The Iron Age 1922-02-09: Vol 109 Iss 6

THE IRON AGE New York, February 9, 1922 ESTABLISHED 1855 UP Fs VOL. 109, No. 6 Molding Machine Practice Is Successful Even Without Castings Recurring in Large Numbers, the Method May Be Made to Pay—Details of Equipment and Its Use BY PAUL R. RAMP* T is not the intention of the writer to describe any- | thing new or startling in molding machine prac- tice, nor to offer the best methods for machine molding. This is rather the description of a plan whereby an emergency can be met that will net the company profits, regardless of the fact that the number ” Sy tennee anne 32 os eeetereen ee M24" Section D-D lig. 1. Pattern Board for Molding Machine Use of pieces to be molded is small, the patterns in poor condition and badly worn, while one pattern is used for several different parts, by minor changes, etc. It is generally conceded that, unless there is a large number of one pieee to make, the expense of fitting the patterns to molding machines will not pay. And to Secure the best results from the use of molding ma- chines, the patterns and equipment must be as nearly perfect as it is possible to make them. It is also the universal opinion of foundrymen that a foundry which is producing only a few parts from each pattern daily, on what might be termed a jobbing basis, can never be developed into a “production” shop. _ Ina large measure this is a mistake. While it may ve true that the jobbing foundry cannot hope to get the same results as a well equipped production shop, ther is no reason why the jobbing shop cannot work along the same lines, and secure a production equal to 60 per cent of that of the production foundry, rather than 25 per cent, as is usual. are too easily convinced that it will not pay “» m ne mold our castings, because the quantity is small or the patterns are bad. This is our *xcuse for not installing machines, and while this saves _ foundry executives a great deal of worry and work, the npany must stand the loss, because ways and Creek, Mich. means are not devised, as is nearly always possible, to make the molding machine a success on small lot production. The molding machine, intelligently handled, is with very few exceptions a paying investment in any job- bing foundry producing as much as 8 or 10 tons per day. True, there are many cases where this has not been proved to the satisfaction of all concerned. But a careful investigation will often reveal the facts that the method of handling the work. and a desire to hinder progress along this line, were responsible for the fail- ure, rather than a poor field for the work. Any foundryman can successfully introduce a mold- ing machine, and get results, if the pattern equipment and flask equipment are in first class condition. All that then remains to be done is to start some man to operate it. In cases of this kind there are always large quantities to make from one pattern, and the operator will teach himself in a short time. The proposition we have in mind requires work and study on the part of the foundryman. Realizing this, he is often tempted to frighten his employers out of - Joint Side of Flash Fig. 2 Standard 16 x 24-In. Molding Flask for a Jolt Roll-Over Molding Machine the inclination to purchase molding machines, by show- ing them the lack of possibilities in their shop. By comparing their work with the work that is being done in the production shop on machines, he is able to put up a very convincing argument. Consider the company manufacturing a large num- ber of different sizes and classes of machines, where 397 oe em eae ag arses pages eo i peat o> Pt rece ie > . a e Sey ee eek all - oh a Bich - ee: ay . - - So netglnss age “qt ceed eS ghee the orders come in small lots, often only one machine of a kind. This makes it necessary to have many dif- ferent jobs moving through the shop at one time. The question of making a quantity of these different pieces and carrying them in stock cannot be considered, be- cause the investment would be too great. And the plant is not large enough to keep up with the regular diversified demands, and at the same time to build stock machines. To keep pace with the machine shop, the foundry must produce a few pieces from each pattern daily, and often only one. This cuts down the foundry production on each pattern to a few per day. Some of the so-called natural-born foundrymen will at once decide that the only way to handle this work is hand molding. The owner will proceed to fill his shop with men who have Roll-Back Board Fig. 3. made this class of work for the last thirty years, and they will make it just as they did thirty years ago. To meet this emergency with the molding machine, arrangements must be made to change patterns on the machines with the least possible delay. To do this sev- eral things must be considered—the size of flask to be used—the size of machine to assign to this size of flask the number of patterns that will fit into these flasks; and last, a plan that will make it possible to Switch from one pattern to another quickly, and to use poor patterns, some of which may belong in the scrap heap. The plan we have to offer is to classify the work, not as to its character, but rather as to the size of the pieces that can be molded in a standard size flask. Each machine must be provided with the required num- ber of flasks, all of those for one machine to be the same size and style. For instance, a jolt roll machine will be assigned a flask that measures 16 x 24 in. inside, and all pieces that can be molded in these flasks will be produced on the machine where these flasks are A larger plain jolt machine may be provided with a set of flasks 42 x 48 in., enough in number to take care of a day’s used. work. The production on each machine will be measured by the number of flasks or molds produced. The ma- chines using the 16 x 24 in. flasks should easily turn out 60 molds per day, of general jobbing work, with one operator, one finisher and one helper. This will be an increase of 100 per cent over hand molding, and in many cases more. The plain jolts can be worked in the same manner, and will show an equal increase in pro- duction. In making the standard flasks for all machines, the bars for the copes must not be cast in, but, in the larger flasks, provisions should be made for putting in the bars quickly when needed, without the use of bolts. It has been proved that greater progress can be made en a large percentage of the work, with no bars in the cope or drags. Only one standard board should be provided for each THE IRON AGE February 9, 1° 2 machine, this pattern board to take care of all cop< drag patterns used throughout the day. Figure a standard pattern board for a jolt roll-over mo! machine. Our plan does not include the drawing o! pattern by the machine. When this board is used, machine rams the mold, and then rolls it over and posits it on the receiving device. This pattern board is a good substantial board, both ends bound with steel plates for the pin } and to prevent excessive wear by the flasks. The | is provided with three dowel pins, marked BBB, \ are used to locate each pattern. Corresponding hole plates are located in all patterns used on th: chine. Providing the patterns with these dowel p! is all that is required to fit them for a molding chine job, and thus insure a decided increase in duction. A standard pattern board, that permits the u many different patterns, is the foundation of method here described. This makes it possible to a large number of different patterns daily, regar: of their shape or condition. The only requisite is they are within the limits of the standard flask Greater economy could be effected by the use of terns that are in good condition, but we are d with circumstances that prohibit pattern expense. rather than resort to hand molding methods, in 50 years ago, a saving is made in the cost of m which could not otherwise be accomplished. Putting dowel plates in one old steam cylinder pattern Ly amount to one hour’s work. To fit the same job to a board, so that it could be drawn by the machine, would require several days, and probably a new pattern. Figure 2 is the standard 16 x 24 in. flask for a jolt roll molding machine. This flask is made as light as tolling Rammed Cope on Roll-Back Preparatory to Drawing Pattern, or t Closing the Mold after the Pattern Is Draw! Fig. 4. Board possible, as it must be carried to the floor by two men It would slow up production to handle this flask with a crane or air hoist. Steel flasks made after this de- sign are lighter and stronger than those of cast iron. Note the sand strip on the joint edge on the flask, also the slight taper that helps to hold the sand 10. No bars are used, which avoids swells in the castings, caused by soft places under the bars. More speed }5 possible without the bars, and less breakage, ®5 the molds are shaken out very easily on account o! the taper. ; As handles, when cast on the flask, occupy too muca space, and are often broken off, lugs on the sides are used in connection with removable lifting handles. These flasks are not rapped when the molds are shaken out, but the cope is rolled off first, making it poss!®! to lift the flask free from the sand without any "4? } ebruary 9, 1922 y, The drag is shaken out next, as it is in a posi- t pin holes. . to release the sand very readily. We have used a set of these flasks for eight months ‘out one breakage, simply because this rule for <ing out was observed at all times. The round er increases the life of a cast iron flask at least ner cent. The dove-tail lugs on the four corners ised to clamp the cope and drag together, when the ht used on the cope is not sufficient to hold it down pouring. When flasks without bars are used, the roll-back | is necessary, to prevent the molds from falling ackwards. But in cases where very large flasks ut bars are used, that must be handled with a Cross Sechonof "S| Drag Rammed 2Kand Rolled Over 24 Ready for ~ Finsher I Bottom Board Cope _— Board 5. Jolt Roll-Over Molding Machine Producing Work from Loose Patterns a plate is clamped over the top of the cope to he sand in, when the mold is rolled over. The ack board, Figure 3, consists of a smooth board, ime size as the standard pattern board, but with- A strip of flat steel, secured to one edge f the board, extends % in. above the surface, to pre- ven mucn rn ¢ Wicd t the mold from slipping when it is rolled over. On small flasks that must be handled by hand, too time would be consumed in clamping on cope , and the plates would add to the weight that t be carried by two men. For this reason the roll- ard is an important item in connection with oduction of castings in the barless flask. ise the roll-back board, after the cope part of ld has been rammed with the machine, the sand ding above the upper limits of the flask is struck r tT level with a straight edge. The gate and riser pins » helpers, as the case may be. then withdrawn, and a smooth funnel prepared for lown gate. A portion of loose sand is distributed surface, and the roll-back board is rubbed o insure an even bearing between it and the top cope mold. The mold is then clamped and rolled over, and de- n the receiving device, when it is ready to be | to the floor by the finisher and his helper, or The cope molds re- n the roll-back board, while they are carried to r, where they are placed on horses located con- y near the drag molds. At this time the fin- iws the patterns, and prepares the mold for re 4 shows a finished mold being rolled back patterns have been drawn and the mold fin- When the mold has reached a position that e flask at right angles with the horses, the be allowed to drop back, as the mold in this will not fall out. As soon as the roll-back thus been removed, the loose sand is blown gates and risers. The cope is now ready to the drag. the finisher goes to the machine after the mold, he returns the roll-back board to the perator. But each operator is provided with ‘re such boards, to prevent delay, should the © prevented from releasing it promptly, due with a mold. And in using old worn-out pat- THE IRON AGE terns, as is the case described here, very often the fin- isher is slowed up, and then must speed up when he receives the more simple pieces. In reading the description of the use of the roll- back board the question comes to the reader’s mind: “If the mold will fall out backward so easily, what is to prevent the molds from ‘coping’ when they are poured?” Weights must be used on the barless flasks used in this plan, the weights in many cases taking the place of clamps. Figure 5 represents a jolt roll-over machine in oper- ation producing work from loose patterns, at the rate of one or two from each, without the usual delay in changing pattern equipment. A indicates the drag part of the mold, that has been rammed, rolled over and deposited on the receiving device, ready for the finisher and his helper to carry to the proper place on the floor. There the pattern will be drawn by hand and the cores placed. B is the cope part of the mold, which is rammed, the roll-back board put in place, clamped and ready to roll over as soon as the drag mold is removed from the receiving device. As the helper brings the drag patterns back to the machine operator, when he comes after the cope mold, this avoids any delay to the operator. As soon as the jolt side of the machine is relieved of the cope mold, the operator blows off his pattern board, places the drag part of the next pattern on the standard pattern board, and proceeds to make another drag mold. In the meantime the finisher has prepared his drag, and takes the cope mold from the receiving device in time to allow the operator to roll over his new drag and deposit it on the receiving device. These operations are continued all through the day, and good team work will secure a production that is often equal] to the quantity of work made on a machine- drawn pattern. The finisher or his helper returns the cope patterns to the operator when he comes after the next drag mold, as well as any set of gates that may be in use. In cases where the operator changes his pattern, the helper places on the shelf the patterns used to make the previous mold, instead of delivering them to the operator. (To be concluded) Pump Standards Recommended To encourage suitable standards of manufacture and engineering practice, to assist in the development of standard methods of manufacturing procedure and to develop co-operation with the customers of the pump industry, what is known as the Hydraulic Society has published a booklet, “Trade Standards in the Pump Industry.” This explains trade definitions, customs of and terms used in the industry with listings of standard and extra equipment. The society believes that the booklet will eventually be looked upon as giving standards similar to the stand- ards established by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Copies of the publication may be obtained from the secretary of the society, C. H. Rohrbach, 50 Church Street, New York. F. J. Emeny, Deming Co., Salem, Ohio, is president of the society; E. B. Neal, Kinney Mfg. Co., Boston, vice-president; R. R. Hicks, American .Steam Pump Co., Battle Creek, Mich., treas- urer, and L. D. Albin, A. S, Cameron Steam Pump Works, New York, is chairman of the plan and scope committee. At the annual meeting of the Faleon Bronze Co., Youngstown, Ohio, directors and officers were re-elected. The company’s business is largely confined to the iron and steel industry. Production is now at the rate of 50 per cent, as compared with an average of 30 per cent throughout 1921. G. A. Doeright is president of the company; John Noll, vice-president; James L. Wick, secretary, and E. E. Miller, treasurer. NEE. i SIS A ae ns Rae ae ee me SR SR RS tL tT eee ae peeing anette * a een a RT Ne Enna ih Ren apenas yes : ef .o tie ae 8 a . eae 7 Ae ae, - « int ek, ih oS at ts 400 Papers for American Foundrymen’s Con- vention The papers committee of the American Foundry- men’s Association reports that an interesting program is being arranged for the coming convention at Roches- ter, N. Y., June 5 to 9. Special sessions are planned for the various branches of the industry, besides an industrial relations session and a session which will be devoted to papers and committee reports on the sub- ject of molding sand research. Some 40 papers have been promised, of which number the following have been received by the secretary of the papers committee: “Rate of Formation and Geometric Form of Graphite and Temper Carbon,’ by E. J. P. Fisher, Atlas Die Casting Co., Worcester, Mass. “Fitting Up Flask Equipment for Production Work,” by Arnold Lenz, Saginaw Products Co., Saginaw, Mich “Technical Control of the McCook Field Foundry,” by Ee. H, Dix, Jr., McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio “Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy Melting Furnaces,’ by R. J. Anderson, Bureau of Mines Station, Pittsburgh “Commercial Electric Steel Castings vs. Malleable Cast- ings,” by J. W. McKeon, West Michigan Steel Foundry, Muskegon, Mich. “Design of Geared Ladles by A. W. Gregg, Whiting Corporation, Harvey, LIl. “The Behavior of Fire Brick in Malleable Iron Furnace 3ungs,” by H. G. Schurecht, Ceramic Experiment Station, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Columbus, Ohio “Electric Cranes in Foundry Service,” by A. H. McDougall Whiting Corporation, Harvey, Ill Program for Boiler Makers’ Meeting An outline of the program of the meeting which the American Boiler Manufacturers Association will hold on Feb. 13 at Fort Pitt Hotel, Pittsburgh, has been announced by H. N. Covell, secretary-treasurer of the association, 191 Dikeman Street, Brooklyn. In brief it is as follows: Walter Gordon Merritt, of the League for Indus- trial Rights, on “American Labor Policies.” Ralph M. Easley, chairman executive council Na- tional Civic Federation, on the purposes and accom- plishments of that organization. C. V. Kellogg will open a discussion on taxation. W. A. Drake will open a discussion on “Limitation of the Field for the Use of Cast Iron Boilers.” E. R. Fish, chairman sub-committee of the boiler code committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, will speak on “Welding as Applied to Boil- ers and Other Pressure Vessels.” Charles E. Gorton, chairman American Uniform Boiler Law Society, will give an account of the opera- tions of that organization to date and will be prepared to answer questions in connection with the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessels Inspectors, par- ticularly as applied to stamping and filling in the data sheets for boilers. Answers to the recent questionnaire on wages have been received in sufficient number to warrant a tabula- tion. British Institute of Metals The annual meeting of the Institute of Metals will be held in London, England, March 8 and 9, when 10 important papers are to be presented for discus- sion. The annual] dinner will be held at the Trocadero restaurant on Wednesday, March 8. The annual May lecture will be delivered on May 3 by Sir Ernest Rutherford, F. R. S. on “The Relation of the Elements.” The discourse should throw fresh light on the much debated subject of the possible trans- formation of one metal into another. The autumn meeting wil] be held—for the first time—at Swansea, Wales, Sept. 20 to 22. A large gathering is expected in this important metallurgical center. In view of the attractive nature of the program for the ensuing year it is expected that the growth of the institute in 1922 will be even greater than it was last year, when the membership increased from 1298 to 1410—a record year’s growth. Such an in- THE IRON AGE February 9, | ing crease, occurring during a year of great trade de sion, indicates that makers and users of non-fe; metals and alloys are now more than ever on alert to take advantage of the scientific informs: ion obtainable through association with the institute exists to foster their interests. The Institute of Metals has just issued a pr: al pamphlet of 32 pages given in summary form th: sults of over 10 year’s research into the causes and prevention of corrosion in condenser tubes. [he pamphlet, which is one that will appeal particularly to all engineers, can be obtained, price 2s. 8d. post free, from the Institute of Metals, 14 Members’ } sions, London, S. W. 1. Steel Club Dinner The Steel Club of Philadelphia held its mid-winter dinner at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel Friday evening, Feb. 3. H. E. Resch, of the Whitehead & Hoag (o.. Newark, N. J., delivered an address on “Shakespeare As a Salesman.” Aldrich W. Stein, a hand writing expert, delivered a stereopticon lecture on “Forvgeries and How the Hand Writing Expert Discovers Them.” Several solos were sung by L. V. Geist of the Donner Steel Co.’s Philadelphia office. National Metal Trades Convention The program of the annual convention of the Na- tional Metal Trades Association to be held at Hotel Astor, New York, April 17 to April 20, inclusive, pro- vides for the executive committee meeting, a meeting of local branch secretaries and a dinner of local branch secretaries will come on Monday; the administrative council meeting, a meeting of local branch secretaries, and the so-called alumni dinner on Tuesday, leaving for Wednesday and Thursday the convention proper. A buffet luncheon will be held as usual on Wednesday, with the banquet in the evening. New England Foundrymen’s Association Edwin S. Carman, secretary and chief engineer of the Osborn Mfg. Co., Cleveland, gave an illustrated talk on “The Application of Molding Machines to Mis- cellaneous Castings Production” before the New Eng- land Foundrymen’s Association, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 8, at the Exchange Club, Boston. While Mr. Carman discussed the application of the molding ma- chines to miscellaneous production, he also showed the advantages gained by the use of the same machine in quantity production. At a dinner preceding the talk, E. H. Ballard, newly elected president of the associa- tion, presided. February Meetings of Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers At Cleveland, Feb. 13, a paper will be read on “Gaseous Fuels and Their Use in Iron and Stee! Plants.” At Pittsburgh, Feb. 18 there will be a paper “Departmental Organization and Education.” At Birmingham, Feb 25, the subject of “Operation of Frequency Changers” will be discussed. Standardization Making Progress WASHINGTON, Feb. 7.—Subcommittees of the Ne tional Screw Thread Commission have begun considera tion of questions relating to the standardization 0! _ heads, nuts, wrench and drill and tap sizes and hope ” report at the next meeting of the commission 990%" March 1. Provision for extending for five years term of the commission was made in a bill which Te cently passed the House, and Senator LaFollette having concluded to report favorably on it, there Ww!!! hearings before a Senate committee. tne ‘sbruary 9, 1922 THE IRON AGE Plant Makes Upset Forgings Exclusively New Shop of Amforge Co. Is Unique Because of Its Equipment, Layout and Methods of Stores Keeping—Ventilation a Feature Amforge Co. is unique in that it is the only forge plant in the world devoted exclusively to manufacture of upset forgings. This process of ging is practically in its infancy. Less than ten irs ago, forging machines were principally used for flanging crankshafts and for preparing stock pre- liminary to work under hammers. During the last few years, however, the new method of forging has developed rapidly until it is estimated that 250 upset forging machines are now operating on commercial forgings, finished complete and ready for machining. In conjunction with the use of upsetting machines, Amforge Co. has introduced improved methods of making and steel gathering, which enable it to produce transmission gear parts requiring the utmost trength, which, it is asserted, show far better physical operties than hammer forgings. The company’s tice calls for round bar steel of forging quality, ely inspected for seamy stock. The bar is always forged horizontally, and forced into the dies by the eaders in two or three operations. In the drawing 1own a stem pinion after the first and last opera- It will be noted that the grain of the steel in finished pinion is such that teeth will be cut st it. Drop hammer gears, on the other hand, are made flats, billets and rounds—whichever is best ted for the piece—and often little attention is to controlling the grain of the steel, so that ne gears the teeth at one point are against the while at another point they are with the grain. ilso claimed, as an advantage for the upsetting R ECENTLY completed at Chicago, the plant of the method, that it does not tend to crystallize the steel, while drop forging often does produce that effect. While the equipment of the Amforge plant includes two large Chambersburg steam hammers of 2000 Ib. - Teeth Cut Against Grain Diagram Showing How the Straight Grain of the Steel Bar Is So Changed in the Upsetting Process That Teeth May Be Cut Against It and 3000 lb., respectively, these are utilized in con- nection with the manufacture of dies. All finished forgings are made in the upsetting machines, each driven by an individual motor. The arrangement of ee: ee ee BOT oe Tee ee ee eR rar) axis ss nye “ fi Sled "3 the main shop in relation to incoming and outgoing materials, the character of the material handling equip- ment, the methods employed to keep track of stock throughout all stages of manufacture, the manner of storing and disposing of scrap—all bear the earmarks of a thorough survey of the many-sided problems en- countered in working out a plan for maximum economy in production. The main forge shop, 80 x 420 ft., is served by a Niles 10-ton overhead traveling electric crane, operated from the floor. This crane is used chiefly for as- sembling and dismantling the heavy equipment. For handling material to and from the machines, storage battery elevating trucks are used, with a capacity of 4000 lb. each. These trucks, furnished by the Elwell Parker Electric Co., Cleveland, operate over concrete aisles provided throughout the shop. The forge shop is divided into two units, one con- taining the larger and the other the smaller machines. Between the two departments, a 20-ft. concrete aisle leads directly to the shipping, inspection and heat treating rooms. Sixteen upsetting machines, staggered throughout the length of the shop, alternately face opposite sides of the building. Fifteen were built by the Ajax Mfg. Co., Cleveland, and the other by the National Machinery Co., Tiffin, Ohio; there are four 3-in., six 5-in. and six 7-in. machines. Each forging THE IRON AGE February 9, 1909 is included in sales invoices to customers. Mat bought for the repair or renewal of the phy property of the plant is classified as “repair mer dise,” the symbol of which is “Rem.” All mat: which passes through the stores department and y is eventually used through requisitions, but cann: classified under sales or repair merchandise, into the “supply merchandise” account, the sy for which is “Sum.” . Corresponding to each store yard ticket is a s keeper’s record card, on which are registered not the lot number, the steel analysis and the symb the aecount to which the material is charged, but the name of the company from which the materia bought, the weight of the bundle, the number of it contains, and their size and length. Each b of steel retains its lot number until all of it has disposed of. Requisitions against a bundle ar corded on the stores card, so that at all times storekeeper has an accurate check on unused mat in stock. Careful record is kept of the weight of mat used for specific orders. When the manufacturin; partment receives an order for a certain lot of f ings, and is ready to make out a material requi on the stores department, it first figures out the cu length of the stock required to make the finished { Elevating Trucks Bring Forging Boxes Containing Finished Product into Inspection, Grinding and Shipping Roon machine is served by hot saw and burring machines for cutting off and smoothing forgings, and with oil forgings for heating the bar stock to working temper- ature. A General Electric motor-driven 75-hp. blower, delivering 6200 cu. ft. of free air per min. at 2 lb. per sq. in. pressure, furnishes the necessary air for fuel oil combustion. The receiving side of the building is served by a siding from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road. Between the siding and the plant is a stock yard commanded by a 10-ton Milwaukee Electric Crane & Mfg. Co. crane, of semi-gantry type. One end of the crane is supported by a leg which runs on a rail laid on the ground, while the other end runs on an overhead runway attached to the side of the build- ing. To every bundle of incoming forging steel is at- tached a lot-number ticket, on which is recorded the asset account to which the material is charged, the lot number and the analysis of the steel. For example, a card carrying the designation “Sam Lot No. 54, 55/70 carbon” would indicate that the carbon ranged from 0.55 to 0.70 per cent, and that the material was charged to the Sales Merchandise account. The classi- fication “sales merchandise” includes all material purchased for production uses, which eventually ing, and then computes the standard bar length to use to obtain these cutting lengths with the least waste, the number of bars required from the stock yard to fill the order, and the theoretical weight thereof. All of this information is recorded on the requisition and, in addition, the purpose for which the materia! is to be used is specifically stated. Upon receiving the requisition, the storekeeper picks up from the yard the number of bars of the specified size, and weighs them on a Standard Scale & Supply Co. rolling mi! scale, whereupon he enters the actual weight on the requisition, adjacent to the theoretical weight prev! ously recorded. The weighing of material before enters the manufacturing department, as well as be fore shipment in finished form, is rather unusual, bv is an aid to accurate cost keeping. Skid rails extend from the storage yard into the stock cutting room, which is a lean-to to the main forge je shop. Here are located a No. 4 guillotine shear, ™a¢ by the Hilles & Jones Co., Wilmington, Del., and 4 Higley cold saw furnished by the Vandyck Churchi!! Co., New York. The shear has a capacity for 4-!" rounds, and for angles up to 6-in. x 6-in. x %-in. The Higley cold saw is used to cut steel used for headers, which may run as high as 0.80 or 0.90 per cent cat bon, and cannot be handled on the guillotine shear. ‘bruary 9, 1922 e Sliding Stock Across Skid Rails into Shear Room, steel is handled direct from stores to the shear room thout reloading. No narrow gage or industrial icks are used. After the material is weighed and iced on the skid rails, it leaves the hands of the rekeeper and passes under the authority of the inufacturing department. Shipping, inspection and heat-treating departments located in a building adjacent to the main forge op, but separated from it by a 10-ft. areaway, so it air for ventilating purposes is provided on that le. In the heat-treating department are four double- 1 Tate-Jones & Co. annealing furnaces, served by water quenching tanks, one at each end of the rnaces. The furnaces are of the car-type, and rgings are handled to and from the cars, and into and t of the quenching tanks, by a Yale & Towne one-ton tric hoist. The furnaces are equipped with a mperature recorder furnished by the Wilson-Maulen New York. In the adjacent grinding and shipping room are two W. Sly Mfg. Co. tumbling barrels, used to remove from carbon steel forgings. Flashings and all igh edges are taken off on grinding machines, there Machines and Oil Furnaces Alternate at Right. THE IRON AGE In center are a hot saw and a burring machine, with smaller equipment in foreground Elevating trucks move material, stand and all, as shown being six double grinders, operated from a line shaft. For drilling automobile hub forgings and other similar work, three “Hole Hog” drills, furnished by the Moline Tool Co., Moline, Ill., are used. Other equipment in- cludes a Toledo trimming press, and a cutting-off ma- chine furnished by the Modern Machine Tool Co., Jack- son, Mich. A 10,000-lb. Toledo springless scale weighs all material leaving the shipping department. The forging boxes, in which finished material is brought into the shipping room by the elevating trucks, have bottoms constructed of open pipes. This permits dust and dirt to fall through to the floor, while the passage of air through the pipes serves to cool the forgings. The tare weight of the trucks is checked every morning and the box weights are also checked periodically; thus the shipping weight is obtained by subtracting the weight of the truck and box from the total weight. The shipping platform, of concrete, is served by a railroad siding. A loader manufactured by the Barber-Greene Co., Aurora, Ill, is used to transfer heavy forgings from the shipping platform to cars. Adjoining one end of the main forge shop is the aetna sa an ag age = di rete ne hermes caret et -, A ee a |RSS ‘ss aed a sige =e Cf | 3 EP 4 > tr p “tage en ae we . WY a ah eee | dah caine . een See ae B ete Rt oe Fate ee eee Pe TOA Can = x pe <. Te Sieg Sai Pre ot onde asd eS Soom foment: tr tae meets % & when ~~ # : . _ ° on CT ge ae? nah Reger ter ienr te see ewe ar SE ey 404 THE IRON AGE machine repair shop and die storage. The machine shop, used largely for maintenance work and for machining dies and headers, contains some large equip- ment, including a Niles-Bement elevating table hori- zontal boring mill, a 60-in. Bement drill press, a Cin- cinnati Planer Co. widened pattern 48-in. x 60-in. x 14-ft. planer with four heads and self-contained motor drive, a Niles-Bement-Pond 42-in. x 42-in. x 10-ft. planer with two heads and self-contained motor drive, a Fifield-Wright 60-in. x 15-ft. triple-geared into face plate engine lathe, a 26-in. x 15-ft. Walcott engine lathe, a 26-in. x 24-ft. Walcott engine lathe, and a 25-in. x 10-ft. LeBlond heavy duty engine lathe. besides other miscellaneous machines. The shop is served by a Whiting 10-ton overhead hand-power crane. All dies and headers are stored in the die depart- ment, arranged in numbered compartments by jobs, corresponding numbers being recorded in the store- keeper’s records. The storing of the dies and headers not only enables the company to take care of repeat orders, but permits it to serve its entire trade more expeditiously and economically. When new orders are received, suitable dies and headers may often be found in stock, thereby obviating the necessity of having new ones made. The die storage is commanded by a 3-ton Whiting overhead hand-power crane. An excellent system for taking care of scrap has been installed. Throughout the forge shop, the ma- chine shop and the trimming room scrap buckets are placed to catch waste stock. The buckets, which were designed by the company, are lifted and carried to the steel storage yard by elevating truck. Here four chains joined together at one end in a permanent loop are fastened to four holes in the top of the bucket. For this purpose the last link in the free end of each chain is a U-link, through which a cotter pin is in- serted after the chains are fastened to the bucket, by a hook from the overhead yard crane, inserted into the lifting loop, the bucket is conveyed to a scrap yard located adjacent to the railroad siding. Here the dif- FEWER IRON AND STEEL WORKERS Gain in Employment Halted—General Industry Busier WASHINGTON, Feb. 7.—The increase in employment in the iron and steel industry which set in last August gave away for the first time since then in January, when there was a decrease of 7130 workers, or 0.21 per cent under December, according to the January bulletin of the Employment Service of the Department of Labor. Employment by the 1428 firms reporting to the Service, however, showed an increase of 63,400 em- ployees, or 4.2 per cent, over Dec. 31. Besides iron and steel, other industries showing decreases were textiles and their products, 949; railroad repair shops, 2387; tobacco manufactures, 803; stone, clay and glass prod- ucts, 149, and lumber and its manufacture, 74. The total decrease in the six industries was 11,492. In- creases in the remaining eight industries reporting were as follows: Vehicles for land transportation, 63,204; leather and its finished products, 2089; metals and metal products, 2254; paper and printing, 132; food and kindred products, 2319; miscellaneous, 4286; liquors and beverages, 10, and chemicals and allied products, 598, a total of 74,892. The firms reporting employed 1,493,107 workers on Dec. 31, as against 1,556,507 on Jan, 31. Of the 65 cities from which reports were received, 40 showed employment increases in January. Detroit led with an increase of 89 per cent. Among iron and steel centers showing gains were Cleveland, 7 per cent; Chicago, 4 per cent; Toledo, Ohio, 3.7 per cent; Pitts- burgh, 0.5 per cent and Youngstown, Ohio, 0.5 per cent. Among iron and steel centers of the 25 cities showing decreases were the following: Johnstown, Pa., 14.1 per cent; Philadelphia, 8 per cent; Buffalo, 6.7 per -cent; Birmingham, Ala., 6.2 per cent; Columbus, Ohio, February 9, 1()° ferent kinds of scrap are dropped into separate | from which they may be loaded into cars for ment. Electricity is used for power throughout the p except for the steam hammers. Steam for the | mers and in cold weather for heating the oil sto; tanks and the trenches carrying the oil pipes, is { nished by a coal-fired 200-hp. horizontal tubular bo built by the Brownell Co., Dayton, Ohio. Fuel oil for the furnaces is supplied from t| concrete storage tanks set in the ground between steam hammer room and the heat-treating de; ment. Tank cars, spotted on a track adjacent, are . nected to an intake pipe through which the oil pa to the tanks. Three control valves permit passing oil into any tank desired. Calibrated standpipe ga; indicate the oil level in each tank. The ventilating system used in the forge sho; unique. Instead of bricking up from the ground | to the window sash elevation, this space has been ted with swinging doors. Thus all heat, smoke and heavy gases on the floor level, which often remain inert under other ventilating systems, are carried up to tie roof and drawn out of a V-shaped monitor. Regula tion of the monitor windows is handled in accordance with the direction of the wind. By opening windows on the “lee” side of the building, advantage is taken of the partial vacuum formed on that side, thereby in- suring a draft which will exhaust the air rising from the floor of the shop. Construction of the ground level doors is such as to insure the least. possible interference with the cir culating system. The doors are pivoted half way be tween the bottom and top and are swung with the top out. Hence any piles of material, adjacent to the doors outside the building, will not obstruct the in- flow of air. It will be noted that the angle of the door, when opened, is upward in relation to the exterior of the building, and air can enter from higher elevations through the openings provided, both above and below the axis of the door. 3.3 per cent; Cincinnati, 2.9 per cent and New York, 1.8 per cent. Commenting on employment conditions, Directo: Francis I. Jones of the Employment Service says: “Employment conditions fail to give any indication of the substantial improvement in business activities predicted for January. The figures last month were obtained during inventory period, particularly those in the automotive industry. The slight change in the totals of all the groups shows a downward trend. Tex- tiles and iron and steel, which have been on the upward swing for some months past, show a downward ten- dency in employment for the past thirty days. Rail- road repair shops continue to decrease their forces Increase in employment in metal products other tha iron and steel, and in miscellaneous industries, is the encouraging feature of this month’s survey. “Reports from 231 of the principal centers show no general improvement in employment conditions. In- dustry is hardly holding the gains made during the past four months, and is, therefore, absorbing few, if any, of the ‘workers released from seasonal activities and the unemployment caused by the usual climatic con- ditions of this season of the year. The feeling that there will be a decided change for the better by early spring is manifested by every section of the country, and seems to be based on real evidence of prosperity, and not mere optimism.” Electrical exports for the calendar year 1921 are reported by the Department of Commerce at $97,939,- 597, compared with $102,870,434 in 1920. Chief among the items recording losses were batteries, interior WT ing and fixtures, magnetos and spark plugs and electric locomotives. Increases were made in motors, phones and transformers. The entire loss took place in December, for eleven months showed $89,039,404 ! 1920 and $92,758,321 in 1921. tele- Steel Pipe by the Centrifugal Process Methods and Cost of the Cammen Process for Making 5 Seamless Pipe at Low Cost—Competition with Welded Pipe BY L. CAMMEN rt\ HE publication of some data on the Cammen process of centrifugal casting of steel pipe has brought in so many inquiries, particularly as to cost and patent status, as to make the following tement desirable. First, as to patents: Centrifugal casting is quite i, and all the basic patents relating to casting in a ill, sand or clay mold expired many years ago. ere are a number of patents on minor details such pouring spouts of various construction, mold sup- rts, ete., and it would be advisable for anyone who ntends to go into this line to make sure that he does t involuntarily infringe on one of these patents. The fundamental features of the process are, however, free all, and there is no reason why any good engineer familiar with the art should not be able to build a irkable unit without getting into legal trouble. This es not apply, however, to processes using the hot ld nd, Why a Hot Mold Must Be Used When an ordinary steel casting is made, be it from . pattern or in an ingot mold, provision is made for the escape of gases to the top of the casting by means of a head or riser. In fact, in casting ingots special pre- autions are taken, such as dozzling, to keep the top of e ingot hot long enough to take up the gases and feed e contraction cavities. In a centrifugal casting there no head or riser and the entire metal freezes uni- formly throughout its length. When the metal is poured into a cold mold, that part of it which comes into contact with the cold walls freezes at once. Theoretically in centrifugal cast- r, all slag and material containing dissolved gases ould be thrown to the inside but, because of the high scosity of molten steel, this takes an appreciable mount of time so that, unless the metal freezes very wly indeed, the gas and slag particles are trapped the cast pipe, which is then worthless. The controlling question is therefore the time that takes the metal to chill, which is the reason why, r example, good centrifugal castings in a cold mold been produced in sizes of 12 in. diameter and to 3% in. wall, but all attempts to make good iller casting, say of 6 in. diameter and with 0.280 wall, have failed; there was not enough metal in atter case to keep the heat long enough. in the Cammen process an extremely hot mold, as is 2000 deg. Fahr., is used. Metal cast against a of such temperature cools so slowly as to give to throw all slag and gases to the inside, and per- istings have been obtained in sizes as small as utside diameter, with a %-in. wall not only in ut in such a difficult metal to handle as Monel. e of the hot mold is covered by broad claims in either issued or allowed. Manufacturing Methods of the important features of the centrifugal of casting is the great output per unit of spin- neh. Thus, the final designs have shown that 16 ft. long, can be cast every 5 to 6 min. At ‘me time, however, such a pipe weighs only, in rd 6-in. size, about 300 Ib. It is, therefore, a tion involving a comparatively small amount of metal at short intervals, and as such is admirably adapted to the employment of the small (6-ton) Bes- semer converter, in batteries of two to three, feeding to sets of spinning benches handling various sizes of pipe. The equipment of a plant consists, therefore, of the following: First, a furnace to heat the molds to the proper temperature. This does not differ materially from the furnaces now used in seamless tube mills for heating billets preparatory to piercing, with the only difference that better facilities for handling the molds have to be provided, as a mold weighing anywhere from 3 to 6 tons has to be rapidly shoved from the furnace into the spinning bench, and as the mold has to be carried in a cradle so as not to be distorted in handling and not lose heat too fast. These details have been fully worked out, however. From the furnace the molds go to the spinning benches, which are simply rotating barrels with means to hold the molds centrally. They have to be built very substantial, but their cost is quite moderate. Thus, a unit to make 6-in. pipe, 16 ft. long, costs less than $10,000. After spinning, the pipe is shaken from the mold and, while still hot, is sent through one pass of a hot rolling mill to make the surfaces perfectly smooth. As a matter of fact, if the metal is fairly clean, both the outside and the inside surfaces of cen- trifugally cast pipe are fairly smooth; as the amount of metal poured cannot be controlled to within very close limits in commercial operation, centrifugally cast pipe can be sold only by the outside diameter. When alloy steel is made, the pipe has to be sub- jected to proper heat treatment. Instead of a regular rolling mill, a sizing machine may be used; at the same time, however, pipe made for many purposes may go out just as cast. Cost of Centrifugally Cast Steel Pipe Costs of this process differ, of course, with the pro- ducton schedule, but the following estimate applies to a mill making each day not more than four sizes, with a total output of not less than 40 tons per hour. This schedule applies to standard pipe; extra strong is about 15 per cent cheaper, and double extra strong about 20 per cent cheaper. All costs are per ton of 2000 Ib. Metal ' edie tails $15.00 Mold (deterioration and treatment)........ 5.00 Heating the mold and handling............. 4.00 Labor (not including converters). . wi 2.00 Inspection and supervision...... retanewes 1.00 a dee ‘ wehe ha - : oie 5.00 i, ——- sas tmseeckeoskicors 3.00 Royalty j deere aha is deales ewe ee 7.00 Total cost per net ton at mill door.......! ~ $40.00 The costs of alloy steel pipe are naturally a good deal higher because of the higher cost of the metal, and the additional handling, such as heat treatment, straightening, etc. Seamless pipe is, however, not only cheaper than welded, but has certain advantages over this latter which are so obvious as not to need discussion. Centrifugally Cast Pipe and Oil Country Trade To-day, the vast region known as the West and South is supplied with pipe from the Pittsburgh- 405 i %, a we SS SB aaa AE a a Science ah Sul + a s es os Sie ae gmt Pn. Shy? a “igi voll ; ae cobain enx . eric nit aateg — Wa en Dla Ae 2 ae 406 Youngstown-Chicago territory, because the cost of a pipe mill is such that it does not pay to set it up ex- cept for a large and steady output. But a plant for centrifugal pipe casting costs comparatively little, and even though a small plant cannot yet (the art is, how- ever, young, and economies may be developed) make pipe at the above price, even at $50 a ton as a “pro- duction price in Oklahoma,” Pittsburgh and Chicago mills will have severe competition, especially consid- ering present freight rates. Corporation and Merger Compared This throws, by the way, an interesting light on some facts connected with the proposed merger of in- dependent steel mills. As matters stand to-day, steel pipe is one of the most active products in the indus- try, and promises to remain so for some time. Of the country’s capacity, roughly 3,400,000 tons, the National Tube companies control 1,350,000 tons, and the pro- posed merger 1,115,000 tons. As the two have an ingot capacity respectively of 22,000,000 and 6,500,000 tons, it appears that they convert into pipe respectively 7 and 18 per cent and, in dollars and cents, pipe busi- ness means to the Steel Corporation roughly 10 per cent, and to the merger 25 per cent. Though never formally stated, it is plain that the merger if formed will be primarily for purposes of competition with the Steel Corporation. As far as pipe is concerned, the merger will have the slight ad- vantage of location as far as Southern and Western trade is concerned, but the corporation can cut prices deeper than the merger, partly because of its stronger financial position generally, and partly because, as seen ORE SHIPMENTS Superior Total Falls Short of 23,000,000 Tons— Light Movement By Water and Rail Statistics collected by the Iron Trade Review show that the total of iron ore shipped from the Lake Su- perior district in 1921 was 22,799,077 gross tons, or 43,859,389 tons less than the total, 66,658,466 tons, shipped in 1916. The record of these two years in the ore trade represents the two extremes in the effect of the war and its aftermath. The total in 1916 was the largest ever attained in the Lake Superior district. That of 1921 was the smallest in 17 years. Four-fifths of all the iron ore that has been shipped from the Lake Superior district has been forwarded to the blast furnaces since 1901. I