The Iron Age 1912-12-26: Vol 90 Iss 26

ww EX Established 1855 .- New York, December 26, 1912 Vol. 90: No. 26 An Example of Low Cost Gas Engine Power Operating Costs in Two Cincinnati In- dustrial Establishments Using Natural Gas —A Description of The advantage which sometimes accrues to the indus- trial establishment located in a natural gas belt is indi- cated in the experience of two Cincinnati manufacturers who employ gas engines as the source of power. In this section the natural gas averages between 950 and 1050 B.t.u. per cubic foot, a calorific value commonly possessed by natural gas, and the gas is obtainable at 20 cents for 1000 cu. ft. One of the Cincinnati plants which recently installed a gas engine is the Globe Automatic Sprinkler Company on Reading road, Cincinnati, and another is the J. M. Robinson Mfg. Company, which provided a gas One of the Engines engine is belted to a 60-kw. direct-current Allis-Chalmers generator, installed under a manufacturer’s guarantee not to exceeed 2 per cent. variation in speed between no load and full load. After several months operation at a prac- tically constant load of 40 hp., which it will be noted is far below the rated capacity of the engine, because the Globe company’s equipment was not yet all installed, the cost of gas did not exceed $25 a month over the period, with the engine running on full time. This figures a cost of about 62 cents per horse-power per month, The engine in the Robinson plant is of the same size Gas Engine Power Plant of the Globe Automatic Sprinkler Company, Cincinnati, Ohio engine power plant at its Spring Grove avenue works in Cincinnati where the company manufactures metal work- ing machinery of various kinds. In the case of the latter plant it is possible to compare the earlier experience, as regards operating cost, with a steam power plant. The power plant of the Globe Automatic Sprinkler Company includes an 85-hp. twin-cylinder, four-cycle engine, built by the Miller Gas Engine Company, Spring- field, Ohio. A reproduction of a photograph of the equip- ment is shown in the accompanying engraving. The and type and is similarly developing about 40 hp. The gas bills in this case average $23 to $24 per month, so that in the case of both plants the horse-power cost per month is less than 65 cents. The expense in addition to gas is merely that involved in the cylinder and lubricating oils required, as the foreman in each factory serves as engineer with very little loss of time from his regular work. The Robinson company, with its earlier steam plant, required an engineer at $80 per month and this charge with the coal bill resulted in a cost for steam power of $200 per month. 1477 1478 An interesting feature of the equipment is the use of cooling tanks, so that the jacket water may be used over and over again. As regards the engine itself, its main bearings are of the quarter- box type, adjustable in two directions for wear and arranged so that adjustments can be made while the engine is running by means of a swivel wedge. . The cross-heads are of steel, of the swivel type, and they are faced with copper hardened babbitt metal with a gib for adjusting the wear. Both the top and bot- tom guides are made independent of the bed plate. The exhaust valve is of the balanced type of large diameter to allow for a free exhaust. The valves are water cooled and lubricated at a point where oil does not come in contact with the flame of the exhaust gas. The inlet valves are of the poppet type. The governor is a Jahns high-speed spring-balanced governor and is shown in the photograph. It is actuated by a flexible geared drive and in addition to throttling the quantity of the charge it is designed to secure regulation by varying the mixture of gas and air. Analysis of the Ball Bearing A paper entitled “The Work of Balls and Ball Race- ways in Radial and Thrust Ball Bearings with Respect to Friction and Load Relation” was recently prepared for the Society of Automobile Engineers, Metropolitan Section by Franz J. Jarosch, of the J. S. Bretz Company, New York City. It takes up various four-contact, three-contact and two-con- tact constructions which are examined in order to arrive at the theoretically best location, viz., the two-contact ar- rangement having the tangents to the points of contact of the balls parallel to the axis of the bearing. It is held that a correct rolling motion of the balls in their raceways can only take place either when the points of contact of the balls with the races lie on conical surfaces or when the points of contact of the balls with each of the races lie in lines which are either parallel or at right angles to the shaft axis. From the consideration that the outer ball-race is concave toward the ball, while the inner race is convex toward the ball, an average “best” radius for both ball-races of 0.6 of the ball diameter has been struck, for both radial and axial bearings. For the next point taken up, the travel of the balls in their races, a demonstration is made of the fact that in a radial ball bearing the balls have a true rolling mo- tion; the object of the discussion being to show the fal- lacy, entertained by many, that the balls in such a bearing must necessarily slide when one ball-race rotates while the other is stationary, since the path of travel on the outer race is longer than that on the inner race. The proof that the balls do not slide but have a true rolling motion is illustrated by examining the relative motions in a con- struction selected as analogous to the radial ball bearing, viz., a set of gears consisting of a concentric gear wheel and an internal gear with a free pinion between these inner and outer gears and meshing with both. Experiments have shown that it is possible to give the two-contact construction first described about 100 per cent. more radial load than the construction with the ball contacts at 45 deg. with the bearing axis, and about 50 per cent. more load than the construction with the con- tacts at 60 deg. with the bearing axis, if the same diam- eter and number of balls are chosen for all three con- structions. If the ball bearings of these three types, which are on the market, are compared it is found in the ma- jority of cases that in bearings of the same size the ulti- mate (right angle) construction shows a greater number and diameter of balls. These bearings are able to with- stand not only a comparatively high radial load, but have long life, as has been proved by actual practice. “The reason is that the laterally acting forces and the resultant sliding friction have been eliminated.” The paper, it is un- derstood, is the first of a series of studies which Mr. Jarosch is making on the subject. THE IRON AGE December 26, 1912 A New Regenerative Continuous Heating Furnace A new regenerative continuous heating furnace is de- scribed in Stahl und Eisen by Friedrich Siemens, of Ber- lin. In the last two years 34 of these furnaces have either been built or under construction in Germany and Austria alone, the total yearly output of steel being 2,000,000 tons. This is proof that the new furnace is meeting a real de- mand. The article contains a carefully worked out the- oretical discussion of the operation of continuous heating furnaces. The transfer of heat) from the flame to the metal depends on three factors, namely, conduction, con- vection and radiation. The first two increase in almost direct proportion to the difference in temperature, but the last, according to the Stephan Bolzmann law, increases as the fourth power of the absolute temperature. The radia- tion, therefore, will finally predominate to such an extent that it is sufficiently exact to assume that the transfer of heat at high temperatures proceeds according to the fourth power of the difference in absolute temperature. This shows the necessity of the highest possible flame tempera- ture to have economical working. Direct firing by means of powdered coal is next discussed, and the present meth- ods of heating the air by recuperation. The new furnace is shown herewith in section and plan. The flame is BEE 9 Section c-d Regenerative Continuous Heating Furnace divided. One part continues and flows through the fur- nace and the other turns in a horseshoe and passes through the waste gas ports, which are by the side of the incoming ports. The criticism that the flame will not follow this direction is allowable, but as a matter of fact the highly heated regenerative flame divides readily, the two parts burning clearly and freely. Only the part that enters the regenerators comes in contact with the heated steel, and so is especially suitable for heating the checker brick. In this way a proportionately small flame will serve to keep the regenerators at the highest temperatures. The fur- nace, like all regenerative furnaces, works with natural draft. There is a positive pressure in the high tempera- ture of the hearth so that as the heated steel is removed no outside air enters. The diagram shows clearly the position of the four regenerators. The arrangement of gas and air. valves is the same as in the ordinary open hearth furnace, except that the ports are not at opposite ends of the furnace, but side by side at the discharge end. The arrow shows the course of the flame which has been found to be the best under ordinary conditions. No systematic temperature measurements have yet been made, but the waste gases leave both the charging end and the regenerators at about 300 deg. C. and the averas;e temperature of the air is raised to about 1100 deg. C. In addition to saving in fuel, reduced scaling of steel and lower repair costs, the furnace can be easily regulated to meet changing conditions, such as, for instance, the heat- ing of hard or soft, cold or hot material, in large or small billets. The various ways of altering the flame to get the best results with these materials is illustrated, and the article closes by pointing out how suitable the furnace is for the use of producer gas, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas, or mixtures of these gases. G. B. W. December - 26, 1912 An Electrical Lift Bridge The city of Portland, .Oregon, has just built an elec- trically operated lift bridge, of the elevator type. It is shown in the illustrations in its lower position and raised to permit the use of the channel which it spans. It is Fig. 2.—The Electrically Operated Lift Bridge at the Street Level claimed that with this design, in addition to greater speed of operation, there is no unequal expansion or contraction, due to the sun’s rays, which is experienced with the draw span type pivoted in the center; the wind friction is prac- THE IRON AGE 1479 tically negligible; and the entire channel is rendered avail- able for vessels. The span is balanced by large concrete counter weights, the steel cables of which operate upon sheaves located at the top of the tower at either side. The lift span is guided in raising and lowering by steel roller bearings which operate in the guides located in the uprights of the tower. The power is from Westinghouse 125-hp. direct current motors of the railroad crane type which are coupled directly to a train of gears located in the ma- chinery house on the, top of the span. The reduction gear- ing operates the bridge by means of steel cables. The bridge was designed by Waddell & Harrington, Kansas ( ity, Mo. A Motor Driven Grinding Machine The Oéesterlein Machine Company, Cincinnati, Ohio has applied a motor drive to its No. 2 universal cutter and tool grinding machine to make it a self-contained unit The countershaft support, consisting of the ribbed cast- iron frame, surmounts upright pipes threaded at both ends, the lower entering the base, which is cast in one piece with a network of strengthening ribs on the inside. Hoggson & Pettis, manufacturers of Sweetiand combi nation chucks, New Haven, Conn., suffered some incon venience from a fire which started early in the morning of December 11 in one end of the plant, on the third floor, breaking through to the fourth, where it was confined The fire itself did but litthe damage, but the water caused considerable loss. Fortunately, Hoggson & Pettis had a large stock of chucks of every style and size in reserve, both in New Haven and at 103 Chambers street, New York, so that there was no delay in filling orders. The fire had hardly been extinguished before preparations were being made to repair the damage and resume manufactur- ing. Within a week after the fire the plant was in run- ning order. Of the transportation and coke situations and their bearing on the pig iron market, Matthew Addy & Co Cincinnati, say in their trade letter of December 14 “Railroads are making poor time. We have had cars on the road 21 days between Ironton and Hamilton, Ohio, and railroad equipment is hard to get. The coke situation does not improve. On the contrary the coke ovens seem to be having more and more difficulties and apparently it is going to be a struggle to get coke all through the winter.” Fig. 1—An Electrically Operated Lift Bridge of the Elevator Type in Raised Position Design of an Open-Hearth Foundry Furnace’ What the Experiences with 25-Ton Furnaces of the Bettendorf Axle Company Have Shown in Point of Construction and Manipulation BY JOHN H, PLOEHN, DAVENPORT, IA.— The proportion, areas and various main dimensions of the 25-ton basic open-hearth furnaces in operation in the steel foundry of the Bettendorf Axle Company are the sub- ject of this paper. The results obtained in time, quality and life have been exceptional. The average time of 2000 heats in the two furnaces has been 5% hr. on an average per heat of 22% tons. The record of these furnaces is a 25-ton heat made in 4% hr., but all conditions were perfect to make this time. The average analysis of this same num- ber of heats has been: Carbon, 0.205 per cent.; silicon, 0.315 per cent.; manganese, 0.68 per cent.; phosphorus, 0.018 per cent., and sulphur, 0.024 per cent. Initial run of No. 1 furnace, 403 heats; second run of this furnace is now over 609 heats, and it looks as if it is still good for at least forty or fifty more heats. The initial run of No. 2 furnace was 573 heats, and the second run of this same furnace was 401 heats. ’ These furnaces were designed for using either fuel oil or producer gas, but up to the present time have been operated entirely on fuel oil. The bath is both longer and wider than is ordinarily found in this size furnace. When burning fuel oil a furnace should be much longer than when burning either natural or producer gas; how much is the question. In this case the furnaces are Io ft. longer than the average gas-burning furnace of the same capacity. On account of this extra length it is possible to obtain complete combustion before the center of furnace is reached, and thence on toward the other port the flame, -————__———_ 50°9- 5*84-+-— 6-105 25~73- SS WITT lllldébdddddddddddddidlddiddiiiidia alla ee ————— EEO" he These furnaces were first designed with a hip roof and with the sidewalls contracted 12 in. at the port ends. After the initial run of each furnace, both the side walls and roof were made straight. With the hip roof and contracted sides, both the roof at the hip, and particularly the side walls at the point of contraction, weré cut away on the in- side long before the adjoining parts of the roof and walls were badly damaged. The expansion and contraction - lengthwise is also better taken care of with straight walls and roof than with the hip roof and contracted ends. A small door is provided in each end of the furnace near the burner, approximately half-way between the top of the hearth-bridge wall and the end of the hearth, and it has been found to be very useful for inspecting the end of the furnace, and also for watching the action of the burners and the flame at this point. Water-Cooled Burners and Doors and Door Frames The water-cooled burners, while requiring water for their operation, which in some localities would be quite an item of expense, have a great many advantages which more than offset the cost of the water required for their operation. The most important advantage is the fact that the flame can be correctly located and positively kept in that location, because the burners are left in the furnace at all times. The burner tip, being water cooled, is not liable to give trouble with the oil coking, which is the case with the plain burner. é “1 . ‘8i- T-6- CH "77, ry y Ui; hAhhdéd /, Is Fig. 1—Outline and Dimensions of the Open Hearth Foundry Furnace having lost its cutting action and sharpness, very closely resembles a gas flame in appearance and action. For a 25-ton heat, the bath is neither shallow nor deep, but what could be called a medium depth, which seems to give bet- ter, quicker and more uniform quality of metal than either a shallow or a deep bath. The depth of bath for a 25-ton heat is approximately 16-to 17 in. The area of the hearth is 260 sq. ft., which allows a trifle more than ro sq. ft. per ton. The general outline and dimensions of the hearth are shown by Fig. 1. At the port ends, it will be noticed that there is no “dog-house or monkey,” these being omitted by using water-cooled oil burners. The area of the flues or up-takes leading to the slag pockets is 28 sq. ft. for each end of the furnace. The distance from the hearth-bridge to the under-side of the roof is greater than the width of the ports, and the area at this point is 40 sq. ft. at each end of the furnace. Particularly when using oil, the construction of the ends of the furnace requires especial care, as the flame is in- clined to be extremely sharp and will cut out the ends of a furnace in a short time. This is practically entirely pre- vented by the extra length before mentioned and the large areas at the points mentioned above. *Pa : r, nearly in full, as read before the last meeting of the Amer- ican ‘oundrymen’s Association in Buffalo. The general outline of the way these burners have been installed on these furnaces is shown by Fig. 2. The burners can be moved horizontally or vertically, and the tip of the burner can be elevated or depressed as may be required. The oil and air connections, being stationary, cause less trouble than on burners where the same are pulled in and out at every reversal of the furnace. Fig. 2 also shows a further use of the water after leav- ing the burner. The water from the main is first led into the burner, and from the burner into a bulkhead through which the burner passes. From the bulkhead the water is led to a sewer. The use of this bulkhead is to support the burner, and also makes possible a smaller opening for the burner than through an arch brick opening, and being a cooler wall, lasts much longer and makes it possible and more comfortable for the melter to look into the end of the furnace for inspection of the roof and the flame. With water-cooled burners..the furnace is reversed more uni- formly and regularly, as it does not require the melter to -climb over charging cars, etc., to pull out and shove in the burners, saving a walk of about 100 ft. every 20 min., con- serving this time and strength for better purposes. These furnaces have always been lighted at the slag pockets, which heats the checker brick quicker and is much easier on the new brickwork above, and does away with most of the preliminary heating in the hearth, also keeping : 1480 December 26, 1912 water wier WATER ov Tiere weer CACANING ves Fig. 2—The Water-Cooled Burner and Bulkhead ashes and refuse out of the hearth, an important item. The doors and door frames are water cooled, this fea- ture not only protecting the door jambs, but being an ar- rangement appreciated by the melters, especially in the summer. The door frames run from 400 to 600 heats, the center frame usually failing first. When the water jackets on the doors are burned out, they are re-lined solid with fire-brick and used during the winter months. The use of coarsely ground chrome ore has been found very valuable for patching door jambs and front and back walls at the slag line. It sinters easily on vertieal surfaces and makes a more permanent and lasting repair than magnesite. Details in Relation to the Slag Pockets “Another advantage in having large areas at the end of the furnace is that the velocity of the outgoing gases is de- creased so that the slag is not carried over into the slag pockets in any great masses or in a molten condition. With ample areas, the top of the hearth-bridge wall should also be at least 2 ft. above normal slag line; in this design, this dimension is very nearly 2 ft. 6 in. A detail that is often overlooked is the intersection of the bridge-hearth and port or flue. This is very often brought up to a square corner, which requires the outgo- ing gases to continue toward the end walls before going downward. To allow the gases to assume as near as pos- sible their natural flow in turning downward, the inter- section of the port and the hearth-bridge should be on an angle of about 45 deg. During the two runs of these two furnaces, the slag in slag pockets has been in a granular or lumpy state, so that it was easily removed with pick and shevel without in- jury to the slag pocket walls, in two days after the shut- down. A false bottom of old steel plates covered with brick-bats and silica sand is placed 4 in. above the floor of slag pockets, this air space under the entire slag pocket serving to chill the slag and keep the pockets cooler than if same had a solid floor. The area of the slag pockets is 90 sq. ft. Silica Brick for the Checkers The slope of the checker bridge begins 1 ft. inside of slag pocket, and extends into the checker chambers a dis- tance of 7 ft. This easy slope allows free passage of the gases and prevents the retarding of gases due to too ab-- tupt deflection against port ends or the checker chamber roof. The area of opening above checker bridge wall is 28 sq. ft. . The checkers are directly in the rear of the slag pockets and are of very large proportions, the actual volume being 120 cu. ft. per ton. In addition to this extraordinary vol- ume all the checker brick are of silica, and the results so far obtained prove that it is a good investment, taking into account the additional first cost of silica brick over fire- brick. After both the initial and second run of each furnace, the only repairs required for these checkers was a thor- ough cleaning, and from their present condition the checker brick will be good for at least another run of 500 heats, and then only the upper five or six courses will probably be replaced with new brick. The silica brick seem to have a greater capacity for storing, and are quicker to absorb heat than clay brick. ; The area underneath the checker brick should be large, THE IRON AGE 1481 so that the incoming and outgoing air and gases can dis- tribute themselves uniformly through the various passages between the checker brick. The area of the flues under the checker brick in the air chamber is 12 sq. ft., and in the gas chamber is 8 sq. ft. The area of the flue leading from the checker chambers to the valve is 12 sq. ft. and this same area is maintained through the valve and in the flue leading from the valve to the stack. For convenience in cleaning out the flues leading from the checkers to the valve when the furnace is down for re- pairs a cast iron rectangular manhole and cover is placed in the roof of the flue directly back of the center of the check- er chambers. This manhole saves considerable time when cleaning out these flues under the checker brick, and so far has not become warped or leaky. As the area of the flue leading to the reversing valve is practically the determining area, a summary is given below of the various areas mentioned above, assuming this area as unity. Area under checker chambers... ...5......5 00 0cceeees 1.66 Area over checker bridge wall.............0esseceees 2.3 Area in ports from slag pockets to port ends......... 2.3 Area over hearth-bridge wall.......... CeUhes wens seeds 3.3 To prevent water from accumulating in any of the flues or checker chambers, a drain is located in each flue and chamber, which is connected to a sewer discharging into a deep well, from which the water is pumped by an au- tomatic electric sump pump. A horizontal U trap is placed below each drain, so that the air or gas cannot short cir- cuit or pass from one chamber or flue to another. With these furnaces was tried radical brick stacks, lined with fire-brick their entire hight. The hight of stacks is 125 ft., and the diameter inside at the bottom is 5 ft. 9 in5 and at the top, 4 ft. 6 in. These stacks have been in service for three years, and have as yet shown no cracks or weaknesses. The advantages gained are that they do not require painting every year, do not corrode, and are not affected by gases, and being a poorer conductor of heat, will maintain a higher temperature, and subsequently bet- ter draft than a steel brick-lined stack of the same hight. The Roof of the Furnace While drying out, and after the oil has been started, the roof of a furnace is a peculiar and particularly tricky structure. The life of a roof is practically determined by the treatment it gets and its behavior during the first fifty heats. To facilitate letting out the roof tie rods, both the nuts and tie rods are locked on the back or tapping side of the furnace, so that all expansion and contraction can be taken up by loosening or tightening the nuts on the front side of the furnace, saving thereby considerable time and allowing the amount of lengthening and shortening to be more ac- curately measured. To prevent getting the roof out of shape in its earlier stages, a roof rigging was put on which has been found to be very useful and effective in holding the true arch shape of the roof until the roof brick are glazed enough to be practically one continuous mass. The rigging is shown by Fig. 3, and consists of three rails extending the entire length of the roof. The rails are suspended from cross beams which are supported on the side buck-staves. Be- tween the rail clamps and the cross beams, wedges can be introduced to bring pressure on any particular rail when the weight of the rail alone is not sufficient. If necessary, the weight of the rail may be lifted entirely and be free from the roof if it should be found necessary. The cross beams are not rigidly connected to the side buck-staves, 1482 and the expansion and contraction of the roof are taken up by the tie rods. With this rigging, the bulging of a thin part of the roof can be controlled and in most cases gradually brought back to the original true arch. An inspection of furnace No. 1, which has this rigging on, shows that the roof still has its original true arch shape and that it has burned off uniformly on the inside, to which, of course, proper credit should be given to thé melter for careful handling of the furnace. On these furnaces, the skew-back channels are rigidly connected tc the buck-staves so that the roof is entirely free from the side walls. A space is left below the skew- back channels so that the vertical expansion of the side wal!s can be taken care of. This keeps the roof practical- ly straight in its length, and thereby makes it stronger and of longer life than if the skew-backs rested on the side walls and moved up and down or varied with the same. ; Devices for Improving Furnace Operation When these furnaces were new, some heats were wi'd and over-oxidized, and the trouble was finally located as being due to excessive draft under certain weather con- ditions. To regulate this, a recording draft gauge was in- stalled and this has proved to be a very valuable instru- ment. An air-controlled butterfly valve is used on these furnaces, and to give the operator warning that the valve is not entirely closed, 4 smal!, inexpensive electrical device was installed which lights a light on the platform. Another cause for oxidized metal was found to be due cement cow ORR CONCRETE a nie ELSE Basra - ig Te Eo SHEET HERVY TRE PRPER Fig. +—Cinder Concrete Charging Platform to the admission of too much air at the reversing valve. To give the operator the necessary information and to pre- vent guesswork the screw stand on the platform was calli- brated to show exactly the number of inches the doors are open. Since this was done the doors are open only about one-half as much as before. The practice of using too high air or steam pressures has been found to be injurious to quality. For these fur- naces, the air pressure during me!ting the heat is about 60 Ib., and during the time of worki.g, about 40 Ib.; the oil pressure being slightly higher, or lower, depending on the kind of burner or atomizer used and the distance necessary to pump same. Various methods have been used to cover the steel plate of charging platforms, but none seem to give perfect satisfaction or able to stand the heat or hard usage. As an experiment, a cinder concrete floor was laid on the steel plate, and of a thickness so as to be level with the charging machine rails. This is shown in Fig. 4. To prevent corro- sion of the steel plate in contact with the cinder concrete, a sheet of heavy tar paper was first laid on the steel plate. This floor has stood the hard service of three years’ opera- tion, and is in splendid condition at the present time. This flush concrete floor has the advantage of allowing one to wheel across the tracks the materials used for the furnaces, and it furnishe; the melter and helpers with a better and surer footing for rabbling out a puddle hole or when tapping heats, and is also far cooler than a bare plate floor. Next to the furnace, removable cast plates in sec- tions of 4 ft. im length are laid even with the rails. THE IRON AGE December 26, 1912 Bins on Charging Platform for Various Materials Bins for storing the various materials used on the charging platform not only save a waste, but also make a safer and cleaner working floor. They are easily and cheaply built of a bottom plate with sides, ends and parti- tions riveted to it, leaving the entire side facing the fur- nace open for easy access for shoveling. The sides extend to a hight to clear the charging machine, and the materia's must be kept below that level. It is surprising the amount of materials that can be placed in a small, confined area. The several bins for one furnace are about as long as one- half the length of the furnace, but in them are kept suff- cient materials for a week of fluor-spar, magnesite, burned lime, iron ore, dolomite and chrome ore. The bins rest on the concrete floor, but are not fastened in any way, so they can be easily moved in case of furnace repairs. Thin and light scrap, especially when badly rusted, should be avoided, because not only is the percentage of loss higher in the furnace, but the large amount of oxides is hard on the basic lining and very liable to produce on over-oxidized, or “wild” metal. To arrive at the proper proportions necessary for dif- ferent kinds of scrap, a series of test heats was made, in which the percentage of pig iron was varied from 50 per cent. to as low as 31 per cent., the various kinds of scrap making up the remainder of the charge. The percentage of different kinds of scrap was varied: according to their carbon content. The pig iron was assumed at 3 per cent. carbon, and the carbon content of the scrap had to be suf- ficient so that the calculated carbon of the charge was not lower than 1 per cent., with an average of 1.25 per cent. There was a total of approximately so heats in this test, and the time of heat, final ana!ysis and kind of metal of any one of these tests did not vary to any appreciable ex- tent from the grand average of all heats. This proved conclusively that scrap of different carbon content should be kept in separate piles, and the following classifications resulted. Scrap of carbon content up to 30 per cent. is kept in one pile or bin. In this class are structural shearings and short structural sections, couplers and knuckles, and shop scrap. Scrap of carbon content from 30 to 60 per cent. is the second class. In this-class are old rails, etc. The last class is scrap of carbon con- tent above 60 per cent. In this class are springs, old rolls, etc. At this plant, to be able to store an ample supply of charging materials under roof, not only for advantage gained in the winter months, but also to be able to sep- arate the various classes of scrap as mentioned above, huge reinforced concrete bins were built in the furnace bay. The sides and ends of all these bins are 114 ft. above the floor level, the bottom of the bins extending 4 ft. below the floor to bed rock.. Half of the bins are for pig iron, the iron from different concerns, or of “off” analysis: being kept separate. The unloading of cars and the loading of charging boxes is done entirely by electric magnets, which makes possible the storage of materials in bins 14 ft. high. ‘To facilitate keeping these various kinds separate, it is necessary, when purchasing scrap, to specify that the vari- ous kinds be shipped in separate cars, and this can be done without additional cost. If it is left to the yard or stock man to make up the charges, usually the scrap that is near- est at‘ hand, or in his way, is sent to the furnaces, the con- ‘sequence being that some heats melt high and some soft, introducing an unnecessary element of uncertainty in the time and quality of the product. When it can be depended that the heats can be made in certain time, the cycle of smooth operation is reached; in that the time of charging and the work on the molding and pouring floors can be ar- ranged to better advantage. . Hess & Son, successors to the American Tinol Com- pany, 666 North Broad street, Philadelphia, announce that after January 1 their offices and salesroom will be located in the Watkins Building, 1031 Chestnut street, rooms 808-9-11. They will have on hand a complete stock of Tinol in all forms. The Ralston Steel Car Company, Columbus, Ohio, hias called a special meeting of stockholders for December 30, to approve an increase in the capital stock from $2,500,000 to $5,000,000. One-half of the increase is to be 7 per cent. preferred and one-half commion stock. December 26, 1912 Steel Products in the Package Field Recent announcements regarding the plans of a new company for the manufacture of a collapsible steel slack barrel were received with interest, which was all the more emphasized because of the rapid strides of this character of container in industries where wood has been the reigning material ever since packages came into use. With prospects favorable to the successful introduction of the new package, it may be worth while to recall some of the lines in which metal is taking the place of the products of the forest. One of the first instances which comes to mind is in the handling of inflammable and volatile oils and other fluids. - The steel cask has been given approval by fire pre- vention authorities, the transportation companies and the consuming trades, and is a well-established factor in the package field. While in the handling of paints and varnish the wooden barrel still holds a. principal’ place, yet the steel trade is nut altogether out of the fight because of the use of steel hoops on all tight barrels made by the cooper, The tremendous consumption of wooden barrels in certain lines in which there is no chance to displace wood, as for instance in the distilling of whiskey, where the charred interior of the barrel performs a chemical function im eliminating fusel oil from the product, makes the tight cooperage ‘rade from a standpoint of steel hoop consumption obviously important: * The barrel trade is extending the use of the steel hoop to the slack barrel, which the new steel barrel is intended to supersede, as the result of a growing scarcity of hoop material. Elm, which is the favored timber used in the manufacture of slack barrel hoops, is,searce and high, and owing to the poorer quality now coming on the market is giving less satisfaction than formerly. Wire hoops have been used for some tinfe with great success in’ the manu- facture of- sugar barrels and other high-grade wooden containers, and it is only: lately that the steel hoop proper has been applied to the flour barrel. It is likely to be extended to other slack packages whére security is desired above all other things, and where a slight addition to the expense is not regarded as:prohibitive. Getting back to the paint trade again, the steel package is also. coming into general use for the carriage of com- paratively small. quantities of lead. Wooden buckets or casks were used forethiis purpose for a long time, but on account of the difficulty of removing all of the. material from them, as well, a8 the expense of inserting the head, followed by. corresponding loss of time in removing it, they have not. beem-in favor of late. At first a substitute which was used to some extent was a sheet metal bucket with a wooden top and bottom. This type was used for the 25 and 12%4-1b. sizes. The bucket made of both metal atid wood was not alto- gether satisfactory, however, on account of its tendency to leak; and consequently it has been put aside more recently in favor of the all-steel bucket, used for all sizes of white lead shipments, from 12% to 100 Ib. This con- tainer ig drawn from a single sheet of steel and has no - seams, a big advantage in view of the loss through leakage which affected the package made of combination materials. The all-steel keg is better for the larger sizes, for which wooden buckets were used until recently, on account of the fact that it can be produced just as cheaply, is more sightly than its competitor, and is fire and waterproof. A point worth noting, too, is that those who purchase white lead—the master painters—like the steel bucket be- cause it can be used for other purposes after the contents have been removed; it is possible to get all of the lead out and then use the bucket for any number of purposes. The tip is clamped on by a single movement of a machine designed for the purpose, eliminating the necessity of using several minutes of cooperage to insert the head used in the bucket made of staves. Consequently, removal of the top does not damage either that part or the bucket proper, something which could not be said of the wooden container. It is asserted in the paint trade that this form of con- tainer will ultimately be used in place of the rectangular tins in which zinc and all kinds of oil colors, putty, ochres, Venetian and Indian reds and the like are shipped. The disadvantages of the rectangular tins include the necessity of boxing or crating, which simply means the use of an additional package, and quite an increased expense, in the aggregate. THE IRON AGE 1433 Steel tank cars, which are used to carry cotton and petroleum oils, have about driven out the ancient and hon- orable wooden barrel from these fields; and as a matter of fact, in the handling of cotton oil, about the only case in which barrels are utilized is in the packing of goods in- tended for export. These go in barfels all the way on account of the absence of tank steamers designed for this special purpose, such as are used in the petroleum trade. Although the substitution of steel for wood has been referred to chiefly as taking place in the barrel trade, it is also going on in the box business. For example, in the bakery trade, which, it is said, is expanding more rapidly than any other industry in the country, and in the rapidity with which its investments are being increased has out- stripped even the automobile industry, a feature of interest is the hamper used for the carriage of bread shipped out of the community in which it is baked. Wooden hampers have been used for this purpose for years, but the corru- gated paper box has been making things interesting for it of late, and is being adopted rather freely. A company was organized some time ago to manufacture an all-steel hamper which would last a lifetime, but on account of the increased cost at which these goods were to be sold it has not yet made a great deal of headway. There seems to be a good chance here for a metal container to come into use. Cigar boxes are made of cedar, either solid or veneered, for the most part. Substitute containers in this field include, among others, glass jars and metal cannisters. The latter are usually covered with paper, and have met with considerable favor. The World’s Largest Cable Tested It took a pull of 364 tons to break the largest hoisting cable in the world when sections were tested early in De- cember in the 800,000-Ib. testing machine of the Fritz En- gineering Laboratory at Lehigh University, South Bethle- hem, Pa. The tests were conducted in the presence of representatives of the John A. Roebling’s Sons Company, manufacturer of the cable; and of the Spanish-American Iron Company, which has been using the rope in the Penn- sylvania Steel Company’s Mayari mines in Cuba. Three tests were made, all highly satisfactory. A portion of the cable that had been in use for a year and a half withstood a pull of nearly 300 tons. The construction of this cable was without precedent in rope-making. It consists of six strands, each of 19 wires, twisted around an independent wire rope center, this center having six strands of 19 wires each, twisted around a hemp core. The finished cable was 7810 ft. long and weighed 125,360 Ib. Cars with a capacity of 100,000 Ib. of ore are lowered by means of this cable down an incline plane 5800 ft. long. Recently it was decided to ascertain the strength of the rope after its year and a half of service, as compared with the strength of portions not worn, and three pieces from the’ main cable, each about 20 ft. in length, were shipped te the Roebling works at Trenton, N. J. There special yokes were placed on the ends to make possible the tests in the giant machine at Lehigh University. The Hazard Mfg. Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is dis- tributing a card bearing an illustration of what is char- acterized as “a freak.” This is a very complicated knot tied in a Hazard wire rope.’ The statement is made that an accident occurred to a shaft engine of the Lytle Coal Company, at Lytle, Pa., whereby the drum was set free and the rope and cage started to drop. The rope was finally torn from the drum, went out of the engine house, over the head sheave and down the shaft. At some point along its course it looped itself into the knot but in so doing not a single wire was broken. This was a most severe test, but the company states that its wire rope is made to meet such strains. The Engineers’ Club, of St. Louis, comprising in various divisions the different branches of the profession of en- gineering, has completed plans for the construction of a clubhouse. The new president of the club, installed De- cember 17, is John Hunter, chief engineer of the Union Electric Light & Power Company, St. Louis. Neer woe am ie ere 1484: THE The Case of the Oil Engine Comparative Estimates of Operating Costs of Different Power Production Combinations Ata meeting December 4 at the Hotel Walton, Phila- delphia,° of the- Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Avssociation, Witliam -T. Price, manager of the power department of the De La-Vergne Machine Company, The Bourse, Philadel- phia, presented a paper on oil engines. He contributed some comparative estimates of the cost of producing power for the industrial establishment by different forms of prime mover and different forms of fuel energy and from the paper the following notes have been taken: “I am frequently asked about the future supply of fuel for the oil engine. The parties we find least concerned about this matter are the oil producers themselves and all those familiar with the oil situation. The important fact is that we can afford to burn oil in the oil engine at a higher price than it can be used for other purposes. I know a number of oil consumers who will discontinue the use.of that fuel in their furnaces just because the present rise.in price makes it too expensive. The natural outcome will, be that the oil supply will gradually be -given over Two 50-hp. Hornsby-Akroyd Oil Engines in Plant of John M. Melloy’s Sons, Philadelphia. ground to oil engines. At present, the De La Vergne Machine Company’s power plant is being operated on water-gas tar, which is a cheap coal by-product from the gas works. This is found in almost all large cities and can be pur- chased at a low price. “However, at this period we are assured of a plentiful supply of Mexican crude oil and last week this was offered by the Standard Oil Company, at 3% cents per gallon, tank car lots, fo.b. Bayonne. It is a fine fuel for the De La Vergne FH-type engine giving over 16 b.h.p. hr. per gal- lon. ‘When the Panama Canal opens California oil will also be available, if necessary, but the Mexican fields will probably supply all our needs for many years.” An accompanying table shows the operating cost of a 50 hp. engine at C. R. Carver Company’s plant in Phila- delphia, compared with the estimated operating costs with other powers. A second table shows the actual -results obtained at Snead & Co, Iron Works, Jersey City, N. J., for a‘period of 24 months together with the estimated cost of producing the same power with producer gas and steam. This plant was chosen by the author for comparison be- cause it was the first installation of the FH engire and because careful records have been kept. IRON AGE December 26, 1912 With the present high price of gasoline, the author re- marked in ihe course of the paper, manufacturers are putting out a modified gasoline engine which, though often called an oil engine, should be termed a distillate engine. The exhaust pipe is jacketed so that after the engine is started on gasoline, and the exhaust pipe has become hot, the incoming air may be drawn through the jacket and heated. The heated air enables the carburettor to vapor- ize distillates heavier than gasoline, such as kerosene, gas oil, 38 deg. distillate and other light petroleum fractions. Another type is arranged so that the distillate is itself pre-heated by the exhaust. This type will seldom burn the regular ftiel oil, which is the refuse from the refinery, and a standard commodity, and he claims it has the gasoline engine’s disadvantage of electrical ignition and carburettor with the added one ot increased cylinder carbonization. Some distillate engines are arranged so that water is admitted to the cylinder to improve combustion, but this requires careful adjustment and unless distilled water is used, carbonates of lime, etc.. may accumulate and cause serious wear to cylinder and piston. Mr. Price drew attention among others to a 400-hp. twin-cylinder engine installed at the works of Crucible Steel Warren-Paxson Exhaust Heaters in Left Back- Casting Company, Lansdowne, Pa., and direct connected to an alternator. The plant furnishes current to a com- bination induction furnace of 2 tons capacity, which dis- places the present crucible furnaces. A surprising condi- tion is brought out by this installation and it is attributed to the high efficiency of the oil engines; namely, that it is possible to change the heat energy in the oil to motive power, then to electric power and then back to heat energy in the metal with a consumption of only one-third of the fuel used directly in the crucible furnaces. Furthermore, there is an additional saving of no small amount due to the elimination of crucibles. The oil engine the author regards as an ideal prime mover for electric furnace work. Comparison of Operating Costs of 50 b.h.p. Plant of C. R. Carver Company, Philadelphia One 50-hp. Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine belted to ‘shaft. Average load 30 b.h.p.; 10 hr. per day. Daily power consumption, 30 x, 10 = 300 b.h.p. hr. Fuel oil consumption, 300 Ib. 7% = 40 gal. Daily fuel cost, 4%4c. per dal. Kocbesseweene 19 cas es - $1.80 AMtandesics 136 Be. @ Be. cows ciccivecccswvstnusvodigs +30 Lubrication amd Quipplies: 6.6.5.6 dei ds cscccecteesebeus .20 WORM | s Sovshedekne nee b0hcns 90dabea Catan s Okenene tate $2.30 December 26, 1912 City Gas Engine Daily gas consumption (20 cu. ft. per hp. hr.), 6000. Daily. fuel cost, GOOG eu. £,: @ Bb... c ce scsccccede vegusees $6.00 A: eR Ree ns Fo ce CubeneseLennes te .30 Lubrseatiom: Od Gupplies® oo. ccc ccc s cle Vee c eh be wetiee sos 15 WER. Wok. pin 5a 60 bas acds chads 0 aeu's tpdodecakhia wen $6.45 Annual expenditure, $1,935. Steam Engine 300 b.h.p. hr. = 340 i.h.p. hr.; coal at 7 Ib. per ib.p. hr. = 2380 Ib. Daily fuel cost, 1:06 toms @ 93. i668 6. ee ci te wee ce $3.18 PENG ik 4 2 6 ce Rad 4x0 5 6A SO CaN CRRA Hae 2.75 LuDEPtGION. SRG SURED. voc vecincevaciccventbuweakeawekes 25 SWE oo cic We REPOS h WE NED 0 Kh ca Shed Ka aed hs WEkee heads $6.18 Producer Gas Daily coal consumption at 1.4 lb, per b.h.p. hr., 420 Ib. Daily fuel cost, 0.19 tom @ $4.25........ ccc ccc cee ees $0.81 Attendance, 4 of ome man’s time, @ $2.75..........005. 2.06 LS OE MN coc cic thatch seve voce Cekenseas 25 CO i cg Ci ei a thet thiaaed i> «hk WOOL a 04 evivbh Ceeke $3.12 Annual expenditure, $936. Electric Power 300 b.h.p. hr. = 250 k.w. hr. Daily power cost @ 2c. per k.w. hr.........e0eeeeeeens $5.00 Daily power cost @ 2¥4c. per k.w. hr... ... cece ceeeeeees 6.25 Daily power cost @ 3c. per k.w. hr..........eseecenees 7.50 Daily power cost @ 4c. per k.w. hr.........c ese esceee’s 10.00 THE IRON AGE 1485 Total: tea, ees CwtweR: ins bodes awn de 6's F Edn ccna ee cis 0 60S 369,684 Total b.h.p. hr. output (by calculation) ................4. $52,217 Average load, 54.2 per cent, of rated load. Fuel oil, 38, 214 Se Ue SHR says iS tb eves eqes Pie ee ant $1,240.00 L aihenthlien -i0ia