The Iron Age 1917-02-01: Vol 99 Iss 5

se aK ~~ ¢ ~~ » e New York, February |, 1917 SHED 1855 VOL. 99 No ) | Electric Furnace: in the Brass Foundry FW ha ecMO MAMPI sts buh aChemSiclireaaeht. o. tended for Large Castings, Such as Those of Manganese Bronze 5 ’ > Tae ¢ <= ae ee ~*~ ~ - “ position of the electric furnace as a con: receipt of crucibles had much to do with the deci ious and permanent feature in the equip- sion to try the electric furnace, its generally satis nt of the non-ferrous foundry has been factory performance, with the certainty of control : ned through the experience of the last six ling composition and temperature, and thus definite . of the Lumen Bearing Company, Buffalo, ness of product, has resulted in provisions for : While crucible breakages and delays in the another unit capable of melting a requiring ; 301 wt 4 February How the Schwartz Oil-Burning Furnaces Discharge >» Gases and Smoke Into Hoods and Canopies Connected with Roof Ventilators higher temperatures than those handled in the ex- bronze castings than have been regularly possible isting installation. with the present equipment and facilities. For ex- The Lumen plant is interesting also in exten- ample, an attractive volume of business is offered sions now rapidly nearing completion. This expan-_ in such castings as the manganese bronze bases of sion is not alone the result of an increase in orders, Diesel engines, used in submarines and destroyers; but because it has been determined to provide for and for general marine construction. the manufacture of considerably larger brass and The enlargement of the plant has involved the Ng Be ~— & Special Design Hoods Over the Simplex Furnas lp to Keep Foundry Atmosphere ry 1, 1917 f the existing foundry department and the core-making department in a cen- on so that cores may be carried to the a minimum of handling. On the basis ¢ equipment and space, the plant will have 33 1/3 per cent additional capacity, but the more efficient handling of materials and ation of departments with respect to one it is believed that production may be 50 per cent greater than it has been. The re ngement of the works with the moving of the aking department stands as an interesting e of what may be done with an industrial ishment which has grown by a succession of additions made from time to time as business con- ditions seemed to warrant. A very important limit- ing condition which does not always obtain in other cases is that the Lumen plant is surrounded by a closely built section of the city, with streets on part The Crucible Pits sides and a railroad on another, so that plant designed had to be subordinated to what land eas could be obtained. While the changes are ned to take care of the immediate future they ake some allowances for the possible needs . It was also desired to segregate the small work with the reduction of indirect labor which this should consummate. Lumen foundry is notable for its size as a rous jobbing foundry, but it is a manufac- rganization in the sense that it has built up usiness in the production of bearing metals, rly Lumen bearing metal, which has been g of the company’s business, and it also bbitt metals and solders. One customer, ple, requires 3 tons of solder daily. The d solder department is a separate unit. imen Bearing Company has been noted emical and physical laboratories, which tributed very largely to the literature on is metallurgy. Besides experimenting on THE IRON AGE 303 alloys for different customers for specific needs, the laboratories control the metals going into each melt and investigate the products in terms of the sp heations. The quality of purchased materials determined by the laboratories The plant has a large complement of oil-burning converter-type furnaces and oil-burning crucibk furnaces. While the regular crucible furnaces are still in existence, coke has been abandoned as a fuel, even in connection with the core ovens, which ar also oil burning, and the crucible’ pits are changed over to oil burning as may be needed, the plan being to retain crucible melting for such special alloys as may be under investigation or manufacture. The electric furnace is of the Baily type, made by the Electric Furnace Company of America, Cleveland, and rated at 100 kw. The second furnace is of the same type but the top has been redesigned to withstand higher tem Are Now Oil Burning peratures than seemed feasible in the first furnace, in which Lumen metal is melted. The oil-burning furnaces comprise 350-lb. and 500-lb. Schwartz and 1000-lb. and 2000-lb. Simplex furnaces, two of the larger size forming a part of the melting equipment of the smelting department Two of the largest size will be shortly installed for large castings. Up to the present time castings as heavy as 2800 lb. have been turned out, but it is planned to manu facture regularly castings as heavy as 3000 Ib. The capacity of the plant will thus be measured by a range of castings weighing 1 oz. to those weighing 144 tons. To handle molds and ladles for the large castings expeditiously extra crane capacity was needed and an existing crane runway sufficiently strong, was lengthened. Forming a part of the group of melting furnaces, the two new Simplex furnaces will be placed under the main bay crane, a 10-ton double-trolley Euclid. As indicated by the plans here reproduced the molding space for thé %. “ \. { * ' e ‘ oe = 304 THE IRON AGE February 1, 1917 large work will be materially enlarged and much and the ovens. Core machines on the other side needed trucking space provided along the side of deliver to a similar set of carriers. The gravity i these floors. carrier serves the stock core racks from which cores ! The first electric furnace has been moved to the are taken for use in the foundry. The blackening | new foundry department where the second electric bench is conveniently located, as indicated. A note j furnace will also go, with space for a third furnace worthy feature is the adequate core oven capacit) when it shall be needed. One of the outstanding There are four ovens for the smaller cores betweey i features of the new foundry is that it is of the the two lines of gravity carriers and four double modern type of substantially all-glass structure, with car ovens. Besides this, if necessary, part of the steel sash for the larger part of the wall areas and shelving space for finished cores may be preempted { saw-tooth roof. It is lofty, be- for another oven. All ip ing 19 ft. 6 in. in the clear. A | all the core room stands ; : . . ° a = A * : « . « ?, P « | ) y crane, formerly used in _ the : ——— pe as a proof of an increas ! heavy casting department, is to e PATTERN SHOP ing demand in cored a serve the new department. 8 sate il loy castings and in par 1 . . < . 7 : Another feature is a longi- S SMELTING DEPARTMENT oe ticular of the special tudinal arrangement of the skids ® ie need of heavy castings : on which the molds are placed, 8 The moving of the | so that the number of molds may 7 core department to be sufficient to take the contents 2 new location has given ° . > The Second Floor, Con i of a ladle. Eight new Berkshire catpinar tee Laboratories space for a commodious molding machines have been ws Pattern Sees Gee a metal room and has also : s age, ( e jwme : 2 bought, and while some are lo- < Department provided space for the cated near the outside walls, as a foundry superintendent's i usual, the lighting is so good office which until now that it has been possible to place has occupied valuable | the remainder under a section of j j On! Furnaces COOKER EEE ‘ | r —__ Coehwrnaces wmder indestrial Fach j O:/ furnaces @ Ladle Heaters MOULDING FLOOR } FOUNDRY ; employees locker : and wash room j This Accompanying Plan in baseime! w w SCALE (N FEET j Shows the General Ground za Co ° 25 50. 5 ; Floor Arrangement of the x : on ed j Lumen Bearing Company 2 < : Prior to the Recent Ex- x oS : tensions | STORAGE L What Was the Aluminum Found! Has Now Been Extended and Co! verted into a Core Room _ with Added Facilities. A new lofty build ing also adjoins this for making the smaller castings and contains tw electric furnaces. The moving 0! the core room, has allowed for other improvements, which may be noted from the plans, not the least !! portant of which is increase pacity for large non-ferrous cast ings for which two 2000-Ib, oil fur naces have been secured a MOULDING MacHINES EQ OOo Wiioi MACHINE FLOORS Blackening amng BENCHES & MACHINES & FLASKS | ; 6p Sand ~" aI ampainihana, , ene i See SBoE 10%) cSre ROOM 2 £2 £.=2% i‘ =f or Stor rage STORE ROOM foundry floor area. Space has also been provided for the engineering and production departments. The former metal room was inadequate and its space is now well utilize for patterns and flasks stored tem- porarily, awaiting immediate use the saw-tooth roof. Space is also provided for port- The rearrangement has made for the ready deliver} able roll-over molding machines. into the general storeroom of raw materials rece! ved The present or old foundry floors devoted to by motor truck or wagon as well as from the rail- small castings are not changed, except for a wall road. Formerly there was no adequate intermediate opening toward one end, which allows communica-_ resting place for patterns and flasks between the The Changes on the Ground Floor Level, Showing Im mediately Above this the | Added Foundry with Elec- | tric Furnaces MACHINE SHOP Drive way Se ae ES eS tion with the new core room. Incidentally it is to time they were ordered on specific jobs and we! be noted that this opening gives opportunity for ready for the foundry floors. The raw a A pa connecting the overhead trolleys of the two mold- storeroom incidentally has been enlarged. m for 1€ ing departments. of the old machine shop has also been set off The new core room is laid out on the scheme of master mechanic. oe ; ‘ the existing core room, with core-maker’s benches The plant is conspicuous for the special umes along one side and gravity carriers between them taken to insure the exhaust of the smoke and f bruary 1, 1917 THE IRON AGE S06 ee “FURNACE PRACTICE SHEET ae leas |e LUMEN BEARING COMPANY on Cone GAs a BRASS FOUNDERS ai BUFFALO a used to keep a record of melting rd is issued for each alloy melt, and ck is noted the time that the metal then the time that the metal is ready is pulled The card also gives the furnaces and the general foundry and core Over the furnaces and the core ovens and the ooling racks are hoods which deliver to roof heads. The roof ventilators are generously uted over the entire roof area and have efficacious in maintaining a clean atmos- Heating in winter is very largely accom- means of a fan system with sheet metal pipes distributing the warm air. The employees’ entrance leads to locker rooms lerneath the general offices and here are provided A small lunch counter with tobacco, pplies and soft drinks is maintained, and at 9 ck in the morning 10 minutes is allowed for reation and lunching and smoking in the locke: vash rooms. “«l r aelvery tables. ntinuity of employment is recognized by a which is distributed once a year and solely he reason stated. The amount is 10 cents per for an employee who has been steadily with mpany for a period in excess of six months stribution in the last two years has taken at Thanksgiving time and the amounts have from $2.50 for the man employed six months for the man of the longest tenure of employ The foremen also get a bonus dependent on luction effected in manufacturing costs. Saturday morning a meeting is held by the rer, superintendent, planning department head ne foundry foremen to lay out the next week’s ‘ ; on liam H. Barr, president National Founders’ tion, is president of the Lumen Bearing H. P. Parrock is manager; N. K. B. works manager; L. S. Jones is sales man- er; Verne Skillman is metallurgist; Otto Paehlke perintendent, and A. Lockwood is purchasing nd in charge of the planning department. Che Field of the Electric Furnace Etchells, one of the designers of the Greaves- electric steel furnace, described in THE IRON 11, 1917, in a recent lecture before the Shef- } lety of Engineers and Metallurgists, said that ‘ling with the cost of melting, even at the pres- paratively high prices caused by war conditions, furnace had proved a good investment to isers and an immense boon in the economy of oduction and utilization of serap. “The war has is,” he said, “how to make ourselves independent trie » on yt » ed i B ell ! i 1 ft ‘ I to i teel the l i } ic Ke ind ) tex scrap. ly pite « lifficulties of manipulation, which still remain to be¢ me, the electi ‘ nha 1 part of its own to play, and ha ome to stay.” Prof sO Arnold, the president, observed that if the electri furnace had come to tay, there would have to be cheape1 current; that thi is one f the greatest ob stacles to the development of the electric furnace in Sheffield, which would | e to be got over in some way Molybdenum in the United Stat @ > An investigation has been made by the U. S, Bureau of Mines to ascertain why molybdenum as a possible source of economic wealth in this country should re main undeveloped. It is reported in Bulletin 111, “Molybdenum, Its Ores and Their Concentration.” A preliminary review of the situation showed that the market for molybdenum in alloy steels must be devel oped or that new uses for the metal must be created before the demand would be sufficient to warrant any extensive mining of the ore One of the chief factors in retarding demand from the alloy-steel trade was that manufacturers who might use the metal were kept out of the market by the fear of not being able to obtain steady supplies. On the other hand, those who might develop the extensive low grade molybdenite or wulfenite de posit in this country were prevented by the small visible demand and the fear that any large production would glut the market Owing to these conditions the mining of molybdenum has in the past been confined almost éntirely to smal scale operations on high-grade streaks of molybdenite ore, and the methods of recovery have been limited largely to cobbing and hand picking. The problem before the Bureau of Mines was to as certain the character and extent of the deposits of molybdenum ores in the United States;from which sup- plies requisite for the development of the market might be obtained, and how the ores might, best be concen trated into a marketable product. The direct purpose of the bureau is, on the one hand, to prove to possible consumers of molybdenum that the element is not as rare as commonly supposed, and that this country pos sesses many deposits of low-grade ore from which large supplies may be derived; and, on the other hand, to prove to present and prospective producers of molyb- denum that ther a latent market for their product in the alloy-steel trade which needs only the assurance of steady supplies for a considerable development The No. 1 blast furnace of the Worth Brothers Com- pany, Coatesville, Pa., was blown in Jan. 20. It had been shut down for repairs since Nov. 25. Oe et ee ee ee aang anoodes kee: a ee Doe * Nee ee i Sat ie SN OR en cerns Sn awl Plant for Pressing’ and Welding Steel Equipment of Knox Pressed & Welded Steel Company at Wheatland, Pa., for Making Water-Cooled Parts for Furnaces pany, Pittsburgh, was organized by L. L. Knox, Irvin F. Lehman and others to manufacture open-hearth furnace devices, invented and pat- ented by L. L. Knox, of Pittsburgh. For some years Mr. Knox had given much attention to the development of devices, locking not only to the comfort and protection of workers at open-hearth steel furnaces, but also to the prolonging of the life of the furnace, and to secure a larger output with practically no increase in cost. For some years he had his different devices manufactured on contract, but owing to the growth of the de- mand for them the Knox Pressed & Welded Stee! Company was organized as a manufacturing as well as selling organization. The first plant of the company was located at Niles, Ohio, and was oper- ated on a small scale. This plant burned down in a little more than a year from the time operations started, and the company then removed to Far- rell, Pa., securing the works formerly operated by the Sharon Boiler Works. This plant was com- pletely rebuilt, the equipment needed ‘for manu- facturing the products of the eompany was in- stalled, and operations were started in August, 1914. While at Farrell the company took up the man ufacture of steel products in addition to its spe- cialties and it soon became necessary to secure larger manufacturing facilities. With this in view, the company commenced to look about for a suit I N 1911 the Knox Pressed & Welded Steel Com- - "Dp _ se \ Pe ; ] iN Y.. NJStand Pipe ec 1 f= 4 Null y ww 4 4 = g conew Room ft able site for a much larger plant. The nec; ground not being available in Farrell, it w cided to locate at Wheatland, Pa., where th: pany secured a 30-acre tract, located 68 miles north of Pittsburgh on the Erie division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The location at Wheat- land was selected primarily because of favorable labor conditions, as that district draws from New Castle on the south and Greenville on the north, these towns being readily accessible from Wheat- land by railroad and interurban trolley lines and workmen being able to reach homes in a ver; short time from the plant. Of the 30-acre tract, 12 acres or more used in the building of the plant, including re- ceiving and shipping yards, storage yards and ground needed for other purposes. The ground plan herewith presented gives an idea of the lay- out. The whole property is inclosed by an 8-ft. fence which gives privacy to all operation:. T main factory building is of steel construction, 114 ft. wide, 500 ft. long with a main bay, 70 ft. in span and 35 ft. high to the crane rails. The roof of this building is of the Warren-Ehret slag roof construction. The entire building is exceptionally well lighted, monitors being located in the roof and affording ventilation as well as lighting. The lighting has been found so satisfactory that few shadows are thrown in any part of the building, a point of importance in laying out and doing par- ticular work. The bay is served by three 15-ton ne So ~ ‘ y HOSPITAL ea oS j =_ —_ om ‘ / ti ~ oe - & ren | tiring & aii & en a. ee ee RIVETING * TOWER - ss fae Se Oe Pay ie /25-TON { j x te 1 ol A. RIVETER - | | Ie “oR mm } \ } A. ATT ~ a— j | ; “4 A gs ' Y > (i = | SN = a 3 2 = x ER: OFFICE LOFFiCeR 3S | =—= “| CD Riverine i] + = CRANE pts = == === ni FITTING SKID FITTING $K/0.. IS} ~ ‘3! NS s & ig hci H ae ic MAIN Is} No A-#\ 45-70% IS ‘el NS | fs" | CRANE S RS re . 3) NS H a & is & | resr/wG “I 5-TOW = 3-TONW fb < i | i RANE WALL 1 Ix \ hy, |i 1 fs] te prac Ane ee we Not VW Ta aaah » 4 i | N U | rh seg |K ee WIN A ts] N oO)/ + ce = |e) 2 ep : , si N ie =. x PRESS 7K ~ si \\ | T 2 x iV ‘ i a! N FLOOR = Se wit i saben jee! N | | = Xl = ‘tem =| es , -—4 ; f oo & t — Ra) i i J aS St fl STEAM ih Reena | x} f ; 3 WELDING SHOP z=] fi " HAMMERS ING St | ee i 1S ya S] Il BLACKSMITH SHOP 2 14 ‘ i ¥ s—— i 7 | ie ide L_] IL =! Oo Om ‘ scien cs = ppd 080 Bh ré specialties, but intlude also a general line of Y n Engineering electric cranes, six 3-ton n wall-gantries and a number of jib cranes These cranes are of spe- a gn, made by the company itself, and are with Northern 3 and 5-ton electric hoists. at the western side of the main building ft. aisle which contains the power plant, _ in. shop and stock room, taking about one- remainder contains a shop served by two 15-ton electric trav- one a Case and the other a Cleve- ne, and also a number of jib cranes. individual tools. length, anes, while the Handling of Materials t switches witch 1 ranes. ain building are handled ina similar way. i1tire shop floor in the main building is of fied paving f the main bay is marked by two strips of classes: the paint 6 in. sone for reaking of ble Ww the tk from the Erie ck, and an ide and 7 ft. apart. passage of is liable to . : 11lS ruie of the offender. e products of the Knox Pressed & Welded On and Company are ate construction, largely pressed such as division provide for material receiving and loading A spur is used for receiving coal. track extends through one end of n shop, depressed, 4 ft. below the floor level, a circle outside to a similarly depressed dead the outgoing end of the shop, which in nnects with the main spur from the Erie All materials are received at one end of in building directly from cars on this de- | track, and may then be taken by the over- Finished products at the other end workmen to all f the plant, and is kept open at all times. blast-furnace THE IRON 307 AGE The main e cludes a 100-ton Morgan Engineering 200-ton United Engineering hydraulic 100-ton Mackintosh, Hemphill & Co. hydro-pneu matic press and also g cial tools were required. uipment in power press, press, a ang drills, vertical and hori zontal punching machines, including one with 72 gap, capable of punching a 6-in. hole in 1-ir plate. There are also two hydro-pneumatic riv eters, one of 80 in. gap, having a capacity of 80 tons, and the other of 100 in. gap, rated at 125 tons. made The ca tings for these ‘rs were by Mackintosh, Hemphill & ¢ while the genera! design and all the other parts were made in the company’s shops. There are also bending rolls, men- which are 14 ft. between housings, planing ma chines, slotting machines, lathes, portable drills. The air hammers, etc. The tnaterial employed in tl nsti t101 I the Knox devices is, as a rule, what is known soft flange stee Che piate used varv in thickness from 5/16 in. to 1% in., and are fur nished in multiple lengths These plate take from the stock yards, are delivered overhead cranes to a corps of layers-out where all markings are completed. They are then removed to ma chines and irregular cuttings are made, afte: which they are pressed and formed on either the 100-ton press or the 200-ton press. alleyway in the At this point work segregated into two patented dey es and competitive work. The are taken off the presses on the side ad 10-ft. thence to the welders, and are This is a patented devices after being formed oining the fitters, tested on a concrete testing floor 25 ft. wide and 60 ft. long is suitable apparatus where they proceed to the aisle, cause dis- final] this testing floor there welded for hydrostatic tests, whereby hydraulic can be applied up to 250 lb. per square inch. pressures up to 110 Ib., ai pressures For ure is applied to pres ners, riveted pipe, tanks, ladles, etc. Spe- the interior of a hydraulic tank under the control gf, : Ms General Arrangement of Buildings and Loe Machinery of the G AVN Se OU Sree SWBD om . = mo * NCHES A ~——) he =] , = a 1 » LW o \ ; RACK 3-ron ‘WA PUNCH WALL CRANE 24 a ik —_ t—) a COMPRESSORS i POWER ' HOUSE * Air Peceivers Knox Pressed & o* Welded Steel Company, Wheatland, Pa. é —o—s *>F vay ie se ae . = . PUNCHES : ~ 5 SHEARS ) ‘: 2 = ~*~ AND DRILLS ; ~ } oy It | CH ne 1 |i SH '® A) eH & 1 we A 4 &} 308 of Foster regulators. As needed the liquid is forced out of the tank and into the device at the pressure desired. Pressures over 110 lb. per square inch are obtained by means of a Worthington plunger pump operated with compressed air at 110 Ib. Two gages are always used; one on the piece being tested and the other at the point of delivery of the water. Pieces found defective are sent back to the welders, while the perfect pieces are piled until all parts are ready for shipment. The company has facilities for handling intri- cate work that ordinarily is not desired or sought after by other concerns. Such work, after leaving the punches, shears, etc., is either taken to the bending rolls or to the hydro-pneumatic presses, and then into the main aisle of the building, where the work of fitting, riveting, caulking and testing is completed. On the left side of the two white safety: as seen in the general interior view is located the fitting department for competitive work, the equip ment consisting of two bevel shears, rolls, drill presses and other smaller machines. On the right side of the two white safety lines is the equipment used in the manufacture of the Knox specialties In the foreground is the 200-ton hydraulic press, while a near center view shows the 400-ton hydro pneumatic press. Nearly 80 per cent of the work turned out by the Knox Company is welded work, and three dif- ferent types of welding are employed—electric, which is metallic electrode, oxy-acetylene and fur nace hammer welding. The different methods have special applications dependent upon the form and thickness of the parts, and the use to which the finished article is to be put and in consequence the type of welding is that which will give the best results. For some articles all three types are used, in others two and in others only one. Many of the products could not be successfully manu- factured, it is stated, without the equipment and skill for doing all types of welding. There is no steam equipment in the plant what ever, all equipment needing power being operated by direct-connected motors. High-tension power, at 22,000 volts, is purchased from the Youngs- lines THE IRON AGE February 1, 19}7 town & Sharon Street Railway Company, and js stepped down in transformers located outside the main building to 2200 volts. Other transforma. tions are effected inside the building. AI! ma. chines are equipped with individual electric AMps of 110 volts. There is also in the electric equip. ment a motor generator set, the motor of which operates at 2200 volts and the generator deliver. ing direct current for the operation of crane mo. tors and a few other machines. The lighting system is noteworthy in compris. ing 500-watt incandescent lamps with porcelain reflectors placed as high as practicable, which ip the main bay is 42 ft. above the floor. The result is accepted as thoroughly satisfactory, as the lights are not too dazzling and there are no shadows that interfere with the most delicate operations: indeed fine newspaper print can be read at any place on the shop floor. The business of the Knox Company is expand- ing so rapidly that only recently it was decided t add a 300-ft. extension to the main building. The contract for the fabrication of the steel work for this extension has been given to the Blaw Steel Construction Company, Pittsburgh. Later the company will be in the market for considerable new equipment for this extension, the exact nature of which has not yet been determined. It is hoped to have this extension completed ready for opera- tion by July 1. Early in the summer the compan; plans to build a modern office building, one stor in height, to contain the general plant offices. It is intended to use the basement some time in the future for a swimming pool, lockers, shower baths and other sanitary equipment for the employees. The products manufactured include water- cooled specialties for open-hearth and sheet and tin mills, such as open-nearth doors and door frames, skewbacks, buckstays, port coolers, bulk- head coolers and wall and arch coolers, port and furnace chills for tilting furnaces, doors and frames for heating furnaces, reversing valves an¢é gas inlet valves, shields for sheet and tin mil furnaces, floor stands, water boshes, etc. In addi tion to these specialties, the company manufa tures, as already indicated, a general line of plate The Use of a Safety Walk, Marked by White Lines and Never may be seen the 200-ton hydraulic press to be Obstructed, is Exemplified in This Shop. At ' February 1, 1917 The 400-ton Hydro-pneumatic Press such as annealing covers, annealing pots, ge guards, scrap boxes, charging boxes, galvan- pans, acid tanks, etc. The general offices of the company are in the Farmers Bank Building, burgh. L. L. Knox is president; William C. Coffin, vice-president and sales manager, and Ir- n F. Lehman, secretary and treasurer. Corrosion of Panama Canal Machinery Corrosion has seriously affected certain parts of the machinery of the Panama Canal and extensive have been necessary, although the canal was { less than three years ago. In this connection teresting to recall the destruction of the $500,000 Sea Call, within a few months after its com- the result of galvanic action between the etal plates of its hull and its steel frames and Similar electrolytic action between dissimilar the valves controlling the lock water supply nal has been an important factor in the diffi- Panama. Brief extracts from General annual report give some of the details: t luring the past year disclosed that the cor- on the cylindrical valves has been severe In the west flight of Gatun Locks was drained, and ble cylindrical valves were examined Marked s taking place on certain parts of the valves, al- ntire valve was made of cast iron or steel, no being adopted in the original design In the average of 75 per cent of the seal segment nuts d n some cases fully half the nut had disap- was also found that the bolts holding the stops in in such condition that they had to be replaced in the lower level All valves were put in good 1 painted with red lead le corrosion has taken place in the rising-stem : plates have been attacked similar to those gates, and portions in the vicinity of the rivets valves at Gatun and the upper and lower valves have been violently attacked The bottom seal valve which comes in contact with the Babbitt the bottom of the valve is being rapidly eaten number of the valves at the Pacific locks were it tion that the bottom seal had to be machined off valve tight r to protect the valve from any further electrolytic tween the cast-steel seal and the lower Babbitt- ill Babbitt-metal was removed and replaced with greenheart lumber The top gate-valve seal is of THE IRON AGE 309 Local Surface Hardening of Gear Teeth An English process, reported to be largely used for hardening gear teeth, is known as the Vickers. It i local surface hardening and consists in applying mo mentarily to the surface of the part to be treated an The surface having been raised to a high temperature, is quenched by the cold body of the metal beneath The equipment is that usually provided for oxy-acetylene welding, but the temperature of the flame is higher, the increase being obtained by adjusting the fl intensely hot flame from an oxy-acetylene blow pipe lame as ior welding and then increasing slightly the supply of oxygen. The body of the work must be kept as cool as possible, to insure that the quenching sufficiently rapid. For small parts it is customary to immerse them in cold water. Bodies of large parts may be left to cool off by themselves, but where necessary a supply of cold water may be allowed to flow over the work. In both cases the actual surface to be hardened is not to be submerged in water unless it is desired to give only a very shallow depth of hardened crust. In caleu- lating the cost, for the purpose of comparison with furnace-treated work, it is pointed out that while for the latter process machining is carried out to approxi- mate dimensions only, so that any distortion due to the heat treatment may be corrected by grinding and straightening, in the local surface-hardening process the work is machined to the finished dimensions, since no distortion is caused. a 310 THE IRON AGE Internal Small Part Grinding Machine The Lansing Stamping & Tool Company, Lansing, Mich., has brought out a machine for the internal grinding of small parts. It is designed for rapid and accurate production work, such as automobile parts, ball races, bushings; cam rollers, universal balls and other similar lines. Among the features are an auto- matic control of the work spindle, the use of hand feed and a semi-automatic chucking device. The pedestal of the machine is a one-piece casting about 29% in. high and weighing approximately 400 lb. The base is broad and the edges are given a flare which is relied upon to provide stability. The base, which may be bolted to the pedestal or mounted on a bench, weighs about 200 lb. The table is a single unit fitting in ways on the top of the bed and operated by a rack and pinion a1 rangement. The work spindle head is located at one end while the other passes underneath the cross-slide table carrying the wheel spindle head. A roll, which engages a dog as the table is moved backward, is lo- cated at the rear of the table and is relied upon to operate a clutch arrangement in the countershaft to stop the work spindle when gaging is to be done. This device can also be operated by a foot treadle, it being pointed out that a positive braking action which re- duces lost time to a minimum is thus secured, the work spindle stopping as soon as the brake is applied. The work spindle head is mounced on a plate which is fitted to the table, but is capable of having its posi- tion altered by loosening the lock bolts and making such adjustments as may be required. It is possible to set the head at any angle up to a maximum of 90 deg. The work spindle is of high-grade tool steel mounted in ball bearings and has a standard screw thread on the nose to hold the semi-automatic chucking device The work is held by a spring collet through the action of a heavy coiled spring on the end of the draw A slight movement of the leve: opens the collet and releases the work, the next piece being inserted in ‘the collet and clamped when the oper- ator releases the lever. The grinding wheel head is composed of two sections, the front portion being formed by the wheel spindle head, while the driving in sleeve. A Semi-Automatic Chucking Device and Automatic Foot ‘ontrol Are Two Features of This Internal Grinding Machine for Small Parts February 1, 1917 shaft head forms the rear one. The members r ranged so that the body of the driving shaft heag swivels on the base, this arrangement being reli to provide the necessary tension for the endless belts used. The adjustment of this head is mad small handwheel and the grinding wheel head ast ened to the cross-slide table by two bolts. The countershaft is made in three sections, are designated as the driving, intermediate and shafts. The first is connected to the lineshaft tight and loose pulley and drives the intermediate shaft by a small wood pulley. This shaft i drives the main one by a three-step cone pulle) work spindle being driven by a drum on the main while the grinding wheel spindle is driven by a »p loose cone pulley. The speed of the work spindle ordinarily ranges from 50 to 200 r.p.m., while t] the grinding spindle is normally between 15,000 and 30,000 r.p.m., although these may be changed to suit the requirements of the work being handled by re; ing the wood pulley driving the intermediate sha smaller one if necessary. 4 Table for Calculating Tensile Testing Results \ conversion table to save the tedium of calculation of results in tensile testing has been devised by Henry G. Martin, Railway Steel Spring Company, Chicago Heights, Ill. One of these tables is here reproduced from the blueprint form in which he uses them. He emphasizes that the sheet is more accurate than a slide rule, being calculated for an area expressed to the sixth decimal place, and an inspector may carry a Vonversion of BEAM NEADINGS to pounds per square inch from, an original diameter of .750 inch, | Example:- Assume the beam reading to be 56420 lbs. 444 together the value of 58000, found ot the intersection of the horisontal line beginning "SO0000" and the vertical line heated "ax ,, paying 50 attention to the decimal points, and the value of 420 pound et the intersection of th lines beginning "400" and "20", this time regarding the decimnle. Thies gum is 132236 lbs. the | value per equare inch. 10.00 | 20.00] 30.00] 40.00] 80.00] 60.00] 0.00] 60.00] so.m . Sse + ed eR See ) 00 © -00 22 4 45.27 67.91 90.54 115.18)| 135.81 168.45 | 161.08 | 205.72 100.00 226.35 248.99 271.62 294.26 316.9% } 339.83 | 2.17 | 304.00 | OT. 4.07 “OC | 452.71 475.34 | 497.98 | 620.61 | 143.28 | 068.08 | aan} ars | 633.79 | 686.05 i 300. 679.06 | TOL.7O | T2053 | 746.97 | 769.60) 79R.24/ 614.67 | O57.61 | 860.34) 882.79 | “oo. j 906.42 928.08 | 980.69 973.52 | 995.96 | 1028.80 | 1061.23 | 1043.06 | 100s.s0 | yno9.us | 500» 1151.77 1154.41 1177.06 | 1199.60 |aeze.s | 1244.95 | 1267.88 | 1290.22 | usna.es | 1538.49 j 600.00 |1568.12 | 1580.76 1405.39 1486.03 1446.67 | 1671.30 1403.06 | 1626.57 16pP.57 | sel. | 700 .00 [2564.48 1607.11 [2629.75 | 3662 38 [1678.08 | 1607-08 | 2980-89 1742.98 | 1768.86 | 1788.20 ‘ 60v .00 }2620.83 | 1835.47 | 3866.20 | 3078.76 {1902 3? | 1926.01 | 1946.64 1969.28 | 19m1.71 | 2014.58 j | PW 2037.19 | 2069-62 2062.46 2105.09 (2127.73 | 2160.36 | 2173.00 | 2195.65 | 2218.27 | 2240.00 An Example Is Worked Out on the Sheet, Which Is Ab 5% x 8 in Size set of such tables in his pocket. He finds, for example, that three sheets, one each for diameters of 0.499, 0.500 and 0.501 in., cover practically all bars intended to be turned to a %-in. diameter. Pipes of Electrolytic Iron Pipes of electrolytic iron having a tensile strength of over 25 tons per square inch in any direction are re ported to have been made at Grenoble, France. They vary in length up to 5 meters (16.4 ft.) and are 300 mm. (about 12 in.) in, diameter and 3 mm. (about % in.) thick. As removed from the bath the metal 8 hard and very brittle, but after special and careful heat treatment it becomes of excellent quality. The product is claimed to be superior to cast-iron pipe in sever respects. Railroad car efficiency in the United States increase 8 per cent in 1916 over 1913, the previous best yea! This is equivalent to an increase of 192,000 cars ant the total 2,400,000 now in use on our railroads, accor® ing to the Railway Age Gazette, which also estimates the mileage per car per day in the fiscal year, 1910, 3 27 miles as compared with 24.5 miles in 1913. At the same time the average car capacity has risen from tons to 41 tons. ag Multiple-Spindle Drilling Machines izes of straight-line drilling machines have to the line of the National Automatic Tool Richmond, Ind. A number of features are | in these machines which are departures standard line. These include independent speeds in the rail for each spindle, an ad- in. on either side of the center line of ind a spot facing attachment. ndependent speed change for the spindle, it is ce es ety emphasized, enables large and small holes to be drilled simultaneously at the correct rates, as well as provid- neutral position for such spindles as may not be All of the spindles have a 2-in. vertical adjust- compensate for tools of different lengths or wear of the tools. The maximum center dis- the diameter of the spindle plus 1/16 in., , it is pointed out, enables holes to be drilled very se together. An adjustment for the drill spindles on either side of the center line of the rail in- eases the drilling area to cover a space equal to the gth of the rail and 6 in. in width. The spot facing tachment, which is a new feature on the company’s e of multiple-spindle drilling and tapping machines, mits multiple spot facing to be done. "he machine at the left of the accompanying illus- tion 1s equipped with rails either 24 or 36 in. long, former being bored for a maximum of 12 spindles the latter for 16. There are six speed changes, ging from 363 to 1188 r.p.m., which may be ob- ‘ined as six single speeds or as three double ones in hich the ratio of the low to the high is 1 to 2. A box located at the top of the machine provides for ree different rates ranging from 1 to 6 in. per min. lling capacity of the machine is 12 holes, % in. meter, or equivalent in cast iron or the same of %-in. cored holes. The machine is driven ee-step cone pulley mounted on roller bearings, ntershaft speed being 600 r.p.m. The maximum from the top of the table to the bottom of spindles is 31 in., while from the top of the the bottom of the spindles the distance is 49 in. e has a working surface of 20 x 40 in. and ne weighs 4200 Ib. nachine in the center is equipped with rails 26 . al THE IRON AGE 31] and 32 in. in length and bored for either six or eight spindles respectively. This machine will drill eight l-in. holes in cast iron or the same number of 2%-in cored holes. It is provided with a 20 x 30 x 32-in box tab!e or with an adjustable one measuring 29 x 42 in. The weight of this machine is 7500 Ib. The machine at the right is similar to the one in the middle but is heavier, weighing 10,000 Ib. The rails for this machine are 32 and 40 in. long and have 8 and 12 spindles respectively The capacity of this machine is 12 holes, as compared with 8 for the middle Spindle Arrangements with Independent Speed Changes for Each Spindle Can Be Fu for These fultiy Spindle Drilling and Tapping Machines as t f machine. Both machines have six feed changes which are independent of the speeds and range from % to 4% in. per min. The number of speeds is the same, ranging from 128 to 525 r.p.m. These can also be ob tained as either single or double speeds Machinists’ Screwdriver with Square Shank A special form of machinists’ screwdriver has been placed on the market by the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Com pany, Southington, Conn. The distinctive feature is the square shank that enables a wrench to be employed in turning heavy screws. The tool is of the maker’s standard Solbar construction, and is designed for heavy work in machine shops and garages, a single bar of specially tempered screwdriver steel forming both the shank and the handle. Pneumatic tamping outfits have been adopted by the Lehigh Valley Railroad for packing its rock ballast. Each unit, consisting of four tampers and an air com- pressor driven by a gasoline engine, is mounted on a self-propelled flat car. The lower end of the tamping bar remains in contact with the ballast, while the upper end is subjected to a rapid succession of hammer blows Road bed is laid by this method twice as fast as by hand, it is stated, and shows but one-third the usual amount of settlement. The Kilby Car & Foundry Company, Anniston, Ala.., is building a 10-in. straight-train motor-driven rolling mill of 40 tons a day capacity. It will add the manu facture of mine and logging cars to its lines. eg ee nt en . ) i f tion and Shrinkage—Unfairness of Test Bars BY DR. RICHARD MOLDENKE NE of the little-known characteristics of cast iron, which nevertheless has an important bearing on results where accuracy in machining is essential, is the ability of this material to ease up internal strains when allowed to remain quiescent for a more or less extended period of time. It seems as if the molecules in such a casting, by virtue of their “mobility,” can adjust their relative positions to an extent sufficient to overcome some of the existing stresses. The following instance will, perhaps, give a fair idea of the condition a casting may be in when just shaken out of the sand. A very large sheave-wheel, after shaking out, was taken outdoors to be cleaned and made ready for turning up. It was leaned agains the side of the building, but before much could be done an arm tore apart with a loud report. Investi gation showed that the sun had been shining on the upper rim, thus adding a slight strain to those already existing within the arm and thus overbalancing the strength of the metal in tension. Had this sheave been kept under cover for a while, or at least until machined, the strains would have eased off sufficiently and allowed the sun to look upon it without disaster. It will not be necessary to multiply examples. Every engineer knows the danger of water-hammer in pipe lines, particularly if the latter are of cast iron. Every mechanic knows, or should know, that it is not good to strike a fitting that is under steam pressure Difference Between Contraction and Shrinkage As to the “internal strains” in castings, or the s called “casting strains” we hear so much about, we all know that to get a casting reasonably true to the dimensions wanted requires a slightly larger pattern The usual allowance for gray iron is % in. to the foot (1 ecm. per meter) and % in. to the foot (2 cm. per meter) for white iron (all dimensions). This redu tion in length, breadth and thickness in a casting is erroneously called “shrinkage.” It should be called “contraction,” as for practical purposes it is simply the difference in dimensions of the casting red-hot and cold. In fact, it is really a “volumnar” contraction, and takes place after the metal has set. The real “shrinkage” covers an entirely different situation. When a casting is poorly designed—thick and thin parts adjoining without special need—and in pouring the mold it is impossible to feed properly, the thinner sections set more quickly than the thick ones and may leave the latter without means of draw ing in liquid metal to compensate for the reductio1 in volume in the act of setting. As the metal sets against the mold walls first, and gradually thickens from the surface inward, when the influx of fresh sup plies is stopped there results a void in the center, or at least a spongy portion. This is “shrinkage,” and can be seen more particularly in white iron, by reason of its greater reduction in volume from liquid to solid form, apart from the final contraction from red heat to ordi- nary temperatures. The favorite places for such “shrinkage” are at abrupt angles, in thick parts ad- joining thin ones, in the rims of flywheels, hubs of pulleys, at the flanges of cylinders, ete. The correction of the trouble is not germane to this article. It will be seen from the above that there are really two kinds of reduction in volume to be reckoned with: First, that due to the change from the liquid to = solid state; second, the reduction in volume afte setting until ordinary temperatures have been ioniank The first, often called “interior shrinkage,” is a rather *From a paper to be presented at the February meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, New York The author is a consulting metallurgist, Watchung, N. J The Seasoning of Iron Castings’ Advantage and Importance of Storing to Remove Final Strains — Difference Between Contrac- 312 serious thing. The specific gravity of molte: about 6.65, and does not vary widely from th whether the metal on setting is gray or white ture—all the carbon being combined when in the n state. On setting, however, if gray iron res specific gravity will be over 6.8, and if white in 7.8—the formation of graphite in the stru counting for the comparatively moderate in the case of gray iron. In an average cast ii 7.5 specific gravity, the increase in density 9 per cent—which means a very big de volume for equal weights of molten and so This situation nace for the quantities of metal that have to be added to a mold after p full in the first place, and in the case of ngs—particularly when of white iron—for thi haped sprue left in the pouring basin or gat Contrast this with the eventual reduction after setting. Here we have a linear reductio1 1 per cent in every direction, or say a 1-in. ¢ from a cube the sides of which are 100 in. ea infinitesimal accomplishment as against the real n shrinkage. [It stands to reason that if the metal in setting has the power to pull apart whatever liquid materia may remain after feeding has stopped, and thus give large spongy parts in the interior of a casting, ther must have been set up powerful strains which affect the strength injuriously. This is apart from the re. duction of strength in the material for the section self. In other words, not only will the metal have smaller tensile strength because of the spongy natur of part of the section, but the interior strains counte balance part of the tensile strength that is avail This situation is intensified by the fact that metal in setting does so far more quickly at the m surface than in the interior—the cold sand walls ¢ drav ing away the heat from the molten iron more quick) at the beginning of the setting process than later wher this heat has to travel through a more or less th shell of metal already set. The consequence is a highe percentage of combined carbon at the surface than i! the interior of the casting. In the extreme case—tl of chilling the surface—we have a white iron surf and a gray iron interior. The relative change pecific gravities of the same molten iron turned two extreme forms of iron as cast will indi iins there must be within the casting in qui to the differences in volume which the two metals wa! to occupy when set but cannot properly occupy on count of the quickness of the setting action. Finally come the strains due to the cont the set material until ordinary temperatures ha reached. This has been stated as % in. to the foot rray iron (about 1 per cent), and % in. to the foot white iron (about 2 per cent). In large castings this very serious. Suppose, in the case of a big fi the rim sets fast enough to hold the much co as in one set of jaws of a testing machine, the hud- held by the arms on the other side of the wheel— ing the other set of jaws. Surely the arm in wanting to reduce in length % in. to the foot (1 cm. per meter must be under a terrific strain if not allowed to 05 In the case of white iron the situation is much wor such castings as handbrake wheels (subsequently nealed for malleable castings) snapping apart when allowed to cool in the sand in the ordinary w2y- ~ a work must be shaken out as quickly as set, take! special ovens and allowed to cool down very gradue Sufficient has been said to make the case of cast look very weak. Fortunately, there are two phenom which help to overcome some of the injurious strain en a February 1, 1917 The first is the fact that cast iron—particu- y cast iron—in the act of setting (between | solid) can be stretched. The second is the ntioned “seasoning” or easing up of the r