The Iron Age 1918-08-29: Vol 102 Iss 9

New York, August 29, 1918 ESTABLIS! ) 1855 vOl 2: No Ht SICK WHeeL Mie Og y, | , “ES oe PAPC a aoe (io a rr Senedd Trot a Sel Large Rolled-Bars FA ouN iat Uk Amaesassoka ca cod eds MONG the first solid rolled steel wheels which the fact that it rolled from a flat slab, and sucl were made in the United States were those wheels are consequently regarded ; not formed, about 15 years ago, from a flat slab adapted to withstand the severe services of reas steel, the blank being punched or pressed into ing wheel loads and speeds. Other car wheels wer‘ st cylindrical form and then finished in a rolling made by forging small ingots or from blanks ill, these being an adaptation of continental Euro sections cut from longer ingot an types of rolled wheel centers, but with integral finishing the tread and rim in what ead and flanges. While this was found to pro-_ tread rolls. ce a good wheel, the material of the steel nat- Recognizing all the difficulties of steel-whe« ally varies throughout the circumference, due to ufacture and the severe requirements of use, E eos ge Rall. rhe Cheese-like Blank Is Sheared from a ht Rew: ind and any Piping or Segregation There the Original Steel Will Lie in the Por- Punched Out for the Axle 491 492 Slick, now vice-president and general manager Midvale Steel & Ord- nance Co., directed his efforts in an _ entirely different direction from that pursued by others Fig. 3—Steel from Nearby Blooming Mill Is Here Rolled Round and While Still Hot Goes to the Slick Shear and produced a rolled steel wheel by a method and apparatus radically different from anything which had been proposed. He began with a standard size ingot and rolled it in a large two-high mill, producing a cylindrical bar from 11 in. to 20 in. in diameter, instead of using a flat slab. He also devised a rotary shear into which the end of the hot rolled cylindrical bar was introduced and slices EDI SSS : Dh Sse s oT k t za, THE IRON AGE A or sections were cut one after a end of this bar, thus producing blanks of any size or weight whi to finish into a wheel or gear blan! drical form. This method of producing a bla: the outer cylindrical surface of whi composition and with the various steel arranged in radial relation. T} devised by Mr. Slick was so novel a: took the place of older methods su slab blanks, short ingots or longer into blanks in machines at th¢ Midvale wheel Johnstown. used The Hot Steel Round to be Sheared Is Brought Up Against | the Hydraulically Fig. 5—The Plan of the Slick Shear Shows How the Two Shear Blades at Left Are Driven a8 from an at the Right USE 29, 1918 her from the Tt cylindrica} placed the olde: Schoen wheel plants I latter was recent These blanks ar to a heating furnace and they are heated gradually sary for the high carbon steel in making Between the furnace and the Slick proper is a piercing machine which short steel punch or mandrel part way into the center of the blank, making a cylindrical in the center thereof, and as this blank is intro. Manipulated Guide at the Lett Were adapted Qt her cylin. rOvides one ne, f 5 OF Unilorm ONS of the rote > all ary Shear J t ASeTUL that t Iein : ising flat rots it eS CU old the and wa Al ald fe. noth } etnods and Ty ip irnegie and + and when the removed to transported aS neces. this re it wheels Luli pre jects a Engine Coupled 1918 he wheel mill, a loose pin or mandrel iously placed in position, is projected ing; and as the wheel is pressed and wheel mill, this mandrel holds the in position and at the same time or portion of the length of the bore or blank. The mandrel remains in blank as it is rolled and is withdrawn are drawn one by one from the fur- ter having been introduced into the ne as above mentioned, are trans- a time into the wheel mill. This r of dies so arranged that the axis lies is at an angle to that of the other ilic plunger of enormous size pro- towards its companion die and an vhich can develop from 1000 to 2000 dependent on the size and to be done on the blank, is pro- ng one of the angularly disposed friction also rotates the companion nk which is clamped between them. is rotated by the motor, thus ro- k and the other die as the other die ird it by hydraulic pressure. The ned and assumes the reverse form the pressure and rotation continue 100,000 Ib. or more is taken up by earings which are believed to be the world. This method devised by Mr. 1+ outs, Slick the advantage of rolling the steel under thus working every portion ressure, THE IRON 493 annular shape. a wheel or other annular shape varies, depending upon the size of the blank and the kind of work to be done, from 20 sec. for the smaller sizes and least work to about 1 min. for the larger sizes with the most work, so that in this manufacture all the steel ma terial of the blank is quickly as well as thoroughly worked. A slight amount of excess material is provided in the blank which is rolled out in the edge in the form of a fin and when the rolling the wheel is withdrawn from the mill, placed in a fin shearing machine, also of Mr. Slick’s design, where the fin is sheared off by ro tary shears and the mandrel is also pushed out and the punching of the bore is finished. In addition to rolling fre passenger, electric and other car wheels, the Slick mill is par ticularly adapted to rolling blanks and automobile flywheels and is especially useful in produ ing solid rolled steel wheel centers such as have been used in foreign countries for many years to which separate tires are applied as noted. In order more clearly to under stand the Slick method and appar into a wheel or other The time required to roll a blank of the blank nto is con pleted, ight, also year Fig 7 The Shear Blades are «%s by Water Sprays Fig. 8—The Bar to be Cut Lying or Longitudinal Roller Is Revol Being Cut 494 atus for rolling wheels and all kinds of circular blanks, a number of illustrations are presented herewith which will be referred to in the order of the manufacture and which will give a better idea of this subject than any written description. Fig. 3 is an illustration of a rolling mill with rolls designed for rolling round bars from which hot sections of cylindrical shape are cut for wheel blanks. After leaving the mill the bar is taken to the Slick rotary shear, Figs. 4 ,5, 6, 7 and 8. It should be noted that the shear-heads overhang and are driven by an engine connected to the central shaft. The end elevation drawing shows the shape of the Other Power Driven Er The Fig. 11 Section of the Hydraulic End Shows the Centeri of This THE IRON High End of the Mill AGE Au st 29, 19]2 eccentric shear-knives. In the ph : raphic illys trations of the rotary shear a rou: ma in place, supported by rollers, read ie ae forward to have a cylindrical wheel }lank ey: th te from by the rotary shear. The round }; . oa stated, still hot with its initial heat as delice lVered from the bar mill. The bar is supported and is advanced forward step by ste; , is cut off, and the cut blanks, in the cylinders, are dropped in a car or then moved out in large lifts by Crane Th rotary shear is designed to cut large bars one in order that all the blanks may be bar before the next bar is delivered roiier 4S es | 4S ach piace OFM Of short DOX bel W and a Quick ut fron MOTOR TO REVOLVE DIE ( oC oo} oo APR ? ih » ‘ A) o ind One Is Hy Electrically drauli« Pressure Driver While the e Mill Shows Also How the Rolling-Forging ( [ u] MJ 4 Ca g 1 SOT WS ee al a} i \S 7 3 = Nh ee e. ar ee LL ees pez - SIS tellin ee SEES Ye > Dy Pree NS ee SS ; - to Start Ret ng Mandrel Mechanism and the Motor to * ygust 29, 1918 THE IRON AGE 495 ; cut size of the bar to : the be sheared, as . 10t. already stated. ut The larger size 2 of bar requires r } disks and knives sa of smaller diam irge eter, and vice ee ged versa. ' ixes A driving ch shaft about 24 L sed in. in diameter is eces ‘onnected to each a of these disks and with their con ped tained knives. The other ends { of the shafts are ne driven by sepa es rate pinions con trie tained in a hous se ing o1 large size, . Fig. 12—Both Ends of the Wheel Mill Have Two A and these two n Shown in Figs. 10 and side pinions are d driven from a each other, but rotate in the same vhereby the disks and knives conform to ti the bar to be cut. ff es of disks are used to cut bars of neters, namely: disks 5 ft. 1 in. diam- n. rounds; disks 4 ft. 9 in. diameter 5 inds; disks 4 ft. 8 in. diameter for , and corresponding sizes for bars of eters, varying from 11 to 20 in. in ind bar is carried on a _ longitudinal, ely driven long roller of large diameter it throughout its length, and this rried on pairs of idler rollers spaced at roughout the length of the frame. The roller which supports the round bar to be adjustable to hold blank bars of meters in proper relative position to ves. At the sides of and above the roller are stationary side guides which contact with the sides of the round tated for shearing and hold it against ment and at the same time guide it ifter one blank has been cut off and ved forward lengthwise for another r is first rolled into position between skids, which are shown in Fig. 8, delivered to the skids from the rolling roller which supports the bar before the shearing operation is positively year connections having shafts with ng actuated by an electric motor. end, forming a blank, has been cut the rotary shear knives, the bar hwise of the supporting roller be- guides by means of a rotary pusher. ted on one end of an arm of I-beam s traversed backward or forward a set of electrically driven pinch sher head is constructed and mounted e on the arm with the bar. ring mechanism proper consists of the tatable disks above mentioned, to which shear knives are clamped. The shafts + ‘ ese disks are provided with means for the housing to move them slightly size of the bar and the wear of the rger adjustments of the knives, how- ade by using disks and shear blades of aller diameters, corresponding with the central pinion connected to the engine shaft, a indicated in the drawings. As shown in Fig. 4, a holder of cupped cylin drical form is provided to receive and guide the forward end of the round bar as it is rotated and cut by the rotating eccentric shear knives. Thi holder is adjustably mounted longitudinally and can be projected or retracted by a pair of hydraulic plungers as shown. An adjusting rod with a long screw end and nuts is attached to the spindle of the holder and projects through the frame so that it can be set to act as a gage to determine the length of the blank to be cut. During the shearing opera tion this holder is maintained in its forward pos tion, and it can be retracted to drop the blank This shear can be driven by a steam engine or electric motor. In order to give a general idea of the large t of this machine, the following dimensions may be noted: The length of the shear proper is about 36 ft.; the length of the feed apparatus is about 60 ft., and the length of the engine shaft or width of the engine is about 17 ft., so that the whole apparatus is about 113 ft. long. The width of the shearing machine is about 18 ft. overall; the height is 13 ft. 8 in. foundation and it approximately 850,000 Ib. In the operation of this shear, a bar, which is preferably cylindrical in shape, is deposited on the skids illustrated in Fig. 8 and rolled into the bounded by the side guides as shown, rests upon the long supporting roller, positively rotated by the electric motor and con nections in the direction of the rotation of the bar when being cut. The pusher then forward until its end rests against the holder adja cent to the shear knives. The shear heads or disks are then rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, as indicated in Fig. 6. As the shafts rotate the eccen tric knives gradually cut into the bar from diamet rically opposite sides in a spiral form of cut, be ginning from the outside and finishing at the cen ter, while during the time of cutting. the bar is rotated both by the shear knives and the frictional driving action of the supporting roller, which positively driven, as mentioned. The driving of the roller support of the is an important feature, especially toward the end of the operation, as when the bar is partially or almost cut off, the long and heavy end of the bar above weight space whereupon it which is then moves the bar ingot reat « 496 could not be rotated by the friction of the knives alone and the cut would be spoiled unless the body of the bar rotated independently and positively. During the operation of cutting the blank from the bar, the cupped holder guides the end of the bar in proper relation to the knives and holds it until it is severed from the main body of the bar. The holder may then be retracted and the severed blank of cylindrical form or cheese-like section drops into a car or steel box below. The pusher operating the other end is then actuated to move the bar for- ward the proper distance for the next shearing operation, and the forward end of the bar slides between the disks carrying the eccentric shear knives. At this point in the cycle the smaller diameters of the knives are opposite each other, allowing space for the end of the bar to enter, and the end of the bar is again pushed against the stopper or holder, this holder therefore acting as a gage. Blanks cut in this manner can be cut exact to size and weight and with ends smooth, and this conduces to the next operation, that of rolling in the Slick wheel mill. The wheel mill is illustrated in line drawings, Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12. Fig. 9 is also a plan view of the mill on a smaller scale, showing the operating electric motor at the left, this motor having a capacity of from 1000 to 2000 hp., dependent on the size of the blank and the amount of work to be done in rolling it. Fig. 11 shows the pressure plunger, together with the roller thrust bearings and one die with the wheel-blank in place and cen- tered by the mandrel therein. Fig. 12 is a cross sectional elevation of the thrust bearings in vosi- tion. Fig. 13 is a view of the discharging end of the heating furnace showing a wheel blank being dis- charged from the charging car which traverses the front of the furnace and is then transferred io an inclined runway adapted to deliver it by rolling into jaws which deliver it to the piercing »res3. In this piercing press a punch or mandrel is dr.ven partly into the center of the blank and the ‘lank with central opening is delivered to the wheel mill and placed in position, as shown in Fig. 1. The blank being in position, the pressure plunger is projected forward and the blank is rolled at the same time by the rotation of dies by the electric motor and when the rolling is finished and the die withdrawn, it is in position as shown in Fig. 2. After the wheel or other annular shape has been rolled, it is transported by a peculiarly shaped pair of tongs, operated by workmen, which is adapted to swing on the power jib crane, as illustrated at the head of the article. The wheel mill, as indicated in the draw- ings, consists in general of large and massive bed plates and housings which are about 40 ft. long overall, including a large steel casting at one end in which is formed integrally the pres- sure cylinder containing a hydraulic pressure plunger of 38 in. in diameter, with a tail rod about 18 in. in diameter. To give an idea of the size of the cylinder housing, which is a steel casting made in the works of the Cambria Steel Co., it may be noted it is about 18 ft. wide, 14 ft. high overall and weighs over 50 tons. The sides and ends of the wheel mill frame are formed of large steel castings, and the thrust is taken up by tie bolts each 13 in. in diameter, extending through the ma- chine from end to end and fitted with spanner nuts as illustrated. The side frames are provided with guides, on which slides a cross-head carrying one of the rotating dies at its forward end. This die is mounted on the end of a hollow die holder shaft, THE IRON AGE August 29, 191¢ provided with collars adapted to rota: cross-head when subjected to the , the pressure plufiger. This pressur: large roller thrust bearings, which . 84 in. in diameter. The pressure | projects the one die forward, is 38 | and is supplied with pressure fron pressure pumps and intensifiers at 30: per square inch, providing a total pre than 3,000,000 lb. for the larger amounts for the smaller sizes of bla: © Within the essure from resisted by about 4 ft. nger, which in diameter & Series of lb, Or me re ire of pn ore S and leas > OF Wheels The companion die at the other end of the sane is rigidly secured to the frame and is {fitted with similar roller thrust bearings, and is adapted to be rotated by an alternating-current motor at a speed of about 100 r.p.m., delivering from 1000 to 2999 hp., depending upon the amount of work to be done. The wheel mill is about 40 ft. long, but inelyg. ing the motor drive is about 70 ft. overall. The width overall is about 18 ft.; the height 14 ft, anq the weight of the mill alone without the motor o; driving mechanism is 400 tons. The particular arrangement of this mill resides in the use of a pair of angularly disposed rotating dies which are also subjected to hydraulic pressure to force them together, the axes of the dies being arranged at such an angle that the wheel or blank is rolled by the rotation of the dies under high pressure. In order to limit the movement of one die with respect to the other, the tail rod of the pressure plunger and attached parts is provided with a large nut and keeper, which contacts with the end of the cylinder casting or head in sucha way as to stop its forward movement at any desired point, illustrated particularly in Fig. 11 of the drawings. One of the particular features of the arrangement is that the axes of the dies, their shafts and the axes of the large tie rods are all in the same horizontal plane, thus to equalize the stresses put upon the apparatus when rolling and to prevent any undue deformation of the machine when subjected to the tremendous pressures of use. The apparatus is further provided with pull- back cylinders, as illustrated, acting under a con- stant pressure of about 500 lb. per square inch, which serve to pull back the pressure die to the open position ready to receive another blank, after the working pressure of the large plunger has been relieved by opening the control valve, allowing the pressure water to exhaust from the pressure cylin- der. In operation, the pressure die is retracted, 4 mandrel inserted in the center of the pressure die and a blank is supplied by a hydraulically operated jaw and lowered into a position central with the dies with the mandrel entered into its central per foration. The pressure die is then projected for ward by hydraulic pressure acting upon the large plunger, whereupon the other die is cause¢ ' rotate by starting the electric motor and the ! tion between the blank and the dies cause 0" dies to rotate together. On account of their ang! relation the blank will be both rotated and rove to conform accurately to the shape of the dies a very short time. A little excess metal vided in the blank, which rolls outwardly on te circumferential edge in the shape of a fin, W"" is afterwards sheared off in the shearing mac! After the rolling is completed, the pressure @° © retracted, the finished wheel or blank is pushe¢ with the mandrel still remaining in its leat is then taken to the fin shearing and pune’ machine for further treatment. This partly finished product is then position on the fin shearing and mandre! enter al IRON AGE Finished Blank Is Mechanically reel ee Te “s hee eee ame = —y =e =a eek yd ah eae f the Machine Shop Turning, Ete. Pumping System Equip- for the Is of as Roll Flange Fig. 14, where the fin is shear, as illustrated, after ng the wheel is rotated about turn, whereupon it comes under a which the mandrel which forms for the axle is punched out. After he wheel is picked up by a pair of rated tongs, as illustrated in Fig. 15, 1 On a pile as shown. general view of the machine shop ; Fig. 13—-The Wheel BI ing Furnace Is C ciently to Receive the Wheel Formed ank from the Punched M andrel Mill Blank fro Has the Circumferenti Rotary Shears and the Then Punched Throug) enter Fie. 14—The Wheel Mill Removed by Hole Is ar -\ equipped and and wheel boring and turning mill which 1 with machine tools adapted to the wheels where desired. Var are shown in this illustration completion. Power for apparatus of the plant pumps illustrated in Fig. 17. One of the unusual product flange 24-in. crane wheel. It is Slick wheel mill with bore, turn face ious wheels flat tread 498 introduced into another special tread rolling mill of Mr. Slick’s design in which the tread and the two flanges are formed. Heretofore, wheels of this kind have had their treads machined out from a rough blank, but by the use of the present appa- ratus and method the tread and flanges are now rolled, producing a better product, it is held, and one without waste of material or unnecessary ma- chining and labor. The first Slick rotary shear, wheel mill and plant was installed a few years ago at the works of the Carnegie Steel Co. at Homestead, Pa., and later the Schoen wheel plant of the Carnegie Steel Co. at McKees Rocks, Pa., was changed from ths slab process, for which it was first constructed and operated, to the Slick process, using cylindrical blanks. Mr. Slick has been vice-president and general manager of Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co. for some time and recently the wheel mill and wheel plant deseribed has been installed at the works of the Cambria Steel Co., Johnstown, Pa., a subsidiary company. The Cambria company also operates what is known as its No. 2 mill, which was brought NEW GUN PLANTS Ordnance Department to Report on Construction —Work Done by Old Factories WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.—Nineteen of the 26 plants planned by the Ordnance Department for the produc- tion of gun carriages and recoil mechanisms have been completed, according to an announcement of the War Department. Four of the remaining seven plants are 98 per cent complete, one is 95 per cent complete, one 90 per cent complete, and the seventh, 85 per cent complete. To provide plant facilities—buildings and machin- ery—for the production on a large scale of carriages and recoil mechanisms for artillery of all calibers, the Ordnance Department has expended $24,837,336. On July 25 the Army Ordnance Department an- nounced the completion of 15 of its 16 gun plants for the forging and machining of cannon, with a total expended or obligated of $74,769,297, including the new plant for big guns being built at Neville Island, Pitts- burgh. Altogether, the amount expended or obligated to date to provide facilities for the production of guns, carriages, and recoil mechanisms, totals $99,606,633. This sum does not include provision made for the manufacture of artillery limbers, caissons and ammu- nition wagons. As was the case with the gun plants for forging and machining of cannon, a new industry has to be created for the production of gun carriages. The problem of carriage production in America was even more difficult than that of forging and machining can- non. For example, the carriage of the 240-mm. how- itzer, the most complex of carriages, comprises about 6000 separate pieces, exclusive of rivets. The carriage for 155-mm. guns or 155-mm. howitzers comprises be- tween 3000 and 3500 individual exclusive of rivets. All of the 26 carriage plants are in operation, even those that took over the production of French models. The building of French model carriages in this country necessitated special arrangements with the French Government, the procurement of French drawings of all parts of the carriages, the translation into English measurements of those drawings, the selection of plants to manufacture the carriages, the building of new shops, the manufacture and installation of special machinery, and even the building of machine tools with which to make the machine-tool equipment of the carriage plants; the standardization of manufacture to such a degree that any part produced in any plant should be interchangeable with any similar part pro- duced in any other plant, and all parts produced in pieces, THE IRON AGE August 29. 1913 from the works of the Midvale Steel & (pp. Co. at Nicetown, Philadelphia, and which ... : “ICN makes car wheels by first forging a cylindrica) blank ; . MIalik Ip large hydraulic power presses and they rolls + web and tread in a web and tread rolling older form. A condensed list of the products mill of the e wheel plant at Johnstown is as follows: ‘on bile flywheel blanks; band wheel flange blanke: bevel roller blanks; gear blanks for bevel, spur an; general mill and railway motor gears: car Wheels for freight and passenger cars, engine and tenjo, trucks made to M. C. B. standard dimensions o¢ 98 to 38 in. diameter; for electric, street and interur. ban cars made to A. E. R. A. standard dimensions of 21 to 38 in. diameter; for elevated and subway “ars made to special dimensions of 31!, and 34) in. diameter; for mine locomotives and cars: for cinder cars, ore cars and other industria] cars: double flanged crane wheel blanks; pipe flange blanks; shaft coupling blanks; submarine signal blanks and piston blanks. Mr. Slick is designer and patentee of the special apparatus and methods used. American plants should be interchangeable with simi. lar parts produced in French plants. Two companies are producing carriages for the 155-mm. howitzer. One of these formerly made steel passenger cars and the other safes. A company which formerly manufactured hoisting and mining machinery is making carriages for the 155-mm. gun. There are three types of 75-mm. gun carriages in production at four plants, of which one is a Government arsenal, one produced ordnance before the war, one formerly manu- factured automobiles, and another one air brakes. The most vital part of any artillery carriage is the recoil system, or the “brake,” as the French style that part upon which the gun when fired recoils, and which returns the gun to battery or position for firing again Cast on the side of the recoil mechanism of every French gun are the words, “Be good to your brakes.” The recoil mechanisms hold the secret of the guns Their manufacture presents peculiarly difficult prot lems. Before the war this country had no facilit whatever for the production of recoil Now recoil mechanisms for the 155’s are being mad by an elevator company and by an automobile manu facturer, and those for the 75’s are being made by 4 sewing-machine company and a Government arsenal mechanisms Work Stopped Temporarily BIRMINGHAM, ALA., Aug. 26.—The _ tne War Industries Board to suspend work on Dam o. - at Muscle Shoals on account of more pressing need 0! materials at work of a more rush order is construed as temporary. The nitrate plant work will be com- pleted in two months and the force there will the! available for the dam on the other side of the ™ The dam will not require iron and steel for a yea needing only cement and rock in the early stag construction. hy orae!l Bu The McLain-Carter Furnace Co., Goldsmith ing, Milwaukee, will install a 5-ton open-hearth furn : in the plant of the Malleable Iron Fittings ©o., Bra ford, Conn., which will be ready for operatio! Oct. 1. The National Steel Products Co., Besser Ala., also will install a 5-ton McLain-Carter ors open-hearth furnace which will melt steel about Oct The steel from both of these furnaces will be usee the manufacture of light and medium castings rnace m¢ Ground was broken last week for the fabricatn steel mill of the Birmingham Steel Corporation, Bit mingham, Ala. George Brittain, acting for the pres! dent, announced the obtaining of options on a? tional 37 acres. addi- 1918 ed Output of Chrome Ore x, Aug. 27.—Despite labor and trans- ilties which interfered with the output in the first six months of 1918, the mn promises to exceed that of 1917 by ent. According to the figures compiled Geological Survey, 26,000 gross tons of romite were mined in the United States, th 42.700 tons of ore of all grades in averaged 40 per cent chromic oxide, re equivalent to 20,800 tons of ore con- ent chromic oxide, that percentage hav- ted as a standard. But these figures do indicate that the production for the only 52,000 tons of all grades, or il be Relow the Die Plates and Designed for Blanking, Pi« during the first half of the year, ye under very unfavorable condi- first four months of 1918, and many ypened until April or May. The pro- . first six months of 1918 may therefore about one-third of the production for suld amount to 65,000 to 75,000 tons ‘re, equivalent to 52,000 to 60,000 tons »0 per cent chromic oxide. from Jan. 1 to June 30 amounted to ns of ore of all grades, equivalent to taining 50 per cent chromic oxide. The s in the chromite industry in California as unfavorable as those in other nsportation has been difficult, particu- from the mines to points for ship- and water. The were put in the end of June, however, and they irther improved during the last half e peen roads market for chromite was very poor March but improved somewhat during and was fairly good in June. The nhromite of different grades have been he large buyers of several score towboats will be it 30 days, according to word received from Washington where A. W. Mackie Mississippi River operations was in st week with M. J. Sanders federal man- ‘ississippi and Warrior Waterways for the which $8,000,000 has been appropriated. nstruction of a fleet nd about seven steel THE IRON AGE 199 Sheet Metal Dying Machine For blanking, piercing, forming, coining raw ing sheet metal, the Henry & Wright Mfg. Co., Hart ford, Conn., is building what it calls a dying machine which was designed by its general manager, D. M Wright. The machine differs radically isting designs in that the driving mechanism is located below the die plates instead of above and the upper die is pulled down on the metal instead of being pushed from above. Finger motions, automatic anisms, scrap cutters, dial feeding all be readily attached to the machine if desired The machine is belt driven, the flywheel being 24 in in diameter with a 4-in. face. From this power is transmitted by a simple crankshaft, although very from ex feeding mec} + aevices, etc., can shaft the Pulling cing, For forn operation of thi any of the substituted. ordinary The trolled by a foot lever for singk e! vork, while a hand lever located near the wheel guard pi de where continuous operation is desired. The upper which is supported on four sides as cor ired with tv in the older design is pulled down on the worl ly placing the dies in the machine the shar of the upper! die holder is set through the top plate and the bolt which draws it up tightened. The lower di fitted to the upper one and the frame ywered that the lower die fits into the die bed An adjustment of the depth gage to the required position completes the setting. To make it impossible for the operator t tart the machine while his hand is in a dangerous position, safety device consisting of a cage fitting entir ove! the top of the machine is provided It pointed out that to get a hand or finger between the dies the cage must be raised, and when this is done the n ne locked against operation until the cag: lowered. The machine may be operated from a sitting or star position, and the dies may be fed fy ‘ ne of the four sides, holes that are sufficient a for the metal to be operated upon to enter, but not rge enough for the entrance of he ( ind being provided in the cage The rated capacity of the machine strate 25 tons, and the floor space required measures 24 in. The over-all height of the machine is 52 The New England Machiner ( , Nev laven, Conn., has changed its name to the New England Wire Machinery Co. 500 THE IRON SCRAP WRONGLY CLASSIFIED Chairman Phillips of Committee Calls Attention of Buyers to Violation of Rules A serious shortage of good heavy melting steel has arisen because of the practice of many scrap yards in picking out the better grade and classifying it as “un- guaranteed low phosphorus.” Therefore, W. Vernon Phillips, chairman of the Sub-committee on Scrap Iron and Steel, American Iron and Steel Institute, has sent a letter of warning to all operators of basic and acid open-hearth furnaces and crucible and electric steel plants. C. A. Barnes, secretary American Board of Scrap Dealers, has notified the members of that or- ganization that this practice will not be tolerated. Mr. Phillips’ letter follows: Due to an attempt on the part of many dealers to assort their scrap for the purpose of picking out the better grade and selling it under class 2 C, and improperly described by them as “unguaranteed low phos,” a serious shortage of good heavy melting steel has arisen. We understand there is a substantial supply of this s0-called “unguaranteed low phos” and “special steel.” Some mills have gone so far as\to encourage this infraction by purchasing material of this character, and it is now neces- sary for us to ask the co-operation of all buyers of steel scrap to stamp out this evil by refusing to pay over $29 delivered for any kind of steel scrap, and for acid furnaces to purchase material guaranteed under 0.04 in phosphorus and sulphur, excepting that specific material mentioned in class 2 C, viz., steel knuckles and couplers, rolled steel wheels, railway steel springs, carbon tool steel and similar steel in quality and character, which will analyze 0.06 and under in phosphorus and sulphur This clause was included only for the purpose of taking care of the specific material mentioned in this clause, and such other material as may run slightly over 0.04, such as shell steel, ship plate, scrap, ete. It never contemplated the inclusion of structural steel or any general run of good heavy melting steel scrap. The acid furnaces have been particularly favored in the establishment of three classifications, and should be able to get sufficient material without the encouragement of this evasion Any contracts which either basic open-hearth or acid open-hearth plants may have outstanding for so-called unguaranteed low phosphorus scrap should immediately be revised to read strictly in accordance with the announce- ment Under no circumstances may a basic open-hearth plant pay over $29 per gross ton, delivered, excepting in those cases where the chairman of this committee has issued a permit enabling them to pay a differential in freight to put them on a competitive basis This freight differential may not be paid unless the permit has been issued, and the number thereof used, and under no circumstances may an acid or electric furnace pay over $29 for any steel other than that stipulated in the schedule Should our efforts to assist the mills in the regulations of this business continue to prove futile, we shall have to recommend drastic action with such mills as may have taken advantage of the reading of this clause, which is clear enough for those who wish to read it properly In his letter to the scrap dealers, Mr. Barnes says: The abuse of section 2 C, which has been improperly designated by some of the trade as “unguaranteed low phos,” has become so serious as to necessitate a warning to the dealers against the assorting of steel scrap for the purpose of picking out low phosphorus or special steel This clause was included for the purpose of permitting the shipment of steel knuckles and couplers, rolled steel wheels, railway steel springs, carbon tool steel, shell steel and similar material of a distinctly low phosphorus char- acter, but which would fail to analyze 0.04 and under in phosphorous and sulphur. It was never intended to encourage the assortment of steel for the purpose of picking out the better grades. There is sufficient low phosphorus scrap to take care of all of the steel foundries, without assorting heavy melting steel for this purpose; and should the dealers continue their at- tempt to secure a higher price for the better grade of steel scrap by making such assortment, it will be necessary for us to take drastic action in specific cases to prevent the continuance of this attempt to evade the price fixing pro- gram. Steel scrap may be sold at only one figure, viz., $29 per gross ton, delivered, irrespective of the plant to which AGE August 29. 1919 it is going. Special schedules have bee; steel foundries, but it does not permit t) any higher price than a basic open-heart oe) ae melting steel of any character. T heayy COAL STORAGE LIMITED Seven Blast Furnaces Out of Commission Action of Fuel Administration WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.—The coal sit out the country is growing more seri But the gravest menace to the Nation’: lies in the continued difficulty of furnish; dustries in the East, particularly the steel induyst with sufficient coal. According to reports made to the War Industries Board, seven blast furnaces haye been compelled to bank or blow out because of a lack of by- product coal, The efforts of the Fuel Administration to relieve this difficulty have so far been unavailing: but everything is being done to relieve this situation, One of the newer items in the Fuel Administration's program by which it is hoped to ease the present situs. tion, as well as to prepare for the threatened winter shortage, has been the announcement of a schedule of coal storage limits for industrial plants in the more vitally affected States. This is a result of the tre. mendous increase in the demand for coal for special war purposes in the Eastern part of the country, par. ticularly for the Navy and transport service, This made it necessary, says the announcement of the Fyel Administration, to draw more heavily than was orig. inally contemplated on the Eastern coal fields, The list of coal storage limits was prepared at a meeting of all the State fuel administrators, east of the Missis. sippi but including the States of Minnesota, North Da. kota and South Dakota, held in Washington last week United States Fuel Administrator Garfield announced the basic policy of the Fuel Administration as to stor. age as follows: “Coal in excess of that required for current opers- tion shall be delivered to plants not on the preference list of the War Industries Board only when it is not in demand for use before April 1, 1919, by consumers on said list, namely, railroads, the Federal! Govern- ment, states, counties, public utilities, retail dealers or manufacturing plants on the Preference List. “In carrying out this policy, allowance shal! be made for differences in distance from the mines and for dif- ferences in transportation conditions which may quire more or less storage at the beginning of winter to insure uninterrupted operation until the following spring.” The schedule of coal storage limits was prepared on a basis of a maximum number of days for which bituminous coal could be stored, in advance, by each of the various lines of industry. Because of the great shortage in by-product and gas coal, the list forbids the storage of this coal by any non-preferred industry, limiting it exclusively to by-product and gas plants and preferred industries. On steam coal the non-preferred industries may store fuel for future requirements, Dv nowhere more than for 30 days. The maximum stor age allowed for any plant in any portion of the country is four months, and that only in the State of Maine tion through. each week war program ¢ the war jp. 1rers The National Association of Brass Manufactu! desires to call attention to the fact that at itsgneetm June 27 it was decided that its members woule ™ supply the little union nut or tail piece that sere into the nose of the bath cock and is commonly ™ ferred to as the hose connection on which the hose 7 sprinkler is slipped over or attached. It is stated ™ many do not seem to understand that this order 's effect. It was adopted in harmony with the conser'® tion policy of the Government, as the accessory © regarded as not necessary. The H. Sofransky Co., Brick and Liberty “_ Allentown, Pa., scrap iron and steel, is erecting aoe three-story building, about 40 x 150 ft., to cost a" $60,000. 1918 rugating and Curving Machines e Tool & Mfg. Co., suecessor to the O. O. New Bremen, Ohio, has recently com- ecially constructed machines for corru- Sheets for Army Shelters Have Corru- und 12% In. Center to Center Formed in Machine at the Rate of Five Sheets per Minute gat helters for the United States Army. The feult be overcome in designing machines of est be described by giving the nature of hich they are intended. These shelters No. 11 gage sheet steel and are corru- by 12% in. center to center. The top the corrugations are 5% in. wide each ire on a 15 per cent angle. After being sheets are curved to a 5-ft, radius on a especially designed for this purpose. T rrugating machine has semi-steel hexagon ape vy cored rolls with cross-ribs running their nt The rolls are drilled and tapped for in- lies which are also of semi-steel and the ire machined out of the solid. The dies the rolls with studs and lock nuts and eys to insure alignment. The roll bear- nze with an oil chamber in the center ved. The roll end gears are of semi- ally eut to allow for a maximum verti- of the top roll without adding to the earance of the gears. An attachment for roll for deeper or shallower corrugations the top of the housing cap, and the oper- the top roll while standing on the floor. 10 ft. high, occupies a floor space of weighs when assembled 85,000 Ib. roll forms the sheets after they have the corrugating machine. It is 7% ft. s a floor space of 6% x 12 ft., and weighs heavily compound geared and is fitted ets Have Been Corrugated They Are Curved f > Ft. in a Specially Designed Set of Rolls THE IRON AGE 501 with a set of large Edgemont clutch pulleys, which per- mit of the quick reversal of the curving rolls. There are four rolls in all in this machine, two being center pressure rolls and one curving roll on each side which is adjustable for any radius. The upper pressure roll is also adjustable to take care of any gage of sheet steel. All four rolls are supported by heavy box-type girders, thus preventing any possible spring of the rolls while in operation. The machine is started and reversed by one lever and hence is at all times under complete control of the operator. Changes in the Ordnance Department WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.—Important changes have been made in the Ordnance Department. Major Gen- eral C. C. Williams, Chief of Ordnance, has named five special assistants who will act for him in the general supervision of the various activities of the Ordnance Department. Col. Guy. E. Tripp, who has been serving as Chief of the Production Division, has been named as one of these special assistants, and has been placed in complete charge of the administration and work of the 11 district officers having supervision over the pro- duction of ordnance material in their respective sec- tions of the country. The Ordnance District Chief will report directly to him. Col. C. C. Jamieson succeeds Colonel Tripp as Chief of the Production Division. The other special assistants named are: W. H Marshall, in charge of all material excepting machine guns, rifles, pistols and their ammunitions and acces- sories; and excepting also chemicals, propellants and explosives; Lieut.-Col. Bascom Little, machine guns, rifles, pistols and their ammunitions and accessories; Lieut.-Col. W. C. Spruance, chemicals, propellants and explosives; and Lieut.-Col. Ralph Crews, matters per- taining to the interpretation of contracts It will be the function of Mr. Marshall and Lieut.- Colonels Little and Spruance to decide all engineering, manufacturing and inspection matters concerning the respective ordnance materials over which they will have supervision, keeping informed as to low points in the manufacturing programs for these articles, and directing appropriate steps by the proper division or divisions to overcome these low points. Lieut.-Col. D. C. Seagrave, in the capacity of secre- tary to the Chief of Ordnance, will be in charge of the main office and correspondence requiring the attention of the Chief of Ordnance and the Executive Section. Major Charles H. Swift is named in the order as as- sistant to Colonel Seagrave. Lieut.-Col. James L. Walsh is placed in charge of communication by cable with Expeditionary Forces and all other confidential matters requiring the attention of the Chief of Ordnance. Mine Workers’ Demands Refused WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.—Although they have had two increases in wages in two years and had agreed with the Fuel Administration that last fall’s increase would remain effective until the end of the war, repre- sentatives of the United Mine Workers of America appeared before Fuel Administrator Garfield on Fri- day of last week, to demand a new increase in wages. As an excuse for their appeal, they declared that cer- tain mine operators had paid bonuses, in violation of the Fuel Administration’s regulation, and that this had caused difficulties in mines which had not paid these additions to the men’s pay. Therefore, they asked the Fuel Administration to order all mines to in- crease wages to the equivalent fixed by the bonuses. This Dr. Garfield refused to do. Just what the result will be is not known, for union representatives indicated that they were far from satis- fied and that the miners would be restless when told of the administration’s decision. No threat of a strike was made. The bonuses which are charged with hav- ing caused the trouble were ordered stopped some time ago by the Fuel Administration. Dr. Garfield now declares that he is ready to take drastic steps to see that this order is carried out. Concerning the possi- bility of an increase in wages for the miners, there is still the possibility that it will be reopened. Modern Practice in Galvanizing Sheets’ Methods of Constructing and Operating Gal- vanizing Pots — Preparation of Material and Costs Some Hitherto Unpublished Facts BY CLEMENT F. POPPLETON soluble in molten zinc and that there is a distinct chemical action of a corrosive nature, particularly at the metal line. Experiments have proved that forged steel and unmachined cast iron have the greatest resisting qualities, in the order named. Further, it is homogeneity more than chemical analysis that decides the resistance. Cast steel gears have been known to corrode out of all usefulness in less than 24 hr. Forged blanks with cut teeth make the best gears in spite of their greater first cost; next, machine molded cast iron with no machine work except boring. Steel cast- ings are useless. i. IS to be remembered that most metals are Materials for the Machinery An uneven motion of the rolls, caused by back lash in the gears, increases the spelter yield and detracts from the appearance of the sheet. Forged blanks with cut teeth are recommended. Rolls must be forged steel, forged very close to size and smoothly turned. These are 8 in. in diameter by 4 ft. 4 in. long, with necks 2!» in. in diameter. Where the rolls bear on the shoes the necks are bushed up to 5 in. with forged collars made a driving fit. These collars wear very fast and usually have to be renewed weekly. Some users leave the roll neck 5 in. and turn down to 2!» in. for the gear shaft, but experience dictates that it is not worth while, as the neck wears from 5 in. to a non-usuable size in, at the outside, two weeks, and then the whole roll has to go into the lathe, whereas the collars can be kept in stock and are only a small lathe job. The rolls have to be pickled before being put to work. This applies to the top rolls particularly. This can be done by immersion in weak acid over the week end, before the spent acid in the pickle tank is thrown away. During use the rolls will require dressing occa- sionally to remove the old spelter, which is some- times burnt into the rolls, and leaves inequalities on the roll. All such inequalities increase the spelter consumption. It is axiomatic that the smoother the roll, the less weight of spelter coating and the better the appearance of the finished sheet. To dress rolls they are allowed to cool and then smartly hammered all over with the ball peon of a machinist’s hammer. This cracks the spelter par- ticles off and leaves the steel exposed. The roll is then brushed with a strong solution of acid and is ready for work again. Rolls can be turned twice before they are out of commission as top rolls. When their diameter reaches 7 to 714 in. they should be relegated to the office of bottom rolls. The life of a roll as a top roll should average four months and then two to three months as a bottom roll. Slippers and back guides are placed _be- tween the housing and the top roll necks to protect the housing from wear. These are cast iron, un- machined, and last about one week. They fail rapidly as soon as the scale is worn through, so a *Continued from page 436, issue of Aug goodly supply of spares should be kept ha Top and bottom chocks for bottom rol renewable unmachined cast iron, th: resting on the bottom of the housing the top sliding in the window and moved fas down by a screw. Two weeks is a fair life. these. Housings in the English practice ar steel forgings in three pieces. The fro) ecg tains an open window for the top rolls. Th piece is roughly a triangle with two proj legs, one horizontal which rests on the ¢ erty pot and the other leg vertical, forming one cid the window for the bottom roll. A forged dists piece is securely riveted between the front 4 back pieces, forming the bottom of the window ¢ the bottom rolls. Guides form a cage leading the sheet fro: flux box into the split of the bottom rolls. thence to the split of the top rolls. These are ro! steel flat bars us