The Iron Age 1915-05-13: Vol 95 Iss 19

<2uvvevevevuvucvevavvnnavnnnvaneneneavnncecenceeesveuceeevcvneavveueveaveeceeeenenoveeveeveseecevecactcenecuv vee ceeeee eA AeUoet eect tceeeeeneace cacti tetera : 1 ; 2 | ON AG Z CAS SS IN) AS RSE : ansehen Established 1855 New York, May 13, 1915 Vol. 95: No. 19 Workmen's Co-operation Reduces Accidents Results of the Burroughs Adding Machine Company’s Educational Campaign—lInter- esting Safety Devices Used in Plant HAT one large employer of part of 1913 was limited for the most part to the labor has accomplished in re-_ installation of guards for machinery and various ducing the number of accidents other safety devices. This safety work was under in its plant, through a well the charge of one or two men. The plant was well conducted accident prevention equipped with safety appliances, but the results as campaign along educational shown by the accident reports were not regarded as lines with a view of securing the co-operation of its foremen Comparative Record of Accidents for Years 1913-1914 and the interest of its work- 1913 1914 men, is found in the compara- ee eee reee, Se Secrere tas ee #02 ; . e e ours iost per 00 Inen per month rO.0 Ld. = tive record of accidents in the Cost of compensation per $100 of works of the Burroughs Add- payroll Sea veneered heise 30.086 ing Machine Company, Detroit, Mich., in 1913 and 1914. The _ satisfactory. All safety guards that were consid- plan under which the work was_ ered necessary were provided, but practically noth- and is still being conducted is ing in the way of educating the men in avoiding of much interest, and its re- accidents had been attempted. The company came sults are shown by the fact to the conclusion that while safety appliances ana Sheet Metal Guard that actual time loss from all danger signals tend to reduce factory accidents titer ee evatar accidents as well as the hours greatly, they do not in themselves cut the accidents Controller Lever lost per 100 men per month down to a minimum, and that to bring the work of from Being Thrown to the Operating was reduced about 60 per cent., a plant along safety lines to its highest point of Position by Trucks or Passengers and the cost of workmen’s efficiency there must be a well formulated plan of crowing Le ge compensation per $100 of pay- educational work conducted among the workmen, ante lt JOCK © . . . . . Guard against Un- roll was cut down in a greater as well as the installation of mechanical safety Meee ieee the Cac 40: Proportion. guards, and that the co-operation of the men and A comparative record of foremen is essential. Other companies have reached the company’s accidents in the years 1913 and 1914 practically similar conclusions after the installation is given in the accompanying table. of safety-first devices have not caused the elimina- The safety work of this company up to the latter tion of as many injuries as had been expected, and aol The Guard for the Cutter on a Universal Milling Machine Raised to Give the Operator Access to the Cutter and Lowered to Protect Him when the Machine Is in Us« 1051 1052 have adopted educational campaigns of various forms along safety lines, but probably a greater percentage think that they have gone far enough in safety work for their own interests and the welfare of their employees when they have installed such safety devices as danger spots warranted or the laws of the state required. SECURING CO-OPERATION OF EMPLOYEES The first step in the starting of the company’s safety work was the formation of a central stand- ing safety committee composed of the construction engineer, assistant to the works production mana- ger, and an assistant in the maintenance division. Under this committee is a sub-committee of three workmen in each of the three manufacturing de- partments or divisions. The members of these sub- committees are appointed by the foremen of the departments, and each serves only for one month. The plan of having sub-committees and changing their membership frequently was adopted to arouse the interest and co-operation of the men, and the foremen’s part in naming the sub-committees was expected to have a similar effect on the foremen. It was believed that after an employee had served on a sub-committee a month he would continue to take an interest in safety work after he had retired from the committee. this system has demonstrated, in the the company, the accuracy of this workmen who have served on the committees for the most part keep up their interest in safety work after other employees have taken their places on the several different committees. The members of the a week with the factory inspector, holding a ses sion of one hour, during which proposed changes along safety lines are considered and parts of the plant are inspected. The interest of the employees has such an extent that a large number of suggestions for changes to prevent acci- dents come from them. No award for suggestions adopted are made, as in some plants, but the men Experience of over a year in opinion of conclusion, as sub-committees meet once been aroused to seem to be as free to make suggestions as thei would be had they reward. The sub commi* act on suggestions made and, if ap proved, recommend their adoption to the standing central committee. The latter takes up the re ommendations of the sub-committees, and a large percentage of these are regarded as meritorious and are adopted. hope of tees Sometimes a recommendation is A Guard for a Squaring Sheet Shearing Machine and the Levers before the Press Can Be Tripped and THE IRON Dror AGE May 13, 1: adopted, not because it is regarded as sufficient valuable, but to encourage the men in their safe! first work. In its experience in accident preventi work the company has developed a number of pr ciples or actions which may be summarized y: briefly as follows: The first essential in safety work is getting co-operation of the foremen. One has nothing start with without this co-operation. The co-opera tion of the foremen is necessary in order to secur: the co-operation of the workmen. Unless the inte: est of the workmen is aroused and their co-opera tion is assured it will be hard to get them to us safety devices. Safety work must be kept up. If is developed to a high point in a plant and the: neglected it will fall back from the high peak of efficiency and in time conditions will be only a little better than they were before the beginning of the safety movement. After the company inaugurated its safety work it found that there were numerous instances wher workmen did not want to use safety equipment To overcome this antagonism or indifference t devices a campaign was started to secur the co-operation of the foremen. This continued for a week and included noonday and evening meetings that were addressed by speaker well informed on accident prevention and on safet topics, and during some of these meetings moving pictures and lantern slides were shown. All the employees had an opportunity to attend part of the meetings and many accepted invitations to bring heir families to the evening meetings. While at- tendance at any of the meetings was not compul- sory, they were well attended and the desired inter- est was Safety sirst bulletins were dis- tributed among the foremen and members of the various sub-committees. Following the educational campaign of a week, the company’s work along safety lines is being continued in various ways, including the publication in the monthly issue of the company’s house organ, “The Burroughs,” which goes to every plant em- plovee, of articles and items of interest regarding safety-first work, photographs of safety appliances and stories as to how accidents had happened and how they could have been avoided and suggestions received from employees. The following, as exam- ples, are taken from those received in one month and published in the house organ. The action taken safety campaig! aroused. on the suggestions is noted in brackets: ‘ : Where It Is Necessary for the Operator to Place His Hands near the Cutter Wire Mesh Guards around the Lower Portion, a Two-Hand Tripping Device Requiring Both Hands to be on the Hammer Having a Cam-Operated Safety Block THE IRON 1053 AGE Views Showing What Sawdust Box and Fire Smothering Blankets Box Is a Recent Addition to the Company's Fire Fighting onate for Extinguishing Japan and Gasoline Fires The Detachable Holders on the Walls in That all hooks on doors be located above the hight of man’s head. Hooks as now located are apt to cause injury. [Hooks have been raised as suggested. | That the sharp points of all door latches be cut off. eir points are much longer than necessary and are [This has been done. ] That drip cups be made and attached to the line- haft hangers. [Inspection Division Committee is de- ning a cup to be submitted as a sample. ] ngerous. A paragraph in an article on the safety move- ent and the reduction in the number of accidents another issue of the house organ reads as fol- Ws: It is gratifying to note that the greatest decrease is imputations, which are our most serious cases. While part of this decrease is probably due to the installa- tion of safety equipment and factory inspection, the reater part of it is undoubtedly due to the hearty co peration and enthusiastic efforts of our employees in dopting safety methods. Our employees have come to ilize that accident prevention is a distinct advantage themselves, for while they are paid half pay for time st through accidents there is no way in which they iy be remunerated for the other half of their time or the pain and suffering incident to accidents. The bulk of the safety work is under direct supervision of the factory inspector, who inspects the safety devices to see that they are properly in- stalled and maintained, and he makes various regu- lar and systematic inspections that are not provided for under the state laws or covered under other in- spections. The inspector makes a weekly inspection of all parts of the plant, his work including an in- spection of the fire apparatus and plant conditions with a view to making any changes that may be de- sired to reduce the fire hazards. In addition to its plant hospital, the company maintains a number of first-aid hospital substations the tool cribs where various first-aid equipment s kept for attending to minor injuries. Shop men are not disposed to go some distance to a plant hos- pital when they suffer a trivial injury, but with the substations they can have injuries of this char- cter attended to with little loss of time. 3ecause of the character of the work, the most erious accidents at the plant before the accident prevention movement started were the crushing of Is Being Done along Fire Prevention Lines The First Cleaning Room and Is Operated by the Foot Treadle Which C Departments From Left t Rig . Are a Safet Gas Is Used for Cleaning Pieces mn artments not Acces } ymtrols the Raising of the Lid through a Cable The Saw Apparatus and Contains Mixture of Sawdust and Sod Canvas Fire Smothering Blankets Are Mounted in Q where |! lam) ‘ Materials Are lI'sed fingers in punch presses, necessitating amputation These accidents have been practically eliminated. What is regarded as the most important accident prevention device in use is a hand tripping device for punch presses. When this device was first put on the punch presses the number of accidents from these machines showed little, if any, reduction, which fact the company believes proves that safety devices in themselves do not accomplish much unless the interest of the workmen has been aroused in accident prevention. When the interest of the men was secured by the safety campaign, accidents on punch presses were reduced 75 per cent. After the hand tripping device was put in use, quite a num ber of accidents were caused by a weakening of the spring. To eliminate this danger a standard ten sion for these springs was adopted, and these springs are now tested every week by the factory inspector. During the last eight or nine months there have been no accidents on punch presses seri ous enough to necessitate amputation. Previous to that accidents on these machines necessitated about a dozen amputations a year. The two-hand tripping device is shown in one of the accompanying illustrations. The chain oper ating the tripping mechanism is detached from the foot lever and attached to the right lever. The left lever operates the locking device on the right lever, and it is necessary for the operator to have both hands on the levers to trip the machine. The operating chains are protected by then through an iron pipe. In another illustration is shown a safety at- tachment designed in the plant for a 200-lb. drop hammer. This device is a block swinging on a shaft and an operating cam connecting the block to the right tripping lever. The hand lever and safety latch are regular equipment for the machine. The safety block remains in position beneath the ham- mer at all times except when the right lever is raised. The operating cam is timed so that it is impossible for the safety block to return to position before the hammer has descended, but returns to its position immediately when the right lever is raised. The principal value of this safety block is to protect the operator from danger of injury should either of the operating belts break during the up stroke of the hammer. Two photographs illustrate a universal milling passing : 1054 machine cutter guard, one showing the guard in place and the other showing how it can be raised to give the operator access to the cutter. The guard is so constructed that it can be readily adjusted to suit the diameter of cutters and shape of work, or reversed according to the direction of rotation of the spindle. One photograph shows a well guarded squaring sheet shearing machine that is being used for a spe- cial operation where it is necessary for the operator to place his hands close to the cutter. For this operation the hold-down has been removed and a special thin sheet metal guard is placed so that the operator cannot get his hands in contact with the cutter. As the photograph shows, the guard for the gears on the left reaches to the floor. There is a guard for the pulleys and belt at the right and the front is adequately guarded so that the operator’s apron cannot become caught in the revolving shaft. In another photograph is shown the method. of guarding and locking an elevator controlling lever. The sheet metal guard is intended to prevent the lever from being thrown to the working position by trucks or passengers crowding against it. The padlock is for the purpose of locking the controlling lever in the neutral position, preventing the elevator from being used by other than the regular operator. This lock is also of service in making repairs to elevators. The workman making repairs locks the controlling lever and keeps possession of the key until the repairs are completed. FIRE PREVENTION DEVICES Several interesting devices are used along fire prevention lines. One photograph shows a safety gasoline tank for cleaning parts in departments not accessible to the cleaning room. In using this tank the operator steps on a foot treadle, shown in front of the machine, opening the lid of the tank by the cable shown in the photograph. A drain board is pro- vided on which to place the work that has been cleaned and which permits gasoline to drain back into the tank. The cover remains open only as long as the operator keeps his weight on the foot treadle. The purpose of the gasoline reservoir shown be- neath the cleaning tank is to provide a safe means of removing gasoline or securing new supplies. A drain cock, not visible in the photograph, is pro- vided in the cleaning tank so that gasoline can be readily drained. The apparatus is built entirely of metal and removes all danger of fire except for the short interval during the cleaning operation. THE IRON AGE May 13, 19 Another photograph shows another recent a dition to the company’s fire fighting apparatus. T} is a sawdust box in which is kept a mixture of sa) dust and sodium bicarbonate, which in a series tests was found to be quite effective in extinguis| ing japan fires and can sometimes be used to a vantage in extinguishing gasoline fires. The shov: used in handling the sawdust is held in place . the sheet metal box by a spring clamp. When th: shovel is removed the door automatically opens an the contents can be quickly shoveled out and use to extinguish the flames. Another addition to th company’s fire fighting apparatus are canvas smoth ering blankets, with quick detachable holders. Thes: blankets are conveniently located in department where inflammable materials are used. HEAVY CUTTING-OFF MACHINE Novel Arrangement of Cutter Tools for High- Speed Work on Projectile Stock The machine, three views of which are shown in the accompanying illustrations, is designed for cutting off heavy bar stock such as projectile ma- terial, axles or other heavy forgings. In one en- graving it is shown cutting off 1214-in. round, nickel-steel, armor-piercing projectile stock, and on this piece, which is the maximum diameter the ma- chine will handle, eight lengths were cut off per hour, running continuously. Cutting a 7!+5-in. round of extra mild steel, where the steel was of such toughness as to require the use of a chip breaker, the bar was severed in 14!» sec., or at a rate equivalent to 15 in. per min., which is in excess of the duty up to which high-speed steel cutters will stand in continuous cutting. It is possible, however, to sever 7!5-in. round, steel bars, having a carbon content of from 0.30 to 0.40 per cent., at the rate of a cut per minute under normal working conditions. The machine will cut bars down to 3 in., but where the diameter is less than 5 in. the higher speeds of which the machine is capable can- not be employed because of the absence of stiffness in the material. The machine base is a one-piece casting weigh- ing 18,000 lb. Mounted centrally on this base is a swinging head carrying the cutter blade, fitted with ten cutters, which are shown in the view of the cutter drum. On either side of the cutter head the base provides a fulcrum support General Front View of the Machine Cutting Off Round Projectile Stock 12 In. in Diameter for a powerful clamping lever, op- erated from air, steam or hy- draulic cylinders, through a cross- head sliding in ways, the upper of which is tapered and pivoted so as to be raised by the cross-head. Each of these clamping levers weighs 800 lb., and with a cylinder pressure as high as 1000 Ib. avail- able, the gripping power of the levers equivalent to 150,000 Ib., is apparent. The lever on the dis- charge side of the cutter is re- quired only where a final short end is to be cut. The machine base also carries one end of a trolley from 22 to 23 ft. long. on which is mounted a carriage for supporting the stock to be cut and carrying it in to the cut- ters as the work progresses The illustration of the cutter May 13, 1915 lade with the inserted cutters and thrust blocks also shows the semi-steel gear band, through which the cutter is driven. This gear is 70 in. in diameter and 5 in. across the face, and into it the lriving pinion meshes directly. This driving pinion is thrown nto gear with the direct-connect- d motor drive by a clutch con- trolled by a lever at the front of the machine, the clutch being pro- vided with a shearing pin for the lisconnection of all heavy rotat- ing parts from the cutter drum n event of accident. In the rear view of the machine, the driving lutch is shown in the foreground, and at the opposite end of the otor shaft, the driving cone for THE IRON AGE L055 the feed gearing, which is in- osed in the case below and runs Rear View n oil, is located. The design of the cutter of this machine with its drive at the periphery of the blade and the cutting tools at the center, it is pointed out, makes for a minimum of vibration with the attendant advan- tages in high-speed cutting. As an added precau- tion in connection with the powerful drive forcing Detail View of the Cutter Blade and Cutting Tools the cutters through the metal, the cutting tools are inserted in the blade with a thrust block be- tween each cutter. These thrust blocks are arranged so as to make a continuous ring through which pressure on any one tool is transmitted to all 10 of the pockets in which the cutter tools are inserted. This design is apparent from the view of the cutter blade. The device also serves to protect the cutter blade from excessive strain, tests having demon- strated that the cutting tool will be sheared off before any damage is done to the blade. An auto- matic chip breaker, also supplied with the machine, removes, from the points of the tools, the chips that adhere when a particularly tough piece of steel is being cut. A water system for spraying the tools to keep them cool includes a pump and drainage chambers for the disposal of the water. A special grinding machine is also supplied for sharpening the cutting tools, it being accurately adjustable for the proper shaping of the cutting edge. In this way it is possible to take down a dull set of cutters, sharpen them and have the cutter in operation again within a period of approximately 20 min. This machine has a width of 8 ft., length of 15 ft. and hight of 91% ft. It weighs 55,000 Ib. and is built by the George Gorton Machine ¢ cine, Wis. ompany, Ra American Iron and Steel Institute Programme The eighth general meeting of the American Ir and Steel Institute, to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, May 28, will be opened with an address by the president, Elbert H. Gary Papers will be read : follows: “Waste Heat Boilers ‘ yr. | é ] s S - ( I ( mie I = I Steel, hdw | K br St { I Te B I ! A, ‘ iper er I TY By Me R M Ml £ ce t { \ I t rog! ' I t z £ o ( | «} | At the banquet in the evening the principal pape: will be on “Welfare Work of & Railroad Company.” It will be noted that there are fewer formal! than and that no formal discussion has been provided for on the programme. It is hoped and ex pected, however, that there will be considerable informa! discussion. A hearty invitation to participate in thi discussion is extended to members. the Tennessee Coal, Iron pape usual, German Steel Works Union’s March Output The shipments of the German Steel Works Union in March, 1915, were the best since the war’s outbreal —351,560 tons, compared with 560,527 tons in March, 1914, and 266,905 tons in February, 1915. This i 84,655 tons more than in February of this year and 208,667 tons less than in March a year ago. Of the total March shipments this year, semi-finished steel cor stituted 86,865 tons (153,170 tons in March, 1914); railroad material, 160,435 tons (206,325 tons a year ago), and shapes, 104,260 tons (201,033 tons a year ago). The shipments of shapes in March are double those of January, indicating a substantial increase in building activity. All the material for the construction of the new blast furnace of the Robesonia Iron Company, Ltd., Robesonia, Pa., is on the ground and the erection will commence as soon as the old furnace is removed. Frank C. Roberts & Co., Philadelphia, are the designing and supervising engineers. 1056 SELF-CONTAINED POWER PLANT A 400-Hp. Unit Combining a Boiler, Engine and Various Auxiliaries on One Base Combined steam engines and boiler plants designed for the utilization of high-pressure super- heated steam, known as the Locomobile, have been built in Germany for the past 15 and are now extensively in use in the European countries and their dependencies. These claimed to represent the logical development of the portable steam boiler and engine plant in a country where fuel economy is urgent, and that they have not been introduced into the United States until recently is attributed to the relative cheapness of fuel in this country. The Buckeye Engine Company, Salem, Ohio, recently began the building of power units of this type to which it has given the trade name Buckeye-mobile, and one of these, a 400-hp. unit, is shown in the accompanying illustration. This unit differs from the conventional power plant chiefly in the fact that by combining into a single assembly a high-pressure boiler, primary and secondary superheaters, a compound steam engine, a feed water heater and a condenser, a low fuel consumption is obtained that is claimed not to have been possible heretofore in steam plants of small or medium capacity. This unit, in ordinary, every-day operation, is said to consume about 11% lb. of coal per i. hp, cor- responding to about 2!» lb. per kw.-hr. The coal consumption in the majority of steam plants or less than 400 or 500 hp. is said to be 4 to 6 lb. per hp. per hr. The economy in operation of this type of plant is made possible through the use of high- pressure superheated steam and the elimination of the heat losses incidental to the usual type of steam plant where the engines, boiler and auxiliary are connected by long lines of piping. years are THE IRON AGE May 13, 191 When ordinary saturated steam is used in engine, a considerable portion, on entering the inder, is condensed, thus losing all ability to work. The Locomobile type of engine is said produce a horsepower on about 10 lb. of steam, : compared with from 25 to 50 lb. required on simple, non-condensing. engine and from 16 t lb. required by the compound condensing engi with a corresponding reduction in fuel consum; tion. The amount of fuel required to raise t} steam pressure from the usual 125 or 150 lb. to 22 lb., and to heat it to 250 deg. is quite small, owing to the location of the superheater and the reheate in the path of the flue gases leaving the boiler tubes. The unit illustrated consists of a pound steam engine, mounted on an internally fired high-pressure boiler of the non-return or gunboat type. Inclosed in a well insulated sheet metal smoke box at the right are the initial superheater and also a reheater, wherein the steam passing from the high-pressure cylinder to the low pressure is superheated by the flue gases. The initial super heater consists of a single coil of seamless steel tubing, through which steam passes in a direction opposite to that of the hot gases. The reheater is built up of a large number of small tubes expanded into headers. The superheater and reheater are suspended from rollers on an overhead track which allows freedom for expansion of piping and affords an easy means of removal from the smoke box, should occasion require it. The engine cylinders, as well as all the high-pressure piping and valves, are also located in the smoke box and jacketed by flue gases to prevent radiation losses. The engine exhausts through a closed feed water heater to a surface condenser, located back of the smoke box. To save the heat waste incident to the use of direct-acting steam pumps the boiler feed pump, which is of the triplex gearless type, is driven by a belt directly from a pulley on the main engine shaft. cross-con A Recently Developed 400-Hp. Power Plant Which Combines in a Single Unit a High-Pressure Boiler, Primary and Secondary ; Engine, Feed Superheaters, a Compound Steam Water Heater and Condenser 1915 THE IRON AGE 1057 oo a —— Longitudinal Section Showing the The condenser, circulating and vacuum pumps are driven in the same manner. This unit will drive an alternating-current generator through a flexible coupling, the generator being mounted on a pier of sufficient hight to bring it in line with the engine shaft. Access to all parts of the unit is provided by platforms and ladders. All moving parts of the engine may be removed without disturbing any sheet metal work. Doors of ample size at the end on one side of the smoke box permit access to super- heaters and piping. There is an interesting feature in the boiler design. The corrugated furnace and rear tube sheet, instead of being permanently riveted to the boiler heads, are secured by stud bolts at each end. By removing the nuts from these studs, the furnace and tubes may be readily withdrawn from the boiler shell, thus providing a large opening for entering the shell and permitting convenient aecess to the tubes for scaling, ete. To provide a large com- bustion chamber a firebrick-lined extension in the form of a semi-Dutch oven is built on at the fur- nace end of the boiler. The unit illustrated was built for the Corpus Christi Railway & Light Company, Corpus Christi, Texas, and was designed for the use of crude oil as fuel. Shop tests of this unit showed a fuel economy of 0.09 lb. of fuel oil per i. hp., which cor- responds to about 1% Ib. per kw.-hr. The length of the unit is 30 ft., its hight to the top of the 10-ft. flywheels is 15 ft. and the width over the flywheel rims is 12 ft. Buckeye-mobiles are being offered in nine sizes, ranging from 75 to 600 hp. By slight changes in the furnace design, they are adaptable to any avail- able fuel. Prices of commodities have rapidly risen the past few months in Great Britain. The London Economist publishes monthly a table giving a comparison of prices with a considerable prior period. The comparison is based on an index number consisting of the average of prices on a wide range of commodities for 1901 to 1905, which is taken as 100. Average prices for March mn the same commodities indicated over 150, thus show- ng that prices are 50 per cent. higher than in the years 1901 to 1905. They were also considerably higher than those of any preceding month of the previous 15. Arrangement of the L i oe =e 3 ; +1) 1] | } Heese osves o ! it | | it ln nee Various Portions of 100-Hp. Ur Southern California Industrial Situation (Special Correspondence ) Los ANGELES, CAL., May 5, 1915.—Expansion in the foundry and machine business in Southern California waits very much on an increased consumption of fuel oil. This must be reached through export. The world wide disturbance of conditions does not give any early promise in this regard. The result is that business men of Los Angeles identified with the iron and steel indus try do not expect anything but spotty improvement. In other words, oil well development has been stayed. Capacity exceeds sales and makers of oil well supplies are not encouraged, and this means foundrymen among others. Meanwhile, good oil properties remain un touched, with the oil left in nature’s storehouse. One other avenue to greater activity lies in widen- ing the area of irrigation. Capital appears very shy at present. The sentiment here and there against im moderate expansion in orange groves and the growing of citrus fruits generally has resulted in overproduc tion of alfalfa in some sections, with no live stock to consume it. Prosperity accordingly has not been state- wide. The fact that there is not a good balance among the products raised on the soil has apparently had an unsettling influence on the financial community. The great necessity is water through the dry months. Water carriage projects involve considerable money owing to the distances involved. The water supply to Los An geles, it will be recalled, comes through a pipe line much over 200 miles in length, and had the city not undertaken the work, it is doubtful if the city’s remark- able expansion would have occurred. In the irrigation work it is likely more attention will be paid than for- merly to impounding reservoirs to catch and hold the run off, but much of this construction will be satisfied by concrete, and the iron and steel business will be benefited only indirectly. As it is, irrigation work con stitutes a steady business, and some tank builders for- merly occupied largely in constructing tanks for oil companies are making sheet steel conduits for water Building work is dull. There has been overbuilding to the extent that while the newer fine business struc- tures in Los Angeles are well filled, it has been at the expense of the smaller and older buildings. School buildings offer the most promising opportunities in the immediate future. Ww. W. M. Swedish pig iron is reported to be selling for export at $29.20 per ton compared with $24.33 before the war, with satisfactory demand. Germany is now the largest consumer, though Great Britain was before the war, and the Japanese demand is said to be well maintained. Liquid Fuel for Foundry Cupolas Substantial Economy and Low Sulphur from the Oil for tages for Iron and Converter Steel Foundries — BY EDWIN F. Substitution of A forward step in foundry metallurgy has re- cently been taken—a step that has a distinct bear- ing on the future operations and results of iron and converter steel foundries. It involves the sub- stitution of liquid fuel for coke in cupolas, giving more economical fuel consumption per ton of iron melted and a lower sulphur content in the iron or steel castings made. In The Iron Age of February 25 attention was called to a patent granted to Bradley Stoughton, secretary of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, in which liquid fuel is recommended to supply all or nearly all the heat necessary to melt metals or smelt ores, thus rendering possible the use of a minimum quantity of solid fuel. Fluid and solid fuels are used together, but are burned in a new way, involving a new principle and with new results. The essential features are the use of suf- ficient fluid fuel to supply all or practically all the heat required, and the use of a minimum quantity of solid fuel, which is to be maintained incandescent so as to insure the complete consumption of the fluid fuel without waste. An essential feature consists in admitting enough air to insure complete com- bustion of the fluid fuel and in addition just enough to maintain the solid fuel incandescent so as to con- sume as little of this as possible. The principle involved in the patent has recently had practical application in the steel foundry of the Eagan-Rogers Steel & Iron Company, at Crum Lynn, Pa., and some inter- esting results have been ob- tained. The _ illustration pe shows how the principle in a general is applied to a 5 cupola. The amount of ~ coke used in ordinary prac- tice is deposited on the bed of the cupola and on this a layer of iron and scrap. Another layer of coke is then deposited, with the usual charge of metal on this, and so on. The coke bed is then ignited and the oil injected, mixed with air, into the incandescent mass through four tuyeres. The upper layers of coke are intended to replace the unavoidable losses from the bed as well as to supply a portion of the heat neces- sary. They are therefore made as thin as possible and are but a fraction of the amount used in dinary practice. The air for maintaining the incan. descence of the coke is ad- mitted by separate small tuyeres at the bottom and under the oil tuyeres. In the 42-inch Whiting or- | | i in i 1 Fuel Two of the Four 1058 sieall ee uate [ = f= peg salamat taaeeae ey Lower Section of a Cupola Showing in General the Ap- plication of Oil Burners to Coke—Other Advan- CONE cupola of the Eagan-Rogers foundry, where a hi, silicon low-phosphorus iron has been heretofo) melted by coke and then blown in a Stoughton co verter and poured into steel castings, it has be: the custom to use 1000 lb. of coke in the bed and a average of about 245 lb. of coke between each laye) of metal above this. The average consumption « coke according to this practice has been about 245 lb. per 1000 lb. of iron melted. Early in March th: cupola was equipped with the new melting device using fuel oil, and operations have been conducted under these conditions ever since with gratifying results. Various trial runs early in March resulted in a marked diminution in the coke consumed, compared with the former method. In one of the first trials 25,000 lb. of pig iron and foundry steel scrap, which usually averages 50 to 60 per cent. of the total charge of iron and scrap, were melted with 2980 lb. of coke and 87 gal. of oil, or a consumption of 115 lb. of coke per 1000 lb. of metal. Later runs were: metal melted with 2100 lb. of coke and 105 lb. of coke per 1000 lb. of metal. metal melted with 1524 lb. of coke and oil or 70 lb. of coke per 1000 lb. of metal. lb. of metal melted with 1050 Ib. of coke and oil or 50 lb. of coke per 1000 lb. of metal. 20,300 Ib. of gal. of 22,100 gal. of 21.300 gal. of oil or lb. of Later results have averaged 30 lb. of coke per 1000 Ib. of metal melted, with decided savings in cost per ton, compared with the method of using coke only. That by using a bed of 1000 lb. of is, 7 = coke and layers of coke of asa eaertial only 30 lIb., instead of 245 {iA lb. previously, per 1000 lb. _ ' of metal melted, the use of — oil has effected decided ageing economies. The proverbial high sul- phur content of iron melted with coke and of steel cast- ings made by the converter process is recognized. By this process a decided low- ering of sulphur is inevit- able, and it has been borne out by the experience at ‘the Eagan-Rogers _ plant. Using over 50 per cent. of scrap made by the older method, the sulphur con- tent has constantly dimin- ished until it is at least 30 points lower than formerly. The experience at this foundry has developed other points of superiority. It is found that a given charge melts more quickly than formerly and is also hotter at the finish; it is claimed that 10 to 12 tons per hour can be melted, as compared with 7 to 8 tons \ ] A Partly Replace Coke as a Ore Tuyeres are Shown May 13, 1915 previously. Not only is the required blast pressure ess but the regulation of the cupola is claimed to e better. The element of saving effected in the andling of less coke and ashes is also important, he details of which have not been yet worked out. While it is recognized that the results thus far hieved in practice under this patent are prelimi- ary as to absolute definiteness, it is apparent that he possibilities are of decided value and importance foundry metallurgy. In order to ascertain on a iirly large scale the actual and definite possibili- ties and limitations of the process, arrangements ave been made to carry out extensive operations of investigating nature in a special plant to deter- ine what can be accomplished under various con- ditions and with various metals and materials. Details of these results will be available later. A New Press for Baling Scrap Metal For compressing metal scrap of various kinds nto bundles that can be conveniently packed in a harging box the Tempus Reclaiming & Mfg. Com- pany, 25 North Seventh street, Philadelphia, Pa., has brought out a new scrap metal baling press. This machine is a stationary one and forms vlindrical bundles while the other, which was llustrated in The Iron Age, November 16, 1914, produced rectangular bundles and was of the portable type, so that it could be moved around from place to place wherever the scrap accumulated. Among the classes of material which the new press will handle are tangled wire, bushy turnings, wire cable, spring beds, tubing, light pipe and angles, stamped ware, etc. The general construction of the press is simple and rugged. Cast iron is used for the main frame and the base, while the rods, braces and other parts subject to strain are made of steel. Steel plates which can be readily replaced at a nominal cost are used to line the interior where the greatest wear occurs. The shafting is of steel and runs n roller or babbitted bearings. Dustproof lubri- ating devices are provided. The gears are all cut from solid blanks and have dustproof guards. Steel is used for the larger gears and cast iron for the others. Friction clutches operated by levers con- veniently located on the front of the machine, con- trol the operation of the driving mechanism which ‘an be belted either to the main shaft or connected directly to any motive power. The power consump- tion of the machine is 5 hp. In operation a piece of ragged metal or any scrap of a tangled nature is inserted in the slot if the revolving mandrel below the corrugated roll. After this has been done, the power is started to get the stock firmly fixed in the mandrel, after which the scrap is thrown on the projecting portion. As soon as this is done the scrap begins to be drawn in, and as the material accumulates on the mandrel it is pressed down by the corrugated roller which is provided with weights up to 1500 lb. After the bundle is formed a piece of old wire is hooked in while the mandrel rotates and a few turns ties the mass. The machine is stopped, and after the loose ends of the wire are tucked in, the direction of rotation of the mandrel is reversed. A few turns, it is emphasized, are sufficient to loosen the mandrel, and it is drawn out. After the mandrel is removed a ratchet wrench is applied to the hexagon head of the hub of the corrugated roller, which is shown projecting at the right, and in this way the roller is turned through an arc of 180 deg. and the bundle thrown out. The winch head on the right side of the machine THE IRON AGE 1059 from is used for unloading the stock the wagons which bring it to the plant. As these wagon loads are generally practically one mass the entire load can be removed in a short space of time. Another use made of this winch head is to draw the stock up to a convenient position for inserting it in the mandrel. The bales made by the machine are 18 in. in diameter and 26 in. long. The weight varies accord ing to the character of the scrap being handled from 250 to 700 lb. The floor space occupied by the machine measures 4 x 8 ft., and the machine, which weighs 4000 Ib., has a pulling power of 8 tons. Pan-American Delegates Will Visit Factories May 11, 1915.—The manufacturing establishments of the East and WASHINGTON, D. C., portant most in Central West, including some of the largest plants in the iron and steel industry, are to be inspected by the delegates from the 18 countries of Central and South America to the Pan-American Financial Congress, whicl convenes in this city May 24. Secretary McAdoo, of the Treasury Department, who is planning the ment of the delegates, regards this visit as one most important features of the opinion it will give the visitors “some insight into methods of life and industry under conditions obtaining in the United States as a great object lesson of the resources and capabilities of North Americans.” While the itinerary has not been finally determined, the tenta tive schedule is as follows: Baltimore, May 31; Phila delphia, June 1 and part of June 2; Pittsburgh, Jun 3 and 4; St. Louis, June 5 and part of June 6; Chicago, June 7 and 8; Detroit, June 9; Buffalo and Niagara Falls, June 10; Schenectady, June 11; Boston, June 12 and part of June 13; New York, June 14 and 15. It will be noted that it is planned to begin the investiga entertain of the programme In hi tion tour after a week of discussion. Managers of plants located in the cities referred to, or any other cities not too remote therefrom, who desire that the delegates shall visit their establishments, should com municate at once with Secretary McAdoo. The selec tion of plants to be visited will be based upon thei: relative importance and typical character in the indu tries to which they are related W. L. ¢ The Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Company, whose annual! report was published in The Iron Age of last week, has also issued a statement for the first three months of the current year. January and February showed a loss on operations of $44,716 and $14,666 respectively, but March scored a profit of $50,467, so that the quarte: displayed a loss of only $8915. The improvement ir March is credited partly to war orders and partly to better domestic trade conditions following the revival of copper mining. The company states that business reports now being booked will make itself felt in the of the company in the next few months. A Method for Determining Gases in Steel New Principle Involved in a German Device for Liberating Nitrogen, Hydrogen and Oxides of Carbon—Gases A new method of determining the gases in iron or steel has recently been published in Germany by P. Goerens and J. Paquet in Ferrum, a German journal devoted to technical progress in the iron and steel industry. The article, entitled “Ueber Eine Neue Methode zur Bestimmung der Gase im Eisen,” goes into every detail of the apparatus, its manipulation and the results achieved and covers the determination of carbon dioxide, carbon mon- oxide, hydrogen and nitrogen. An abstract fol- lows: If chips of iron are heated in a vacuum a mix- ture of CO., CO, H and N is given off. The quantity of the gases depends on the conditions under which the experiment is carried out, being influenced by the degree and length of the heating as well as by the character and form of the material tested. Pre- vious methods of determining the gases rest almost entirely on heating the metal in a vacuum. The results are comparable only when obtained under similar conditions. But by all these methods the total quantity of gas cannot be obtained. A new method is here described which endeavors to move the principal objections to previous ones. The principle of the new method consists in melting in a vacuum the metal to be tested with tin and anti- mony to a thin fluid alloy and analyz- ing the gases thus released. The apparatus consists of three parts: The melting apparatus, the air pump and the analyzing apparatus. The melting of the material to be tested is done by electrically controlled heat in a magnesia crucible, the gas con- tents of which have been carefully removed. The illustration shows the melting device. The magnesia crucible a, with its mixture of the sample and the tin and antimony, is put into a thick-walled reagent tube, b, made of molten rock crystal, which is heated to the required temperature by means of an electric resistance furnace, The temperature controlled by means of a thermoelement, d, inserted between the tube containing the cru- cible and the wall of the electric oven. The closing of the reagent tube is accomplished by means of a water- cooled stopper, e, which is also made of molten rock crystal. To prevent a heating up of the stopper as well as to furnish a support for the tube, a water-cooled brass ring, f, is supplied. The furnace, c, can be raised or low- ered by means of the arrangement at g. The selection of a sample is espe- cially important as gases are not uni- re- r is y } formly distributed in steel as iron. QW AE In order to obtain an average sample AKER it is better to plane or mill a complete NS cross section, care being taken that no traces of oil or moisture are ab- sorbed. The sample is mixed with a to Expel tl in Say Apparatus Used to Melt the Steel with Tin and_ Antimony 1e Analysis 1060 Commercial Steels corresponding quantity of antimony and tin, th: Kahlbaum products being recommended as havin; negligible amounts of gas in them, and then placed in the magnesia crucible. Commenting on the results of the method, the authors say: Of the different gases which are determined by this method, the larger part is given off during the melting while the mechanically held oxides react with the con stantly present carbon to form CO, and CO. On the other hand CO, and CO react with the metal as well as with the carbon. Therefore it is impossible to separate the gases actually in the metal from those which result from these reactions. For judging the material, there fore, it suffices to establish the total quantity of gas independent of its origin. It is, in fact, clear that a poorly deoxidized steel, in which, besides the carbon, there is an appreciable amount of oxides which can react to form oxides of carbon, is of poorer quality than a steel well deoxidized which contains less gas. It has been shown that well deoxidized material such as electric steel has a smaller quantity of gas than ordinary steels. Another difficulty arises in connection with the in- formation furnished by the analyses. It is known that a mixture of CO, and CO in conjunction with carbon changes its composition with the tem- perature. These changes follow the tend- ency that by lower temperature mixtures ensue rich in CO,, so that it cannot be definitely stated whether the CO, found by the analysis was really in the metal or was formed by decomposition of the CO. It would be expedient, perhaps, to calculate the CO, found to CO under the assumption that the CO, found arose from the decomposition of the CO. Ac- cording to the researches of Goutal the presence of CO, in iron at ordinary tem- peratures is denied. The results by this method of vari- ous analyses of different kinds of steel are given in the table. The total gas content is expressed in cubic cen- timeters per 100 grams while the vari- ous gases are reported in percentage by weight. Commenting on these re- sults the authors say: Ft Ce ttt telnet tte + ttettee | BM ae et ee eS RS 2 Total Gas Content.—The lowest total gas content was found in low carbon electric steel, well deoxidized material showing 10 to 15 cu. em. of gas per 100 grams of metal. High carbon electric steel contains in general more gas, but this is not proportional to the carbon content. In badly deoxidized electric steel the gas content rises to tenfold, as shown by samples 18 and 20. Bessemer and open-hearth steel show average gas contents of 22 to 78 cu. cm. per 100 grams. Oxides of Carbon.—The CO, varies from 0.0020 to 0.0200 per cent. by weight, but as the amount depends on the method of conducting the analysis, the figures do not offer a sure account of the actual CO, present. The CO ranges from 0.0015 to over 0.1000 per cent. in sample 26. High content of CO is gener- ally a proof that deoxidation was not complete. In a carefully manufactured nickel-chrome steel, sample No. 9, the “1 + y SS Gases for 1915 May 13, O content is 0.0015 per cent. It is cus