The Iron Age 1913-09-18: Vol 92 Iss 12

Establis! i 1855 —A Year's pres tatus of the Minnesota Steel Company’s ks near luth and the plans for its completion indi- that t rolling of will not begin before the ing of During the coming winter weather con- ms will retard building progress and in the winter fol- ig an attempt to start up the plant would be attended h dificulties making it too hazardous. But the advent this new producing capacity is sufficiently near to make position as a new distributing The mal operating conditions in such a high-latitude location ‘ steel center of interest e Bl dicated during the construction period in way. The engineering features of the "i which the special climatic conditions are to be een fully worked out. { their inception the plans for the Duluth | an expenditure of $6,000,000. This was and during the five years following some was done in establishing railroad con- surveys and building foundations. Not was the appropriation made for the actual Since that time progress has been steady, &, maki: June. IQ] building THE IRON AGE New York, September 18, 1913 ust Furnaces in Process of Erection, Showing the Single Chimney 603 Vol. 92: No. 12 The Minnesota Steel Company's Plant Its Special Engineering Problems—Labor Supply and Economic and Efficiency Construction Work Ahead if not rapid. The work thus far accomplish cated in a general way in the view of the blast naces Fig. 1, and the mill buildings, Fig. 2. The steel work for ves, stock houses and the blast furnaces, dust catecl primary washers is in place and the brick linings will be lers, st completed before the advent of cold weather The brick work for the coke ovens is being assembled under cover Foundations for the cement plant have been laid, but it will not be completed until about the time the furnaces are ready to deliver slag. In the open-hearth building the re for Each Group of Hot Stoves generative chambers are nearing completion and the build- ing of the first two of the original battery of seven open- hearths has been started. In the mill buildings none of the equipment is permanently in place and a large part of it is not yet on the ground. The original plans have been materially enlarged. In- stead of $6,000,000 the expenditures now authorized total over $16,000,000 for the steel mills, for real estate, rail- road connections, cement plant and 170 concrete houses For the last named the contract has just been placed at Duluth. A proper balancing of the plant production has + eee ne Se ep ee ane a ES I ale Te a nt tl a in nn lh att Fk Sis asur mayan aes Hecasce as acini set - - oe Rail Finishing Mil General View of Minnesota Steel Company’s Plant required the building of three additional open-hearth fur naces, making ten in all, and docks for receiving coal and limestone have yet to be equipped adjoining the Missab« ore docks. Plant and Equipment As provided for in the plans now works include the following Two 500-ton blast furnaces with five stoves each, and grid spray primary and Ernst secondary washers Ninety Koppers by-product coke ovens Ten 75-ton open-hearth furnaces, each equipped witl 400-hp. waste heat boilers supplying steam to blooming mill drive Four 4-hole soaking pits with electrically operated covers. 11 4° “41 One 40-in. blooming mill, steam driven, with hydrauli , manipulator. One 28-in. finishing mill, motor driven; blooming and finishing stands to take rolls for rolling rails, billets, beams up to 8 in., channels up to Io in., angles up to 5 x’5 in. One 16-in. continuous roughing train with three stand of 12-in., two stands of 10-in., and two stands of 8-i1 finishing rolls, all motor driven. Three continuous reheating furnaces, regenerative typ¢ end discharge, for 16-ft. billets Power house containing four twin-tandem 3000-kw Allis-Chalmers gas engine generators, also five 24,000-cu ft. gas driven Bethlehem blowing engines. Pumping station with capacity for 40,000,000 gal. daily Machine, forge and structural shops. Completed on this basis, the plant is expected to produce 350,000 tons of finished products annually Special Construction Features The length of time which has been available for plan- ning for the building of the new works is apparent in the excellence of the general construction and in the studied elimination of undesirable features of design. With one exception, trestle approaches have been eliminated. Where necessary, excavations have been made to secure required differences in level. Special features have been worked out to meet the peculiar conditions of climate, labor and marketing. The walls of the mill buildings are constructed with two-piece concrete blocks made by the Minnesota Steel Company and designed to provide continuous air passages in. the walls. Liberal radiation has been provided for steam heating the buildings by the indirect system. Water pipes through which slow running water is piped are laid in the ground 7 ft. below surface. Hydraulic control has been entirely eliminated with the one exception of the blooming mill manipulator. The ore bins are entirely en closed, with the bins proper below yard level. A steam- ing plant is installed for thawing the ore. Clean gas will be used in the blast furnaces, stoves to diminish the possibility of shutting down any stove. Each stove has an individual stack, but for each group of five stoves there is the unique provision of a single stack into which all the others lead. The arrangement is thus analogous to a boiler breeching, affording each stove when starting up the ad- vantage of the hot central draft stack, a very important provision in a cold climate. The blast furnaces will be housed in corrugated steel during the winter months. Boiler Shop Mil has been accustomed to leave this part of th: ntr 604 Side, Showing Blast Furnaces in Backero Labor Conditions a> 5 Che labor situation presents some btaining at other steel plants. In th the lakes, open pit mining, railr ipping and many associated activities inimum,. The labor that does not seek he spring labor is required in every scarcity is increased as summer advances f railroad construction and the harvest nsequence a fluctuation in the labo: imum and maximum supply and at est demand labor commands high rates year operation of the steel mill is quit this labor situation, and the creation of a | orking organization on the basis of a wag rable with the rates at other steel plants is blems. While the rate of pay will probably always | rh at Duluth, the cool summer weather and ideal loc tion of the plant will undoubtedly make the output labor well above the hot-weather efficiency at other plant With conditions naturally unfavorable to a unifor r supply it may be expected that a great made to keep the mills at Duluth running « order that the men may be held by the advantages To this end the plant will und favored in tonnage wherever possible. It has designed with regard to rolls to give a maximun in rolling various products that its natural bsorb in small quantities only. In other wing has been reduced as much as possible Housing conditions for workmen are to b vith a higher standard of excellence thar tempted elsewhere. A new design of concret struction providing a double continuous air sp: the walls has been adopted in the interest of warmt dryness. idy work. ‘ Duluth as a Steel Manufacturing and Distributing Poin Whatever may have been the reasons resulting decision to build a steel plant at Duluth, and th of those reasons was advanced with emphasis, the ¢ increased appropriations indicate not only the nece ssity of a balanced plant, but also a belief 1 \f the market tributary to Duluth. Farming, me Seitzs of the Northwest, does not require muc : the direct-from-mill forms. Iron and steel manutacture in its infancy west and north of Duluth, but ie adjustment of freight rates favorable to Duluth ae larged the market to the south and southeast very " But for the present at least the ratiroa un doubtedly take the largest part of the tonnag' \s a railroad center Duluth has made ae the past few years. The Soo Line, affiliated ¥ Canadian Pacific system, has built into Dulut! senger, general freight and ore terminals ae Northern Railway has completed its own Hine tro". Duluth from Winnipeg, this branch being re Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway, and 1s bul aati tonnage with exceptional speed. These are 3 “¢ the Northern Pacific, Great Northern q (mM j ‘ rapid > nd he rap! ily P ‘aul, Minneapolis & Omaha terminals, an¢ ‘ can easing operations of the two Steel Corp: ratio i the largest the ¢ Duluth is also the location of two of aie hardware jobbing houses of the West and alread’ = Soaking Pit Building Open-Hearth Building Ovens are Obscured in this View by the Open-Hearth Building and the Power House the B g Mi ets and bars through jobbers is consid- coal from West Virginia to Chicago are more than the rail el available on a competitive basis and and lake rates to Duluth. On ore the Duluth plant will un- | I market improved, the advent of many doubtedly enjoy a special rail rate from the mine, an allow ure may be confidently expected ance being made for the elimination of the handling on the plant as affecting the cost of as- the vessel loading docks. Ore also will be sl ‘ terials appears to give it a considerable’ tinuously through the winter from the underground mine nestone will be secured from Michigan, to the plant and it will not be necessary to carry any mort development of which deposit will also. ore at the furnaces than the stock bins will accommodate plants. Here Duluth will have a longer On the other hand it will be necessary to secure the entire he haul to Chicago. Rail freights on year’s supply of il and stone during navigation ' . . . c ~ . ‘ . e ale d , ecribed l¢ tinues A Polishing Machine for Small Parts platen as already described. It continu : : . ' blank holder and platen until th rst operation is m nachine designed for the rapid finishing ; ae oe 4 . ; pleted, when the operator turns the pressure 1 e side een brought out by Forbes & Myers, : : ; ; tes, as cylinders. This causes the platen to continue Union street, Worces- , F } . . 1 ¢ y +} : ene ‘ travel free from the center ram and performs e seco! ) ter, Mass. As shown in ; ; ; operation. The extension pressure head can be removed the accompanying il- ' ' : for work not requiring it. The platen and pressure hea lustration, the machine ct a ' ' ad il ‘ n : os are fitted with tee slots and the pressure head extens is fitted at one end with : ced : ; et i with slots for bolting on difterent forms a 6-in. grinding wheel The pr 5 i i e pres and at the other with a scroll chuck, and a feature of the outfit is a combined switch and brake. The starting and stopping is done by the handle shown and when the switch is opened, this automati- brake, so that considerable time is saved iting for the machine to stop itself. The course, can be replaced by a buffing scroll chucks may be mounted at both linary speed of operation is 3600 r.p.m., may be furnished for working at a speed lhe motor, which is of the squirrel cage capable of supplying “% h.p. intermit- table for use on two or three-phase cur- \ New Hydraulic Forming Press il hydraulic forming press designed and Hydraulic Press Mfg. Company, Mount shown in the accompanying reproduction It is used for forming various shapes or other material requiring a meditim ylinders and three rams are employed the press. One 6-in. ram operates a blank vO 5-in. rams operate the pressure platen. in. ram, is machined to a smaller diame- end than the bearing in its cylinder. The hed rigidly to the platen, and during the ts operation it travels in a bearing through a distance of 7 in. On the completion of shoulder on this ram takes a bearing on ( the platen which causes the platen to [his causes the two side cylinders to fill a surge tank. platen and the main pressure ram are at the Hydraulic Forming Press Built by the Hydraulic Press Mfg. Company blank holding plate of the latter fits into a , , ef in the face of the platen. During the ing surface is 35 x 36 in, the daylight space 9 mm. or 22% ‘ operation the main pressure ram raises in., and the run of the ram ts 18 in The platen 1s con- ng attachment and later carries up the main structed to allow for heating im necessary cas¢ 605 ' 7 nase tt i Bh bee ee > —- 4 ng ee * - + tied ane & - - Sigh eee: eens Te 606 THE IRON Automatic Tapping and Reaming Machine High Production Machine for Finishing Valve Bodies, Return Bends, Etc. . machine intended for finishing in one chucking semi-steel ammonia valve bodies, both flanged and screwed ends, also .split return bends and similar work requiring two or three operations has been developed by { the Pottstown Machine Company, Pottstown, Pa. The machine is of the upright type, of heavy construction, and may styled a semi-automati [he strong feature of tl in the oj of Ider, is t rigidity parts, entirely elin t the s of w hile t] chine is it ( n, W not il turr chine ry ght spindle f wl | 5 I to the wi ( The tur | t cylinde The s four sid ed t yur chucks, three t é é vhile the h is’ be ng filled The rst operator the t where the three ri ng to enter 1 e ren all scale surface On the sé 1 m t the turret this valve comes under the finishing tool wl 5 ated in the rear but does not show in the cut. Two spindles ure provided in the ri ne | ntal a1 yne vertical, providing a finishing tool for either style whether angle r straight through valve. On the third position of th turret the two facing tools finish the male and female openings. On the fourth movement the turret around to the loading point where the finis] tit removed and the new blank inserted. On the right-hand side is furnished an additional wrist plate, cam and lever mechanism. This is the tapping side of the machine. It is possible to throw the automatic reversing mechanism out of commission, making the spindles travel in one direction only, which permits placi finish facing t in these spindles for flange worl The cut shows tl Turret Form of Machine Allowing Simultaneous Operations on, Say, Three Valve Bodies While a Fourth is Being Placed i" the machir wrerict y latch bar, it is further held by an au devi é or the WOT?! 1 witl ustable | ad Screws. ire castellated and with a spring latch th lved from one notch to another, regulating the The lead screws are removabl 1 é nged for different pitches. The taps tarted automatically by the cam shaft, but the reve: ; done by the stop on the reversing disk. The d thread desired can be obtained by adjusting tl The variation in the threads is adjusted by tl ad screws as explained. \s regards the advantages of the machine, mention may be first made of the fact that the work is brought AGE ut the tools operating on the worl fter the work is placed in the chu lid taps are used and the taps ars 1e operating in this manner. By plate and placing lead screws on ng the reversing mechanism in c ready for tapped openings. ile the turret is held and index. to make it absolutely rigid wit! machine, and thus to insure align: It is possible to revolve the turr: ip has not been pressed down. ed to its first position, the machi: cle finishing the piece. Once the ere is nothing further to be d hed work and put in the new bla: re rigidity, are provided with right he center with a sleeve t he screws which have a squar« tion of the wrench on the one e1 hten the jaws on the fitting, whic! rews to separate slightly in the m idly at each end of the chuck, 1 ket or collar for rigidity. To facilitate gauging to the operator, giving him opportunity to secure Machine In starting on a piece of work the 1 back and forth to the different tools frying and gauging on the first piece rming the third operation, it is empha entirely new. For the machining of a provides roughing tools to take off the , and finishing tools for accurately lings, including the seat, with one with cut hardened, of steel cast or forged are made of tool steel and ial spindle steel provided with bushings for ire spe Cc d taking up wear; the and oil with a view to obtain quick- hand for the various are placed conveniently at the upon the material and the valve bodies the out- our, smaller sizes proportionately ided with oil grooves holes: arranged nd the m ichine levers depends -in. semi-steel r space of the machine is 9 ft. 6 in. 20.800 Ib. ring Machine for Finishing Engine Liners fachine Tool Works, Inc., Philadelphia, designed and built a machine to finish of bushings, illustrated by the ac- photographs. The capacity r bars up to 9% in. in diameter ductions of and Newton Machine for Finishing Gas Engine Liners th. The bushings are clamped in bearings f the machine, arranged to hold bushings ing diameters of the work to be bored. omplished by means of the travel head B, he vertical bofting bar, which is 6 in. in boring head has power feeds and re- wer traverse, in addition to hand adjust- ting and removing the work quickly. The nterweighted and adjusted vertically by hand wheel shown on the right-hand side of when in the top-most position the upper it H is swung clear of the bar. rs are attached to the large driving drum at wing the use of different diameter bars itomatic release to the head travel is lo- e smaller motor shown drives the feed and and is a “%-hp. General Electric at 1800 r.p.m., and motion is transmitted ntials controlled by lever L, which con- when disengaged and the fast traverse direct. The main drive for the machine from the larger or 7%4-hp. General Electric has a speed of 500 to 1000 r.p.m. The the drive to the spindle drum is through wheel and a hardened steel worm. raverse )13 THE IRON AGE HoT / Steam Hydraulic Press for Gun Forgings A high-speed steam-hydraulic forging press has been built for gun forgings for installation at the Watertown Arsenal, Watertown, Mass., by the United Engineering & Foundry Conipany, Pittsburgh, Pa. It has a capa f 800 tons and is almost a duplicate of one furnished the naval gun factory at Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D last year. As indicated in the accompan has a considerable depth of base at the press This increased depth is to support mandril bl apart for hollow forging work, and was attained tending the upper face of the baseplate, which is a steel casting designed to carry the maximum load of the press at the span mentioned. The installation consists of the press proper witl ain hydraulic cylinder and two hydraulic lifting cylinders at the left, the steam-hydraulic intensifier at the right equipped with the patented single-lever controlling gear, and the air tank or prefiller shown to the center. The taken after a shop test and a gauge mounted is shown in front of the prefiller, registering sion through the fine copper tube between the dies picture was yn a standard transmis . : tin: the r . connesr mm ne pressur¢ Physical Examination of Workmen For some time the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company, Youngstown, Ohio, has been subjecting ap plicants for work to an examination f trachoma and other infectious eye trouble. It has now been decided by the company to enlarge upon its examination to the extent of securing a complete and accurate record of the physical condition of every man who is to be given em- ployment. As soon as proper facilities are installed, such an examination will become part of the regular routine of the employment office James A. Campbell, president of the company, states that the prevalence of trachoma is becoming so common that for the protection of other employees from eye trouble some such steps are required. He ‘There are also other conditions, possibly not apparent, that render men unfit for work. Many enter the the company afflicted with hernia and after:a term of employment it has to face the charge that such condition resulted from work in the plant. These and many other embarrassing situations must be met at the present time, and we are certain that with physical examination it will be better for us and the majority of men in the service of the company.” says ervice ot | Uses of Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Gage Their Practical Application at the Cockerill Works in Belgium —Developments Regarding Tar In a voluminous paper before the Brussels’ meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute, September 1 to 4, E. Houbaer, of Seraing, Belgium, discusses very fully the practical applications of blast furnace and coke oven gases to metal- lurgy. He states that all metallurgists have by now ac- quired the conviction that the utilization of these gases has definitely passed the experimental stage and entered the practical. The conclusions he reaches are based on the investigations and practical applications which have been made at the Société Anonyme John Cockerill, Seraing, Belgium, with which he is connected, this company being among the earliest to investigate the possibilities of both of these gases. Extracts from the paper are presented below: The Combustion of Gases The author directs attention to a few rules relating to the combustion of gases and to the too marked tendency which currently obtains to form an erroneous estimate of the value of the gases themselves. Their true value depends solely on the temperature of combustion, a factor impossible to determine definitely, inasmuch as it depends upon the conditions under which that combustion occurs, and it is precisely those variable conditions which it ‘s necessary to determine in order to obtain the greatest possible yield from the fuel employed. The writer has ascertained by Mr. Le Chatelier’s method the figures for blast-furnace, gas-producer and coke-oven gases, and the analyses given below are for the gases available at the Cockerill works. The factors have been calculated, in each instance, not on the assumption that the gases undergo neu- tral combustion, but with the admission of 25 per cent. of air in excess Composition of the Gases Coke-oven Producer Blast-fur Constituents gases, gas, nace gas. per cent per cent per cent. Hydrogen ... are cena, a 12.00 3.00 Catbom monoside ..... 2465. es sees 6.00 19.00 26.00 Carbon dioxide “ee i eeaeeal 2.00 8.00 11.00 EE SE ere 5 ee ‘ 23.00 2.00 Sear Nitrogen 12.00 59.00 60.00 Total. er 5 100.00 100.00 100.00 Coke Oven Gas RE. CRIES GEE. 5 RANE eee RO Ae. aoe 3761 cal. Minimum calorific power with condensed steam.......... 4212 cal Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to SD Ry he Side 0.6.6 cus an oh ad amia hee mes whe ae 2165 deg Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to eae EE Ee Pe eee er eee eee 1940 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to 400 deg. .... 1825 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air unheated... 1600 deg. Volume of air of combustion corresponding to one volume of gas (including the 25 per cent. excess).........-..5+ 4.88 vol. Volume of smoke (including the 25 per cent. excess)..... 5.48 vol. Blast Furnace Gas Disesiomum: “CHIOTIGC POWER. 660s sidccis cosccsccss Wey ee Minimum calorific power with condensed steam.......... 891 cal Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to 200 deg. eo ee eee O ESE HST HE HES EHH HEHE EEE HE OE SESE EES 1325 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to 600 deg. Pe eo cece reese eseeseseesereseererecsseerers . 1465 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas unheated, air heated to Pe ee. ck sasha cee sweaty Cebedwahaks Lb COE CE SOR e Ras 1540 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 600 deg., air abet te GE GOR. canaded.c ch prime bn ca wsbasds Gowtivic 1695 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 900 deg., air OE CP ON. 6 KSA wRReah ONE CA ADE eens oevese ... 1920 deg. Volume of air of combustion corresponding to one volume of gas (including the 25 per cent. excess)............. 0.91 vol. Volume of smoke (including the 25 per cent. excess)..... 1.76 vol. Producer Gas Minimum calorific power.............++.. pikenesesspen ee Gab Minimum calorific power with condensed steam........... 1135 cal. Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 600 deg., air EE Sct akin ccd is aka eR A ESE ARA nadie RR CAS 1530 deg Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 600 deg., air ES ee a er ~seee++ 1680 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 600 deg., air Ee er eee Te rT ere ret eee ee 1760 deg. Temperature of combustion, gas heated to 900 deg., air i a, SE CKdva mds we hs/0ssenhd ios ected bbesdes 1980 deg. Volume of air of combustion corresponding to one volume of gas (including the 25 per cent. excess)............4.. 1.22 vol. Volume of smoke (including the 25 per cent. excess)...... 2.06 vol. This puts us in possession of the factors necessary for the comparison of these fuels. In order to throw into 608 relief the valuelessness of the conception power, the temperature of combustion of the pr ducer os with 1068 calories may be instanced, when | ae air are heated to goo deg.; that is to sa, compared with the temperature of combusti oven gas, with 3761 calories, which is only 1940 deg. when this gas is employed cold and the air of combusti ey heated to 600 deg. It is, however, unnecessary further + emphasize this point; the figures given aboy: Fs themselves. If, therefore, it be desired to ascertain th: gas, it will differ according to the mode of its utilization and the use to which it is to be put. An absolute yalye does not, therefore, exist. The only point of interes alorific the gas and Bo deg. as n of the oke ) speak f r value of a a given case is its relative value as compared with another fuel, and, in particular, in comparison with the fuel. a; generally speaking, the method of heating employed in any given case; it is this conception that enables one to ascer. tain whether there is any economy in substituting such and such a fuel for another hitherto employed; or such and such a method of heating for another. For ex: is it an economy to substitute in an existing open-hearth furnace, a cold coke-oven gas, using as a combustible air heated to 1000 deg., for producer gas heated to 900 deg and burned with air similarly heated to 900 deg.? Such ap example possesses reality, and this is why it has been sought to express it in figures, and thus to show the con- clusions to be drawn from the factors given above. ul Variations in Supply and Composition of Gases No illusion should be entertained; blast furnace gases and coke oven gases are nothing more or less than by- products. First and foremost it is necessary to manufac- ture good commercial coke and good pig iron, and the metallurgist must make the best of the fuel given him and use it with all its impurities. Variations in the chemical composition and in the pressure of the gases will make themselves felt. An injury or an accident to the mains or to the apparatus may diminish the output or even stop it entirely; every eventuality must be foreseen and pro- vided for in such a manner that no inconvenience need be experienced at any given moment. It is needless, how- ever, to overstate the case. It is obvious that the applica- tion of gas in metallurgy must be effected in a reasonable manner without seeking to exhaust the maximum amount that may be available at periods of inclusive production at the blast furnaces and the coke ovens. It is precisely in knowing the utilizable percentage that the key to the con tinuous application of metallurgical gases lies; the stop- page of a furnace or the irregular working of a battery o! coke ovens may lead to enormous fluctuations in the output according to the proportion of the production affected by such accidents. In a large iron works comprising sev- eral blast furnaces and sufficient coke oven batteries to Tete them the influence of such a momentary stoppage will be reduced to a minimum, and the quantity of gas almost cer tainly available in any eventuality represents a high per- centage of the amount available during intensive working In small works circumspection would be required, and it would almost always be necessary to provide for, at least in regard to certain applications, two methods of heating so arranged that it would be possible to change over ™? idly from one fuel to the other. These remarks cannot however, in any case be regarded as constituting an objec- tion to the use of waste gases; they will always come e the aid of those who know how to tse them, and their existence will, in any case, allow of an appreciable saving in coal. Blast Furnace Gas Numerous arguments have been brought forward “ connection with the direct utilization of blast furnace gas in the engines of the central electrical power statio”, com- pared with its combustion beneath boilers supplying steam g . generators. Without entering into this suffice to instance the introduction of r gases in most of the large metallurgical roof of the enormous advantages which om gases employed in this way. ut with the most minute care by the have shown that the consumption in sing blast furnace gas was 2300 calories power. A calorific power averaging 875 meter of gas is assumed. , calculate the value, in coal, of a cubic | in the central station, it will be found 2300 nis —— = 875 On the other hand, assuming that roduces 8 kilograms of steam per kilo- 20 francs per ton, and that this steam turbine at the rate of 5 kilograms per ver, we find the equivalent to be: se-power = 1.2 centime of coal = 2.63 hich the price one could afford to pay ned gas will be found to be 0.46 centime. 2.63 cubic meters of gas per ver. cubic tor reasonable to supply the needs of the power (electric generator groups, blow- ling-mill engines, pumps, compressors, etc.) nes supplied with blast furnace gas when- ment of such engines is possible. it exists even momentarily, will be used better still, in regenerative heating metal mixers. Mention may be made, in use of blast furnace gas in the foundry for s and cores, and to the multifarious applica- ilar nature to which a burner, so readily iy be put, and to note that it is necessary, in d all danger of poisoning, to render escapes of preciable to the sense of smell. Coke Oven Gas whole of this gas would be available if the blast e gases alone were employed in engines. It could be ipply all sorts of appliances, from a simple stove es of very high temperatures. In this paper the ven gases in engines is not advocated. Such very satisfactorily, but the quantity of calories ng to one electric horse-power appears slightly he corresponding figure in the case of blast ers, OF, lertaken by the Cockerill Company on an en- » the Ressaix collieries gave the same value es, but allowing in practice three-fourths of rresponding with 2500 calories per electric and an average calorific power of the gas, 600 calories, the value, in terms of coal, of a t gas used in the engines will be given by power, 1.2 ibic meter of gas centime in coal=—0.70 cubic = 1.7 centime. hat, in comparison with the value of producer hearth furnace can afford to pay at a rate per cubic meter, but practice has shown that ition the calorific yield of the coke oven gas ve that of the producer gas. In short it is such a case, where high temperatures of ng a ecessary it is better to employ a gas capable igh temperatures of combustion. Its appli- ng molds in the foundry is not possible, resence of water formed by the combustion it contains. There is a simple means, “ough unfortunately a somewhat costly one, for ob- <a reserve in the event of stoppage or of accidents, t loyment of a gasometer. ization of this coke oven gas, which is so the same time so rich, and the true value robably not even yet been fully appreciated, possesses great advantages and is almost a hief advantages are: 1. The possibility of ist a portion of the gases produced on lidays. 2. Equalization of the pressure and gas. 3. A reserve in the case of stoppage slowing down in the output from the coke 1 purposes there may also be included er of the advantages the absence of sul- THE IRON AGE 609 phur, resulting from the necessary purification previous to passing the gases under the gas bell. How the Gases are Used at Seraing The following is a description of the utilization of blast furnace and coke oven gases as practiced at the present time by the Cockerill Company: Blast Furnace Gas.—The company possesses seven blast furnaces of a total daily productive capacity of 1000 tons of pig iron. The amount of gas thus available, reckoning 60 per cent. to be absorbed in the blast furnace service and in leakages, is, daily, at the rate of 4500 cu. m. per ton of pig iron, 4500 X 1000 x 0.4 = 1,800,000 cubic meters, or 75,000 cu, m. per hr., or, allowing an average calorific power of 875 cal. per cu. m. of gas, 65,625,000 cal. per hr The motive energy available in this gas is therefore 65,625,000 ibout 28,500 electric hy 2300 The utilization of this reserve is distributed as follows 6 central power-station motors of 1250 hp each = 7500 2 central power-station motors of 900 hp each = 1800 2 central power-station motors of 200 hp each== 400 1 central power-station motor of 6500 hp 6500 1 steelworks blowing-engine of 2400 hp 2400 Pe bb odds Rowe he bu akdhweoebaaee 18,600 The surplus is at present used in the batteries of boiler fitted either for gas heating or coal firing, which serve a stand-by in the event of the stoppage of a furnace. A portion of the reserve is also earmarked for the future heating of a metal mixer. Coke Oven.Gas.—The coal treated at the Cockerill works contains on an average 23 per cent of volatile matters and 5 to 6 per cent. of moisture. Its yield of coke is 75 per cent Batteries I and II treat about 225 tons of coal and produce about 170 tons of coke. Batteries I1] and IV treat about 480 tons of coal and produce about 360 tons of coke. Battery V treats about 360 tons of coal and produces about 270 tons of coke. Total, 1065 tons of coal produce about 800 tons of coke A sixth battery of the same capacity as battery V is con templated in the near future. Only the last battery employs regeneration The others are simply by-product ovens. The amount of gas available may be calculated by assuming an evolution of 280 cu. m. of gas per ton of coal, and 10, 25, and 50 per cent excess for the three types of oven. This quantity is equal to about 90,000 cu. m. per day, or about 3740 cu. m. per hr The utilization is actually distributed as follows: \veraging per hr One 9-ton open-hearth furnace : §20 cu. m One 12-13 ton open-hearth furnace 600 cu. m TW BUNGE sovindccssons ai 90 cu. m Two reheating furnaces. . 450 cu. m Two 500-hp electric motors sdmen 750 cu. m One 1000-hp electric motor.... tac 750 cu. m Two motors (extractors) 50-hp........... 100 cu. m One motor (compressor) 600-hp. 440 cu. m RS ee 3700 cu. m That is to say, commercially speaking, the whole of the gas reserve is fully utilized. Battery VI, which will give about 2000 cu. m. of additional gas per hour, will allow of supplying two open-hearth furnaces of 20 tons each, or a certain number of reheating furnaces. Gasometer.—The following particulars relate to the in- stallation of a 50,000 cu. m. gasometer and its accessories, the building of which, by the Cockerill Company, is in progress: The gasometer, which is 50 m. in diameter, comprises three telescopic sections which raise the hight to about 40 m. Its weight is adjusted so as to maintain a minimum pressure of 175 mm. of water, and the pressure rises to 275 mm. when the three sections are in operation. It is situated in proximity with the calcining kilns and to the coke oven gas central power station, but at a distance of about 1200 m. from the rest of the works, with which it is connected by a main 300 mm. in diameter. [Mr. Houbaer then discusses the general application of the two waste gases to metal mixers, open-hearth furnaces and heating furnaces, giving practical results in each case. In regard to reheating furnaces he states that generally 610 THE IRON AGE S ber 12 speaking the utilization of metallurgical gases is economi cally possible in them and has already been successful. ] Tar as a Fuel There is a fuel, a by-product of metallurgical works, which is worthy of attracting the attention of business men. I refer to tar. Its use in Diesel engines may furnish an instance, for central station use, when blast furnace gas is lacking. On the other hand, its high calorific power, 800 calories at a minimum, permits of its use, with the most valuable results, when powdered, in special burners, means of steam and compressed air, for heating industrial furnaces of all kinds, and even open-hearth furnaces. | may be used either in the state of pitch or in the form of a heavy oil derived from the distillation of the raw product Comparing the calorific powers of pitch and of unrefine petroleum, A. P. Scott [The Jron Age; September 7, 1911] estimates the consumption of pitch in an open-hearth fur nace at about 200 kg. per ton of steel. Now, assuming t g t production of pitch at 22 kg. per ton of coal treated in a coke oven, the quantity recovered, by, for example, th« Cockerill Company, would allow of the entire supply of tw 15-ton open-hearth furnaces. Even now an addition of tat is employed in current practice at the open-hearth furnaces whenever it is required, in certain cases, to increase the temperature of combustion, and its use, alone, has been achieved, in which connection it suffices to refer to the Gary works, where two 60-ton furnaces are supplied by these means In connection with furnaces of every description in- tended for metallurgical uses, the employment of pitch as fuel is making enormous headway, and its applications tend to invade every domain of industry. It would thereforé be proper for all manufacturing works to seek all possible uses for this by-product, and consume it on the spot Conclusions " To sum up in figures the advantages to be derived from metallurgical by-products, the author may instance the case of a works producing on the one hand 1000 tons of pig iron and on the other 1000 tons of coke in regenerativ: heating ovens. The blast furnace gases will supply motive power equal to 28,500 hp. The daily quantity of coke oven gas available would allow of the production either of 625 tons of steel in open hearth furnaces or the raising to the proper temperature of 1150 tons of ingots or semi-manufactured products in re- heating furnaces. On the other hand, the pitch recovered would be capable of producing 150 tons of steel in an open-hearth furnace In conclusion, the tendency of metallurgical works pro- ducing coke and pig iron, and converting the latter into steel, and rolling it in their own mills, should be to cover their fuel requirements solely by the coking coal required for the supply of their smelteries. This is obviously the ideal to which a greater or lesser degree of approximation is being made according to the varied circumstances which intervene in the most economical running of the plant. It is nevertheless a certainty that in nearly all works useless waste of fuel occurs, which the careful examination of every possible application would serve to avert The Brier Hill Steel Company, Youngstown, Ohio, has put in successful operation at its new open-hearth steel plant the boilefs and two 1500-kw. turbo-generators for the purpose of furnishing power and light to the new works. A shipment was recently received of 35 carloads of crane equipment from the Morgan Engineering Com- pany, Alliance, Ohio, and another crane shipment of about the same size is shortly to be made by the same builder. In the official report on mining operations in the province of Quebec for 1912 it is stated that for the first time in many years there was no production of iron ore recorded for that year. Production of bog iron ore, formerly mined quite steadily and charged into the charcoal furnaces of the Canada Iron Corporation, ceased, resulting in a shutting down of the blast furnaces at Drummondville and Radnor The pig iron that was produced there was of a high-grade charcoal iron exclusively. Electric Smelting of lron and In an extensive paper prepared meeting of the American Institute , a Dorsey A. Lyon and Robert M. Ke oa cuss “The Smelting of Copper Ores a nace.’ The concluding paragraphs o ae Pic. follows to the contrasts in the applic; furnace to the smelting of iron ores iad earin “Summarizing, then, we may say tl ing ot copper ores is nothing more t electric heat for the heat derived t carbon. Inasmuch as the carbon wi! the reverberatory furnace or in the bla important part in the necessary reactio: in these furnaces, there is no reason electric heat may not be substituted f{ from the combustion of carbon. In fa int out, in some cases the reactions better advantage in the neutral atmos; furnace than in the reducing or u sphere of the combustion furnace. Therefor, hether the electric furnace would be us of copper ores would largely depend , able to make out at the present time, upon the rel cost of coke and electric power. As the use of th tric furnace is not advocated as a competitor of | bustion furnace, but as a substitute for it in those | where it is not advisable because of the high cost we see no reason why the electric furnace may not } developed as a substitute for the combustion {; where the conditions are such as to warrant its use. es pecially in the treatment of copper-bearing ores. In thi connection it is to be remembered that the development o the electric furnace in the iron industry, for the reductio f iron from its ores, was due to necessity. As a matte of fact the field for the electric furnace in the reductio of iron from its ores is a limited one. Perhaps the sam is true as regards the possible application of the electri furnace to the treatment of copper ores, but, judging from the comparative costs it would seem that the chances if favor of the electric furnace for the treatment of coppe ores are greater than those for the treatment of iron ore because there is not so great a difference in the cost o coke and electric power in copper mining districts as ‘1 iron smelting centers. Also the cost of electric power } ‘onstantly becoming less, due to improvements in gas en gines and steam turbines, so that, in districts where wate power is not plentiful but cheap fuels unsuited to purposes are available, it may be found more advanta to use electric heat than the heat derived from the bustion of coke. “As a result of their investigations the writers are con vinced that experimental work on a larger scale shoul lead to the development of an electric blast furnace, whic in some cases could be used to better advantage for smett ing sulphide ores of copper than the combustion blast turnace I rtly red The Titanium Alloy Mfg. Company has issued its sec , h ond booklet entitled “Rail Reports, Bulletin No. 2.” The first dealt with the results of the complete tests of one s¢t of five samples of plain and titanium-treated open-heart steel. The second report covers complete tests, chemxs physical and microscopic, on three of the four sets of wile sulphur prints were shown in Bulletin No. 1, or three morq of the remaining samples. The same general conclusions are arrived at regarding the essential differences betwees the two rail steels as to homogeneity, segregation, duct pi impact and dynamic resistance, to the advantage “" e titanium-treated steel. The method of preparing sulphvt prints is given in detail. A feature of this bulletin : rl collection of very excellent photomicrographs, 3° '° ° showing various portions of the head, web and flang¢ hoa plants has o {fo ( The pamphlet -eleration ane fith cylin \ monograph on electric hoisting issued by the Westinghouse Electric & Fast Pittsburgh, Pa., as catalog 3002-A. is largely 2 mathematical explanation of a retardation, friction and balancing in hoisting © drical drums. I913 Workmen's Dwellings of Krupp Works ate Arrangements Including Housing for the Unmarried Men feature of the recent visit to Germany Society of Mechanical Engineers was an number of them of the arrangements riedrich-Alfred-Hiutte plant of the Krupp welfare and housing of its employees. d with the Friedrich-Alfred-Hitte plant nies, that of Margarethenhof consisting of rat of Weddau near Duisburg having 40 s other scattered rented or purchased to 174. The arrangements for officers ny of 19 dwellings at Bliersheim and 17 These total 719 houses. In addi- ee dormitories and one eating hall for accommodating 720 the workmen’s colony at Margarethenhof nes men persons. 1903. The houses are entirely of the ymmodating one to four families, the which is shown in one of the ac- strations. Each house has a cellar and well as a garden, often with stalls for ens, etc. Front and back verandas are f them, but only the dwellings having oms have laundries. These comfortable Dwellings at Margarethenhof Residences of Officers | rom 60 to 65 marks per room per year. lomains of the colony are stores and a f the officers’ colony, the building of f egun in 1903, are likewise of the cottage ristic view of these is also shown. They as single, double or four family houses, irate entrance and each house has a gar- feature of this colony is its casino, de- sure and entertainment of the officers. building is shown in one of the cuts. THE IRON AGE 61! It has a very pleasant reading m < yped with the current periodicals, and a commodious and attractive restaurant, where meals can be secured at a reasonable rate. But one of the most interesting features of the unusual nN The Officers’ Casino arrangements in gencral welfare work made by thi m pany is the housing of its unmarried this purpose there are three dormitories, one built in 1904, one in March, 1905, and the third in July, 1906. These three buildings contain 220 beds, usually with beds to a Besides these arrangements there are numerous cabins or berths. The expenses for the accommodation of each man per day in these dormi tories range from 29c. to 36c., depending on the room In June, 1904, the company opened a restaurant having one large and two small dining rooms, a kitchen and different store rooms. In 1908 the restaurant was enlarged to a commodate 444 persons. At present at themselves of the advantages of the restaurant, con prising not only those living in the dormitories, but al: those located in the not too distant neighborhood, who take all or part of their meals there. A view of a portion of the dining room is shown, revealing the simple and neat decoration and trim of the place. The kitchen is a model in its equipment and arrangement. The also takes care of the sick and inj in the neighboring small hospital of empl yvees several room, so-called least 700 avail restaurant rkmen lk sted! ; ured wi 17 be A small oxy-acetylene installation made recently by the Walter Ellinger Company, Sheboygan, Wis., pr ; saved the Crocker Chair Company $5,000. The largest planing machine in the chair shops was broken and the managers faced the purchase of a new machine at $2,500 and the loss of about the same amount and pro- duction until a machine installed. The welding concern offered to make repairs, and in less than two hours the machine was again in in time } new could be 5 ‘ operation New Electric Furnace of the Induction Type 1 Transformer Cores Horizontal Instead of Vertical ® —Heating Channels Always Full of Molten 3 Metal and Thus Are Not Attacked by Slag — —BY C. H. VOM BAUR — _- | 4 A new electric steel furnace of the induction type has therefore, anticipated from all past experie: - " recently been patented by W. N. Crafts, president Crucible U-shaped channels formed in the magnesit » 4 : Steel Forge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, which is quite hearth will last through a campaign several times as | . revolutionary in some of its features. Ever since De Fer- as has heretofore been obtained in other types of ing ranti in January and Colby in April of 1887 independently tion furnaces. i applied for patents for an induction furnace, all the im- As the slag does not attack the heating channels in » : provements, made for the next 24 years, embodied the orig- Crafts furnace, and as they are always filled with m ee } inal position of the hearth and heating rings. Even Gin, metal, the temperature variations in them are less than i { with his novel induction furnace design, could not get they were only half filled at times, and the possibilit, : away from this idea. This well-known position, having the the inner refractories cracking is very remot: hearth and rings in the horizontal plane, is also found in The third great advantage of the Crafts furnace js tha : the typical Kjellin and Roechling-Rodenhauser induction at no time is it possible for any slag or broken brick to ep. furnaces. These prevailing furnaces inherit the one objec- ter the heating channels which are kept full of metal even tion that they do not have a hearth of rectangular or cir- when tapping the furnace. : cular shape which is wholly unobstructed. To be sure the Furthermore, since the heating channels are always Roechling-Rodenhauser and Hiorth furnaces to a certain filled with metal to their full capacity the power factor of extent accomplish this by placing two rings together, in the furnace will be constant at all times during a heat. and | such a way as to form the figure eight where the waist by a proper design of the hearth and control in tilting of the eight is the hearth, about 7 ft. long and 18 in. will be possible, if desired, to keep full current flowing wide. In these furnaces the narrow heating channels, even during pouring, repairing and charging. These ty { completing the figure eight and the electric circuit, are kept electrical features will be of decided advantage in obtaining i free from slag by skimming bricks. increased electrical efficiency and a better power load for . It was not until Mr. Crafts in United States Patents Nos. the generating plant. 3, 1,069,923 and 1,069,924, broke the tradition of the prevailing Since the furnace has the simple