The Iron Age 1914-01-08: Vol 93 Iss 2

— Established 1855 Not many years ago, possibly 20, the designers of locomotive engines specified wrought iron for the main frames and were decidedly opposed to steel castings. Gradually the availability and reliability of cast steel frames became recognized, until at present it is rare to find anything else in use. When cast steel was first incorporated in frames there was but one grade considered and the composition was always specified as “ordinary carbon,” which meant a carbon content of 0.22 to 0.30 per cent., with a tensile strength of 60,000 to 70,- [ 000 lb. per sq. in. Within the past five years attempts have been made to in- troduce other | grades of steel | of higher physi- | cal properties, due partly to the | increased de- | mands upon the | frames in ser- | vice because of the building of Fig. 1—Steel Cast Under Moderate heavier and Pressure, Annealed. 2 heavier locomo- 4 6. "Siy G23; B. 0.045, Ph, 0.033 per tives. As the in- cent. y . . 2 Physical Properties: Tensile Strength, crease in the ca- 87,000 lb. per sq. in.; Elastic Limit, 45,- pacit y an d 000 lb. per sq. in. -; Elongation in 2 in., a 20 per cent.; Reduction of Area, 27.5 weight of cars per cent. steel instead of a cast-iron wheel, so the greater superstructure of this larger locomo- tive is necessitating, in the opinion of some railroad men, a stronger metal in the frames. To meet this new demand two grades of steel have been recom- mended, one of which, vanadium cast steel, has met with considerable success and is being used quite extensively in the building of many of the larger locomotives. The other, which has met with some favor and which is perhaps partly in its experi- nental stage so far as frames are concerned, is nown as “forty carbon steel” with a carbon content t about 0.38 to 0.42 per cent. A prominent Eastern steel foundry has been the pioneer in the advocacy this grade of metal, and as a result several of the railroads have incorporated frames of this com- THE [RON ACE New York, January 8, 1914 Vol. 93: No. 2 Forty Carbon Steel for Castings Its Use in Locomotive Engine Frames—Its Properties Discussed and Substitutes BY EDWIN F. CONE Recommended position in some of their locomotives. It has been claimed that this grade, when properly annealed, is not only superior in strength and physical properties to the lower carbon, but is equal to vanadium cast steel in every respect and of course considerably cheaper. PRECAUTIONS REQUIRED IN MANUFACTURE The only difference between the manufacture of forty-carbon and ordinary carbon steel for steel castings 1s in producing the proper carbon content, the other constitu- ents remaining | the same. It is decidedly neces- sary, however, to exercise great care in the finishing op- | erations in the furnace, so as to have as quiet a metal as possi- ble, because the Fig 2—Steel Cast Under Heavy z Pressure, Annealed, tendency of steel Chemical Composition Cn 0.44; , oat; : P Mn., 0.63: Si, 0.348: S., 0.041; P., 0.036 for castings of per cent, a higher carbon Physical Properties: Tensile strength, . 94,000 Ib. per sq. in.; Elastic Limit, 51, content than 000 Ib. per sq. in.; Elongation in 2 in. 19 25 to 0.30 per per cent.; Reduction of Area, 27.5 per a : . cent. cent. is to be ac- has demanded a pyoroMICROGRAPHS REDUCED ABOUT ONE-THIRD FROM AN ORIGINAL piAMETeR “!V€ OF WI ld OF EIGHTY-SEVEN when poured more so than with the milder grade. Such a condition often re- sults in castings that are more or less “blowy” or porous, due to the fixation of the gases during the cooling in the molds and a consequent rejection of the castings on machining, as well as an inherent structural weakness. The percentage of rejection for this cause is invariably higher for forty-carbon than ordinary carbon castings. Several remedies for this have been suggested and tried, but none with any great degree of success. A careful melter, exercising good judgment and not working for ton- nage, is the best insurance against defective mate- rial so far as the metal is concerned. Even with these precautions, the chances of obtaining solid metal are not as good as in the case of ordinary carbon. 129 ' He oe ; @.77 Co + b Ad eA 4 iba ‘s 9 we iz a3 aS - 4 oe a a5 : 4 Ww oe oe 130 THE IRON AGE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES UNDER THREE CONDITIONS The physical properties shown by forty-carbon steel for castings will depend on the location of the coupon and the character of the casting, other things being equal. This is true also of any other steel incorporated in castings. Illustrative of this, and at the same time showing the general physical properties of this higher carbon metal, the following results are presented. They cover tests from three different casting conditions: 1. Coupons under moderate pressure—from engine frames. 2. Cou- pons under heavy pressure—from the bottom of heavy ingots. 3. Coupons free from pressure. They were all made from metal poured in still another large Eastern steel foundry, a competitor of the one cited as being the pioneer in this grade of metal. Coupons Under Moderate Pressure.—The aver- age test coupon on a casting is usually located so that it will receive at least a fair degree of the pressure of the metal in the mold, if it is not possi- ble so to locate it that it will receive the total press- ure. The best practice of to-day is to cast the cou- pon solid on the casting wherever possible and not to gate it on. On locomotive frames, if a coupon is used, it is placed solid on the side of the casting flush with the top or at the parting of the mold. To place it on the under side is often impossible, since it interferes with the straightening of the frame on the table of a steam hammer. In many cases one of the tiepieces, located between the pedes- tals of the frames, is used for testing, and when solid often gives surprisingly good physical results, frequently better than a regular coupon from the same casting. In the case of forty-carbon steel, as incorporated in the average locomotive frame, the coupons being located on the side where the pressure of the metal is moderate, the following results are a fair crite- rion of the merits of this metal. They are the aver- age of 51 annealed tests made on as many locomo- tive frames in which this grade of metal from an acid open hearth furnace was incorporated: Elas- Reduc- Elas- Tensile tic Elonga- tion tic strength, limit, tionin ofarea ratio lb. per lb. per2in. per per per sq. in. sq.in. cent. cent. cent Average of 51 tests..... 82,370 41,910 21.85 34.03 50.88 Of which the best was.. 85,000 42,000 24.00 34.07 49.41 And the poorest was.... 84,500 42,500 19.00 25.80 50.30 The annealing practice employed was that of slow cooling in the closed annealer after proper soaking at just above the recalescence point. Coupons Under Heavy Pressure.—The same foundry referred to in the case of the locomotive frames, poured a series of forty-carbon 50-ton in- gots, fluted and bottom poured in a sand mold. On the bottom of each of these ingots the regulation test coupon was located, receiving the direct effect of the weight of the metal. These test coupons were detached and annealed in the regular annealer along with the engine frames, thus receiving the normal annealing practice. The results of the physical and chemical tests made from these annealed coupons are shown in Table 1. Coupons Free from Pressure.—There are two conditions under which coupons may be cast virtu- ally free from pressure. They may be attached toa light casting or they may be cast independent of any casting, as in a series attached to a central run- ner. It is the latter case that is considered here. A series of forty-carbon test coupons, identical in size with those regularly attached to a locomotive frame, having dimensions of 8 in. x 3 in. x 1 in. thick, were cast slightly gated to a central runner about 11% in. in thickness, vertical or cast on end, insuring a com- January 8, 1914 paratively solid bar, but one free from even mod. erate pressure such as existed in the two prey joys Table 1.—Annealed Physical Tests from 50-ton Ing Elong. Red. Tensile Elas. in2in. of area, 84,600 47,600 20.00 28.505.36 .67 .309 .040 79,000 41,000 23.50 32.50) : 7 Ingot str., limit, per per -——Per cent No. lb. Ib. cent. cent. C. Mn. Si. s errs), ae Ree 21.50 32.50) (80,000 43,500 23.50 30.905 .42 .62 .352 .041 36 2 . $85,200 42,600 21.50 30.00)? ( am | 78,500 41,000 22.00 27.50}5.40 .64 .270 .04 i....5§79,000 48,000 23.00 34.10) 180,000 47,000 21.00 30.905 .36 .69 .356 .038 p28 5 . |} 94,000 51,000 19.00 27.50) 1 94,000 50,000 18.00 24.10}).44 .63 .348 .041 6 6 . | 75,500 42,500 23.50 27.50) | 76,500 43,000 24.00 34.105.33 .62 .261 .04 6 7 .§ 78,500 40,000 25.00 40.30) 178,000 41,000 25.50 40.30§.33 .59 .270 .043 8....5§ 78,000 42,000 24.50 37.20) 177,000 42,500 24.00 37.20).37 .60 .260 .038s8 9.... § 75,000 38,000 21.50 34.10) 175,500 38,500 22.00 32.50)§.34 .57 .821 .038 cases. These coupons were all placed in various parts of the large-annealer in which locomotive frames were annealed and were subjected to the same heat treatment. Physical tests made from these 27 coupons gave the following average results: hs ns E. L., Elong. in Reduc lb. per lb. per 2 in., of area, Ave. of sq. in. sq. in. per cent. per cent Be WOON casos 80370 41380 24.0 37.03 ef which the best was ..... 79000 40500 28.5 10.3 and the poorest ...... 81000 41000 23.0 32.5 The composition of this material was as follows: Carbon, Manganese, Silicon, Sulphur, Phosphorus, per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent 0.38 0.62 0.282 0.039 0.032 A recapitulation of the general averages of the three series of tests follows: [6 ; E. L., Elong. Reduce. Elas lb. per lb. per in2in., of area, ratio Tests sq. in. sq. in. perct. per ct. per ct. 1. Frames, .51 82370 41910 21.35 34.03 50.88 2. Ingots...18 80444 43480 22.33 32.31 54.05 3. Coupons. 27 80370 41380 24.00 37.03 51.42 Av'age of. .96 81061 42257 22.56 34.45 §2.13 THE EFFECT OF THE PRESSURE OF METAL Collectively or separately these physical results are splendid and are typical of the forty-carbon steel that can be incorporated in annealed, slowly cooled castings, made of acid open hearth steel. In com- paring the three classes it is seen that the coupons cast under heavy pressure give better physical prop- erties than those from locomotive frames where the pressure is moderate, and that in particular the elastic ratio is the highest of the three conditions, due no doubt to the effect of the pressure. This was illustrated in the case of nickel cast steel in an article by the writer which appeared in The Iron Age of August 8, 1912. It is rather surprising, however, that the finest tests are obtained from the coupons cast under conditions practically free from pressure. While such conditions are not met with in actual practice, they are of value metallurgically and can be explained as due to certain conditions of initial microstructure—conditions which always give rise to superior static results in steel foundry metallurgy, no matter in what grade of carbon cast steel. The effect of this pressure is shown mi- croscopically in Fig. 2, which is a section from a coupon from one of the ingots, while the contrast is shown in Fig. 1, which is a section from one of the engine frame coupons referred to. The results of 20 dynamic tests on a Landgraf- Turner machine, made from some of the metal in- corporated in the 51 frames, were as follows: Carbon Manganese percent percent Heat 1—2465 alternating impacts ....... 0.37 0.69 Heat 2—2648 alternating impacts....... 0.41 0.70 Heat 3—2658 alternating impacts ....... 0.39 0.63 Av. of 20 tests—2590 alternating impacts. 0.39 0.67 Jan ry 8, 1914 evious tests made on ordinary or low carbon steel from locomotive frames gave 2364 alternating impacts as an average of 45 tests. This would seem , indicate a superiority of the forty-carbon steel dynamically, which is rather surprising. In fact, the writer has invariably found that, in the limited number of dynamic tests that he has made on a Landgraf-Turner machine the forty-carbon steel has always given the best results, even as high an average as 3130 impacts having been obtained in one series. In these tests the conditions of casting, location of coupons and heat treatment were prac- 1 t ly the same. SUBSTITUTES FOR FORTY-CARBON STEEL Judged by its static and dynamic properties, forty-carbon cast steel is superior to ordinary car- on cast steel, whether incorporated in locomotive frames or other castings. The greatest objection to it is the tendency to porosity, resulting in a re- iection of castings after machining. In the case locomotive frames experience has shown that rejections from this cause are from 6 to 8 per cent. greater in the higher carbon than in the lower. This is apparently unavoidable, for no known rem- edy has been found for the tendency to sponginess, though many have been tried, including aluminum and the new ferro alloys. Without doubt vanadium cast steel meets to some extent the increased de- mands for strength, but if neither this nor 40- carbon steel is found desirable there are two other steels that can meet these conditions. They are nickel cast steel and a special composition steel, the latter being ordinary carbon steel with a high man- ganese content. The advantage of these over 40- carbon steel is that the high tensile and other prop- erties are secured without the presence of blowholes and other defects. Even greater ductility is obtain- able for the same tensile strength. Table 2 shows the various grades of acid open-hearth cast steel their composition and physical properties after annealing, based on results obtained in actual prac- tice. If the present demands of service require metal of higher tensile strength than 70,000 Ib. per sq. in., any one of the other four grades can be em- ployed. Vanadium, as already stated, has met with onsiderable success, but is considered by some to ve even vet in its experimental stage. Its value de- pends on its proper heat treatment, which is vital. Without doubt 40-carbon steel is still regarded as in experiment, so far as its use in locomotive engine ‘rames is concerned. Recent information is to the effect that while the demand for vanadium steel ‘rames has not lessened, that for the 40-carbon 'rames has, while failures of the latter have been too many. So far as known nickel cast steel frames ve never been tried, though they are no more ex- pensive than vanadium frames when their value as scrap is considered. As to static and dynamic prop- erties there is very little choice between the two and ne danger from poor heat treatment is less in the ‘se of nickel steel. If a less expensive metal is esired, grade 5 (Table 2), of special composition | be procured, which will meet most of the ex- THE IRON AGE 131 acting requirements of modern development and be equal to 40-carbon steel with some special advan- tages. Forty-carbon steel may go into molds in an unfinished state, reactions still going on as it cools. This is not true of other grades properly made. The railroads and other consumers are looking for a stronger steel for castings for certain pur- poses. One prominent railroad is experimenting quite extensively with the special heat treatment of various grades of steel in its locomotive frames. This special heat treatment is not likely to be a success. The strains that will be set up, because of uneven sections, from quick cooling, quenching, etc., are bound to be detrimental. High carbon steel, even with its possible superior dynamic properties, cannot be as serviceable, weakened as it often is by large and small gas holes, etc. The results of the trials of this steel by the railroads and the navy, which has recently incorporated it in stern frames and stems of battleships, cannot be known for some time and will be awaited with much interest. The question of higher tensile strength in castings can be easily solved with no uncertainty as to results and efficiency by the adoption of nickel cast steel or of the special composition carbon steel here sug- gested. Starrett Company’s Profit-Sharing Plan The L. 8. Starrett Company, Athol, Mass., has not- ified its employees that, at the meeting of the board of directors held December 10, a vote was passed similar to that of last year, that the company should pay as soon after Jan. 1 as practicable to each per- son in the employ of the company on that date a sum equal to 2 per cent. of the entire amount of wages paid to such employee during the year 1913. The company states that this is done notwithstand- ing the decrease in business the latter part of the year because of the general depression throughout the country, although fortunately it did not feel the effects of the depression nearly so much as many others, especially those in the machine tool line. In fact, in spite of somewhat decreased sales, the company has not been able to bring its stock of goods on hand up to the condition that it should be to meet the heavy demands which it is confident the early spring trade will bring. The company further states that the continued harmony and co-operation between all parts of its organization are very gratifying; that the idea is becoming more firmly rooted in the mind of each employee that Starrett tools must be right and that every one has his part to do in making and keeping them right; that economy in production and elim- ination of waste of material, time and labor are to be constantly striven for, but that the one great essential in the make of Starrett tools is quality. The Ohio Valley Enamel Company, whose new plant is nearing completion at Huntington, W. Va., has received a $40,000 order to manufacture auto- mobile license tags for the State of Pennsylvania. A number of other large orders for making metallic enamel signs have been received. Table 2 Typic al Grades of Annealed Acid Open-Hearth Steel Castings . 5. Special 1. Ordinary Carbon. 2. Forty Carbon 3. Vanadium. 4. Nickel. Companition » ber cent...... cteneccevese San Or Ca 0.38 to 0.42 0.20 to 0.25 0.25 to 0.35 9.28 to 0.35 Bal OBO, DOF. GR wars dk kee ews 0.60 to 0.65 0.60 to 0.65 0.55 to 0.60 0.60 to 0.65 0.70 to 0.85 ” on COM 00k stews 0.25 to 0.28 0.25 to 0.28 0.25 to 0.28 0.25 to 0.28 0.25 to 6.28 phur & a + per cent 0.930 to 0.045 0.030 to 06.045 9.030 to 0.045 0.030 to 0.045 6.030 to 6.045 spnorus } dium, Sen. QUMGoe. ccs see ———- — 0.16 to 0.20 ——— Cl, POP GUE cont tucasavaiepens — — —- ——— 3 to 3.50 ——— 2 LD, DOP GB. GE. kis on ren te desea 60,000 to 70,000 80,000 to 90,000 68,000 to 75,000 80,000 to 110,000 75,000 to 90,000 stic limit, Ib. per sq. in.......... 30,000 to 35,000 40,000 to 45,000 33,000 to 45,000 47,000 to 66,000 38,000 to 45,000 gation in 2 in., per cent........ 25 to 35 15 to 22 20 to 25 18 to 25 22 to 30 iction of area, per cent......... 40 to 50 25 to 35 35 to 50 30 to 40 20 to 40 ratio, POP QQ stake widen 50 50 60 58 to 60 50 ‘- _ — - . n - i : a eee ee eee | er eee lie re ees i = oe Ree Kae girs at ge qe SENG hy gongs ~eis¥ oe ier 7 # 132 THE IRON AGE STEEL CASTINGS DIRECT FROM TRON ORE A Novel Canadian Electric Furnace Producing Excellent Results The announcement was recently made of the incorporation of the Moffat-Irving Steel Works, Ltd., at Toronto, Canada. The object of the pro- moters of this company has been the electro thermic reduction of iron ores and their direct refining to steel. The experiments upon which the establish- ment of this new venture is based have extended over a number of years and have been extremel) thorough. One of the incentives to this under taking has been the desire to find a method by which Canadian iron ores could be economically handled since they are not suitaole for smelting in the ordinary blast furnace without concentrating and briquetting. An article in the Canadian Engi neer for October 23, 1913, gives some of the details of the operations of this company which is now successfully manufacturing steel castings by this new process. The form of the furnace which is being used is based on the principle of the electric pig-iron fur naces of Sweden and is shown in diagrammatic ele- vation in Fig. 1, while the furnace itself is illustrated in Fig. 2. The crucible is built on a substantial base of concrete. Above this there are a few courses of hard-burnt red brick, and finally the silica brich forming the main body of the crucible. The hearth is of rammed magnesite furnishing a basic lining. The particles of ore are fed into the upper stack by) Fig. 1 Sectional View of Electric Furnace a mechanical screw feed and the necessary lime stone is also fed in at the same level. The carbon as finely ground coke is injected similarly at the top of the crucible. The three electrodes, the current being three-phase, are projected into the crucible at an angle of about 60 deg., one only being shown in the illustration. The ore particles in falling come in contact with a strongly reducing hot atmosphere of carbon monoxide gas, being partly reduced thereby. Final reduction takes place in the crucible A grade of steel from this furnace is being in- corporated into castings which is claimed to be January 8, 1914 r eS eee Fig. 2—FElectric Furnace and Ladle Dryer equal in every respect to the best crucible steel oy to any other electrically produced steel. The aver age analysis of three heats is reported as carbor 0.27 per cent.; manganese 0.74 per cent.; silicon 0.27 per cent.; sulphur 0.010 per cent. and phosphorus 0.031 per cent. Physical tests are said to be above the average and the appearance and quality of the castings to leave almost nothing to be desired. The company claims that the problem of hand- ling Canadian ores has been solved by this process. [It is the only furnace in existence that is com mercially producing steel for castings direct from the ore. A New Binder for Ore Briquettes A discovery has been made by Otto Kippe, Osna- briick, Germany, that a certain special kind of dust derived from blast-furnace gases, known as filter dust, is capable of developing unusual capacity as a binder, particularly for ore briquettes, when treat- ed with steam under pressure. A patent (1,078,544 has been granted to him on'‘a process of making briquettes based on this discovery. The filter dust referred to is the material which is caught by th filters in blast-furnace practice, in which the solid particles are eliminated by means of what is know: as the dry process as distinguished from the wet; after the flue dust proper has settled out of the gases, the latter are passed through wet catchers in which the remaining dust settles as a mud or slime. It is so fine that it floats along with the furnace gases without being separated from them when the flue dust is precipitated. It is found to contain: SiO,, 29 per cent.; AlLO,, 20 per cent.; CaO, 27 per cent. and Fe, 4 per cent., while flue dust is essentially iron and carbon. MHcretofore this filter dust has been considered practically useless and its removal a source of expense. But its facult of causing cohesion is astonishing. Fine ore, mixed with this dry filter dust without any special treat- ment, produces briquettes of great rigidity and firmness when treated with steam under pressure As low as 5 to 10 per cent. of this material as 4 binder produces briquettes that satisfy all the re quirements of blast-furnace operation. Fairbanks, Morse & Co. have established ware rooms at 17 South Hanover street, Baltimore, Md. where they will carry a stock of their line of gas line and kerosene engines, pumping machinery and electric motors and generators. The branch is under the management of Edwin S. Denise. January 8, 1914 An 84-In. Reversible Planing Machine A new type of 84-in. reversible motor-driven planing machine, which in spite of its size is said to be as easy to operate as any of the smaller ma- chines, has been placed on the market by the Cin- cinnati Planer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. The ma- chine has rapid power traverse to all the heads in any direction. All the movements are independent of each other and can be operated irrespective of whether the table is in motion or not. The motor, mounted on top of the housing, is used in four different ways, supplying power for driving the rapid power traverse and feed to the heads for elevating and lowering the cross rail and for driv- ing the pump which lubricates the ways. The pinion on the motor armature meshes with a large gear on the horizontal rapid traverse shaft, vhich transmits power to the pinion that drives the feed clutch. A gear located at approximately the center of this horizontal shaft meshes with a pinion on the gear case of the elevating device, the power for raising and lowering the cross rail be- yg transmitted in this way. For convenience in peration, a lever controlling the elevating and owering clutches in the gear case extends to the side of the machine. The power feed of the tool heads receives its power from the driving clutch, which has a bell rank and link motion to the bevel gear on the irge horizontal shaft. This gear meshes with me on the vertical shaft and the power is trans- mitted thence through a set of spur gears to the trigger gears on the end of the rail and side heads. The driving clutch is tripped by a rod receiving its motion from the tumbler and dogs on the side of the table and bed. Graduated slot heads which in- licate the exact amount of feed at all times enable the feed to be varied at will. The rapid power traverse is driven from a second vertical shaft on the side of the housing, the arrangement being ery similar to that of the feed. The small handles t the end of the rail and side heads operate the pid power traverse and feed, motion to the left Partial View of a Large Reversible Motor-Driven Planing Mach THE IRON AGE 133 engaging the rapid traverse, while by turning the handles to the right, the regular feed is engaged. It is impossible to engage both at the same time. For reversing the direction of the rapid traverse, the handle at the lower end of the rail is employed, this entire mechanism being contained in the gear case at the end of the rail, so that it is unnecessary for the operator to leave his regular position at any time to make any of the changes. The bed is of the four-wall type and is braced in that portion which contains the gears. Holes are bored to receive the driving shaft boxes, which are of large diameter and have special lubricating ar rangements. Steel is employed for the driving gears and the pinions and table rack are steel forg ings. The table is of box section and is heavily ribbed throughout, the top and the bottom being especially thick. The ways in the bed upon which the table runs are oiled by forced lubrication from a pump at the back of the housing. As can be seen from the engraving, the hous ings are of massive box form and are tongued and doweled to the side of the bed. As an additional precaution they are fastened at the top by a box section arch which is open only at the ends where it fastens against the housings. The heads are taper gibbed throughout and the clapper boxes are fastened by a heavy clamp and three screws instead of two bolts passing through a cored slot. The driving motor is connected directly to the driving shaft through a flexible coupling and the controller is mounted on the housing. With this arrangement it is possible to secure ten cutting and the same number of return speeds. Stone Roof for Modern Foundry A notable feature of the new South works, o1 foundry, of the J. Il. Case Threshing Machine Com pany, Racine, Wis., described in The /ron Age of October 9, 1913, is the roofing. This is made of as bestos and Trinidad Lake asphalt, two of the most enduring mineral substances in existence. The as bestos is made into a felt, layers of which are cemented together with the as- — phalt. The combination of these two materials produces a roofing that is literally a sheet of pliable stone. Because of its all-mineral composition, this roofing can not rot, rust nor deteriorate, hence it never requires painting or any other form of coating. It is also said that this roofing is proof against the action of chemical fumes, and that sparks and burning brands have no effect on it. lundreds of cases are on record in which it has for years withstood a continuous shower of sparks from stacks and cupolas. The H. W. Johns- Manville Company, New York City, the manufacturer of this roofing, claims that it is the cheapest on the market, on the cost-per-year basis, on account of its comparatively low first cost and the fact that it never needs coating. It is known as J-M asbestos roofing and is fur- nished in rolls or sheets, ready to lay, or in built-up form. Its application involves no special difficulties. anys ee a = » 134 THE IRON AGE UNIVERSAL TOOLROOM LATHE A Selective Head Tool Swinging 18% In. and Equipped With Various Attachments A universal selective head lathe for single-pulley belt or motor drive, designed especially for use in toolrooms, has been brought out by the Lodge & Shipley Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. It possesses a number of refinements and attach- ments not required on lathes employed for general manufacturing work. The lathe can be furnished with either four or five step cone pulleys, single back geared drive or a three-step cone pulley, double back geared drive. In one of the accompanying engrav- ings the selective head type is shown with complete additional equipment. The selective head, which was illustrated in The Iron Age, June 26, 1913, enables 12 changes of spindle speed to be obtained through conveniently located shifting levers. The head receives its name from the selective type of transmission used in the — A 16-In. by 6-Ft. Selective Head Toolroom Lathe with gear box, all of the gears being of heat treated chrome nickel steel. The main housing of the cone pulley head is carried up slightly above the center line of the spindle, giving a rigid construction and binding the front and rear spindle bearings to each other and also to the headstock. The back gearing used is designed to give a uniform progression over the entire speed range. The spindle bearings are replaceable and are held in position by screws. The end thrust is taken by alternate hardened steel and bronze wash- ers. A wick oiling system lubricates the spindle and back gear bearings, and oil tubes are used for those in the quick change gear mechanism and the apron. The bed is of wide and deep box section and the legs are set in from the ends. The 6-ft. bed which is the size illustrated, has three girders of the in- verted U type, the space between them being the same as the width of the girders. A coarse pitch steel rack is bolted to the bed directly back of the lead screw, which is placed well up under the front V of the carriage. The carriage is gibbed at the front, back and in- side and has a long bearing on the outside shears. A supplementary bearing on the inside front shear of the bed to resist the pressure of the cut and ab- January 8, sorb the vibration from the cutting tool is provided for the bridge. A large self-locking micrometer dial is provided for the cross feed screw. The carriages are planed and drilled to receive either the plain or universal taper attachment and the relieving attachment, and no additional fitting j; required when applying these parts. The top slide of the compound rest has a large self-locking mi- crometer dial. It is designed so that the extreme width of the swivel rests directly upon the lower slide, avoiding overhang of the top slide. The quick return mechanism for the carriage when screw cutting is being done is of a new de- sign. The reverse is by friction and is controlled by the movement of the lever which opens the half nuts. The carriage stops when this lever is raised and the nuts disengage, and by moving the lever slightly higher, the quick return mechanism is en- gaged and the carriage returns four times as rap- idly as the speed at which the thread is being chased. A new design of chasing dial, A, having a hardened, notched disk mounted on the shaft which is secured to the worm- ae POPLAR DLS ORI wheel that engages the lead screw thread, is used. Longitu- dinal movement is provided for | the disk and any selected index | may be engaged with the stop dog, which prevents the half nuts from becoming engaged until the proper notch in the disk is presented to the dog. In this } way it is pointed out that th: | half nuts are prevented from | clamping on top of the threads | and it is umnecessary for the | operator to watch the dial. The automatic chasing stop B, which is attached to the dovetail of the carriage by a clamping screw is directly connected to the lower | slide of the compound rest. The function of this stop is to insure the same depth of cut being taken over the thread. When this device is being used it is claimed that it is unnecessary for the operator to watch the mi- crometer dial, but he can chase the thread to the proper depth, the rest coming directly against the dead stop at all times. The chasing stop prevents breakage of the tool point and with the quick return reduces chasing to a very simple operation. The quick change screw cutting and feeding at- tachment is bolted to a planed pad on the front of the bed underneath the headstock. The sliding tumbler is supported in a slide independent of the shaft bearings and close to the handle that moves it within the slot, this arrangement avoiding over- hang of the handle and being relied upon to pre- vent binding and cramping when setting. Power is transmitted from the feed gear on the end of the spindle through a reverse plate to the stud of the headstock and then through a quadrant mounted on the end of the gear box, three changes being ob- tained in this way. As 30 changes are provided by the gear box, it is possible in conjunction with the quadrant to obtain 90 changes all told. Before the intermediate gear can be meshed with the selective gear of the cone, the housing carrying the sliding tumbler is locked into position. The index which can be supplied for cutting either English or metric threads is attached to the top of the box, where it can be readily seen by the operator. The English threading index can be ordered with the machine Attachments January 8, 1914 1e metric attachment can be applied subse- , y without any fitting. In doing this all that ; essary is to add a gear cover, in which is ed the translating gears. This is a duplicate plate regularly secured to the gear box. W]) the lathe is arranged for cutting metric it is also possible to cut either metric or sy aliu vo types of taper attachment are supplied. racket carrying the swivel bar of the plain at- ent is bolted to travel with the carriage, so the attachment can be instantly engaged. The has an extension which engages the arm that ps it to the bed and holds it stationary when arriage is feeding. The swivel is a steel ght edge which can be set to graduations in per foot. The screw telescopes through ross feed pinion on the front of the carriage so is possible to use the taper attachment with iin rest or with a relieving attachment, and the 1 of cut is determined by the cross feed screw. iniversal taper attachment, in addition to the for the plain taper attachment, has a mechan- for giving power traverse to the swivel bar the universal taper attachment. This is con- trolled by a shaft extending through the bridge of the carriage and operated by change gears at the nt, driven directly from the apron feed train. For handling abrupt taper work an independent lriving mechanism is provided. As it is possible feed the slide at various speeds it is capable of turning much longer tapers than with the plain ittachment, An attachment for producing radial, angular, end or*inside reliefs is also furnished. Power is transmitted from the splined shaft at the back of the bed through the sleeve and change gears to a shaft below and parallel with the driving shaft. [his lower shaft in the housing transmits its power through hardened spiral gears to the camshaft, h takes its bearing in the cross slide. The shaft engages a roller mounted in a plunger, which in turn engages a bell crank that is mounted the top slide of the relieving attachment. The utting portion of this bell crank is adjusted by a screw and by removing the top cover various depths relief can be secured. The swivel itself can be at any angle without affecting the movement of the slide, and thus it is possible to relieve at any ingle, inside or outside, or on the face of a piece of work. The-camshaft is placed below the surface of the bridge, so that the full swing over the bridge is tained for relieving. One of the features that is rticularly emphasized about this attachment is that it is unnecessary to go behind the lathe to make idjustments. f the Apron Showing the Automatic Chasing Stop and Chasing Dial THE IRON AGE 135 The Universal Relieving Attachment The draw-in chuck is mounted directly on the spindle nose. No draw tube passes through the spindle, which makes it possible for the collet to receive stock as large in diameter as the size of the hole through the spindle. Electric Smelting at Hardanger, Norway At a recent meeting of the Polytechnical Society in Christiania, Norway, the causes of the failure of the attempts to electrically smelt iron ore at the Hardanger Electric Iron and Steel Works were fully discussed. Gustaf Odqvist agreed with the electro metallurgical committee of the society that the unsatisfactory result was the outcome of several co-operating circumstances, but disagreed that the type of furnace had anything to do with it. He did not consider the type used suitable for coke as a means of reduction. In addition the ore used was too poor and a displacement of phases reduced the calculated efficiency of the furnace by one-third. In his opinion electrodes of too large a diameter were used; 800 kw. more than the average current were necessary, the variations in the current being too great. The iron produced there was from 13s. 4d. to 15s. 6d. ($3.24 to $3.77) more costly per ton than that produced in Sweden, where charcoal was used though this is more expensive than coke. It was demonstrated, however, that electric iron-ore smelt- ing with coke was possible but not financially ad vantageous as carried out at Hardanger. Dr. Lindermann stated that Professor Farup has recently undertaken a series of laboratory ex- periments, the results of which would soon be made known. They indicated that if electric iron-ore smelting were resumed at Hardanger, it would have to be worked on different lines which would insure good financial results. The experiments had demon- strated that, by small alterations in the furnace, iron could be produced with coke as a fuel which would fully vie in quality with the Swedish. General Olesen stated that ore smelting at Tinn- fos had proved that very good results could be ob- tained from the poor ores, and that they are now going to adopt the electric production of steel there by conveying the pig iron direct from the blast fur- nace to the steel furnace which German experiments had shown could be done advantageously. The Canadian Manufacturers’ Association, To- ronto, Canada, has issued a valuable publication, en- title “Canadian Trade Index for 1913-1915.” Itisa volume of 458 pages, in cloth, 744 x 10% in., classi- fying all the manufacturers of Canada under head- ings denoting the articles made. The price is $3 per copy. It will be found especially interesting by business men on this side of the border who have commercial relations with Canada. ae 136 HUMPHREY GAS PUMP TESTS Record in Lifting Water—Direct Displacement by the Explosive Gas Combustion One water horse-power-hour for 0.8 lb. of an- thracite coal has been obtained in raising water at Chingford, Essex, England, by means of the Hum- phrey gas pump, a remarkable application, made by H. A. Humphrey, of the internal combustion engine cycle for the direct displacement of the liquid to be pumped by means of the gases being burned and expanded. All told five of the pumps were installed for fill- ing a reservoir of the Metropoli- tan Water Board, taking the water from the River Lea, and aggregating in capacity 180,000,- 000 gal. per day for a lift of 25 to 30 ft. When the tenders were opened, as reported in Engineer- ing, of London, February 14, 1913, it was shown that the cost of the producer gas plant and the buildings and foundations totaled about $95,000 less than the lowest bid for a triple-ex- pansion pumping engine plant and a guaranteed fuel consump- tion was offered not to exceed 1.1 lb. of anthracite coal per THE IRON AGE January 8, 1914 low consumptions have been realized in spite of a low-compression pressure, which was only 20 lb. per sq. in. The maximum pressures attained on the cushion and the explosion strokes were each about 110 lb. per sq. in. The producer plant was constructed by the Dow- son & Mason Gas Plant Company, Ltd., Leven- shulme, Manchester. The pumps are of the “drowned-suction four-stroke-cycle” type. Three of the Dowson producers were each to be capable of gasifying 370 lb. of anthracite per hour, and the remaining producer to be capa- ble of gasifying 138 lb. per hour. The manufacturers of the pro- Dd ducer plant guaranteed their producers to generate 78 cu. ft. of gas having a calorific value of 150 B.t.u. per cubic foot from | lb. of suitable anthracite coal. PRODUCER TESTS Each producer was tested for a period of 6 hr. The height of the fire was measured at the be- ginning of the test, and main- tained approximately constant, and in all cases the level at the end of the test was the same as at the beginning. Coal was fed into the producer about every 15 min., and the gas made was measured through a gas-meter and was burned. The meter was pump horse-power-hour, with a of the rotary type and was cali- penalty of $5000 for every 0.1 lb. brated before and after each test consumption in excess of the fig- Flay t against the fall of a gas-holder. ure. So bold was the departure The outflow of gas was controlled from commonly accepted pump- The Combustion Chamber, Letters Indi- until the gas-holder remained ing equipment that the contract OE eS ities en tee approximately stationary, when closed imposed a penalty of neath the quantity passing through the $100,000 should the plant prove a ‘ meter was failure. The official tests, ex- oe S equal to the tended over a considerable peri- Discharge Leve ‘ é 2 gas made by od, have now been completed, and Tower ‘YON _ SS the producer. the informa- faiiwervor Starting with tion concern- LA @e/ ZT" the holder full, ing them has ey the producer been. taken ot} | ad /@/ was suddenly cut out, and from Engi- LJ {oe eok /e/ then the time taken for the uering, of De 8 || | Toh. | -t holder to fall was noted, and cember 19, [//L#8 _ “Supply Level aaa CL simultaneous readings of the 1913, and a | ||| 906 : me) Fa gas-meter were taken. few descrip- SoU Ra The first test of No. 4 tive particu- a he | ~TPay Poe | | at a] producer, the small unit, gave lars follow, ob- oe LP - is Be 24 results somewhat under the tained from catia bed guarantee, due to defective the American General Scheme of Pumping at Chingford, Essex, England adjustment of the steam jet. company con- The producer was _ retested trolling the pump, the Humphrey Gas Pump Com- pany, Syracuse, N. Y. The report shows that the average fuel con- sumption of the four large pumps was 0.931 Ib. per water horse-power-hour, while the small pump, rated at 20,000,000 gal. a day, gave the remarkable average figure of 0.8 lb. of anthracite—the general average of the whole five pumps being 0.904 lb. of anthracite per water horse-power. While each of the large pumps was specified to lift 40,000,000 gal. per day, the actual average discharge was 47,- 500,000 gal. per day, while the small pump, specified to lift 20,000,000 gal. a day, actually raised 26,100,- 000 gal. The higher efficiency and relatively larger output of the small pump is mainly attributable to the valve area provided being proportionately greater than it is in the four large pumps. The with the jet readjusted and gave results approxi- mately the same as for the larger producers. The average of these test results (excluding Test 1 of Producer No. 4) shows that 1 lb. of anthracite yields 82.1 cu. ft. of gas at a temperature of 60 deg. F., and a pressure of 30 in. of mercury, at an average calorific value of 146.3 B.t.u. per cubic foot. That is, 1 lb. of anthracite converted into gas yields 12,011 B.t.u. The fuel used under the boilers which supplied steam to the producers was estimated dur- ing each test. Ordinary good quality anthracite was used in the producers, the calorific value of which was given as 14,600 B.t.u. per pound. PUMP TESTS As in the case of the producers, each pump was tested for a period of 6 hr., but owing to the neces- January 8, 1914 sity for making both gas measurements and water measurements intermittently, six complete tests were made during the 6-hr., the average of these being taken for the official figure. The time oc- cupied by each short test was about 10 to 15 min., but, excepting once or twice when there was short- age of water, the pumps worked continuously over the test period. The accompanying table gives a summary of the pump tests. if Humphrey Pumping Plant, King George V. Reservoir, Chingford. Naa 3. a 3902's 1 2 3 4 5 Number of tests......... 6 6 6 6 6 ge duration of tests, icbeesns Mea > SF 8.95 8.37 9.67 10.0 (eek: ciao skis shane 30.01 30.24 30.06 32.6 30.24 \\ pumped, gals. min. 33,407 32,773 33,047 32,663 18,116 H.!’. developed......... 303.9 300.4 301.1 322.7 166.0 s used per minute at 60 e F. and 30-in. mer- , cu. ft. Je gt. Ve 393.3 391.5 400.1 191.6 value of gas, Rt.u., Ob wens ae Sa awe 2 145.7 146.4 146.2 142.2 138.1 \verage thermal efficiency, r CONE, nuecoechbauks 22.39 22.19 22.33 24.07 26.63 racite used per P.H.P. our, Wi sahwawdawa 0.946 0.957 0.949 0.881 0.7986 THE PUMPS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED Each pump consists of a cast-steel head into which the explosive charge is compressed and fired, a water suction-valve box from which a play-pipe leads to the base of a water-tower, built up of riv- eted plates. From each of these towers a 4-ft. pipe leads over the top of the reservoir embankment, and discharges into the uppermost of a series of water- cushions extending to the bottom of the reservoir. The supply of water is led along the back of the pump-house through a conduit formed in the con- crete. From this a cast-iron pipe embedded in con- crete is led into each of the five pump pits. The pressure above the water surface sets in motion the whole column of water, the hot gases expanding above it. Once the column of water is set in motion its inertia carries it forward, so that the pressure of the gases in the combustion cham- ber ultimately falls below that of the atmosphere, and as a result the exhaust valve opens under its own weight. The forward motion of the water con- tinuing, the level finally falls below that of the water in the supply tank, and fresh water then en- ters. Finally, the momentum being exhausted, the water begins to flow back along the play-pipe and, rising in the chamber, closes the exhaust valves by impact, trapping above this level a cushion of the spent gases mixed with a large proportion of air which was drawn in through a scavenger valve dur- ing the forward motion of the water. This cushion of air is compressed into the head of the chamber by the continued return of the water column, the latter being thus finally brought to rest, in which condition the pressure of the cushion is much above that due to the static head. As a consequence the water column begins a second forward oscillation, in the course of which the pres- sure in the cushion space falls again below that of the atmosphere. By means of interlocking gear the exhaust valve and the scavenger valve are now prevented from opening, but a valve in the head, being simultaneously unlocked, a charge of gas and air enters the chamber. When the forward mo- mentum of the water column is again exhausted, a return flow takes place, which compresses the new charge, and fires it automatically at the proper time, thus starting a fresh cycle of operations. Some idea of the size of the 40,000,000-gal. pumps may be gained from the following figures: ie suction box immediately underneath the com- vustion chamber or gas head is 7 ft. in inside di- meter and 10 ft. high and the elbow joining it to THE IRON AGE 137 the play pipe reduces to 6 ft., the diameter of the play-pipe. The gas head has 16 exhaust valves 5 in. in diameter. NO GERMAN INVASION IN STEEL Leading Manufacturers’ Views in Reply to the Inquiry of “The Iron Age” The Iron Age's correspondent at Berlin, Ger- many, has recently asked the opinion of a number of German steel manufacturers on the possibilities of German shipments of steel products to the United States under the reduced Underwood tariff. The replies received show that there is no expecta- tion in Germany at the present time that steel man- ufacturers there will secure much, if any, American trade in iron and steel because of the lowering of duties. From the headquarters of the German Steel Works Union at Diisseldorf the following official expression was received: We cannot hope that any increase in our foreign trade will be the result of the lowering of the North American tariff, since everything depends here on the price adjustments of the very powerful American steel industry. Further, if the former tariff stipulations gave rise to considerable complaint here, then the new conditions will increase rather than lessen this state of affairs. Above all the North American steel indus- try, because of the eas