The Iron Age 1916-04-13: Vol 97 Iss 15

®, * — T : ia & = Yay, Gm we ey ; GO EE 4 th “YZ, tas ¢ ee 6 IE, ogy” % Hb he p mo New York, April 13, 1916 rABLISHED 1855 VOL. 97: No. 15 Unique Way of Handling Railroad Scrap Gravity Distributing Dock Used by New York Central—Great Saving from Method Employed for Reclaiming Old Material BY F. L. PRENTISS TT\HE mechanical departments of railroads have found their way into the scrap piles and gone to done much in the last few years in the way of the mills and foundries for remelting. Railroad cutting down costs in shops, and various new storekeepers are now alive to the situation and are ; have been installed to increase efficiency. A working out the problems of preventing the waste t deal of money has been spent in experimenting that has been going on, by reclaiming castings and for Handling and Sorting Track Scrap at the Collinwood Shops of tl laying machines and other equipment, but other material that can be used over again. As a ttle in proportion in devising better and more part of this program along the line of economy is cal methods for taking care of the railroad the providing of methods for the economical han- iccumulations. Railroad officers admit that dling and reclaiming of scrap. ‘osses have been permitted through their Quite a number of railroads are not provided » piles by selling as scrap quantities of castings with such modern labor-saving scrap-handling tically as good as new. In fact, in the past equipment as cranes and magnets. Some are not ntirely new parts, such as car knuckles, have provided with a central scrap dock for taking care 885 J S86 THE IRON of and reclaiming good material. The efficiency of such a dock would doubtless be greatly increased were it provided with reclaiming machines. Some roads do not attempt to unload their scrap and sort it into various bins, where it can be inspected by a man knowing the value of the castings or forg- ings. Some railroads attempt to recover scrap by picking out the usable material as it is being un- loaded from car to car; that is, loading out certain classes of material on cars on sales orders. While material can be saved in this way, the men un- loading and loading this scrap are not likely to be entirely familiar with the usable material. It stated that one central dock, properly equipped, is enough to take care of the accumulation of scrap of most railroads, and that this dock should be located as near to where there is a market for the scrap that is to be sold, as possible. The New York Central Railroad Company has been one of the leaders in introducing efficiency methods in the handling of scrap, and this com- pany’s scrap-handling and reclaiming plant at its is AGE April 13, 1: 1¢ 28'» ft. long and 16 ft. wide. In the bottom of the platform are a number of 7 x 15-in. opening S Directly under the platform are two plate-!\neq chutes of the same width as the platform, reac}: ng out slightly beyond the sides of the platform. S aj) pieces of scrap are pushed into the openings o! the platform floor with hooks or shovels and are ¢ar- ried by gravity down the inclined chutes ben to the wooden bins at each side of the elevat dock. Above the platform floor are a number of long narrow chutes into which pieces of rail, raj splices and other large pieces of scrap are lifted and carried by gravity to the bins extending beyond those used for the small scrap. For these chutes 12 to 15 in. channels are used and the chutes range from 40 to 72 ft. in length. The scrap is unloaded to the platform from the cars alongside by a locomotive crane and magnet. When the platform is empty the openings in the floor are covered with pieces of plate, and as the workmen reach the openings in distributing the scrap the plate covers are pushed aside. Collinwood yards, Cleveland, Ohio, is attracting Under the old method of handling this class . pecne — — ne =a | | | i i { | | ec t i} 1F : 4 or ep — Ibe et —————____ =| Ts oe ein a a fet harper ee atete at 4 pani ssi H — etait eat y = ~ = 4 Pt SSO 2 considerable attention from managers of other rail- roads. At this yard an average of 300 cars of scrap per month is handled and the saving from reclaiming castings and other material averages $22,000 per month, this reclaimed material being valued at 75 per cent of its original cost. The value of the couplers saved is not included, as it has been the general practice of the railroads to save good couplers from the scrap since the new automatic couplers were put into service a number of years ago. This large saving is effected by care- ful sorting of the scrap and reclaiming evervthing that can be used over again. One of the most interesting features of this scrap-handling system at the Collinwood yards is a recently constructed gravity scrap distributing dock which is used for handling and sorting all track scrap. This includes spikes, tie plates, short sections of rail, switch fastenings, old roofs and miscellaneous scrap. The dock, shown in accom- panying illustrations, is a strongly built structure of timbers which support an elevated platform. The platform is approximately 30 ft. in height, the Gravity Scrap Distributing Dock scrap it cost 45c. per ton to unload and sort the scrap in this yard, which is claimed to have been a very low piecework price. With the elevated dock the cost has been reduced to 81oc. per ton. Some- times two, and sometimes four, men are employed on the elevated dock in sorting the scrap and send- ing it down the chutes. They are employed on 4 piecework basis of 5%c. per ton. The piecework price on the locomotive crane and magnet for put ting the scrap on the elevated dock is 2%%4c. per ton, this work being done at night. Car and locomotive scrap is unloaded with 4 locomotive crane and lifting magnet into bins. There are two rows of bins, between which is 4 trucking aisle, the sides of the bins facing the aisle being open. Along the outside of the bins are tw? railroad sidings on which cars are spotted for uD loading. It is said that much additional saving !0 the handling could be effected by having an ele vated dock similar to the one used for track scrap with a shear on top of the scrap platform for sé when reclaiming car and locomotive scrap. In handling these grades it is absolutely necessar) Methods of Sti Formerl Dismantl pping Couplers Now a Special hear be installed near the sorting bin or nd locomotive scrap is dumped from the four bins, where it is sorted and placed in ns containing similar kinds of scrap. Dur- s sorting of parts, any cast or malleable ist steel, springs, etc., that the sorters think bly be used over is placed in a separate here the material is again sorted, this time expert sorter, and material such as castings are still good, brake rods that can be sheared cE for other bolts, nuts and washers are re- ed. The sorting of this scrap is done at a ecework price of 18c. per ton. Small castings such as box door castings that are recovered in the sorting go to the reclaiming shed, where they are wired together in bundles of fiftv, dip painted and placed in storage bins. Bolts and nuts are sent to the bolt shop, the former to rethreaded and the latter to be retapped. The uses, Ae ss scrap Yard and the Bins Into Which the Car and Locomotive ‘ ¥ Lifting I ight lh The Crane with the THE IRON AGE 8 couplers were formerly reclaimed by d the riveted with This is now done with a dismantling machine smantiing sections a hammer and chisel. which labor. This dismantling machine is a special type built by the Cleveland Punch & Shear Works Company fixtures for dismantling the couplers by shearing the rivets that join the coupler pocket with the coupler, doing this without injury to either the coupler pocket or the coupler. Springs that not bolsters, knuckles and various other claimed. The knuckles can often be service some time longer by effects a great saving in and has are compressed, parts are ré made to do putting a steel bush ing in the old coupling pin hole tha enlarged. Old boiler flues are used for making These flues are cut into pieces 6 ft. long, nas bec -> ome wasners flattened into strips on the machine used in dismantling the couplers and are made into washers in sizes from *s to 1% in. at a piecework price of 12 per Magnet Plays 888 —-—-~ > ==<<22 = ei: ™ a7 . ae rting Old Boilet Wasl 100 lb. for labor for operating the washer machine. Other interesting labor reclaiming equipment in- cludes a crude furnace built of second-hand fire- brick for recovering the solder from old car roofs, tin cans, etc. This work is done at a piecework price, one laborer recovering an average of 150 lb. per day. At the present market price of metals this laborer is earning over $30 per day for the company. While this furnace is not kept busy every day the solder reclaimed in this way amounts to no small item in the course of a year. From four to five carloads of reclaimed castings and other parts are shipped from the scrap re claiming yard to the railroad repair yards every month. The remainder of the reclaimed material goes to the iron house to be shipped out as needed. The bins of sorted scrap are emptied during the night, the material being loaded on the cars for shipment to the mills with the locomotive crane and magnet, leaving the crane free for unloading purposes during the daytime. British Control of Tungsten Though Great Britain controls the bulk of the world’s supply of tungsten ores, British high-speed steel makers obtained their tungsten almost entirely from Germany before the war. Only one British company was handling these ores, and its production of tungsten was of minor importance. To relieve the situation after war broke out, plants for the extraction of tungsten were established by the government and the supply of tungsten ore in the British colonies commandeered, in- suring an adequate supply. A movement has been started to induce the government to continue the pres- ent regulations when peace is declared. Now no tung- sten can be exported from Great Britain nor any ore from the colonies except to Great Britain. The British quotation, March 10, 1916, for tungsten ore, 70 per cent WO,, was $13.38 per unit, cif. As high as $105 to $110 per unit has been paid in the United States where the supplies of ore are scarce. Ferrotungsten, 96 to 98 per cent pure, was quoted in Sheffield, England, March 3, 1916, at $1.41 per pound of contained tungsten. In the United States it is sell- ing as high as $8 to $10 per pound. High-Speed Steel Containing Uranium A new high-speed steel, said to contain uranium, and put out under the trade name Electrite, is the product of the Latrobe Electric Steel Company, Latrobe, Pa., and made in an electric furnace. The company states that the demand for this new steel is large. THE IRON AGE April 13, 1916 Continuous Service Electric Hois: The Franklin Moore Company, Winsted, Con», has developed a line of electric hoists for continuous heayy duty service. The hoists range in capacity from 50 to 10,000 lb. and in designing the line a separate giz. of motor has been used for each different hoist, thys giving, it is explained, a lifting speed that suited to the maximum load to be handled. Compactness of the design, it is emphasized, has effected a material saving in several dimensions, such as the headroom required and the length and th: eter of the hoist. Another change is the substii of steel plates for iron castings for parts sub tension, thus resulting in a reduction in weight. The standard hoist is of the hook type, as shown, but it cap be supplied in combination with either plain, geared or motor-driven trolleys with either floor or cab contro} The gear reduction employs steel spur gears with cut teeth and the shafts are made of extra size and ar fitted with bronze bushed bearings. The gears run jy an oil bath and it is pointed out that the bearings ar exceptionally well lubricated. The equipment includes solenoid and mechanical brakes, the latter of th 11am. ition [a One of a Series of Electric Hoists for Continuous Service in Which the Various Members, Ranging in Capacity from 500 to 10,000 Lb., Are Equipped with Motors Designed to Secure the Most Efficient Lifting Speed for the Maximum Load tiple-disk friction type, and an automatic stop whic! cuts off the power when the lower hook reaches th upper limit of its travel is provided. Both alternating and direct current hoists are bul the latter being the one recommended for foundry wort on account of the fine regulation of speed that ca! secured. With this type of control, it is pointed it is possible to raise and lower the load a fract of an inch, if necessary, without shock. Chrome ore production in New Caledonia increas in 1914 over 1915 by 25,159 metric tons, or 35 Pe cent, according to recently published data. Exports © chrome ore from that country in 1914 were 71,705 to”* against 73,277 tons in 1913 and 50,495 tons in 1¥!- The United States took 25,102 tones of the 1914 © ports, 18,647 tons of the 1913 exports and 18,431 ton: of the 1912 exports. 2000-Ton Billet Extrusion Press extrusion press of the four-column type f turning out 6000 lb. of billets per hour en built by the Southwark Foundry & » Company, Philadelphia, Pa. The product nachine is a billet 534 in. in diameter and ong, and weighing approximately 200 Ib. trusion of the billets at an hourly rate of s completed in a single operation and no ng is required. al steel castings and forgings are used al- entirely in the construction of the press, the tions being the main ram and some of the parts, for which close grained iron castings ployed. For operating the press an accumu- \2 in. square in section is recommended. This lator supplies the working pressure of 4000 r square inch and is used in conjunction with teel ballast tank containing ballast weighing ap- <imately 250 lb. per cubic foot. In cases where al finish is required a pickling operation has performed, but in ordinary cases it is not equired. A special safety valve is fitted to the sup Wh ‘ss is located between the table and the back of nre i the the ilator to prevent the main ram from drop- at a dangerous speed in the event of the ire of a pipe line. This valve is also relied , to act as a governor and regulate the extrud- speed to an economical rate. \ cast-iron table, 50 in. long, is provided to ort the extruded rods and a 30-ton cutting-off press to sever the ram stump of the billet from die block. If desired the press can be used for lrawing out copper tubing after the container cast- ings are removed, as the stroke is of sufficient length. Special alloy steel having a high tensile strength is used for the pressure chamber. The : ‘ ise 0 a special grade of alloy steel for the walls f the pressure chamber is made necessary by the temperature to which they are raised during extrusion of the billets. acket is provided through which are passed ee 13, 1916 THE IRON AGE 889 the heated gases from the fireplace beneath the pressure chamber. This arrangement is employed to heat the chamber to 600 deg. Fahr., and the gases afterward escape through a pipe located above the chamber. In this way the chamber is heated so that the metal blocks, which have a temperature ranging from 1650 to 1800 deg. Fahr., are not cooled suddenly when placed in position. Thus, it is explained, the surface of the metal does not lose its plasticity, which would tend to produce ex- treme variations in extruding operation if not mak- ing it practically impossible to perform it success- fully. Welded Submarine Gas Mains Two gas mains of extra heavy pipe 10 in. in diam- eter with a %-in. wall thickness were recently laid across the Brazos River at Waco, Tex., by the Phoenix Construction Company, New York City. Rapid changes in the river level and deep layers of quicksand on the river bottom complicated the problem. To prevent the mains from being washed out, a ditch 12 ft. deep was dug through the quicksand and the underlying gravel all the way across the river bed. On the upstream side of the ditch a substantial falsework was constructed, upon which a combined pile driver and derrick could be moved back and forth as the work progressed. Five 20-ft. lengths of pipe were welded into 100-ft sections in the ditch on the west bank of the river by the Prest-O-Lite oxy-acetylene process. The welds were of the butt type employing Norway iron welding wire as a filler. About 14 oz. was required for each joint and the total cost of a joint was $1.10 each. As the 100-ft lengths were welded together, they were pulled out over the falsework and the final joints between the sections were made there. When the pipe line was completed it was sunk by attaching 115 lb. of steel piling to each 20-ft. length of pipe. The briquetting of iron ore, flue dust, etc., by using as a binder pyroligneous tar obtained from wood dis- tillation, is patented by D. H. Bibb and assigned to the Continental Process Corporation, Briar Cliff Vil- lage, N. Y. With flue dust, it is said from 6 to 8 per cent by weight of such tar will make a good briquette. Press Capable of Exerting a Pressure of 4000 Lb. per Sq. In nd Turning Out 30 Billets 5% In. in Diameter and 25 In. Long Every Hour Powdered Coal in the Open-Hearth Furnace Success Without Regenerator s—Burners and Coal Feeders for Various Purposes—Oppor- tunity to Make Steam REMARKABLE paper, giving the results of A late experiences of the American Iron & Steel Mfg. Company with the use of powdered coal in metallurgical and other furnaces, was read before the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, on the evening of April 6, by C. J. Gadd, chief engineer of the company. He recounted briefly the experiments with different forms of burners applied to open- hearth furnaces, and finally showed the cross-sec- tion, here reproduced, of an open-hearth furnace fired at one end and operated without regenerators ; in other words, taking the air for combustion at room temperature. In connection with this furnace is an interesting arrangement of waste-heat appa- ratus involving two steam boilers and an econo- mizer, both the boiler installation and the econo- mizer installation by-passed when necessary for re- pairs so as not to shut down the furnace plant. Mr. Gadd also showed drawings covering the application of powdered coal burning to a continu- ous billet-heating furnace, the puddling furnace and the soaking pit, this in itself a noteworthy develop- ment, and he outlined also the arrangement for the application of waste heat boilers to these furnaces. He introduced the paper with a brief summary of the essential features necessary for success in the use of powdered coal in metallurgical furnaces, and showed the arrangement of the coal treating plant, including the drying and pulverizing apparatus and fuel to the scheme for distribution of the powdered ISS > < 4 A SIRE 71 : with the Waste Heat the open-hearth furnaces and the soaking that there will be no clogging of the fue! conveyors. This coal plant provides a large storag: of coal of 1-in. cubes and under in size, the coarse; coal from the crushing plant being spouted for elsewhere, as in some steam boilers of the plant OPEN-HEARTH Mr. Gadd designates the installation of the ope hearth furnace without regenerators as “a some what radical departure from the old-time theorie: of open-hearth furnace practice.” The burners are arranged only at one end of the furnace and th path of the flame is always in the one directio The theory underlying this method of applying powdered coal to the open-hearth furnace is, as Mr Gadd gives it, as follows: FURNACE WITHOUT REGENERATORS The fuel is 1ined in the coal is instantly 2. As the path of the the furnace are burned above the bath, and all the developed in the furnace direction all } temperature flame is in one maintained at the same By reason of their high radiating capacity, th: number of minute incandescent particles in the powde communicate the heat by radiation. and not by cor thus eliminating the to the temperature of the coal particles. All the heat in the waste the production of steam. necessity of bringing the surroundins gases is conserved and used The extra fuel consumed, due tc the use of cold is offset: By the air, elimination of all loss in the gas Ve % , “e v a ie Ss Nee: S *jred Frot (ne End, with Two ire Ne Low- |! Regenerators ‘’ressure Burners and One High-Pressure Burner, 4 890 tr 1916 THE ( il Deliver Supplementary Bin Provide tion of all loss due to frequent reversals ed Beyond the Needs of the Furnaces S« 4 IRON AGE 891 cidade a Plan rves Part for the Supply of t g for the Surplus in this Department Fuel consumption is high. This, however, is off- ll loss in waste heat taken up by of the expensive maintenance cost enerative chambers i eg reatly reduced first cost of installation he accompanying drawing includes a section through the combustion chamber looking toward the back wall. It will be noted that three burners are employed, the center one of the high-pressure siphon-type shown in Fig. 8, the two side ones of e low-pressure type shown in Fig. 4. y The combus- hamber is maintained at a high uniform tem- ture at all times by the two low-pressure burn- The high temperature thus maintained pre- he air furnished to support combustion and, gh-pressure siphon burner discharges the red coal through the hot zone of the chamber, combustion of the fuel is insured. Auxil- for combustion is admitted through the of the combustion chamber at the roof accumulation of ash in the combustion is raked out through the cleaning doors heat and is discharged through a trap- the charging floor into the ash car below. etallurgical standpoint the deposit of ash bath is too small an amount to be noticeable. slag pocket at the bottom of the vertical ash and the brick slag form a thick pasty tough consistency of which makes its \ifficult. Beyond this point the ash settles as an impalpable powder. After each stirred up by inserting a compressed-air n the separate cleaning doors of the flues. clouds thus produced are picked up by the 't and are carried in suspension out of the ‘he tubes of the waste-heat boilers installed | with steam blowers four times each day. the past few months four 50-ton basic rth furnaces thus arranged have been peration. In this short period operating ve demonstrated the soundness of both ving theory and the engineering princi- d in this method. red with producer gas, Mr. Gadd says, temperature is attained. Uniform throughout the furnace are main- ts can be made within reasonable time. set by the fact that the waste-heat plant produces an average evaporation of 61, lb. of pound of coal fired in the furnace. Compared with the best boiler room practice, 6242 per cent of the fuel consumed by the furnace is used in the genera- tion of steam, leaving 37'2 per cent chargeable to steel production. Based on this reasoning, econo mies over oil and producer gas are fully substat tiated. water per DISTRIBUTING AND STORING POWDERED COAL The plan and elevation of the powdered coal dis tributing system, Fig. 2, shows the arrangement for supplying four 50-ton open-hearth furnaces and five double-soaking pits. The dustproof screw conveyor P carries the coal to the dustproof elevator Q, which discharges into the dustproof screw conveyors R and T. The powdered coal in conveyor RF travels in the direction as indicated by the arrow, and feeds the coal storage bins located at furnaces Nos. 3 and 4. Any coal left in this conveyor after passing the coal storage bin at furnace No. 4 is discharged at the end of the line into the dustproof screw con veyor S below, which returns the surplus coal to the spout X, and thence by gravity to the shoe of elevator Q. With this arrangement there is little possibility of the conveying system being choked through careless operation. The powdered coal fed to conveyor T travels in the direction as indicated by the arrow and feeds the coal storage bins located at furnaces Nos. 2 and 1. The storage bin at the end of the line into which this conveyor discharges eliminates the possibility of stalling the conveyor In addition to feeding coal to the storage bins at furnaces Nos. 2 and 1, all the coal used by the soak- ing pits is conveyed over this line. The dustproof screw conveyor U feeds the powdered coal to the five storage bins located at each of the five double soaking pits. The storage bins at the open-hearth furnaces and soaking pits are equipped with an automatic weighing machine, recording the weight of coal fed to each furnace, and the coal from these scales is distributed in the storage bins by the dust- proof screw conveyors W. From the time the coal leaves the dryer to its delivery in the furnace the whole system between these points should be dustproof, and the greatest 892 THE IRON AGE April 13, \91¢ |..- Bevel Gear Fig. 3—Powdered Coal Burner with Screw Feeder or Controller care should be taken to prevent leakage. This should be guarded against systematically, as leaks, however small, may permit the surrounding air in the room to become impregnated with coal dust to such an extent that a serious explosion may result. Coal after pulverizing should be handled in bulk. All types of aerial propulsion and transfer in the form of dust clouds, Mr. Gadd holds, should be avoided for the reason that accidental ignition may at any time wreck the whole system. Screw con- veyors and bucket elevators equipped with dust- proof casings are best adapted to handling powdered coal in bulk. Screw conveyors of 9 in. and 12 in. Fig. 4 diameter should not exceed 250 and 300 ft. respect- ively, if the best results are to be expected. Where transmission lines of greater length are necessary they should be divided. The storage of powdered coal in large or small quantities for any length of time is not advisable, owing to its tendency to fire, collect moisture and pack. Powdered coal in storage containing about 34 per cent moisture and 1 per cent sulphur wil invariably fire within six days. If the moisture b increased to over 1 per cent and the sulphur to 4 or 5 per cent, spontaneous combustion may occir within 24 hr. Probably the temperature at which Powdered Coal Burner with Flight Type Feeder 11 13, 1916 ered coal is delivered to the storage bin and nhur content of the coal influence the rate of neous combustion rather than moisture. ing to the hygroscopic nature of dried pow- coal, long storage is not desirable. In its state powdered coal is light and fluffy; after standing in storage, however, the physical ement of the particles produces a dense | mass. So dense does the fuel become that ingers cannot make an impression even 4% in. To meet ideal conditions powdered coal be kept in motion. With properly designed nery and storage bins, having 12 hr. supply ed at each furnace, the coal may be kept in , and repairs and adjustments made before ipply becomes exhausted. THE FUEL AND ITS PREPARATION v-grade bituminous coals, anthracite, lignites THE IRON AGE 893 In drying coal containing about 144 per cent moisture, to be dried to 4 per cent or less, the fuel consumption should not exceed 26 lb. per ton. The power consumption for operating the com- plete drying unit, which includes the power con- sumed by the coal feeding mechanism, the dust fan, the stoking device and in revolving the dryer cylin- der for a 10-ton capacity dryer, figures about 1% kw.-hr. per ton of dried coal. It is easier to dry coal to 44 per cent moisture or less than it is to maintain it in this state. This is explained by Mr. Gadd as follows: The moisture driven off from the coal in the process of drying saturates the hot air contained in the dryer cylin- der. In this highly saturated condition the air follows the dried coal through the dustproof con- veying system to the inclosed storage bin. As the coal and air cool, moisture is precipitated and the volume of the air diminished, with the result that 5 © ) « ere - — 10se cas pressed -., i one —= ‘ F 1a 7 i Nes os vaseneveaim, + | Hose «fom =ia 6 I} ww - Four Forms of High-Pressure Coal Burners eT n coke breeze in a powdered form can be irned with good results, certain types of heating ®s now being operated with such fuels. It be understood that the first cost of fuel used the correct index by which to judge of y when fuel must be prepared and pulverized. - is preferable to other forms; it costs less, * €88 power for pulverizing, owing to its fine ind materially increases the capacity of the : For metallurgical furnaces only the ‘minous coals, high in volatile content and th sulphur and ash, are desirable. Coal osely approximate the following analysis: For Heating ind Puddling Not under 30.00 Not under 50.00 Not over 1.25 Not over 9.50 Not over 1.00 For Open-hearth Furnaces Not under 36.00 Not under 48.00 Not over 1.25 Notover 6.00 Not over 1.00 more warm saturated air is drawn from the dryer. These conditions, obviously, meet the requirements of a still of fair proportions. The precipitation of moisture resulting from the cooling process of the coal and air may be almost entirely overcome by placing ventilating shafts on the storage bin and the high points of the conveying system connected with the outside air. Each shaft should be equipped with a ventilator of approved type, and proper provision should be made to collect and deflect any condensation in the ventilating shafts, so as to prevent its return. It is thus evi- dent that in the process of drying, through the medium of heat, a small quantity of the expelled moisture will find its way back in the coal after cooling. For this reason it is good practice to gage the dryer so that the resultant product leaving the dryer will contain less than 1 per cent moisture. =P « ~~ Ty ‘ ty My 894 One of the pulverizers largely used is the Fuller- Lehigh mill. The coal and air cool off in their course through the dustproof distributing system to the inclosed storage bins, and attention must be given to ventilation. Otherwise it would be a com- mon occurrence to find water dripping from the bottom of storage bins ten or twelve hours after filling. Pulverizing mills of the type mentioned having a capacity of about 41% tons per hour, pulverizing to a fineness so that 95 per cent will pass through a 100-mesh sieve and 83 per cent through a 200-mesh sieve, will consume about 10.5 kw.-hr. per ton of product. In a plant having an average output of 200 tons of powdered coal per day the cost is as follows: Cost of Pulve ed Coal Per Gros Ton of Coal Produced Fuel for dryer $0.030 Repairs, buildings, machinery and equipment 200 Labor sec 150 Power and light 21 Supplies 005 30.600 f 3 ga --d M, AAA a Ss es 4 ie } A> t fs ! 3 . Ki . \- LavAy OY io 4 o = +93, 7 + Fo 7H ~ wv et ? fia we x ‘ os > ms The figures include all costs from the receipt of the coal in the cars to its delivery in a powdered state in the furnace. No allowance has been made for overhead and depreciation. Shrinkage in the coal becomes a prominent factor, and must not be lost sight of. It may vary from 150 to 270 lb. per gross ton. FEEDERS AND BURNERS The parts of Mr. Gadd’s paper having to do with the burners are in part as follows: Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional elevation of a mechanically operated low-pressure feeding appa- ratus for coal dust, also a sectional view of the feeder taken across the air-blast ports, showing the method of connection with the burner. The quan- tity of fuel delivered by the conveyor screw is regulated by varying the speed of rotation, which in this case is obtained through a direct-connected variable-speed motor. The amount of fuel taken up THE IRON AGE April 13 i by the cross current of air will vary with the PS. sure of the air blast, which is controlled by a s,it. able valve placed in the blast line. Any exces: escaping the feeding action of the air blast is aut Ue} matically returned to the hopper by the lower jp. clined conveyor screw. The coal-delivery pip discharges its mixture into the burner, the low pressure inlet pipe furnishing the necessary tional air for combustion. Fig. pressure powdered-coal endless flight conveyor chain is used for feeding stream of powdered coal in a continuous sh across the air-blast ports. The excess fuel is aut; matically returned to the hopper by the flight conveyor chain. The air-blast inlet nozzle connecting with one side of the feeder case is reduced, the outlet side being flared, beyond which is a Venturi tube used to induce higher velocity of the mixture leaving the endless feeder, thereby causing a slight vacuum or pull throughout the case. The cone extension on the \ \ Sx ¢ Pits hood of the burner enters the flared end of the coal- delivery pipe, breaking the solid shaft of coal and air and deflecting it around the inner periphery ol the burner pipe. The mixture takes the form 0! 4 hollow ring, in the center of which an auxiliar) blast is discharged, giving a thorough atomization of the particles as they enter the furnace. Powdered coal will flush, and when once started will run like water. Screw feeding devices should, therefore, be made very long and of a reasonabl} fine pitch in order to set up enough friction and baffling action to prevent the coal from flushing through the feeding mechanism and causing irreg’ lar feed. In Fig. 4 the vertical flights and the co! veyor chain have a baffling action which youn flooding. Under operating conditions it has been proved that the coal will not pack in the feeder should the air blast be cut off. The air-blast nozzle and Venturi tube, producing a suction through the case, have a tendency to prevent arching in the hom 4 shows another mechanically operated |ow- feeding apparatus. An wer a Apt 1916 idition, this suction prevents leakages as yvays an inward pull on the case. shows a sectional elevation of a mechan- ited high-pressure powdered-coal feeding A long screw of fine pitch conveys the the hopper and discharges a uniform powdered fuel into the coal pipe. This ls by gravity down the coal pipe and is by a cross jet of compressed air as it burner. The expansion of the com- nresst r in the larger diameter of the burner A coal and air and this mixture is injected burner into the furnace at high velocity mpressed air jet at the end of the nozzle. ng the speed of rotation of the conveyor riable fuel feed is ebtained. illustrates a sectional elevation of a me- -operated high-pressure feeding appa- Low-pressure air of 1 lb. pressure is used ip the stream of coal delivered to the burner feeding device. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate pe feeders and burners. Feeders and burners of the high-pressure type long flame through progressive combus- nd can only be used where the form of the e and the character of the work demand that elongated cutting flame be developed in close to the work done. This method of appli- adapted to open-hearth furnace practice. In the type of feeders and burners described the re- sults obtained are equally good whether the pow- dered coal is injected into the furnace from the burner at a velocity of 1500 ft. per minute or of 25,000 ft. per minute. POWDERED COAL FOR SOAKING PITS The use of powdered coal as a fuel in soaking pits represents probably the latest application of this form of fuel in the metallurgical arts. Fig. 9 a sectional elevation through a soaking pit upped for burning this form of fuel. Five soaking pits of the general design shown are operation and are giving very satisfactory the open-hearth installation already de- lr. Gadd discussed three other methods of ng powdered coal to open-hearth furnaces, in high-pressure siphon-type burners are used ar to those shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. One ner is placed on each end of the furnace, the fuel ‘ reversed as in the case of producer gas. As ® gas flues are eliminated in this process, the re- tive chambers in most cases have been en- and in place of checkers, staggered arches lel walls have been built to give the neces- egenerative area. There are at the present 75-ton, three 60-ton and four 35-ton fur- the regenerative type in operation. At one results obtained have been so encouraging ond furnace of 75 tons capacity is now nstruction. er “ONAL EQUATION AN IMPORTANT FACTOR add puts the personal equation as the im- actor in the operating part of the appa- eveloped thus far. It is necessary, he says, , ‘ too greatly upon this uncertain element. ; = ‘ne drying process, the operator may at any ent et the complete equilibrium of a plant erheating the coal or by not drying it irnace operation, three or four separate are required, depending on the burner djustment bearing a fixed relation to (hese adjustments are: The control of THE IRON AGE L - _ wt the coal feed, the control of the coal blast, the con- trol of the volume blast and the control of the furnace draft, where mechanically-operated low- pressure feeders and burners are employed. In the drying process an automatic control of the coal feed, governed by the temperature of the dryer cylinder, might be developed. In the case of the burners and feeders a single adjustment might be made to regulate and supply the correct propor tion of air and coal, with provision for adjusting the air and coal independently in order to obtain correct proportions for different grades of fuel, thus producing an absolutely uniform combustible mixture, which will be maintained regardless of the quantity supplied, after once setting the adjust- ment. In concluding his paper, the author says: “The high economy and efficiency of powdered coal in the metallurgical processes, under the limited applica- tion of this fuel and the limited development of ap- paratus, provide an index of its possibilities under more general use. With a further development of apparatus this form of fuel doubtless will eventu- ally supplant oil, tar and producer gas in the varied fields where they now hold supremacy.” Book Reviews Lathe Design, Construction and Operation. By Oscar E. Perrigo. Pages, 469, 6 x 9 in.; illustrations, 341. Published by the Norman W. Henley Publishing Company, 132 Nassau Street, New York City. Price, $2.50. This edition, which is a revision and enlargement of the book published in 1907, aims to present, as compre- hensively as is possible within the limits of a single volume, the history and development of, the lathe from early times to the present day, to describe its practical use on various classes of work and to compare the types of lathes built in this country. These machines are brought together in a comprehensive manner, thus producing a work that is a book of reference not only for the student, the designer and the machinist, but also for the builder and purchaser of this class of machine tools. In revising the book a chapter has been added covering in considerable detail lathe work of various kinds, together with instructions for the installation and operation of lathes. Attachments for doing mill- ing, drilling and grinding in a lathe are described, to- gether with instructions for their use. Methods of turning tapers and spherical surfaces and the cutting of oil grooves are also outlined. “Luminosity of a Black Body and Temperature” deals with the relation between luminosity or total brightness of a radiating material, more especially a black body, and its temperature. With this relation once established, a new type of pyrometer may be de vised for the measurement of excessively high temper atures. The discussion is contained in Scientific Paper No. 270, published by the United States Bureau of Standards. “Research on the Corrosion Resistance of Copper Steel” is the title of the bulletin which the American Sheet & Tin Plate Company, Pittsburgh, is circulating. It covers fully the extensive experiments and study made by D. M. Buck, metallurgical engineer of the company, and J. O. Handy, director of laboratories of the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, Pittsburgh. An abstract of this work appeared in THE IRON AGE of March 9. The Rittman process for making gasoline, benzol, toluol, etc., by the cracking of petroleum is the subject of Bulletin 114 entitled “Manufacture of Gasoline and Benzene-Toluene from Petroleum and other Hydrocar- bons.” It is written by W. F. Rittman, C. B. Dutton, and E. W. Dean, with a bibliography compiled by M. S. Howard. Influence of Thickness on Tensile Tests An Investigation Showing How Vari- ations Affect the Static Properties of Open-Hearth and Bessemer Steel Plates BY G. B. WATERHOUSE The work here described was carried out in con- his results being published in the Tra; Ons nection with some comprehensive tests on steel American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. 21, plate, and throws some light on the influence of p. 766, and Vol. 23, p. 113. In the latter thickness on the results of tensile tests, besides gives his final corrections in regard to ultimate giving comparative results on basic open-hearth _ stress for size of plate up to 70 in. wide, as showy and acid Bessemer steel. This question of the in- below: paper he fluence of thickness is one that is fully appreciated fh, i tick and over, mines 2,000 I . . » in. cK and over, minus 1,750 ) by all who have thoughtfully studied the testing of 5/8 in. thick and over, minus 1,500 Ib steel, and should be recognized in carefully drawn 73 in thee ond ee eee specifications. Among those who early drew atten- 7/16 in. thick and over, minus 500 Ib . . ras J. Riley i his ild steel 3/8 in. thick and over, plus or minus 0 tion to it was J. Riley in his paper on mild stee 5/16 in. thick and over, plus 3,000 Ib FCoE s « 6 es teuwewewsee#tteeeftfetwe hes Ss 2. ee Thickness in Inches Thickness in Inches Thickness in Inches Fig. 1 Fig. = Fig.3 Plotted Results of the Tests on the Various Steels. Fig. 1 shows those obtained on open-hearth steel. Fig. 2 shows those obtained on ordinary Bessemer ste Fig. 3 shows those obtained on higher carbon Bessemer steel plate. (Journal Iron and Steel Inst., Vol. 1, 1887, H. H. Campbell devotes a chapter of of his m * p. 121.) H. H. Campbell gives the following table to the various phases of the subject. (Manutae of averages drawn from Riley’s results: ture and Properties of Iron and Steel, 1903 E 7 Sacicladiiat silat ciate ea atid ail tion, Chap. 14, p. 364. ) He first deals — ahaa. Lb. per Sq. In. Per Cent in 8 In. Area PerCent Yolled from 16 x 16-in. ingots. One table gives Fe 0.25 69,642 22.35 42.68 sults on flats rolled from different sized billets, 8 Les 62°037 cue oa Se another gives results on similar flats from 3 Xo" : billets. His remarks are: There is, naturally, a very thorough discussion Fe da of the subject in Professor Howe’s Metallurgy of There is little difference between bars o! = 1 : Steel (1891 Edition, beginning on page 243). He _ thickness, even though rolled from different size reviews all the evidence then obtainable, and pre- lets. A gain in ultimate stress is noticed as mS . “4 p : ness decreases, but the increase is not very marked ; se y abular form, reaches the following : , ; se etie jit si nting ut - ti : abi thick and lees: e cept in the case of the % in. flats. The elastic a conclusion, for pieces in. thick and less: follows the same law, but it is raised more tha a . . ° . : » - ; . The ene The indications seem to be that thinner pieces of a, stress as the bar gets ong remains soft steel may, but do not necessarily, excel similar on varies irregularly, but as a rule ° . + ‘ — 1 > wert dt ones 1 in. thick in tensile strength and elastic limit; affected except in the % in. where : is ae ar, but i that they are likely to be less ductile than the 1 in. extent. The reduction of area is also ir weal pieces. seems to be independent of the thickness even ' sare . : - thinnest plate. W. R. Webster, in his very careful work carried i a out at the Pottstown Iron Company, on the relation In regard to plate, he points out t between the chemical composition and the physical customary to test the same heat in sever eral si character of steel plate, recognized all through the but that by long experience the manufac » thidl influence of different thicknesses of plate. The ma- able to judge the relative properties of ea terial tested was practically all basic Bessemer, ness. To quote Mr. Campbell again: S96 THE IRON AGE 897 eads of two widely known plate mills have ; their estimate that, taking % in. as a basis, be the following changes in the physical for every increase of % in. in thickness. lecrease in ultimate stress of 1000 lb. per rease in elongation of 1 per cent measured erease in reduction of area of 2 per cent. rief review of the literature does not, of exhaust the subject, but gives the views of er of prominent workers. results actually obtained, Before passing it is interesting w this influence of thickness is recognized American Society ern specifications. In the 1915 Year Book for Testing Materials The results given below were all obtained on the material known as sheet bar. The ingots were uniformly 1944 x23 in. After proper heating in the soaking pits they were bloomed to 714 x5 in., and were then immediately rolled into sheet bar in a Morgan continuous mill. The sheet bar is 8 in. wide, and varies in thickness or gage. The analyses given are those obtained on the ladle test ingot, and the samples for the tensile tests were all taken from the lower part of the ingot where the analysis agrees with that of the ladle test. The finishing temperature of rolling was prac- tically the same for the different gages tested. From each sample three strips were cut, longi- tudinally, a little over 21% in. wide, and before pulling these were milled so that the elongation Table 1—Results on Open-Hearth Steel -Analysis-— —— — Elastic Ultimate Elongation, Reduction Carbon, Manganese, Sulphur, Phosphorus, Limit, Stress, Per Cent of Area, srinell, Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Lb. per Sq. In in 8 In Per Cent Hardness 0.126 0.50 0.053 0.076 39,245 60,310 29.6 61.3 135 0.135 0.41 0.044 0.085 38,110 60,320 29.6 60.6 1.129 0.48 0.072 0.079 *38,415 60,515 29.7 58.1 144 1: 0.41 0.044 0.085 38,590 99,535 31.6 8.9 143 0.130 0.50 0.039 0.066 $0,150 60,210 28 1 57.0 129 0.128 0.48 0.052 0.078 39,305 61,280 30.0 61.3 145 0.114 0.34 0.053 0.084 38,550 58.990 °9 6 7.6 142 130 0.48 0.048 0.088 37,880 60,800 30.0 61.8 149 115 0.46 0.059 0.068 36,280 59,435 28.1 97.3 146 111 0.39 0.052 0.084 36,670 57,930 31.8 59.0 14 0.124 0.41 0.049 0.076 37,725 69,045 41.6 61.4 14 127 0.47 0.048 0.089 37,095 58,900 30.0 61.6 15 10 0.38 0.049 0.065 36,055 58,220 31. 61.8 13 0.10 0.37 0.038 0.082 35,835 8, 30.0 60.0 1.120 0.44 0.038 0.065 35,155 76,365 33.3 61.6 128 0.126 0.42 0.045 0.060 37,550 55,95 28.3 60.3 118 111 0.33 0.044 0.073 34,5 40 5 30.2 59.4 137 0.120 0.40 0.042 0.063 34,8: 5 SOF 30.8 55.6 140 0.130 0.47 0.048 0.072 34,360 56,7 10.6 49.9 127 0.139 0.47 0.044 0.071 32,14 55,905 30.0 48.8 112 Table 2—Results on Bessemer Steel -Analysis-————— —_—_—__—_ Elastic Ultimate Elongation, Reduction Carbon, M: inganese Sulphur, ?p hosphorus, Limit, Stress, Per Cent of Area, Per Cent Per ¢ ‘ent Per Cent Per Cent Lb. per Sq. In in 8 In. Per Cent 0.108 0.40 0.063 0.097 39,885 61,920 33.6 59.0 0.094 0.40 0.075 0.096 $1,625 63,700 28.1 57.2 0.106 0.38 0.065 0.098 40,465 61,360 23.1 51.5 ) O98 0.43 0.090 0.102 $1,835 63,075 28.7 57.1 0.084 0.44 0.064 0.103 41,940 62,930 23.1 56.1 0.097 0.41 0.076 0.096 38,845 61,070 26.8 1.0 100 0.36 0.046 0.098 41,055 62,680 29.0 5.9 0.100 0.47 0.079 0.096 $1,820 64,375 27.1 5.6 0.085 0.40 0.063 0.099 40,225 62,040 28.1 53.1 0.095 0.40 0.060 0.098 39,370 60,490 28.7 55.7 0.110 0.37 0.063 0.096 40,100 63,950 31.8 54.8 111 0.46 0.071 0.097 38,680 61,600 25.2 56.7 1.110 0.43 0.075 0.097 38.870 60,980 29.8 3 0.093 0.35 0.065 0.102 37.890 62,480 29.0 4.2 1.093 0.41 0.067 0.092 38,745 60.830 28.7 01.0 0.095 0.40 0.094 0.101 39,465 62,045 25.8 46.3 0.090 0.42 0.055 0.094 39,680 61,935 29.3 44.4 Table 3 Spec ial Results on Bessemer Steel -Analvsis- ican Elastic Ultimate Elongation, Reduction Carbo! Manganese, Sulphur, y *hosphorus, Limit, Stress, Per Cent of Area, Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Lb. per Sq. In in 3 In. Per Cent 0.110 0.61 0.070 0.095 40.535 64.970 27.7 54.4 ] 0.44 0.051 0.098 41,910 64,150 29.3 64.1 0.43 0.051 0.097 38,160 64,460 27.9 55.1 0.38 0.070 0.095 39,725 61,910 27.1 52.8 130 0.48 0.054 0.096 40,160 64,630 28.3 46.4 0 0.45 0.057 0.098 40,375 64,235 238.3 $6.4 s 0.46 0.054 0.099 10,495 64,625 27.3 16.6 itions for structural material for was measured on a parallel length of 8 in., width 2 ildings, locomotives and cars contain clause: tural steel over tural aa under th Ll kness below ; % in. in thickness a de- trom the percentage of elongation in the 5/16 in. in thickness, from the percentage of elongation cified, shall be made for each decrease 5/16 in. shall 7 — for each increase of %& in. “4 in. to a minimum of 18 per cent. a ‘Ing tests required are also different ; r licknesses. in. The results on each heat are the average of these three pieces. Table 1 gives the results obtained on the open- hearth steel, the heats being of similar analysis, and the comparatively high phosphorus contents being obtained by the addition of ferrophosphorus in the ladle. These results are plotted in Fig. 1. Table 2 gives the results on the ordinary Besse- mer steel, and Fig. 2 shows them in diagrammatic form. Table 3 gives the results obtained on Besse- mer steel slightly higher in carbon, directly com- parable with the open-hearth steel. These results are plotted in Fig. 3. 898 The results on the open-hearth steel are very interesting, and agree in general with the con- clusions drawn by Howe, Webster and Campbell. The ultimate stress decreases as the thickness in- creases up to about 0.6 in., but after that it is practically uniform, and does not, therefore, show the steady decrease that might be expected from Webster’s table. The curve for the elastic limit descends at about the same rate of speed as the ultimate stre