The Iron Age 1919-07-17: Vol 104 Iss 3

New York, July 17, 1919 ESTABLISHED 1855 Evolution of the Lynite Laboratories Plant Notable for its Scope and Extensive Equipment for Conducting Research and Experimental Work in Aluminum Alloys EGINNING in a small way, the Aluminum B castings Co. in 1915 established at Cleveland a laboratory for special research and the devel- opment of aluminum alloys, particularly those adapt- able to the automotive and airplane fields. From a single room in charge of one man it has expanded until it is an institution termed the Lynite labora- tories, cecupies 22,000 sq. ft. in a brick building 75 x 213 ft., and is notable because of its layout and comprehensive organization. Over part of the build ing is a second story which is devoted to the admin- istrative offices of the various sections. The labora- The Channel f the Room of the th rear e tests the Floor conserved by mometer for Construction Foor in ynamics space is ead loca tory staff includes about 100 trained specialists. In addition to the space of the laboratory building, a large section of the company’s new aluminum foun- dry in Cleveland is being equipped for use as an experimental foundry. This foundry, and the one ing erected in Detroit, by reason of their size ind complete equipment, will be notable additions to the aluminum foundries of the country. They will ave a combined capacity of 120,000 lb. of castings per day. The general organization of the laboratories is ‘id out to include research along purely scientific nes in the arts of alloying and fabricating non- ‘rrous metals, the adaptation of this scientific nowledge by means of experiments and develop- ent methods, and the scientific control of foundry La tion of j ; its. practice to secure the desired resu hensive of the reproduction of the organizat The compre shown in the The scope favorable comment United States, and the Insti- scope laboratories is ion chart. of the plan has met with much from research authorities in the Dr. Walter Rosenhain, vice-president of tute of Metals of Great Britain, urged the adoption by the British non-ferrous metal industries of a research plan identical to if the Lynite laboratories, and it announced that the British Government has just voted to place at the disposal! of industrial research £1,000,000 sterling. recently that « i! hor 3ed atus ‘rovides a f the appar 1 tie th Leng and Alden absorption « is show! n the foreground The alloy generally used as a standard in this country for making motor car castings has a copper content of about 8 per cent, and 92 per cent alumi num. The castings made from this alloy have a tensile strength of from 14,000 to 20,000 lb. per sq. in., and an elongation of about 1.5 per cent. In addition to this alloy a number of other alloys con- sisting of various percentages of aluminum, copper and other metals, have been made and standardized The tensile strength, hardness and other properties of the alloy vary accordingly. In each case, how- ever, the question of the ease of casting, nature of the design and use of the finished product determine the alloy to be used. Under the plan of conducting the laboratory work each member of the staff is free to express his ideas, 149 Semmes stirs oye ey 150 THE IRON AGE July 17, 1919 Foreground in the Metallographic Laboratory Is a Pre« ve The misconstructure of aluminum alloys is studie pecimen is polished and etched and then placed on the bench at the left not only in respect to his particular work, but also in respect to the operation and development of the entire laboratory organization. These suggestions are collected, sorted and classified. For a sugges tion to receive the attention of the laboratory staff it must become a formal problem, but before it car become a formal problem it must pass the critica! scrutiny of a problem committee, which includes the heads of the various sections of the laboratories, as well as executives of the company. After an idea is made a formal problem, its status is de- termined. All existing information bearing on the problem in any way is systematically collected, lassified and studied. When this has been done, the problem may be thrown into the discard. If not, it is labeled “urgent,” “important” or “com mon” and assigned to its particular section or sec tions for investigation. The laboratory organization is divided into three main divisions: Research, development and technical standards divisions. The research division, which works in close co-operation with the other divisions, is divided into six sections, special research, metal lurgy, metallography, chemistry, physics, and tests ision Potentiometer, Having a Sensitiveness of 0.000000 through the metallographer’s camera in the left-hand corne: stage of the microscope The carbon arc lamp on tl luminating the object sections. The metallurgical section is for the in- vestigation of foundry melting practice, and the study of the processes of alloying, refining and puri- fication of metals and alloys. Its work includes all general metallurgical research not included in the special research field, and a broad study of alloy development. The metallography section devotes its attention to the determination of the constitution of metals and alloys and the study of the relation of their thermal and mechanical treatment to their consti- tution and physical properties. The equipment in this section includes a metallographic camera, a large camera for photographing objects at their actual sizes, electric furnaces a Leads & Northrup Co. precision potentiometer for temperature meas urements of high precision in heat treating and cooling curve work, and apparatus for the determi- nation of the co-efficiency of thermal expansion and the thermal conductivity of alloys. The work of the chemistry section, provided for the analyses of materials and the maintenance of standards and particularly of alloy development, is divided into two distinct phases, tests and research. Tests of Fatigue Are Made in the White-Souther Stress : Machine at the Right. At the left are three tensile testing achines and on the bench at the right of the White Souther machines are a Brinell testing machine and a scleroscops 17, 1919 section is provided with two laboratories, one testing and one for experimental work. There guipment for the analyses of aluminum alloys, nze and other metals, and in addition to routine rk connected with research, such problems as cor- on and the action of alloys under new conditions h as heat treating, are taken up. The chemical oratory for testing is provided with complete cilities for small scale research, these including irnaces, hot plates, a blast blower’s bench, balance ym, fume cabinet, etc. The experimental and evelopment laboratory is the connecting link be- ween the chemical laboratory and plant production. his is equipped with meters, tools and various ap- paratus to meet the needs of industrial research vork. Appreciating the necessity for physics research round out the scientific investigations of the A Close View of the 200-Hp. and 500-Hp. Dynamometers Their Respective Control Panels on the Switchboard Circle, the Weighing System of the Dynamometers cale reads the number of pounds of torque at a 63-i! and makes horsepower calculation easy iboratories a separate section was created to study the various problems from this point of view. The juipment consists of volt meters, potentiometers, mmeters, condensors, galvanometers, resistance tandards, Wheatstone-bridges, thermometers, tele- opes and apparatus necessary for making meas- rements. The work of this section is essentially esearch and calls for special apparatus, which is lilt as needed. The tests section includes a test bar and experi- ental foundry and a physical testing laboratory. work of the foundry consists in the production test bars, by which the properties of new alloys studied, and in the study of the effect of varia- in melting and casting practices. Two oil-fired icible furnaces are used for melting, and two s-fired furnaces, one for high temperatures and for low temperatures, are available for experi- tal heat treatment. Either iron or graphite THE IRON arm AGE 151 pots are used with the furnaces. A nitre bath is provided for heat treating. The test bars used are 2 in. in length and 4 in. in diameter, and conform practically in size to the standard A.S.T.M. steel test bar, but the bars are used without the test length being machined. The test bars are cast two in a mold, metal being fed into each section of the mold through two risers. The work of the physical testing laboratory is both routine and special. Under routine tests are classed the usual tension tests by which the yield point is determined, as well as the maximum stress and elongation. Other properties determined are the reduction of area, elastic and proportional lim its and modulus of elasticity, all of which have an important bearing on the use to which the alloy is put. Four tensile testing machines are provided having a capacity of from 10,000 to 200,000 Ib., thus — —— —— _ — and The - insuring tests over a wide range of work. The 50,000 lb. machines will take a test bar having a maximum strength of as high as 250,000 Ib. per sa. in. The 200,000 lb. testing machine now being in- stalled will be used in making tests on large alumi- num castings. Compression, or the ability of ma- terial to resist “push” is also measured in the ten- sion testing machines. The physical testing laboratory contains equip ment for making the Brinell and scleroscopic tests for hardness and equipment less commonly used for making other tests. One test of considerable im- portance in certain cases is the transverse test. The standard bar is supported at two points approxi- mately 12 in. apart, and a load applied in the center. The testing machine weighs the load applied and measures the deflection of the test bars. *apsarife ry “by Pete soe eck mh IEE A ng Nog I es r wae AO A om The special tests include fatigue and impact tests, as well as tests on fabricated parts. In the impact field the Stanton repeated blow machine is of particular interest. It is an English machine, made by the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co.. and tests the ability of material to withstand re- peated blows. The test bar, % in. in diameter, is supported by knife edges 4!» in. apart. A hammer weighing approximately 3 lb. is dropped upon the ‘enter of the bar, which rotates so that the second blow hits 180 deg. from the first. These blows are repeated at the rate of 100 per min. The distance of the fall of the hammer may be varied up to 4 in. so that the test bar may be broken in one blow or require a week or two weeks or longer of continuous peration before fracture takes place. Another testing machine used is the Charpy single-blow impact machine, the application of which to non-ferrous metals is new. The machine is of French design, but is built in this country by Sauveur & Boylston, Cambridge, Mass. A square bar, about *, in. section, notched at the center, 1s supported over a 2 in. span, and a falling pendulum fractures the test bar in one blow. The energy absorbed is measured by the difference between the original energy of the pendulum and the energy remaining after the blow, which is indicated by the THE IRON AGE July 17, 1919 every sample has a laboratory number. A record of the samples is kept by means of a card index sys- tem, there being three cross indexes for alloy sam- ple, number and uses for the material. In another rack are kept 200 special alloys for use in experi- mental foundry work. The development division includes the second group of workers. It is their duty to utilize the knowledge of science and by experimentation to put new products or processes into production. However, the relation between this division and that of pure research, as well as technical control, is very close and often overlaps. The division is divided into six sections—dynamics, general engineering, auto- motive engineering, permanent mold, sand castings and special development sections. The dynamics laboratory occupies a room 25 x 100 ft. Its work consists of theoretical investigation of internal combustion engines, and in particular the study of parts made of aluminum alloys. The principal equipment of this laboratory consists of three Sprague dynamometors, one rated at 400 hp. at 1400 r.p.m., one at 200 hp. at 1350 r.p.m., and one rated at 100 hp. at 1200 r.p.m. In installing this equipment, instead of providing the customary bed plates, a special channel construction was embodied in the conerete floor, to which the dynamometers eated Blow Impact Machine Which Tests ryt chine two or three weeks befor time it the height to which the pendulum rises. It delivers a blow of 200 ft. lb., or the equivalent of a weight of 40 lb. falling 5 ft. Tests of fatigue and resisting qualities of metal are taken on a White-Souther alternating stress machine, in which a test bar is rotated at a speed if 1328 r.p.m. A load is applied by means of a pring balance through ball bearings at the end of the test bar, which causes a slight bending. Each time the specimen rotates the stress is reversed. Thus, a particle which was in tension at the top of the specimen after one-half turn reaches the bot- tom and is put in compression. The load applied is varied from 20 to 50 lb., and the time required to break an aluminum alloy test bar varies from one day to a month or more. Other equipment in the department includes an Erichson sheet metal testing machine for testing the cupping properties of aluminum sheets, and an experimental set of rolls for rolling aluminum sheets. Test bar samples are kept in steel racks, and Material to Withstand Repeated Blows Sometimes a broken, being subject to continuous blows during that L100 per min are bolted. This gives the equivalent of a bed plate extending the entire length of the floor and makes it possible to move the dynamometers to dif- ferent positions or to connect two in tandem so that an engine may be tested, having a power output greatly in excess of the capacity of one dynamo- meter. The weighing system of the dynamometers, built especially for these laboratories, embodies a multi- plying lever so that the scale reads the lb. torque at a 63-in. arm. This makes hp. calculation easy. In this weighing system most of the knife edges have been dispensed with, self-aligning ball bear- ings being used in their stead. The whole system is said to be so delicate that if a 14-lb. weight were placed upon the knife edge on the dynamometer field frame, it will show a deflection on the scale. The revolution counting device consists of two Veeder counters, connected through a gear box to the dynamometer shaft. These counters are pro- vided with a jaw clutch which can be thrown in and 17, | RESEARCH DIVISION $c ENCE | METALLOGRAPHY SECTION | METALLURGY SECTION T SPECIAL RESEARCH SECTION $C. RESEMREM crt ----------_--_--- } ! ' j : i J . al ' GENERAL] =! \ ' FOUNDRY | MSELLAMEDES ' | TEST Aas i ' , ' ! ' ' ' ' ! ' i ‘ i ' TECHNICAL i ; STANDARD i TECHNICAL ' ; CONTROL ' ee ALiOY PRACTICE avai aia ia ek: Gi ee eb ak in a ee. tak. Nene ANALYSIS Organization Chart of the Lynite Laboratories of th to specialized study of aluminum out electrically. The flexible couplings consist of two flanges, one connected to the engine, and one to the dynamometer, and an intermediate piece con- nected through leather disks to each of the other two flanges. In order that the leather may not be called upon to carry the weight of the intermediate piece, this piece is supported on spherical] protec- tions centered in the disks connected to the engine — in } - ) DOWN OFFICE | MEZZANIN | : t (mez e) s | e ’ L f = S A | | F/ y = : : THE IRON Aluminum Castings Co alloys for AGE l PERMANENT MOLD L [DRAFTING [ EXPERIMENTAL | ROOM FOUNDRY 1] \ | neers Poor con SUPERVISION | meow ENGINE ORIG | Malm | MEDALS METT) “ } VE CIA LMSINEL ORE MMS [ STENOGRAPHY MACHANICAL STANDARO FIMAl INSPECTION. SERVICE NSPECTION SETTING STANDARDS Cleveland, Ohio. The laboratory is devoted automotive and airplane purposes and dynamometer. The leather, therefore, transmits only the torque. In connection with the 400 hp. dynamometer there is installed a wind tunnel, so that the engine under test may be placed in a breeze varying from 35 to 40 miles an hour. The fuel is contained in a tank mounted on a delicate scale and fed to the engine by gravity. The air consumption of the engine is measured by LOCKER ROOM QP c SECOND FLOOR PLAN gine 2 eee ee 154 Venturi meters. On its way to the engine the cool- ing water passes through a Venturi meter, which measures the rate in lb. per minute. The tempera- ture of the ingoing water is kept constant by the a thermostat. The heat loss in exhausts is measured in a calorimeter. The work of the dy- namics laboratory includes tests of gears, rear axles, etc., and the equipment includes an Alden absorp- tion dynamometer for use in absorbing power at use of Cylinder A Aluminum "ngine on a Test Box Adioir tl Wi runne and Connected to the 100-Hy ete \ breeze of 40 miles ar hour can } wn past the engine the extremely low speeds, such as is necessary for making tests of rear axles. Two motor generator sets are provided for making direct current. One, a 10-kw., 120-volt, rect-current set, is used for exciting the dynamo- Increased Furnace and Mill Operation Youngstown, Ohio, July 15.—With resumption, July N blast furnace at the Ohio works of the { rnegie steel Co., only five stacks of 25 in the Ma oning Valley remain idle At least two of these are expects o be pouring n etal before the end of July r Carnegie Steel Co. now has all six stacks at the Ol} vorks operating, with the furnace at Niles, Trun County, sti e. No was thoroughly over hauled and repaired. The stack of the Struthers I'w ice Co. is now in the hands of reliners and is not expected to resume until Sept. 1 Hannah furnace at the Mahoning Valley works and one stack in the Hasel on battery remain idle among Republic Iron & Steel tacks. With the settlement of labor trouble at Girard, the A. M. Beyers Co. will shortly blow in its furnace there The Republic company is also preparing to tart its idle Haselton stack Valley mill schedules Republic the Brown Th company is operating all finishing mills at Bonnell this except the 20-in. The sheet bar mill of the Youngstown Sheet 29 for repairs and instal The mill had The Sharon the Mahoning continue to improve. works week bar mill & Tube Co., suspended June lation of new equipment, resumed July 10. in operation for nearly 10 years. started its plate mill at peen Steel Hoop Co THE IRON AGE July 17, 191 meter fields and supplying current to the oth: laboratories. The other is a 150-kw. set and co verts 440 volts, 3-phase alternating current, to 25 volts direct current for running the dynamometer The direct current is distributed through the lab: ratories from a panel placed between the contr panels for two of the dynamometers. Alternatin and direct current are located around the walls « the laboratory, and high and low pressure air out lets and gas outlets are conveniently placed. Ti laboratory is equipped with apparatus for standar izing thermometers and gauges. Four sheets a: used for recording observed data, one being fo records of power measurements of engines, anothe for fuel consumption, cooling water and lubricatio: a third for recording information relative to a consumption and exhaust measurement, and tl fourth for special tests. The general engineering and automotive eng neering workers are closely correlated, but com: under two sections. The general engineering se tion contains a machine shop and tool room equi; ment for experimental and development work. [| this shop special apparatus and machinery is built test bars are machined, and laboratory apparatu is repaired. The automotive engineering section devotes its attention to theoretical principles of! design involved in the evolution of the automobile and to the special brances of automotive design, such as engines and engine parts. In the permanent mold and sand casting sec tions the formal problems, after study and tests in the other sections, are actually put into tangible form, and from these sections the new processes and products go into production. These sections exist as complete departments, with their own foundry) equipment and machinery. As in every other sec- tion of the laboratories, each section is directed by one man and has its own special organization, all supervised by a director of development correspond ing to the director of research, both of whom ar‘ responsible to the manager. The third large division into which the research organization of the laboratories is divided is the technical standards division. Its work is to regu late and improve foundry practice in all the com pany’s plants. Valley works on double turn July 14 and is operating it 100 per cent capacity at its Haselton works. Heavy shipments are being made from the 84-i! and 132-in. plate mills of the Brier Hill Steel Co. The Trumbull Steel Co. is operating at capacity, including two jobbing mills. Reorganization of Ford Motor Co. Through the acquisition of the minority of the stoc] of the Ford Motor Co., Henry Ford and his son, Edse will hold 98 of the stock, while Jame Couzens, Mayor of will retain his interests, amounting to 2 per cent. It is estimated that betwee: $75,000,000 and $100,000,000 will be used to take u} the minority holdings. Up to the present Henry Ford held 58% per cent of the stock of the company The minority interests bought include stock owned b: John F. and Horace E. of the Dodge Motor ‘ Ford, per cent Detroit, has ] lodge, More Pipe Mills Planned The Steel & Tube Co. of America, recently reorga! ized, plans extensive improvements at its Indiana Ha1 bor plant, including the erection of additional pipe mills The construction of a new lap-weld pipe mill has already been started. Rolling Equipment of the Inland Steel Co. Flexible Arrangement of Mills and Accessory Apparatus—An Admirable Motor Room and Turbine Station—How the Plant installment of this outline of what the Inland Steel Co. achieved in the construction of a new int, designated Plant No. 2, at Indiana Harbor, to nable the company better to serve the demand for teel which the war created. In the part of the escription which has appeared attention was given an outline of the Inland’s equipment in 1915, ind to the building of what constitutes an individual teel plant containing 10 open-hearth furnaces, 600- n mixer, 20 soaking pits, gas producers, coal and sh handling equipment, pumping station, and nuch else that enters a modern mill. Herein are given some details of the 28, 32 and 10-in. rolling nills, the motor oom and turbine tation, miscella- neous construc- tion, and the dates on which some of the main units were first put in operation. fe THE IRON AGE of last week appeared the first Features of 40-in. Blooming Mill The 40-in. blooming mill and all accessory equipment, exX- ept the drives nd billet and rop conveyors, ere furnished the Mackin- tosh-Hemphill Co. The crop convey- and outgoing llet conveyor ere furnished by e M. H. Tread- vell Co.; the in- ming billet con- eyor by the Mes- ta Machine Co., Pittsburgh, and the electrical equipment was irnished by the W esting house ‘lectric & Mfg. Co. of East Pittsburgh. A feature of the shear, which has a capacity 8x 36-in. slab of hot, soft, open-hearth, basic eel, is that the first three rollers on the shear inout table lift up when the first cut is taken on he bloom and allow the crop end to drop into a pper underneath the shear, from where it is car- ed away by the crop conveyor and deposited in irs in the billet dock. In connection with the out- ‘ing billet conveyor is a disappearing, grasshopper pe of pusher, which pushes the steel from the le onto the conveyor. It is electrically operated. ‘yond the pusher and billet conveyor is an elec- ically operated billet scale for weighing certain llets in each heat. This is a time-saver, as other- se a delay would be occasioned while the billet 155 The 40-In. Blooming Mili. It is driven by a motor rated at 15,000 hp., but which has attained 18,000 hp. on a peak load. From a speed of 40 r.p.m. in one direction the motor will reverse to the same speed in 1% sec. Was Placed in Operation was being removed from the table and taken to some other point to be weighed. The scale spans the table and the billet is run out on the table under the scale and is picked up and weighed and then dropped back on the table rollers and sent on its way. The building housing this mill and equipment is 60x 920 ft., and is served by 15- and 50-ton cranes. The billet dock, which adjoins the 40-in. mill, is the same length and has the same crane runway span. It is served by two 20-ton and one 15-ton cranes. Between the 40-in., 32-in. and the 28-in. mills, is a billet transfer 120 ft. in length and 28 ft. wide, of the rope and dog type. It con- nects the shear runout table of the 40-in. mill with the mill ap- proach tables for both the 32-in. and 28-in. mills, and passes, in a tunnellike enclo- sure, directly through the mo- tor room build- ing, practically dividing the lat- ter into two sec- tions. Billets to be reheated before being rolled into the finished prod- uct are passed through two con- tinuous reheating furnaces, 19 x 55 ft. This transfer takes place over a furnace trans- fer and pusher connecting the in- going furnace ta- ble of the 40-in. mill with these furnaces. The incoming billet con- veyor, mentioned heretofore, is used in connection with these furnaces when it is desired to reheat and roll into finished product cold billets that have been stored in the billet dock. The 32 and 28-in. Mills The billets are pushed through the furnaces from the 40-in. mill, or ingoing side, and are then dropped by gravity to the furnace table on the outgoing, or 32-in. mill side, involving a drop of approximately 5 ft. 6 in. From this point the bil- let is carried to the 32-in. mill, broken down to the proper size, and then delivered by means of tables to the 28-in. mill for finishing. The 32-in. mill is a typical blooming mill, and THE IRON AGE Spare is also served by a shear. The mill, tables and shear are all motor-driven. Mesta Machine Co. The 28-in. mill is a three-high, three-stand mill, the passes being served by two traveling tables, which tilt on the ingoing side and two, together with one non-tilting trailer table for extra long sections, at the outgoing side. From this mill the finished product is delivered by means of tables to a hot bed, 115 x 145 ft., of the rope and dog type, which extends from the 28-in. and 32-in. mill building into the warehouse. After cooling, the steel is passed through straighteners. The shears used with this mill are offset from They were furnished by the Three-High, Three-Stand Mill, of Which are Served by Travel- ilting Tables On the outgoing 1uxiliary trailer table, and an extra long sections. In circle, e accommodating about 600 will be enlarged to care for about twice that number Pinion Such as Drives the July 17, 1919 $0-In. Blooming Mill are set, the table in which the streighteners passed so that if sections do not have to be through the shears, they can go direct to the bull- dozers. Sections that have to pass through the THE IRON AGE L57 4 Motor Room and T : Command Admiratic The building 220 ft. in length In circle is a unique comparison of the largest ind smalle armatures used I the plant house; one opposite the table com ing direct from the hot bed and the other opposite the shear runout table. There is also an intermediate table lying between these two tables for emergency purposes. Beyond the saws are the bulldozers, or gag straighteners, connecting with the saws by means of roller tables. The straighteners perform the last operation in manufacturing. The mill, tables, hot bed, shears, saws and Mae _. straighteners, etc., were furnished by the Morgan ; Engineering Co. shear are transferred from the straightener table to the shear ingoing table by means of a rope and Swinging Pulpit Over Tilting Tables dog transfer. There are two saws in the ware- A feature of the 28-in. mill is the operating pul a = a ; s ~ # : ’ : a . , 5 F , ; ——_ d ates << ve 6 4 ra gba cee else ae s bs af -— oo Statham SF? Thi ; s -apaci x 36-in. hot slabs. Three of the rollers : ir Which Is an Accessory to the 40-In. Bluoming Mill. It has a capacity of 5 X 90-1 a an oe os in the runout table lift permitting the croppings to drop to a hopper from where it is carried by a conveyor ; “s ae SRY PH 158 THE IRON AGE pit, designed to swing close to the wall of the build ng, and thus out of the way, if necessary, when repairs are being made. The position of the pulpit gives the roller and assistants complete control of Situation. The building in which the reheating furnaces are located is really an extension to the motor room building. The furnaces are not served by any over- head cranes, but the installation of jib cranes at the ingoing side is contemplated. This section of the building is 64 x 240 ft. The 28-in. and 32-in. mill building is 920 ft. long and has a span of 80 ft. between crane rails. it is served by 10- and 75-ton cranes. In the south end of the building is a roll storage with a capacity of 600 rolls of different sizes and shapes. A warehouse which runs parallel to the 32-in. and 28-in. mill building is 920 ft. in length and has a span between crane rails of 90 ft. It is served by two 10-ton cranes. In the south end is a storage space of approximately 16,000 sq. ft. Another building, soon to be constructed will be a duplicate of this and will be used principally for storage purposes. All of these buildings are of steel con- struction, enclosed with galvanized and corrugated roofing and siding, with Fenestra type steel sash. Under both mills are scale pits, which allow the removal of scale at any time without interfering with the operation of the mills. The pits are served by scale cars which are run out beyond the mill and are emptied into cars by means of an overhead crane. Running through the mill founda- tion is a system of traffic tunnels allowing passage HRA) TAY rer unitate veoey lores —__——_ GREE LTO LR pe _— soem 1? =y a I I I I Ps I I I I 2 I I I I I Cm nee ee eres em oe tems without climbing over tables, stock piles, ete. Thi tunnels, of course, have entrances at several points, so they can be entered or left in any of the build ings. Motor Room and Turbine Station Those whose privilege it is to see the moto! room and turbine station of Inland’s Plant No. 2 never fail to express admiration. It is related that four Duquesne steel men, who visited the building, looked around for a few moments, looked at one another, and then, without a word, removed their hats. The building is 520 ft. long, and has a span of 60 ft. between crane runway rails, these support- ing a 75-ton crane. It has a steel skeleton frame work, with brick side and gable walls; a wood roof, covered with galvanized and painted roofing. The floors are laid in red tile and the walls up to the crane runway are faced with white enamel brick. In the turbine station are two high-pressure turbo-generators, each with a capacity of 5000 k.v.a. and generating 2200 volts. These are served by an exciter set. The excitation for the generators |S 250 volts and is furnished by a 100 kw. motor set Also in the turbine room are two 1000 kw. syn chronous motor generator-sets near the turbo-gen- erators and connected up with them. The gener ator-sets are hooked to the supply lines which [u!- nish direct current throughout the plant. In the main part of the building is the 40-in. mill motor and motor generator-set, the latter con- 1 \ sisting of a 3000-hp. induction motor, 45-ton 1 wheel and two direct current generators, each | 150 + <~KeAl €1. ia 1 Tone rom 1 rr ort oT a : foot — OL ae TT | 1 EE TO 17, 1919 THE IRON AGE 159 Bean Straight ere The set is 47 ft. in length overall, and oper- at a synchronous speed of 375 r.p.m. The gen- rators each produce 600 volts and are connected series, making 1200 volts total. The outfit is » served by an exciter set comprising an induc- motor, a constant potential generator and a riable potential generator. Notable Reversing Performance [he 40-in. mill motor is one of the largest in the rid. It has two separate and complete sets of ndings, and is, in fact, two motors on the same aft operated as one. The voltage across each is 00 volts and the two in series 1200 volts. Oper- ed as a unit, it is rated at 15,000 h.p., and will erse from a speed of 40 r.p.m. in one direction to ame speed in the opposite direction in 1% sec. total weight complete is 268 tons and. when ked down prepared for shipping, requires 10 s to move it. The armature alone weighs 90 is, the shafts being 28 in. in diameter. The nection between the motor and mill pinions is iniversal joint, the connection between these pin- and mill also being made by a similar joint. se tend to eliminate backlash. The reversal of mill motor is controlled by means of a drum e controller located in the pulpit of the mill. — The 28-in. mill is driven by a motor which is rated in only one direction, although it can be ersed. It is rated at 7500 hp., operating on 700 The 32-in. mill is operated by a reversing motor " | ij veil i ; ie UL -~ 7 sone ene bse seeesantoeesesuresenansnenecccnntansnnees® Dita | similar in design to that of the 40-in. mill, except that it is smaller, the capacity being the same as that of the 28-in. mill motor. These two motors are served by a separate flywheel motor-generator set, 48 ft. in length, equipped with a 5000 hp. induction motor, 45-ton flywheel, two 1950 kw. 700-volt gen- erators, one for each mill. This also is served by an exciter set consisting of one induction motor, one constant potential exciter and one variable po- tential exciter for each of the two mill motors. All of this equipment was furnished by the Westing house Electric & Mfg. Co. Because of the heat created by the operation of these units, each has an air-cooling system which sends a current of air through the windings at a rate of 45,000 cu. ft. per min. The air is taken from the motor room proper, passes through air washers and dryers, and then through the motor windings and back into the room to be used over again. With this equipment, the air in the motor room is kept, even on the warmest summer day, at a temperature ranging between 70 and 80 deg. Fahr. Also in this building are four motor-driven air compressors, each with a capacity of 500 ft. per min. These furnish compressed air for different purposes around the mill. In Operation by Degrees The new plant was, of course, started up in sections as fast as completed. The first two open- hearth furnaces were started up before any of the mills, No. 13 on July 28, 1916, and No. 14 on Aug. ei i 160 Wa Co Ty. ype THE IRON us out of AGE July 17, 19 ~ the Arm Extending Over The arn the way the Ingoing Tables. when repairs are necessary of three 1076 h.p. water-tube boilers, equipped with superheaters and soot blowers. These are inter- connected with the other high pressure steam lines, which makes the steam producing equipment in Plant No. 2 flexible and allows for considerable economy under varying operating conditions. The boilers are housed in a brick and steel building, 15 x 170 ft., with a wood and corrugated roof. It is in line with the gas-producer plant and is served by the same coal and ash handling system. Other new structures include a roll shop, and a brick and stock shed, 50x 800 ft., in which are stored refractory materials. Miscellaneous Additions or New Work Other operations, arising from the building of the new plant or to provide additional capacity for the old plant, were as follows: A three-story laboratory, 60x 125 was ft., TTT oa YS VNU ee % | re.” aw Za Pe INAZA 3 bn Ams SENN HO8, af 3 i Operation of the 28-In. Mill Is Managed from the Pulpits onstructed to swing close to the wall, th 1, 1916, the first heat being taken from No. 13 Aug. 22, 1916. This was done to relieve the open-hearth furnaces in Plant No. 1, which were severely pressed for steel required in that plant. Other fur- naces were added from time to time as completed, and at the time the 32-in. mill started, Dec. 30, 1916, eight furnaces were operating in Plant No. 2. At the time the 32-in. mill started, the 40-in. mill was not ready for operation and the 32-in. mill was used temporarily as a blooming mill. This was rather hard on this mill, particularly on the tables, j as they were not built to take the heavy ingots which were delivered directly from the soaking pits. The mill, however, stood up very well and a considerable tonnage was thus turned out. The 40-in. mill started March 24, 1917, at which time the 32-in. mill went down for overhauling. The 28-in. mill started in September, 1917. The steam plant of the new steel works consists ; « ¥ ¥ : ke a i & a] i The New Machine Shop and Boiler Shop Building, 86 x 620 Ft., 4 ' Section, 420 Ft One a a es Has Balconies the Full Length of the Machine Shop balcony is occupied by light machine tools, and the other gives access to offices and locker and wash rooms \ pleted. in October, 1918. In this building indled not only the chemical analyses of ore and _etc., but all other determinations, physical and erwise. It is fireproof, and in it are kept all rds as to analyses of heats, etc. It is of brick, reinforced-concrete floors and floor supports, contains an air washing and cooling system. \n additional blast furnace, with three stoves all accessories, was built, giving the company ee furnaces. An additional pig-casting machine, a capacity of 2400 pigs per hr., also was in- led, likewise a skulling and ladle repair build- 83 x 120 ft., containing a 40-ton crane. [he ore unloading equipment was increased by Hoover & Mason 71!-ton ore unloaders. Because of the additional air capacity required hen the third blast furnace was built, it was neces- ry to install an additional battery of blowing en- Building of Fireproof Construction windows and has a skylight 70 x 100 ft crane is hand operated from the floor es. These in turn created a need of additional team capacity and, not then caring to add addi- nal units, superheaters were installed in the ast furnace boilers, similar to those used in con- tion with the open-hearth waste heat boilers. [he coal storage, in connection with the coke int, was increased by a series of coal bins with ‘tal capacity of 4000 tons of coal. The bins were nnected by conveyor with the original receiving pper, an arrangement which cut down the un- ding time of a coal boat by approximately one- In the coke plant were built 44 additional coke ns, these necessitating additions to the benzol by-products plants in like proportion. Also _ was a pushing machine and an additional iching station. A noteworthy feature of the coke plant is a ram nging station for the pushers, which simplifies changing of levelers and rams on the pushers saves time. A coal-thawing station to thaw frozen coal was ted. It is a brick building equipped with an rect heating system, has two tracks, and ac- modates 12 cars. The time required to thaw 17, 1919 THE IRON AGE 161 sufficiently for unloading is from 10 hr. to 12 hr Improvements in Plant No. 1 consisted of the fol- lowing: A 13-stall roundhouse, of brick and steel, one section of which is used as a machine shop. Machine Shop and Storage Building A machine and boiler shop, 86 x 620 ft., served by 10-ton and 40-ton traveling cranes, a building of brick and steel, covered with wood and asbestos tile, was erected. It has balconies the full length of the machine shop section, which is 420 ft. long. On the baleony of one side are located the light machine tools, and on the other side the offices of the gen- ral master mechanic, steam engineer, machine shop foreman and boiler shop foreman, as well as locker, wash rooms and toilets for the men in the building. It is an up-to-date shop in every particular, and ullows plenty of room on the main floor for big work. The building has an indirect heating system and a wood block floor. The company also built a new storeroom, because of an old one having been destroyed by fire. It is of steel and brick, with a wood and asbestos tile roof, in which is a skylight 70x 100 ft. The build- ing is 67x 100 ft., and has two balconies. It is served by a 5-ton hand-operated crane. The struc- ture is as nearly fireproof as could be made, the floors and supports being of reinforced concrete. Contracts to Be Made for Floating Dry Docks Contracts for eight 10,000-ton floating dry docks + he hiil+ , } ‘ ) . to be built by the Emergency Fleet Corporation and ) + sold to private companies are now in the hands of one legal department of the United States Shipping Boar Washington, and probably will be formally ; i and signed within a few days. The docks are to be cor structed of wood. They will be sold to four com panies, which will operate them in conjunction with complete ship repair plants. These companies are the Norfolk & Hampton Roads Ship Repair & Dry Dock Corporation, Norfolk, Va.; Fraser, Brace & Co., 1328 Broadway, New York; the Ramberg Iron Works, Inc Brooklyn, and the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Co., Perth Amboy, N. J. Each company will rece drydocks. The docks will cost $800,000 each and will be approy e¢ ; ive two of the built in shipyards of the following companies: Narra gansett Shipbuilding Co., Tiverton, R. I.; Kingston Shipbuilding Co., Kingston, N. Y.; Atlantic Gulf & Pa fic Co., 13 Park Row, New York, yard at Mill Basin, Brooklyn, and W. H. Gahagan, Inc., Arverne, Long Island. James Stewart & Co., 30 Church Street, New York will build a ship repair plant for the Norfolk & Hamp ton Roads Ship Repair & Dry Dock Corporation, at Norfolk, Va., that will be one of the largest of its kind n the country. Fraser, Brace & Co., New York, also have plans about completed for a large ship repair plant, but details are withheld until certain preliminary otiations are concluded. The Ramberg Iron Works, Brooklyn, already has a ship repair plant and an eg 2 + nounces that it is not ready at this time to state whether extensions will be made. The Perth Amboy Dry Dock Co. also operates a ship repair plant now Considerable machinery and other equipment will be required eventually by these companies for the repair plants Construction of the dry docks will be financed by the United States Shipping Board and they will be sold to the companies which will operate them. One of the problems of the Shipping Board for some time has been to provide adequate repairing facilities for America’s growing merchant marine. The program as originally outlined called for the construction of about twenty dry docks at different points along the Atlantic coast, but this plan has since been considerably modi- fied and probably not over ten will be built. Those mentioned above are all that have been arranged for ¢ thus far. oe i Fa aaa BW 3 ; aOR. Lette oR ae am pp Eien ae “Ae SLR Tt fy OITA CE: | 162 THE IRON AGE CONTRACTS FOR PLATES Canadian Government Will Take Large Tonnage from Dominion Steel Corporation According to an announcement made by C. C. Ballantyne, Minister of Marine, a new contract had been entered into between the Dominion Government and the Dominion Steel Corporation for the delivery within a five year period of 250,000 tons of ship plates at the price of $3.65 per 100 lb., as compared with the contract made in 1918 at a price of $4.15 per 100 lb. Following this report Mark Workman, president of the Dominion Steel Corporation, stated that work would be resumed immediately on the plate mill at Sydney, N. S. “Pending the outcome of the recent negotiations,” said Mr. Workman, “the Government requested us last spring to discontinue building operations, which was nstantly done. Now that the matter is settled defi nitely, we will rush the plate mill to completion, and [ expect that we shall be rolling by the first of January next. The price of $3.65 per 100 Ib. agreed upon be tween the Government and the Corporation is quite satisfactory to us, and I believe it is to the Govern ment.” To the observation that a reduction of 50c. per 100 lb. seemed a substantial one, Mr. Workman stated: ‘That is quite true, but we are facing changed condi tions, *to those existing when the original contract was drawn up last year. In addition to this we desire to extend every assistance in our power to the success ful and highly necessary carrying out of the shipbuild ng policy of the Government.” Other directors of the company expressed themselves as well satisfied with outcome of the negotiations, which had been, as Mr. Ballantyne stated, carried out in the most amicable way. At the new price of $3.65, the contract involves an utlay on the part of the Government of over $20,000,000 or some $4,000,000 annually, and represents a saving to the National Treasury of approximately $2,800,000. The plate mill which is nearing completion will be a large modern one costing upward of $5,000,000 and will employ a large number of men. It is the first mill of its kind to be erected in the Dominion. Mr. Ballantvne pointed out that in addition to the demand for plates for shipbuilding purposes, a large quantity of plate is ised in Canada and is now imported from the United States for the manufacture of steam boilers. passenger and freight cars, and for bridge building. Obviously the Dominion Steel Corporation will be in a position to meet the demands of the home market in the future Official confirmation of the agreement was received by the president of the Dominion Steel Corporation from the Canadian Government July 11. The United States and French Trade In an address before the Chicago Association of Commerce on July 9, Dr. Marcel Knecht, director of the Bureau of French Information and director of the Franco-American Board of Trade, emphasized the necessity of the adoption of new methods by American industries seeking French trade. He said in part: “The way to succeed in France, in South America. n Italy, in the whole world, is to be first equipped with \merican ways, to have the vision which you have, to have quick decision which you have, which nobody in the world equals. But, you must go there, too, with the knowledge of the peoples to whom you are going to sell something. You have to take the French way of doing business if you want to succeed there. You have to adapt yourselves. If the Germans succeeded so well, it was because they knew four or five lan- guages; it was because they sought not to impose a product on a population which did not care for it, but they gave to that population the product which they liked. . . . Business in France is extremely com- plicated. To do business in France you have to know the family, the people, the city, the state, the prejudices of the state or the qualities of the state with which you are doing business, and even when you know that, and when you come to present your goods, sometimes July 17, 19 you are refused if the goods don’t please, but n think that a business man in France does business the quick way you do it.” Dr. Knecht stated that American universities, b ness schools and colleges are not prepared for for trade, and recommended that Frenchmen be emplo: as representatives of American firms in France distinct advantage of this plan, he pointed out, w be the protection American business would deriv: a subsequent wave of nationalism would preju France against the encroachments of foreign busin« The recently organized Franco-American Board Trade, including in its membership J. P. Morgan, Bro Brothers and other American bankers, as well as imp tant French interests, was pointed to by Dr. Kne as an instrument of great potentialities in develop trade between France and the United States. H frankly admitted that French buyers will require | credits for a few years, but predicts that France recover economically much sooner than many Am cans expect. French Surtaxes on Imports WASHINGTON, July 15.—Complete details regardi the schedule of ad valorem surtaxes on import duties : provided in the French law of June 14, have been r ceived by the Department of Commerce. These su taxes are additional to the regular import duties and ar imposed in order to restore in part the same relatiy weight between values of the goods and duties payable which existed at the time the present tariff was adopted A further object is to protect domestic industries during the period of readjustment by restricting imports, th prohibitions on importations having been raised for the most part. The surtaxes apply to the goods specified in 411 tariff items, including practically all manufactured goods. Most unmanufactured mineral substances and metals are exempt. The maximum rates of 40 per cent and ad valoren under the general tariff, and of 20 per cent under th minimum tariff apply to comparatively few goods, but 11 the list are agricultural tractors, axles for railway cars, shafting, manufactures of tempered cast iron, stoves, and ranges and structural ironwork. A larger numbe} of articles are subject to a surtax of 30 per cent undet the general tariff, and 15 per cent under the minimum The majority of articles are subject to rates of 20 pel cent to 10 per cent under the general tariff; and of 10 per cent or 5 per cent under the minimum. Automobiles weighing less than 2500 kilos (5509 lb.) continue to be dutiable at 70 per cent ad valorem with- out surtax, but for those of greater weight, there is now a surtax of 10 per cent ad valorem under the minimum tariff, which in this case applies to imports from the United States. Agricultural tractors from the United States are now subject to the minimum surtax of 20 pe! c