The Iron Age 1922-06-22: Vol 109 Iss 25

New York, June 22, STABLISHED 1855 ~~ N AGE ae w BERE 192? VOL. 109. No. 25 i PES ae Production Methods at Fittings Plant Tap-Making Machine, Special Tapping Facilities and Making Scheme Equipment, Pattern Material for Handling Are Features of Limbert Works BY GILBERT r HE aim of and at the every manuiacturer is to reduce Nis costs Same time to improve, or at least to maintain, the quality of his product. ne important element in costs is material handling, nd this is steadily being reduced by improved rout- g of products through plants and by better mechan- al equipment. Another great factor in costs is labor. While wages re dependent the current mndition of the labor market, vhichis beyond the control of the individual oper- or, the nount of la- r consumed ant per pound of :oduct manu- factured is isceptible to duction irough the nstallation of abor-saving achines In survey- ng his prob- em, the works L. LACHER ew to effecting the best routing of materials Like wise equipment was provided both to reduce costs and to insure a better product. In the manufacturing routine of the plant, the first These are drilled, also jobs both wrought step is the production of castings. subse- quently tapped or faced and and stored for shipment. The company iron and steel pipe, having fa- cilities for threading it, cutting it to length and bending it The pipe bend ing and cut- ting shop and t h e core room and foundry, cleaning room are the only units of the original still plant standing, the remainder consisting of new buildings As will be noted by ex amining the plan view, the manager must One of Two Special Tapping Machines Used for Tapping Large Fittings In this plant location exercise inge- case the work—an ell—is held by the pneumatic cylinder pressing from above. The is excellent nuitv both in double chuck standing to the left of the steps is used for holding flanges, the chuck both for the roe fitting into the ways of the machine vorking out receipt of raw litable meth- " ds and devising equipment and appliances. The roblem is the same for all manufacturing plants so far as broad purposes are concerned. The application, however, differs for every industry and each plant in that industry. The works of Geo. B. Limbert & Co. East Chicago, Ind., is an example of the successful adaptation of modern operating principles to the pe- iliar needs of one branch of manufacture. The com- any, which has been a producer of fittings and flanges for many years, suffered the loss of most of its plant through fire about two years ago. In rebuilding, the nanagement sought to introduce all improvements in ant arrangement and equipment which long experi- ence indicated were practicable. The utmost attention was given to the design of the new structures with a and for the shipment of the finished product. A spur from three large railroads and three belt lines extends the whole length of the raw materia] storage yard, which is parallel to and adjacent to the foundry. Another siding extends between the pipe storage and bending shop and a loading platform next to the machine shop. Here consignments of pipe are received and finished products of the plant are loaded for shipment. Coke, pig iron, scrap, limestone and sand are trans- materials ferred from railroad cars to the raw material storage by locomotive crane. Tote boxes are filled with these materials as needed and are transported to the foundry by electric lift trucks manufactured by the Automatic Transportation Co., Buffalo, N. Y. Truck iron, coke and limestone are run onto an elevator in the loads of 1729 3 a zh; + : ‘ + « 4 7. im | ye a! ‘s . a - pa , See . \ ; £5:* oe! b ue a anit pe dee i,m) s - be ‘4 : 1730 THE IRON AGE June 22, ] . : bs ea rien ey Dear In This Multiplk ping Machirz BS) Chucks Have Provided for Spindle, One Being Loaded VW the Work Held gt 4 Other Is Being Ta ‘ The position of ‘ chucks is. shifted air. The control ( spindles is ip automat t : 1 cupola house and raised to the charging floor. The concrete floors and columns, brick walls and Fed t trucks are also used for conveying sand from storage Cement Tile Co. roof. The carpenter shop, whi , into the foundry, for moving ladles of hot metal from used for making and repairing wooden flasks, is , the cupola to the various molding floors, for transport- cated on the first floor. Here also is the storag: ing patterns and flasks from and to storage, and for wooden patterns and core boxes, separate from Ex taking the castings from foundry to cleaning room. shop by double fire doors. In one corner, adjacent All of the molding floors, except a pit for large the carpenter shop, is a charging room, where castings, which is served by a hydraulic swing crane batteries of the elevating trucks are charged. with a 20-ft. beam, are commanded by overhead hand- On the second floor is the pattern shop and m« power cranes of the combination bridge and monorail pattern storage. Both the metal and wooden patter: type, which were manufactured by the Louden Machin- and core boxes are stored in adjustable self-lockir wt ery Co., Fairfield, Iowa. The bridge operates the steel shelves furnished by the Durand Steel Lock length of each molding floor, and the monorail hoist Co., Chicago. All patterns and core boxes are " operates across the bridge, thus making it possible to dexed, so that they can be located at a moment’s not F reach every part of the floor. At the same time, by by referring to the pattern records. a) connecting several bridges, a hoist may be passed from Patterns are made of wood, iron, brass ar e one floor to another. Every molding floor, except the aluminum. Aluminum is melted over a Bunsen burne pit, served by the swing crane, is equipped with a_ in the pattern shop and is there poured into suitab molding machine, various types being used for different molds. Aluminum patterns have numerous adva! A classes of work. Iron is melted in a 72-in. Whiting tages. They are lighter in weight; they are easy cupola, which has been lined down to 54 in. It melts the pattern maker to work; they draw sand bett up to 75 tons daily. than patterns made of other materials. Furthermo: The company has effected marked economies both in making cores and patterns. soth dry and green . sand cores are made. About 50 per cent of the dry sand cores—all those four inches in diameter and under—are made mechanically. In this process the core sand is sifted in a motor-driven gyratory riddle rc and is mixed in a rotary metor-driven Sly mixer. It is > then transferred to the hopper of a core machine manufactured by the Demmler Mfg. Co., Kewanee, III. } In this machine core boxes are pneumatically rammed with sand fed from the hopper above, whereupon the _" cores are laid in core driers arranged on a plate preparatory for baking. It has been found that the bees Demmler machine operated by two men will produce as much work as five or six core makers. Another ma- , chine of this type, entirely automatic in operation, has P been purchased and is expected to perform the work : of eight to 10 coremakers. : The present core shop, which is adjacent to the s molding pit served by the swing crane, will soon be moved to a new core room which is being provided in * a building housing the pattern shop and storage. Here the two Demmler machines will be set up and two new gas-heated core ovens, one of the car type for cores ‘ up to 48 in., will be built by the company’s own forces. The space now occupied by the core shop, together with an addition to it, which is now under construc- , tion, will add 40 ft. to the foundry, increasing molding capacity accordingly. A Battery of Tapping Machines, Showing the Tul ; Through Which Work Is Dropped from the Floor Ab The pattern storage, the carpenter shop, and the and the Conveyor Below Which Carries the Finished ’ pattern shop are located in a fireproof building with Fittings Away to Storage June 22, 1922 is necessary to leave very little finish on aluminum atterns, because there is little or no shrinkage in the wling of the metal. In the case of many patterns y a file finish need be provided for. Through the ise of aluminum patterns it has been possible to re- ice the weight of various fittings. Thus a two-inch which formerly weighed four and one-half pounds it came from the mold, now weighs only four inds. Another feature of the pattern shop is a core box ichine, through the use of which the time required making core boxes has been sharply reduced. It merly took seven to eight hours to make a six- h ell core box. The machine cuts it out in 10 min. ter it has been built up rough. Joseph A. Crane & Rochester, N. Y., built the machine, but it was ibsequently modified in its construction by the Lim- rt company’s engineers. Originally the knife could cut a box larger than 12 in. In inside diameter. It now able to cut boxes up to 20 in. in diameter. he machine is relatively simple in its design. The iife is motor-driven and when not in use is with- drawn under the table of the machine. An adjustable xuide extending across the top of table determines the position of the core box with reference to the knife. The core box is placed against the guide and when the knife has been adjusted to the proper eight above the surface of the table and is set in otation, the box is shoved slowly against it, the lirection of the movement of the box being at right ingles with the plane of the knife. Core boxes are also made of metal, these being used exclusively in making green sand cores. For ertain classes of castings, particularly where a clean nside finish is desirable, the Limbert company has found green sand cores eminently satisfactory. These ores are made on the molding floors where they are to be used. One-half of a core is made at one time, the and being rammed into the core box, which is then turned upside down, leaving the half core on the top f the molding bench with the flat side down. Then irag of the mold, face downward, is slipped over the ore, following which it is turned over and another THE IRON AGE 1731 core box is superimposed over the half core in the drag and then removed, leaving the top half of the core in place. The last step is the fitting of the cope over the core as it rests in the drag. Both halves of the core are dusted with parting sand before they are set. Adjacent to the foundry is the cleaning room, to which all castings are taken after the molds are shaken out. After cleaning, the castings are passed by chute to a belt conveyor in the basement, which carries them to the boot of a bucket elevator which hoists them to the second floor directly above the tap room. Here they are sorted out and work which is to be tapped is passed down tubes to the various tapping machines on the floor below, while the pieces to be faced and drilled are lowered by elevator to the ma- chine shop. All of the machines are placed so that as soon as work ‘is tapped it may be carried away by belt conveyor. In the case of several batteries of standard ke Bin type Williams, White & Co. tapping machines, the belt conveyor is directly underneath. In other in- stances chutes connect the machines with the con- veyor. The latter carries all finished pieces to a chute through which they are discharged into the base- ment where they are sorted and stored. A number of special tapping machines were de- signed and constructed by the company to handle large fittings. One of them is used for tapping elbows, tees, crosses and flanges. Flanges are held by a double chuck which fits into the ways on the bed. Fittings are held by an air cylinder pressing from above. Through this manner of holding the work, as many as four taps (in the case of a cross) may be driven into the work at once. The machine has a capacity to tap ells, tees and crosses from four to six inches in inside diameter, and flanges—both standard and extra heavy —from 6 in. to 16 in. in diameter. Another machine of this type is used principally for tapping 45-deg. elbows, although it can be used for other operations also. In this case a screwdown is used for holding the work, because it was found that a pneumatic cylinder would not hold a 45-deg. ell securely. There are also two multiple tapping machines + wae 4, ' + 7 ee ' ain fm: at by + sa) ' Sen > ae, 1o% ’ rs which are used to tap flanges, flange unions and re- turn One of with these is a four-spindle machine chucks per spindle, one bends. equipped two sets of chuck being loaded while the spindle is tapping the work on the other chuck. At the end of each spindle operation, the positions of the chucks are reversed, the chucks which have been loaded being shoved under the spindles while the completed work is passed from the other chucks chutes to the belt conveying system. The other machine, a six-spindle tapping ma- chine, was constructed by the King Machine Co., Chi- down cago, according to the Limbert company’s own design. It is unique in its construction, control of the spindles being automatic, while the 12 work chucks are shifted back and forth by the operator pneumatically. In this THE IRON AGE June 22, | tool Taps up to six incl diameter are made in a Smalley-General thread ing machine which was fitted up by the Limbert well-equipped room. gineers for this work. After the flutes have milled, this machine will thread a double end completely in five minutes. The work is held dog which is rotated by a face plate on the head of the To hold the idle end of the w a tailstock was provided by the Limbert company is to be noted that both the hob and the work ro machine. simultaneously, but that the rotation of the work much slower than that of the tool. double end tap is completely threaded in one rotat of the work-driving spindle. To provide all the sp: required, the countershaft was equipped with the ne . ~ = a “> One-half ot r Taps Are Made on a Thread Milling Machine Modified for the Purpose. A tailstock was provided to hold the idle ‘nd of the work and a backing-off attachment relieves the hob as it passes over each flute in the tap preparator. entering the next land case also the idle work chucks are loaded while the sary cone pulleys. spindles are working on the other chucks. The control of the spindles commands particular attached to the end of the link to which trip dogs are fastened, the upper one tripping From a lever shaft of the attention. driving machine is suspended a one air valve and the lower one another valve, each at the proper time in the cycle of operation. The gap between the dogs and the air valves can be regulated so as to limit the spindles to various revolutions per operation. With the tapping of one of the shaft shifting a valves a pneumatic cylinder on the counter above the machine is actuated. the plunger clutch, versing the the spindles to be withdrawn thereby re operation of the belt and causing from the work prepar- atory to the next operation. After the spindles have been reversed the number of take work, the other air tripped and the operation of same revolutions they when tapping the valve is the air cylinder is re- versed, again changing the direction of the belt and causing the spindles to be driven into the work. All of the taps used by the company are made in a The machine was provided wit backing-off attachment to take up the backlash on t! hob and also to provide clearance when the tool is ent: ing a land in the tap. by a flexible shaft geared to the main spindle. shaft drives a cam which draws the hob toward work while cutting, relieving it when it passes ove! This attachment is operat qT) a flute in the tap preparatory to entering the next land. A counterweight on a beam throws out of contact with the work when the tension on hob is relieved in the cycle of the operation of the can The drilling and facing of flanges and flange fitting is done in the main machine shop, which adjoins tap room. three cluster drilling machines—a 12-spindle, a spindle and an 8-spindle, two radial drilling machi! and five boring mills which will handle 1-in. to 18 stock. the to The equipment in this department embrac The shop is commanded by a Whiting 7%-t electric traveling crane, which is used to set up hea There are also a number engine lathes used for facing. with chucks holding plugs on which the flanges jobs on the machines. The lathes are equipp* June 22, 1922 hreaded. The advantage of screwing flanges on plugs that it is unnecessary to center the work, as would e required if the flanges were held in chucks. By his arrangement the operator can feel sure that the ice of the flange is square with the tapping chamber. ifferent plugs, of course, are used for different sizes flanges. Flange fittings are used on large pipe—generally pipe a bove uur inches in iameter. Fit- ngs this size re tapped only hen it is speci- ed by the custo- er. Smaller pipe ually takes rew fittings. ipe is threaded nd faced in the ipe shop on hree long engine ithes, which will read work up 24 in. in diam- er. Pipe is bent order on two nding tables. efore bending, pipe is heated oil furnaces, ter which it is insferred to table by an overhead monorail hoist. The tops of tables are perforated with numerous holes, so that ‘gs can be so placed as to produce almost any curva- ire desired. In the bending operation a winch is used pull the pipe around the pegs, one end of the pipe ing held fast against a block. Next to the machine shop and adjacent to the load- g platform is a shipping room. Material for ship- ent is brought to this floor from storage below by elevator. Orders are generally taken right out of tock, as it is the policy of the company to keep ; msiderable supply of all of its products on hand at times. This is necessary so that quantities of the THE IRON AGE 1733 Same size of product may be put througn the shop at one time Allegheny Steel Co. Improvements The Allegheny Steel Co.. Brackenridge, Pa., has increased its capital stock from $3,200,000 to $6,315, 200 by declaring a stock dividend. The company does not contemplate any material additions to its plants at present, ut Nas under way the remodeling of its blooming mill so a ile to roll sheet bars on this mil When the changes arecomp leted his m l w he able to ro blooms, billets slabs and _ sheet bars, and Ww have a capacit of 700 to 800 tor of sheet bars pe! day, For some time the con pany’s sheet bar capacity has ye en insufficient to supply its >} hot sheet mills Several! months ago galvanizing equipment wa installed and the company is now a large producer o! all grades of sheets, both black and galvanized Its large plate mills have been closed for some time, owing to the low prices at which plates have been selling Six Worcester, Mass., plants, including the Centra! Works, American Steel & Wire Co., and the Nationa Works, Wickwire Spencer Steel Corporation, had per- fect scores as to lost time accidents in April, jn a cor test conducted by the Worcester Branch, Nationa Safety Council. The two steel plants mentioned had perfect accident records for the four months ending with April. The Machine Shop Is an Exceptionally Light and Lofty Bay, Served by Overhead Crane and Equipped with Multiple Spindle Drilling Machines, Radial Drilling Machines, Boring Mills and Engine Lathes ot 4 ’ we eager eeagrectngruitiamdamantargeh ore ww yp 1-aT"s 1734 ETHICS IN BUSINESS Judge Gary Says Conditions Have Greatly Im- proved in a Few Years Elbert H. Gary, chairman United States Steel Cor- poration, delivered an address at the annual luncheon of the Law Alumni, Northwestern University, Evanston, I}l., Saturday, June 17, when the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon him in connection with the commencement Judge Gary’s speech was on Ethics in Business, and he made a very interesting comparison of old and new methods of He said that not many years ago, perhaps not more than a score, the managers of some of the large private business corporations apparently believed that if their conduct was within the strict and techni- cal rules of law it was immune from public or private attack; that if the provision of no public law was violated the corporation should be permitted to secure unlimited profit and might treat indifferently its cus- tomers, its employees, its competitors and even the general public; and not a few officials, in consonance with the same line of reasoning, were inclined to take advantage of inside, advance information to promote their own pecuniary interests to the prejudice of the shareholders generally. By such as these moral princi- ples were ignored. The Rule of Might exercises. VUSINeSS. Judge Gary said that by the old regime the rule of might over right prevailed. In business, the Golden Rule was given no thought, certainly no place. Competi- tion was tyrannical and destructive. Weaker competi- tors were forced out of business often by means not only unethical but severe and brutal. Employees were not given just consideration. The wage rates were ad- justed strictly in accordance with the laws of supply and demand. Employees were also governed largely by selfish motives and in many cases were arbitrary, un- reasonable and cruel. This condition resulted in great hardship to the general purchasing and consuming public. Change for the Better Turning from this picture of conditions in the past, Judge Gary spoke on the present, saying in part: It may be asserted with absolute confidence that within the last twenty years or more there has been a decided change in the standards and conduct of busi- ness. To my personal knowledge, many of the most intelligent managers of business affairs, some very large and others smaller, who have laid down the cares and difficulties of this life, before their final departure completely changed their opinions and reversed their methods concerning ethical questions. This applies also to many who are still living. Hundreds upon hundreds, yes thousands upon thousands of business men, all over this country, who 20 years ago believed that the subject of ethics had little, if any, rightful place in business conduct, now assert and insist that it is essential and controlling. A man of high in- telligence and probity about ten years since, while testifying in court, alluding to a certain other man who occupied the highest position in a large business con- cern, said: ‘He introduced new rules into the business game.’ I think it properly may be claimed multitudes of leading business men during the last two decades have voluntarily devoted more and more time and energy in a conscientious desire to conduct their busi- ness in accordance with the rules of propriety and honesty. “Business throughout the United States is to-day transacted on a higher plane than ever before, though. of course, there is always need for further improve- ment. The world is surely growing better. If time permitted, many striking instances could be given.” Judge Gary said that public opinion has aroused and will always arouse the consciences of men and women. Another convincing reason for the noticeable changes in business ethics is that men realize that ethical management brings additional profits to busi- ness and sooner or later it pays in dollars and cents, for any man or concern that firmly establishes a repu- THE IRON June 22, 19 AGE tation for honesty and fair dealing has a business a of great pecuniary profit. “Perhaps best of all,” said Judge Gary, if the ness man’s conduct is sincerely believed by hims be honest and proper, he will have the courag strength to stand solid and immovable against unworthy attack of the unscrupulous concerning management.” Misguided Minds In conclusion, Judge Gary said: “As a passing suggestion it may be observed henceforth the political party which pays the most tention to ethics is likely to secure endorsement by majority of voters, including especially the women. “In this greatest of all countries, rich in everyt! that is good and of real worth, we may be hopefu the future. Beyond the horizon of our tempora somewhat beclouded vision, the skies of temporal] moral prosperity are clear and bright. Let us thankful that, under the power and rule and influer of incompetent or vicious men during the last years, the world has not suffered more and that present, in the United States at least, conditions prospects are good. Let us consider distrustfully tl who look darkly through glasses of their own const: tion, for we know they reflect simply the peculiarit of misinformed or misguided minds. “The alumni of the great universities, what« may be the extent of their business control or « nections, have great opportunity to assist in mou ing, by practice and precept, the new and impro structure of enlightenment which is needed throu; out the world. Let us engrave our names as co-bu ers upon the foundation blocks of intellectual moral granite.” Investigating Workmen’s Compensation H. D. Martin, medical director of the Pollak Ste Co., Cincinnati, and L. H. Van Matre, manager of t industrial division of the Cincinnati Chamber of Com- merce, have been making a tour of Ohio cities, consult- ing manufacturers regarding the operations of thi Ohio workmen’s compensation law. Group meeting have been held in Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, Ca ton, Portsmouth, Dayton and Springfield at whi complaints have been aired and suggestions advance The survey is being conducted at the instigation of t committee on workmen’s compensation of the Cin nati Chamber, of which M. E. Pollak, of the Polla company is chairman and Mr. Martin is acting cha man. Visits were also made to Washington, New Yo. Boston, Baltimore, Harrisburg and Charlestown, W Va., to investigate the operation of compensation act in other States. Mr. Martin says the investigation has disclosed that many of the complaints against the Ohi law are founded on misunderstanding, and he advo- cates a more thorough study of the act and its p! visions on the part of employers. Manufacturers throughout the State have show: lively interest in the subject. The system of factory and workshop inspection in the State has been su jected to criticism, because of its inefficiency and impractical suggestions advanced by inspectors. A. W. Matlack, manager of the compensation de- partment of LaBelle Iron Works, Steubenville, recon mended to the committee that trade associations in concert in attempting to iron out inequalities. 1: stated there could be a substantial reduction of 4 ability resulting from accidents, and pointed out tha‘ manufacturers generally have no follow-up system accidents. The Tariff Division of the Department of Comme: has received word that the customs tariff of Nig: has been further amended, effective April 28, this year, and fixes a duty of 10 per cent on corrugated sheets which were formerly free of duty. The Cumberland Iron Works, Inc., Huntington, \\ Va., with a plant for the manufacture of mine cars mine equipment at Westmoreland, W. Va., has take! over the Star Car & Foundry Co., Huntington, W. \@ Leaves froma Steel Melter’s Notebook—V° Details of Diagnosis and Treatment in the Case of a Sick Steel Plant in a Foreign Country—Aluminum as a Preventive of Skin Holes BY HENRY D. HIBBARD “ OME years ago, while the great war was in its » early stages, I was engaged to visit professionally a steel works in a foreign country to advise the vyners how to increase the output of their open-hearth ‘el plant which was unsatisfactory. At the end of y journey I found a good new plant, comprising blast irnace, by-product coke ovens, pig-casting machine, sic open-hearth steel furnaces, blooming mill, rail d structural mill, tracks and appliances. The plant id not, indeed, been built with such prodigal use of eel as some of the American plants, but was, never- theless, ample to deal with the 60-ton steel furnaces all particulars as to charge, product and otherwise, vhen they were well operated. The only inadequate thing was the drop for breaking up into chargeable ‘ces the pit and ladle scrap. The situation at the plant was rather unpleasant. Heats of steel were taking from 15 to 25 hours each make, and in exceptional cases even longer. Even hen they were as a rule cast too cold, so that a con- siderable part of the metal went into pit scrap and ladle culls. The percentage of ingots was extremely low, inning ostensibly about 85 per cent of the metallic part of the charge; that is, the combined weight of the rude iron and scrap steel, but not including the iron the ore. The percentage of ingots was really less than 85 per cent, as the weight clerk confessed to me me day in a burst of confidence that the figures were falsified to make even that showing. The railroad track inning out to the drop was piled high on both sides with thousands of tons of pit and ladle scrap. Never efore had I seen a tenth as much at any one place. The drop was not equal to the task of breaking up more than a small fraction of the daily production of such scrap. Indeed, some of the pieces and skulls were so massive that they were practically unbreakable under a lrop. Early Plant Troubles Grow Worse As stated, the plant was adequate for good practice. \ll the principal men on the steel furnaces had had experience at other plants, but most of them had lost their faith in the situation, chiefly blaming the plant for its poor showing. It had started off at a fair rate ‘or a new plant, but then, instead of doing better as experience was gained, it did worse. The two things which were really bad and beyond their control were too high silicon in the pig iron they used and inferior juality of the silica bricks, which were made locally. Before I got there, the steel superintendent, who had practically thrown up his hands, had left, and one f the melters had been made acting superintendent. lhe steel superintendent and the blast furnace superin- tendent had not been on speaking terms, as the former imed the quality of iron supplied to him by the latter for some of his troubles, and with good reason, as will told later. The blast furnace man claimed, however, that when the steel plant got such iron as they asked ‘or they did no better work, and this was substantially ie. He stated to me when I first got there his belief that the composition of the iron made no difference. Later he had other views, for reasons which will be referred to in the sequel. As a result of the differing claims and circumstances, management of the plant were uncertain as to vhat was really responsible for the poor showing, and therefore looked for help outside. The costs of the *No. I was published Oct. 27, 1921, at page 1065; No. II, 24, at page 1337: No. ITI. Feb. 16, 1922, at page 465; IV, May 4, 1922, at page 1219 steel they had been able to ship were so high that something had to be done to lessen them. Diagnosis A glance into any of the steel furnaces showed a flame extending from the gas port but a little over half the length of the hearth, and totally inadequate for good melting. The hearth temperature was too low. The chimney dampers were all the way up, the air valves up 6 or 7 in., and the dust which had settled on the hand regulating wheels for the air valves and chimney dampers showed that they were never touched. For good work they must be adjusted from time to time to meet the variations in gas, stage of melting, and other things which affect the hearth temperature. At the end of a melt less heat is needed to be supplied to a furnace than during melting down. The pressure on the steam pipe blowing the producers was excessively high, about 50 lb. per sq. in. The regenerators were, in their upper, hottest parts, hardly more than red hot, say at a dull orange temperature. All these things were wrong. For a good rate of melting the flame should sweep the whole length of the hearth, with tips of the flame entering the gas port at the far end on the way to the regenerators. An undue excess of air shortens the flame. There must, indeed, be some excess of air to have good combustion, say about 50 per cent more than the theoretical amount required to burn the gas, but too much air cools the hearth. So also does too little air, because of the poor combustion resulting, the flame then being smoky. Of course, the air is not measured, but a skillful furnaceman will graduate the quantity of air entering his furnace so that he has a proper flame at all times. When desiring full melting power, as during the melting down period, the flame should be ample in extent and be white and soft. In fact, a sus- picion of smoke issuing from the stack, showing that the air valve is not teo widely open, is better than too much air fed into the furnace. These observations being made, the first thing to be done was to try the effect of less air, less steam and less chimney draft to see if by such means the re- generators and furnaces could be made properly hot. These changes were tried by the furnace men on one of the furnaces, but the improvement, though notice- able, was slight. The next day I ran a furnace myself for a while and tried all the variations of air, steam and chimney draft, but could not get a really good flame. This completed the diagnosis and showed that the trouble lay chiefly in the quality of the gas being made in the producers. Improving the Gas The next two weeks I spent mostly in the gas house, teaching the gas men how to make better gas. The producers were of an unfamiliar make, so I had to study out their peculiarities and teach the men as I went along. The » ducers were of the stationary type with- out grates, 1 had feeding mechanisms having three rates of speed. These variations in speed were obtained by driving a ratchet wheel either one-half a tooth, one tooth or one and a half teeth at each stroke of a reciprocating shaft carrying two pawlis with overlap- ping motion. It eventually appeared that the slowest speed, or one-half a tooth to a stroke, was sufficient and that speed was usually employed. The coal we used was a fair quality of slack from a mine in the near neighborhood. It averaged about 37 per cent volatile matter, 11 per cent ash, and 1.6 per cent of 1735 > ee : } ie } ,* / eee ‘ , i 4 - *@ ; . ay! ; Pat j : * : ; er ike re * a o e al sigh ics - wr 1736 sulphur. The last mentioned element was rather high but, partly because of the large proportion of molten iron used in the steel charges, this did no particular harm as sulphur is absorbed from the gas only by bare hot iron which is exposed to its direct contact as is the heaped-up scrap during the melting-down period. The small proportion of scrap in the charges kept this at an allowable minimum. Gas Producer Troubles The poor gas had been due to a number of causes. The bed of ashes which served as a grate was usually too shallow. The bed of burning coal was often too shallow also. As a result of these conditions the air from the central blast distributor was not properly spread over the whole fire and combustion was too rapid and, consequently, the degree of heat too high near the center. The ashes were thereby fused into clinkers, some of which were of prodigious size, extending over nearly the whole fire. The shallow fire allowed some of the air to pass through unburnt. The fire was too hot on top, a bright red, and the heavy hydrocarbons, tar and oil, heavier than methane or marsh gas (CH,) distilled from the coal, were “cracked” or broken up chemically by the heat and partly burnt, so that the heating power of the gas was seriously diminished. Further, when the heavy hydrocarbons were decom- posed much of the carbon was set free in the form of soot which settled in the necks of the producers and in the gas flues. This fact was one of the first I noticed, as the accumulation of soot in the producer necks had been so great that it had been the custom to open and clean them every Wednesday, a proceeding which was new to me and not needed with good running. When producers are properly operated some of the tar distilled from the coal will be condensed or the pokers used to poke the fire and on the valves which close the peepholes above the fire. A glance at these tells much of how the producer is being run. At the plant in question no tar was visible; only dry soot on the tools and valves. After we began to improve the gas, the producer necks were opened but once on a Wednesday when, as no harmful amount of soot was found, there was no need to continue the practice. When poor gas is being made and the producers are being blown moderately, if the blast pressure be in- creased there will be some addition to the quantity of gas which will, for a short time, give a longer flame in the furnace, but such increased pressure is merely a stimulant. Reaction soon follows and the gas becomes still poorer unless improved by better work at the producers. The high pressure of 50 lb. per sq. in. on the steam blast pipe, which was common, had been used in the effort of the furnacemen to get more heat into the furnaces. What was really needed was a smaller volume of richer gas. Good producer gas made from bituminous coal has a yellowish color. It gives a tarry odor to the hand when held for a second or two in the stream flowing out of a pokehole, and such a stream when ignited will burn with a clear flame. Poor gas is bluish in color and sometimes will not burn as it flows out of a poke- hole though it will in the hot furnace. As soon as the gas was better the pressure on the blast pipe of the producers was kept about 25 Ib., which with the producer fires in good shape was ample. Soon after my arrival I remained one Saturday afternoon to see the gas flues burnt out and cleaned. The unfamiliarity of the men with the work showed me that it had been neglected and it was strange that more trouble had not arisen from the clogged-up gas flues. Burning out was regularly done on Saturdays thereafter. Better Gas Practice The various points mentioned which contributed to make the gas poor were corrected as they were recog- nized. Most of the men were quite intelligent, ready and willing to do good work when they knew what was wanted. In fact, lack of proper supervision had been largely responsible for the poor gas. There was no gas foreman, each furnaceman taking such gas as his two gas men furnished him, without much complaint. A few days’ run showed me that that arrangement THE IRON AGE June 22, 1: would not do, and with the acting superintend picked out the best man on each of the three shif act as foreman. The quality of the gas was us good thereafter. The answer from better gas ca: once and some heats were made in 11 hours with; next few days. Frequent analyses of the gas aided to keep up quality, the results being posted so that every could see how well the gas men did their work. board on which they were posted bore the staten that what was wanted was carbonic dioxide (CO under 4 per cent and carbonic monoxide (CO) over per cent. These requirements were often met. 1 analyses shown me when I first reached the plant, prove that the trouble was not due to poor gas, |} from 5 to 7 per cent of CO. and one would indeed ha thought that such gas, though not good, would ha been more efficient than it was. We had some trouble in teaching the gas men make clean ashes, that is, free from carbon or unbu) coal. Some of them were prone to take out ashes freely, bringing some intermixed coke down below combustion zone where it would not be burned would remain in the ashes, being so much wasted fu Still our coal consumption was low when the gas good. For some single weeks the consumption w under 400 lb. per ton of ingots. Such a low figure w: of course, due to the high proportion of molten cru iron (“hot iron”) used in the charges, which suppli heat, as well as to the shortened “time in furnace” compared with former practice. Silicon Content in Pig Iron As previously stated, however, we were by no means out of the woods even with good gas. Better iron a: better bricks were needed. Having no mixer, the iro: had to be used as it came molten from the blast fur nace; not a desirable course when the blast furnac practice has not become regular. A scarcity of scrap made it necessary to use from 75 to 85 per cent of crude iron in the charges, and with that high percentage the troubles from high silicon in the iron were intensified. If we had had a mixer and so had known the composi- tion of the iron before charging it into the steel furnace it would have been a great help. We then could have proportioned the initial charges of ore and lime to th« work they had to do; that is, to the quantity of silico! they had to oxidize and also to serve as base for th silicic acid, to the end that time would have been saved and excessive erosion of the furnace prevented. Having to assume (i. e. guess at) the percentage of silicon i the iron, we had to be on the safe side and add less ore than the probable amount required, lest the iro! should have less silicon than anticipated and therefor be decarburized too rapidly by the ore not needed for oxidation of the silicon, and be too low in carbon whe! melted. When, as a rule, more ore was needed decarburization, it had to be charged into the molte1 bath and sometimes several tons were required. Th metal when all was melted had usually from 1 to 5 pe! cent of carbon. With regular iron of known silico! content, which would admit of closer oreing, it shou not have had over 1 per cent. The iron was ofte! charged into the steel furnace before its silicon was determined. Then the way it sparkled when poured gave some indication of what to expect. The lowe! the silicon the more sparks and the more brillia! sparks. When the iron had below 1.25 per cent silicon, there were showers of scintillating sparks; over 1.5 per cent the sparks were relatively few number and when over 2 per cent of silicon was in th iron there were practically none. Effects of High Silicon Ia Sap} When the silicon in the iron was unexpectedly high, that is, over 2 per cent, and more so when it was 0\ : 3 per cent and ore additions had not been increase¢ proportionately, the cutting and erosion of the bas bottom was positively sickening. Great recesses W' fluxed out, reaching sometimes back to the silica brick walls, the erosion of which added silica to the slag anc large quantities of magnesite were required to replace the bottom losses. 4 re Then, too, the quantity of slag made was excessive and retarded unduly the passace June 22, 1922 vo of heat to the metal and also slowed down the effect of the ore, lime and fluorspar added in working the charge. In rare instances the silicon in the iron ran over 4 per cent, though probably in no one charge did the crude iron average as high as that figure. However, relief from excessively high silicon was at hand. By force of circumstances, the blast furnace tuyeres had to be shortened 3 in. on a side, which made the crucible in effect 6 in. larger in diameter. This change increased the output of the furnace from 400 to about 450 tons daily, and, what we appreciated far more, enabled iron having about 1.25 per cent of silicon to be made. The blast furnace ran warmer up along the boshes, as shown by the formation of steam on that part of the furnace where none had been seen before, an unforeseen consequence of the shortened tuyeres. After having better gas, having lower silicon con- tent in the crude iron was the second great condition leading to larger production and shorter time in furnace. \s there was less room for danger of over-oreing on the low silicon side the amount of ore and lime charged first, before any of the metallic part of the charge went in, could be made to meet the actual requirement more closely, leaving less to be added later. When the charge was all melted there was but a moderate amount of ‘arbon to be eliminated. The ideal silicon content in the crude iron when it forms 80 per cent of the charge is about 0.8 per cent, so the iron we had containing 1.25 per cent was still too high in that element for the best working, but it was so much better than what we had before that it enabled us to make an important saving in the average “time in furnace” of the heats. With the high silicon irons the slag was likely to ‘foam” in the furnace and in so doing to rise so that it reached the silica bricks above the basic hearth and erode them. To prevent this, we cut down the heats in weight when the iron had high silicon. With silicon under 2 per cent heats were 65 tons. With silicon from 2 to 2% per cent heats were 60 tons. With silicon over 2% per cent heats were 55 tons. This helped a little to preserve the brick work of the furnaces. When the slag foamed it was necessary to bank up the furnace doors to prevent it running out yn the charging platform. At one steel plant in this country, I was told after my return, in three months their blast furnaces had not made any basic iron with over 1 per cent of silicon ind practically all their iron had between 0.7 and 0.9 per cent. This was from the steel man who used the iron and not from the blast furnaceman who made it. With iron of such uniform composition, a mixer is not needed except as a reservoir to assure a supply of nolten iron when it is wanted. Bricks The silica bricks of which the furnaces were built would not stand well a good melting heat, which was ne reason why better gas had not been demanded. The gap in temperature between a proper degree for the bath and danger to the roof, never too great, was ut down to extremely narrow limits. It was partly from effort to preserve the roof that so many of the heats had been cast too co'd and as a consequence that the great quantities of pit scrap and ladle skulls re- ferred to were made. The bricks failed by pieces drop- ng off from them when the hearth became too hot. Good silica bricks when they do fail do so by fusion, the melted material streaming down like excessively thick molasses. To see if I could suggest anything to help the brick makers I went to their works, though [ had never been in a silica brick factory. I also visited the quarry where they obtained their silica rock, a Devonian quartzite, which looked like the Dinas rock f Wales, which might be called the standard for silica rick making. The only suspicious thing about the ilica rock was the presence of 0.3 to 0.4 per cent of ilkalies reported by the chemist, and to that I was at first inclined to ascribe the inferior heat-resisting ability f the bricks. Since then I have seen good silica bricks made and am satisfied that the poor quality of those in question was due to inadequate grinding and mixing THE IRON AGE 1737 of the quartz and lime in the Chilian (edgestone) mills in which that operation was carried on. When the grinding and mixing is insufficient the mixture of lime and fine silica, which forms the cementing material be- tween the pieces of quartzite, has too little silica and hence a high proportion of lime, and in consequence a relatively low fusion point. Then when a brick made of such imperfectly mixed ingredients is heated to the fusion point of its cementing material, the latter loses its strength and allows pieces of the brick to drop off. With further grinding and mixing the cementing material would take up more and more finely crushed silica and approximate closer and closer to the compo- sition and therefore the refractoriness of the quartz itself. Hence the importance of sufficient grinding. Before I reached the place the inferior heat-resisting power of the bricks had been recognized and a supply vf roof bricks of proven quality had been ordered else- where. The full realization of our expectations had to be delayed until those bricks reached us. When that happened the central part of each furnace roof where the heat was most intense was made of the new bricks and we were masters of the situation and melted our heats at a fair rate. The steel scrap in the furnace, in melting and running down the sides of the still solid metal mass above the bath, would give off sparks and scintillations which showed that it still contained some carbon which in being oxidized to gas caused the sparks. With good quick melting that is the usual thing; but if melting is slow, as it had been before the new bricks arrived, the successive layers of the agglomerated melting scrap are decarbonized before they are melted, if not indeed partially oxidized, and the molten material flows down quietly without sputtering, as it should. One heat was made in 8 hours and 20 minutes. Bonuses for output came into force and something like satisfaction pervaded the plant. Yield Goes Up One great benefit from faster driving and proper hearth temperatures came from increased yield and higher percentage of ingots. Instead of less than 85 per cent of ingots, figured on the metallic part of the charge, and not including the iron in the ore the yield went up to 95 then 97 and finally over 99 per cent aver- age of ingots for a week. Theoretically we should have had several per cent more if all the silicon, manganese, phosphorus and carbon in the crude iron had been utilized in reducing iron from its ore, but of course that could not be realized, though we did have single heats which yielded over 101 per cent of ingots. Pit and ladle scrap also became small and almost negligible in amount. The effect of high yield in lowering costs is very marked. Skin Holes Increase of production was the reason for my pres- ence at the works and nothing was said to me about quality, as no trouble on that score had been encoun- tered in making rails, machinery steel and structural steel, including beams and channels. The failure of a rail in the drop test was a rare event and the other products were marketed without complaint. Near the end of my sojourn, however, the manager guardedly sounded me on the question of seams in some rounds rolled for the manufacture of 3-in. projectiles for field a