The Iron Age 1920-01-29: Vol 105 Iss 5

ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 105: No 5 Design of Open Hearth Furnaces’ Arrangement of Ports for Differ- ent Fuels, Variation in Areas and the Matter of the Furnace Roof BY A. D. WILLIAMS of the Siemens furnace have beén devised and used with more or less success. The early Sie- mens furnaces were designed for the use of producer gas, which required preheating; later these furnaces were used with various manufactured and natural gases and fuel oils, while latterly pulverized coal has been employed. These various fuels require furnace modifi- cations, mainly in the ports and heads, as only the air supply is f pre-heated. Pulverized coal is only suited for use in furnaces where the ash carried into the furnace with the fuel will not be objection- able. One trouble with early open-hearth or Siemens furnaces was the dirt carried over the regenerators. This was particularly the case when the chambers were located imme- diately below the furnace and the uptakes rose directly from the chamber arch. In later de- signs the chambers were placed below the charging platform and the uptakes were carried up from a cinder pocket or slag 50 40% 20 0 chamber. This reduced, but did not eliminate, the cinder trouble. ‘''8 The carrying power of a flowing stream varies as the sixth power of its velocity. That is, the velocity is the mass of the particles which the stream can carry increases 64 times. The inertia of these larger particles tends to carry them into any eddies where the stream changes direction, but the finer particles will be carried further. The ports must be inclined and the velocity of the flame must be sufficient to enable the making of the bottom. This also tends to direct the flame on the surface of the bath, and the higher the impinging velocity the greater the tendency to pick up cinder, ete., which will be thrown up during the boil. Possibly the best illustration of the action of the jet flame impinging upon the top of the bath may be obtained by observing the action of a stream of water ‘rom a nozzle impinging upon a flat plate. When di- ; NUMBER of different arrangements of the ports GAS FORTS into S Diagram when doubled, of __. “Copyrighted 1920, by A. D. Williams. The first article, printed in the issue of Jan. 1, discussed the lack of rationale existing furnace design; the second, given in the issue of 5, took up the flow of gases within the furnace. Area in Sa. Ft. Furnace Capac ity, Tons Showing Number of Open-Hearth Furnaces rected at right angles to the plate there will be a circu- lar flare or film of water traveling outward at a high velocity and a short distance out a tumultuous ring of eddying water eight or ten times as thick as the film it surrounds. The distance out to this ring will depend upon the velocity of the stream. When the jet strikes the plate at an angle it will form a triangular high velocity film breaking up into a turbulent eddy at the base or farthest the apex the the The distance from the side from where stream strikes plate. A/P PORTS stream to the eddy will be af- fected by the velocity of the stream and its If for the flat plate a water surface is sub- stituted the action is compli- cated by the fact that the jet displaces a certain amount of two factors: angle of incidence. + sone coe cf Oo the surface water and the size of the turbulent eddy is consid- erably increased. If a second stream of water be directed so that it impinges upon the first stream just before the first stream impinges on the plate, the condition of the of the flame in the furnace will be approximated. The main difference between the action of the two streams of water and that of the streams of air and gas forming the flame will result from the fact that as the reaction of combustion takes place there is a great increase of temperature, which approximately makes the volume of the flame doub‘e that of the reacting gases. A study of the effect of the velocities of the two streams upon their mixing will reveal many interesting facts, particularly if the streams are colored so as to supply a contrast and a third color by the complete mixture. The degree of the mixing at various points will be revealed by the various tints formed as one or the other color predominates. The function of the ports is to bring the combustible and the comburent to a point where they will combine in the flame. In the early types of Siemens furnaces there were usually five ports side by side, two for gas and three for air. Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show later designs of ports which were used respectively with the heating ~~ 2 30 © 50 GO formation Port Areas fa 317 ves ™ Bo RC RLS TY 318 , orts of 25-Ton Furnace, at 2SVa Russia chambers shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15. Figs. 9 and 13 were used at the Lissva Works (Oural), Russia, while Figs. 10 and 14 and 11 and 15 were used in American furnaces, the last being the later design. A noticeable feature of the Russian furnace is that the bath occupies about 0.60 of the length of the heating chamber. This gives a space at each end of the heating chamber for the formation of the flame. The velocities of the gas and air entering the heating chamber are approximately the same. The air ports are located on each side of the gas port. This furnace works hot and has a good output. The ports shown in Fig. 10 were designed for use with natural gas, which was jetted into the port at right angles with the stream of preheated air and close to the bottom of the port. These ports were also intended to permit the use of producer gas in case of the failure of the natural gas supply, there being two regenerator chambers at each end of the furnace. With natural gas both chambers were used for air. With producer gas the uptakes nearest the heating chamber were for gas and those further back were for air. With this design of port the stream of gas impinges upon the air stream counter to the current. This would tend to form a mixing eddy at the point of junction. The port arrangement shown in Fig. 11 is that used in many American furnaces. In this design the air velocity is comparatively low, while the gas velocity is from four to ten times the air velocity. One of the reasons that has been advanced for this port arrange- ment is that it forms a blanket of air between the flame and the roof, reduces the wear on the roof and protects the bath from the oxidizing effect of the air. This design of port gives an extremely long flame. The flame is forced away from the port and the ends of the heating chamber work alternately hot and cold. The introduction of this design of port resulted in an in- crease in the length of the heating chamber in order to prevent the flame passing beyond the heating chamber. Then the gas velocity was increased to force the flame to the end of the chamber. Fig. 8 is a diagram in which have been plotted the areas of the gas and air ports as tabulated in Table VII. The wide difference in the ideas of port areas is well illustrated. With oil, pulverized coal, coke oven and natural gas the fuel is piped to the furnace and used without pre- heating. The fuel is introduced at the end bulkhead or : THE IRON AGE January 29, 192: through the sides of the heads. Blue water gas h: been used in some foreign furnaces. As this gas « tains practically no hydrocarbons it may be preheat A few attempts have been made to utilize blast furna gas in the open hearth. It may be done by preheat to a higher temperature than is usual with the ordina mixed producer gas. Regardless of whether the fue! used cold or preheated it must be brought into conta with the preheated air so that the flame formed \ permit the sintering of the bottom, and the heads of | furnace must be designed to obtain this result. One of the reasons blue water gas and blast furna gas have not been considered on their heating possibi ties is the fact that they burn with a non-luminous flan It being considered that to vbtain high temperatures the open-hearth and reverberatory furnace a flame wit a so-called high radiating effect is necessary. By this meant a luminous flame. It is well known that 1 transmission of heat by radiation varies as the diff ence between the fourth powers of the temperatures the radiating and recipient surfaces and a coeffic varying from unity for the ideal black body to a ver) small fraction of unity for a polished surface. tion varies with the temperature difference. Condu Convectio Table VII—Areas of Ports of Open-Hearth Air and Gas Furnaces Reference Port areas, sq. ft Port areas, sq. ft. Reference Number Gas Ail Number Gas A Ton 10-01-—A 2.43 10.12 50-04—-A 10.50 18. 50-05-A 7.66 19 15-03-B 1.07 4.68 50-07—A 5.75 13.8 50—09—A 7.50 13.7 20—03-A 2.80 3.50 50-10-—A 6.60 13.1 50-—-11—A 4.92 14.53 25-04-A 3.25 9.00 50-12-A 11.59 17.72 50-13—-A 12.50 18.0 30—04—-A 4.75 13.75 50-—-14—A 6.80 15.38 30-05-A 3.70 14.60 50-15—A 9.85 16.14 50-16-A 5.62 17.80 35-—01-A 3.4 6.40 50-16a—A 7.00 20.00 35-0la—A 3.75 5.98 50-17—A 10.50 12.33 50—-18—A 8.00 16.42 40—05-—-A 15.70 21.00 50-19—A 7.40 13.30 10-06-—-A 3.5 7.00 10—04—-A 8.00 14.25 60—05-—A 6.75 29.31 60-—06—A 8.00 25.74 60-13-—A 7.74 25.37 ' depends upon the temperature head or temperature and the flow of the fluid. In the early designs of Siemens furnaces the roof difference in go 7 f { | Gas a Air [ | i | | A 7 SA } 4 A | Oas ; | j j 1 Gene tele | alleles mt r = — C fi Kj if a | y j 1 Chamte | Aly he 1 $ : | O@S | i Fig. 10—-Arrangement of Ports, 50-Ton Furnace at Hi stead. This furnace was fired with natural gas but wa arranged for producer gas firing was depressed from each end to the center as shown in Fig. 12. It was supposed that this type of roof en- hanced the heating effect by forcing the flame into con- tact with the bath and assisted in the sintering of the bottom. This type of roof had a short life, as it had 4 January 29, 1920 Fig. 11 Arrangement of Ports on Many American Furnaces. Low air veloc- ity and high gas velocity tendency to burn out and in addition it was frequently damaged when charging the furnace. Its worst defect was that it choked the furnace. Later designers were bit by the radiant heat bug and this resulted in the forms of roof shown in Figs. 13 and 14. It was soon found, however, that this type of roof resulted in an increased fuel consumption and the straight roof, Fig. 15, is now used. Fig. 16 shows a form of skewback designed to pre- vent the wall expansion from interfering with the roof. Twelve-inch roofs are widely used and many American furnaces employ the Orth roof, which permits the use of a repair block when the intermediate shapes burn out. It is possible that a roof with cooling ribs spaced closer together than in the Orth roof would be more satisfactory. It is a basic principle of furnace design that satis- factory results cannot be obtained unless the flame licks the sole of the furnace. It is likewise well known that bottom cannot be made in an open-hearth furnace un- less the flame can drop down far enough to cinter the bottom in place, no matter how luminous the flame may be. One of the hottest flames is that of the oxy-acety- lene torch. Acetylene burned in air gives a very lu- minous flame, but when this flame is supplied with oxy- gen it becomes a blue non-luminous flame. The luminous acetylene flame does not emit an excessive amount of radiant heat to any recipient surface. It is rather noticeable that when the oxy-acetylene torch is used in welding it is necessary for the flame to impinge upon the work, and that the work has a tendency to become luminous, while the flame itself has a very slight lu- minosity, and that at the tip only. The mixer pro- ducer gas which is used in numerous Siemens furnaces derives its heating value mainly from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These two combustibles are the main onstituents of blue water gas. In fact, blue water gas bears a fairly close resemblance to a good mixed producer gas from which the nitrogen has been re- moved. Radiant heat from a luminous flame may also be sidered from another viewpoint. The roof, side walls ind bath are at a high temperature and emit a certain ount of light, depending upon their temperature and missivity. The flame is sufficiently transparent, when e furnace is at a high temperature, to permit of the posite wall and the slag surface being seen. The ed and yellow portion of the flame, which emits the st visible light, is not transparent and is at a lower nperature than the blue transparent portion. A THE IRON AGE S19 smoky flame is caused by the presence of soot, or um- ignited carbon. Soot may be caused by the dissociation of carbon monoxide when this gas is chilled by imping- ing upon cold metal. Stratification is frequently observed in the flame. Cool gases tend to collect below hotter gases. The hot- test gases tend to rise to the roof, where they are cooled. The coldest gases would have a tendency to collect on the surface of the bath, but the jet of flame from the ports tends to sweep them away. Convective currents are rarely appreciated at their true value. A temperature difference of 1 deg. C. is sufficient to im- press a velocity of 0.268 meters (0.88 ft.) per second, and this velocity will increase as the square root of the difference in temperature. This tends to give an angular direction to currents. The open-hearth furnace works very close to the yield point of the refractories, but it is only recently that water cooling has been adopted for these furnaces, although it has been used for years in the blast furnace. Water cooling adds to the life of the brickwork by increasing the thermal gradient through the wall and removing the heat. It adds little if anything to the Heating Chamber with Raised Roof Fig. 14..-Heating Chamber with Raised Straight Roof Fig. 15 Heating Chamber with Straight Roof fuel consumption and increases the life of certain por- tions of the furnace, thereby reducing the amount of time the furnace is down for local repairs, and this means increasing the output. Water cooled doors and frames were used a number of years ago, but the ex- tended use of cooling devices is rather recent. In early designs of furnaces the regenerator cham- bers were under the furnace and the uptakes rose direct to the ports. As a result the upper portion of the checker work blocked up rapidly and its life was re- duced. The first cinder pockets were small chambers parallel with the regenerator chamber designed to dis- tribute the gases to the checker work by a number of PE i Oe a abel aaa OG Sa ie Mloaicee a eo eka ; 9 * = - ao. y ore: te pon a rine it ight etl gli a Mm ai eee ee : ‘ ee tan PT ta en nt itl tee ge ol ahd 320 small ports, and their functioning as cinder pockets was accidental. The way the cinder lodged in them showed the advantage of increasing their size and ample space for this purpose became available when the checker- “ooling FAib- _* Fig. 16.—Skewback Construction, De- Permit Wall to Expand at Top signed to VAE-About 23 “for Expansion Cat : | ke Set atter Poof Ce. j 13 Completed work was removed from below the furnace and placed under the charging platform. The main fault with many of these pockets is their lack of depth. Removable cinder pockets have been devised. (To be continued) CEMENT COATED NAILS Resinous Mixture Used to Give Marked Holding Power—History of Manufacture BY H, A. KNIGHT Approximately one-tenth of the wire nails manu- factured are cement coated, according to R. L. Foster, president J. C. Pearson Co., Inc., Boston, the largest producers of coated nails in the country. Such nails have been given a shaking up in a hot tumbling barrel with a compound consisting mainly of resin, from which they issue with a thin, tough coating which greatly increases their holding power. The friction of the driven nail with the wood melts the cement and forms a glue, which makes fast the nail. The product is used principally in wooden packing eases of all kinds, including boxes, barrels, crates. It is claimed that by their use there is less loss because of broken packages, less loss by theft because of the difficulty of prying open the cases and because of the squeak incident to the extracting of the nails. It is said that but one coated nail need be used for every two plain nails. Cement coated nails are sold by count and corre- spond in number to a 100-lb. keg of standard plain wire nails. Coated nails are smaller than the standard wire nail in gage, and in most cases an eighth of an inch shorter, the average net weight being approximately 70 lb. per keg. Coated nails were invented by Ira Copeland, Brock- ton, Mass., who died in 1915. Prior to their manu- facture in this country they were seen in the United States only when they came in imported packages and were known in Mr. Copeland’s vicinity as French nails. Mr. Copeland noticed that the lumber in which these French nails were driven was very resinous, and upon experimentation found that when the French nails were cleaned and driven into our native lumber they did not hold any better than American nails. He then experimented with various combinations of vegetable gums, which resulted in a patent issued to him in May, 1887. Since Mr. Copeland was a school teacher, and not in a position to engage in manufac- ture, he sold licenses to manufacture under his patent to about 25 concerns scattered over the United States and Canada. Only at Whitman, Mass., however, was any serious attempt made to manufacture and market this product, and this was done under Mr. Copeland’s observation and assistance. In the early nineties James C. Pearson bought Mr. Copeland’s interests and recalled by purchase most of the outstanding licenses. He secured Pittsburgh manu- facturers to make the nails for him, all of whom are now either out of business or incorporated in the Amer- ican Steel & Wire Co. The first attempts at commercial coating were made by using a very complicated machine, also the inven- THE IRON AGE January 29, 1920 tion of Mr. Copeland, which gave slow output and in- ferior product as compared to that of to-day. Upon moving to Pittsburgh Mr. Pearson simplified the process, using a simple tumbling oven, which was later developed by the leading interests in the coated nail business into efficient and speedy machines. Many carpenters are prejudiced against the use of such nails, because they cannot place them in their mouths and because they soil the hands. In packing delicate goods there is objection sometimes lest they soil the goods. Because of their extreme holding power, they are not suitable for house finishing work or cabinet work where boards may have to be taken off for replacement or adjustment. A cement coated nail is of mottled appearance, with blotches of the glue-like brown coating, through which shows the steel color of the nail. The heat of the hands slightly melts the coating and makes it sticky. The growth of its use has kept pace with the growth in the use of wire nails. A recent adaptation was that for the wooden molds for the concrete of the stadium of Princeton University. There are many manufacturers of this product on a small scale in the United States. Some have at- tempted to use paints or varnish, but the resinous mix- tures seem to have been the most successful. Nut, Bolt and Rivet Institute At the annual meeting of the Nut, Bolt and Rivet Institute, held in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, Jan. 22, officials for the current year were elected as follows: N. J. Clarke, Lake Erie Bolt & Nut Co., Cleveland, president; R. W. Gillespie, Bethlehem Stee! Co., Bethlehem, Pa., vice-president; F. H. Mclsaac, Kirk-Latty Mfg. Co., Cleveland, treasurer, and C. M. Best, secretary. The executive committee includes the above named officials, excepting the secretary, and new members of the executive committee were elected as follows: David J. Champion Champion Rivet Co., Cleveland; R. H. Hill, Michigan Bolt & Nut Works, De- troit; O. G. Knapp, Clark Brothers Bolt Co., Milldale, Conn. Other members of the executive committee, whose terms had not expired, include H. C. Graham, Upson Nut Co., Cleveland; W. F. McKenzie, Buffalo Bolt Co., Buffalo, and Charles J. Graham, Graham Nut Co. Pittsburgh. A.J. Eddy continues as general counsel. American Malleable Castings Association Election At the annual meeting of the American Malleable Castings Association held in Cleveland Jan. 14, officers for the following year were elected as follows: President, John A. Penton, Cleveland, succeeding F. R. Angell, Northern Malleable Iron Co., St. Paul, Minn.; vice-president, Western section, E. E. Walker, Erie Malleable Iron Works, Erie Pa.; vice-president, Eastern section, Frank J. Eppele, president Trenton Malleable Iron Co., Trenton, N. J.; secretary and treas- urer, Robert E. Belt, re-elected. Two additional mem- bers were added to the research committee, which also acts as the executive committee. These are: E. M. Griswold, Frazer & Jones Co., Syracuse, N. Y., and John E. Walker, Wilmington Malleable Iron Works, Wilmington, Del. John C. Haswell, president Dayton Malleable Iron Co., Dayton, Ohio, is chairman of the executive committee. The Hooven, Owens & Rentschler Co., builder of marine and stationary engines, Hamilton, Ohio, at the annual meeting held Jan. 20, re-elected the following officers for the ensuing year: G. A. Rentschler, pres- ident; W. B. Mayo, vice-president; Gordon S. Rentsch- ler, secretary-treasurer. Other members of the board of directors are Clarence H. and George H. Helvey. The Duncannon, Pa., plant of the Lebanon Iron & Steel Co. has resumed operations in its 12-in. mill, and is planning an early resumption of work by the 8-in. mill and scrap furnace. The plant closed during the lull in the steel industry last spring. Coal Handling Features New Boiler Plant Crushed Fuel Transported from a Wharfage Storage Basin by Tunnel Conveyor, Bucket Elevator, Belt and Shuttle Conveyors to Bunkers is the largest single tin plate plant in the United States, is located on the Youghiogheny River, about one and one-half miles above its junc- tion with the Monongahela River, and opposite Mc- Keesport, Pa. This plant has always received its coal by river craft. The space available for a new boiler house was limited, and space had to be had for stor- age of coal on account of the transportation of coal by water being interrupted during part of the win- ter months. The undertaking, therefore, not only involved the construction of the boiler house with its equipment, but also a coal storage basin and wharfage. The provisions for wharfage consisted of a con- crete wall built on the harbor line, about 34 ft. high, 19 in. wide at the base, and setting on wooden A railroad track for a locomotive crane is provided along the top of this wall over that portion where coal is unloaded. The coal is lifted from the barges with a clam shell bucket by the crane, and is deposited in a storage basin lying between the dock wall and a parallel wall 85 ft. inshore. A track runs along the center of the basin, sup- ported on a concrete structure, which encloses a tunnel communicating with the outside by a slot running the whole length of the tunnel and lying between the rails of the track. The track permits the use of a traveling crusher equipment which de- posits coal of the required degree of fineness through the slot upon a belt conveyor running the length of the tunnel and discharging into a bucket elevator which runs to the top of the boiler house, and distributes into the overhead bunker by means f a suitable belt conveyor arrangement and shut- tle. The slot through which the coal is discharged it leaves the crusher is provided with gates vhich are only open at the position where the rusher car stands, thus to form a hopper to guide he coal into the slot. The crusher car with the crusher equipment, feed belt and hopper were furnished by the C. O. Bartlett & Snow Co., Cleveland. The crusher is of Ts McKeesport Tin Plate Co.’s plant, which piles. four roll type. The car .is provided with standard railway type motors, the Simplex contact system being used instead of trolley wires or third rail. This arrangement is such that the hopper can always be in the right position to receive the coal from the locomotive crane without requiring the crane to make any extra movements to reach its point of discharge. 3etween 50,000 and 60,000 tons of coal were stored in this coal pocket and on the wharf prior to the coal strike. Under ordinary conditions, how- ever, it is not expected to store over 15,000 tons in the pocket, wharfage space and overhead bunker combined. The coal handling machinery consists of the con- veyor in the tunnel, the bucket elevator, stationary belt conveyor running half of the length of the overhead bunker and shuttle conveyor traveling on a track construction provided for it on top of the bunker for distributing the coal in the bunker. All of this machinery was furnished by the Link Belt Co., Philadelphia. It has a capacity of 120 tons per hr., and is driven by Allis-Chalmers motors with Cutler-Hammer interlocking control so ar- ranged that in case any portion of the device is shut down all other coal handling apparatus in- cluding the crusher is automatically stopped; also the crusher and its feeder cannot be operated until all of the balance of the coal handling mechanism is set in motion. The coal bunker has a capacity of approximately 5000 tons and is built of rein- forced concrete. The reinforcements, gates, spouts and construction work were carried out by the Brown Hoisting Machinery Co., Cleveland. There are 12 606-hp. water tube, high arch, vertical type Ladd boilers, each equipped with an eight retort Sanford-Riley stoker, and Sturtevant air equipment, which includes turbines for driving the fans. The air is led to the stokers through a planum chamber communicating with each stoker through a wind gate arrangement, set opposite the center of each boiler in the planum chamber wall. Sterrit-Thomas lock doors provide access at all 321 Cab Se VP he Rtg hE: ey oS 7 e sale a peter Nia ee — eine Saas ie aber eh aaa »~ ok a a di aeitiaatiee * e. ; 4 i ¢ ry : a | : i ay re es Bi ieg ao. tee : * 1 oe B4 ti 5, ee a sf set gaa a 4 B: 3 } ; oa a F+ ¢ am 2 ?; = y 7, ‘ek a 3 F of o oe ae 4 +; ‘ ; ov : x tes: ee * : may ITE, PRR np toe e, —S Ot eee ong awe sls fe. Be + a: ome mt te: ate ae Se ee cage Aaah enna tna Pasta Ghana ae bbcntnstiemy Mittens Lk Rabie a. renid wala ied 322 KA THE IRON AGE January 29, 192° 7s ae ee ee At | et & | O he l [ aa [ | ! ! i i ! ! i ! ' 1 I ! ' ' 4 L — r 7 j I | ! ! j te ah Jj Sectional View of the Boiler House. The coal bunker concrete overhead bunker. coal to the bunker has a capacity of A bucket elevator brings the coal to the stationary A shuttle conveyor travels on a track A sub-cellar beneath the planum chambers tons and is built of reinforced runs half the length of the 5000 belt conveyor which construction on top of the bunker and distributes the accommodates electric side dump ash _ buggies which convey the ashes to an automatic ash skip hoist at the end of the building ie OG times to the planum chamber and to wind chambers under the stokers. Both planum chamber and com- partments under the stokers are provided with electric lighting. Ample space is provided in the wind chamber compartment for inspection and re- pairs of the stokers and for disposal of siftings. The stokers are individually driven by an in- ’ + closed type Wachs engine and are arranged so that two stokers can be driven by the same engine in case of breakdown. The stacks are supported on heavy structural steel bracing forming part of the boiler setting, and are braced against wind by 4 series of struts combined with the building struc- tural steel framework. The stacks are 6 ft. in January 29, 1920 liameter, and 150 ft. in height measured from the ase and were built by R. Munroe & Sons Co., Pittsburgh. The stack dampers are carefully bal- anced with due provision for expansion and are yperated by means of control apparatus. This con- trol is interlocked with a control for governing the speed of the stoker engines and controlling the wind gates, each boiler being provided with its own individual equipment. All control apparatus was furnished by the Hagan Corporation, Pitts- burgh. Beneath the planum chamber there is a sub- cellar for the accommodation of side dump ash Lf) Bae fl PD J a a age” * tied . wf A AS = These are provided with Baker-Rausch- storage batteries and necessary electrical equipment. The buggies are capable of making a turn inside of a 9 ft. radius, and convey the ashes rom the hoppers under the boilers to a Bartlett- ‘now automatic ash skip hoist at the end of the lilding. This hoist discharges into a reinforced ncrete bin somewhat of the same construction as e coal bunker and located on the same level. The iggies, Lang in is provided with chutes and gates so located nd arranged that the ashes can be loaded either to railroad cars or motor truck. The ash bin and ts equipment was furnished by the Brown Hoist- xg Machinery Co., Cleveland. The ash hoppers are built on cast-iron support- THE IRON Each of the 12 600-Hp Stoker Driven By an En AGE 323 ing plates, lined with fire-brick, and provided with suitable spray pipes. The cast iron construction is combined with heavy cast-iron neck pieces, which in turn support runners for curved ash gates oper- ated by low pressure hydraulic cylinders. The ash gates have sufficient extension beyond the necks so that, when filled with water, a reliable seal is formed against the passage of air into the ash bin. This work was furnished by the Gillespie Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh. Youghiogheny River water is used, treated by the Cochran-Sorge system delivered to the boilers by Epping-Carpenter compound direct-acting pot- valve type feed pumps. The feed pumps and the water treating system are located in a separate building and provision made there for the storage of chemicals. The boilers are equipped with Foster super- heaters, designed for delivering the steam at 125 Ladd Boilers Is Equipped with a losed Type Engine Gallery and stoker details are shown in the inserts deg. superheat. The boilers are designed for 200 lb. pressure per sq. in. The Republic steam flow meter is used, each boiler being provided with an individual meter, also a totalizing flow meter on the main steam line. All of the steam piping, both ee eee ee ee! . “ pabitee PANO AOE A 9 cme > * Se = ential aa TD OOD Se Rt oe eit sen tigers i ! i y } { i ‘ ‘ ; ee “yep ae > tee. * ts ceases saa pit mR ala a tale ae Dials te fe ve) <cselte $ oe * 324 for high and lew pressure, also all feed water, blow-off, and service water piping was furnished by the Crane Co., Chicago. The coal bunker arrangement with its relation- ship to the building construction work and window openings is such that daylight is reflected to the boiler house floor, and the best of ventilation is provided both above the coal bunker and for the space below. The space above the bunker is sealed off from the lower part of the building, thus to ‘ prevent coal dust from sifting down into the boiler house. The ash tunnel is ventilated by flues pro- vided alongside of the building columns, and ex- tending above the roof. The buildings are brick clad up to the leanto roofs and above that point are covered with metal lath and cement. The roofs THE IRON AGE January 29, 192: wee are of concrete, waterpreofed with compositio: roofing. The boiler house floor is about 8 ft. above t} yard level, made necessary by occasional flood The foundation work is all waterproofed and pump provide for accumulation of drainage water from the ash pits during floods. Structural steel work entering into the buildiny construction of boiler house and heater house wa furnished by the Fort Pitt Bridge Works, Canons burg, Pa., and the general contractor for the build- ings was the Lawrence Steel Construction Co Pittsburgh. The plant was designed by and erected unde: the supervision of S. Diescher & Sons, consultin; and erecting engineers, Pittsburgh. New Ferroalloy for Deoxidizing Molten Iron Ferrocerium Has a Low Melting Point and Marked Affinity for Oxygen—How It Is Made and Used NEW ferroalloy for deoxidizing molten cast iron was discussed at the annual meeting of the Amer- ican Foundrymen’s Association in Philadelphia, Oct. 2, in a paper by Dr. Richard Moldenke, entitled “Cerium in Cast Iron.” The author, after stating that while it is desirable to make iron as free from oxygen as possible so as to render the use of deoxidizers unneces- sary, the use of such alloys is not only necessary but beneficial in many cases. In adding such alloys to molten iron Dr. Moldenke said that the best method is to sprinkle the granulated material in the stream as it issues from the cupola or furnace spout. In this way the alloy becomes red hot by the time it enters the ladle and assimilates readily. Putting lumps of the material in the bottom of the empty ladle or introducing them after the ladle has been filled always permits of some oxidation and consequent loss of the usually expensive alloys, as they will float on the surface until melted and absorbed. Until recently the best known deoxidizers were sili- con and manganese in the form of high percentage ferroalloys. Ferrotitanium and ferrovanadium are more powerful in their action; the former is more particularly useful for steel on account of its high melting point. Aluminum is very useful also but unless it is pure it may produce bad consequences. Magnesium and sodium as ferroalloys are still too unknown in the foundry to count. A recent addition to the list is the metal cerium. As it melts at 1180 deg. Fahr., its ferroalloy lends itself readily to assimilation in molten cast iron. The Source of Cerium The general source of the metal is in the Monazite sands of Brazil and India. These sands are worked up for their thorium content (running up to 6 per cent in the Brazilian and 9 per cent in that from India); the nitrate of this metal is used in the manufacture of gas mantles. Monazite sands also contain about 60 per cent of the oxides of the rare earth metals, prin- cipally of the cerium group. This group also includes the rare elements lanthanum, samarium, and neo and praseodymium. In addition there is a small percentage of yttrium. These elements are obtained in the residue from the preparation of the thorium nitrate, and in the subsequent chemical and electrolytic processes used they enter the cerium alloy, forming what is known as misch metal. The composition of this misch metal usually is 50 to 60 per cent cerium, 25 per cent lantha- num and 15 per cent didymium, samarium, etc. There will also be about 1 to 2 per cent iron present. The chemical and physical properties of these rare metals are very similar, so that the mixture as above given will accomplish everything that may be expected of any one element. To separate them, except the cerium, would prove impracticable commercially. While the melting point of cerium is reasonably low, those of the concomitant elements are considerably higher. Th« melting point of the misch metal may therefore be taken at about 1380 deg. Fahr. In actual practice this alloy is further diluted with iron to the extent of 30 per cent, so that the melting point of the alloy as added to the molten iron in the foundry is about 1480 to 1650 deg. Fahr., or well within the melting point of cast iron. The cerium alloy known as misch metal is soft graying-blue in color and quite stable in perfectly dry air. It tarnishes slowly in moist air. It alloys readily not only with iron, but also with nickel, copper, mag- nesium, zinc, ete., and hence can be united with any of these for introduction into the respective nonferrous alloys as well as into steel and iron. When made into an alloy of 70 per cent misch metal and 30 per cent iron, it is known as an exceedingly valuable “pyrophoric alloy” and is used in the manufacture of ignition devices of various kinds, used in safety lamps, cigar and gas lighters, etc. Active Chemically The cerium group of metals is exceedingly active chemically. They have a very great affinity for oxygen, and the heats of formation of the oxides run in the range of those for aluminum and magnesium. The re- sult is the liberation of great quantities of heat besides the scavenging action on the metal into which the cerium alloy is introduced. This, besides purifying the metal before pouring, prolongs the fluidity of the metal appreciably. It may therefore be expected that castings will be softer and more dense, as feeding through the gates and risers is prolonged and the formation of com- bined carbon is retarded correspondingly. The tests mentioned below were made with gray and chilling irons, with varying proportions of the cerium alloy, in order to note the improvement in the strength of the castings as a consequence of the additions in question. Unquestionably the deoxidizing action was excellent, but whether any beneficial results other than greater machinability and soundness can be obtained will remain for further investigation. In making additions to a ladle full of molten iron experience shows that about 0.1 per cent of the element to be experimented with should be sufficient to effect deoxidation, and usually none of the element can be traced in the casting unless at least that amount 1s used. If the percentage is increased the excess of the element in question above the quantity necessary for deoxidation will alloy with the iron itself and may or may not give additional beneficial properties to the metal. Hence in the tests made, the additions amounted to 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 per cent cerium, lanthanum, etc. These figures are based upon an alloy containing 70 per cent of the rare metals in question. January 29, 1920 The first series of tests was with an all pig-iron xture, the analysis of the castings being silicon, 2.70; ilphur, 0.07; manganese, 0.60, and phosphorus, 0.64 er cent. The results given are the average of four indard test bars of 1%-in. diameter in each case: Transverse Deflection, Strength, lb In 2090 0.11 2450 0.12 2660 0.13 2340 0.13 Additions No cerium, lanthanum, ete..... 0.05 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 0.10 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 0.15 cerium, lanthanum, etc... The next series was from a 60 per cent pig and 40 er cent scrap mixture. It was good soft machinery ron, with an approximate analysis of silicon, 2.40; iljphur, 0.10; manganese, 0.55 and phosphorus, 0.68 per cent. The results given are the average of four tandard test bars in each case: Transverse Deflection, Strength, lb In 2740 Additions No cerium, lanthanum, etc.... 6.05 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 3110 0.10 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 3240 0.15 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 3280 0.09 0.10 0.11 0.13 The final series was made from remelted car wheels, giving close-grained iron castings. The analysis ap- proximated: Silicon, 0.55; sulphur, 0.13; manganese, 0.40, and phosphorus, 0.40 per cent. The results given are the average of four standard test bars in each case: Transverse Deflection, Additions Strength, lb. In No cerium, lanthanum, etc.... 3790 0.11 0.05 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 4080 0.14 0.10 cerium, lanthanum, etc... 4190 0.15 0.15 cerium, lanthanum, etc... Bars defective The standard 1%-in. round test bars were cast into cores standing vertically with top pour. The cores were parked in a mold bedded in the floor, the bottom being carefully prepared with crushed coke and a thin cover of molding sand. The sand between the cores was well vented, yet in spite of all precautions, the last set proved insufficiently so for the 0.15 cerium addition, and the bars were imperfect. Effect of Artificial Cooling Chill blocks were cast from each ladle so that a <omparison might be made between normally set metal and when artificially cooled. The results were highly instructive, as the fractures indicated a prolongation of the setting period for metal treated with cerium, as against the untreated metal. It was noted that the chill tests of the gray iron sets showed relatively softer metal and fractures with smaller chilled rims for the treated material than for the original metal from the same ladles. The remelted car wheels gave exceedingly strong test bars, the treated ones considerably grayer than the untreated ones. The chill tests showed mottling for some of the treated metal whereas the untreated chills had absolutely white fractures with magnificent crystallization. The conclusion follows that in deoxidizing by means of cerium, as with any deoxidizer, the purified molten metal is given a better chance to set under natural condition, being relieved from a too rapid freezing action with consequent formation of undue amounts of combined carbon. The metal, therefore becomes softer, s machined more easily, is freed from gas and pin holes, undue easting strains and has less internal shrinkage than where the metal suffers from more or ess oxidation through imperfect melting practice. Other Investigations Verified The above tests, made in the foundry of the writer, vere undertaken to supplement a long series of daily tests at the Chicago Hardware Foundry Co., where a iniformly good increase in strength, machinability and undness of castings was found as the result of cerium iditions. The results at the two foundries are about same. The interesting feature of the analyses le is that with additions of as much as half a per of cerium none could be found in the castings. lently the avidity of cerium for oxygen is so strong after a portion has been used up in the molten tal the balance must have been oxidized by continued tact with the air over the ladle. THE IRON AGE 325 It is one of the noticeable features of the use of this alloy that much slag is taken from the molten metal, partly through increasing the fluidity and the balance from the oxidation products of the alloy itself. The metal cerium and its concomitant elements lanthanum, etc., seem to be particularly powerful deexidizing agents, whereas other deoxidizers seem to have this property limited up to a certain point, any excess remaining in the casting. Canadian Standards Association The Canadian Engineering Standards Association was formed in 1919 with the object of carrying out in Canada for the benefit of Canadian industry work similar to that done in England by the British Engi- neering Standards Association. There is, as yet, no similar governmental organization in the United States, although the Bureau of Standards at Washington has worked along somewhat similar lines to the British and Canadian Engineering Association. The Canadian association’s chief duties are investi- gation and experimentation. The federal government has made a grant of $10,000 toward expenses, the balance of the support being derived from contribu- tions from the different technical and industrial so- cieties interested, as well as individual firms. The members who serve on the committees are nominated by such bodies as the Canadian Manufacturers’ Asso- ciation, Canadian Mining Institute, Engineering Insti- tute of Canada, the engineering schools of the three largest Canadian universities, the railway services, im- portant industrial firms, and the chief purchasing de- partments of the Dominion government. The association has been incorporated as a com- pany, though not operated for profit, and its adminis- trative organization comprises a main committee, with a chairman, two vice-chairmen, honorary secretary, and a secretary. The latter is Colonel Durley, whose office is in room 112, West Block, Parliament Buildings, Ottawa. The various sectional and sub-committees, to whom the actual technical work is entrusted, report their findings to the main committee for approval. The procedure toward the adoption of a standard is somewhat similar to that followed by the National Screw Thread Commission in the United States, in that the actual discussions regarding technical details are carried out by representatives of the manufacturers. The various interests, whether of the producer, the user or the engineer, are safeguarded, since all these parties have a voice in the decision reached. Committees are now considering for standardization such items as galvanized wire, rails and track fasten- ings, wire rope, steel railway bridges, screw threads, steel, machine parts, external characteristics of pole and service type transformers, aircraft parts, etc. The screw threads committee is looking toward the international standardization of screw threads and will co-operate with similar committees in Great Britain and the United States. The sectional committee on steel is dealing now specifically with specifications for steel billets for forging purposes. The committee on machine parts will consider such questions as standard forms for rivet heads, bolt heads, nuts, etc. Further subjects under consideration include the following: Canadian electrical code, standard sizes for mining drill steel and drill chucks; railroad switches and frogs; tooth, sprocket and bevel gearing; automobile details and components; coil chains, etc. There will be few cases, it is expected, in which the formulation of distinctively Canadian standards will be necessary. As a rule, decisions will be largely in- fluenced by the practice in Great Britain or in the United States. This, of course, does not apply in all cases, as there may be climatic conditions in Canada which would affect the situation, as for example, in the making of cement. Because the railroads confiscated approximately 3000 tons of coal consigned to the General Electric Co., Pittsfield, Mass., its foundry was obliged to close Jan. 19. nt the Ama NULLA A CETL ET TUSR EL I AE CAL tN = A NR ct CA I ce ee 5. ow ~ acd wa s cae tied na Sly aie rae | eel an ies ear ON ON a ey ee.” Nba att 4 . i} i se ee re agg eel tine eee ne Re eens 5 comix setae centri hee RT SHS. eG, , € nm ro Sete Te mentions meme ; t 4 ; t } La Regt - gt int a3 } , 4 : ) i’ ts iy om rs : - # Le 3 : ie : : pi ymin i AE cE SB, ~~ ee ee ~ 5 ting o pepo: - OE a a = Soret nde Ft thd Neh Stee ot een er ee ee ve “ate ese Se ee aS 326 ; r - (Baw ha saa SYSTEM IN FOUNDRY OPERATION How to Secure Best Results in Combining Hoist- ing Apparatus With Molding Equipment A means of solving some of the difficult problems of foundrymen who are trying to systematize their work and costs was discussed in a paper “How to Secure Best Results in Combining Hoisting Apparatus With Molding Equipment,” presented by W. C. Briggs, Shepard Crane & Hoist Co., New York, before the annual convention of the American Foundrymen’s As- sociation, Philadelphia, week of Sept. 29. The scheme outlined was intended to suggest methods that will assist the larger number of foundrymen who make a variety of sizes and weights of castings Labor Is Big Problem in Foundry “The question of labor cost,” Mr. Briggs stated, “is more and more becoming a big problem with all foun- drymen and exists from the time the raw materials arrive until the finished castings are loaded. In order to reduce the number of common laborers to a mini- mum, designers give entirely too much consideration to the handling of raw materials, loading of castings, etc., where the total pro rata cost per ton is a much smaller factor than the skilled workman’s time on the molding floor. “This, of course, is not true in all cases, but is apt to be true in the case of the jobbing foundry where the owner or engineer has in most cases failed to find a means for making a layout of the foundry with foundry floors, cranes, hoists and molding machines so combined that they are adapted to handle to the great- est advantage a predetermined class of work. “If, however, each pattern when received is placed in a definite classification as outlined in the following table it will be possible to use hand molding and hand lift where it can be used with the highest efficiency, and hand molding and crane equipment where it will be more efficient, and likewise machine molding and hand lift where these factors can be combined to pro- duce the largest tonnage: Hand Molding Machine Molding Size of Hand Crane Hand Crane Class Flask Lift Lift Lift Lift 1 18x18x6 1—HMHL 1—HMCL 1—MMHL 1—MMCL 2 18x18x12 2—HMHL 2—HMCL 2—MMHL 2—MMCL 3 24x24x6 3—HMHL 3—HMCL 3—MMHL 3—MMCL 4 24x24x12 4—HMHL 4—HMCL 4—MMHL 4—MMCL 5 24x30x6 5—HMHL 5—HMCL 5—MMHL 5—MMCL 6 24x30x12 6—HMHL 6—HMCL 6—MMHL 6—MMCL 7 36x36x6 7J—HMHL 7—HMCL 7—MMHL 7—MMCL 8 36x48x8 8S—HMHL 8—HMCL 8—MMHL 8—MMCL 9 36x48x12 9—HMHL 9—HMCL 9—MMHL 9—MMCL 10 48x48x8 10—HMHL 10—HMCL 10—MMHL 10—MMCL 11 48x48x12 11—HMHL 11—HMCL 11—MMHL 11—MMCL 2 48x60x12 12—HMHL 12—HMCL 12—MMHL 12—MMCL 13 60x60x12 13—HMHL 13—HMCL 13—MMHL 13—MMCL 14 60x72x12 14—HMHL 14—HMCL 14—MMHL 14—MMCL Tag Patterns According to Classification “The writer has not intended to carry this classifi- cation into all the sizes of flasks or depths of cope and drag that some foundries no doubt find it advisable to classify, and will simply outline the general scheme. The plan proposed is to place this classification list in the hands of the patternmaker or the man who has charge of the flasks so that suitable tags or stencilled markings may be applied to the pattern. “Tonnage of castings is very largely influenced by the ratio between the size of the flask and the weight of the casting and the cost of molding follows in much the same ratio. Therefore with a system of this kind, the matter of setting the price is simplified. For in- stance, if a casting weighing 50 lbs. is produced in classification No. 1, the same casting produced in class No. 2 would cost more, and by keeping the cost of cast- ings made by each classification, a table soon could be prepared that would be of great assistance in estimat- ing the cost of making all kinds of castings. “Of course there are many other elements that enter into the cost, but most