The Iron Age 1922-05-04: Vol 109 Iss 18

THE IRON AGE New York, May 4, 1922 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 109, No. 18 Taking Advantage of the Business Situation Readjustment in Metalwork Industries Should Follow the Trend of Events— Sales Outlets- BY STERLING [ is generally admitted that the most acute period of the business depression throughout the United States has passed. As after other depressions of which we have record, improvement will surely come, slowly at first, then with increasing speed. Little can be done consciously by any one to affect general conditions; but it is possible by taking thought to move in the direction of the current of affairs in- stead of trying to fight a way against it. general general business. Certain principles control all After a depression, prices are relatively 18 low, and rise slowly. Profits must therefore be less, and may disappear entirely unless costs reduced. Wages fall re slowly than prices, but the desire of the workman to hold his job causes him to do a better day’s work, so that the margin above labor cost months. turers were can be of five articles, are as follows: may be in- creased. The indication is clear- that now is the time to help 2. Putting ment to Use. R. BUNNELL undertook an MM investigation for THE IRON AGE with a view to telling our read- ers what has been done in the metal- working industries and what must yet be done, in the light of what has happened in business in the past Many visited and representative manufac interviewed. The re- sults will be presented in a series of which the appears this week. The titles of the remaining four Diversified Products and New Lines for Old H. BUNNELL to add to its other responsibilities. Suddenly all de livery orders are cancelled by the single purchaser, and the other factory without sales organization or knowl- edge of market possibilities is put out of business in- definitely, probably with a large stock on hand of raw material bought at high prices. previous The 1920 Crisis in the Automo- bile Field This particular occurred in most factories sup plying goods to automobile manufacturing plants. Ruthless cancellation of orders for all sorts of supplies and ponents called attention to the fact that orders from automo bile builders were not orders at Situation plants were com- — all. In many cases, even “re- directing shipment of in goods made up and held in readiness were repudiated, the goods were refused on receipt at buyers’ leases” Idle Equip- plants, and pay workers to a better understand- ng of conditions, so as to reduce labor cost, and to introduce new methods for the same purpose. Output as a whole may have to be reduced until greater pur- 3. Progress in Readjust- ing Manufacturing and Sales Costs. 4. Progress in Conver- sion of War Factories. 5. Broadening the Sales Field. ment denied to the shipper. No trade has ever arrogated to it self the right to commit such acts, on such a huge scale, as did the builders of automobiles when they found themselves un- able to sell the cars they had chasing power is developed, or a greater sales effort realized. General increases of plant are therefore not to be expected; but better production machinery ay be absolutely necessary in rder to keep down costs and ld trade. The purchase of ich machinery can sometimes be financed by the aid its manufacturers, who need the business and can etter afford to take it on long time than turn it down. But the special problems of individual concerns are ‘ones most difficult to handle. A factory may have en built up to supply to another a single special line f goods and has operated steadily and at a profit for irs. The reason for the continued existence of the rangement is that the special line of goods requires ecial knowledge of raw materials and processes, which knowledge the purchasing factory does not want It has been “Consulting engineer, New York. the aim to these articles practically suggestive and we believe they will prove high- ly valuable to every manufacturer in the metal-working field. already completed. make The general feeling of in- dignation on the part of manu- facturers whose orders thus canceled is natural enough, but hardly justifiable in of the circumstances’ which ought to have plain view to every business man sufficiently well informed of general principles to hold a position of responsi- bility. were view been in Problems of the Industry Automobiles generally have been subject to annua! redesign, so that last year’s style is as unsalable as last year’s style in clothing. The builder completes his design a year ahead, and places his contracts for parts and supplies some months in advance of the first sales of the coming season, as is absolutely necessary in order to give the parts manufacturer time to produce dies and fixtures, obtain material, and start produc- 1193 lees Bovis aon: « ade “ te oe a hao ecieteesc ie PU -sittond * gore Pecegur Cle abn ; Rp, eT RAGE Be ba agit 3d I Pe sk f, 1B cee Pu ane cae Sess cra oe aeons : Sv ‘eee : i “ < ee ee rey? > HI 4 1194 THE tion. The automobile manufacturer must sell most of his year’s output within three or four months. In any other machinery manufacturing business, it would be necessary for the concern to possess enough working capital to pay the entire cost of production in advance of sale and collection. But the automobile manufac- turer would require an enormous working capital for this purpose, and would have use for it only three or four months of the year. The requirements, therefore, have been met generally by inducing the manufacturer of parts and supplies to carry them in stock at his own expense, and compelling the selling agent to pay cash in advance of shipment of automobile ordered, or at least to lend his credit n the form of notes or trade acceptances. The magnitude and generally profitable character of the manufacture of automobile components induced people generally to accept business under these obvious- ly hazardous conditions, and so to “hold the bag” for the automobile man. The fear of loss of trade caused manufacturers to accept orders to a value which they could have easily ascertained to be greater than the entire invested capital of the purchasing automobile builder. In view of these conditions, the parts manu- facturer made himself a virtual partner with the actual maker of the motor car. He knew that his receipts would depend on the ability of the automobile maker to sell his output, and that failure to do so would make the parts accounts uncollectible. To cancel orders and to accept cancellations under such circumstances was the only possible course. Avoid Dependence on a Single Line In readjusting to avoid in future the disastrous effect of such a slump in one particular field of busi- ness, the obvious thing to do is to develop other lines of production. A manufacturer ought to sell in more than one market. For instance, making both a neces- sity and a luxury provides an outlet for bad times and another for good times. One of the greatest American financial and manufacturing groups has so diversified its lines by acquiring industries that there seems to be no intelligent plan in control. The fact is, however, that the broadest of plans has long been in operation— to make some of everything their own plants use, and sell some of the product of every plant to purchasers outside the group. Therefore, a depression in the sales of one or more factories does not have the effect of shutting down others, since the latter are only in part dependent on the former to absorb their output. The Development of New Lines At present there is an acute temporary need to de- velop new lines of production. The easy profits of good times are past—or some distance ahead in the future —and standard manufactures must be produced for a time on a very close margin. In contrast, novelties often can be started without the handicap of past losses, and attract attention even when purchasers of staples are refusing to buy. The time to bring out something new is just before business improves, so that when free purchasing begins again, the pre- liminary period of introduction will be past and sales will increase rapidly. As to the character of the new lines which might be available to metal-working plants, the range is wide. The little “put-and-take” top recently used many tons of brass rod and much screw-machine capacity, but the business could not last long. Few owners of small automobiles are in position to buy new ones when times are bad, but many of them refit the old cars with repair parts and attachments. This creates an outlet for suitable articles to tide over the period of de- pression. Idle equipment may suggest the manufacture of some product requiring its use, like the making of IRON AGE May 4, 1922 tile and terra cotta in a brick yard. Some one st to advertise a new device, and immediately there co,, up the possibility that manufacturing equipment js yet provided sufficient to take care of the sales. existing shop with the proper tools may be able to up the production at a profit, and carry on until eral improvement makes it desirable for the owner the new device to provide their own factory and temporary makers to return to their regular line. some such way an active mind working on the prob! of finding work for idle men and machines may be : to get business, perhaps with some novel article w! fills a want unrecognized before. The suddenly developed interest in the wireless t: phone has put work into shops which never before | duced electrical devices. If it proves to be only a pa ing fad, it at least will have helped to keep work: employed through a slack period. If it continues : absorb a large amount of productive effort, new ani larger works eventually will take over the manufa ture, as the temporary sources of supply return their regular lines. Seeking Points of Greatest Saving A manufacturer of machinery used in a certain dustry has recently written to a number of representa tive plants, asking them to tell him their greatest needs or opportunities for the saving of labor or reduction of waste. He intends to take up one or more of the sug gestions he will receive in this way and develop new machinery to do the desired work. Thus he will make use of his designing force, and in all probability will add to his line of production one or more entirely new machines which will be without competition, and have a wide field of sale. Making machines or products to sell direct to the ultimate consumer has the advantage of a market al- ways open. Some things, like food, are always bought in nearly the same quantities regardless of the times Others, like clothing, may not be bought as readily dur- ing short seasons of depression, but in the long run must average about the same from year to year. Suc! articles as enter into new construction for manufactu! ing purposes are not bought except when capital fo: investment is available, which is generally not the case in bad times. There is a great advantage, therefor if a steady output is to be maintained, in producing something that sells direct to the multitude. Household labor-saving devices have accordingly come a profitable part of the output of many shops formerly doing very different work. The vacuun cleaner and laundry washing machine were alread) well established when the business depression began, and since that time inventors everywhere have bee! working on machines for dish-washing, refrigerating and other household services, and finding plenty of manufacturers ready to make and sell. In this way new industries have come into existence, which’ wi later require new factories and tool equipment and s provide future work for the machine tool shops. Readjustment is the order of the day. Every it: of work done in one shop provides an outlet for th product of another, and enables the workmen to bu) goods produced in still other places. Cost of production must be reduced, so that each worker may turn out !! a day a larger quantity of salable goods, bringing ‘° all concerned a greater value of the time consumed. Labor cost has already come down and will fall st) further. Materials may or may not be further © duced. Overhead has probably been much reduced, bu! must be cut to the very limit to eliminate non-producers as far as possible. Already a general increase in quiries is noticeable, as well as some increase in orders actually booked. Many manufacturers have shown their enterpr's May 4, 1922 d courage by developing new lines of production and w methods of sale. In a following article, we shall scribe and illustrate some of the ideas which have 1 evolved by men impatient of waiting for good ~) NTHETIC AND ELECTRIC IRON* steel and [ron Ore As Raw Materials in Steel and Open Top or Shaft Furnaces T HE manufacture, in the electric furnace, of low phos- phorus pig iron from scrap steel turnings is com- nly known as synthetic pig iron. It is the purpose of ; paper to consider the manufacture of synthetic pig n and pig iron produced electrically from ore, under sent day conditions, as well as the possible use of the tric furnace in the foundry, in the manufacture of n suitable for gray iron castings. Synthetic Pig Iron from Steel Scrap Synthetic pig iron may appear to many to have been rn during the late war, to have flourished while the r lasted, and to have died with the war. Little if y such iron is produced to-day on the American con- tinent, and similar conditions may be said to exist in Europe. It would be a mistake, however, to assert that the last has been heard of synthetic iron, as the present ‘oppage in its manufacture is not due to its production eing commercially impossible, but rather to the fact that plants engaged in such manufacture during the war, which were specially built to take care of that industry, have been closed down for lack of demand for the — and also by lack of the necessary raw material. The writer does not consider however, that synthetic iron will again be produced to any extent in such plants, it rather looks to a more general adoption of the process in foundries where electric furnaces are already stalled or could be installed, and where gray iron well as steel castings are produced, the same furnace erving for both classes of metal. Quite a number of ron foundries, where the electric furnace is in use, have een producing gray iron castings from cast iron bor- ngs, and with remarkable success, the iron being of a h gh standard both in regard to strength and machining ialities. So long as these borings can be obtained ‘ attractive low prices it would not be necessary to k for other raw material. Unfortunately the demand for cast iron borings is in ess of the supply, mainly due to the large tonnage 1 in blast furnaces. This source of supply will ent ually fail, prices now being paid for such borings, th further advances in prospect, will not permit of r economical use in the electric furnace. However, iron, suitable for the gray iron foundry, can be tained at about the same cost by the use of steel ‘turnings, as in the case of cast iron borings, synthetic n may again come back and become a permanent t of the industry. Open Top and Shaft Furnaces Both open top smelting type furnaces and steel fur- es have been used in the manufacture of synthetic lhe open top type is easier to operate, and per- ‘s a higher carbon to be obtained in the finished iron, ‘ian with the steel furnace. Refining, however, has t the same possibilities in this type as with the steel irnace. The steel furnace is also more adaptable to e foundry and although carbon over 3.2 per cent is rd to obtain, it has been demonstrated that high ‘roon is not the only essential in the quality of an n for foundry work. Excellent castings have been ide with iron containing not over 3 per cent in carbon, ' further refining of the metal apparently making tor the lower carbon content. It is the opinion of the writer, that further study Abstract of a paper, “Synthetic and Electric Pig Iron ; ( onsidered,” presented at the forty-first general meet- go the American Electrochemical Society, Baltimore, Md., il <i to 29. The author, Robert Turnbull, is managing in pales States Ferro Alloys Corporation, Niagara THE IRON AGE 1195 conditions to be fully restored and already taking an active part in creating demand. By making pur- chasers they assist in starting money once more into circulation and cause business to wake up. in the manufacture of synthetic iron in the electric steel furnace, especially regarding better methods of carbur- izing the iron, might result in means being found of producing iron with carbon content similar to what is obtained in the blast furnace. This combined with further refining would make the electric furnace with- out a rival, where quality metal is essential. Pig Iron from Ore by Electricity No further advance in the art of producing pig iron from ore, in the electric furnace, has been made if the truth must be told, since the experiments conducted by the Canadian Government at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., in the winter of 1905-6. It is true that shaft and open type furnaces of considerable size have been built and are still operating in Sweden, but the results, outside of the fact that pig iron is being produced, are so far from economical that there appears to be little or no future for this industry for years to come. Unless improved methods are discovered, which would result in the power input per ton of finished product being materially reduced, which would fur- ther result in a proportional decrease in all other items of cost, with the one exception of raw materials, the outlook for expansion in the production of pig iron electrically from ore, is far from promising. The only way open to countries far removed from the source of pig iron supply, is to resort to synthetic iron, by using their available scrap in an open top furnace. In such a furnace by the addition of a very small quantity of carbon to the charge, a first class grade of iron could be produced, which would cover a fairly large percentage of their requirements. Also by mix- ing a certain percentage of iron ore with the scrap. if such ore is available, the output in iron could be materially increased. The smelting of iron ore electrically is a problem that will eventually have to be met, as a day will come when coke will be no longer available, and as it be- comes scarcer, an ever increasing cost in this com- modity can be expected. With the one exception of Sweden where furnaces are operating, and the ex- periments by the Canadian Government mentioned above, no serious attempts have been made by Govern- ments or private individuals or corporations, to find improved methods whereby costs of production and power input would be materially reduced. Should such research be undertaken in the future, either by Governments, private individuals or corporations, it is to be hoped that a sane type of furnace will be adopted, and the work be intrusted to men well known in the electrical furnace field. Many of past failures in electric furnace research work may be put down to the work being handled by persons with little knowledge of the practical end of electric furnace work, and to the use of furnaces that were freaks or of impossible design. Announcement has been made of the National Ex- position of Power and Mechanical Engineering to be held at the Grand Central Palace, New York, from Dec. 7 to 13, inclusive (except Sunday intervening). The exposition will immediately follow the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers and it is expected that the exhibits will supple- ment the programs and discussions at the professional meetings of the society. The professional divisions of the society will hold sessions relating to fuels, stokers, steam power plants, railroads, steam utiliza- tion in the paper industry, textile and gas power. The Mansfield Sheet & Tin Plate Co., Mansfield, Ohio, has placed one furnace of its new steel plant in operation. This includes four 80-ton open-hearth furnaces, a 32-in. blooming mill and a 24-in. sheet bar mill. 2 > i s i = is + q ie Fj AACR if A 3 An Adaptable Electric Steel Company Two Forging Plants of Different Characteristics Afford Opportunity for Handling in Each the Work to Which It Is Best Fitted BY SIDNEY G. KOON* ITH the acquisition of the Hammond Steel Co. V V at Syracuse, the Sizer Forge Co. of Buffalo has obtained a property which it is expected will fit well into the operating schedules of the larger organiza- tion and provide an outlet for certain products which can be made more readily at Syracuse, and which, in some cases, will be made from a by-product of the larger plant. Both plants have electric steel furnaces and the entire output will, in each case, be electric furnace “— except as open-hearth steel forgings are specified, which case the billets are purchased. Due however > the fact that one of the furnaces at Syracuse is as small as 3 tons, the company is now far better fitted for hand- ling special orders in small quantities than has been possible when the equipment was confined to 12-ton furnaces. With a varied output, consisting in the main of heavy forgings, such as crankshafts, connecting rods, die blocks and trimmer steel, stern and rudder frames for *THE IRON AGE, New York ships, chilled steel rolls and large tonnages of tool steel billets and blooms, as well as a considerable line of special products, such as balls, rods and bars, it becomes possible, under the new arrangement, to concentrate on the heavy work at Buffalo and on the smaller work, such as balls and bars, at Syracuse. A further advan- tage lies in the possession at Syracuse of two rolling mills, the larger being capable of handling billets up to 7 in. square. This makes it possible to roll down into proper sizes bars for Marcy mills and for the making of balls for mine and cement mill use. In those cases, how- ever, where the balls are above 5 in. in diameter, the work will be done at Buffalo, where the equipment per- mits the making of balls up to 19 in. The Buffalo Plant While the company has been operating at Buffalo fo. more than a generation, the present plant is virtu new, entirely under cover and self-contained. It con- sists of four long parallel bays, the length being about 535 ft. and the total width about 291 ft. The three dads [Ss = ===a)3 | i Go ——— et opp, 8, te 7. i—a7 } 7 8 anh. m | { Cy? een fl iS £ OTITCL % ' — ANA f TALE arotd 35 on 1‘ Manipulator Crane & z | Pulyerizer — CEURNAL FT LIPURWACE LEZEN 5 J | Eo — =m - _, Bo | t FLECTRIC FURNACES In the Layout of the Lufialo Plant, of Which a General View Is Shown at the Top of This Page, Every Department Is Cover, Incluéing Both the Steel Scrap for Melting and the Partially Finished Product Awaiting Machining 1196 ay 4, 1922 thernmost bays are all open from one to another, the north bay, containing the machine shop, is off by a wall to keep dust away from the machining e itions. the southern bay are the two 12-ton Heroult elec- furnaces, which are capable of making four heats .r Steel in the Buffalo Plant. The upper view shows electric furnaces pouring into the ladle, the ns being lifted to admit the ladle in the center rging machine is shown at work Below is show! he use of the hot top on ingots bay contains the western end, the scrap storage under a roof therefore protected from the weather. The coal are immediately north of the scrap pits, and the pulverizing plant east of the coal pits. The casting n this bay, while the heating furnaces lie against ay, in the second. per day, melting from cold stock. This t+ } the second bay, 78 ft. wide, is the forge bay. It con- two steam hydraulic presses of 1500 and 1000 tons ectively, and 5 steam hammers varying from 800 000 lb. There is an adequate quota of Shaw cranes andling the material from the furnaces to the es and from the forges to the industrial cars which the forged pieces in the third bay. , \t the east end of the third bay is the four-story duilding. Mostly this bay, which is 54 ft. wide, is ted to the intermediate storage of ingots and forged ts, the latter in most cases awaiting transfer to the nine shop. Stock under cover is thus fully protected O ridds ; 4 . T . . oxidation minimized. Near the west end of this bay ‘ long multiple oil-fired Rockwell annealing oven, 105 n length, with twenty doors and with arrangement THE IRON AGE 1197 for placing intermediate fire brick walls at intervals ofa little over 5 ft., so that the oven may be run either in whole or in part, according to the needs of the moment. Adjacent to the annealing furnace are two quenching pits, one containing water and the other oil. Along the north side of the bay is a battery of eight cold saws ranging in size from 26 in. to 64 in. This places them close alongside the storage and minimizes the handling of material. Most prominent in the machine shop, which occupies the 55-ft. north bay and a 25 x 200-ft. lean-to adjoining, are the large double ended lathes used for turning, and in some cases for boring, crankshafts and other heavy forgings. These lathes are fitted with jigs which make it possible to center a shaft for turning the integral crank pin, and to turn circular arcs on the ends of the crank webs. Six of these large lathes are installed, vary- ing from 36 in. to 72 in. swing and from 74 ft. to 80 ft. in length. Besides these are a number of shorter and maller lathes, from 72 in. down to 16 in. swing. There ‘ are also planers from 32 in. to 72 in. gap, together with slotters, drills, shapers and boring mills. All machine tools are driven by individual adjustable speed direct current motors. Melting and Forge Eauipment The electric furnace units are supplied with Niagara current, which comes into the plant at 11,000 volts and is stepped down by transformers to 150 volts, with taps at 10-volt intervals, down to 100 volts. Each furnace has a capacity of 3000 kva. They are located two Soe ite came anny Pm ese Tae cei Bk alt ee ; / ; » 1198 on a platform 19 ft. above the floor level, which plat- form carries also the two brick and concrete transformer houses. The furnaces are 28 ft. apart on tilting cradles operated by motors and counterweights and are served by a 50-ton ladle crane. Square. round and octagonal ingots from these furn- oquare, round and octagonal ingots [rom these turn aces are made top poured in sizes from 12 to 42 in. in section, fluted, and cast with the large end upward. In many cases a sink-head is cast on top to take up what- ever sponginess may remain in the metal. The great care exercised to avoid defects in quality is exemplified by the fact that unless a cooling ingot will readily disengage itself from its mold it is not used except to cut up for small work. The chances that a sticking ingot may have, in its surface, the nucleus of a seam appears to be too great a chance to take, and one which is not accept- able The heating furnaces, ten in number, in pairs, are fired with pulverized coal prepared in a 40 x 88-ft. house within the building bay covering the electric furn- THE IRON AGE May 4, 1 the United Engineering & Foundry Co., Pittsburgh operated by water pressure provided through a st intensifier, the steam cylinder having about six the diameter of the water plunger. Steam is u raise the upper die. After passing through the pr blooms which require further work are handled one or another of the steam hammers. The mai! of these hammers, however, is in taking care of s1 pieces. A sixth steam hammer, located north row of production hammers, is used by the blac! department, where all tools are dressed. Control of the melting of the steel in the el furnaces is provided by quick determinations of ca and other metalloids, in the chemical laboratory, w lies almost under the furnaces. Control of the annea process is provided by a series of Leeds & Northru; cording pyrometers, located adjacent to the anneal unit. Charging of the electric furnaces is done by mea a charging machine and charging boxes, similar to t u I We I I Foreground Is the 1500-Ton Steam-Hydraulic Press; Behind It Is the Hammers Still Farther Back and Heating Furnaces at Left aces and immediately back of the heating furnaces. used in open-hearth practice but somewhat sn Ingots are charged direct into these furnaces from This avoids both the excessive manual labor the casting pit; thus conserving both heat and _ charging, and the great consumption of time requ labor, reducing manufacturing costs and cecreasing by that method. Similarly, in many cases, billet percentage of rejections. Whe for any reason, in- small ingots are handled under the 1000-ton fi gots are stocked before being used, is customary press by means of a mechanical manipulator, w first to pre-heat them in soaking pits to 1000 deg. Fahr. grasps one end, subjecting all the rest of the lengt! before charging them into the re-heating furnaces. Coal for the pulverizer comes in at the north end of the south bay, where it is dumped into a pit and thence hoisted by grab buckets into covered bins. Approxi- mately 1500 tons of coal per month are thus handled. Between each two heating furnaces forming a pair is one 250 hp. verti water tube waste heat boiler Half the steam for the entire plant is obtained from this source, the balance of the heat required by the boilers coming from auxiliary heaters for the operation of the steam hammers, for the steam end of the for heating the offices and machine shop, and for certain auxiliary uses. Forging of the ingot takes place under one of the two heavy presses. The forge shop, of the full length of the plant. Steam is used steam hydraulic presses; ample width, extends The presses, furnished by treatment under the forge. Inter-communication east and west in the plant wholly by means of electric overhead traveling cra In the north and south direction, however, the transi of material is wholly on rails, there being six sect of narrow gage industrial track inter-connecting various departments, and separated by intervals of to 100 ft. from each other. .Similarly, the railroad 1: and outlet at the west end of the plant run in a n and south direction, there being two tracks, one of w! traverses the width of the first three bays of the bu ing, while the second covers also the machine §s The latter track has a track scale of 150-ton capa for control of outgoing shipments. Equipment at Syracuse includes, as its major U one 1000-ton United Engineering & Foundry Co. st <~— a. nilleee nas Cetin ee pretties gui tipi’, Senge tall: Aghia pee ithe, © eanenaiinageaeigsnapapenbamaernaiie, Sill leit stesnstel Aementeneen alicia teeta itcene ae iad iehneienetnaee soeteteteedliaaseneheninadiid naemadiitmninatiae Se eR er PS oe th ae or eae ae rng ee aR Pr Eee roan ae ER cm eae Ra i RS eee ety = i SS ae I em ae apart — ¢ hemmny oie ae oy nt . »” Pets - ey . ° a — a ha ae ieemrestecansinn —reemenetihiinatinenammtiaaaned ee ed “ a we Bees Pa a a ey ag a gl mrecttine eck hiline’s: gece f ~< = ond > . ee ty arte, nt gee ee ai mera “* 5 eq, rt . THE IRON AGE Al machine its larg with carriages the dows at as viewed Annealing e shown the Grooves the ended lathes, Wir saws in juipped ith ste MAS ead stocks and WwW 1200 THE IRON AGE rydrau.ic forging press. As in Buffalo, the steam comes from waste heat boilers, there being two boilers of 110 hp. located adjacent to four large ingot heating fur- naces. This press has a 48-in. opening between dies, and is served by a 10-ton electric crane equipped with electri- cally operated chain manipulators of 7%4-ton capacity. The eight steam hammers at Syracuse range from 500 to 6000 lb. Each has sufficient furnace heating capacity to permit constant production. The furnaces are served by cranes and by cooling racks and straight- ening beds. While the machine shop equipment at Syracuse is of far less magnitude than at Buffalo, it has sufficient capacity for plant maintenance and for a small amount of production work. Annealing is done in six annealing furnaces of the car type, fitted with recording pyrometers, and served by two 2-ton cranes. The heat treating department includes three oil fired car-type furnaces, two of 10-ton and one of 5-ton capacity. The former can take bars up to 14 ft. in length. A pickling department has been installed to handle all sizes of billets and commercial lengths of bars. There is also a grinding department, through which all ingots and billets pass before going into the forging or rolling departments. Two rolling mills, one 16 in. and the other 10 in., are installed, the larger of which can take 7 in. billets or ingots. This mill consists of three 3-high and one At Right Is the 3-Ton Electric Furnace in the Syracuse Plant; There Is Also a 12-Ton Heroult Furnace Here. Below is the 1000-ton steam-hydraulic forging press at Syracuse 2-high stands, manufactured by the Lewis Foundry & Machine Co., and is operated by a 500-hp. General Elec- tric motor. The motor is connected through gearing, reducing the speed from 500 to 85 r.p.m. The 10-in. mill has five 3-high roll stands and is operated by a 300-hp. General Electric motor. Between the motor and the mill is a three-speed Falk gear drive, permitting the mill to operate at 110, 220 or 360 r.p.m. This allows for a great range of work and for various qualities of steel. Special Types of Product One outstanding feature of the company lies in the fact that there have been developed certain products May 4, 192 which can be turned out as a sort of “back log” and which the orders appear never to “dry up.” Am these is a die block of special make which is formed forging down an ingot into a billet of the correct er section, and then cutting this into lengths to suit. By t! means it is possible to ship die blocks frequently on 24- notice, in place of the ten days or more required wh. custom forging on six sides is demanded. Another item in the “back log’ consists in blooms billets of tool steel quality, produced in various siz under continuous orders, which call for certain definite amounts per month, and which can be worked in in such a way as to avoid the peaks of shop production on other orders. Quantities of this material are used for oil country tools, particularly for bits, under-reamers and cutters, required in drilling oil wells. Billets out of which balls are eventually to be made form another item of flexibility in the production schedule and, at the same time, make it possible to utilize stub ends of ingots, the bulk of which have gone into large shafting orders. By forging these stub ends down into billets 7 in. square and shipping them to Syracuse in carload lots, they may be rolled or forged there, whereas if kept in Buffalo they would, in many cases, be relegated to the scrap heap 4, 1922 THE IRON re RE Foreground Is the 10-In. Mill in the Syracuse Plant; at the Rear Is the 16-In One of the heating furnaces may F | be seen at right Y S35em F + ey a 4 deer manene = wage Ce eee aaa Sein heel -w 8 TB a epee ate TO ae NO ete ew wie ty oh fee it ne inte : ee BR NY: Ba Sta Ba RO AGI se ie A. sonst nt, Mika om oe One Corner of the Main Hammer Shop in the Syracuse Plant Showing a Bloom Being Forged at ee ~ >. eT. ann RBS - 1st he, irri = ceomtriime pee et rt er 5 a a See ‘ ; w aaa od a ae ae eee a ae Se Gillin. a in = sn : ose op " S . Me angtranmnart panne ‘ y) or / 4 —— c Pd OEE EE eT NEO ST, EOIN RR ” beh . . th 6, ~p Wis By ae This 16-In. Rolling Mill in the Syracuse Plant Can Take Billets Up to 7 In. Square Pee Pye Q : * 2 % Be ; Su eRe 3 . | Y , Re ie. zs i ie ; a DG : f 7 Ri i « pi > + i h cy D, r. ae | ’ by . | Bs ' . oa * Py —_—- oe eS ee eee . - 2-9 —————— ee SC yegt wei Sexy eds 1202 THE IRON AGE and eventually be charged back into the electric furnaces for remelting. As the price of electricity in Buffalo is fully one- quarter less than the price in Syracuse, it is desirable to concentrate at Buffalo as much as possible of the electric melting. Management One impressive feature observed in the management at Buffalo is the comparative youth of the men in charge. The average age of the six leading men is only 43, and this in spite of the fact that the present manage on; has been in control for the last eighteen years. | been the policy of the company to gather into one 0) ization a group of men who had already made reputa as executives in particular branches of the forgin; dustry. This same tendency has spread into th spection and other departments. Under the reorganization, which is taking plac: week, the company becomes known as the Sizer Corporation. PERSONNEL FEDERATION ACTIVE Publishes Journal of Personnel Research—Will Distribute Reprints of Papers The Personnel Research Federation, organized a year ago under the auspices of the Engineering Foun- dation and the National Research Council to co- ordinate the efforts of the two hundred and fifty scientific, engineering, labor, management and educa- tional bodies which are studying personnel problems in the United States today, reports a year of progress. The primary objects of the organization, to act as a clearing-house of information and eliminate dupli- cation of effort, were greatly furthered by a survey of existing agencies, made by J. David Thompson, and issued as a bulletin of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics. With this information at hand, Dr. W. V. Bingham of the National Research Council and Alfred 1), Flinn, secretary of the Engineering Foundation, called a second conference on March 15, 1921, for the purpose of organizing a permanent body. At this con- ference the National Research Council, the Engineer- ing Foundation, the American. Federation of Labor. Bryn Mawr College, the Bureau of Industrial Re- search, Carnegie Institute of Technology, the Na- tional Committee for Mental Hygiene and the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania became charter members. Offi- cers appointed were: Robert M. Yerkes, chairman; Samuel Gompers, vice-president; Alfred D. Flinn, secretary; Robert W. Bruere, treasurer. Dr. Beardsley Ruml, who was appointed acting director, was forced to resign owing to pressure of other duties, Leonard Outhwaite taking his place. The first annual meeting was called in November, 1921, in Washington, and was attended by fifty per- sons, twenty-five of whom represented membership in the Federation. Two new active memberships were Dartmouth College. and the Bureau of Vocational In- formation. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U. S. Bureau of. Mines, the U. S. Civil Service Com- mission and the U. S. Public Health Service had be- come co-operating members, as well as Harvard Uni- versity, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Dr. Robert M. Yerkes, chairman, emphasized the importance of personnel research in improving work- ing conditions and making industry serve human satis- faction. Other papers were given by Dr. C. S. Yoakum of Carnecie Tystitute, Joseph W. Hayes of the Scott Co, of Philadelphia. Dr. L. L. Thurstone, Dr. L. R. Thompson of the U. S. Public Health Service, Dr. R. R. Sayers of. the S. Bureau of Mines, and Miss Anna Bezanson of the’-University of Pennsyl- vania. Samuel Gompers’ paper on “Some Problems of Personnel Research of Interest to Organized Labor,” was read by Mathew Woll, vice-president, American Federation of Labor. ca Since this meeting, the central. office has been at- tempting to secure funds for a more permanent estab- lishment and for furthering certain specific inquiries. It has arranged for the publication of a monograph series to. provide an outlet for papers already given and subsequent researches of importance. The earlier numbers will deal with job analyses and occupational description, in studies aiming to develop a technique of secupational-description ard a standard terminology. Another enterprise is the Journal of Personnel Re- search, the first issue of which will appear in }\ In this number there will be an article by Presi Angell of Yale on “Reasons and Plans for Rese Relating to Industrial Personnel.” “Developmen: Personnel Research” by Alfred D. Flinn, and “B Experiments in Vocational Guidance” by C€. s Yoakum. Samuel Gompers will contribute an art on “Co-operation of Workers in Study of Industria! P sonnel Matters,” in an early issue, and others promise: are: “Intelligence of Policement” by L. L. Thursto: “What is Personnel Research?” by Robert M. Ye: Other researches in progress are: Job Analyses Managers; Interest Analyses, Will-Temperament Traits and Vocational Aptitudes; Selection, Traini: and Supervision of Salesmen; Women in Chemist: and other studies in hygiene and safety in a vari of industries. Bethlehem Steel Optimistic E. G. Graée, president of the Bethlehem Steel Co: poration, said at a recent directors’ meeting that pr duction at the corporation’s plants is now on ap proximately a pre-war basis. “Operations,” he said, “are about 80 per cent o! theoretical capacity. Practical capacity is not ord narily more than 90 per cent of theoretical. This rate compares with 40 to 50 per cent in the first quarter of the year and with about 25 per cent at the lowest point of depression.” Regarding earnings and prices, Mr. Grace said that bars, shapes and plates were now on what he termed a “1.60-cent plus basis a pound.” He expressed th opinion that a price to yield a reasonable profit producers would be about 1.75 to 1.80 cents, as « pared with 1.50 cents at the low price. Bethlehem Steel has not been affected by the co strike. Its mines are worked by non-union labor and there has been no interruption of supplies. Sales in March were greater than those of Januar) and February combined, and the March rates wer maintained in April. Advance in Steel Castings The American Steel Foundries announces that, ef fective May 15, discounts on freight car castings in of 1000 pieces and over from one pattern will be disco! tinued, and on and after that date discounts now ob taining for quantities of 500 to 999 pieces will apply o! orders for 500 pieces and over from one pattern. I! is explained that prices on this class of work have bee! much lower than production costs warrant, and furthe! increases will undoubtedly prove necessary at a late! date. The steel castings industry is peculiar in tha! it feels the effects of a buying movement much !ate! than the steel mills. Whereas the plates, shapes and ban#/required for railroad cars are ordered practic®!!) simultaneously or shortly after the letting of -the cars themselves,’ the orders for the castings cannot be (is tributed until the: designs have been completed. The preparation of designs for castings ordinarily takes several weeks, and sometimes. a month of, tyxo, As 8 rgsult, a good share, of the castings required on the freight cars ordered -in the past two ‘months. are stil! to be placed. Ameriean Electrochemical Society Discusses Electric Cast [ron at Annual Spring Meeting— Historical Data—Duplexing, Cold Charges and Synthetic [ron rYiHeE feature of the forty-first: general meeting of the American Electrochemical Society at’ Balti- more, April 27 to 29, was a symposium on electric ron. History was made in that it was'the first ehensive meeting on this subject ever held. Nine rs were contributed covering electric cast iron ‘as ie from cold charges or by duplexing with the cu- synthetic cast iron, and also electric furnace pig from the ore. The attendance was large and the ission animated and profitable. (he symposium and the meeting were in charge of [. Hinckley, National Carbon Co., Niagara Falls, \ tr t y., and Bradley Stoughton, consulting engineer, New the latter presiding’ over the discussions. An irned session in the afternoon of Thursday was ssary to complete the program, ah unusual occur- in this society. Four Phases of Electric Cast Iron \ group of four papers was presented before any ission was allowed, embracing the historical, eco- mic, metallurgical and “sane” phases of the subject. : first paper “Cast Iron as Produced in the Electric irnace and Some of Its Problems” by George K. El- t, chief metallurgist the--Lunkenheimer €o., Cincin- ati, was presented by the author. An abstract appears sewhere in this issue: The papers, “Electric Cast Iron,” by W. E. Moore, | “Synthetic Cast Iron” by J. L. Cawthorn, both of e Pittsburgh Electric Furnace Corporation, Pitts- uurgh, in the absence of the authors, were presented in tract by Robert Turnbull, United States Ferro Alloys rporation, Niagara Falls, N. Y., and by F. A. J. Fitz rerald, the Fitz Gerald Laboratories, Niagara Falls, pectively. Mr.Cawthorn’s paper contrasts the basic vith the acid furnace for producing cast iron from bor- ngs, particularly steel, and discusses the- methods of vulating the composition of the resulting iron, with } al emphasis on the advantages of the acid bot- (he fourth paper, “Synthetic and Electric Pig Iron ely Considered,” was presented by the author, Rob- lurnbull. An abstract of this brief paper is found ‘ther pages of this issue. The general discussion on these papers was opened Ur. Richard Moldenke, Watchung, N. J., who spoke the necessity of a high super-heat to reduce the gas ntent and of his agreement with Mr. Elliott that namic tests of cast iron are desirable as differentiat- & between cupola and electric irons. He emphasized e danger of a high sulphur content and the advantage ‘ basic electric furnace in mitigating this, alluding three methods of lowering sulphur. These he out- ed as a higher pig iron charge in the cupola, electric ning and—a new process brought out in Germany ntly—the introduction of a chemical compound into ‘ladle after the removal of the slag, possibly a potash pound, which reduces the sulphur content at least half, Electric Cast Iron in Germany } tor Moldenke then read a translated abstract of irticle from a German source which gives the ex- ence of a German foundry where duplexing with follows: electric furnace is practiced. This was in part rks Manager Koella, in conjunction with Dr. H. Nathu- made their first refining tests in the electric furnace iten cast iron from the cupola in 1918, and the tests “ out so well that the entire production of gray iron ngs at the Vogtlaendische Maschienenfabrik in Plauen the duplexed, and no cupola iron poured into molds direct. ‘he usual day’s run consists of four charges of five tons run during an 8-hr. day. Occasionally five charges are 120 put through, in which case, however, the sulphur content ol all the heats suffers considerably as the time of refining the electric furnace is cut correspondingly short Nothing but scrap is melted in the cupola, 20 per cent of which con sists of steel No additions are made to the metal in. the cupola or big crane ladle, and the entire charge is tilted into the’ electric furnace hearth Here the necessary lime and fine coke additions are provided and the reactions go on. for 10 to 60 min The first charge necessarily takes a little longer in sptte of the pre-heating of the electric furnace After testing the metal for temperature with the usual spoon ladle by pouring into an open sand mold and’ rabbling in the requifed ferro silicon and ferromanganese, the entire charge of iron and slag is tapped into the pouring ladle The slag is removed with particular care for, at the existing temperature, this ‘is very thin and apt to enter the molds with. the metal, Th: composition of the iron before and after duplexing. * about us follows Electric Cupola Iron, Furnace lron, Per Cent Per Cent Total carbo 3.25 ps z.00 Silicon 1.60 to 1.70 2 00 to 2.40 Manganese 0.35 O55 Phosphorus 0.06 0.06 Sulphur F 0.23 O05 The exceptionally low phosphorus for foundry iron will be surprising to American foundrymen, and is evidently «due to the. German ore situation The sulphur, however, .is «lis agreeably famiuiar The increase in silicon and mayganese comes from the ferroalloy additions. On occasions, when i! was impossible to tap promptly to make use of the molten metal, the sulphur content actually went down to 0.01, which shows what can be accomplished if time and added cost need not be considered particularly. : Improvement in the quatity of the castings -was noticed at once. Pin holes, excessive shrinkage, hard spots and othe: troubles traceable to cupola oxidation disappeared and tle wear and tear on the machine tools has been reduced Th iron made is tough but not hard. The strength of the cast ings has risen 30 to 40 per cent, and was readily pushed up to 100 per cent when occasion demanded it. The greatest idvantage, however, was found in the reduction of the per- centage of defective castings madé, particularly in auto mobile cylinders Naturally, the refractory qualities of sand and cores had to be raised to care for the higher temper- atures involved. A complete table of costs is given by Giesserei-Zeitung, which is interesting only in the subdivisions enumerated, as the figures themselves are based upon conditions entirely different from those existing in America. Such items as coke for pre-heating the electric furnace, magnetite and core binders used in the operation are not often given, and the depreciation is set at the rather high figure of 20 per cent, with interest on the investment at 5 per cent. The cost calculations for German conditions, with an allowance o 7 per cent for melting loss in the cupola and 3 per cent in the electric furnace, brings out the molten metal about 30 pe cent cheaper than the corresponding grade could be made by melting in the cupola only This would come from starting with an all-scrap charge as against the usual pig and serap mixtures. The current consumption will be of interest. The: kilo watts in the eight hours for the charges from No. 1 to No. 5, where five heats were duplexed, ran as follows: 340, 240, 190, 150 and 140. The current consumption with the last two charges became rather constant, and hence it is j