The Iron Age 1916-06-22: Vol 97 Iss 25

New York, June 22, 1916 ESTABLISHED 1855 YORE Vi dL 97 No. A Notable Machine Shop of Moderate Size A Plant at Hartford Designed and Equipped to Make Special Machinery and Fine Tools—Some of the Special Features BY W. E. F ings, of which several have recently come into being or are now under construction, may be numbered that of the Hartford Special Machinery Company. It is located between Homestead Avenue and the tracks of the Central New England Railroad. The main structure is 55 x 325 ft. in size. The A MONG Hartford’s excellent new factory build- The Superintendent’s Office Projects Into the Main Shop Floor lent Surveys the Entire Shop. The bench at the right holds ground is a passageway from the employees’ door to the mal! toilet rooms, boiler house and tool room project from one side of the main building, leaving the floor inside practically clear, the only exception being the superintendent’s office, which is elevated above the main floor so that from his desk he can survey the entire factory. One end of the inclosure of the superintendent’s office is at the main floor level. This is made into a passageway for the employees’ entrance and the time clocks are attached to the office wall, and the workmen pass through directly into the machine shop. The building is of slow-burning mill construc- REELAND tion, and is protected against fire by a sprinkler system and the usual equipment of fire pails and chemical tanks. The windows have steel frames and are filled with hammered glass to give a diffused light, with the exception of the row of panes at the level of the workmen’s eyes. This practice is be coming more and more common, as it has two Ce eee i “— und Is at a Higher Level, So that from His Desk the Superir i master set of drawings of all the work lr neration | the shop floor The time clocks are pla ! marked advantages: it removes any “prison” atmos- phere and enables the workmen to rest their eyes by occasionally focusing them upon a distant object The plant is run by electric power. A low-pres- sure boiler is used for heating purposes. Heating coils are placed under windows. Two sections, about equidistant from the different ends of the plant, are equipped with individual wash basins with hot and cold water. The section of floor beneath is of concrete construction, arranged with a drain to a center outlet. The lighting is by 100-watt lamps in reflectors placed at intervals of about 16 ft. 1483 ener me peti siaiee ile raeeete ie itacaare erasing tie * PN AE A ; f j 7 i i F THE IRON AGE a The Benches in Front of the Superintendent’s Office Are Used the Distribution of Work, Each Job, Except the Most Bulky Pieces, Being Returned to These Benches After Each Operatic this way all the pieces obtain some measure of inspect “at I SMe work goes to t spe r’s tables at t eht before being returned for further operations , Me va There are numerous drop lights in reflectors, thes« modern factory have been especially well looked et being placed wherever concentrated lighting of fter in designing and equipment. There are drink- benches and machines is desired. ng fountains scattered about, and each workman cb | The shop is arranged for group drive with five’ is supplied with a steel-frame stool. Much thought ' motors: one of 20 hp., three of 15 hp. and o1 has been given to other small conveniences that help 3 hp. There is also a small motor-generator set to make employment pleasant. furnishing direct current for energizing magnetik In front of the superintendent’s office are three chucks. A few of the larger machines, such as ver long tables used for the distribution of jobs. The ‘ tical surface grinding machines and turret lathes, vork goes from these tables to each operator, and are driven by individual motors. s then returned to its table after each operation, f The tool room is located in one of the wing with the exception of the heaviest material, suc! me 4h extending toward the railroad bases of machines, etc., which are too bulk out, and has a complete card system for perpetua to be so handled. As most of the work of this shoy if we thea A A ~ VEL ia A it a, inventory and for a directory of the location of tools s small parts, practically all work is handled di a and supplies. Near the delivery window is a larg rectly from these tables. By this method a certai: sheet upon which is a list for the quick location « 1mount of inspection is given to each piece after | small tools kept in drawers. All tools over $3.50 each operation. The inspector’s bench adjoins the | +i value are stamped with an individual inventor listributers’ benches, and work requiring close ee number. In the tool room is also kept a supply of supervision passes through the inspector’s han 123 oils. Adjoining the tool roo s the steel room, efore being placed on the table for the next di ‘G where the raw stock is kept. It is equipped wit} tribution. A card system is in use to assist in the eh the usual cutting-off machines. In nt of the ection of jobs so that the work may be performe« steel room are a hardening bench and hardening ind the jobs delivered on the promised date and not ys . furnace. ost track of through the selection of less pressing me | The plant is, as one would expect sh work. 7s : . : oa . 7 “ . ‘ . ‘ ° . ch afk this kind, notabie for cleanliness. it 1s equippe In reality this plant is something different fron Le ee with many waste cans, and one of the factors whicl he typical machine shops found in most New Eng- serves to retain a mal in 10S empio% S e j] t 17 d ities. It is in truth one large tool roon ia fulness with which he cleans his machin the Even the most casual and untrained observer W ' + 1 — 4 ] +} vy lay 1.4 f 4 1 . 17 } at , : floor space abou . A he s note the intelligent appearance and unusual! matu ¢ z z a = lot ' hy bn 4 - % ik ’ Ss i Mi er Comps x - ¢ i ; . % « * 4 A t ‘ : ‘ p> ¥ the workmen, and can hardly fail to observe .e fine appearance of the machinery and its y. As its name indicates, its principal prod- special machinery, but during these rush when manufacturers everywhere are wonder- ere they can get good toolmakers, this plant tremely busy with rk of the highest the concern is not i to mass produc- is engaged in ng the highest special machin- | tools, one finds a ype of machinery out the plant, s a fixed policy of npany to discard ichine, even t may have been a few months, ter machine for purpose is ipon the market. ts regular prod- +h will give a ea of the char- the tools and The Milling Machine ery built in this a rong Bye wit shown in the : nd of the illus- the distribution benches. It is a United Bureau of Standards rubber-testing machine. n special products of this class that the s of the production of this plant is placed. attention of a visitor is quickly attracted ffice by reason of the steel and glass parti- which separate the offices and the drafting + THE IRON AGE 1485 room from the machine shop. It imparts the atmos- phere of a distinctly industrial, business-like office. It has the modern accounting, cost and inventory systems that are now so essential in a well-managed industry, and the improved office appliances that help to make the work both easier and more accu- rate. In the drafting room there is a home made and thorough! practical drawing board for n aking full size irawings and sketches An accompanying illus tration shows clearly how its construction and adaptability for many purposes make it a notable addition to the drafting room equip- ment. Opening from the drafting room is a large vault for fireproof stor- age of valuable draw ings, models, etc. The Hartford Specia Machinery Company organized in 1912 t build machines designed by Joseph Merritt, who had been for many years ES n the business of spe- cial machine designing n the city of Hartford. It was his belief that there was a constant demand for machine shop work which is made absolutely on honor. The compan; began business on one floor of the old Wood build- ing, which has been the nursery of some of the pres- ent large industries of Hartford. In a short time it became necessary to take over another floor, and bent —<iihe ween oe " € - : te me rege a's oe — | ‘ } # e az t , is oe A a i! bs J ® 4 ‘ + Bs Be te RA f 1486 still the demand for space increased. winter the shop here described was built and placed in operation. The present officers of the company are Ernest Walker Smith, president; Herbert Knox Smith, vice-president, and Joseph Merritt, tary, treasurer and manager. secre- Plain Head Hand Turret Screw Machine A l-in. hand turret screw machine with plain head has been placed on the market by the Pierce Machine Tool Company, 617 West Jackson Boule- vard, Chicago, Ill. The machine is somewhat heavier than others of equal capacity and has a one-piece bowl type headstock and special guards to prevent the splashing of oil on the floor. The headstock is cast in one piece with the bed, an arrangement to insure strength and rigidity. The automatic chuck, which will handle round stock up to 1 1/16 in. in diameter, is forged solid on the end of the spindle with an external thread. The design also calls for a small amount of overhang from the front spindle bearing with a consequent reduction in the tendency toward vibration. Either plain, round solid collets can be used, or a master collet adapted for the use of hardened bushings can be furnished. The cut-off rest, which has a longitudinal travel A New 1-In. Hand Turret Screw Machine Equipped with a Bowl Type Headstock and Special Guards to Prevent Splash- ing of Oil on the Floor of 81% in., has a large bearing cn the bed. Hand longitudinal screw feed adjustment, arranged with micrometer dial and observation stops, is provided. The turret measures 7!» in. across the top, and is arranged with a hole through the turret stem, thus enabling stock up to a maximum diameter of 1 in. to pass through. The turret locking bolt is fitted at the front end of the slide directly under the cut- ting tool and works in hardened and ground taper bushings located in the turret close to its periphery. Independent adjustable stops for each position of the turret face operate automatically and serve to disengage the positive geared power feed. The following table gives some of the principal dimensions and specifications of the machine: Diameter of hole through spindl Maximum length that can be turned, i: Maximum distance between end of spindl and turret face with saddle flush, in Width of driving belt, in.. Number of cone pulley steps Diameter of smallest cone pulley ste Diameter of largest cone pulley step, in Floor space required, in. sr Net weight without power ‘feed to tur ‘ret, Ib Net weight with power feed to turre lb Other machines that are shia manufactured by the company include a 14-in. heavy-pattern plain- head turret lathe, a 154 x 11 in. heavy-pattern fric- tion back-geared head turret screw machine and a 5<-in. bench type turret screw machine. THE IRON AGE So during the June 2 Lead-Plated Instead of Zinc and Plated Parts The substitution of lead-plated steel for nickel plated material and phosphor bronze, co; brass parts used where metal must be protect corrosion caused by acid, salts and fumes } made possible by the development of a process plating that is being used by the U. S. Elect Plating Company, 1265 West Second Street, C Ohio. This process was invented by J. E. Sc! vice-president and manager of the company plant of the Willard Storage Battery Company, land, with which he is also connected in charg: plating department. The automobile has created a heavy demand for storage batteries, and the develop. ment of the new plating process resulted from efforts to reduce the cost of storage batteries by reducing the cost of plating the parts and at the same time making these parts more lasting. It is stated that the lead. plated parts now used are much cheaper than zinc o; copper plated parts and the phosphor bronze parts for- merly used, and that the lead-coated metal is superior to that coated with zinc in that it will not corrode go quickly. It is also claimed that the lead coating wil not crack or come off unless it is cut off. The Willard Storage Battery Company has equipped a large plating plant in which the new process is used for plating gray and malleable iron castings and stee! stampings. From 15,000 to 20,000 parts are lead plated every day, these being used for battery handles, screws, top connections and terminals. The method of electro- lytic plating used is similar to that employed in plating with zine, nickel or copper, except that pure lead is used for plating purposes and different chemicals are used in forming the plating solution. This part of the process is secret, but a patent upon it has been ap- plied for. A current of 2500 amp. is supplied at 6 volts. Large parts are plated in plating tanks and the smaller parts in rotating plating barrels having a capacity of 100 to 150 lb. each. The parts are left in the plating solution 20 min. for weatherproof coating and 3 hr. for acidproof coating. After they are plated they are cleaned, similarly to other plated work, with a solution of caustic potash and acid. PLATING PARTS OF A LARGE BLOWER The lead-plating work done by the U. S. Lead Plat- ing Company includes foundry chaplets, rhea for bat- teries to take the place of solid copper, and various other parts. Tests are being made in plating automo- bile rims, which are now galvanized. One of the largest pieces of plating work ever attempted has just been done at this plant—the lead plating of every part of a blower that is being installed in the pickling room of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio. This blower has a housing 48 x 120 in. and the blower itself is 72 in. in diameter and 33 in. wide, the blower and housing weighing 3 tons. Before plating the housing and blower were taken apart and the va rious parts were assembled after plating. The use of metal in the building of farm structures in Wisconsin is becoming more and more common every day, says the Wisconsin Agriculturist, Racine. “A*’ one travels through the country, he is now able to see barns supported by steel frames, or covered with ga vanized steel sheeting, and equipped with galv anized metal ventilating systems. More than this, he also sees coming into more common use, here and there, hog cots, corn cribs, farm garages and sheds constructed entirely of galvanized metal sheeting. It is now pos sible for the farmer to procure an all-metal silo tha! will not corrode.” Galvanized corrugated sheet iron is a standard art cle in the Dominican Republic and is used almost exc!” sively for roofing as well as for sides of buildings, W' alls of inclosures, partitions, etc. Before the war Great Brit ain furnished most of this, but recently the Unite States has been the principal source of supply. 22, 1916 Large Increase in Coke Production coke made in the United States in 1915 ted to 41,581,150 net tons, an increase, as com- with 1914, of 7,025,236 tons, or 20 per cent, and thin 5,000,000 tons of the record output of 1913, ling to figures compiled by C. E. Lesher of the ited States Geological Survey. Of this total 34 per or 14,072,895 tons, was by-product coke, and 66 per cent, or 27,508,255 tons, was made in beehive ovens. The increase in the output of by-product coke in 1915 as compared with 1914 was 25 per cent, and in beehive i8 per cent. A feature of the year’s record was that the quantity of by-product coke made in 1915 was the reatest yet recorded, exceeding the output of 1913 by 58,195 tons. The total number of by-product ovens operation in 1915 was 5481, against 5142 in 1914. [he number of beehive ovens in operation in 1915 was 19,540 as against 49,496 in 1914. The increase of 18 per cent in the production of beehive coke from prac- illy the same number of ovens indicates more con- tinuous operation during the past year. All States xcept Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and West rginia, in the South, and Massachusetts in the North, | increased output in 1915. Franz Krull, Ltd., of Reval, Russia, through its gen al manager, Maxim L. Kagan, who is here on Govern- business, has placed an order with H. L. Barnitz, s agent of the International Oxygen Company, 115 adway, New York, for a large oxy-hydrogen plant init-type generators. The gases produced by this are to be used for welding and piped throughout hanism Is Largely Built into the Cover To Permit of works. Mr. Kagan recently placed orders for re- erating machinery for the Russian Government ag gating over half a million dollars. He leaves for sia shortly. THE IRON AGE 1487 A New Cold-Metal Sawing Machine A number of improvements have been embodied in a new high-duty-type cold-metal sawing machine that has been developed by the Q M S Company, and is being marketed by the Vulcan Engineering New High-Duty Type Cold Metal Sawing Machine Is Equipped with a Racked Table and Friction Ds e for Changing the Feed Sales Company, 2059 Elston Avenue, Chicago, Ill Among the features are the building of the gear mechanism to a great extent into the cover to per mit quick removal and ready access to the parts and the use of a staggered tooth construction of the saw and gear arbors to prevent chattering of the saw blade. Hand adjustment, automatic stop and quick power return are provided for the carriage, and a spline shaft prevents the spline in the main or worm shaft from coming in contact with the bronze bear- ings. The main worm has a large diameter, and is made of hardened steel, with the end thrust taken by roller bearings. A two-piece construction, steel center with special composition bronze rim, is employed for the wormwheel which, together with the worm, runs in grease. The arbors for the saw and its driving gear are of hammered, open-hearth, 0.60 per cent carbon steel. The teeth on both are cut from the solid and are staggered, this arrangement being relied upon to minimize backlash and the resultant chatter of the saw blade. Hard bronze bearings are provided for both arbors. The feed is obtained by a combina- Quick Removal and Ready Access to All Parts, an’ the Teeth on the Saw and Gear Arbors Are Staggered To Reduce Chatter tion of a friction disk and gears, the range available extending from 5/16 to 2% in. per minute. The friction wheel is automatically kept in contact with the friction disk. ee See * Building Interchangeable-Part Lathes The Machining Practice of the Chard Lathe Company, Newcastle, Ind., in Pro- ducing a Line of 18 to 28 In. Engine Lathes BY 0. of machine tools, in its functions, its design and its method of manufacture, excepting per- haps the upright drilling machine, is the veriest commonplace, yet that fact lends to designs, or characteristics, or machining practices that are dif- ferent, their chief claim to attention. It is also a trite saying that if a lathe is a good lathe, it is be- cause its proportions and adaptability meet the service requirements for which it is purchased and because the accuracy with which it is manufac- tured contributes to a long life at high efficiency with low maintenance charges. In accordance with this definition, claims made for the new lathe manu- factured by the Chard Lathe Company, Newcastle, Ind., suggest the features of interest which are to be found in the manner of producing this tool. Based on many years of experience in the build- ing of manufacturing lathes, recognizedly standard in their construction, the designs of the Chard lathe were completed early in 1915. The com- pany was organized at that time and its first product was ready for the market in May a year ago. The unfore- seen.and overwhelming demand for lathes aris- ing about that time and continuing throughout the year, absorbed the output at the rate of thirty-five lathes per month, and in conse- quence retarded acquain- tance with it in the or- ,», dinary trade As it is not in any sense a specialized tool for manufacturing munitions; the war demand was an unexpected development in the plans for marketing it. Fig. 1 shows the 18-in. lathe, the complete line including 20, 24 and 28 in. sizes as well. The lathe shown has semi-quick change gears, but the bed has been designed to permit a quick change ar- rangement as well. The three-step cone pulley and double back gears are designed in keeping with the unusually powerful proportions «mployed through- out the lathe. Large and small face plates and steady and compound rests are furnished regularly and special compound turret tool blocks, front and rear connected rests and taper attachment may be obtained at an extra charge. The sturdy character of the lathe is indicated in part by the materials of construction. No cold- rolled steel is used in any particular. The rack in- stead of being steel of 0.15 to 0.20 carbon is of 0.40 to 0.50 carbon, the spindle is forged from a 6-in. billet of 0.45 to 0.55 carbon steel with man- ganese 0.50 to 0.60 and phosphorus 0.03. The spindle after being forged is annealed and heat- treated, i.e., reheated to a temperature of 1525 deg. Fahr., and quenched in water, after which it is re- To say that the lathe is the most standardized i—The Chard 18-In channels. Gears, Compound Ré J. Lathe with Semi-quick Change St ABELL annealed at 1225 to 1250 deg. The metal for the spindle bearings is an alloy containing 86 per cent tin, 7 per cent antimony and 7 per cent copper, a composition easily recognizable for its qualities. The foundation of the interchangeability of the parts of this lathe is established in the bed, as are the accuracy and stiffness of the tool. The bed cast- ing is heavy, weighing 1245 lb. for the 18-in. tool having a 7-ft. bed, and is designed with substantial ways affording a broad bearing. It is mounted on the legs with a three-point bearing, the bottom of the bed and the tops of the leg castings being spot faced at the time they are drilled for the holding down bolts. The width of the leg casting is slightly less than that of the bed so that the clearance be- tween legs and bed, due to the bearing bosses, is not apparent as indicated in the accompanying view of the lathe. Between the V’s the bed is entirely open, so that the under- cut which gives the ma- chined surface for clamp- ing the carriage may be made at the same set- ting as the ways, and with the same accuracy. For a minimum depth of 54 in. below the bot- tom of the V’s the metal of the bed is densified, the metal being given a close structure, harder than any of the surfaces that bear on the bed, yet capable of being ma- chined readily to a high- ly finished wearing sur- face. For the machining of the ways, six 7-ft. beds are mounted on a 48 x 48-in. x 30-ft. Cincinnati planing machine as shown in Fig. 2, the V’s being finished to gage. All of the angles on bearing sur- faces of all parts of the lathe are either 30 or 45 deg., and in setting the cutting tools for machining these surfaces dependence is not had upon the swivel graduations of the tool heads, but the tools are set to the feeler gage shown. This same gage is used for all of the jobs on whatever machine an angle surface is being finished, so that there is an absolute uniformity obtained. The machining of the ways is done in two roughing and one finishing cut. Between each cut the set-up is released and the job repacked so that all strains may be relieved. The tool set-up provides for planing the two paral- lel faces of the double V simultaneously from the one head with a special double-point tool, and for taking as many as six cuts on the flat faces at the one time. The bed castings are sand blasted and pickled to insure an acceptable finish when painted. The method of machining the headstock, car- riage and tailstock slide is dependent upon the spe- cial planing machine platens on which the machin- ing is done. As shown in the several illustrations, the tables have slots running in accurate parallelism wearing and Turret Tool Post 1488 22, 1916 .e travel of the machine so at exact right angles. gnment of the part being ed with these slots is an seven tial feature contributing to ety of alignment of these when mounted on the bed. x, 3 shows the headstock ted on a 380 x 30-in. x 14- ay planing machine with the necessary gage and distance which are keyed into the slots, fixing easily and ac- eu the position of the work. The headstocks are then ned in multiple. The bear- xes are rough bored for arings on a horizontal bor- machine, the bearings being castings made of an alloy, inalysis of which has al- been given, and requiring a touching up with the raper to effect an all-around This feature of incorporat- the bearing metal in the the tributes to interchangeability in the lathe. The long bearing is sitively held in place by four and the short bear- two cap screws. To finish the bearings with vccuracy desired after machining to within 0.01 on the horizontal boring mill the device shown in Fig. 5 is employed. It is used for both head and | stock bearings and its purpose and effectiveness ire apparent from the illustration. The caps are lted down on the bearings with liners as under operating conditions and the special boring bar in- troduced. This bar is fitted with single-point tools which are pulled through the bearings, the long rew and nut shown at the left feeding the tool the bearing as the bar is turned by hand. method of finishing the bearings together the accurate grinding of the spindles after roughing cuts have brought them within 0.007 of size, results in the limiting of variance to ‘01 in. in a length of 24 in. and makes the spin- les actually interchangeable without additional tting, in any number of headstocks. The method by which a correct alignment is se- red ; | in the machining of the carriage, on the bot- ‘ ‘or the bed V’s and on top for the compound slide, is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 8. Both : : Fig. 2—The Lathe of a die casting also con- Ways and Showing the Angle Gage with Which the Too THE IRON AGE 1489 Beds Mounted on the Planing Machine for Machining the Are Set for the V's ar Distance Gage to Which the Ways Are Machined jobs are done with a multiple setting on the same planing machines as are used for the headstocks. As shown in Fig. 4 the carriages are locked in be- tween end gage blocks at exact right angles with the travel of the machine so that when the bottom grooves are machined and the carriage is turned over as in Fig. 4, being located by setting the grooves on inverted V-blocks which key into the slots of the machine platen, it is assured that the machining of the dovetail will be at just 90 deg. with the spindle. In fitting the slide to the car riage, all slides are fitted to a master plate and vice versa, thus establishing a positive interchange ability. The dovetail in the carriage is inverted in the interest of greater strength. The set-up for the machining of the carriage slides and taper gibs is illustrated in Fig. 7. The taper side of the slide is first machined with the slide locked on the planing machine against a taper block, the taper gib, meanwhile, being milled off on a Kearney & Trecker milling machine. The taper block is then replaced with a straight piece and the taper gib set in for the finishing of the work. The apron is machined in an exceedingly simple yet accurate nd 4—At the Left Fig. 3 Indicates the Manner in Which the Headstock Is Mounted on the Planing Machine and Alignment with the Right-angle Slots of the Platen To Insure Correct Machining of the Bottom Grooves, while t the Right, Shows how the Carriage Is Mounted on the Planing Machine Table Exactly at Right Angles to the Position Shown in Fig. § To Be Machined on Top and for the Compound Rest Slide ~ is ee ; ii ‘ i 1490 THE IRON AGE June Figs 5 and 6—At the Left Is Shown the Special Device Used for the Accurate Finishing of the Spindle Bearings Single-Point Tool, Which Is Fed Through the Bearing by a Hand-Operated Pulling Screw, and at the Right Is a Vik Apron and the Special Fixture for Machining It on a Radial Drilling Machine manner. The bosses are first milled off with an end mill on a No. 3B Kearney & Trecker milling machine. The apron is then set in a fixture, shown in Fig. 6, and drilled on a radical drilling machine, but three changes of drills being required. In the method of manufacturing this lathe there is constantly in evidence a natural choosing of the logical way to do things. In the design and the building of the lathe there is an elimination of what has not had an actual demonstration of value in practice. This is especially true in the matter of little things. For example, the headstock spindle bearings do not overhang but the metal runs up flush to the ends of the bearing; the hand grips on the apron handwheel and the cross feed turn on studs rather than in the hand of the operator; the faces of cone pulleys are finished on the grinding machine; the lead screw may be drawn out of the feed box and changed by simply driving out the pin which passes through the collar and screw, immedi- ately at the right of the feed box, as shown in Fig. 1; the lathes are shipped with every part numbered in accordance with an accompanying card list which shows the name and association of each part and the crating for shipping the lathes is all stand- ardized and made up in quantity so that it needs only to be assembled when desired. These and other features smack of the long experience in lathe building which has been brought to this project by the designer of the lathe and president Figs. 7 and 8 At the Left Twelve Carriage Slides and Taper Gibs Are Being Finished at One Setting of the Planine Ma- chine and at the Right the Carriage Is Shown Mounted in Multiple on a Planing Machine for the Cutting of the V-Grooves of the Chard Lathe Company, N. D. Chard. The standard specifications for the Chard lath. are as follows: Swing over V's, in Swing over carriage, in. Distance between centers, in Tailstock spindle travel, in.. Tailstock spindle diameter, in Morse taper of centers.... ‘ ‘ Ni Diameter of hollow spindle, in. Diameter threaded spindle nose, in Number of cone pulley steps Diameter of largest cone pulley step, in Diameter of smallest cone pulley step, in.. Width of belt, in.. Back-gear ratio, first Back-gear ratio, second can . li Feed range, in . 009 ft Number of spindle speeds Size of tool, in Capacity steady rest, in Capacity, follow rest, in Travel of compound rest, in Lead screw, threads per inch Net weight, Ib With elaborate exercises, including a large parade held on June 17, the centenary of gas lighting was celebrated in Baltimore, Md. The Consolidated Gas, Electric Light & Power Company conducted the cere- monies, which attracted widespread attention. as was first used in America in Baltimore on June 1), J 22, 1916 NEW CUTTING DIE PLANT Uniiorm Size Shafts and Other Features of ebster & Perks Factory, Springfield, Ohio e new plant of the Webster & Perks Tool pany, maker of cutting dies, occupies the | floor and a portion of the third floor of the ix-story reinforced-concrete Shuey Factories RB ing, Springfield, Ohio. The structure, which especially designed for manufacturing pur- is U-shaped, the wings measuring 82 x 130 yn account of the shape of the building there vindows on all four sides, extending from the ~~ STOCK Fourth Floor of the Springfield Factories Build- s ving the Partitions Installed by the Webster & Perks pany and the Provision Made for Future Expansion of the Building ng to within 3 ft. of the floor, thus giving light ibundance even on the darkest days. A passen- ger elevator is located on the west side, adjacent to the main entrance in the center of the court, while on the opposite side is an Otis elevator with i platform measuring 8 x 20 ft., which is used or freight and by the workmen during the rush hours. One wing, the north one, is used by the com- pany as its main manufacturing department, while the other wing is utilized as a machine shop and ior storage purposes. The corridor connecting the two wings is wide enough in front of the freight elevator for the storage of castings, thus enabling them to be delivered to either department of the plant with a minimum trucking haul. The wire in- losed toolroom, 20 x 80 ft., is located in a corner of the manufacturing department and contains a number of small machines. The tool crib for storing the tools used in the shop adjoins the toolroom. the pattern shop is located in one corner of the south wing. The stockroom, which is situated at the left of the freight elevator, is also inclosed with wire and all material such as round and flat bars, bolts, nuts, ete., is kept there. Two cutting- ‘saws are provided so that when the stockkeeper ceives a requisition from the shop for a piece 0: shafting, for example, he can cut it to the exact ‘ength required. The main office, at the right of ‘ passenger elevator, has an opaque glass parti- on the shop side and a door opening into the in the south wing. On the opposite side, the north wing, is the superintendent’s office, "hich is large enough to accommodate a large n THE IRON AGE 1491 drawing table and a photostat outfit, in addition to the regular office equipment. The experience of the company has demon strated that it is more satisfactory to heat treat all of its machine parts, as there is no delay and the cost has been reduced considerably as compared with the prices paid when work was sent out. Two Stewart combination furnaces and two Franklin furnaces have been installed to handle this work. The north shop finishes a large number of small parts and these are stored in boxes or stacked on raised platforms and transported by lift-trucks to any part of the plant. Formerly these were stored on the floor, thus making double handling neces sary, as well as requiring extra floor space, but at the present time three lift-trucks handle all of the work satisfactorily. Uniform size shafting, 2 7/16 in. in diameter, is used throughout the plant and a uniform speed of 200 r.p.m. is maintained, even though the group drive employing individual motors is used. It is thus generally unnecessary to change pulleys when moving a machine from one part of the shop to another. If, however, a pulley should have to be moved, it will fit any main line or countershaft, in the plant. The heating plant for the whole factory build ing is located in the basement, fresh air being drawn in from the outside and forced over cast- iron blast heaters and through separate ducts to each floor in the building. The vitiated air is drawn out through another set of ducts and the system is designed to change the air four times every hour without opening windows with result- ant undesirable cold drafts. The desired tempera ture is obtained by turning on the warm air 15 min. before work commences in the morning. A not uncommon system is employed for keep- ing track of the tools borrowed by workmen. The clerk in charge of the toolroom provides each man with five numbered metal checks. When a tool is wanted the workman goes to the window and re- ceives the desired tool in exchange for one of his checks. This check is filed on a rack showing the kind -of tool delivered and represents a charge against that particular workman. All small tools must be returned to the tool crib on Saturday of each week, and before leaving the employ of the company, the workman is required to turn in all five checks and secure a receipt from the toolroom clerk before he can receive the amount of wages due him. Large Order for Compression Shaft Couplings The Remington Arms & Ammunition Company has placed an order with W. H. Nicholson & Co., Wilkes Barre, Pa., for 1017 compression couplings for shaft ing 27/16 in. in diameter. These couplings, which are to be used at the new ordnance plant that has been built at Ilion, N. Y., comprise four jaws and two flanges. One edge of the jaw is flat while the other tapers from both ends toward the center. They are placed on the shaft at intervals of 90 deg. and the two heavy cast-iron flanges, which are machined to fit the tapered side of the jaws, slide over the ends and are fastened together by four bolts. The pulling up of the nuts, of course, exerts pressure on the jaws and causes them to grip the shaft. The Societe Altos de Malaga at Malaga, Spain, restarted its plant in April, according to L’Usine of France, and has applied to the Spanish Government for permission to export, free of duty, 25,000 tons of steel ingots per year, a similar concession having been granted to the Societe Altos Hornos de Vizcaya of Bilbao, Spain. The Malaga company has one 30-ton open-hearth furnace. Wear of Cast-Iron Cylinders and Liners’ Important Influence of the Surface Struc- ture and Crystalline Arrangement—Harden- ing Due to Rubbing — Practical Examples In the modern high-speed steam and internal- combustion engines, cast iron up to the present is the only metal which has given satisfactory work- ing results when used for the construction of cer- tain vital parts, such as pistons, piston rings and cylinders. This fact, coupled with the serious draw- backs of cast iron in other ways, is sufficient to prove the tremendous importance of a careful study of this subject. The two chief properties required of cast iron for the purpose named are maximum resistance to wear and the most perfect running properties under the conditions existing in the engine. The mechan- ical properties, such as the tensile and transverse strength, can usually, without much difficulty, be obtained sufficiently high to withstand the stresses involved in the use of the generally accepted thick- nesses of material. The modern tendency, however, seems to be to cut down the weight of members Fig. 1—Appearance of the Surface of a Liner, Slightly Reduced Worn Cast-Iron to a minimum, and for this reason higher tensile strength irons will be more and more in demand. The two requirements already mentioned—good running properties and resistance to wear—are very often confused by engineers. For instance, certain kinds of cast iron are not considered ideal for cylinder work, for the reason that they do not wear well, when what is understood is that cylin- ders of this class of metal will not develop good working surfaces in use. In many ways, however. the two properties are intimately connected, al- though it is better for the purposes of study to consider them separately. Owing to the lack of any satisfactory means of determining the resistance of any given sample of cast iron to wear, and also its “running” properties, the only means of studying the question open to the investigator is to examine actual cases of wearing and running in the engine *From London Engineering. The article is b ] ; 7 ased on an investigation at a large English works itself. This is of necessity an exceedingly sloy method of investigation, and hence the lack of any definite and reliable knowledge of this most portant subject. The wear of any given sample of metal is under stood to be the loss in weight sustained by that sample under the action of a particular force or set of forces. In the particular case of engine cylin- ders it is the loss in weight sustained by the cylin- der under the action of the piston. The running property of an engine cylinder is a peculiar prop- erty whereby the cylinder is enabled to give the most satisfactory results in actual working from the point of view of absence of trouble from over- heating and galling or seizing. Essentially these two properties are different, but at the same time there is a distinct relationship between many of the controlling factors in the two cases. In the ideal engine the piston rings alone are in actual contact, scraping the surface of the liner. When in action the piston does not exert a constant and equally distributed pressure over the whole sur- face of the cylinder, but by the reaction of the connecting-rod at certain positions the surface of the liner is subject to alternately varying loads which act at portions of the liner surface in the vertical plane. The wear of the cylinder is generally supposed to vary with the hardness—that is, under a con- stant load—and it is the usual practice to allow the piston to be constructed of a slightly softer mate- rial than the cylinder, for the reason that the piston is usually more easily replaceable after wearing than the liner. Nevertheless, the engineer is often confronted with cylinders rejected for excessive wear, in which the whole set of hardness numerals on the cylinder, piston, and piston rings are quite in order, or at least identical with other sets which are running perfectly well; and in records of liner failures it is very often an impossibility to corre- late the hardness figures and the wear. In composite metals, such as cast iron, in addi- tion to the hardness numeral, the surface structure and arrangement exert an important influence on the wear. The surface structure of the normal cylinder of cast iron consists of a matrix of ferrite, pearlite, phosphide eutectic, and cementite grains, intersected by graphite plates. Phosphide eutectic and cementite are extremely hard and brittle, while ferrite and pearlite are soft and tenacious. The surface is therefore composed of soft, ductile, and tenacious grains, together with hard and brittle grains, broken up by numerous graphite plates. Under the continuous rubbing action, these grains, which are very weakly ce- mented together by the graphite plates, become loosened, and eventually detached. An examination of worn liner surfaces shows the result of this action very clearly. The surface is seen to be covered with numerous comparatively large pits, on visual inspection, Fig. 1, while under the lens the granular structure will be seen quite plainly, which fact is the result of the slight loosening of the grains under the alternating action of the piston. This appearance should particularly be noted, as it is often erroneously described as being due to the dislocation of the graphite plates only. 1492 June 22, 1916 (his dislocation of the grains is in all probabil- brought about mainly by the direct abrasive n of the piston rings, assisted by a sort of ‘ue brought about by the vibratory motion of the in, which assists in the loosening of the grains. detached material eventually becomes powdered, remains suspended in the film of oil, and is event- pushed out along with the oil. At the same as this dislocating action is taking place an- er action, somewhat different in character, is also x on. This action is practically identical with that lishing microsections in bas-relief, and is in all ability due to the action of the piston proper, vether with the polishing action of the suspended nowder resulting from the first-named action. The effect of this is to be seen on examining worn sur- faces under the microscope, when the harder phosphide eutectic and cementite grains will be een, without previous etching, standing in relief. rhese hard points, under the influence of the former lislocating action, in a like manner become de- hed, and with the constant repetition of this tion the total wear is increased. \ Diameters PHOTOMICROGRAPHS OF WORN The extent to which these two actions are re- spectively responsible for the total wear which has taken place depends largely on the surface charac ter of the iron used. This may vary from, on the ne hand, a large-grained, coarsely-graphitic excess errite, to on the other hand, a close-grained, fine- graphite excess pearlite, depending largely on the hemical composition and rate of cooling of the particular cast iron. In the extreme former case the particles are so weakly bound together that a mall force only is necessary to dislocate them, whereas in the latter case the intercrystalline co- sion is much stronger, so that the particles are tter able to resist the disintegrating action, with result that in such a type of metal this, the t rapid cause of wear, is at a minimum, and the ear is most largely brought about by the fracture the phosphide eutectic points. The casting perature, “growth” and corrosion, and, in fact, factors which tend to loosen the granular ‘ructure of cast iron, will indirectly influence the r, and hence the importance of complete scien- control of these types of castings. incidentally in the light of the orthodox rule the production of ideal “running” parts—hard ts embedded in a soft matrix—it will be seen the result of the two types of wearing action tically ensures a perfect “running” metal. | For i the one case a surface is obtained which consists g. 2—Appearance of the Surface of Fig. 3—Cast-Iron Liner, Unetched, Magnified 200 Severe Machining, tion, Magnified THE IRON AGE 1493 of hard points in a soft matrix, and in the other case a surface is obtained composed of holes which can be considered soft areas, and the remaining matrix can be considered the harder areas. Under the influence of continued alternating rubbing action, the surface of cast iron undergoes a transformation which results in increasing the surface hardness. Under this action certain of the crystalline surface components become transformed from the crystalline into a vitreous state. The amount and character of this action depends on the chemical character of the grains composing the sur- face, although it takes place to a more or less ex- tent in all cast-iron surfaces subjected to similar conditions, and accounts for that peculiar phenom- enon known to engineers as “glazing.” In cast- iron surfaces which have undergone this peculiar change a marked increase in hardness is noted, in many cases to such an extent as to defy attempts at filing the surface. The influence of this action on the wear of cast ‘iron will obviously be twofold; first, the peculiar hardness and physical character- istics of vitreous phases resist attempts at wearing Surface Showing Fig i—Cast-Iron Surface Showing Oblique Illumina- Gentle Machining, Oblique lIlumina- 120 Diameters tion, Magnified 120 Diameters SURFACES OF CAST IRON by mechanical disintegration; and second, in many cases a fine layer of this matter flowed over the normal surface structure prevents to a large ex- tent the disintegration. The great practical difficulty in investigating this particular action is that it is necessary to study the cylinder in actual working, for in many cases of returned cylinders the length of time they have been exposed to atmospheric influences after dis- mantling is sufficient to allow of these “vitreous” surfaces altering in character. The general appear- ance of worn liner surfaces examined some time after dismantling is illustrated in Fig. 2, which is a photomicrograph of a sample of a large gas- engine liner which had been in daily use for some years, and was not examined until two weeks or so after dismantling. The peculiar confused granular appearance is to be noted as evidence of the glazing action. Another important point in this connection is the character of the treatment undergone by the cast-iron cylinder during machining. It will be evident that a cast-iron surface will suffer from disintegration under the action of the machine tool in a somewhat similar manner, though larger in degree, as the surface does in the engine. The more deep and severe the cutting action, the larger the disintegration and distortion. It is probably extremely fortunate that the extreme accuracy nec- ~ * on ee ae en ee ee ie 1494 essary in such details as cylinders and liners has necessitated very careful machining, and therefore such parts have not to such a large extent been the victims of the modern advances in the art of machining. Photomicrographs showing the effect of rough machining and gentle machining are given in Figs. 3 and 4. The distortion and disintegration will be evident in both instances, but to a much larger degree in the roughly-machined specimen. Complete freedom from such surface cracks and dis- integration is obviously an impossibility whatever the method of machining may be, and the com- paratively recent method of internal grinding of liners and cylinders is, factory. for this reason, more satis Large Cold Spring Coiling Machine What is believed to be the largest cold spring coiling machine ever built has been recently com- pleted by Sleeper & Hartley, Worcester, Mass. This machine marks the end of a series that will handle [In this Cold Spring Coiling Machine, Largest Ever Built, the Wire Is Fed Forward Against a Coiling Point To Form the Spring Instead of being Wound iround an Arbor Which Is Probably the wire from 0.004 to 0.015 in. in diameter in the smallest size, while this last machine takes oil-tem- pered stock °, in. square. The special feature is that the spring is not produced by being coiled around an arbor, the stock being fed forward by feed rolls against a coiling point or deflector. The machine is automatic, coiling and cutting alter- nately. A predetermined amount of wire is put into each spring, and when the completed one is being cut off the coiling mechanism is stopped. Either extension or compression springs can be made on the new machine, and adjustments are pro- vided to regulate the feed or the amount of wire A Nearer View of the Coiling Mechanism THE IRON AGE June 22 which can be fed into a spring. Other adjus for changing the diameter, pitch and cont the spring are also provided. A train of gea vides the feed changes, and it is pointed o these can be regulated very closely thro adjustable cam controlling an automatic Cam control is also provided for the diamet contour forming mechanism, one cam onl) required to produce a taper spring, while a pair of cams will produce all varieties of shaped springs. The control of the pitch is matic, and the springs may be produced wit open spiral or with the coils laid close, an arn ment which enables springs with squared er be produced, thus eliminating the