The Iron Age 1913-07-24: Vol 92 Iss 4

Fes \ Established 1855 HE IRON AGE New York, July 24, 1913 Vol. 92: No. 4 Heat-Treated Automobile Frame Steel Comparisons of Alloy and Carbon Steels Resistance to nderstand fully the rs rnte ne I e terials of constructio1 the a nobil al I ‘ SSal t ns! ler the i il wing p LS I of the typ« f frame design t e ma al. ntreated steel as against heat-treate re d ic properties of the steel Frame Design and Shock Absorption Automobile frame design may be broadly divided by e manner in which the shocks and strains caused by bad bads and by the vibration of the engine are to be absorbed. he material to be used will depend upon this design to very extent. The shock and vibration ) deadened, (2 mass, (3) mitigated by large may be: overcome by Bpringiness,’ OT 4) absorbed by) turdy construc- on The first lass ake s use fa wooden rame, the argu- ent of the man facturer at the wood ills or deadens he vibration. fith the in- eased size and trength de- anded by the being reater load and wer of the tw cars, this aterial has been Fig. 1—Photormicrograph of Section of Chan Ty nearly elim- nel Flange, Untreated (60 Diameters) ated from the ld, and does not. pertain to this 'he second class may be likened to the bed of a heavy aner or milling machine. The mass of the frame is so rge and heavy in comparison with the vibration, that the Itomobil Such is the argument of In general, we discussion negatives the latter. e manufacturers of this type of car that the first class is prone to second class is characterized by an extremely heavy unwield additional driving force iady Car, ot! these minority. weakness, while necessitating divisions are now in the Springiness as Against Sturdy Construction rd class may be best described by an incident automobile of this company officials. While passing over some r¢ r tracks, the front wheels caught in the track. nC nt part of the frame was twisted out of line for but upon the release of the wheels it sprung class with is riding in an etallurgist, 333 Held Buiiding, Philadelphia Typical Analyses of the Former Alternating Stresses a | ‘ } t iT | 5 I : iss s rally lig | S ly i § ll l T 5 la ll feasible und ird running t ] f the ver est—heat-treat: i ften is this requirement disregarded irer As the 1jOT rtion of the str rame is subject enter through th: inger « ars, they re ich the iront Ss emi rcti¢ \s the cross-member acts peded this point, there must necessarily be a locu f the separ forces at this section of the side bar and thi reme< strai tion umcient si oft sunt le te : | ult iTé ] } mon occurrence Che fourth clas is generally typ ical of the larger ind higher powe | hat we term “sturdy con struction.” Th: Side bars are suitable section Fie. 2—Photomicrograph of Sectix of Same d usually of Channel Flange, Treated 60 Diamete eat-treated hrome-nickel steel. The frame is substantial, but not unwieldy, the higher physical properties of this particular steel mak ! an extremely heavy frame unnecessary; The shocks ar to be entirely absorbed by the springs and fram: tha only a very small proportion shall actually reac] 7 of the car. Engineers ars ded as to the relative met f these last automobiles of each type But whichever of the two two ¢ numero used, the character f the steel entering i the fram construction must be carefully nsider« As will be shown later. alloy steel without heat treatment is of little ‘2 value, while heat treatment applied to straight carbon or of alloy steels of suitable composition greatly enhances their é alue. The motor truck has now entered the market ir = | aggressive manner, so that mention should also be mads Ss aed of it. The design suitable frame f motor truch is a much simpler affair than that of the pleasure car. as y 4 the former simply requires strength and durability. Leav ing aside the actual design, the 1 important features ¢ : ‘ : =] | 172 THE IRON AGE be considered, as far as the materials of construction are concerned, are the I-beam and the heat-treated channel section. Metallurgically there should be no hesitation at all; the former cannot compare. with the latter. Changes in Steel Used for Frames A decade ago when the automobile steel frame was in its infancy, cold-rolled, low carbon, Bessemer steel was the only metal on the market for this sort of construction. This steel generally analyzed from 0.07 to 0.10 per cent. carbon. From this statement, however, it must not be assumed that such steel was ordered to specifications. Far from it, indeed; in the eyes of the automobile manu- facturer at that time, steel was simply steel! Then, with the ever-increasing ascendancy of the open-hearth process, and the decline of the Bessemer process, open-hearth, cold rolled steel was specified. The steel mills, using the argu- ment of the better quality of the open-hearth steel, in- creased their profits by charging two or three dollars more a ton for their steel if open-hearth was specified. Prices were soon equalized, however, and at the present time all sheet steel used in automobile frames is open-hearth. Cold-rolled steel was specified at first simply for th: bright finish obtainable. Having obtained this foothold, for many years it was practically the only steel in use for automobile frames. With the lowering prices some few years ago, hot-rolled steel came into use, and will probably supplant the cold-rolled material within a short time. The growth of the steel frame business was somewhat hampered in the beginning by the difficulty experienced in obtaining sheets of sufficient length and width. Formerly a frame of 100 in. in length was considered large. Educational methods have now resulted in sheets double the original widths, while a side bar requiring a sheet of 250 in. in length is not at all unusual. Alloy. Steel with Heat Treatment With the in- creasing weight and size of the car came the demand for a better and stronger steel. This requirement was filled for the time by the use of a higher carbon steel, giving an elastic limit of some 30,000 lb. per sq. in. Then in 1905 came the important departure of using alloy steel, together with a suitable heat treatment, with the formation of a company by Eastern steel men to enter the automobile frame busi- ness. This company experimented with various types of nickel, chrome-nickel and manganese steels, heat treated, which resulted in the present general types of chrome- nickel steel and special carbon steel used by them and by companies which have lately entered the alloy frame business. The true worth of chrome-nickel steel as against carbon steels may be appreciated by noting the dynamic strength and quality figure given in the last part of this article. The problem of selecting the proper steel for an auto- mobile frame is an all-important one, for upon the strength and proper construction of this frame will depend the safety and lives of the automobilists. A large part of the frame troubles probably never reach the ears of the manu- facturer. The owner, having a car with a broken frame, will often have it repaired in some crude way by a black- smith rather than forego the use of his car for some weeks. If the automobile manufacturers in general were aware of the number of frame failures, they would un- doubtedly pay more attention to their frame specifications. The steel must be chosen with a view to the metal- lurgical and mechanical treatments in mind, and with due regard to the conditions to be met with in finished car or truck. As is well known, carbon, manganese, phosphorus. a Fig. 3—Photomicrograph of Section of Channel Web, Untreated. (60 Diameters) July 2 1913 sulphur, etc., affect steel in diverse ways. Some jurious; others confer added elasticity, hardness . 9 ness, and increase the efficiency of the steel for 4 usage peculiar to automobile frames. In short, this meg a special steel, which, upon further treatment, wil! be ;, best for the existing conditions. Carbon Steels The straight carbon steels, without such alloying ¢p. ments as nickel, chrome, vanadium, ete., may be ghly divided into three classes according to their carl ( tents, as follows: A B ( Per cent Per cent. Per cent Carbon ..... ews --» 0.1010 0.18 0.19 to 0.26 { ; Manganes¢ ‘ sce 0.30 to 0.50 0.40 to 0.60 { to 0. Phosphorus .......... Under 0.05 Under 0.04 I Sulphur ... svecteegee Ceuees Under 0.04 Ur The use to which each type-of steel is put is dependen upon the physical properties desired, and upon the nature of the steel in relation to such mechanical operati forming and bending. ~ The steel of Class A is generally used where the selling price of the frame, and therefor the cost of manufacture, must be kept low. The ver soft steel has relatively small strength, responds but poorly to heat treatment, but is the more easily pressed into shap. on account of its greater ductility. Annealing before t forming operations may or may not be necessary, depend ing upon the care and amount of work put upon the sted during rolling and upon the design of the side-bar The steel of Class B is the most suitable for frame purposes where alloy steel is not desired. As a general proposition, steel with a carbon content of 0.23 or 0.24 per cent may be said t have the greatest resistance to the dynamic stresses common in auto- mobile frames Under suitable heat treatment this particular grade of steel responds — excel- lently, giving much higher physical results and a better all- Fig. 4—Photomicrograph of Section of Same around frame Channel Web, Treated. (60 Diameters) The physical properties thus obtained, in combination with suitable characteristics for easy forming or bending to shape, make this analysis a favorite with manufacturers of higher-priced frames. Steel of analysis corresponding to Class C is but little used at the present time. Although it possesses greater strength on account of the higher carbon content, difficul- ties and losses occasioned in forming, as well as the higher price of material, have practically eliminated steel of over 0.30 per cent. carbon, Alloy Steels Practically all automobile manufacturers producing @ superior and lasting car are now using alloy steel frames Many analyses have been experimented with at one time or another, but chrome-nickel steel maintains its pre eminent position in the frame of quality. To show the diversity of analyses, and yet at the same time to illus- trate the general limits which have proved acceptable, the following specifications are given. It might be added that these, comprising chrome-nickel, chrome and nickel, chrome- vanadium and titanium, represent the composition of prac tically all alloy steel frames now on the market. \LLoy Steets ror AvuTomMopiL_e FRAMES Chrome-Nickel Steels Per cent. Per cent. Per cent CAPR inks onire wee avuw dens: ee 0.20-0.26 0.22-0.28 Manganese ...........+++++ 0.400.600 0.50-0.70 0.40-0.50 PRONNENUD boucsntcavenssad Low Under 0.02 Under 9.03 NE oe odie wise Sue ie Low Under 0.03 Under 0.03 PD rae ve swe sha canes hae 0.40-0.60 0.70 or over 0.40-0.5 WE ios ts iain causadenons 1.75-2.00 1.75-2.00 40-1.00 Chrome and Nickei Steels Per cent i) ZzU-+.25 0.60 inadium Ste Per cent 0.18-0.25 0.35-0.50 0.60-0.80 Over 0.1¢€ Under ( <ception of the extremely low hrome-nickel steel previously 1 0.40-0 | L Pe nt Ove ide Per nt lO ; | I ~arbons, the given may in such a manner as to give approximately hysical characteristics. These may s little call for straight cent. nickel steel at the pres- mly on account of the cost, but also on account slightly weaker static and dy- properties as compared with rome-nickel steel. Chrome een used with but indiffer ess, and does not possess the resistance ot the nickel and chrome-vanadium One steel mill supplying a nadium steel for frames on the market for se which gives the same lynamic i steel + ite Static properties as reviously given for chrome- el. Tests made upon this he author did not, however, good results dynamically the chrome-nickel _ steel. € 000 to 5,000 to : 000 t 20.000 t roughly 70.00 5,000 45 115.000 «00,000 15 Untreated. large manufacturer of automobiles some time ago ut an inquiry for carbon steel with a small amount tained titanium. From results obtained by heat on similar steels for other purposes it is doubt- r such a steel will give much higher results y than obtained in straight carbon steels. entation will probably have to be done before the Ipfulness of titanium when added to steel of high ve determined. Effect of Heat Treatment on Structure llurgists will tell the uninitiated how steel resem- in that it is made up of innumerable crystals, small to be seen with the unaided eye. will convince one that the qualities and properties eel will be directly dependent upon the f these crystals, vith each other, the stronger the steel Further A little size and The closer the crystals Also, the size of the crystals, the greater the num- ystal faces which will fit into each other. nal structure will depend in a large measure the roperties of the steel. Upon The control of the struc- ning a proper chemical composition, is vested netallurgical treatment which is given the steel. ‘omposition (special steel) and internal structure heat treatment) must go hand in hand. treatment is not to be a hit-or-miss affair, be conducted rationally and in an approved man- er the direction of a competent metallurgical engi- rked out. each heat of steel a separate treatment must Steel of high quality—and such only IRON AGE I | w should be used in frame construction—is very susceptible to change by a few degrees of heat at high temperatures. This is easily demonstrated by the use of a testing machine in conjunction with accurate pyrometers. The results trom heat treatment will amply justify the efforts ex pended. In general it is as yet in its infancy, but spe cialization in this branch growth. Educational methods are being used by many companies to f metallurgy will have a rapid urge this fact upon the consumer Let us consider the effect of proper heat treatment upon frame steel. A strip of straight carbon open-hearth steel was pressed into a channel then taken of a section 1 and 3, the former fr Photomicrographs were this channel, as shown in Figs m the flange and the latter from the web. This steel is characterized by the laminations given it by the rolling operation, by very arse crystalh ation, and by lines of weakness due to the crushing the crystals in the forming operation. That is, the steel is so stressed that it is unsuited in its present ndit to frame conditions And yet some manufacturers persist in using such steel, and wonder why their customers c plain that the frame is unsatisfactory The channel was heat-treated by a special process, ar photomicrographs taken of the same sect 5 wt Figs. 2 and 4 Note the great contrast between the un treated and the treated steel \ fine, even grain has replaced the coarse crystallization, and all signs of we ness have been obliterated Che elastic limit of the has been nearly doubled, as is shown by the foll results | eat e i . Tensile s etl ¢ k neat € cent in 7 8 [he effect of using untreated stock for frames is als show! 1 This photomicrograph was taken from a frame broken or cracked in six places. The structure of the steel is very uneven and shows Fig. 5. much weakness \n automobile frame is subject to two general classes of stresses and dynamic. By “stati are meant the weight of the dead static stresses load, such as machinery, body, pas sengers, etc It is upon this total 3 ‘ 8S ate : ‘ _ Fig. 5—Photomicrograph of Section of Broken oad and its distribution that th Side-bar, (60 Diameters) design of the frame with its com ponent members is usually arrived at, allowing for a certain factor of safety sunt there are also other extremely important stresses to which the frame is subject on account of its make-up, and which are too often neglected in selecting material for the frame. These are set up by the vibration of the engine, and by the ‘con stant bumping on uneven ground. The latter may be partly or wholly taken up by the springs, but the former can but pass into the frame itself. These continual shocks and alternating stresses, though primarily small in amount, soon play a very important part in the “life” of the car [To these complicated kinematic forces and fatigue resist- ing power are given the name of “dynamic” stresses. That these are not a direct function of the static strength is shown by numerous every-day failures in all lines of steel construction, and which can be attributed to no other cause but dynamic weakness. In order to gain some idea of the relative merits dynamically, of automobile frame steel, a series of tests was made with a machine designed by the author. A test-piece, approximately 0.174 in. x 0.500 in. x 6 in., care- fully finished, was clamped at one end in a vise. A tool steel head, with a 0.5-in. slot, was placed over the other end, the distance from the striking center of this head to the vise-line being 4 in. A crank and connecting rod operated by a 0.5-in. eccentric, furnished the reciprocating motion for the head, causing a rapid vibration of the test piece. In addition to this alternating flexure, the test piece was also subjected, at each reversal, to an impact, due to the slot in the réciprocating head. The combination of alternating flexure and impact, at 1200 complete alterna- tions per minute, subject the steel to forces very closely he te . ss eS SON, -F. +t s Si : 3 er ‘ at re Pe " 174 THE IRON AGE approximating those operating on an automobile frame The results given in the accompanying table show very clearly the advantages of heat treatment, as also of the use of special chrome-nickel steel. The latter point is strongly brought out by a comparison of steels 1 and both having the same elastic limit. It will be noted that the annealed chrome-nickel steel is nearly 2.5 times . ee SF Ou Ca ed, not trea { { ste nnealed... ( é ed heat-tre é ( stee eat-treat O Fig J} t I \ I 1 } , 2 strongel Vlia call tnal ie ¢ ( yre advantages of heat-treated chrome-nickel steel over the thers is clearly illustrated by the quality figures. Thes ' : have been arbitrarily taken as consisting of 1 followi1 components 1. Elastic limit, showing the range of | mmercially available. 2. Reduction of area, as th eas ure of the static ductility of the steel 3. Alternations (dynamic figure), being an sure of the fatigue-resisting power. The product of these components should give measure of both the static and dynam steel Electric Hardening Furnace A Preheater Used for Large Tools—Equipment of a Plant Handling 65,000 Pieces a Year Che electric furnace for the hardening of tools and « hown in Fig. 1, is a product of the General Electric ‘ pany, Schenectady, N. Y. in The Iron Age of December 3, 1908. The present fut An earlier type was describe nace is larger and embodies some improvements in pra tice, including the use of a preheater. The crucible or con tainer for the bath is lined with large special firebricl slabs, fitted and age of the bath. The dimensions of the crucible are 8 x 8 in. by 12 in. deep, although the bath is only 8 in. deep The lining is surrounded by heat-insulating material and the whole contained in a sheet iron case. Two iron elec- trodes, located on opposite sides of the crucible, are of such area as to cause the current to flow through practically every cemented together so as to prevent leak ing uliformity of temperature 1 contains a warming oven. Sor givel E is rting the furnace, yet the amount during normal operation is inappreciable he kin 1 used in this type of furnace di ipon the temperature at which it is to be operated steel, where the temperature re 1000 deg. C, a mixture of barium de and potassium chloride is used, the proportions ry ing with the temperature The higher the temper the greater is the proportions of barium chloride. For nary tool steel equal parts by weight of the salts recommended. Yet it is advisable to vary the propor that a minimum amount of vapor will be given off the temperature at which the bath is to be operated. | hardening high speed steel, where temperatures up to 130 x. C. are required, barium chloride only is used. The temperature of the bath is determined by a pyr eter. The thermo couple is generally inclosed in a ste tube so as to give it maximum life. With the scale of the millivoltmeter calibrated in degrees the exact temperatur Fig. 1—Electric Hardening Furnace Equipment Used in Blacksmith Shop at the Schenectady Works of the General Electric Company g. 3—Plan of Furnace When a tool is placed in the bath, a d salt forms on it, which, being a poor 1 f heat and melting slowly, prevents too sud advantageous, especially in t in a measure prevents distortio1 Vhen ined the temperature of the bath, it is 1 m of the salt adhering to it and pre tion. This salt chips off when the tool strikes 1 medium, leaving a clean surface juipment shown in Fig. 1, is installed in a black for hardening high speed steel, where about ls are handled per year. The tools are first n the preheater, shown at the right of the illus- This is oil fired, the air blast having a pressur The tools are placed so that their cutting ends er the burners. When heated red hot, the at moves them and places them in the furnace, at me pressing the button of the clock device, he right of the furnace, turning on the lamp. At the period for which the timing device is set, oes out, notifying the attendant to remove the [he proper period is determined by testing to when the tool has reached the temperature [he tools are quenched in the oil bath shown to e left. which is agitated by air to keep it cool. An at also provided for cooling and is shown just in front meter. Some of the tools hardened in this ire shown on the floor in the foreground of th a sectional elevation of the furnace and Fig. 3, A Double-Crank Toggle Drawing Press ntly, the E. W. Bliss Company, 11 Adams street, N. Y., has designed and built a new type of h it designates as a double-crank toggle drawing [his new press, the principal features of which are | by patents, is adapted for the drawing and form- les of large area and considerable depth such ile radiators, fenders, stove tops and a similar rk from heavy gauge sheet metal. As compared standard double crank presses, which were. for- for this work in connection with a spring pres- hment, it is pointed out that the new type pos- advantages, especially if the article to be pro- a considerable depth. As will be noticed from anying engraving, the press is of large propor- ver-all hight being 19 ft., while the floor space measures 235 in. in width and 104 in. in depth. nstruction, which is rigid, is of the builders’ tie rod type, in which the bed, uprights and the e are tied together by four vertical steel tie ire shrunk in place and take the entire working IRON AGE 175 strain, thus, it is emphasized, relieving all cast-iron parts from any tension. The power is transferred from the main driving gears to the itside slide or blankholder t \ series of ggles and a dwell of 110 deg. obtaimed power being transferred at both ends of the press. In con- nection with th structior W l it phasized, iVOIdS al tors il strain an ; simpli ethncient, the number of toggles and connections used is kept at minimum | I le of twin dr g is also appli onnection with the crankshaft which rates slide, this shaft ng driven thr iznh gears at eaci in add i using a small number of connections or links n transmitting power to the outside slide lar hd the connection pins hardened and gt i¢ p l mint Veal \ pow il har i ted f1 | zy grip type regulates the hine at ves | é f the vin s at times As igainst possible accident or damage to t ( the dies being ect set or any ar c t W uld intet ere Wi the p per oper ! safety couplings are provided for botl vhe tight pulley TI c e is doubl ed, t the gearing being 42 to 1 and the entire train of irs f steel castings with machine cut teetl [he loose ind all the backshaft bearings have bronz« shing have babbitt wit! raphite cast in them t sist cation. A counterweight placed in the driving valances the inner slide, while the outside slide ot holder is counterweighted by the outside cross-he also are the direct links between the rock shafts lriving gears | lide id four screw lear] rought the a npanying engraving adjustment of the inner slide is regulated by ad crews which operate in unison and serve to keep the f the slide and bed in correct alignment The following table gives the principal dimens ecifications of the pre listance be up, in eta etwe - | Stroke of inner s g Stroke lepth Vidth of be R4 Width . Depth rf | ‘ i 44 Depth of plung 3 Vidth of plunge i ¢ This press 5 one I a series, the general constructio1 and operation being practically the same in all. In th larger sizes an independent motor mounted on the operates the adjustment. r — _ — — SS See , A New Style of Press Known as the Double Crank Toggle Drawing Type for the Drawing and Forming of Articles of Large Area “and Considerable Depth from Heavy Gauges of Sheet Metal ane PP PRA Ae - en Or 176 THE IRON New Ball Bearing Grinding Machine Handwheel, Not Pump, Regulation of Water Supply a Feature of the Wet Type The Springfield Mfg. Company, Bridgeport, Conn., has I - . t brought out a new line of wet and dry ball bearing grind ing machines. The Brandes open side 20-in. wet tool grind Fig. 1—Front View of a New Ball Bearing Wet Grinding Machin¢ ing machine, shown in Fig. 1, which is named for Her mann F. Brandes, the head of the business, is so constructec that a worn or damaged wheel can be removed readily anc Fig. 3—The New Ball Bearing Dry Grinding Machine | AGE July 2 gis The Operation is to take off ysen the nut on the end of the spindle. another substituted and unlo Pumps have been eliminated, together with p water connections, levers and ratchets. The wate: is regulated by a rising and lowering reservoir, op: iby the large handwheel on the side of the table, a slig y ment of which determines the amount of change. e fe ervoir, which can be seen in the rear view of the ne Fig. 2. extends beyond the base, to permit of fillis Tt water level is visible, thus avoiding the chance of var flow. The door at the front of the base provides ( ng large enough for the withdrawal of the reserv: water apron is large for a machine of this size, i conjunction with the convex surface of the tool rest -, duces to a minimum the escaping spray. The ball bearings are of the annular type, and are amp! large for the load imposed upon them. Fig. 2 also show: the motor application, a construction which permit use of either direct or alternating current. Fig. 2—Rear View of a New Ball Bearing Wet Grinding Machine rhe specifications of the machine are as follows: Diameter « et 2 Face widt a eRe oe e eree - Speed of wheel p.n 900 Diameter of s e between wheel collars, in......... Length of be: Face width of sj pulley, in. mig eee Diameter »f spindl lley, in. ces eeeedumnees 5 Face width cou PEE NG AIG res cscs WS Hd wee 3H Diameter of counter pulleys, in.. cuales spvataen -'s Face width of countershaft driving pulley.. ricukees 3 Diameter ust. Geswime® onisey, lbs i. cave deeweeees 12 Speed of counter EDGR. 2s: ‘i as oe Re 600 Net weight of ma Td. ae ; pice cw vewenes 700 Skidded weight of complete machine, Ib...............0e0+: 750 Weight of countershaft, skidded, Ib 5 -atdubne; ae The dry grinding machines, one of which is shown Fig. 3, are built in two sizes, for 24 and 16 in. wheels They are designed to meet the severe conditions imposed by modern practice, under continuous service, with a low power consumption. The outer ball bearing is especially designed for grinding machine usage, with two packing rings on each side, and in addition the end shell fits closel) to the shaft, thus rendering the entrance of dirt or dust t the ball bearings practically impossible. The bearings are filled with lubricant, sufficient in amount to provide for @ considerable period of operation. wing table gives the principal dimensions and f the two sizes: eter OF Whe: Wien ds i uc ne digas 24 16 vidth of wheel, im........ ‘ 4 2 ile center, Im..... 34 37% Me GMistieseqacdss ; 4414 27 m Weetek Oise canckunaeets j 30 18 spindle between collars, in.... 2 1% ow Oe eee 10 5 rgest step of spindle cone pulley, in. 8 5 smallest step of spindle cone eee o“es*ee eee . ** ** 0 s of spindle cone pulley, in tig 2 irgest step of countershaft cone we ood 17 S illest step of countershaft cone eeeeeteeeees . oeeeeeeee . i> ntershaft cone pulley, ir 434 2% x ind loose countershaft pul ee oeeeeeee . e« ¥ ht and loose countershaft S tersheft, f.0s0ll. octas ctoccees ‘ 350 400 intershaft, Ib.... luadeseneet 175 140 hine, without wheels, hoods or It pe desevedeneeganete . 850 400 ne, h wheels and hoods, It 1,400 2 ised. tiwiidenshcsd cons teenies 28x44% 20x27 i1achine is furnished with hoods, as shown, or with- hoods inclose the wheels with the exception of e required for grinding. The end cover may be d conveniently to facilitate the changing of wheels. is are furnished with or without exhaust connec- lhe McDonald Charcoal Blast Furnace er details regarding the 100-ton charcoal iron to be built at Ellsinore, Mo., by the McDonald 11 Iron Company, show that the plant and equip ll cost about $400,000. L. W. Searles, Birming \la., is the engineer. The operations will include al, mining and ore concentrating plants. Brown vill be used, which is low in phosphorus and carries e 50 per cent. metallic iron with 1 to 2.50 per cent. of nganese. The company has between 8000 and 9000 acres re land, with most of the mining locations in clos ximity to the furnace site. Construction work will egin in August, it is stated, and in addition to the fur- ind allied equipment a water works and electric light will be built. The concentrating plant will be of 400 laily capacity. The hardwood timber available is of oak and similar varieties, making excellent char- A Booklet on Boilers.—The E. Keeler Company, lliamsport, Pa., has issued an elaborate booklet de- ive of the water-tube boilers which it manufactures. pany was established in 1864 and its boilers have me constantly wider known and are now quite exten- ised. The booklet is very complete and gives an ac- all parts used in the construction and equipment, f them illustrated. There are also fine photographs us installations of the two types of boiler, the ntal and cross drum, using oil equipment, chain kers, underfed stokers, etc. Considerable space d to tables of complete tests made on boilers use. Conspicuous among these are those made ;overnment at the Gatun and Miraflores locks, Pan- nal. The company has engaged in the manufac- ilers now for 50 years and the location of the s never been changed Catskill Foundry & Machine Works, Catskill, ‘ently purchased from the owner the patterns, blue- drawings and the stock of manufactured parts for rliss engines put out by the Fishkill Landing Ma- ympany, Fishkill-on-Hudson, N. Y., and succeeds business of making and furnishing repairs for this vn line of engines. George B. VanTine, former endent for the Fishkill concern, goes with the foundry & Machine Works and will have charge ranch of its activities. habilities of $340,459 and visible assets of $325,541 in the bankruptcy schedules filed in behalf of lwaukee Motor Company, Milwaukee, Wis., by .. John, secretary-treasurer and general manager. luntary petition in bankruptcy was filed in June creditors ; 913 THE IRON AGE 177 Eight-Spindle Vertical Drilling Machine [he growth of the automobile industry | the development of various machine to as resulted in Is of a special type designed for some particular class of automobile work. One of these lines is the No. 15% multiple-spindle drilling machines of the Foote-Burt Company, Cleveland, Ohio, which are used in many of the automobile plants for doing miscellaneous drilling. This machine is built with any number of spindles, which can be arranged so as to be adjustable either universally or only in a straight line, or with fixed centers. One of this line of machines that has some novel features is an eight-spindle fixed cen ter type. The arrangement of the different types of heads permits the use of the machine for many different classes f work This machine is being used extensively on valve hole work on automobile cylinder castings for boring the large valve porthole, for machining the valve seat and for drill ing and reaming the valve stem guide hole. It is also used for drill ing the sides of a crankcase and for drilling some of the sides of the cylinders, or for any other multiple work that is re- quired. With this type of machine, having the proper number yf spindles, with either fixed cen- ters or adjustable in a straight line, it stated that it is possible to drill all the valve holes re quired on the cyl- inder as quickly as one could be done with a single-spin- dle machine. In some plants these machines are ar- ‘ . Roa A New Eight-Spindle Fixed Center Vertical ranged in batter- Drilling Machine for Handling Miscellane ies, according to ous Work in Automobile Plants the number of op- erations required, and then the work is processed through the machines, each machine doing one operation However, the smaller manufacturer can run a number of cylinders or other parts through the machine for one operation, change the tools and then run the parts through for the next operation, which, it is emphasized, enables as satisfactory manufacturing results, comparatively speaking, to be secured from the small plant as from the larger one with its specialized operation scheme The spindles of the machine have large bearings witl bronze bushings and are arranged with a No. 4 Morse taper. The driving spindle spur gears are made of 3% per cent. nickel steel, and the head slide on the column is extra long to insure rigidity. The driving bevel gears are made of high carbon hardened drop forgings, having planed teeth. The machine is arranged with friction throw-out back gears, a Johnson friction clutch being used. This arrangement is for taking care of the large range of sizes between the large valve hole and the valve stem guide hole on the valve hole work and also adds to the power of the machine. The machine is driven by a three-step cone pulley, the step diameters being 15, 17 and 19 in. with a 4%-in. face Six changes of power feed are provided by a two-step cone pulley and change feed gears. An automatic knock- off to the power feed is also arranged with a quick tray- erse by a large pilot spider wheel. The column of the ma chine is of extra heavy box section and well ribbed. The table has a large working surface with an oil groove ex- tending entirely around it. The table is raised and lowered by a jack screw with spiral gearing Machiningand Assembling AutomobileEngines The Routine of the Continental Motor Mfg. Company—A Plant with 240,000 Sq. Ft. of Floor Space Under One Roof I j RR As a result of a very careful analysis of industrial _ tition nd instead, heavy wire screens extending establishments throughout the country, the new Detroit ceiling an aving a metal dado, 4 ft. high, separ plant of the Continental Motor Mfg. Company is 1 ern it machi » from the receiving room, rough and { every detail including handling and routing of mater tockrooms and from the tool cribs. This scheme gives 4 future growth, short cuts in operation and healthful workin maximum amount of light and air, and also an unobst a? conditions forthe employees. The buildings have 240,000 sq iew of the entire rooms. The screens are made up jp a ft. of manufacturing floor space and are constructed o1 standard widths of 4 ft., which permits the partitions 1 4 the trussed concrete principle, which gives practically on taken down easily Articles descriptive of the on mass of windows. The factory consists of seven build lipment details and the testing room appeared Th | ings, building No. 2 being the main structur: Chis is a Age, March 6 and May 1, 1013, respectively. two-story, reinforced concrete building, the first floor of The machine shop is housed in a sawtooth building, The ; which houses the assembly department, while the secon: oof trusses are supported on &-in. steel columns of H ise floor is given up to the toolroom and general offices. Build ross-section, spaced 20 ft. on centers with an additional 4 ing No. 3 is of the same construction, the first floor con russ between each column, supported on a 15-in, | taining the finished stockroom and the second the sul vhich is connected from column to column. This gives the assembly department. Building No. 4 takes in the roug umn spacing of 20 ft. and a truss every Io ft. TI re stock and receiving rooms, and building No which is of tol hord of the trusses is made of two 4-in. channels steel sawtooth construction, contains the machine s vith a I-in. sp which allows the line shafting to b cine? Building No. 6 is a one-story steel structure with a mot rted directly from the trusses ri tor roof and contains the engine testing room and shippi1 Che heating is by a system of air ducts built in the roof, © a4 department. All of these buldings are connected together th branches near the ceiling, which keeps the heating med as shown on the plan reproduced in Fig. 1, which makes ucts out of the way of shafting and piping. The fan pull *: the entire factory, with the exception of buildings Nos. 7 the heated air around the miter steam coils, which have “hild and 8 under one roof. This has a great advantage, as it ld water circulated through them during the hot weather, at allows the product to be trucked from one building to and by operating the fans, the machine shop can be kept we another without passing through the yard. Building N below 75 deg. in the hottest weather. Further ventilation tac, heuses the heat treating department, which was illustrated secured by opening the glass in the skylight which ex- ai | in The Iron Age, January 2, 1913, and is a separate struc tends the full length of each bay, and is operated by the sas ture of the same design as building No 6. Building No.8 Drouvé continuous sash system rite is the powerhouse which is connected to all the other build The floor consists of a 6-in. bed of concrete having Gani ings by a tunnel, 8 ft. wide and 7’ ft. high, which is shown wooden sleepers every 2 ft. and this entire concrete slab is ae in Fig. 9. One side of the tunnel is given over to steam, air, overed with a heavy coating of tar. On this are laid 1%/- oe water and gas piping, while on the other are located th n. pine irds nailed to the wooden sleepers. A covering | im electric wires, which are all placed in steel conduits f tar paper is placed on top of this, and a maple floor of Tee Future growth is very carefully considered, and the 1%-in. boards, having a 2-in. face, is laid on top of it | Bo entire plant can grow to many times its present size with This arrangement gives a floor possessing sufficient strength FS et out interfering with the original plans or rearranging the to support the heavy machinery without separate founda , departments. The factory is free from brick or solid pat tiot The double floor allows machinery to be held in Power | House 4 en ny me - t I I k * “age > t i k | o = be - em i hee ng ait oe 4 pa t Prope Fig. 1—Layout of the New Detroit Plant of the Continental Motor Mfg. Company The Arrows Indicate the Course Taker DY the Different Parts 178 / - Ge eas oeettarre THE IRON AGE rt. or a Se sn Fig. ; Spi . Foote Rurt Cylinder — View of hd , Boring Machines tullard Verti- & » ' f und the Specially ine*e Milling 2 j : . Designed ‘ . , e a ~<_ . eal nes Used for @ d = and Carri the Fly- & Carry i Port Grinding Depart king on Cam and Crank Shafts ‘ . view of Multiple- Drilling nes in the ase De with a De- Truck Mount- Carri th Yr ye oo ee nett Waals: S. ae - Gin 180 THE IRON AGE July 24. ign, place easily with lag screws, and the maple floor is easy on the men, not causing fatigue, as a. concrete floor does. This construction also makes a very easy floor to keep clean. The entire room is painted a light pearl gray, which adds to its appearance and enables the machine shop to be illumi- nated with Cooper Hewitt lamps, having 50-in. tubes, no other illumination being required. All the driving motors are 20-hp. units running at 1140 r.p.m. and are mounted on metal platforms located near the ceiling. They are con trolled from the balcony where they are under the full authority of one man. All electric wires are run in steel conduit which protects them against the customary rough shop usage. All racks, stands and other equipment are made of black enameled steel, there being no wood equip- ment in the machine shop. Hyatt roller bearings witl Woods type hangers having a 20-in. drop are used through- out, the hangers being bolted directly to the roof trusses All the shafting is 2-7/16 in. in diameter and runs at a speed of 240 r.p.m. Cast-iron split pulleys are used on all shafting, and the entire equipment throughout the factory has been standardized which greatly assists in making quick repairs. All the work of the machine shop is controlled by the planning department, which makes out work cards accord- ing to the production schedule. This department also has full supervision of the rough and finished stores and the trucking of material. The planning room is located in the center of the machine shop, and across the aisle are the tool cribs and tool repair department. All work is planned from this room and it is impossible for a workman to start a job without a work card. Careful study has been given to the kind of trucks used, and each truck is designed for the work it is intended to perform. Small parts are placed in steel barrels, having two lugs which can be picked up and carried easily on a special carriage. Cowan trucks having specially designed platforms for holding material are used in the crank and cam shaft departments, but Reynolds trucks are used for trucking crankcases and oil pans, and a small two-wheel carriage with metal tongs picks up a cylinder casting when it is transferred from one department to another. The routing of material has been given a great amount of study, and the machinery was located after a large num- ber of charts and plans were made showing the different operations, floor space of machines and floor area for operations and material. Each department performs thc complete machining operations on all parts taken care of by that department, so that the parts are ready for final inspection when they leave. As an example of how efficiently this system works out in the cylinder depart ment the cast-iron cylinders, which are cast three and four en-bloc and are the heaviest parts handled in the stock room, pass directly from the receiving room to the rough inspection department, where the general inspection fot size, thickness of metal, etc., takes place. Special care is taken to see that the castings are free from sand and rough spots, and that the interior of the water jackets are sand Fig. 7—View of the Assembly Room Showing the blasted and carefully scraped. From the inspection dep part ment they are taken into the rough’steckroom. The cyjip. der department is located within a few feet of the stor. room, and the castings are delivered to No. 4 Ci milling machines, where the cylinders are mounted table and one side faced. Large four-head Ingers ing machines, with long tables, are located adjacen other machines. Six cylinders are placed on each be four-head machines, and the remaining three sides 4,, faced in one operation. Directly opposite these machine are the large four-spindle Foote-Burt boring m equipped with the jig bolted to the bed, which bor: cylinders. Placed next to these is a line of Molin Baush gang and multiple drilling machines. ~ machines have a track in front and, by utilizing a clever designed jig mounted on a small car, the cylinder can } dropped into this jig and passed from one machine n other without resetting the casting. A view of the Burt machines and the track and carriage for handling ¢ portable jig is given in Fig. 3. The reaming and tapping operations are taken by a line of Baker Bros. and Cincinnati singl drilling machines which are located directly back multiple and gang drilling machines. The final operatio: of grinding the cylinders is done on Heald No. 6 interna eccentric grinding machines, placed opposite the single. spindle drilling machines. These grinding machines have a common exhaust system located in a trench, which car. ries off all the dust and delivers it to a large receiver. A view of these grinding machines is given in Fig. 5. U; the completion of the grinding operation, the cylinders are cleaned and passed into the finished inspection department \ll of these operations are performed within 60 ft. of th rough stockroom. All the machining is done on the cylin- ders with very little trucking and handling, which not on! helps to increase production but also allows the superin- tendent to know at a glance exactly what the department is doing. The same care has been used in laying out the other departments. The crankcase department has a series of multiple-spindle drilling machines in a row with a track in front, as illustrated in Fig. 6. A jig mounted on the car- riage can be turned in any desired direction and permits the drilling to be done on all four sides and both ends without handling the crankcase. A pneumatic hoist take: the case out of the jig and substitutes another, which shortens the time of changing cases. The carriage auto- matically locks in any desired position and also stops at fixed points on the track directly under the machine. The roughing cut on the crankshaft is taken by a LeBlond special heavy duty pin lathe: The flywheels are faced by Bullard vertical-spindle milling machines, as shown in Fig. 2. The connecting rods are reamed on a special Cin- cinnati eight-spindle gang drilling machine which takes care of four connecting rods simultaneously, and all cam and crank shafts are ground on Norton and Landis grind- ing machines, a view of this operation being given in Fig. Portable Trucks Used for Assembling the Motors THE IRON AGE 181 o*) g and reaming operations are done with gned jigs, all parts. interchangeable. in the plant is very thorough, the mate inspected im the rough stockroom, botl dimensions, and there are numerous other ughout the plant, who inspect each part ne operations. The product is also given an ifter machining before passing into the fin artment, this work receiving careful atten supervision of the engineers. It is ng any material into stockroom or on the thout passing through the inspection de layout of the main trucking aisle machine shop directly through the irtment to the finished stockroom. The inspected during assembling and _ re i spection before the shipping is done ervision of the sales department, which ni ndent of the general inspection and pro nts This allows tw separate sets lifferent department heads to discove1 re not up to standard. The inspection de ts upon accurate work, a 90 per cent. bearing mly distributed being demanded for eacl the reaming is so accurately done on thi nd the crankshafts are held so close to siz ying is done for finishing to size ught under signed specifications. All the ted in the factory laboratory and also at ee a laboratories to give a careful check on th Buildings. The Pipi s Located One Side a iny material not coming within the specifica Electric Cables Run in Ste tits Along the O ejected ssembly room, which is illustrated in Fig. 7, is machine tool equipment in this partment is | the finished storeroom, so that the fin- plete and almost any kind of a complicated can be assembled without a large amount of taken care of. It is mmon practice to have soo t On Progressive assembling is used, one man spe special cutters of one kind made in tl lepartmen n each separate operation. The assembling of once. is started on a small truck near the finished The powerhouse posses , and passes from one operator to the next until in factory power plants The entire buildi: ré es the other end of the assembly floor. When it having steel sash and reinforced ¢ reaches this point it 1s completed and is ready for the test gine room, which is spanned by a 15-ton Shaw hand crane electric crane and placed directly on a test stand has a red tile floor and white enameled side walls. Powe ich is located only a few feet away It is picked is furnished for the entire plant by cross compound Han the jigs, fixtures and special cutters are made in ilton Corliss and Erie Ball engines, each of which n one end of which is illustrated in Fig. 8. The nected to a three-phase. 60-cycle, 220-volt, alternatin g-CcU eee eee Fig. 8&—General View of One End of the Toolroom bd ~e : eo Fone - bs arnt erage 7 . Je 8 ge NA ag EES ORS ollie a, 7 7 ae a OP i RE 2 ae voted 182 THE IRON AGE July 25, P rent generator. Three 250-hp. Wickes vertical water tube boilers with Murphy stokers supply the steam. A Shaw monorail electric coal conveyor, having a 1000-lb. Brownhoist grab bucket, unloads the coal directly from the cars and conveys it either to the coal storage bins or directly to the metal bins located on top of the stokers, a switch enabling the conveyor to take care of the ashes. The steam header extends along the fire wall near the boilers and each end drops to the basement and is tied together to form a complete loop. Valves are arranged to feed the steam in either direction and cut out any por- tion of the header for repairs without shutting down the plant. The engine room piping is located in the basement, which keeps the room entirely free of piping. The switch- board has a complete set of instruments, including an ammeter for each phase, an indicating and recording watt meter for each generator, a synchroscope and power factor and frequency meters.