference is that we require some 105 feet from center to center of each furnace, whereas they only require some 80 feet. The 40-ton electric traveling crane on the charging side and the 75-ton crane on the tapping. side are common to both plants. As already said, the regenerators are the same size; all valves, covers, stack, regenerator binding, etc., are practically the same, so that the cost below the charging platform is approximately the same for the 50- ton furnace as for the 175-ton tipping furnace. The only three items, therefore, which are not common to fixed furnace plant are the tilting section, with the necessary hydraulic cylinders for tilting it, the two movable port ends and the extra brick work. These do nut amount to a large percentage of the total cost of the complete in- stallation, while by adopting them and so fitting the plant to work the continuous process the output is doubled and a very large saving per ton of steel ingot produced is effected. Without committing myself to actual figures, I may say that, in my opinion, the capital cost per ton would probably be less on a large plant, and in any case should not be more for the continuous process than it is for modern fixed furnace practice.” a A circular has been received from Ralph T. Olcott, secretary and treasurer of the International Congress of Inventors, 16 State street, Rochester, N. Y. The circular sets forth the scheme of the International Congress of Inventors, which is an organization for the advancement and protection of inventors generally, and is designed to endeavor to improve conditions affecting inventors and allied interests and to co-operate with other bodies, local and national, in such work. George F. Gallagher is presi- dent of the organization and Walter S. Strowger and James M. Brazill are vice-presidents. May 24, 1906 Changes During the Cooling of Cast Iron.* Investigations of Volume and Temperature. BY PROF. THOMAS TURNER, BIRMINGHAM. It is a matter of common observation that some metals or alloys fill a mold better and take sharper impressions than others; patternmakers are aware that the allow- ance to be made for shrinkage varies with the kind of metal and the shape of the casting, while it is generally known that solid gray cast iron floats before it melts when it is thrown upon a fluid bath of the same metal. These facts are connected with the contraction, expansion. shrinkage or other volume change or changes which take place while metals solidify and afterward cool to the tem- perature of the air. The whole subject is of great prac- nee is -| ' | » |X o |. | —+-90:049:091.08-—| H THE IRON AGE Fig. 1—The ‘Three Expansions Characteristic of Soft Gray Phosphoric Iron. tical importance, and of no little complexity, although, in the United Kingdom at all events, it has not hitherto received the attention which it deserves. With the application of scientific methods in the large iron foundries in America, dating from about 1885, spe- cial attention was paid to the shrinkage of cast iron, and about this time W. J. Keep introduced his now well- known method of measuring shrinkage in a 12-inch bar by means of a graduated wedge inserted between the end of the cold bar and the chill in which it was cast. Though this simple form of test is of great value to the practical man, on account of the ready control it allows of foundry mixtures, it gives merely the algebraic sum of the expan- sions and contractions which have taken place, and does not permit of their differentiation. To overcome this diffi- culty Keep, Moldenke and West have introduced forms of apparatus for observing the changes of volume of a cast bar from the moment it begins to solidify until it reaches the atmospheric temperature. Keep’s apparatus and the valuable conclusions de RUE TTTERTTTY THE IRON AGE Fig. 2.—Plan of Lower Half of Mold for Making the Test Piece. duced from its application have been fully described in the Journal of this institute; It consists essentially of two steel pins which enter near the ends of a sand mold in which the test bar is cast. These pins engage arms which work on pivots on the edge of the flask; the outer ends of these arms move ten times as far as the pins in * Abstract of paper read before the Iron and Steel Institute, May meeting, London. + Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, 1895, No. II, p. 227. See also Keep’s “ Cast Iron ’’—an excellent book. THE IRON AGE 1671 the test bar, and their motion is recorded on a rotating drum. Mr. Keep’s paper is full of most useful informa- tion, but perhaps the most important facts are repre- sented in Fig. 1, which shows the three expansions which are characteristic of soft gray phosphoric iron. In the Same diagram the proportion of combined carbon is also given. The one marked omission in Mr. Keep’s paper was that no temperature determinations were made, but this was to some extent remedied by the contribution made by Mr. Osmond to the discussion. Mr. Osmond referred to his observations on the temperature retardation which took place at certain intervals during the cooling of iron,* and Suggested that the first expansion might take place at about 1100 degrees C., where the greater proportion of the graphite separates. The second expansion would only be observed in phosphoric iron, and would occur at about 900 degrees C.; while the third expansion certainly oc- curred at Barrett’s point of recalescence, and might be expected at about 700 degrees C. Mr. Osmond, however, pointed out that these temperatures might vary somewhat considerably with the chemical composition of the metal and the conditions of the experiment. It may be added that in 1908, at my suggestion, my colleague, O. F. Hud- Fig. 3 The Extensiometer. son, determined the points of retardation in a sample of No. 1 Northampton pig iron, and found them to be re- spectively 1115, 935 and 860 degrees C. The first of these values agrees very closely with Mr. Osmond’s prediction, but the other temperatures were, in this case, higher than he anticipated. As the changes which take place during the solidifica- tion and cooling of cast iron are of great practical and theoretical importance, it appeared advisable that fur- ther study should be made with accurate apparatus and typical materials. For this purpose a special and sim- plified form of apparatus was designed, in order to meas- ure the changes of length of the test bar, while cooling curves were taken of the specimens at the same time by means of the Le Chatelier pyrometer. While Keep’s apparatus is a marked advance on any- thing before attempted, and admirably suited to its pur- pose, it was felt that the autographic record, which, for works purposes would be invaluable, was not the best for a series of experiments where it might at any time be necessary to devote special attention to a particular part of the curve. Naturally, an autographic apparatus, un- less arranged to run at various speeds, gives the same space for each time interval, whether that interval be of special importance or not. * Annales des Mines, 8th series, vol. xiv, 1888, pp. 39 and 81. TSE LE WHET. Ser H | Res ae. a ara “a sao Op Rea che 1672 THE The form of apparatus ultimately adopted by the author, after various trials, may be described as consist- ing of three portions—namely, the mold with the test bar, an arrangement for indicating changes of length in the bar, and the pyrometer. The experiment was that of cast- ing a bar in a sand mold, keeping one end of the bar fixed, and noting the alterations in position of the other end, which was left free to move. At the same time a thermo-couple was introduced into the mold so as to indi- cate the temperature. The form of test piece and method of working will be understood from Fig. 2, in which is given a plan of the lower half of the sand mold, with everything in place for receiving the metal. In this illustration A is a fixed ver- tical pin, B a movable horizontal pin, C a thermo-couple, D the position of the gate. In order to insure that the one end of the bar does not move, the casting is made in T form; and, to make assurance doubly sure, a short steel pin enters vertically at A, and is clamped above to the end of the iron box containing the mold. The metal solidifies round this pin as it cools, so that movement at this end is prevented. At the other end a thin fin of sand is left, just sufficient to prevent the flow of the metal when fluid, but not enough to appreciably interfere with 4 THE IRON AGE Fig. 4.—Types of Contraction Curves.—Vertical Figures Showing Shrinkage in Hundredths of an Inch and Horizontal Squares Showing Time with Each Division Equaling 25 Seconds. the free movement of a solid bar. Passing through this fin in a horizontal direction, and continuous with the cen- ter of the bar, is a metal pin which, as a matter of fact, consists of a wire nail, as the head is of a convenient shape and size for the purpose. The bar is % inch in square section and exactly 12 inches in length from the cross piece to the head of the nail, and when the metal is poured into the mold it surrounds the head of the nail, which thus becomes firmly embedded. It is, however, quite ‘free to move, with the bar, in a horizontal direc- tion, and its outer end is attached to the indicating apparatus or extensiometer. IRON AGE May 24, 1906 The special form of extensiometer designed for these experiments is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of a brass pointer 28 inches long, which is supported so that it swings freely, but it is kept at rest in a vertical position by the weight W, except when it is deflected during the progress of an observation. The weight insures that the pointer shall follow the slightest movement of the test bar, whether positive or negative. In the apparatus actually employed the movement of the end of the bar was multiplied about fortyfold, but that is a detail which could obviously be varied at will by altering the distance between the point of support A and that of the attach- ment B to the thin rod which connects the end of the test bar to the lower end of the pointer. As a matter of fact, our instrument was provided with two attachments giv- THE IRON AGE Fig. 5.—Contraction of Pure White Iron.—Left Scale Showing Galvanometer Deflection in Millimeters, Right Scale Shrink- age in Hundredths of an Inch, and Horizontal Squares Showing Time with Each Division Equaling 25 Seconds. ing different magnification, but a fortyfold increase was, on the average, found most convenient for the present series of tests and with this apparatus. The pyrometer used was the ordinary Le Chatelier thermo-couple, which was placed bare in the mold so as to be in actual contact with the metal; and the scale divi- sions from the beam of the galvanometer mirror were read by the eye. For each experiment, therefore, three per- sons, at least, were necessary: one to record the readings of the extensiometer, another to read the pyrometer scale, and a third to pour the metal into the mold, and give the signal to start observing. Time signals were given by hand, tapping each five seconds during the early part of each experiment, the intervals being later increased to 10 seconds, and ultimately to 20 or 30 seconds as the metal cooled. We were thus able to insure the absolute agreement in time of the expansion and cooling curves, which could not otherwise be so readily obtained. It will be seen from an examination of the accompany- ing diagrams that the curves obtained may be divided into four classes, depending upon the number of arrests May 24, 1906 which are observed in the normal rate of contraction of a cooling solid. The curves given may be regarded as being typical, but a large number of observations have been made with various metals and alloys. The actual shape or slope of curve obtained from a particular material will depend to some extent upon the rate of cooling, and this is affected by the pouring temperature, the size of the bar and the condition of the mold. But though the curve may thus differ in form, within certain limits, the type always remains the same for similar materials, and it is possible, at a glance, to distinguish the type to which the metal belongs. These types are represented in Fig. 4. 1. In the first class of material the contraction curve 2 to ‘ SHRINKAGE , | 40 — + +} 4 | | | | | | | | 6 4 +\. branianstinenstiaal ~ inl | | | | 80 — — ———}——<1s COOLING 100 Jreinetattal srenenintponsana insaah a ee —ho 695 C 120 4 ———+- aan - } 12 ™ 140 4 THE IRON AGE Fig. 6.—Contraction of Gray Hematite Iron.—Left Scale Showing Galvanometer Deflection in Millimeters, Right Scale Shrink age in Hundredths of an Inch, and Horizontal Squares Showing Time with Each Division Equaling 25 Seconds. is uniform, and there is no arrest in the decrease of vol- ume as the metal cools. This is represented in the lowest curve on the diagram—namely, that given by pure elec- trolytic copper. Aluminum, antimony, lead, tin and zine yield curves of this type. The alloys of zinc and alum- inum belong to this class, though it has been stated that alloys of this series expand during solidification. 2. The second class of curve affords indications of one retardation during contraction, which may or may not lead to an actual expansion. White iron is a typical example of this class, to which also (as Mr. Keep has shown) high carbon steel belongs. The zinc-copper alloys belong to this type. Many of the zinc-copper alloys ex- pand during solidification, and some members of the series in an extraordinary manner. So far as I am aware this is a new and important observation, but de- tails of such tests scarcely come within the purview of this institute. 3. The third type of curve indicates that two arrests have occurred in the rate of contraction, and nonphos- phoric gray cast iron furnishes an excellent example of this class. Gray hematite gives two marked expansions, one occurring immediately after the metal has become sufficiently solid to cause the indicator to move, and the THE IRON AGE 1673 other after an interval of nearly three minutes, when a 14-inch square test bar is employed. 4. The last class of curve is represented at the top of the diagram, and in this three distinct arrests occur. A very gray phosphoric pig iron gives the most character- istic curve of this type. The second expansion is rela- tively small in amount, and though the first expansion is large it is not so very pronounced as the third expan- sion; while, as a result of the three taken together, no less than 4+ minutes and 385 seconds after solidification has elapsed with a %-inch square bar, before it has again reached the original size of the mold, after which con- traction proceeds regularly to the atmospheric tempera- ture. It is now proposed to give particulars of the contrac- tion and temperature changes of a few characteristic examples. For this purpose the following materials were selected. 1. Pure White Cast Iron.—The tests were performed on a sample of “ American Washed Iron,” which is kept us a base for tests of the influence of various elements. SHRINKAGE Fig. 7 Contraction of Gray Northampton Iron.—Left Scale Showing Galvanometer Deflection in Millimeters, Right Scale Showing Shrinkage in Hundredths of an Inch, and Horizontal Squares Showing Time with each Division Equaling 25 Seconds It consists of practically pure iron, with about 3 per cent. of combined carbon. 2. Nonphosphoric Gray Iron.—For this purpose a No. 3 hematite pig was employed; it was part of the stock used for steel melting in the open hearth furnace in the smelting laboratories of the university. It was some what higher in silicon than usual, but this was not in any way an objection for the purposes of these tests. 3. Phosphoric Gray Iron.—The sample tested was a No. 1 Northampton (Islip) iron, such as is used for the production of very gray or fluid castings. 4. Close Grained Good Foundry ITron.—This metal was from a broken up casting; it was soft and gray, and would give good results for general purposes, so long as the cool- ing was not too slow. TRESS PIO aa R tao ERS ene 1674 The composition of these materials was as follows: White. Gray North- Cast iron. hematite. ampton. iron. Carbon, combined......... 2.73 0.86 0.15 0.79 Carbon, graphitic......... ‘ms 2.53 2.60 2.73 a ace eek ea us oo ae 0.01 3.47 3.98 1.41 rt a Trace. 0.03 0.03 0.07 ee eee eee ee 0.01 0.04 1.25 0.96 IN 5 cedtenei eee Trace. 0.55 0.50 0.43 In each case melting was carefully performed in a covered Stourbridge fire clay crucible, some charcoal be- ing placed in the crucible with the charge to prevent loss by oxidation. The large number of separate test bars were not afterward separately analyzed, as considerable experience with this class of test has shown that the changes which take place in such material under these circumstances are practically negligible. The range of temperature covering the melting points of the metals and alloys examined in the progress of this research was up- 9 a " | SHRINKAGE | 0 > T+ 0 _+ 95 20 — — — — 2 ——— 4 905 | | eo}——____—_ = 1. —+ ———1 | | | | | — ————\ COOLING | 80 } — Foerneareaeerocesnsetinaesmmcininesasiondill ae | | oes 100 + i + } aS | | | , 695 } | , } 129} — }———;—___} ____j__hig | | | 140 4 THE IRON AGE Fig. 8.—Contraction of a Soft Close Grained Iron.—Left Scale Showing Galvanometer Deflection in Millimeters, Right Scale Showing Shrinkage in Hundredths of an Inch, and Horizontal Squares Showing Time with Each Division Equal- ing 25 Seconds. ward of 1000 degrees C., so that no uniformity of pouring temperature was possible. In each case the object was to pour the metal at a heat which would insure the mold being completely filled and allow solidification te begin within a few seconds after pouring. The head of metal was about 2 inches, but the depth of the depression in the head varied very much, according to the shrinkage of samples. An examination of the shrinkage and cooling curves for white iron, given in Fig. 5,shows only one well marked retardation in each curve at about two and a half min- uates after pouring, the temperature being about 665 degrees C. There is also a lag in both curves during the first 20 seconds; this lag is probably due to the well- known pasty stage through which white iron passes when solidifying. In the case of white iron there is no actual expansion at any temperature during cooling; the rate of contraction is sharp, and the shape of the curve very , nearly that of a normal metal, such as lead, tin or copper. THE IRON May 24, 1906 AGE The curves for nonphosphorie gray pig iron, given in Fig. 6, show, on the other hand, two actual expansions during cooling, and each expansion is accompanied by a distinct rise in temperature. The first of these retarda- tions occurs about 15 seconds after solidification has com- menced, and with a temperature of about 1135 degrees C. (the readings taken varying from 1120 to 1150 degrees C.) ; while the second arrest takes place some two and a half minutes later, and at a temperature of 695 degrees C. It may be added that the exact temperature of the first arrest is difficult to observe owing to the rapidity of cool- ing and the short interval of time over which it extends. The phosphoric gray pig iron, of which contraction and cooling curves are given in Fig. 7, has three actual expan- sions during cooling and three corresponding retarda- tions in the cooling curve, though these do not appear to give actual rises in temperature. The first arrest reaches its maximum after about 20 to 30 seconds, and at a tem- perature of 1060 degrees C.; the second occurs after about one and a half minutes, and at a temperature of 900 degrees C.; while the third is very marked and long con- tinued, beginning about two minutes after solidification and lasting for about 160 seconds, the temperature arrest being at 730 degrees C. It must not be supposed that only sharp and definite curves of the three types above given are met with when dealing with cast iron in everyday practice. Pig irons or foundry mixtures differ widely in composition, and in consequence all kinds of curves are obtained, from Fig. 5 on the one hand to Fig. 7 on the other. The cooling and contraction curves of a soft close grained iron, of which the composition has already been given, will be found in Fig. 8. In this it will be noted that the three retardations in the cooling curve are distinctly indicated, while in the contraction curve the first and third expan- sions are plainly seen; but the second expansion is faint, and might even be overlooked. Its presence becomes quite evident, however, if a straight edge be applied to the curve, or if the curve be carefully compared with that given by nonphosphoric iron. As the records were not taken below about 750 degrees C, in the previous experiments, the third retardation was not reached. The remarkable point about this third ex- pansion is the low temperature at which it takes place, when its volume and duration are considered. In the absence of silicon the change of volume is very small and the temperature 665 degrees C.; with inter- mediate silicon the expansion becomes marked, and oc- curs at about 695 degrees C.; with about 4 per cent. of silicon the expansion becomes very large indeed, and takes place at about 730 degrees C. In conclusion, it may be pointed.out that the observa- tion of the changes of volume which take place during the solidification and subsequent cooling of cast iron af- fords the iron founder a ready means of checking and controlling his foundry mixtures. The apparatus is such as can be made by any intelligent mechanic; the actual observation does not require any special skill, and can be completed in about 20 minutes; while the curves when intelligently interpreted afford information as to the chemical composition, the hardness, and the strength of the metal which is, so far as I am aware, supplied by no other singe test. These curves should also settle forever the old controversy as to which metals, if any, expand during solidification, and why in certain cases a piece of cast iron, or other metal, will float on the surface of a molten bath of the same material. ———————— @-e—______ For ratchet drilling the high speed drills will not of course cut faster than will the drill made of ordinary tool steel, but there is, nevertheless, a distinct gain found in using the high speed drill in that it does not require to be ground so often. A special form of flat high speed drill for rail drilling has a record of 1600 1-inch holes in 80-pound rails without regrinding, where 50 holes with the ordinary drill would have been considered a good performance. Another striking example was a com- parison made in the New York Navy Yard, where one of these drills cut ten 14-inch holes in turret armor plate while eight twist drills of carbon steel were used in finishing one hole of the same size. May 24, 1906 The Thor Pneumatic Tools. Many novel features and improvements have been in- corporated in the new line of pneumatie drills and ham- mers manufactured by the Independent Pneumatic Tool Company, Chicago. This company acquired the plant of the Aurora Automatic Machine Com- pany at Aurora, IIL, last year, but the manu- facturing facilities afforded have already proved inadequate to meet the growing demand for the tools. In designing this line efforts have been made to strengthen the parts, to reduce the air travel and to construct the tools in such a way that all parts would be readily accessible. The drill cases are of cast steel and have been reduced to two parts, while the long stroke riveting hammers are drop forged in one piece, which gives greatly increased strength. The building devoted to the manufacture of these tools is 50 x 152 feet and five stories high, and several of the floors are devoted to the manufacture of gasoline engines for motor cycles. Two floors have already been engaged in an adjoining building, on account of the ex- tensive increase in the business, and $50,000 worth of new machinery has been purchased and is being installed as rapidly as it is shipped. The telescopic interchangeable feed compound gear and Corliss valve arrangement are the important fea- tures of the Thor nonreversible and reversible drills shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Compressed air is admitted to four single acting cylinders in the body of the drills and is controlled by means of Corliss valves, these be- ing shown in the section through A-B, Fig. 1, each valve operating two cylinders. The air ports from the valves to the cylinders are shown at # and x, and it will be noted that the dis- tance of air travel is exceedingly 2h? Poe small, resulting in almost instanta- | MD more rob Ps neous action upon the pistons, with practically no loss of pressure. The valves are timed in their operation so that the port of one opens before the other one is cut off. The live air chamber is shown at y and the pistons at z and z. The valves permit almost any speed, on ac- count of the quick exhaust and the short travel from the cut off to the cylinder. The eccentrics operating the valves are on the crank shaft, as indicated at a and b in the vertical section. The connections to the valves may be seen in the plan view with the gear case removed. The bearings of the crank shaft are placed close to the cranks, which makes a saving in the total length of the motor. The telescopic feed shown in Fig. 1 consists of three parts—an inner feed screw c, an intermediate sleeve d, both internally and externally threaded, and a stationary sleeve, e. The inner feed screw feeds the body of the drill down until the screw reaches the end of the thread- ed part on the interior of the intermediate sleeve, and the latter unscrews until it reaches the end of the threaded part of the stationary sleeve. This gives a feed practically double that which can be obtained with an ordinary single feed rod. When in use it is impossible for the rod or the sleeve to come entirely out, but the entire feed mechanism can be removed by removing the nut holding the stationary sleeve in place and a grip handle such as is shown in Fig. 2 can be substituted. The tel- escopic handle is used for feeding the drill in iron and steel work and the grip handle for wood boring. The pin shown at k in Fig. 2 is used in extracting the tool, this being done by simply screwing down the nut shown at the base of the handle. The compound gear in Fig. 2 brings about a reduction in the speed of 3% to 1 and increases the power in the same ratio. The pinion a is secured to the main crank shaft and meshes with gear b, which is keyed to the sleeve c. The latter has gear teeth which mesh with idler gears e and f, which in turn engage an internal gear, d. The tool holder g has arms, h, with studs, i, which support these idlers. The reversible drill has two admission air chambers instead of one, as in the nonreversible, which are shown at l’ and Il in Fig. 2. The reversing motion is secured by sending the air through the exhaust port into the THE IRON AGE 1675 valve chamber and thence into the cylinders instead of by the usual route. A small two-way valve, which is placed in the admission chamber at the inner edge of the inlet pipe in the live air handle, determines the direc- tion of rotation. The motor is readily accessible, and by removing the exhaust caps either valve may be taken Se ceaprainala ES ele - iy n ; — s SO Qe 114 + & i t “es tt? \ " EE Aan ( Yet + Be | ; Ql j } J r uy J o ft ‘ y rN ~ WS £ THE IRON AGE \ GEAR CASE REMOVED Fig. 1.—Details of the Thor Nonreversible Drill, Made by the Independent Pneumatic Tool Company, Chicago. out without disturbing any of the motor parts. The pistons may be removed by removing the cylinder heads, and the connecting rods may be taken out through the cylinder bore without disturbing any part except the pistons. By removing the gear case all the other parts of the tool are accessible. The case of the motor is cast steel, made with but one joint. All wearing parts are either steel forgings or are turned from solid steel stock. These drills are made in 17 sizes. The Thor wood boring machine shown in Fig. 3 has a compound gear, which gives two speeds of 1500 and 75 revolutions per minute, respectively. The reversible fea- ture in this machine is the same as in Fig. 1. For the high speed, pinion a drives gear b, which is keyed to the é % . ESE BATTLE bi atin eI = tg Oe, NE ee a eae | SCR. et RIT Tm ig ohne, DRE * ee ee mS ge se th atk ee 1070 counterspindle c. The latter has a slidable double pin- ion, d, the large pinion of which meshes with the small gear e on the tool holder, and the small pinion with the gear f on the tool spindle. Shifter g straddles the large pinion on d, for shifting the double pinion. Moving che latter so that the small pinion meshes with the gear f gives the low speed. Fig. 4 shows two sections of the Thor long stroke Ny N,N l é SONY N Mie SEIS N 2 mz Doe ~- SB —| KR EXESSS SS | N bor Hi y a | WN Ss) mi N == Gi q Z ; Lele SSP 5 N 4 ee Lddddddddddddaadaiacadsda a CSesEqQn7 Cp A = 4 WH Sy Vi ddd f YO JIS Zi WAN \ LL) aS TN _ UN a d Li CY ie Ss } / | SS Widédd@ PE ee SSS = 2 — if «a y SY Wi Ll SSS =~ THE IRON AGE May 24, 1906 through a port, not shown, driving it back until the dis- tant openings from the ports d are uncovered, releasing the pressure on the large ends of the valves, when the valves will again be forced apart, thus repeating the op- eration. Fig. 6 shows a grinding attachment, which can be ap- plied to small drills by removing the gear case and small spindle. This cover, with grinding spindle support, is SJ ¥ eet - (RS mK. : \ y IS N Z EISSSSESSSS N NSS J SNS - Vib THE IRON AGE Wjgee EZ SS Y UN ] NZS \ NY LY Lf N NY WZ \ NZ 7X \Y WS Gv Wy AN NY EN Wi e EN Ni WN \; = Fig. 2.—Section of the Thor Reversible Drill with Compound Gear Drive, V 7 7 ddd zp riveting hammer. The cylinder, handle and valve chambers are drop forged in one piece, which is SS bored, turned and drilled. The valves of this hammer are particularly interest- ing, consisting of one main valve and an auxiliary valve. The main valve shown at a is parallel with the cylinder, and the valve chamber is located at one side. These valves are of the differential piston valve type. The auxiliary valve has been introduced to reduce the vibration. In starting the hammer the plunger moves rearward, the exhaust is cut off and the dead air in_ the handle forms a cushion which opens the auxiliary valve. This then admits a small amount of air to start the hammer forward on the power stroke. Soon thereafter air is admitted to the main valve, shifting it to admit the main charge for the power stroke, and as soon as the plunger reaches the forward end of the barrel the live air shifts the main valve and auxiliary valve to cut off the charge. When the plunger starts rearward the opera- tion is repeated. The duplex valves are the interesting features of the chipping hammer shown in Fig. 5. In designing this hammer it was the intention to secure small and at the same time strong valves to admit the power charge. Live air enters the hammer at Bb, between the two valves a and a, pressing them apart, allowing the air to enter behind the plunger. This drives the latter forward, and when it is near the forward end of the barrel the recess or neck shown on the plunger connects the live air port c with ports d, which lead to the outside of the valves, and as the area of the outer sides is larger than that of the inner the excess pressure causes the valves to close. Air is then admitted to the opposite side of the plunger DLE nl =) PS rt Vp pads ALLMYgLTLILLMLLLE TECTED Za SSE SS ara Q i Y y 4 y yj yj Y yj y y y y y y y y Y “sj OTIS Sy Yess ey RSS N sos PS Z 8 Cammy AZZ 3 Ax a bs l —ee VN p y Sia WAY =v] Q'7 1 SS SN Ni ~— ap 3S Ve Ya LZ in N N iY JA i ax SJoN\S AWN_ES § NZ Sess Saeed a WY r YY) N N SN YY N iG & - i N Z ; THE IRON AGE Fig. 3.—Section of the Thor Wood Boring Drill. then attached in place of the gear cover. The spindle with the grinding wheel is driven direct from the crank shaft; a tongue in the crank shaft slides into a recess in the spindle, driving the emery or grinding wheel, and a speed of 2500 revolutions per minute is easily attained. May 24, 1906 THE IRON AGE 1677 Five different sizes of pneumatic drills are shown in operation in Fig. 7, drilling holes 3 inches in diameter and smaller in solid cast iron blocks. The largest drill is driving the 38-inch bit. In common with the style de scribed in connection with Fig. 2, this drill has a train of compound gearing, and was the first drill of this type placed upon the market, as well as the most powerful pneumatic drill ever sold. The compound gearing mul tiplies the power, and with a 3-inch twist drill it will work to its full capacity, requiring about 45 pounds air pressure to the square inch. It is built to take a 4-inch twist drill and will drive a G6-ineh fly cutter through Under the center of the roadway is a double track electric railway, with a pipe gallery and sewer at each side. Under the inner portion of the sidewalk are the house vaults, with connections made at frequent intervals by conduits to the pipe gallery. ——_——_—_@--@—____—__ The Canadian Iron and Steel Production. The American Iron and Steel Association has re- ceived from the manufacturers the statistics of the pro- Ww f > nh Sad | ——— ee 74 | na THE IKON «GE Fig. 4.—Two Sections of the Thor Long Stroke Riveting Hammer YJ we \RON AGE Fig. 5.—The Thor Duplex Valve Chipping Hammer. w iS 17 UU Fig. 6.—A Grinding Attachment for Small Drills. boiler plate. It weighs between 50 and 55 pounds and the compound gearing adds but 154 inches to the depth of the gear case. ———— 9+e. Kingsway and Aldwych, the avenue recently opened in London at a cost of about $30,000,000, is three-quarters of a mile long and except for a short distance, where the width has been reduced to 80 feet, is 100 feet wide. The roadway is 60 feet wide and each sidewalk 20 feet. duction of steel ingots and cast- ings and of finished rolled iron and steel in the Dominion of Canada in 1905, which was much the largest in its history. Bessemer and open hearth steel ingots and castings were made in both 1904 and 1905, the pro- duction of open hearth steel amounting in the latter year to over 59 per cent. of the total. Almost all the open hearth steel reported in 1904 and 1905 was made by the basic process. The Bessemer steel was all made by the acid process. A few hundred tons of steel were made in 1905 by a special process. The direct steel castings made in 1905 amounted to 9394 tons, against 6505 tons in 1904. The records do not show that Canada has made any crucible steel down to the close of 1905. The following table gives the production of all kinds of steel ingots and castings in Canada from 1894 to 1905 in gross tons: Years. Gross tons Years. Gross tons. Years. Gross tons. 1894.......25,685 1S98... . 21,540 RPO ee twes 182,037 1805.......17.000 1899. 22,000 BOs 6 wa de 181,514 ee 16,000 1900. ..... - 20,577 i Gee 148,784 i ee 18,400 Seni auaded 26,084 Wee es aicckia 403,449 The following table gives the production of all kinds of iron and steel rolled into finished forms in Canada from 1895 to 1905 in gross tons: Years. Gross tons. Years. Gross tons Years. Gross tons. SOG és oss 66,402 ne R1GG4S 20G8. 26s 129,516 ae 75,043 ee 100,690 BOGE. eadiacis 180,038 BES a8 & a0 77,021 oo: ee 112,007 1905.......385,826 Ss 06 40% 90,305 Dea nwehes 161,485 The production of Bessemer and open hearth steel rails in 1905 amounted to 178,885 gross tons, against 36,- 216 tons in 1904; structural shapes, 885 tons, against 447 aoe +2 wt tek, Ainge ores <qusiataapeba ie = Sain an ee ere ‘Sotiendar Geer yer i % % 2 . ; wae sathed VU suey; aa 2 i a od my Saal) Ne ge me pons snd = acti af a rs _ re Es ake F he RE ee kee = se Sate : < eee teaunrmsian oe es 1678 tons in 1904; nail and spike plate, 4110 tons, against 5030 tons in 1904; plates and sheets, 4944 tons, against 3102 tons in 1904; all other finished rolled products, ex- cluding muck and scrap bars, blooms, billets, sheet bars and other unfinished forms, but including for 1905 1120 tons of forging blooms or forging billets, 197,002 tons, against 135,243 tons in 1904. Of the 385,826 tons of finished iron and steel reported for 1905 about 318,405 tons were rolled from steel and 67,- 421 tons from iron, as compared with 126,850 tons rolled from steel and 53,188 tons from iron in 1904. In 1905 Canada produced approximately 366,800 kegs of cut nails and wire nails, as compared with 324,000 kegs of cut nails and wire nails in 1904. On December 31, 1905, there were 21 completed rolling mills and steel works in Canada; also one was being built and two were projected. Of the completed plants three were equipped for the manufacture of steel castings only, one for open hearth steel ingots only, five for Besse- Fig. 7.—Five Sizes of Thor Drills in Use. mer or open hearth steel ingots and rolled products and 12 for rolled products only. The building plant was be- ing equipped for black plates and tin plates and terne plates. One of the projected plants is to be equipped for skelp and bar iron, and the other for wire rods. Of the completed works four were located in Nova Scotia, five in Quebec, ten in Ontario, one in New Brunswick and one in Manitoba. The single building plant and the two pro- jected plants are in Ontario. ———__3-- oe —————__—_ Two parts of aluminum and one part of zinc form an alloy to which has been given the name “alzene.” It is equal in strength to good cast iron and superior to it in the matter of elastic limit. It takes a fine, smooth finish and does not readily oxidize. The color is white. It melts at a low red heat and is very fluid, running freely to the extremities of the mold and filling small or thin parts. Great care must be exercised in melting it, particularly when mixing the two metals, in order to pre- serve its smooth working qualities. lt is somewhat brittle and hence unsuited to such pieces as require the toughness possessed by brass. The tensile strength is' approximately 22,000 pounds per square inch and 3.3 is the specific gravity. THE IRON AGE May 24, 1906 The Coates Lathe Grinder. The device ierewith illustrated is intended for grind- ing work while the latter is being revolved in a lathe, examples of this class of work being cones, reamers, cutters, arbors, lathe centers and plugs. The grinder gets its power direct from the large step of the cone pulley of the lathe to which it is attached. It will be noticed that there is a peculiar arrangement in the drive involv- ing two driven pulleys, one of these being an idler, while ‘ ‘\ LT PPPrPITET A Lathe Grinding Attachment Made by the Coates Clipper Mfg. Company, Worcester, Mass. the other is attached to the flexible shaft leading to the grinding wheel. The whole purpose is to drive the wheel in the necessary reverse direction without using a crossed belt, which would require greater distance between cen- ters. The wheel end of the attachment is supported when in use in the tool post of the lathe. This lathe grinder is especially useful in supplying the facilities for light grinding work in small shops and is made by the Coates Clipper Mfg. Company, Worcester, Mass. —_++e—__—_ An Exhibit of Foundry Equipment. A feature of the convention of the American Foundry- men’s Association at Cleveland, June 5 to 7, that is ex- pected to attract much attention is an exhibit of foundry supplies and equipment. Already 30 spaces have been arranged for and other firms will probably be added to the list, making the exhibit the largest of the kind ever brought together. The Central Armory, in which the convention will be held, is 120 x 207 feet, and practically the entire area will be taken by the exhibits and the convention space which they will inclose. The convention will thus be almost literally in a foundry. A 55 horse- power gas engine will operate a line shaft, from which power exhibits will be driven. The engine will also be connected to an air compressor, which will furnish com- pressed air for the various pneumatic molding machines and other appliances, A number of exhibits will also be driven by electricity. The following firms have already arranged for space: Berkshire Mfg. Company, Detroit Foundry Supply Company, Diamond Clamp & Flask Company, W. W. Lindsay, Interstate Sand Company, C. EB. Mills Oil Com- pany, Hill & Griffith Company, McPhail Molding Ma- chine Company, Chisholm & Moore Mfg. Company, Arcade Mfg. Company, Cleveland Wire Spring Company, Western Foundry Supply Company, B. F. Sturtevant Company, Holland Linseed Oil Company, Falls Rivet & Machine Company, Standard Sand & Machine Company, W. W. Sly Mfg. Company. Miriam Bruce Abbott Gas Engine Company, Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, Tabor Mfg. Company, Crescent Machine Vompany, Goldschmidt Ther- mit Company, Electric Controller & Supply Company, William Dobson, J. D. Smith Foundry Supply Company, Osborn Mfg. Company, E. H. Mumford & Co. May 24, 1906 THE A Blast Furnace Charging Apparatus. John W. Dougherty, general superintendent of the Pennsylvania Steel Company at Steelton, Pa., has in- vented a blast furnace charging apparatus in which the construction of hoppers and bells is such that the stock may be deposited in the furnace at will in any one of three different zones of deposition. The illustration indi- cates in the main the features of the invention. A is the charging hopper and B a supplemental hopper situated above it. The supplemental bell-C has to be lowered to pass the contents of the supplemental hopper B into the main hopper. The bell, which closes the opening at the base of the main charging hopper, constitutes the leading feature of the invention. It is composed of two sections fitted to each other so that when actuated to- gether they perform the functions of the usual charging bell. The bell section E; which comprises the lower part of the charging bell, forms with the section D a prac- tically continuous cone. The lower section is provided with a spider consisting of a set of radial arms and a THE IRON AGE | ' Dougherty Blast Furnace Charging Apparatus. hub attached to a hanger, which extends upward through other tubular hangers to the mechanism employed for actuating the charging bell. By the simultaneous lower- ing of their respective hangers both sections of the charging bell descend together, providing an opening through which the stock will drop and be deflected toward the walls of the furnace. When much fine ore is used it is important to have the stock distributed with great care for uniformity, so that the surface of the stock after deposition may be as nearly level as possible. It is also desirable at times to deposit fine ores near the center of the furnace and the