The Iron Age 1908-10-01: Vol 82 Iss 14

¢) or {* THE IRON AGE Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 14-16 Park Place, New .York. Vol. 82: No. 14. New York, Thursday, October 1, 1908. SS ee Reading Matter Contents........ page 968 ———— : — — : Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘“‘ 278 f Classified List of Advertisers “- Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘“‘ 984 REED F. BLAIR & CO. FRICK BUILDING, PITTTBURG, PA. STANDARD CONNELSVILLE COKE FOUNDRY FURNACE CRUSHED : iy are a . < = . . me LL ae TTI TART CRS The Original and only Genuine ‘* STILLSON WRENCH ”’ THIS CUT SHOWS IN REDUCED SIZE THE , 1908 U.M. C.-REMINGTON is manufactured WALWORTH MFG. CO., Boston, U. S. A. ‘ WINDOW TRIM And bears their registered Trade-Mark It is lithographed in six printings and is full of life and color. Can be adapted to any size of window 6 ft. or overin width “Sent —_— —— i free to any dealer who guarantees to use it for a THE BRISTOL COMPANY reasonable length of time. MANUFACTURERS OF Write for this powerful business getter The Wm. H. Bristol pete teeteareeinteeat Electric Address, Dept. No. 1 Pyrometers Hl) For High Temperatures} MM, HARTLEY COMPANY, 313 Broadway, New York City eeeei|' THE BRISTOL CO. Waterbury, Conn. WATER TUBE Ghe Babcock @Q Wilcox Co., T| BOILERS See page 6o- wa "aaceaae AMSON Look for the i colored spot, Our trade- POT mark, Sam- oe pero heee eer y tl TURNBUCHLES P in ma and of ALL HORSE OWNERS AND HORSESHOERS “ The Cleveland City Forge and tron Co., - Cleveland, 0. Capewell’’ nail should be used in shoeing horses of all ee ee ee classes. TURNSBO ena en No danger of nails splitting! No danger of nails break- / agg TE ied Maseoth. 4 ing at a critical moment! No danger of injuring a horse’s foot or hoof on account of dull points or weak blades when New York, N. Y. ‘*Capewell’’ nails are used. SOFT COAL. Made by inlet tial i] THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY Pilling & Grane tacnesney sidg., Plisbur HARTFORD, CONN., U.S. A. Empire oe Empire Building, New York New Yor | ene THE BEST IN — WORLD | THE LUFKIN RULE CO., Saginaw Ly U.S.A. New York, London, Eng Windso: WHY NOT follow your best judgment and use JENKINS ’96 SHEET PACKING The Original Unvulcanized Packing. Suitable for all steam joints. Not only does it make a tight joint quickly, but it makes a joint that wi// Jast. Made in sheets, and also, to order, in GASKETS cut to any size orshape. All genuine is stamped with Trade Mark as shown in the cut, and is guaranteed. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. MF “Swedon”’ Cold Rolled Steel sar*t: Drawing ax Stamping 82 pounds coating ROOFING TIN THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE 2 (Water and Rail Delivery) BRIDGEPORT, CONN. pita 2 A reofi f k lity—with tablished cose nown quality—w an esta MAGNOLIA SS METAL -AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE The Standard Babbitt of the World We manufacture COMPANY everything in the Frick Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. Babbitt Line. “as MAGHOLIK METAL CO. New York: 115 Bank-St. Chicago : Fisher Building. Montreal: 31 St. Nicholas St. See our Ad. on page 18. AGE Follansbee 7 BRASS}... Steel Sheets COPPERS*: ee > THE IRON EXTRAORDINARY CARE Giving more than ordinary satis- faction, all qualities from SILVER WIRE One Pass Cold Rolled to LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, Pickled SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER and TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING: : _ Waterbury Brass Co. WATERBURY, CONN. Providence, R. I. Highly Polished FOLLANSBEE BROTHERS COMPANY 99 John St., New York. Makers of Fine Steel Sheets | Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze ’ and & Metal Co. High Grade Tin Plate BRIDGEPORT, CONN. PITTSBURGH Phosphor and Deoxidized {=> Only American users of the old, suc- Bronze cessful Welsh Hammered Open Hearth Process Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi- num Castings, large and small Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. La Salle, Ilinois. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. ¢GERMAN SILVER 2 In Sheet, Wire, Rods, Blanks and Shells NICKEL ANODES BRASS, BRONZE, COPPER in all \ THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, ( Conn. 4 HENDRICKS BROTHERS ufacturers of Sheet and Bar Copper, Copper Fire Box Plates | forms f= Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Niekel, etc. 49 CLIFF STREET, - - - ‘+ NEW YORK™ and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets t Rolling Mill THOMASTON, CONN. A | ue so The Plume & Atwood Mfg. Co. Manufacturers of Sheet and Roll Brass WIRE German Silver and Gilding Metal, Copper Rivets and Burrs Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kerosene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 279 Broadway, NEW YORK Room 508 Hayworth Building, East Madi- son St., CHICAGO, ILL. Factories WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, —_ Wire, and 5 Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brass Goods to Order. Factories: WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: CHICAGO NEW YORK BOSTON HenrySouther Engineering Co. HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Oases. Arthur T. Rutter & Co. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Biass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. //PHONO-ELECTRIC” WIRE. “it’s TOUGH.” TROLLEY, f . TELEPHONE Wadden and \ TELEGRAPH i LINES. 5 Mills _, BRIDGEPORT BRASS COMPANY Ga. * proaaw reat Hotes he ew York THE RIVERSIDE METAL Co. RIVERSIDE, N.¢2 Oo \ \K THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, October 1, 1908 The New Universal Boring Machine. The universal boring, milling and drilling machine illustrated in Fig. 1 is the new type which has just been brought out by the Universal Boring Machine Company, Hudson, Mass. The machine is of the class that has the head at the right end of the bed, the idea being that bor ing and milling are more conveniently accomplished by this arrangement. It is known as the No. 1 machine, and takes 54 in. (and with the extension bed 94 in.) the face of the spindle and the outboard bearing support The bed of the machine is of box pattern, and upon it the carriage with its table has horizontal movement. The table is 20 x 42 in., but larger work may be held by using the auxiliary table. The head is arranged to move ver- tically in unison with the outboard bearing which sup- ports the outer end of the boring bar. The total vertical travel of the head is 24% in. The spindle has an all- geared drive from a constant speed shaft, with 16 changes of speed in the speed box and head, running from 15 to 200 rev. per min. There are feeds in all directions, com- prising longitudinal carriage feed, cross table feed, ver- tical feed of the head and longitudinal feed of the boring bar. The feeds are independent of the spindle speed, and range from % to 5% in. per minute. By operating the voring bar feed and the carriage at the same time and in opposite directions, it is possible to get a maximum feed of the tool into the work of 11 in. per minute. The feed box gives nine feeds, which multiplied by the 16 speeds of the spindle gives a total of 144 different feeds ner spindle revolution, varying from 0.006 to 0.34 in. The control of the machine is all shown in Fig. 2. As designated by the reference letters, A is the belt shifter by means of which the machine, as a whole, is started and stopped; B and C the handles, controlling the changes of speed, which changes are doubled by the fast and slow speed lever D; FE and F the handles con trolling the feed changes; G the lever controlling the power raising and lowering of the head; H the table and between Fig. 2.-—Detail at the Ffead, Showing the Controlling Means. bar feed lever; I the lever through which all feeds are reversed; J the handwheel for quick hand feed of the bering bar; K the handwheel for engaging and disengag ing the power feed of the boring bar; L the crank hold foy fine hand feed of the boring bar and hand elevating of the head, and M the crank hold for carriage hand feed. The speed box shown open in Fig. 3 is an interesting one. It occupies the lower part of the box at the head of the machine, the upper section being used for the change feed mechanism. By the use of nine gears and a segment gear, Fig. 4, having two studs, one above and one below its pivoting point, and a rocker gear operated by Fig. 1.—-The New Universal Boring, Milling and Drilling Machine. wr) Fe = a _ = _ -* THE IRON AGE BR ASS OnrOD COPPER} = GERMAN (siieer SILVER wy WIRE LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING: : —_— Waterbury Brass Co. WATERBURY, CONN. Providence, R. I. Follansbee Steel Sheets MADE WITH EXTRAORDINARY CARE Giving more than ordinary faction, all qualities from One Pass Cold Rolled to Pickled Highly Polished FOLLANSBEE BROTHERS COMPANY Makers of Fine Steel Sheets and High Grade Tin Plate PITTSBURGH i" Only American users of the old, suc- cessful Welsh Hammered Open Hearth Process. satis- 99 John St., New York. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Phosphor and Deoxidized Bronze Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi- num Castings, large and small Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. La Salle, Illinois. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. ¢GERMAN SILVER 2 > | In Sheet, Wire, Rods, Blanks and Shells | | NICKEL ANODES 1 BRASS, BRONZE, COPPER in all forms \ THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, Conn. fo HENDRICKS BROTHERS oe Sheet and Bar Copper, Copper Fire Box Plates and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets Importers and Deslers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Niekel, etc. 49 CLIFF STREET, - - - ‘= NEW YORK ' Tan The Plame & Atwood Mfg. Co. Manufacturers of Sheet and Roll Brass WIRE Copper Rivets and Burrs Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Burners, Lamps, Kerosene Lamp Trimmings, &c. 279 Broadway, NEW YORK Room 508 Hayworth Building, East Madi- son St., CHICAGO, ILL. Factories WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, — Wire, and & Rolling Mill THOMASTON, CONN. Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Spectal Brass Goods to Order. Factories: WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON HenrySoutherEngineering Co. HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Arttur 1. Rutter & Go. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Biass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. |PHONO-ELECTRIC” I WIRG. “IT’S TOUGH.” TROLLEY, TELEPHONE TELEGRAPH ' LINES. Mills BRIDGEPORT BRASS COMPANY Bridgeport ostal Telegraph Bl onn. Br ae. and Murray 8&t., New York PROSPHOR-BRONZE GERMIAN SILVER THE RIVERSIDE METAL C (a Ha aU RIVERSIDE, N.¢. The New Universal Boring Machine. The universal boring, milling and drilling machine illustrated in Fig. 1 is the new type which has just been brought out by the Universal Boring Machine Company, Hudson, Mass. The machine is of the class that has the head at the right end of the bed, the idea being that bor- ing and milling are more conveniently accomplished by this arrangement. It is known as the No. 1 machine, and takes 54 in. (and with the extension bed 94 in.) between the face of the spindle and the outboard bearing support. The bed of the machine is of box pattern, and upon it the carriage with its table has horizontal movement. The table is 20 x 42 in., but larger work may be held by using the auxiliary table. The head is arranged to move ver- tically in unison with the outboard bearing which sup- ports the outer end of the boring bar. The total vertical travel of the head is 24% in. The spindle has an all- geared drive from a constant speed shaft, with 16 changes of speed in the speed box and head, running from 15 to 200 rev. per min. There are feeds in all directions, com- prising longitudinal carriage feed, cross table feed, ver- tical feed of the head and longitudinal feed of the boring bar. The feeds are independent of the spindle speed, and range from % to 5% in. per minute. By operating the poring bar feed and the carriage at the same time and in opposite directions, it is possible to get a maximum feed of the tool into the work of 11 in. per minute. The feed box gives nine feeds, which multiplied by the 16 speeds of the spindle gives a total of 144 different feeds ner spindle revolution, varying from 0.006 to 0.34 in. The control of the machine is all shown in Fig. 2. As designated by the reference letters, A is the belt shifter by means of which the machine, as a whole, is started and stopped; B and C the handles, controlling the changes of speed, which changes are doubled by the fast and slow speed lever D; BE and F the handles con- trolling the feed changes; G the lever controlling the power raising and lowering of the head; H the table and THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, October 1, 1908. Fig. 1.—-The New Universal Boring, Fig. 2.-—Detail at the Head, Showing the Controlling Means. bar feed lever; I the lever through which all feeds are reversed; J the handwheel for quick hand feed of the bering bar; K the handwheel for engaging and disengag- ing the power feed of the boring bar; L the crank hold fov fine hand feed of the boring bar and hand elevating of the head, and M the crank hold for carriage hand feed. The speed box shown open in Fig. 3 is an interesting one. It occupies the lower part of the box at the head of the machine, the upper section being used for the change feed mechanism. By the use of nine gears and a segment gear, Fig. 4, having two studs, one above and one below its pivoting point, and a rocker gear operated by Milling and Drilling Machine. 904 a hand lever, eight speeds are obtained. The cone of four gears keyed together slide on the constant speed shaft. A gear running loose on the upper stud of the segment gear meshes the smaller of two gears that are keyed on the shaft through the center of the segment. Two gears, keyed together, are mounted on the lower stud of the segment, one of these meshing with the larger gear on the shaft through the segment. Rocking the segment in one direction to engage one of the four cone gears gives one speed; rocking it in the other gives another speed. Two speeds are similarly obtained for each of the other gears of the cone, making eight speeds which are doubled at the head, giving a total of 16, ranging from 15 to 200 rey. per min., with the constant speed shaft running at 230 rev. per min. An important convenience lies in the manner in which the feed and speed boxes are fastened together. To de- tach them from the machine it is necessary only to re- Fig. 4.—The Rocking Gear Part of the Speed Box. move six screws and pull out the speed and feed shafts, a matter of a few minutes’ work. The details of the feed box are not yet ready for an- nouncement. The directions of the feeds always bear the same relation to one another. All are reversed with the same lever, and to reverse means that the head feeds up. the table feeds away from the operator and the boring bar feeds toward the outer bearing support. In addition to these feeds the head has also one fast up-and-down travel, which permits the boring bar to be brought to a peint quickly without the use of the hand crank. The head has a hand adjustment with graduated dial. On one of the bearing surfaces upon which the head moves is a scale graduated in inches; the zero corresponds to the position where the center of the spindle is in line with the top of the table. Using the quick power feed in conjunction with this scale, it is possible to stop the movement of the head within % in. of the point required, and the adjustment is completed by using the hand feed and graduated dial. The table, carriage and head are each provided with graduated dials reading to thou- sandths of an inch. The power feed for the carriage, already mentioned, THE IRON AGE October 1, 1908 is an interesting detail of the machine. Beneath the car- riage are three gears supported by a bracket. One gear is on the table feed shaft, another on the carriage feed screw, while the third is a pull gear on a stud between them. The removal of this gear provides the means of quickly disconnecting the power feed from the carriage. Any feed of the boring bar may be doubled by the use of this mechanism, which is designed especially for use in Grilling. A pin is screwed in the bed below the bracket to take the pull gear when it is not in use. The boring bar is able to feed 27 in., and can be reset by a clamp bearing so that 55 in. of travel can be obtained. The hand wheel is set at a point most convenient for the operating and setting of the boring bar, permitting the operator to be close to his work and within easy reach of the feed friction or hand wheel. The alignment of the outboard bearing for the boring bar with the head is maintained by a connection between the elevating screws of each through spiral gears and a shaft within the bed. The table has a feed of 30 in. with automatic stops. The vertical power travel of the head is 22% in., with the possibility of 24% in. when fed by hand. With the exten- sion bed the machine giving 94 in. between the face of the spindle and the outboard bearing support, two bars are used, the regulation bar and one 124 in. long. They are easily exchanged. The driving shaft carries tight and loose pulleys. The loose pulley is slightly smaller in Giameter than the tight pulley to relieve strain on the belt and is cast with a receptical in its hub, which is filled with cotton waste and oil from which wicking runs to the bearing, insuring lubrication for indefinite periods. Care has been taken in gibbing the head, the ratio of length to width of which is 6 to 1. Besides this gibbing, at one edge of the head post a square lock gib is used to take up any wear at a point nearest the work. A gib of 90 degrees is employed to provide for wear at this head side, the form of gib permitting it to fit properly on the angular bearing of the head post. The head being at the right end of the machine, bor- ing and milling is done without the necessity of reversing the motion of the spindle, and permitting the operator t) watch and operate the machine conveniently. The driving of the spindle is at a point nearest the work, a feature of special advantage in securing stiffness in large milling cutters. On the face of the spindle provision is made to bolt or fasten cutters such as are usually used in heavy milling machines. Particular attention has been given in the alignment of the machine to insure accurate work. All revolving parts, such as shafts and studs, are of crucible steel, ground to size, and where desirable the bearings are suit- ably bushed. The machine is heavily constructed. Its floor dimensions are 8 x 14 ft.. and its weight 7800 Ib. The directors of the Illinois Central Railroad have em- ployed experts to report on the proposal to electrify its Chicago terminal, the agitation against smoke being a prime moving cause. The suburban line is elevated north of Grand Crossing; the lake is convenient for the supply of water for condensing engines and coal is cheap. The Railroad Gazette points out that the express train sched- ule in suburban service would be greatly improved, while in the case of local trains noise and cinders would be eliminated, and there would be a saving over steam loco- motives in all suburban business. “ Electrification of the through passenger and freight trains and their operation by electric locomotives is a larger problem, but from an engineering standpoint it is easily possible, and there are no great difficulties in the way of designing a power plant which will answer for both services.” The American Railway Association’s figures for Sep- tember 16 show that in the preceding two weeks the number of surplus freight cars decreased by 50,562, more than half the total, or 27,300, being box cars. The num- ber of idle cars on September 16 was 170,652, as compared with 413.338, the maximum, in April. It is now stated that in addition to the aliove total 200.000 cars were in shops awaiting repairs in April. or about twice the normal number. October 1, 1908 A New Fosdick Boring, Drilling and Milling Machine. In the design of its new style O horizontal boring, drilling and milling machine the Fosdick Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, has given particular attention to convenience of operation. As may be seen in the illus- tration, all operating levers and hand wheels are on one side within easy and convenient reach. Another im- portant feature is that all wearing surfaces and bearings are large and are adjustable for wear. All bearing surfaces are scraped and all bearing journals, shafts and spindles are ground. All gears are of steel, are bronze bushed and are entirely encased, as are all moving parts. The spindle is of crucible steel and has the company’s new adjusting device. The table is unusually deep and well ribbed and has the long narrow guide type of bearing. The outboard support is designed to withstand the strain of heavy boring and milling and can be entirely removed if necessary. An adjustment is provided for alignment should the operator change the position of the head when the support is off the machine. The machine is excep- THE IRON AGE 905 eight changes of feed also are reversible and vary from 0.007 to 0.25 in. per revolution. The machine occupies a floor space of 13 ft. in line with the spindle by 7 ft. 8 in. wide to permit the extreme limits of the table travel. The net weight is about 7500 lb. The countershaft has friction pulleys for forward and reverse drive, taking a 3% in. double belt, and is in- tended to run at about 400 rev. per min. Where an elec- tric motor is preferred any style of motor can be con- nected to the machine through spur gearing, and one of 5 hp. is recommended. <A constant speed motor can be applied in connection with the company’s gear box for speed changes or a 3 to 1 variable speed motor can be used, giving sufficient range of speeds electrically. —— oe Fatalities in Open Shop Structural Work. Announcement was made last week by the Allied Iron Association of New York City that it had again declined the application of the Housesmiths’ and Bridgemen’s Union for recognition and had reaffirmed its policy of employing the housesmiths on the open shop plan. The The New Style ) Horizontal Boring, Drilling and Milling Machine Built by the Fosdick Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. tionally rigid, and being self-contained requires no spe- cial foundation. The spindle travel is 22 in., the vertical travel of the head 21 in., the lateral travel of the table 36 in., and the cross travel of the table 28 in. The distance from the face of the spindle to the boring bar support is 60 in. The outboard support can be taken down for overhanging work. The spindle travel and table cross travel are by power in either direction, and all are equipped with micrometer adjustments. The working surface of the table is 50% in. long by 23% in. wide, and has four 13-16 in. T slots and six stop holes. The spindle is crucible steel and runs in bronze bear- ings adjustable for wear and absolute alignment with the outboard support bearing. It is 3 in. in diameter in the driving sleeve and 1% in. in diameter in the rear sleeve. The driving sleeve is equipped with a device whereby the spindle can be held true after any amount of wear. The end thrust is taken on ball bearings. The end of the spindle contains a No. 5 Morse taper socket with cotter key. The drive is positive throughout and two mechanical changes of speed are made through positive clutches. Hither a cone pulley or a constant speed driving pulley may be furnished, adapted to take a 3-In. double belt. The spindle speeds, which are eight in number, range from 12% to 155 rev. per min., and all are reversible. The union has recently complained to New York City officials that large numbers of housesmiths were killed in the erection of the Chelsea piers, Blackwell’s Island Bridge and other “ open shop” work in New York, alleging that there were 15 deaths during the construction of the Chel- sea piers and 55 deaths during the construction of the Blackwell’s Island Bridge, owing to the employment of inexperienced men. Commissioner Walter Drew of the National Erectors’ Association and the Allied Iron Asso- ciation says that three deaths only occurred in the course of the erection of the Chelsea piers, that only 13 men were killed during the work on the Blackwell’s Island Bridge, and that three of the men killed were old union men of long experience, who were working on the open shop plan. He adds that the proportion of men killed during the erection of the Blackwell’s Island Bridge was one for every 4000 tons of iron erected, while during the work on the Williamsburg Bridge, a strictly union con- tract, one man was killed for every 1340 tons erected. —————+~-e—_—___—__ The Open Hearth Committee of the Carnegie Stee! Company, made up of superintendents of the open hearth departments at Donora, Clairton, Homestead and Du. quesne, visited the company’s Ohio works at Youngs- town, Ohio, last week, in order to. inspect the new open hearth plant, comprising 12 50-ton furnaces, now being erected there. 906 THE IRON AGE October 1, 1908 The Gayley Dry Blast at the Warwick Furnaces, Pottstown, Pa.’ BY EDWARD B. COOK, POTTSTOWN, PA. The installation of the Gayley dry air process ap- pealed specially to the management of the Warwick Iron & Steel Company, for the reason that for 15 years records had been kept at the works of the company, showing the amount of water entering the furnace in the form of aqueous vapor, and careful observations had been made of its effect upon the working of the furnace. Some years had proved much worse in their effect than others, on account not only of excessive moisture, but also of great variation in the moisture from day to day, and sometimes within a few hours. It had been found impossible to make a satisfactory percentage of high silicon foundry iron in summer, even on high fuel, and for some years the endeavor had been made so to arrange the sales that during July and August only a small per centage of the iron produced would be required to carry more than 2 per cent. silicon. Our larger furnace, run- ning on basic iron, year after year, produced in February a tonnage 20 per cent. higher than in August, on a much lower fuel consumption, while, at the same time, the summer months were marked by “ messes,’”’ tuyeres closed by slips, and other irregularities, constituting serious ad- ditional business losses. Details of the Warwick Installation. In the spring of 1906 it was decided to install a plant of sufficient capacity to treat 70,000 cu. ft. of air per minute, an amount much larger than that treated at the Isabella plant, and sufficient for the maximum require- ments of our No. 1 and No. 2 furnaces. The form in which Mr. Gayley’s invention was applied at our works may be outlined as follows: Ammonia, liquefied by pres- sure, is allowed to expand in pipes inclosing smaller pipes which carry brine; and this brine, thus cooled to a point below 0 degree C., is conducted through a refrigerat- ing chamber in coils of pipe, over which the air of the blast for the furnace passes, and upon which it deposits its moisture before entering the blowing engine. The refrigerating part of our plant, which was fur- nished by the York Mfg. Company of York, Pa., com- prises five vertical single acting compressors, each em- ploying about 220 hp. and having 175 tons refrigerating eapacity.+ The object in having so many units is to guard against serious results from breakdowns, and also to have a more adaptable apparatus. Only in the sum- mer months is the total capacity required. In winter one compressor will do the work for one furnace. An atmospheric condenser was installed above each com- pressor. The brine coolers are of the double pipe class, with 3-in. outer pipes, in which the ammonia expands, and 2- in. inner pipes, through which the brine passes in the opposite direction. Through these coolers, and thence through the coils in the refrigerating chamber, the brine is forced by one of two flywheel pumps. The cold brine enters the coils at the top. The refrigerating chamber contains 57 miles of 14%4- in. wrought iron pipe, divided into seven sections by partition walls and doors, so that one section can be washed free from frost without affecting the other sec- tons or increasing the moisture in the treated air. <A large Sturtevant fan was installed to furnish air to the refrigerating chamber, and maintain therein a pressure of about 1 oz. per square foot, in order to insure a proper distribution of the air rising through the coils, and also to overcome the friction in the pipes to the blowing en- gines, so that there shall be no doubt as to the proper filling of the blowing tubs. It also guards against the entry of untreated air through possible leaks in the * A paper read at the Chattanooga meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, October 1-3, 1908. + lo quote from a refrigerating company’s catalogue: “ The unit by which capacity is measured is the cooling effect or work done by the melting of 1 ton of ice, and is called the refrigerat- ing capacity. This is stated in tons of ice-melting capacity per 24 hr. continuous operation. The cooling effect of 2 ton of ice is equal to 284.000 B.t.u.” pipes. We have found, however, that the plant can be run for a short time without this fan. Upon the assumption that 4.5 tons of air are required to make 1 ton of iron, the production of 720 tons of iron a day calls for the treatment every hour of 135 tons of air, moving at a rapid rate, and varying both in tem- perature and in contained moisture. We had our share of troubles at the beginning, but for several months past none has been experienced, and the dry air plant is earning the reputation of being the only “sure thing” about the furnace. Dry Blast on No. 2 Furnace. Our first application of the dry blast was made on our No. 2 furnace, which was 100 ft. high by 22 ft. bosh and 15 ft. crucible and stock line. This furnace had been in blast for nearly three years and had made more than 500,000 tons of pig iron. Down to June, 1907, with the exception of the three summer months of each year, the fuel consumption had been kept low and the iron satis- factory. But for almost a year before that date we had had high pressures and irregular settling of stock; and this we had attributed to poor distribution, due to the loss of the stock line, which we had found in very bad shape when we had a chance to see it while chang- ing our bell in October, 1906. On August 8, 1907, two compressors being ready, the dry blast was applied. That day the moisture per cubic foot of air in the blast was reduced from 7 grains to 5, the next day to 4 and the third day to 3. The first effect was to brighten the tuyeres, sc that they shone like stars. The slag increased greatly in temperature, and smoked so that one could not stay in the cast house while it was running. The iron ran so hot that even gray iron “sparked” all the way down the runner. The driving of the furnace increased, and the engines had to be slacked every day in the attempt to keep the rate of driving the same, while the burden was increased daily to keep the silicon in the iron down to 1 per cent. The third day the furnace stuck tight, and it was impossible to get the full volume of air in at a pressure of 25 Ib. This trouble yielded to large blanks, but only for a day or two. The moisture was gradually reduced to 2 grains per cubic foot, and held constant at that point. The quality of iron improved, but tonnage and fuel economy did not, on account of the sticking fast several times a week for from 6 to 10 hr. at a time. It seemed as if the dry blast, requiring an increase in the burden, had aggravated the trouble due to bad distri- pution and irregular interior lines. In September the moist- ure was reduced to 1.5 grains per cubic foot of air, in Oc- tober to 1 grain, and during November and December to about 0.8 grain. The tonnage of daily product remained low on account of frequent stops and our efforts to keep the iron made within “basic” specifications.* As a whole the furnace was worn cut. The top gave way twice, and all the gas went out of holes in the platform instead of down the down-comers. The stoves and boil- ers caused many stops. The fuel consumption was in- creased by the numerous big coke blanks necessary to lower the pressure, so that the blowing engines could run. In spite of all these difficulties the furnace was kept running, and her work steadily improved until she was blown out on December 27, on account of our accumula- tion of basic iron, due to the closing of steel works. There were short periods of good work (when the pres- sure stayed down and there were no stops), in which 515 tons a day were made on 2000 Ib. of fuel per ton for several days in succession. Figs. 1 and 2 show the condition of No. 2 when blown * These qualifications are: Silicon under 1; sulphur under 9.05 : and phosphorus under 1 per cent. But in order to have a good reputation. we try to keep these elements below 0.7, about .03, and below 0.8 per cent., respectively. October 1, 1908 in and when blown out. In Fig. 2 the stock line, 22 ft. S in. in diameter, is shown, with a large shelf below it, where the brick had stopped disintegrating on account of a change in quality. Further down there was another shelf, made up of scaffold material. The scaffold did not fall until a week after the furnace had been cleaned our, and then filled her hearth 5 ft. above the tuyeres, so that she began to yield to gas and had the appearance of be- ing in blast again. We never imagined that the scaffold could be so high up, and consequently did not find it, since we did no drilling higher than 4 ft. above the man- tel. Three times during the summer the furnace had been blown down to below the mantel. The following is the record for the last six months of the blast. The increased percentage of basic iron and . 1h ‘ \ a - (oo tT Zz TT - Th Ht LD” Concrete ~ |-* Pec | “~Z Ae | f 0 y = i -— Z | : > A eda ce Y 5 | THE IRON AGE 907 Dry Blast on No. 1 Furnace. On September 25, four of the compressors having been completed, the dry blast was put on No. 1 furnace. In three days the moisture per cubic foot of air was reduced from 6.5 grains to 1.50. There was the same evidence of greatly increased heat, shown by tuyeres, slag and iron, as at No. 2 furnace. No. 1 had been in blast for 2.5 years on high silicon foundry iron. The settling for the first year had been entirely by 4-ft. jumps, and the fuel consumption had been consequently high and the iron irregular in grade. After the first years the three top rows of the five rows of bosh plates were pulled out of the furnace. This resulted in regular settling on foundry iron and lower fuel consumption. In March, 1907, however, an attempt was made to turn this furnace to the production of basic + HIT ZA iron. It proved impracticable. because ff an arch formed on the step left by pull- ing out the plates. The furnace stuck = fast for 24 hr. and would not settle | at all, so that she had to be put back | on foundry iron. During the summer of 1907 her work became | bad and the \| grade. extremely iron was irregular in | Upon the application of dry blast in September the furnace acted much os as she had done in March, when the attempt was made to make basic iron— \ | that is to say, the reduction of fuel (or, what is the same thing, the in- crease of burden) and the consequent _ _ “~ yy | lowering of the zone of fusion brought about a tendency to arch at the offset on the bosh. The daily product in- creased about 10 per cent., and the quality of the iron improved somewhat. The fuel consumption had to be kept 7 = i] A = | --— Center Line a, ~ “of Tuyeres i __Center Line __@— | of Cinder Notch / eo rT H ie Hearth Level | eniia | Fig. 1.—Furnace No. 2, Blown In November 1, 1904. December tue lowering of fuel consumption in a furnace without a stock line and with a large ring scaffold are remark- able: Record of Furnace No. 2. Fig. 2.—Furnace No. 2, Blown Out relatively high in order to run the fur- nace at all. She was blown out or ee | November 11 on account of our accu- “’ i mulation of foundry iron. The dry blast had been used on her for 45 days, hardly long enough to get significant results from an old furnace. If the market had warranted keeping her in operation there is little doubt that she would have improved. Fig. 3 shows her original and Fig. 4 her wear, lines LA and tbe step on the bosh. Scaffold The effect of the dry blast on these J] two wornout furnaces was a matter of great interest to the management. The first effect was to make them more troublesome, but this was explained _ by later experience es due to the too oa oo sudden application of the dry blast. The improvement in their work was A slow by reason of the necessity of form- A ing gradually somewhat different in- 4 terior lines. In the light of recent ex- perience we are wondering whether No. 1 would not have done better had we the courage to put on a heavy bur- tac den in spite of the shelf on the bosh. Dry Blast on No. 1 Furnace Relined. No. 1 furnace was relined as shown in Fig. 5, there being practically no change in the lines, except that the crucible was made larger in diameter. The bosh is held Aver. stop- : J Lanier . Fuel per —_— Percentage pages per by two rows of plates with a bosh jacket above, on which ton of of iron of week in there is 9 in. of brick. The idea is to avoid the cooling 1907. iron.—Pounds. perweek. basiciron. minutes on the upper bosh (which seemed to cause the stock to —_ errr — ane aa oo settle irregularly during the previous blast), and still August .......... 2,4! 2,64! 2 : mrs a September ....... 2'503 © 638 78.2 441 to be able to maintain the lines of the bosh, so that basic October ica woe 2.927 82.2 336 ~=6 iron can be made if desired. The furnace was lighted November ........ 2,339 2,735 80.4 336 March 12, 1908. Ten days after the first iron was made December ........ 2,261 2,880 88.5 319 No. 2 furnace has since been repaired, but trade con- ditions have not been such as to render it advisable to blow in. We have not, therefore, had the opportunity to test the dry air blast on the newly lined furnace. the dry blast was applied. The moisture was lowered from 4.5 grains on Monday, March 24, to 1.5 grains on Tuesday. The revolutions of the engine were reduced 10 per cent. at the same time and the burden was in- creased 5 per cent. The effect was immediate. At 9 905 a.u., when dry blast was applied, the silicon in the iron was 2 per cent. At 5 p.m. it was 2.75 per cent. In- creased heat in the hearth was indicated by the appear- ance of tuyeres, slag and iron. The rate of driving decreased but little. That night the furnace stuck fast; the blast had to be thrown off to get her down, and she began to become cold. The moisture was then lowered to less than 1 grain per cubic foot. The next day the sticking continued and the pres- sure went up to 15 Ib., at times stopping the engine. The applying of cold blast did not lower the pressure. It Was necessary on these occasions to relieve the pressure entirely by throwing off the wind. The furnace would then settle; but the trouble reoccurred, sometimes at once, sometimes not until after 12 hr. The iron got hard and the cinder black, but both ran very hot. The burden was reduced 7.5 per cent., and the blast was increased, but that made matters worse. After five days of unsatisfactory work, we came to the conclusion that the furnace was underburdened. The sudden application of dry blast had greatly increased the heat of the hearth. This increased temperature, not be- “ A] =| | | M1 te. f | | | bogey | | rT 4 | | \ + Top | | 9 Bottom | | } . | | = 4 SS | ‘o | = | b 19-2 36 -~ 4 | | | \«---16'3 - <i > wat * * / a 2% L / ; Center Line . ences 1 of Tuyeres [| $ Center Line 7 8 | \ a —_ of Cinder Notch - SB t | Hearth Leyel/__[10 07-"—")_| ok SC; eusinttvetines i; ae Furnace No, 1, Blown In August 3, 1905. Furnace ing met by increased work in the form of heavier burden, necessarily worked high up in the furnace, causing stick- ing at the top of the bosh. to 32 per cent. one change. constant, since. The CO in the gas increased The burden was increased 15 per cent. in When this came to work, the pressure held and the furnace has been settling regularly If there was any one thing that proved the power of dry blast to us it was this experience in putting it on too fast. At Isabella they always take at least ten days, putting on one-quarter, and slowly burdening up, and so on. At Cardiff they followed Isabella practice. We have learned our lesson, and in the future will blow in with dry blast if possible, and, if not, will put it on very slowly. The next week, the fourth of the blast, the furnace made 1311 tons on 2090 Ib. of fuel. She has since, in several different weeks, made nearly 1700 tons a week on less than 1900 lb. of fuel, with heats under 900 degrees, and an ore mixture of 50 per cent. magnetic concentrates, and only 25 per cent. of Lake ore. She has made 1400 tons of iron, averaging 2 per cent. of silicon on less than 2200 lb. of fuel per ton, on the same mixture, but with 1000 degrees F. of blast temperature. The monthly rec- ords are as follows: THE IRON AGE No, November 11, October 1, 1908 Record of No. 1 Furnace. Fuel Blast per ton of ore. temperature. of iron. Product Percentage Yield per week. of foun- 1908 Tons. dry iron. Percent. Degrees F.. Pounds. RITE saad isarhig arene 1,392 3 57.5 882 2,061 ME! We ater oa 1,532 21 56.7 920 2,059 WE sinwcawaeee 1,451 77 57.1 968 2.131 Dl sae edkawee 1,501 32 57.4 907 2 006 April was practically the first month of the blast, and the early troubles occurred in its beginning. In May and June much high silicon foundry iron was made, some of it carrying more than 3 per cent. of silicon. In July there were a number of small stoppages, and one of more than 18 hr. Warwick is a merchant furnace, and the iron made must suit the order book. At the present time the changes of grade are consequently frequent, and the con- venience of the furnace is not considered. We have no comparative records on basic iron. The nearest is the record of forge iron. in 1898, when the ores were en- tirely different and the blast temperatures much higher. Yield of ore. Per cent. Product per week.—Tons Heat of blast Degrees F. Fuel per ton of iron.—Pounds. 246 61.21 1,254 2,378 10.0. > ” “s 9 “S . \ eo i | t\ ~ t Center Line . a Sale =r. of Tuyéres 7 ys i Center_Line — | 8 7 of Cinder Notch ake | 7- Hearth Level | 10.6 Y 1, Blown 1907. Out Fig. 5. Furnace No. 1, Relined, Blown In March 12, 1908. The best previous record of recent years on foundry iron is that of 1906, as follows: Yield of ore. Heat of blast week.—Tons. Per cent. Degrees F, iron.—Pounds. 1,016 57.3 1,016 2,633 Increase in Output and Saving in Fuel. We feel that, at a moderate estimate, we are saving 400 lb. of fuel per ton of iron and making 350 tons more iron a week, notwithstanding our lower blast tempera- ture and a much more refractory ore mixture. Although the fuel economy shown is not as great as that exhibited by the Isabella furnace, comparatively it is as good. It is a remarkable fact that all the furnaces using dry blast are showing about the same percentage of saving of coke and increase of product as compared with their previous work. The dry blast is by no means a cure all. Although it greatly increases the regularity of the furnace and en- ables it to be run closer, this very fact of doing away with the margin of safety, and running on a small slag vol- ume and a siliceous slag, makes the furnace more sensi- tive to changes of coke and variations in the character of the ore mixture, Details of Operation, The settling of No. 1 furnace is very uniform, and she keeps level on top. On changing from one kind of iron to Product per Fuel per ton of October 1, 1908 another we have irregularity, and occasionally have to slack her; otherwise she settles regularly. It is most un- usual for her to make a jump, even during a cast. The blast pressure varies from 9 to 10 lb. per square inch, according to variation in blast heat, and the use of three different kinds of coke. The dry blast plant is about 150 ft. from the No. 1 blowing engine, and the pipe is not protected from the sun. The temperature of the air arriving at the engine varies about 15 degrees in sum- ner, between day and night. This makes a difference of, roughly, 5 per cent. in the volume of air that the blowing engine delivers. The effect upon the furnace is to make her drive about 5 per cent. faster at night. On one or two occasions this faster driving has lowered the silicon in foundry iron; otherwise it has given no trouble. An at- tempt was made for a time to run the engine 5 per cent. faster on the day shift if the sun was shining, or 2.5 per cent. faster if the day was cloudy. But this was soon given up, as it was too complicated, like the changing of blast temperature to meet variations in humidity. On one occasion the dry blast plant was stopped from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, to make a change in the brine piping. The moisture rose from 0.63 to 4.08 grains per cubic feet of air. The silicon in the iron made dropped from 2.5 down to 2 per cent., and then went back to 2.75 per cent., when the moisture was reduced again below 1 grain per cubic foot. é Sometimes the first flush of cinder after a cast was gray and the next black. This was invariably followed by a cast much higher in phosphorus and somewhat higher in sulphur. There was no slip nor any indication of a slip on top, or in the gas, and we attributed the phe- nomenon to the occasional running ahead of the high phosphorus magnetic concentrates. This trouble was partly corrected by a rearrangement of the filling and the making of a slightly more basic slag. A steam re- ducing valve has caused many stops, and trouble with steam at the engine has reduced the tonnage for certain periods. When the furnace is running on foundry iron, the product is wonderfully uniform in silicon and sulphur as between one cast and another or different portions of the same cast. On basic iron we can safely carry our silicon from 0.2 to 0.5 per cent. without fear, and the sulphur can be held more constant than in a furnace blown with natural air. On two occasions, through a desire to lower fuel consumption, the furnace has been overburdened, and hard iron and buckshot have resulted; but a small amount of extra coke and a reduction of burden to the proper amount has brought the furnace back on good iron immediately. There are, of course, two ways of running a furnace: Virst, carefully, to make a regular grade of iron; second, up to the limit, to make large tonnage and reduce fuel consumption, without reference to maintaining a given grade of iron. Running in the first way with the dry blast, it is possible, with ordinary care in keeping the stock regular, to make every cast of the grade desired. Running in the second way, some variation in silicon ‘and sulphur occurs in the product of the dry blast, but not nearly so much as with natural air, irregular in moisture. The gas stays high in CO (up to 26 per cent.) on ac- count of the use of 50 per cent. of magnetic ore. The temperature of escaping gases on a 70-ft. furnace aver- ages 300 degrees F. on basic and 500 degrees F. on foun- dry iron. On account of the regular settling, the flue dust must necessarily be less; but our ore mixture has been so changed that it is difficult to make comparisons. We are inclined to think that it was a mistake to make the stock line so small in diameter, since, with the fine mixture now used, the amount of flue dirt made is considerable. It varies from time to time, even on the same mixture. For several days the amount made is excessive, as if the furnace were channeled; then it decreases again. Explanations of Dry Blast Kesults, Many furnace managers who have seen the Warwick dry blast plant have asked how we explain the results obtained. The following hypothesis satisfies us and may be of interest to others: Of all the heat value of coke that goes into a furnace THE IRON AGE 009 only about one-fourth is available for heating the hearth, about one-half is sensible heat in the gas. about one- quarter reduces the ore, some is required to carbu-ize the iron. Now the hearth is the only limit, the only place where the ordinary furnace requires more heat. It was estimated for years that dry blast would save only 3 per cent. of coke, but the fact was neglected that this 3 per cent. of the total fuel would be saved to the hearth alone, and that this would amount to four times as much, that is, 12 per cent. of the heat of the hearth, and as the hearth is the only weak place, the efficiency of the fur- nace would be increased 12 per cent. It is like a chain with one weak link. You increase the weight, say, 3 per cent. of the total chain, but put all the increase of metal in the weak link, and increase the strength of the chain 12 per