The Iron Age 1914-11-12: Vol 94 Iss 20

CPOVEEAUETES TELE ARETEDT DET EET EEE eee ! DUUTETDAAEEENEEN PE ' POULT PEOUVULUUUORAUAAETDDRDERERUEAEOEEOU LLU REERO EEE TLE LEE UUUUCUEOLOREEROOEOROORORUGRORONGEOEDONO RANGER ROREONS i a) Established 1855 New York, November 12, 1914 Vol. 94: No. 20 Heat - Treating Plant of Unusual Interest Burroughs Adding Machine Company Depart- ment for Handling Large Numbers of Small Parts -—Use Made of Special Cleaning Machines An interesting plant for the heat treatment and 250,000 separate parts is heat treated and cleaned. cleaning of steel parts used in the manufacture of about 100,000 of these being given heat treatment, adding machines has recently been built by the although the plant has a capacity for handling twice Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Detroit, that number of parts. Mich. As there are from 2000 to 3000 metal parts, The two departments are located in a one-story ab /y _ ae Hh BE ital 7 ae | 7) Pa en | a — Ro —————————————— a ew Showine Prankt Carbonizing Furnace at Extreme Left and Special Presses for Straightening Light Castings at the Right A rankfort Furnace Can Be Seen in the Foreground with Cyanide and Lead Hardening Ones in the Background at the Left pending on the type, in an adding machine ana reinforced concrete fireproof building, 55 x 130 ft., ‘arly all of these quite small, the production of with a monitor top 16 ft. wide reaching 8 ft. above ue plant requires a very large amount of work in the main roof and extending the length of the build- - heat-treating and cleaning departments and a_ ing. This monitor roof is provided to furnish addi- c lalized plant te-meet particular demands that tional light and to afford good ventilation by allow- “ilide in some cas€s several heat-treating processes ing the escape of smoke, steam and gases. About F one part, and one in which a very large number 80 per cent. of the outside surface is covered with small parts can be heat treated and cleaned eco- window space, the windows being in Fenestra steel mically. In one day an average of approximately sash. Hinged sash are provided in the lower win- 1115 1116 dow sections, and all the sash on the sides of the monitor section are hinged. The amount of outside light admitted is so abundant that the glass on the sides exposed to the sun has been painted over to do away with the bright glare when the sun is shin- ing and at the same time leave the rooms well lighted at alltimes. The building, which is located adjacent to the main factory building, is divided transversely at the center by a brick wall that separates the heat-treating and cleaning departments. Various types of furnace equipment are pro vided. Two Brown & Sharpe coal-fired furnaces ars used exclusively for annealing and adjoining these is an American Gas Furnace Company’s furnace for annealing and carbonizing, the work being packed in boxes in the usual manner. The latter furnace is employed when the carbonizing is to be localized instead of the entire part being heat treated. When the part is to be carbonized all over the gas retort process is used. The furnace used for this work does away with the labor necessary in packing parts in air-tight steel boxes with the usual carbonizing agents and reduces the time re- quired to produce the desired depth of carbonized case. A departure from the usual custom is that carbonizing material is kept in steel barrels with lids instead of in bins. With this care the material is kept clean. Specially designed straightening presses are used for straightening light castings. Owing to the light- ness of some of the castings, especially those used for side frames and ball raceways for paper car riages, a large percentage comes from the foundries somewhat warped and the cost of the castings would be largely increased were the foundries required to furnish castings perfectly straight. These cast- ings are straightened by first being heated to the proper temperature in the Frankfort furnace shown in the foreground at the right of the view of the heat-treating department on page 1115. They are then placed in a straightening press and straight- ened by either flat weights or dies made in the proper form, depending on the part that is to be straightened. These presses are operated by a treadle actuated by the pressure of the operator’s foot. On one side of the room is located a_ bat- tery of ten fur- naces, seven of these being for carbonizing by the cyanide of potassium proc- ess and for lead hardening, one for heating and annealing in ba- rium chloride and one _ for black oxidizing. Each of these furnaces is cov- ered with a hood to gather the poisonous fumes which are con- veyed through a pipe that has an outlet in a larger horizon- tal pipe that ex- tends under the ceiling,as shown in the illustra- THE IRON A Closer View of Some of the Cyanide and Lead Hardening Furnaces Showing the Discharge Pipes for Conveying the Fumes to the Outside of the Building AGE November 12. 1914 tion, and discharges the fumes into the phere through a stack that extends roof. To assure the complete removal . the ventilating pipes are connected with , fan located just beneath the outlet sta So , pletely are the poisonous fumes remov: all the furnaces in operation there is sence of the cyanide odor in this room. Every cyanide and lead-hardening furng provided with a quenching tank, conveni: between the furnaces. The parts, when heated dropped into wire baskets inside the quench; tanks, the liquid of which is kept cool by run; water that is circulated through the outer see: of the tanks. In addition to the stationary tank: several quenching tanks are located on trucks fo convenience in moving around the plant as need As the plant has a cement floor these trucks cap moved about easily. An interesting feature of the heat-treating ¢ partment is a standardization of all the work. A parts which require heat treatment of any kind ar catalogued in a card index by a symbol number, th LIOR card for each symbol or part giving the time ané temperature for each operation, instructions as t the nature of the operation and details as to: terial used. This card index catalogue is kept venient for reference. When an employee starts piece of work he refers to the card in the index bearing the corresponding symbol number to secure data for the operation. The furnaces are connected to recording pyrometers, furnished by the Hoskins Mfg. Company, Detroit, Mich. When a workman starts a job he enters the symbol number and the time he placed the work in the furnace on a black. board and when he finishes a piece of work he records on this board the time the work is taker from the furnace. Dials are provided above the board, bearing numbers corresponding to the fur nace numbers, and the workman sets the hands or one of these dials at the time the work is to be taker off, this dial serving as a reminder of when to re move the heat. At the end of each day a cler marks the symbol numbers on the pyrometer charts and checks the time shown on each chart with t! time marked the _ blackboaré by the workman and the temper ature shown % the chart b the instructiot card. Much @ the work tf quires very shor heats of 3 ml or less. In wor of this chars ter the recort ing pyromevt is used only ® enable the wort man to get w right temper ture. He keer track of length of of heating referring to 0m minute clocss several of wile are hung abo the side walls # that one of these clock dials is * br 12, 1914 the visual range of the workman. istration of the variety of the heat proc some of the parts are subjected to, take f the Department Left and by Parts Are Machinery at the Right THE IRON Being Hand Cle AGE 1117 at the floor level for-the escape of gasoline fumes Sawdust is kept within easy reach in a special devic« and also cloth bags for smothering fires VIEWS OF THE CLEANING DEPARTMENT the stock used for this bar is low -rolled steel with a fair degree of hard- vive stiffness to certain portions. Near the the bar is a hook that has to be case The hardening is done by the ordinary potassium process. One end is then nnealed in a special furnace preparatory to a draw ng operation. The smallest part that is subjected reatment is a carbon steel pin %4 in. long 2 in. in diameter. This pin is hardened al! ter the hardening process one end is » that it can be riveted, the annealed por 1/16 in. in diameter and 3/32 in. in eaning department some of the cleaning ne by hand with a brush and gasoline. eaned parts are first given a rough a gasoline vat and a second cleaning in rasoline vat. After being cleaned they are oven or drier where they are slightly hat moisture will not gather on the metal been cooled by the gasoline, to a tem- wer than that of air. The parts are then anti-rust oil, and after they are drained ready to go to the stockroom. parts, however, are subjected to acid nachinery. The machine-cleaned parts ed in soda kettles to boil out the grease cases they are also given a gasoline the first cleaning in the soda kettles iced in special cleaning machines, one of tes somewhat like a washing machine cage holding the parts that rotates tables and in another sprays of hot re thrown on the parts by a force pump | holes in rows of pipe with which the e machine is lined. After being thor- | with soda water the parts are given ettle containing plain hot water. Then ed in anti-rust oi] and go to the drier neated in the drier and drained the) the finished stockroom. Lye is also f the cleaning work. The cleaning the work that would require 15 men ind brush-cleaning method followed. itlets are provided in the side walls Employers Always Want New Ideas At a meeting of the employees of the Art Meta Construction Company recently held in Jamestown, N. Y., about 1300 persons assembled. It was intended between the management and the employees. The occa sion was the presentation of cash prizes for valuabk suggestions offered by employees in the preceding six months. The amounts ran from $5 up to $50, and the total paid out was $175. A special feature of th meeting was an address by E. St. Elmo Lewis, vice president and general manager of the company. The following is an extract from the address, which indi cates the line of thought presented by Mr. Lewis: bat I IT [ a t) } « who hav ade tl t it rt I r ] They have lis 1 I St rh have t rhe ha ried fail led tl ] known wh They cind st whor ! his } ' big It was the man with I lea who first started meta furniture S a propositior n this country and in that da is it is te y, he was et t: he was called a fool; his was s it: he w gnored, but he had ar ‘ He ew it was trues he ew it was ght } persevered ; he had initiative and | mad t go If the men wl started this business had beer iff 1 of hange, if they had been afrak of new ideas, if they i ignored new ideas, there would iv bee Art Me truct n Ce I tt ‘ } hes r FE te [ Comp her ' hav I I Ss ess j i I ser i t rm | g to the way, if t I li bee were ilways the last to drop ar 1 thing and st t | A wou been ne The Tonawanda Iron & Steel Company advises that the report of extensive remodeling of its Niagara fur naces at North Tonawanda, N. Y., is incorrect. The company simply used up its stock of raw materials and then blew out the second Niagara furnace, the first having gone out some months ago. There are no defi nite plans for putting either in blast again. The Wisconsin Steel Company is installing at it South Chicago works four 520-hp. vertical Ross boiler: built by the Lyons Boiler Works. This battery of boil ers is equipped with Foster superheaters and stokers and is also rigged up with burners permitting the use of the battery as a waste heat installation as well as being adapted for coal burning. ee, ne Ane pee iene fer a ae 44+ * * ~~ 1118 TALBOT AND OTHER FURNACES German Discussion of Dr. Schuster’s Report on the Practice at Witkowitz The important paper by Dr. F. Schuster, of Witkowitz, on the Talbot and other open-hearth proc- esses, which was read before the May meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute, and also the Verein deutsche Eisenhiittenleute, was published practically in full in The Iron Age, May 21, 1914. It was discussed very thoroughly by the German metallurgists, a full report being given in Stahl und Eisen, June 18, 1914. This discussion brought out many interesting details regarding the open-hearth practice at Witkowitz and other European plants, and is abstracted here. THE HOESCH PROCESS Director H. Pottgiesser, of the Dortmund-Union, questioned Dr. Schuster’s conclusion that the Talbot process is superior to all other open-hearth proc- esses, and gave particulars regarding the Hoesch process. For the last two years this has been carried out in two 100-ton stationary furnaces. The iron used is basic Bessemer with 1.8 to 2 per cent. phosphorus, and is taken without any pre- refining from a 1000-ton unheated mixer. Three heats of 100 to 110 tons are made per day, 17 to 18 heats per week, corresponding to 1700 to 1800 tons of good ingots in each furnace, using 70 per cent. pig iron in the charge. During April, 1914, a daily average of 298.48 tons of good ingots of excellent quality were produced with not over 0.09 per cent. carbon and 0.02 to 0.03 per cent. phos- phorus, for rolling into sheet, rivet rods, strip steel, etc. With prerefining the daily production would naturally be considerably greater. During the first period of the Hoesch process about 140 kg. of slag are produced per 100 kg. of ingots, containing 18 to 23 per cent. phosphoric acid; and during the final period about 160 kg. with 5.5 to 11 per cent. phosphoric acid. The slag pro- duction is, therefore, about 300 kg. per ton of in- gots when using iron with 1.8 to 2 per cent. phos- phorus, compared with 187 lb. at Witkowitz, using iron with 1.7 per cent. phosphorus. The 100-ton stationary furnaces are much cheaper to construct than the Talbot furnaces. They burn coke-oven gas according to the Maerz construction, and have no ports, which also brings about a considerable saving. The results, therefore, with the Hoesch process carried out in 100-ton stationary furnaces, using iron without preliminary refining, show that the daily output is greater, the profit from the slag higher, and the furnace construction much cheaper and simpler than with the Talbot process at Witkowitz. Chief Engineer Fr. Bernhardt, of the Kénigs- hiitte, on the basis of thorough investigations car- ried out independently, wished to fully support the conclusions reached by Dr. Schuster. His plant con- sists of a mixer which formerly served the basic Bessemer, two tilting furnaces, one of 300 tons capacity, the other 150 to 200 tons, and two 60-ton stationary furnaces. The latter have been in oper- ation since September, 1912, the 300-ton furnace since July, 1913, and the other furnace since March, 1914. Numerous tests have been carried out to develop the best process of working the pig and ore process. The two tilting furnaces. are worked in conjunction, the first for carrying out preliminary refining, and the second for finishing according to the Talbot process. Unlike the practice at Wit- kowitz, however, the removal of the phosphorus and THE IRON AGE November 12. 1914 other impurities is carried out in the firs; furnace so that the second has only to take car. of the res of the decarburization. The main point is, hoy. ever, that altogether independent tests )ayo led te the same general conclusion, namely, the use of tig continuous process, and the tilting furnace. Mr Bernhardt then goes on to outline th: vantages of the tilting furnace, which led to its ad . ‘Option by his company. : RESULTS WITH WELLMAN FURN A. Klinkenberg, of Dortmund, believed the proc. ess as carried out in the Wellman furnace at Wi. kowitz would have been greatly improved jf the original slag had not been allowed to remain in the furnace during the entire working of the heat. The 60-ton furnaces of the Dortmund-Union work }y forming first two phosphate slags which are imme. diately removed. Results are given obtained with these furnaces over a period of about one and, half years. The average output is 230 tons in 24 hy The heating cost with coke-oven gas at | pf. per cubic meter, and blast furnace gas at 0.175 pf. per cubic meter is 3.78 m. per ton ($0.90) ; refractory material, dolomite, etc., 1.46 m. per ton ($0,347): wages, salaries, etc., 1.78 m. per ton ($0.423). The mixer cost is only a few pfennigs, for the iron js taken from a 1000-ton mixer that also serves the basic Bessemer plant. The output of phosphate slag, using 100 per cent. basic Bessemer iron with 1.8 per cent. phosphorus, is 20.7 per cent., carrying 18 to 22 per cent. phosphoric acid. From these re sults it may be seen that in ordinary tilting fur. naces under suitable conditions and with proper methods of working, operating costs can be reached that are considerably lower than those at Witkowitz. Dr. Schuster’s conclusions, therefore, regarding the Talbot process should be changed to apply to any large capacity tilting furnace, operated in a suitable way. Dr. Schuster replied briefly, and said that their satisfaction with the Talbot process could be judged by the fact that more Talbot furnaces were being built at Witkowitz. The discussion was continued at Diisseldori May 22, Witkowitz being represented by Chief Ex gineer J. Hofmann, who gave the following reason for the superiority of the Talbot process over othe known pig iron-ore processes: The production per furnace and day is the largest The coal consumption per ton of steel is the sma est. (At Witkowitz the coal used contains 17 per cen ash, and a great part of the coal used is also 5! pe cent. dust and 50 per cent. lump.) The durability of the furnace is the greatest, ™ bottom repairs being necessary during the week. _ The hearth is not affected by the slag; also ™ walls and ends stand up much better, so that the com sumption of dolomite is the smallest. The consumption of ferromanganese for the ss™ qualities of steel is the smallest. The gain from phosphate slag is the highest, beca¥® except when the furnace is emptied every two or tire weeks, no slag is taken off with the steel. No low va% slag is therefore produced . The wages are lowest with the Talbot furnace, ™ cause the same men are used on the furnace and ye ducers as with any other large furnace, but the outp’ is considerably higher. he In reply to a question regarding the life of furnace he repeated Dr. Schuster’s figures, = 800 heats of 65 tons, 52,300 tons, had been — without any repairs having been made. The y movable port ends were changed twice. The hear’ was carefully examined each time the furnace w emptied and found almost untouched. Only 7 grade of brick was used, the silicon brick m@** one 12, Several changes in construction are and it is hoped to raise the number of 10. that is 65,000 tons. 2 inquiries regarding quality wer« ind it was stated that the steel was | as that made by other processes, and less ferromanganese is needed shows s in good shape, and not over oxidized. ichhoff was surprised that with slags high as 19 per cent. phosphoric acid, \orization was found. Mr. Hofmann ex- this was because the slags were kept right composition. No trouble is ex the iron contents are kept below a gh limit, but not below a certain low itter being carefully determined for the onditions. ird to the steel, absolutely no aluminum the soft qualities, showing that it is cor quiet. Also no fluorspar is used in the steel, but notwithstanding the slags luid. This may be due to the walls and being attacked, no dolomite thereby wn into the slag. Finally Mr. Hofmann e statement that no slag is drawn off teel ladle, and mentioned that the effort ntly made to have a small skull left in f the ladle after pouring. G. B. W Shearing Machines for Heavy Plate heavy duty plate shearing machines in incorporated the latest improvements nents in mill outfits have recently been he Cleveland Punch & Shear Works Com new Riverside works of the Otis Stee! , Cleveland, Ohio. The machines are prac tical except in capacity and weight. the cross cut type with a capacity of -in. plate, and the other two are used the sides of plates, both handling ma a maximum width of 156 in., one hav ent power for stock 1 in. thick and the iring material up to *, in. in thickness hts of the three machines are 140,000, nd 185,000 Ib. achines have a gap 36 in. deep in the nd all have the same refinements. They uushed throughout. All gears are steel cut teeth. Steel casting spring hold ire furnished, to be used when desired. hold down is not used the operator has ired view across the face of the machine blades are flush with the cover plates. ides, which are 2 in. thick, are revers have four cutting edges. Separate steel shear blade seats are furnished to pro t of the lower shear block and plunger. er blade is bolted directly to the steel nger and the lower blade is bolted to an steel casting shear block. Through with lugs to prevent them from turn sed to hold the blades to their respective rough bolts hold the lower shear block er girder. er plates are 43 in. long and are fastened isings by through bolts. The guides of sting plunger are provided with bronze 0 take up wear. The housings are de ve a long bearing to the plunger and ificient opening for the convenient re p ends. ans are bronze bushed and are long ied upon to insure minimum side thrust ers are counterbalanced by air. The 1914 THE IRON AGE L119 top girders carrying the air balance cylinders are tongued into the housings and held in place by) through bolts. All bolts holding the lower girde: to the housings are of the through type The automatic clutches are operated by hand H levers on either side of the machine and a foot treadle across the front of each A very slight movement or pressure opens the air valve which releases the clutch. All the gearing is steel with it teeth, located outside of housings, between a heavy outboard bearing, dowelled and bolted to the housing b through bolts. With this design short, stiff shaft are used, eliminating the long, limber shafts, usu ally amployed, which extend from housing to hous ing. In no case is a gear or pinion located awa from a bearing. All gears are effectively and con pletely guarded by welded steel 4 lards as show! Each machine is driven by a 40-hp. Genera) Electric motor of the slip-ring type, the motor being mounted on the housing and directly cor nected to the driving shaft through steel gears and pinions The Thomas lron Company expects to blow in thi week its No. 8 furnace at Alburtis, Pa It is a stone stack built in 1869 and was originally 60 ft. high <« 16 ft. bosh and 10 ft. heart! The stone stack 1 retained in the reconstructed furnace but the company has put in six columns of Bethlehem H beams and a steel mantel that supports a steel hearth jacket is used instead of the old brick hearth with steel rails for buckstays. The new dimensions are 60 ft. x 13 ft. bosh and & ft. hearth There are six 4-i1 tuveres. The fuel will be two-thirds anthracite and one-third coke. The ore will be in part from the com pany’s Richard mine and in part local hematite and the output will be about 65 tons a day of Thomas-Van adium iron. The No. 7 Alburtis furnace has been iv blast since September 16 The renort of the American Steel Foundries for the nine months of this year ended September 30 show i deficit after all deductions of $75,816 hosh iacket. The 4 4 a ot 3 ; ey A Cast Iron with Unusual Structure’ A Description of a Sample That Is Nearly Ideal in Its Crystalline Forma- tion and Excellent in Its Properties BY K. W. From time to time a number of able articles on the structure and properties of cast iron have ap- peared treating, collectively, of all the grades and varieties of metal. In the examination of many samples of iron entering into the structure of im- portant automobile parts, the writer has had a good opportunity to test the theories presented in these articles, by applying them to the structures en- countered. In the main, these theories are well borne out by the facts in practice; often we en- counter cases, however, wherein the hypotheses ad- vanced do not suffice to explain the situation en- tirely. The purpose of this paper is to present a rather unusual case, in substantiation of published theories, in as untechnical a manner as the subject Iron with Graphite with Picric A¢ Present id, 500 D Large Pla meters allows, first sketching as briefly as possible the sub- stance of these theories. Ever since Prof. Henry M. Howe’s presentation of his conceptions, cast iron through its whole range from malleable to white iron has been considered in the light of an extension of the steel series, in which the graphite, when present, plays the role of a large admixture of foreign matter. This steel matrix may, exclusive of the graphite present, be itself either low or high in combined carbon, and may vary within wide limits as to the amount of other elements present. The properties of any good sample of iron will therefore depend upon (1) the properties of the steely matrix, and (2) the physical influences of the substances embedded therein. In the case of black-heart malleable iron, where all the carbon in the interior of the casting is in the combined form after the annealing processes, the properties of the finished part are very similar to those of a very low carbon steel, as is well known. *From a paper presented at the American Foundrymen Association's convention at Chicago, September 7 to 11, 1914 The author is metallurgical engineer, General Motors Com- pany, Detroit ZIM MERSCHIED There are other products which have similar char. acteristics, one of which is shown in Fig, |. This iron is free from combined carbon and has beep a0 slowly cooled that the graphite is present jp large plates. It is therefore very much like an annealed malleable casting in the large amount of free jrop present but is very different in the condition of th uncombined carbon and this difference js mayj. fested by the much greater brittleness caused py the large graphite plates. In Figs. 2 and 3 is illustrated an iron containing some combined carbon. Fig. 2 is a sample etched wtih picric acid and photographed at a magnifica. tion of 100 diameters. In it we find a very consid. erable amount of graphite, which is present in black Iron Containing Some Combined Carbon, Etched with Picric Acid, 100 Diameters curved plates; between these plates we find a large amount of dark material, and surrounding them 4 considerable amount of a white constituent, which is pure iron or ferrite. The structure of the dark material is better seen in Fig. 3, taken at 500 diameters. It is very likely that the primary graphite plates in this sample were formed by the decomposition of carbide, while the iron was still in a mushy condition, that is, viscous enough to allow the crystals of this element to take their naturd form. As the metal cooled, there was additions! decomposition of the surrounding metal, which tf sulted in the formation of pure iron on the one hand and of deposited graphite on the surface of the original plates on the other. It seems that the presence of a small amount of graphite acts as # energizer in the decomposition of additional car bide, which explains the circumstance that the cry* tals of free iron are very seldom isolated in the middle of the dark areas, but are most often found surrounding the primary graphite crystals. WHAT THE DARK AREAS CONTAIN The dark areas consist of eutectic, which © known to metallographists and probably to the ™* 1120 November 12, 1914 THE IRON AGE 1121 S ture of Dark Material in Fig. 2, Etched with Picric Acid, 500 Diameters se who have paid any attention to this study, s pearlite, that is, a constituent which contains it 0.90 per cent. of combined carbon and which curs in slowly cooled steel. It goes without say- ng, therefore, that, the higher the pearlite content fan iron or steel, all other things being equal, the sigher the tensile strength and the lower the duc- lity of the metal as a whole. Concerning the auses which underlie the occurrence of these con- tituents, and the relative amounts of them, it is well known that the balance between silicon on the ne hand and sulphur and manganese on the other, aken together with the rate of cooling, exert the rreatest influence. The first effect of increase in the combined car- on is to Cause an increase in the amount of pearlite th a corresponding increase in the strength of heiron. When this has progressed to such a point )give us a structure made up entirely of pearl- te and graphite we obtain an iron which is the trongest possible in tensile strength, although it s not necessarily the most resistant to shocks, on int of its greater brittleness. When the of silicon is sufficiently reduced, however, Carbide Structure, Etched with Picric Acid, 100 Diameters we come into the next stage where the amount of combined carbon rises to such an extent that it exists as carbide in excess of the carbide contained in the structural entity which we have described as pearlite. An example of this condition is given in Figs. 4 and 5, which illustrate an iron containing 2.15 per cent. silicon. In Fig. 4, taken at 100 diameters from the etched specimen, we find again a considerable amount of white material. In this case, however, it has a very different form from that seen in Figs. 2 and 3 and is very easily distinguished from fer- rite in the original sample, owing to the fact that it stands up from the surface in decided relief after polishing. This constituent contains free carbide in excess of the carbon occurring in pearlite and is so hard and brittle that it has an even greater influence upon the brittleness of the iron in which it is embedded than has the graphite with which it is also associated. An examination of Fig. 5, taken at a magnification of 500 diameters, shows how this white, high carbon constituent occurs em bedded in the pearlite and also shows the very finely divided condition in which the graphite o« curs, the latter being scarcely distinguishable in Fig Structure of the White, High Carbon Portions of Iron SI vn in Fig. 4, Etched with Picric Acid, 500 Diameter its background of pearlite. It happens that the sample pictured here was cast in a thin section and that it is also quite high in phosphorus. These two circumstances have the effect of causing the graphite to be deposited rather late, after the iron has become too stiff to allow the carbon to take its natural form, with the result that it occurs most frequently in such cases, in very small particles. LIMITS ARE NARROW From the above examples and discussion it will be seen that the limiting conditions for obtaining an iron of ideal structure cover only a very narrow range. We have met with a number of irons in automobile castings which approximated this struc- ture, but have only one good sample which can be said to consist entirely of pearlite and graphite, with the possible admixture of manganese sulphide The analysis of this iron is given in the accom- panying table; it is seen to run considerably higher in silicon than the iron in Fig. 1 and will therefore, all other things being equal, be expected to run higher in uncombined carbon; the amount of sul- phur, however, is also much higher and this ele- ment has such a strong influence in holding the amy le = 1122 Fig. 6—Center of a 1-Inch Bar, Polished and Magnified 100 Times Fig. S—Structure of Bar Shown in Figs. 6 and 7, Etched with Picric Acid, 500 Diameters carbon in the combined form that the effect of the silicon is overcome to the end that the steel matrix is practically “eutectoid.” Fig. 6 illustrates the center of a l-in. bar, the photograph being taken at a magnification of 100 diameters from the polished but unetched surface of the iron. Fig. 7 is taken at a magnification of 500 diameters, under the same conditions. These two pictures show the medium sized curved plates of graphite and between these we find the globular patches of manganese sulphide in Fig. 7, these being so pronounced on account of the high sulphur content of the iron. In Fig. 8, taken of the etched surface, at a magnification of 500 diameters, we find that the internal structure is made up of the same graphite plates which are prominent in the unetched sample, surrounded entirely by sharply defined lamellar pearlite, without any evidences of ferrite on the one hand or of cementite or free car- bide on the other. STRUCTURE NEAR EDGE OF BAR Figs. 9 and 10 show the structure of the un- etched iron, at 100 and 500 magnifications again, THE IRON Novemly AGE Fir. eS Fig. 7—Same Section as Shown in Fig. 6 with Increased } nification, Polished, 500 Diameters at a point near the edge. The quicker cooling m the outside has given rise to a characteristic pseudo. crystalline structure, which structure forms a very interesting study by itself. Suffice it to say that at this time, however, we again have graphite ip finer plates than occurred in the center of the cast- ing, although the internal structure as given ip Fig. 11 is practically the same. In the center of this photograph is a rather large dark area, ip which the lines of pearlite are much less distinct than in the lighter portions. A close examination under the microscope, however, reveals the fact that the substance is practically a mass of very fine pearlite, in which is imbedded a _ considerable amount of rounded graphite. The presence of « very few small areas of free carbide in this phote graph can also be attributed to the quicker cooling near the edge which has allowed insufficient time for the establishment of perfect equilibrium. It will be noted that the combined carbon in this sample is reported as being 0.64 per cent., which is considerably below that generally ascribed as pure pearlite. This circumstance is explained in pari by the unavoidable errors which creep into the methods of analyzing a cast iron for combined car bon; since our only methods for determining this constituent are either by analyzing for total carbon, then subtracting from this the result of an analysis Table Giving Key to Figures and Compositions c., per cent. per cent. per cent, I per cent > per cent Mw , 4 S -& . = v 5 & a ge «6 I Trace 3.52 3.52 0.42 0.409 60.02. 2 0.25 2.48 2.73 0.52 0.316 0.114 3 0.25 2.48 2.73 0.52 0.316 0.114 { 0.79 2.48 3.27 @.26 1.221 9.0% 5 Picric 0.79 2.48 3.27 0.26 1.221 0.090 6 Polished 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.137 90 6 7 Polished 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.137 0.136 S Picric 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.13% Lob % Polished 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.137 136 10 Polished 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.137 t 11 Picric 0.64 2.30 2.94 0.47 0.137 ¢ for graphitic carbon, or else by determining | di rectly by the color method. In the second place . must deduct from the total weight of iron ™ amount of other impurities present in order : arrive at the amount of combined carbon = would count for total pearlite in the steel matrit and third, it has not been established beyon® ® doubt that total pearlite always consists 0! &#*™ 0.90 per cent. carbon. ; “a THE IRON AGE “ ire Near Edge of Bar Shown in Fig. 6, Polished, 100 Diameters In support of the contention that the increase f pearlite accompanies an increase in strength, ve would note that the tensile strength of this iron pveraged 42,000 lb. per sq. in. Most of our irons, vhich approximate the structures shown in Figs. » and 3, run between 32,000 and 36,000 Ib. per FREE FROM SHRINKAGE Concerning the question of shrinkage, which will probably occur to the practical foundryman, we night state that this iron is admirable in its free- lom from the shrinkage which is liable to occur vith many other structures, notably those higher in combined carbon. The graphite is liberated at a time during the solidification when the freezing shrinkage is large, thus counteracting the tendency to sponginess; later on in the cooling, the transfor- mation of combined carbon, which is present in the form of dissolved carbide into the plates of free carbide which form, with ferrite, the~- matrix of pearlite, causes again a slight expansion which de- creases the amount of total shrinkage occurring in the casting Nails and Barb Wire in Ireland Wesley Frost, United States Consul at Cork, Ireland, faily Consular and Trade Reports, states under date A large share of the round nails and barb wire used lrish Province of Munster have hitherto been ight from Germany and Belgium, and the war has alsed prices sufficiently to enable American nails and wire to compete in this market. The imports of nails and screws into all Ireland in 1912 was 7531 tons, valued ‘416,888, and of these it was stated that importations lirect f the Continent of Europe were valued at price of wire nails before the war varied from ‘1./0 per hundredweight of 112 lb. This was asis price of No. 7 nails; but the heavy trade here t in No. 7, but in Nos. 6 and 5, also. Since he prices are by no means uniform, but in gen- ers and big retailers are being asked from ~s to 5° per hundredweight. It is said that American : © on the market within two or three weeks *=->S per hundredweight. While the shipments from “ usseldorf region on the lower Rhine have come irk via Rotterdam and the Belgian nails ome direct, the contracts have been made ‘*" English brokers almost invariably. The same ill undoubtedly be followed in sending nails into this consular district. Fig. 10—-Structure Near Edge of Bar Shown in Fig. 6, Pol ished, 500 Diameters Fig. 11 Internal Structure of Bar Near Edge, Etched wit! Piecric Acid, 500 Diameters The barb-wire trade is not quite so large; lreland as a whole imported 5574 tons, valued at $272,616 in 1912. Prior to the present war the price to Irish whole sale dealers was about $2.68 per hundredweight, but now $4.25 per hundredweight is being asked. The price of English barb wire has usually been 15 per cent. higher. American barb wire was once much used here, but yielded to the German product on the score of price, while the English wire has held a fairly good trade, based on intrinsic value. A New Railroad Spike The Railway Safety Spike Company, Richmond, Va., has brought out a spike of special shape, covered by patent, which has met with considerable favor among railroad companies. This spike has two projecting wings on the sides of the body to increase its resisting power to the lateral movement of the rail and has notches on the front and back edges below the wings to increase its resistance to an upward pull. It is stated that the re- sistance to lateral movement is increased more than 300 per cent. The throat is reinforced by additional metal on the back just under the head, giving it added strength when reversed to be used in the slot of an angle bar. These spikes are drop forged. _ The tests made by railroad companies are stated to have fully borne out the claims of the company. S. DIESCHER & SONS, Mechanical and Civil Engineers, . ry. TY DA ll lt ett i ee 1124 A SAFETY ROLLER FOR SKIDS Device to Protect the Feet of Workmen Engaged in Moving Machinery BY JAMES E. COOLEY In moving machinery that is fastened to skids and rests on wooden rollers, workmen are required to step between and over these rollers considerably, and often get their feet caught underneath them as the ends of the rollers usually project at the sides. When the distance between the two skids is longer than the rollers, it is necessary to place separate ones under each skid, and when this is done, they extend out on each side considerably farther. The need of exercising special care when standing near or in front of a moving roller has always been rec- ognized by workmen, but often in a moment of for- getfulness the foot is pinned down with painful and sometimes serious results. A very simple means for preventing workmen from getting their feet caught under a roller is shown in the accompanying drawing, which consists of a guard rail, a, made from 5%-in. stock, which is fastened into two arms b. These are made from sheet-steel 1/16 in. thick and about 6 in. long. In the upper end of the arms are riveted short plugs c which are ° in. in diameter and fit loosely in the center holes in the roller. When the workman’s shoe comes in contact with the guard rail, this will be sufficient warning for The guard roller. It also him to step aside or be pushed back. using rail is no hindrance in the 4 Form of Roller ing Machinery for Attachment to the Skids Used in Mov- Which Is Designed to Prevent the Workmen's Feet from Being Caught serves another purpose, as when it is desired to place an ordinary roller in front of the skids, for the latter to roll on, it is necessary to hold the roller up against the ends of the skids with the foot, SO that the skids will pass over the roller. If the foot is not removed as soon as the roller moves, there is a danger of the foot being drawn down under the roller, which is entirely avoided by holding the foot against the guard rail. When it is desired to move the roller any considerable distance in the opposite direction, the rail can be taken off and placed on the other side of the roller, as is shown at d. This change is readily made by springing out one of the arms far enough to release the plug on that side. The Busch-Sulzer Bros.-Diesel Engine Company, St. Louis, Mo., has received orders for six 600-hp. engines for submarines for the United States Navy pleted in one year, and November 2 began running its plant night and day to rush the work. The engines are intended for submarines L5, L6 and L7, now being built at Bridgeport, Conn. Each is to have two en- gines. The amount of the contract exceeds $250,000. The company announces that it has patent applications pending for a new engine which will, it believes, over- come the trouble that has been existent in the breaking of crankshafts. The Swiss company associated with the St. Louis company built the engines for sub- marine G3. , to be com- THE IRON AGE Large Double-Ring Type Shaft pany, November 19 19 A special type of Francke flexible transmitting 1500 hp. at 270 r.p.m. 4400 lb. has been supplied by the Smit! Inc., Oupling for f, erre|l ( ‘om. 90 West street, New York City. 4 , ° ' y k | ! 1 a SS! } + II —_—— 4 : { } th 4 ----Lubricant i phx | : % , F SNe ==)_= i Sectional Elevation Showing Arrangement of the Varin Parts of a 33-In. Double Ring Type Coupling Recens Installed in a Steel Plant to Transmit 1500 Hp. at 27 William Tod Company, for use in the plant of the Western Reserve Steel Company, Warren, Ohi This coupling is designed to take care of anguls misalignment and provide the end play required t; allow for the floating of the armature of an electric motor drive, as well as to insure freedom for the pinion to follow the gear without end pressure. The coupling has an outside diameter of 33 in and an over-all length of 39%4 in. The drive is for a 28-in. sheet mill. The pinion and gear are of the double helical type, with cut teeth, with pite diameters of 20.25 and 194.4 in. respectively anda face width of 36 in. There are 28 flexible bolts ir each flange, 10 in. long and 1 15/16 in. in diameter Getting Speed in the Shop In the course of a paper read October 19 by Henr L. James, superintendent of the roll department of the American Bridge Company, Pencoyd, Pa., as one of 8 series of weekly lectures on scientific management given under the auspices of the Central Branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Philadelphia, the speaker made the following observations: To establish a motion standard, a man in charge @ a department should always walk and move quick) because as he moves so will his men. The one is ™ leader and the others copy his movements. As an 1\us tration, take a swift-moving elevator in one of our larg buildings. Notice as soon as it stops at the groun floor, how every one will make a rush for the stree On the other hand, take a slow-moving elevator a notice the effect on the people; how slowly they ¥ walk out of the cage. Incentives like the speedy & vator are what make men in large cities quick # active with the get-there spirit. It is quite the rever™ with a man from the country, where everything quiet; slowness seems to be in the air; he is as 4 slow in movement and slow to think. 5o a mS shop; if you have a machine that travels fast creates a noise, you will be surprised to see the ¢ offect it has in speeding up the men; it seems to get their system. rye + inti The Flanner Water-Tube Boiler Company, 4*" Ohio, has opened an office in room 1651 Marque Building, Chicago, in charge of A. H. Charles Da as Western sales manager. ' athe Dog with Set Screw Safety Shield trong Bros. Tool Company, 339 North 3 enue, Chicago, Ill., has placed on the market a lathe dog which is said to combine the convenience and effi- ciency of the types commonly used with protection for the head of the set screw. This result is secured by covering the head with a special shield, which is relied upon to pre- vent injury to the workman. The use of this dog, it is emphasized, does away with the necessity for having a special wrench, while at the same time the cap provides extra leverage to enable the set securely adjusted by hand with ease. yr of the cap is shaped to conform to the set screw. In this way, it is pointed the cap is turned for purposes of diustment the set screw turns with it, the head nerely slipping up or down inside the The Automatic Fireman ifacturing establishments, industrial ware- epartment stores are equipped with an nkler apparatus consisting of a system fitted at short intervals with sprinkler open when the temperature rises much nary, as in case of an incipient fire. The les are closed by plugs of an easily fusible which melts at a very low temperature. essential ingredient of such alloys, other eing lead, tin and bismuth. Cadmium is electrical fuses, which prevent fires and “burning out” when a dangerously high lentally thrown upon a line. pal cadmium-producing country is Ger- h in the last few years has had an output 100 and 100,000 lb. annually, sold at 43 to 1. In Germany cadmium is recovered as zine smelting. The United States has ported from 4000 to 14,000 Ib. of stick cad- Germany, but in 1913 the imports dropped ilued at $1232. The United States has llic stick cadmium since 1907 and for sev- produced, also, the pigment cadmium- ire now three American firms making rr both of these forms and another add one more producer. n as long ago as 1886 that cadmium was ie and bag-house dusts of lead smelters rom Leadville, Colo. In zine concentrates region the ratio of cadmium to zinc There is thus a plentiful supply of cad- United States, and only a sufficient demand needed for this country to become a q States Geological Survey has just issued cadmium which may be had by ad- juest to the Director, U. S. Geological ngton, D. C. the Moline Plow Company for the i July 31 throws an interesting light gricultural implement situation. Gross 18,182 and operating expenses $11,977,- income $771,009, as compared with the previous year. After the payment | dividend only $23,840 was left for the Specialty Company, 111 Broadway, New ted steam specialties, has found it neces- handle its business to secure more ters for its Chicago office and has ac- ed from the Peoples Gas Building to t Building. vember 12, 1914 THE IRON AGE 1125 Handling Patterns with a Jib Crane In the foundry of the Hall Printing Press Com pany, Dunellen, N. J., an interesting crane con structed of structural steel is employed for han dling patterns. The horizontal member, which is 20 ft. long, consists of two 12-in. channels, weigh ing 20% lb. per ft., while the inclined member is composed of two 10-in. channels weighing 15 lb. per ft. The upright portion of the crane is a column of the foundry framing, and around it are bolted two cast-iron pintles to provide a circular support for the crane. A ball race is used on the lower side to take the thrust and to enable the crane to be turned easily. A cast-iron ring, which is made in two pieces, is turned to about the same diameter and is bolted to the upright of the crane. This construction is relied upon to enable the crane to A Crane Made Almost Entirely of Standard Structural Shapes That Is Employed for Handling Patterns ir Found: turn through practically an arc of 360 deg. around the column and thus give an effective working circle having a radius of 20 ft. The main and side floors can be served without changing the load and it is possible for one crane to serve two sections of the side floor, instead of having two outfits. It is stated that when the crane is fully loaded to its capacity, 2 tons, it turns easily, no rack or worm being required to revolve it. The power for hoisting is supplied by a Yale & Towne triplex block bolted securely to the mast of the crane and operated by hand. A chain hanging beside the trolley controls its operation, thus plac ing both operations under the control of one man without interfering with the load The American Car & Foundry Company announces an expected closing of its plants at St. Louis, Mo., and Madison, Ill, December 1. In this connection, Assistant General Manager Thompson has stated that of the com- pany’s 13 plants only two-thirds are now in operation and that most of the work im hand is confined to car repairing. Among the active plants the average operations do not exceed 50 per cent. of capacity LE Me.) 2 . oy The Southern Iron and Steel Industry” Conditions Before and During the Civil Alabama Gained Promi- nence—Great Progress in Recent Years War— How os BE | The paper presented by President Bowron under the title of “The History of the Iron dustry in the South” was a most creditable production. gathered from a number of authorities “the outline” which he presented, it was so enriched not with personal reminiscence, but also with such keen analysis of con