The Iron Age 1912-01-11: Vol 89 Iss 2

Le y FE Established 1855 New York, January 11, 1912 Vol. 89: No. 2 Casting Steel and Alloys in a Vacuum While casting metals in vacuo is an old prin- ciple, it has not not been developed to any extent until quite recently. Oc- cluded gases and those segregated in large enough volumes to form miniature bubbles or the larger blowholes, are only beginning to be recognized as the real injurious elements in metals of. all kinds. The oxygen, nitrogen and other elements that form these gases, enter into combination with the elements that are parts of the various alloys from which castings are // made and form oxides, nitrides, etc., and thus detrimentally affect the strength, wearing quali- ties and other properties that it is desirous to ob- tain in the various metal parts that are manufac- tured. By melting met- als, or casting them in a vacuum, these gases can be almost entirely re- moved and the mechan- ical properties of metals or alloys greatly im- proved. This principle is fast growing in favor and therefore, it may not be very long before casting in a vacuum will be quite common. A vacuum in connec- tion With mBlting metals has-been uSed- to some extent with very good results. Some metals’ are very brittle sub- stances and when worked by ordinary methods, cannot be rolled and drawn. When melted in a vacuum, however, they have been drawn into wiré for various purposes. Ex- amples of such metals are tungsten and tanta- Machines and Apparatus that Have Been or Are Now in Daily Use—The Ad- vanced State of the Art of Die Casting BY E. F, LAKE \? Fig. 1—Teeming Ingots in a Vacuum Chambet! 119g ae ee eee lum, which are made in- to wire for incandescent lamps. Another metal that very difficult to melt in the open air is magnesium and this has been readily melted in a vacuum furnace. This is accomplished by building an_ air-tight chamber around the melting pot or furnace and pumping out all of the air. An electric cur- rent then generates the heat necessary for melt- ing the metal and no oxidation can take place, as the oxygen has been removed, likewise, the nitrides, sulphides, phos- phides, etc., do not form and the metal has a-° more dense, homogene- ous gfain than ‘can be given it by any other process. No oxidizing effect can, therefore, be given the metal when a good vacuum is obtained and the reducing effect of the atmosphere in the furnace is very slight, even at the highest tem- principle of casting in vacuo is very old in this country, the first record- ed invention of appa- ratus for this purpose was that patented by H. V. Barnum, in 1879, as shovgn in Fig. 2. Here, A is vacuum chart- ber, and B a door through which any kind of a mold can be in- serted. This door cov- ers the whole end of OE ae aS a ee ae eee | a Sas eee Pepi OER Cchortegs Bot yaa g : itty Tae wipe beats ee » é 5 ras n ig —t a HITTITE UZ Ss Ua Yi 4 THE IRON AGE January 11, 1912 | WAS | L | ' { Dn YT) T HH rKS HE a Yj | l; 77 (= Fig. 2—Apparatus for Casting in a Mold in a Vacuum y 4 p- (Z CLR valve E, which is made of some refractory material, is raised by lever C out of valve seat F, which is also made of refractory material, and this allows the molten metal tc flow from pot D through spout C and into the mold. Spout C is made fan-shaped so the vacuum may cause the escape of most of the gases out of the molten metal as it flows over the surface. Casting Steel Ingots in a Vacuum Practically this same principle is used for casting steel! ingots by the Ellis May Steel Syndicate, Ltd., of England. This apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. The vacuum chamber A, is sunk below the floor line and holds twelye ingot molds, B, placed in a circle. The ladle of molten metal, D, is brought to the vacuum chamber and located in the center of the cover over spout C. The apparatus is ar- ranged so that when ladle D is dropped into position it makes the vacuum chamber air-tight and the air is then pumped out of vacuum chamber A. When this has been done the spout underneath the ladle is made to revolve from one ingot mold to another until all have been poured. While the metal is flowing through the spout, any gases that may be in the molten metal are supposed to escape. It is said the pipe is thus considerably reduced. In Fig. 4 is shown an American device for casting in- gots in vacuo. In this the ingot mold and ladle are con- structed in such a way that when the ladle of molten metal is placed on top of the ingot mold, it seals it air- tight. To remove the air from ingot mold A, a tank much larger than the mold is located at B and vacuum pump C brings about a vacuum in tank B. Ingot mold A is con- nected by piping to tank B and when the ladle of molten metal D is lowered to the top of the ingot, ready to teem, (1) ; a 1 iss SSX SA EES ~ RL SS Fig. 3—Equipment for Pouring Sand Molds in a Vacuum. january II, 1912 valve E is turned on and into tank B is exhausted the air in the interior of ingot mold A. The vactum pump is kept work- ig all the time the ingot mold is being Glled. Thus, while the molten metal is falling into the mold and flowing around to different parts, the gases are carried away. With this arrangement a universal ‘oint makes it easy to connect to each ingot mold in a short time and thus very little time is lost. Casting Sand Molds in a Vacuum nother apparatus for casting sand is in vacuo was brought out in 1893; construction and method of operating shown in Fig. 3. In this, A is the vacuum mber; B, the top which lifts off admit the mold; C, the ladle container, hich is also a vacuum chamber, and D, e ladle. To operate it, cover E is swung ack, as shown in the upper left hand view, vhile the ladle of molten metal is lowered into its holder F. The cover E is then swung over the top and it fits air-tight, as Fig. shown in the other views. When the air has been exhausted from chambers A and C, ladle D is turned over in its trunnions H H, and pours the molten metal into the mold. In the ladle cover at I and in the top if the mold chamber at J J, are located glass plates so the operator can see how the ladle is working and when the mold has ~been filled. By pouring molds in a vacuum chamber in this man- ner, the metal more readily flows to all corners of the cavity, filling all interstices and thus producing sharp, \ ' ’ ‘ \ \ ' ' Fig. 5—Exhausting Air from thee Die Mold THE IRON AGE 121 4—Exhausting Air from Each Ingot as Teemed clean castings. The vacuum proves a stronger attraction, so to speak, than the molten metal for oxygen, nitrogen and other gases and hence as the metal is being poured into the mold, most of the gases are drawn out of the metal. This overcomes any tendency toward the forma- tion in the casting of blow-holes, gas bubbles, air pockets, cold shuts and like imperfections and the losses from bad castings are greatly reduced. While exhausting the air from vacuum chambers A a and C, the gases My and vapors rising 7 f from the molten g/ metal are carried Oo _ away and this ren- ders the metal dead by removing all ten- dencies toward ebul- lition. By removing the gases from the metal, a more dense and fine grain is given the castings and as the mole- cules that form the mass are not sepa- rated by these gases they are held to- gether with a great cohesive force. Thus, vacuum cast- ings excel ordinary castings by having greater strength, wearing qualities and other mechan- ical properties, and by being more homogeneous, soft and ductile. If desired, an at- tachment could be easily put on cover E by which the met- al in the mold may be stirred by a disk, located on the end of a bar, passing through the center of the cover and at- tached to a lever on the outside. © Such an arrangement is shown in the lower right hand view of Fig. 3 It wouid hasten the pouring, i 7 . ; a 122 THE IRON AGE as the ladle is turned over as soon as the gases cease to rise from the molten metal. Stirring would bring all parts of the molten metal subject to the vacuum condition and thus quicken the-escape of the gases. To facilitate this, a fusible plate is located at K to separate the ladle chamber from the mold chamber. Thus, the air can be exhausted from each separately and the gases drawn away from the ladle without interfering with the mold. As soon as the molten metal strikes this plate it melts and allows the metal to flow through, as shown in the lower left hand view. Application of Vacuum to Die Casting ‘The -most..successful and largest application of the principle of casting in vacuum és-in~conmection “with ‘the manufacture of die-casting. As permanent molds that are made-of metal are used to give the castings their shape, «tt ° ¥ {Ui a ! i li UH Wi N N N N N N N SS SSIES ESSN} pape SSS Soe WSN SSS Sa Sse ead Fig. 6—Machine with Vacuum Chamber in Which the Die Mold Operates Automatically a vacuum can be established in their cavity without using a vacuum chamber, or the die-mold can be located inside of a vacuum chamber without specially constructing the mold; fear of injuring it, or altering its ability to make perfect castings. They can be made to operate auto- matically either inside or outside of a vacuum chamber and very little additional apparatus is required on the die- casting machines. The vacuum overcomes faults that it is very difficult to get rid of in any other way when squirt- ing molten metal into metal molds under pressure. When this is done in the presence of air, the continual churning that the die-casting alloy gets, both in the melt- ing pot and when being squirted into the mold, causes it to absorb more or less of the oxygen, nitrogen or other gases in the air, and generally it is more, These gases _ These bubbles usually form on the interior of die-casting, _ be smooth and have a perfect appearance. This is due to January 11, ‘912 form compounds with the various metals composing die. casting alloys which greatly weaken them and they als, tend to fill them with gas bubbles and occluding «ase and make it spongy and porous, while the exterior may the fact that the molten metal, squirted into the mold has a tendency to cling to the metal surface in the cavity. tha forms the outer surface of the castings. The large majority of die-castings that are made ow. side of a vacuum are of this nature and one has but to break them open to see these miniature blow-holes or ga bubbles. They can very plainly be seen with the aid of }, ordinary magnifying glass. When these are present, jt means that some of:the molecules that form the mass are separated by the: gases and their inherent -cohesive force is interrupted. ‘Thus, the mechanical strength is entirely eel th LL ll —— TLE. destroyed at this point. .This, together with pip niene compounds that are formed with the metals, have cor clusively proved that such gases as oxygen, nitrogen an hydrogen are the most injurious e that can bt present in metals and it is therefore impgrative that thet should be reduced to the very smallest percentages if ca ings are to be made that have any strength properties. To establish a condition of vacuum when manufactir ing die-castings, several forms of machines attach pipi™ directly to the casting cavity in the die-molds and conned this piping to an air pump. This removes the air fro® the mold just before squirting in the molten metal. This insures that every corner and crevice jn the die-mold 5 completely filled with molten metal and good sharp ca ings with perfect exteriors are obtained. The losses fro* January II, 1912 bad castings are also reduced to a mini- mum, as air pockets do not form to pre- vent the molten: metal from flowing to certain parts of the mold. A die-casting ma- chine that uses this principle is shown in Fig. 5. In the up- ‘ per view, die-mold \, which is in three irts, is connected y flexible hose B to air-pump C. In this position, the die mold is ready to re- ceive the molten metal that forms the casting. In the lower view, the mold is shown as it " igs opened for the ejection of the cast- ing. As will be seen, the outer. half of the mold is located on a carriage that rocks away from THE IRON ' i r SU ae en es AGE 123 A Ap taped bbe gp by add bh poh the inner half of the mold; while the upper part of the inner half is raised away from the low- er part. This ma- chine is driven by pulley and belt and all of its movements are performed auto- matically by the aid of gears and cams. All the attendant has to do, therefore, is to keep the melt- ing pot filled and carry away the cast- ings. While the ex- traction of the air from the die-mold, as shown in Fig. 5, has many good fea- tures, it is not pos- sible to extract any of the gases that may be contained in the molten metal. In order to obtain a more complete vacuum, therefore, a die-casting machine like the vertical one shown in Fig. 6, was designed and this is in daily use. Here, a compara- tively large vacuum chamber, A, forms the body of the machine and the melting pot D, with its gas-heating fur- nace C, is located over it in a very similar manner to that of the sand mold casting apparatus shown in Fig. 2, and the ingot casting apparatus shown in Fig. 1. In this case the driving shaft B, with its pulley R, and the cams that control the movements of the machine, are located in the base, below the vacuum chamber. The die-mold E is located just below the melting pot and inside vacuum chamber A. To make such a machine successful, therefore, the mold must be opened and closed; the molten metal squirted in, and the casting ejected from the mold automatically, and that is the manner in which this machine operates. The mold opening and closing auto- matically, inside of this vacuum chamber, no air is allowed Fig. 7—Air Suction Combined with Air Compression in Die Casting to collect in the casting cavity, even when the mold is opened to eject the casting. Any gases that may be in the metal when entering the die-mold, are inclined to be drawn through the vent openings of the mold and out into the vacuum chamber. A more complete vacuum can thus be obtained than with the principle shown in Fig. 5. In the latter, the air must be pumped out of the mold before every casting is made. And again, owing to the difficulty of making the die-mold air-tight on the parting surfaces, a high vacuum cannot be realized in the mold. If it were possible to make these surfaces air-tight, it would be ex- ceedingly difficult to part the mold for the removal of the casting. vet placing the die-mold inside a vacuum chamber, as in 124 can be maintained in this chamber. By milling out sec- tions, one or two thousandths of an inch deep, on the part- ing surfaces of the mold, the mold will be vented, so a continuous vacuum can be maintained in its casting cavity. The mold is then easily parted and these vent openings are not large enough to fill with metal and form fins on the castings. In addition to causing the metal to be drawn into all crevices of the mold the molten metal is forced into the mold with from 80 to 100 lb. per square inch pres- sure. This tends still further to refine the grain of the castings. In the left hand view of Fig. 6, the mold is shown closed; but when the double cams F turn over, rollers G on rods H operate levers I and thus pull the halves of the die-mold apart. As there is always a tendency of molten metal dripping when the die-mold is pulled away, or parted, a drip deflector J is immediately pushed under the nozzle and causes any drippings to fall into pocket T. This prevents molten metal from spoiling the. finished cast- ings. A second air cylinder L moves Brush M over to brush out the casting cavity in the die-mold. To force the metal into the mold when it is closed, valve N is pulled away from its seat in the nozzle opening and this closes another seat above it at O, where the metal enters the pas- sage from the melting pot. When opening O is closed, plunger P is forced down and this squirts the metal, con- tained in the passage, into the die-mold. All of these motions are timed so the various operations will follow each other continuously and manufacture cast- ings without any manual labor except that of filling the melting pot. They are turned out by this vacuum machine much faster than they can be made by any hand-operated * machine. In fact, as fast as the metal will solidify in the mold, the casting is thrown out and the mold closed for an- _other without any lost time. As the mold is opened and the castings ejected, they fall into deflector spout R, which throws them into pocket S, and they are then easily taken away from the machine. This is doubtless the most perfect manner in which castings of any kind are made, and it shows the hight of the development of the die-casting process and the perfection that has been reached in casting methods. With it more castings can be made in a day and the losses from bad castings are lower than with any other method that has been devised for casting metals. In addi- tion to that, the castings are made with an absolutely smooth outer surface and the necessity of machining in any of the various ways is done away with. Castings that go to make up the moving, as well as stationary, parts of various machines and instruments are taken directly from the cast- ing machine and assembled in their respective places. A horizontal machine of this same type, fastens one half of the die-mold to the nozzle and locates the other half on a carriage that slides back and forth. Thus, the back half is drawn away from the forward half to eject the casting, the vacuum is established by two tanks, in which a continuous vacuum is maintained, located on each side of the mold. When the half mold moves to the closed position, connections are made to these vacuum tanks and the air is sucked out of the cavity of the die-mold. The exact form -of the machine is immaterial as long as the vacuum is successfully created in the casting machine. Still another form of die-casting machine that removes the air from the mold before filling it with molten metal is shown in Fig. 7. This is a hand-operated machine con- connected to an air pipe at F. It does not produce so good castings as the machine shown in Fig. 6, but is being suc- cessfully used in the manufacture of die-castings. The two halves of the mold are drawn apart by raising lever D. Then a ladle, like that shown at A, is filled with metal at an ordinary melting furnace and placed inside of a cavity above the die-mold. Lever D is then brought down to close the mold. After that, a valve is opened that takes the air from the mold through outlet C and pipe F, and the ladle full of metal is then turned upside down. Com- pressed air is next turned on by opening valve B and the metal that has been dumped out of ladle A is forced into the casting cavity at H, by this incoming current of air. The mold is then opened and lever I is pushed in to force the casting out of the mold, with ejector rods E. This is the only machine that uses suction to draw the air out in combination with compression to force the metal into the mold...As this machine is only hand-operated, it is much slower than the machine shown in Fig. 6, and the incom- gases and entirely overcome any good effects that might THE IRON AGE January 11, 1:12 be given the metal by the partial vacuum in the m |q With any of these die-casting machines, it is not p: s8j- ble to cast metals having a melting point that is over 290 deg. Fahr. This is largely due to the fact that no meta! or material has been found that will withstand the actior of any higher temperature and at the same time have weai ing qualities that will enable one die-mold to make enc igh castings to be commercially successful. Consequently. castings with the strength of the bronzes and steels cannot be obtained in die-castings. Die-castings, therefore, are always made from the low melting, white metal alloys, and the yellow metals or any of the iron products canno: ‘be successfully manufactured into castings in this way. The white metal alloys, however, can be made with a strength that is equal to yellow brass castings and where such * strength or wearing qualities will suffice, no better or cheaper method has been devised for manufacturing cast- ings that will do away with machine work. Parts that can be gotten into shape by the punch press or similar methods are much cheaper than those die-casted Many intricate pieces, however, that cannot be punched out and would necessitate machining, if cast in sand molds. or forged, are much cheaper when made by the die-casting process. The thing that has made it possible to manufac- ture die-castings of the strength of yellow brass is the ap- plication of the vacuum principle to die-casting machines, To construct a die-casting machine and molds that wil! stand a high enough pressure on the incoming metals to make dense, sound and strong castings would be very ex- pensive, but by adapting the vacuum principle to these ma- chines, this has been accomplished at a cost that is not prohibitive. : All kinds of castings are made so much better by cast- ing them in vacuo, as well as by melting the metals in a vacuum, that this principle is bound to increase in com- mercial use and doubtless vacuum castings will become more commonly made and used in the future. Improve- ments will probably be made in the methods of casting sand molds in a vacuum that will make these cheap enough to be a commercial success, and where any kind of a permanent mold can be used, castings for machine parts or for various kinds of apparatus and instruments can be profitably made in a vacuum. The Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association The regular monthly meeting of the Philadelphia Foun- drymen’s Association, held at the Manufacturers’ Club, in that city, on the evening of January 3, marked the twen- tieth annual meeting of the organization. H. L. Haldeman presided. The election of officers for the current year was held, resulting as follows: Thomas Devlin, Thomas Dev- lin Mfg. Company, president; Elmer E. Brown, E. E. Brown & Co., vice-president; Josiah Thompson, J. Thomp- son & Co., treasurer; Howard Evans, J. W. Paxson Com- pany, secretary. Executive Committee—Walter Wood, R D. Wood & Co.; Thomas M. Eynon, Eynon-Evans Mig. ‘Company; H. L. Haldeman, Pulaski Iron Company; Wal- ter T. MacDonald, Schaum & Uhlinger, and Walter S. Bickley, Penn Steel Casting & Machine Company, Chester, Pa. Trustees—Thomas Devlin, Josiah Thompson and Howard Evans. Official chemist, George C. Davis. H. Caird, chief electrical engineer Excello Arc Lamp Company, New York and Philadelphia, made an address on “Foundry Illumination with Reference to the Flaming Arc Lamps.” He illustrated points in connection with his subject by elaborate blackboard sketches and made prac- tical demonstrations with an Excello flaming arc lamp. He outlined the many advantages of flaming arc lighting in general foundries and machine shops and ave a brief history of the development of the various typés of flaming lamps. Comparisons were made between the “clock-work” type and those involving other principles. Over 200,000 kxcello flaming arc lamps have been installed ‘in this country, he said, which have had a record of not having given any calls for trouble since their installation. Following adjournment an elaborate luncheon was served in the club dining-room, after which Secretary Evans related some of the incidents in connection with the formation of the association. Josiah Thompson, one of the originators of the association; H. L. Haldeman, Arthur Simonson and others made brief addresses. January II, 1912 New 32-In. Gear Turning Lathe For finishing steel gear blanks and also cast-iron ones, at increased speeds and feeds, the Cincinnati Pulley Ma- hinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, has brought out ‘a ,2-in. gear turning lathe. The tool is heavily built and sistruction is rigid throughout, which enables the heaviest cuts of high-speed tools to be taken. Front and rear views of the ma- hine are given in Figs. nd 2, respectively. wo independent tool es are provided, one the front and the er at the rear of the hine. These _ slides e mounted on rails, ch are bolted to ex- sions en each side of bed. The slide on ne side of the machine s a power longitudinal feed, and the other has power cross feed, an arrangement which en- ables three cuts to be en simultaneously. slides also have s and longitudinal ind adjustments. The rive is of the belt type, wer being transmitted m the countershaft to Fig. 2 e two-step cone pulley ated at the right end of the machine, a8 shown in Fig. 1. \ train of large spur gearing having a ratio of 26 to 1 transmits power from the driving pulley to the spindle, vhich has four speeds, ranging from 9 to 16.5 r.p.m. The eed variation is secured by a two-speed countershaft and two-step cone pulley. The spindle, which 1s 7 in. in diam- eter, is made of hardened crucible steel and is bored its entire length. The steel main spindle driving gear is in- sed. The face of this gear is 4 in. wide and the pitch { The feeding movement is derived from the cone pulley shaft through spur gearing, which drives the feed shaft, as strated in Fig. 2. The feed shaft actuates the longitu- dinal slide above it, and the clutch lever and the clutch, shown to the right, are used to engage and disengage the Fig. 1—Front View of a New 32-In. Gear Turning Lathe Built by Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. feed. The three-step cone pulleys, at the right end ot Fig. 2, have a belt running over them, which ‘provides the connection to the opposite side of the machine. The feed transmission for the slide having the power cross feed is clearly indicated in Fig. ‘1. THE IRON AGE The following table gives the principal dimensions and specifications of the machine: Swing of lathe, in. vamowte ts ea i ‘ Sa Maxinium longitudinal feed, in... . 1/16 Number of spindle speeds......... . le Minimum spindle speed, r. p. m... 9 Maximum spindle speed, r. p. m.... .- 16.5 Ratio of spindle driving gear....... 5h -»..6tol Number of longitudinal feed changes...... : ; oe 3 Rear View of the Lathe Minimum longitudinal feed, in..... i“ i “dss vewe eee Maximum longitudinal feed, in... Soh teawe 1/16 PEC MORE FUG Wide cotoncwscéber ; . 0.018 Maximum cross feed, in : wis 0 oe 2 6 Minimum countershaft speed, r. p. m... 290 Maximum courtersha{t speed, r. p. m..... 350 Diameter of countershaft pulleys, in a4 20 Face width of countershaft pulleys, in.. , , 6 Width of driving belt, in Weight of machine, Ib ‘ P . ‘s 5 alan ae ee ce® een .. -6,500 All the worms and worm wheels operating the feeding mechanism, as well as all the pinions, are of steel and ‘are entirely incased to protect them from dirt and chips. Work on the new building of the David Ranken School of Mechanical Trades at St. Louis, Mo., which is to%cost about $300,000 and will triple the present capacity of the e school, has been begun. The building will be of brick and granite and will be in three sections, respectively 83x 193 ft., 49x 113 ft. and 49x 113 ft. all three stories. It will be equipped for the executive offices and the bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing and machine shops. It will also ‘con- tain the gymnasium and baths, there being 38 reoms in all in the structure. The Geo. E. Cutter Company, South Bend. Ind., has absorbed the Lang Electric Company, Chicago, manufacturer of switchboards and electric appliances of a general character. The the Cincinnati Pulley Machinery Officers elected following the merger are: Warren Ripple, secretary and treasurer. The Messrs. Ripple were officers of the Lang Company, and Mr. Cutter, who was president. of the Cutter Company, will represent the company in the East. The principal office remains at South Bend for the -pres- ent. SP prerea mm-ean aaty Plant of the Best Manufacturing Company Solutions of the Problems of Building Arrangement and Equipment at Oakmont, Pa., for Orderly and Economical Making of Valves, Pipe Fittings, Etc. At Oakmont, some 12 miles up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh, is located the new plant of the Best Mfg. Company, devoted to the manufacture of valves, pipe fittings, pipe bends and special castings. occupied by the plant lies between the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the bank of the Allegheny River and is served by a spur track and by its own special station, Edgewater. The property owned by the company is indicated in the accompanying block plan. At the pres- ent time the part enclosed by the fence is in use, as well as a section to the north of A street, where a group of houses has been built for the workmen and a rest house and athletic field has been provided. Materials come in and finished products go out over the spur to the railroad, the terminals entering the pipe yard, the foundry stock yard, the machine shop and the foundry, as shown. From the foundry stock yard, the raw mate- rials, such as coke, pig iron and limestone, pass to the charging elevators for the cupolas which are located about the center of the foundry. Lumber for patterns, after + re) +- S 9 + The ground . with the office building at the south end. On the north and west sides of the foundry is the yard for the storag of flasks. Also on the north side of the foundry ure located three pattern storage buildings. On the south side of the foundry is the stock yard for storage of raw ma- terial, with the power house beyond. The lumber: shed is located southeast of the machine shop, and to the east of the building is located a small storage building for sup- plies and tools. It is seen that the arrangement is thus convenient for the handling of work. Patterns and flasks come to the foundry from the side next the molding floor, while the stock for the cupolas is located on the side of the foundry nearest them. The cleaning room for castings is in the end of the foundry next the machine skip, and the cast- ings are taken direct to the main bay ofthe shop, where they are stored until needed for magni or to the casting storage section in one corner the shop. Cars are shunted about the plant as may be needed and are loaded in the machine shop or foundry by overhead trav- be ee ee ee ae Pipe Yord Bis cnn ap edie Sper tenalives tenes eee Cee eae ee ee Lumber-E_]) Railroad water Station ee ee E ee ee a a ee ss J General Arrangement of the Works of the Best Mfg. Company at Oakmont, Pa.” storage in the shed provided for that purpose until it is partially seasoned, is passed to the drying kiln for complet- ing the process. All parts of the plant proper are established well above high water mark. The property outside the fence, how- ever, is at a lower elevation, affording a place for the dis- posal of foundry refuse for many years to come. Besides the main switch tracks, an industrial railway is provided for the handling of heavy material on truck cars, and this, supplemented by plentiful provision of cranes, enables the handling of heavy pieces quickly and at a minimum of expense. As seen from the general plan of the plant, the main buildings are the machine shop and the foundry, which are placed at right angles to each other. At the east side of the machine shop is the pipe yard and pipe storage shed eling cranes. The size of the plant can be apprehended by the following enumeration. The machine shop is 4? ft. in length by 128 ft. in width; the fo 320 ft. » length by 176 ft. in width, and the powes house 128 ft in length by 55 ft. in width. Machine slop, foundry and power house are all of modern steel frame constructiol with brick curtain walls and cement tile roofs on steel trusses. They are provided with exceptionally high w™ dows. Foundry At the north side of the grounds are three corrugated steel pattern sheds, each having three floors, for. the stot age of patterns. The lower floor is arranged for tht heavier patterns and above are racks, three shelves tv * rack, all lettered and numbered, and with patterns 4 126 January II, 1912 anged according to size and each one card indexed so that its position can be specified on any job ticket. The distance from the pattern shed to the foundry is compar- atively short, 60 ft., and between the foundry and these sheds is the flask storage yard with ‘industrial tracks lead- ing from the yard into the foundry and turntables allow- ing any flask or pattern to be transferred easily and quickly } any part of the foundry. The foundry is arranged in three bays, that on the north side being devoted to the cleaning of castings, the repair and alterations of flasks and the molding of the smaller patterns. In the center bay is the location of the floor molds, where large pieces are cast, and in the south hav is found at the west end a space for small valve cast- in the middle, the cupolas, and at the east end, the room. On the mezzanine floor back of the cupola is chemist’s laboratory. On the second floor is the charg- ng platform, and west,@f.this is located the brass foundry. Molding machines used wherever they are thought be of advantage. etal flasks are provided, specially shaped to the patterns gar standard work, with metal core boxes for the smallergork. Of the installation, that in the core room is a 5- girder crane, made by the Mor- gan Engineering Cong while over the pit and loam floor are a 15-ton and @ 30-ton girder crane of the same make. Along the side of this floor next the cupolas are two 5-ton jib traveling cranes to serve the ladles and han- dle the lighter local traffic. Over the north bay are a 10- ton Morgan and a 10-ton Whiting crane. In the floor molding for large special castings the lower half is molded in the floor, while a flask is used for the top half. Loam, molds and swept-up forms are used for large pipe and other castings, this work all being done in the center bay, and being of necessity hand work, since no two pieces are alike. In the north bay are made the molds for the smaller castings and standard fittings. Tabor compression machines, rollover machines and jarring ma- chines are all in use with standard patterns, flasks and facing boards, to secure rapidity and accuracy. Flasks are shaped specially to fit the. patterns in or- der to give a firmer mold to save in the amount of sand needed. The flask altering shop at the west end of the north bay is pro- vided with a swing cut-off saw, a rip saw and a drill press, each driven by an individual motor. At the east end of the north bay cast- ings are cleaned by means of hand work, pneumatic chipping ham- mers, tumbling barrels and the sand blast. The two cupolas in the south bay have capacities of 12 and 30 tons per hour, and are charged from a second-story floor served by a hydraulic plunger elevator. On this floor is also located the brass foundry, where castings are made for small valves and the brass parts of the large valves, also Monel metal castings. Schwartz furnaces are used here, supplied with oil fuel and air blast and ar- ranged like Bessemer steel con- verters, to tilt and deliver their charges into the ladles. setween the cupolas and the core room are three large core ovens which are shown in an accompanying drawing. These are heated by natural gas with an arrangement for coke firing if necessary and are served by the 5-ton crane which runs over the core bay. The trucks from the ovens can, however, be run out far enough to reach under the cranes in the main bay. In the manufacture of the “Best” products the core oven is an important feature. For some of the smaller castings a green sand core is used, but for the complicated shapes and for all of the larger work, the core must be carefully baked to obtain the right degree of hardness. Machine Shop The location and dimensions of the machine shop are shown on the block plan. The part to the north of the dotted line is used for machining operations and that to THE IRON AGE 127 the south for pipe bending and peening. Material comes in from the foundry and is deposited in the storage space for castings, either in the middle bay or in the northwest corner. Flanges travel along the north end of the shop, first to the boring and tapping machines, then to the facing lathes, then to the drill presses and on to stock. Large fittings and valves and special castings are taken care of on the boring mills, planers and lathes. Small valve bodies are machined on turret lathes next to the boring mills. Smaller parts and fittings are taken care of on the lathes on the east side of the shop. All valves are assem- bled on the fitting floor in the northeast corner. From here they are taken to the testing press and then go to storage, the larger valves on the stock space on the floor and the smaller ones in the stock bins in the gallery. Electric drive ‘is used throughout, the larger tools hav- ing individual motors and the smaller ones being driven in gangs from counter-shafting. The main shafts and the counter-shaftings are supported from the steel columns and arranged to permit of belt driving to both main and side bays easily. Some of the tools in the equipment are a large open-side planer, a vertical and a horizontal boring mill, a bank of smaller boring mills, turret lathes and ordinary lathes, large and small tapping machines, doubje- head facing lathes, multiple-spindle drills, single drills, a gang of pipe threading machines, and other special tools. The lathes are of various makes, some from the New Haven Mfg. Company, some from the Pond Machine Tool Works, and some from the R. K. LeBlond Machine Com- pany. Small boring mills are of the make of the Betts Machine Company; multi-spindle drills from Manning, Maxwell & Moore; tapping machines from Baker Brothers; drill presses from the Niles-Bement-Pond Company and from the works of Prentice Brothers Company, and radial drills from the Prentice Brothers and from the Niles- Bement-Pond works at Ridgway, Pa. The big boring mills and the planer are from the Niles Tool Works, and the open-side planer from the Detrick & Harvey Company. Pipe Yard Alongside Machire Shop Particularly interesting are the jib cranes, supplied with ‘a 2-ton electric hoist, made by the Shepard Electric Crane & Hoist Company. One of these cranes is supplied to serve each of the larger tools, and one for two or more of the smaller tools. A 3-ton girder crane also runs over the assembling and small lathe department in the north end of the east bay. The main bay is served by a 5§-ton, a 10-ton, and a 15-ton Morgan electric overhead traveling crane. The pipe shop has a 15-ton crane of the same make and description. Above the cranes is a row of flaming arcs for general illumination for the main bay. At each individual tool is an incandescent lamp on a flexible cord and a support of pipe or iron rod which can be moved to bring the light to any position desired, or the lamp can easily be taken off and held by hand for closer inspection. The combination has proved effective. ee eer eee a2 = > rik ; ip send os. iota. Sak gos. Tah Re in + oem ok, -— * Po GEM, 5 VIB as = ' Rel dae ew eat het hacen sell : i os ww arte : nate ma fei ¥ nae me ne es ae re soins oe PT ad ink - ake pH sey ’ eee | a Bo atria a ising > 7 . 20 ce * aba ES papi te oan! i “i ; ica eorrin* +2 65a Rats sR. ad * 128 : THE IRON AGE Hydraulic pressure for test ing purposes is obtained up to 800 lb. per square inch from the lines serving the elevators, and up to 1500 lb. from a Goulds’ triplex pump provided especial- ly for the purpose. Pressures up to 10,000 lb. are obtained by means of hand pumps of spe- cial design. In the pipe shop at the south end of the building are carried on the operations of making pipe bends, attaching flanges to pipe by the Van Stone method and the shrinking and peening processes, as well as welding steel nozzles on pipe for head- 5 ers. Pipe for bends is filled Me mt 8'O5 with sand by gravity frem an overhead hopper. The ends are then plugged, the pipe is placed in the furnace and that portion which is to be bent is heated to the proper temperature. The pipe is then placed on the bending table, where, by means of an elec- tric. winch, it is bent around appropriately placed pins and forms, to give the exact curve and angle required. The purpose of the sand filling is to prevent the pipe from buck- ling while being bent, and after the bend is made the sand is emptied into a tank below floor level, from which it is blown upward to the gravity hopper. Nearby is located a smaller furnace where the ends of pipes are heated for receiving the Van Stone joints. Wien heated to the proper temperature, the pipe is clamped in a machine and the end rolled over at a right angle to the center line. After the other end is put through the same process of heating and rolling, the pipe is swung in a double head lathe and the roll-over or lap faced at exactly 90 degrees to the pipe. The lathe used in facing the Van Stone laps is 48 ft. between heads, so that it would be possible to face the flanges on a pipe or header of that length. As pipe may now be obtained in lengths of about 40 ft. and in sizes up to and including 12 in., a Longitudinal January I1, 19 2 Elevation and Section of the Pipe Bending Furnaces maximum elimination of j0imts im piping work is possible, especially in connection «with welded headers. Near the Van Stone-«machine is the welding depart- ment, which is principally occupied in attaching «steel noz- zles to pipe. The hole for the nozzle is cut out by the welding flame, and the nozzle fitted to conform to the surface of the pipe. The flame is then applied to the joint between the nozzle and -the pipe, obtaining a smooth weld. The welded nozzles are commonly provided in. construct- ing headers. For the regular fittings solid wood patterns are used, pine being the material for special fittings and mahogany for the standard patterns up to 10 in. in diameter. The flanges are bound with brass and the facing plates have iron rims. For the standard patterns iron core boxes are used, and for sizes from % to 2% in., for unions and other similar castings, metal patterns are made and generally used in gangs. The pattern shop extends across the north end of the gallery and along the two sides about half the length of the shop. On each of the side galleries the machinery is et epee ty tT ta Looking North in the Machine Shop, Showing Hanger Supports for Shafting anuary II, 1912 _Floor Line _ - 5/85" ~ Cross Section of the Pipe Bending Furnaces nstalled in duplicate so that the workmen do not have to far from any bench position to get a tool for sawing, planing or other operation. In the east gallery there is also a dry kiln for seasoning the lumber by the carload after it has had a’session in the outdoor seasoning shed. Band saws furnished by the Atlantic Works, Inc., a Watkins woodworker, which is an imported machine, apable of cutting patterns of almost any shape, and a ill equipment of wood working machinery furnished by the Oliver Machine Company, form the working installa- ion of the pattern shop. It includes lathes, trimmers, joiners, combination rip and cutting off saws, surfacers, sanders and special tools. A convenient outfit for the pat- tern shop is the Universal grinder made by the Mummert, Wolf & Dixon Company. This grinds with coarse and fine emery and is capable of putting an edge on circular or flat tools, either exterior or interior. The larger tools are driven by individual motors, and the smaller ones by the grouping system from a counter-shaft. Lighting is here accomplished by the use of Nernst lamps hung overhead, giving illumination without special View in the Foundry Before Completion Showing the Cranes THE IRON AGE 129 lamps for benches or tools. Beyond the dry kiln in the gallery is storage for finished parts and small fittings, which are taken care of in racks and piles until needed. In the west gallery is located the tool room, where tools are made, repaired and stored. The tools are kept in labeled compartments. The equip- ment consists principally of the following: Two speed drills made by the Niles-Bement-Pond Com- pany, Warner & Swasey lathes, Brown & Sharpe grinder and shaper, two Hendey Machine Company lathes, two lathes from R. K. Le Blond Machine Tool Company, two Prentice Brothers drills, milling machines made by the Le Blond Company and Cin- cinnati Milling Machine Company, shapers made by the Niles-Bement-Pond Company and Gould & Eber- dete hardt, a radial drill from the Foster & Holloway Machine Tool Company, and a hollow center lathe made by the Acme Machinery Company. All are arranged with generous working space around them and are provided with overhead lighting by the lamps, but daylight has proved ample except during the dark hours and on cloudy days. South of the tool room is found the brass working department, devoted to the machining of unions, small valves, and of brass parts entering into the construction of the large iron and steel valves. The equipment of this department consists largely of turret lathes made by the Warner & Swasey Company, the American Tool & Ma- chine Company and Lodge & Shipley. An _ interesting process is the making of brass seat rings for gate valves from a single brass tube by a continuous process. The tube revolves without stopping, while by means of turret head tools and cutters the seat rings are turned, threaded and cut off as fast as the cutting speed of brass will <llow. Between the gallery and the main floor are mezzanine floors, located at each of four elevators and stairs, with modern sanitary toilet provisions. Product of the Plant Besides special castings on order the output of the Best Mfg. Company’s works is largely material for power plants. The special lines are: Standard, medium, extra heavy, and hydraulic gate valves of the company’s own 130 design; standard, medium, extra heavy and hydraulic fit- tings; special fittings of any design; pipe bends of any size or angle; large pipe fitted with special flanges, eithe Van Stone, peened or welded; special headers with noz- Vy} a eoogo0oo HI YY SG SSG... 0808 WW, SS SS oie b- Fé "6 5 . % 080] 080° Poi} o Soc °o °o.0 o p eo -oieo-e 2°0°%o10°9% 0 |oPoP%o}|0°0° -s - ; t s ° ° ° ° 6.0 .d16 ° ° ° ° QQQ”DOiwW™§N eThss IWOG WS THE IRON AGE January 11, 19 signed furnaces and oil baths have been built in connecti: with this process. A specially prepared bath is provided which the axles and forgings are quenched, this ba having the proper heat-dissipating powers to regulate a: SG SS. ' ! ! i ‘ ' ' SS patDacattaien es ai cs oda doge 3 = BS Bh5j pyri nA AAAI Laid Sy Ckbecdddacced RWAAag WSUITSSLISSSS fo SS . 8 Plan and Elevation of the Core Ovens. zles welded on, the number, size and position of the noz- zles being limited only by the area of the header surface to which they are to be attached. The Pollak Steel Company’s Axles and Forgings The Pollak Steel Company, successor to the Block- Pollak Iron Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, has issued a circu- lar letter giving a description of its special heat-treated railroad axles and forgings. The company states that, aftér. much experimenting and careful study, taking into consideration the requisites of uniformity of material, high tensile strength, high elastic limit, degree of hardness for wearing purposes, durability, economy of material and fac- tor of safety, a method of manufacturing has been evolved which has met with the most satisfactory results. The Pollak process starts with the manufacture of the axles and forgings under a steam hammer and from square open-hearth billets. It avoids the practice of rerolling billets in round form to the largest diameter of the pro- posed axle, and then simply stamping the smaller ‘parts under a hammer, as in that event the axle or forging would not receive sufficient work to insure the complete transfor- mation of the fiber of the steel. By the process used, the billets are forged down to ‘the size called for on the blue print, eliminating the rerolling completely. To overcome the uneven cooling of the billet while being thus worked, and to relieve the strains and stresses then found in the steel, the Pollak special heat treatment process has been evolved, by which the axles and forgings are annealed at such temperature that the fiber is heated uni- formly and the strains due to cooling are no longer present. This temperature is determined by the use of a pyrometer for the purpose of securing exact results. Specially de- hold the steel at the required point which will give the results sought for in the specifications. To refine the grain still further and insure complete control of the prop- erties desired, a re-annealing takes place at a lower tem- perature. It has also been found that specially prepared oil, which the company is using, hardens the shell of the axle or forging, thereby decreasing its liability to wear and thus making it more durable while insuring greater safety and greater strength. Further Scullin-Gallagher Company Improve- ments Harry Scullin, president of the Scullin-Gallagher Iron & Steel Company, St. Louis, manufacturer of open-hearth steel castings, entertained 30 of the heads of depart- ments of the company at dinner Saturday evening, Jan- uary 6. The dinner was in recognition of the service ren- dered by all employees in 1911, and especially for the show- ing in December, when a new record was made for Jow cost of production and for tonnage in plant No. 2. ad- dition to the improvements recently meritioned thé *com- pany has just contracted for a 45-ton pouring crane from the Alliance Machine Company and a turbine air compres- sor from the Ingersoll-Rand Company to use exhaust steam capable of throwing 4000 cu. ft. of air per minute at 100 |b. pressure. This will be the first installation of a machine of this kind in this country. . A Clifton Forge, Va., dispatch says that the Goshen Iron Company. which has operated the Victoria furnace t Goshen, Va., and the Rich Patch iron mines near Clifton Forge, was put in the hands of C. M. Shanahan