The Iron Age 1923-06-07: Vol 111 Iss 23

THE IRON AGE New York, June 7, 1923 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. Ill, No. 23 The Large Place Taken by Alloy Steels A British Metallurgist Discusses the More Recent Developments in Connection with Vanadium, Chrome, Tungsten and Molybdenum—Iron Foundry Progress with Alloys BY J. KENT SMITH* ities in which advances during the last 20 years are more marked than in that which concerns itself with metals and alloys. Any really detailed consider- ation of the large number of sections into which this subject could be divided, and again subdivided, is out of the question in the space of a single article. The first differentiation which naturally suggests itself is that of the ferrous from the non-ferrous alloys. But the dividing line must not be observed too rigidly, as witness that very important section of in- dustrial alloys of nickel, chrome and iron of which nichrome and kenic are notable examples. Each of the main divisions again may have its com- ponents subdivided into two groups—the one compris- ing those which provide finished material for the engi- neering user, and the other comprising those which, while of themselves of no such use, nevertheless are capable of modifying profoundly and beneficently th: properties of the “engineering” metals. Any consid- erations of advance in the inherent quality of those metals must be accompanied by concurrent considera- tion (a) of the methods and processes involved in their production and (b) of the great accumulation of knowl- edge of the principles and practice of their improve- ment by thermal treatment. I’ is difficult to mention any branch of man’s activ- The Main Advance in Steel Further subdivision into groups of the ferrous en- gineering materials naturally leads to their classifica- tion into (a) Wrought iron, (b) Cast irons, (c) Steels. The line along which we have advanced farthest and at the most increasingly rapid rate in the period under review has undoubtedly been that of steel. Here the ferroalloys have played the leading réle, of enormous importance in itself, and strongly supported by im- proved methods of manufacture and also by greatly increased knowledge and practice of heat treatment. Principle and practice in the manufacture of cru- cible steel have remained practically unaltered. Pro- duction of steel on the open-hearth, if remaining un- altered in the main principles underlying its practice, has been improved greatly as to the efficient handling of larger bulks, new methods of furnace construction, speed of working, scientific knowledge as to the desir- able conditions of slags and of furnace atmosphere, and fuel economy. This improvement in open-hearth practice has led to the logical, but necessarily gradual, supersession of the Bessemer process—a process which has proved nevertheless of inestimable value as a step in the ferrous industry. The most marked stride forward undoubtedly has *Mr. Smith is a well-known consulting metallurgist of Sheffield, England. It will be recalled that he was prominently identified with the introduction of vanadium alloys into the United States, particularly in connection with automobile steel. He was in the United States over a considerable period, returning to his work in England in 1910 been in the direction of the electric production of steel. The wide extension of our knowledge of the principles of, and the results obtainable by, heat treatment has been accompanied by corresponding improvements in plant and apparatus for applying that knowledge prac- tically in industry. In this connection the use of elec- tricity as a heating agent has played, and is playing increasingly, an important part. The latent qualities of a steel are susceptible to immense improvement re- sulting from its correct heat-treatment, and it is those latent qualities which are vastly increased by the cor- rect incorporation of alloys with the steel. The indus- trial development of alloy steels during the last 20 years has indeed been immense; the demands of engi- neering today are such that they could not in the light cf our present knowledge possibly be met by materials other than the treated alloy steels. Early Alloy Steels A short generation ago our knowledge of alloy steels, limited in its details at that, was practically confined to open-hearth steel containing a few per cent of nickel, to crucible steels of the Mushet self-harden- ing class containing a few per cent of tungsten, and to the manganese steel of Hadfield, which had proved in practice so revolutionary in resistance to abrasion. The advent of the internal combustion engine, and the development of those products which it made possible —notably the automobile and the airplane—changed engineering conditions and demands completely. As is usually the case where no contravention of a natural law is involved, demand created supply. The metallurg- ist rose to the occasion and with the technical aid and practical cooperation of the engineer a high step in prog- ress was surmounted. The chemist and physicist bore no inconsiderable portion of the brunt. The advance was made by means of the studied incorporation of alloys with mild or medium carbon steels (the class of steels known scientifically as “subsaturated”) and cor- rect heat treatment of the wrought product. As the action of an alloy addition to such a steel may lie along three main lines, two or more alloys are generally added. Vanadium retains its position as the master alloy, since its actions may proceed along all three lines, in which power it is unique among alloys. Its use in the open-hearth steel branch is world-wide but preponder- ates in the United States. Open-hearth steel is quite extensively made with it in Great Britain, but in that country the main use of vanadium is in the steel prod- ucts of the crucible and of the electric furnace. Chro- mium is almost invariably used concurrently with it, occasionally with the further accompaniment of nickel. Still more occasionally nickel entirely displaces the chromium addition. Steels of high static excellence are produced by the incorporation of chromium and nickel only, but these exigently demand exact heat 1621 5 Ht il ; } nih at | i Ss tee 2 oes Se ee = alter i i e ah ‘oan “HA é ee eM Awe “am Mgr 5 1622 treatment in order to bring out their best static prop- erties. Future of Molybdenum The use of molybdenum additions to open-hearth steel is proceeding apace. Again such use at present is chiefly confined to the United States. In Great Bri- tain the use of molybdenum is mainly in the products vf the crucible and the electric furnace, generally as an auxiliary to, and in isolated cases a complete sub- stitute for, tungsten. Molybdenum has undoubtedly a great future before it in the engineering steels. I say advisedly that the chief bar to the rapid advance of its use has lain in a point hitherto neglected by tech- nologists. That point has reference to the subject of dissociation, with which are inextricably wrapped up the phenomena of solution. It is in my mind an un- doubted fact that the ideal bath of molten steel should consist of an elementary solution, free as far as pos- sible from inclusions. If an alloy contains a compound —generally a carbide—undissociable in the tempera- ture zone normal to good steel making practice, the best (or even reliably constant) results will never be obtained from it. And in this connection ferrochrome, ferrovanadium and ferromolybdenum alloys must es- pecially be scrutinized. One of the greatest sources of complaint in connection with the use of molybdenum has been that it segregates so badly. The observed differences of molybdenum content have not been due to segregation proper, but rather to manifestations of insolubility and the laws of gravity. The net result is a badly balanced steel with foreign inclusions, diffi- culty in fabrication, bad test and service results, and a wrongly formed conclusion as to the value of an auxiliary element potent for extreme good. I have said that the earliest improvements were directed in steels of the new era to the increase of static excellence; that is to say, in the combination of increased tenacity with ductility. But service behavior did not always accord with the results of the testing laboratory, and increasing attention was paid _ to dynamic testing. Dynamic attributes logically must be the determiner of service value. In other words, static form the basis of calculated design, and dynamic tests that of the factor-of-safety margin. The improvement of steel was developed along these joint courses, increasingly so as the result of the me- chanical exactions of the European war. This inter- national cataclysm brought into prominence and in- tensified investigation as to the metals to ballistic shock. tests resistance of The Stainless Steels But a new trend had been given to the line of scientific investigation in the last few years. It had long been recognized that two of the greatest enemies with which the users of ferrous metals had to contend were rusting and corrosion. The routine metallurgist had merely been impressed by the achievements of Hadfield in connection with his manganese steel— really a ferroalloy of manganese coming into the nat- urally “austenitic” or “polyhedral” steels, a group quite distinct from the ‘“subsaturated” steels used almost exclusively in engineering. The thinking metal- lurgist had been impressed by the possibilities opened up in other directions by exploration of this field of iron alloys, in which was discovered and developed that series of steels now commercially known as “stainless.” This name was somewhat unfortunate. It would scarcely be logical to dub any steel, however great its tenacity, as unbreakable. One cannot conceive any metal which cannot be stained; the interpretation of the name, therefore, should be inferential rather than literal and should be taken as implying steel of ex- tremely high resistance to oxidation and corrosion in the circumstances attendant upon its legitimate use. Steels of this description—for the term “stainless” covers a series and does not apply merely to one indi- vidual type of a class—have attained or are attaining great commercial prominence. The best known variant at present is naturally that used in the production of table cutlery, but the engineering potentialities of the series are great. THE IRON AGE June 7, 1923 , Essentially, “stainless” steels for different purposes may be said to contain from 12 per cent to 14 per cent of chromium, balanced and treated otherwise as the circumstances of the case may require. Obviously their production calls for some 20 per cent of their weight of the alloy ferrochrome, which alloy should be as low as possible in carbon content, and far preferably of the carbonless variety. The Later Stainless Iron The fact that the “stainless” steel used in the manu- facture of cutlery did not lend itself readily to deep stamping operations led to the inception of the more pliable material known in the trade as “stainless iron.” If the term “stainless” is one to be deplored in the case of its steels, the total nomenclature of the newer mate- rial is still more deplorable. Commercial “irons,” as we understand the name, are precipitated materials, the white-hot granules of precipitated iron being col- lected mechanically from the bath (of the puddling furnace) and subsequently welded together, with the expulsion of the very fusible slag, or “cinder,” inter- spersed in their aggregation. It is quite impossible to imagine granules of iron co-precipitated with, and each containing in absolute solution a regular—or even any chromium. The metal commercially called “stainless iron” is really a dead-mild steel, containing in solid solution the necessary amount of chromium. In its preparation the use of “carbonless” ferrochrome is obligatory. Back to the Definition of Steel This point brings up the old contention as to a cor- rect definition of steel. None exists, nor can exist, but the most satisfactory working one in my opinion is that in essence “steel is a compound of iron, with more or less carbon, which can be wrought and shaped plastically when solid and red hot, and which in the last stage of its preparation previous to fabrication has been cast from a completely fluid condition.” The above definition falls short in that it does not include those steels (a very small proportion of the total tonnage of steels produced) which are made by the cementation of wrought iron, subsequently piling and welding the resultant bars. These steels, however, as it is, generally carry a prefix to their nomenclature; e.g. “shear steel,” “double shear steel,” “blister steel,’ etc. That the “polyhedral” or “naturally austenitic” series of steels has produced and is producing a revolu- tionary class of industrial metals is best evidenced by the fact that into it come, for example, the high-speed steels, in their present form solid solutions of tungs- ten in iron fortified with chromium and stabilized with vanadium, and also those variants of the same admix- ture which have proved their great value, since they retain a large modicum of their strength at high tem- peratures, in the valves of internal combustion engines. And the series of steels which have provided during the last few years a revolution in magnet construction fall into the same class, they being in effect solid solu- tions of 20 per cent to 30 per cent cobalt in iron. Advance in Cast Iron Metallurgy Considerable progress has been made in the tech- nology of the cast iron industry, the major part in the undoubted improvements conferred upon its product by electrical melting and treatment, and also in the de- velopment of what is known in the trade as semi-steel —a name by the way scientifically to be deprecated. Modifications of commercial cast iron by means of me- tallic additions have not been without attention, and are not without practice. This practice is much more general in the United States than in England. In the latter country but few foundries make use of alloys and then only in special cases. The object of the use of an alloy in the iron foundry is in most cases either to increase resistance to chemical attack, to de- crease deterioration under the actions of fire or abra- sion, to eliminate porosity at change of section, or to regulate depth of chill. Of the alloys used in the iron foundry ferrovanadium is the most prominent, while June 7, 1923 ferrochrome, nickel and aluminum are also used for one or other of these objects. Ferromolybdenum is also occasionally used, but published results of its use in cast iron remain chiefly experimental records. Knowledge and methods for the production of wrought iron remain reasonably in statu quo, as has, broadly speaking, scientific knowledge concerning it. In Non-Ferrous Metallurgy Great advances in non-ferrous metallurgy have been brought about, partly by means of alloy additions to existing metals and alloys, and partly through new combinations of them. If the improvement of their means of production has not been so marked as in the case of steel, it has nevertheless been notable, chiefly in the progress industrially of electric melting and refining. From the point of view of composition the alloys of nickel and the alloys of aluminum have provided EXPANDING ACTIVITIES Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce Plans for Increasing Usefulness of WASHINGTON, June 4.—With an increase of approx- imately $450,000 over the regular appropriation be- coming available the first of the fiscal year, on July 1, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, De- partment of Commerce, has mapped out a tentative program for expanding its activities. Included in the increased appropriation, which is exclusive of the addi- tional appropriation of $400,000 for the extensive in- quiry being made into the sources of raw materials, upon which the United States is dependent for impor- tations, is $100,000 additional for commodity divisions of the Bureau. The amount given to these divisions for the new fiscal year is $550,000. It is proposed to strengthen the work of the existing divisions and in this connection four new specialists will be sent to Europe. It is likely that among them will be a spe- cialist in iron and steel. It is also proposed to send one or two industrial machinery experts to Europe, one of whom will be attached to the offices of the Bureau in China and Japan, while the other will go to India. In addition to sending these commodity experts abroad, it is proposed to increase the number of employees in some of the present divisions in Washington, including those on iron and steel. A new work to be taken up for which $50,000 is available will relate to studies of economies in the dis- tribution of raw materials and manufactures, to be under the direction of a domestic commerce division. For the purpose of promoting commerce with Eu- rope, $100,000 additional has been provided; $50,000 additional has been appropriated for the district offices in the United States; $33,850 additional for promoting commerce with the Far East; $29,350 additional for promoting commerce with South and Central America; $25,000 additional for commercial attachés; $25,000 for an investigation of foreign commercial regulations and restrictions and a new fund of $10,000 for a direc- tory of foreign buyers. In connection with the $100,000 additional for the promotion of commerce with Europe, a number of new trade commissioners, assistant trade commissioners, and clerks will be employed. It is proposed to establish a trade commissioner at The Hague. New trade com- missioner offices also will be established in Venezuela and Colombia. The present fund for commercial at- tachés is $200,000. This sum has been increased $25,- 000 and most of the additional money will be for the purpose of employing clerical help at the offices of the present 10 commercial attachés. The bureau heretofore has compiled a directory of foreign buyers out of its regular appropriations. A separate appropriation of $10,000 will make it possible to extend this work. Of the total funds of $2,776,110 available, beginning with the new fiscal year for the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, will be $300,000 for customs statistics to carry on the foreign THE IRON AGE 1623 the most notable examples of advance. The series of alloys of the former metal with iron and with chromium (they may be looked upon as akin to “stainless” steels in that their balance is somewhat similar but that the majority of their iron has been replaced by nickel) have proved of great industrial value. Alloys of this series are remarkably strong, ductile, tough and non- corrodible at ordinary temperatures, while they do not oxidize even at temperatures approaching 1000 deg. C, (1832 deg. Fahr.). Most notably, and unlike steels, they retain a very large proportion of their initial strength at this temperature also. These properties, to- gether with the facts that they neither warp, buckle nor crack at high heats have made them very valuable in- dustrial components. The knowledge and application of additive alloys certainly has marked an immense advance in the prog- ress of industry, and it is almost impossible to foresee the heights which that progress will attain. trade statistical work which was transferred from the Treasury Department to the Department of Commerce, last January. Decisions as to Tariff Rates WASHINGTON, June 5.—The United States Board of General Appraisers has overruled the protest of P. McGettrick that iron wire rods in coils are entitled to free entry as horseshoe nail rods under paragraph 554 of the Underwood-Simmons act instead of being subject to a duty of 10 per cent under paragraph 113 of that act. The board held that it was shown that most of the material used for making horseshoe nails is rectangular in shape, whereas the rods in question are round and must be subjected to a flattening process. It was declared that there was no testimony showing these rods are commercially known and recognized in the trade as horseshoe nail rods. The board also has overruled a protest of the John W. Sullivan Co., New York, in which it was claimed that Scotch marine boilers classified as manufactures of metal at 40 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 399 of the Fordney-McCumber law are dutiable at 15 per cent under paragraph 372 or entitled to free entry, probably as American goods returned or as _ ship’s equipment. The particular provision of paragraph 372 which was relied upon is that for steam engines and steam locomotives, the contention being that the boilers in question are comprehended by that provision. This claim was held to be without merit. The regula- tions not having been complied with, according to the board, the claims for free entry as American goods returned, and as ship’s equipment were overruled also. New Westinghouse Plant Opened The new renewal parts of the Westinghouse Elec- tric & Mfg. Co., Lang Avenue, Homewood, Pittsburgh, was formally opened May 25. It will specialize in the manufacture of renewal parts for motors and other apparatus already in service but which have become non-current and obsolete. The new works building, situated near the Homewood Station, Pennsylvania Railroad, and connected to that railroad by a siding, is a brick, cement and steel structure, 202 ft. long and 102 ft. wide. It is built on a plot of three acres, thus providing ample space for future expansion. The total floor space of the new works is 72,040 sq. ft. and win- dow space is so arranged as to provide an abundance of daylight. The manager of the plant is E. C. Brandt, formerly director of operations, Krantz Mfg. Co., Brooklyn, a Westinghouse subsidiary recently merged in the Elec- tric Products Co., Mansfield, Ohio. W. C. Henderson, formerly general foreman railroad department, East Pittsburgh works, is superintendent. F. F. Rohrer will direct the sales activity and A. L. Broomall is re- newal parts engineer. te i nadine dilne > atl 4 ise ad ae eion een ae ae Ye a ali ee ee es ee ee paacend mon Sr 1624 BUILDING TROUBLES Situation in New York Complicated by Strikes and Shortage of Bricks NEW YorRK, June 5.—Building in the Metropolitan district is still enmeshed in the labor controversy, the striking bricklayers holding out for a basic $12-day, while the builders sound a warning lest it become necessary to abandon all projects in the face of present conditions, which make no room for returns on money invested. The Mason Builders’ Association, instead of immediate action on wages for 1924 or longer, has suggested that the present basic wage of $10 per day plus $2 additional as recognition of the present emer- gency, continue as a temporary measure until next Jan. 1, and that a meeting of builders and bricklayers for Oct. 1 to consider the facts as they then stand for negotiating a new basic wage. It was pointed out that the bricklayers’ chances for an increase would be greatly enhanced by the fact that they would be at work rather than on strike; and further, that employers will better know what can be done, since they will then be dealing with known facts instead of speculation as to the facts. Briefly, the position of the builders is that present conditions are filled with warning, and are altogether too uncertain to ne set : warrant an increase in the basic wage scale, but that the existing emergency should be recognized by the payment of extra compensation. “It would be most unfortunate if the bricklayers were to insist upon remaining on strike, and then dis- that new buildings could not inflated basis,” cover, as time goes on, . } + proceca Y i present reads the state- Sand Blast Unit for Small Pieces A barrel sand blast unit, integral with exhauster lot] dust arrester and having direct- and cloth screen drive for both the barrel and nnected moto. Blast Unit for Plants Pieces to be Cleaned Sand Small Having Limited Production or Direct motor drive is a feature barrel drive being shown in insert exhauster, has been placed on the market by the Pang- born Corporation, Hagerstown, Md. Used initially in foundries, the barrels were of a size to accommodate castings but were not available for THE IRON AGE June 7, 1923 ment of the builders, with regard to this phase. A careful survey of work in progress in Greater New York by the Builders’ Association reveals “That contractors may have to meet a similar situation as the ‘peak’ develops in carpentry work, plastering and other trades very shortly.” After the bricklayers come the finishing trades and incidentally the mills producing materials. Employers believe that they can demon- strate to the strikers how unfit the time is for increas- ing the basic wage. and how persistence on the part of the strikers would bring hardships upon themselves, the employers and the public. Upon the heels of this conflict comes a brigkt-shert- age which threatens further to impede building. Eight bargeloads, the last of the 1922 production, ~#rrived last Monday. All reserves in the East are low @nd no relief is in sight. The net result is to bring labor fa¢e to face with an advancing period of idleness. Strikes at several large plants are responsible for the dimin- ished output, as well as the coal miners’ strike which delayed the kilns in starting the 1923 production® “Construction Forecast,” a four-page bulletin, will be published each week on Saturday and may be ob- tained by addressing E. L. Hoopingarner, who has been appointed to interpret the data collected. It is the pur- pose of the council to cooperate closely with trade journals in compiling statistics. A general summary of conditions will be submitted to daily papers for re- lease on Monday of each week. The bulletin, while necessarily involving much statistical matter, will fol- low a style as simple and pointed as is consistent with its main function—to note construction under way and the conditions of labor, material and money under which it is done. plants having limited production or small pieces to be cleaned. The unit illustrated is designed to accommo- date with equal facility gray iron, malleable, steel and brass castings, forgings and stamped pieces. Two sizes are available. The No. 1 barrel has a 20-in. diameter drum, 16 in. long, and with the arrester occupies floor space of 3 ft. 3 in. by 7 ft. The No. 2 barrel, having a drum 30 in. in diameter and 20 in. long, requires floor space of 3 ft. 7% in. by 7 ft. 5% in. The overall height of both units is 8 ft. 10 in. The units are shipped assembled and are made ready for operation simply by connecting the ventilating pipe and compressed air lines. Surplus Steel Exchange Organized Robert D. McCarter and William L. Cooper of the firm of McCarter & Cooper, consulting engineers, New York; George E. Dix, formerly of the Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co. and the Consolidated Steel Corporation, and Edward Michaud, recently of the Consolidated Steel Corporation, have organized and incorporated the Surplus Steel Exchange, with offices at 7 Dey Street, New York. This organization has developed a new type of service for steel consumers. It will list excess stocks of steel which consumers wish to dispose of and will periodically publish and distribute such lists to users of similar steel products. Mr. McCarter, who becomes president of the Sur- plus Steel Exchange, was for many years identified with the General Electric Co. and the Westinghouse companies. George E. Dix, vice-president, began his connection with the steel industry in 1907 with the Carnegie Steel Co. at the Waverly warehouse. He joined the sales organization of the Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co. in 1916 as assistant general manager of sales, and during the four years existence of the Con- solidated Steel Corporation was assistant to the vice- president of that concern. Edward Michaud, secretary and general manager, was associated with Mr. Dix at the Consolidated Steel Corporation and previously had long experience with the Carnegie and Midvale com- panies. William L. Cooper, treasurer, was associated with the R. W. Hunt Co. for 15 years, having been European manager during a part of that time. Discusses Future of Engineering Societies American Engineering Federation, Engineering Foundation and Itself Considered by American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Montreal Meeting Last Week UTURE society activities were discussed at some length by the council of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at the society’s spring meeting at Montreal last week and the action taken yas probably the most important development of the meeting, considering the furtherance of engineering through organization in its broadest terms. The chief items were recommendations on revising the rules of Nine Past-Presidents Perticinated in the photograph are all of them but Dr. Ira N. Hollis, The mem ers with the council of the society. Top row, from left to right: C. E. Gorton, New York L. W. Wallace, secretary Federated American Engineering Societies: Charles Penrose. Philadelphia; C. C. Thomas, Los Angeles; Prof. A. G. Christie, Baltimore; Robert Sibley, San Francisco; L. P. Alford, New York; Earl F. Scott, Atlanta, and Robert B. Wolf, New York Second row, from left to right Fred R. Low. nominee for president for 1924 A. L. Rice, Chicago: Walter 8S. Finlay, Jr.. New York: H. H. Vaughan, chairman of the local committee of the W. Roe, New York: Roy V Henry M. Morris, Cincinnati: Erik Oberg, New York Cleveland, and George A. Orrok, New York Front row, from left to right: Secretary Joseph Calvin W. Rice In passing it may be said that the consensus of opinion of the governing boards of the founder societies has been canvassed to the effect that had the Engineer- ing Foundation done nothing else than finance the National Research Council when we were at war it proved itself an instrument of helpfulness beyond the hopes of Ambrose Swasey and the others who estab- lished it. Outstanding since then has been the ex- Montresl Meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In the shown in the group photograph include those meeting Sherwood F. Jeter, Hartford: New York; J. H. Herron, Montreal meeting Wright New York: Past-President Worcester R. Warner. Cleveland: Treasurer William H. Wiley, New York: Past-President Fred J. Miller, New York; Past-President Dexter S. Kimball, Ithaca, N. Y.: President John L. Harrington. Kansas City Past-President John R. Freeman _ Providence Past-President James Hartness, Springfield. Vt Past-President D. S. Jacobus, New York Past-President Charles 7 Mair Boston, and Past- President Mortimer E. Cooley, Ann Arbor, Mich representation on the Engineering Foundation, a sug: gested departure in the make-up of the government of the Federated American Engineering Societies and a decision to restate the policy of the A. S. M. E. for the succeeding years in financial terms, largely as a guide to the officers and to avoid any drifting in respect to balancing the attainment of definite professional goals. Representation on Engineering Foundation John R. Freeman, past president of both the mechan- ical and civil engineering societies, recommended that one of the members of the council or administrative board of a society who had been president or one of the vice-presidents be invariably the society’s representa- tive on the Engineering Foundation board, as a means of making the foundation more useful through close contact with his society. Dr. D. S. Jacobus, the society’s representative, meeting the Freeman _ specification, indorsed the view. What is involved is merely a re- vising of the rules of organization of the Engineering Foundation and an agreement of the other so-called founder societies. As it is now men conspicuous for research attainments or capacity are selected without necessarily any responsibility or contact with the ad- ministrative bodies they represent. tended and searching investigation so largely financed by it on the fatigue of metals. Crisis in Federated American Engineering Societies The problem of the Federated American Engineering Societies was precipitated by the present inability of the American Society of Civil Engineers to become a member and by the decision of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers to withdraw on June 30. The situation is termed a crisis in the federa- tion idea in so far as it is necessary that there be unified action of the four major societies in their rela- tion to big engineering questions involving the engineer- ing profession. As a result President Harrington was authorized to accept the invitation of the mining and civil engineering societies for a get-together confer- ence to see how the broad question of joint action may best be met. To accompany Mr. Harrington to this meeting the following were appointed: Past-President M. E. Cooley, president of the federation; Past-President Dexter S. Kimball, past-president of the federation; Past-Presi- dent Fred J. Miller, A. S. M. E. delegate to the federa- tion, and Vice-President L. P. Alford, vice-chairman of the A. S. M. E. delegation to the federation. The selec- + te coupe a ? , - memnatnghet 4 a IE i a wetness oy th tanec i cacmapmsatglllemcerilntie tie Mbit io asih espe cect elie a i ap Mi ipTenpgpinenuimnany canis . . 2 le ch ts hint 4 . a. aI eet Alte: bik ta oa eens ie ae ere Se ie oa a wy ee er ee (Ae ate CRs oss —h fe awe ae ees one = oS » Ee a ee ee eee 1626 ” tion of this group, familiar and sympathetic with the federation, was regarded as safeguarding its continua- tion through an adjustment of details of administration and representation necessary to meet reasonable re- quirements of the civil and mining engineers. One of the leading reasons advanced by the civil engineers in their published circular in connection with the taking of a referendum was a lack of democracy in the make-up of the body. They indicated that there should be a system of representation calculated to bring the governing bodies of the societies into more intimate contact with the F. A. E. S. than was the case. Another objection was the admission into the F. A. E. S. of local engineering societies whose standards of member- ship are not obviously so strictly observed as with the national organizations, and that the background of the representatives of the local society is not comparable with that of the leading men in a national society and also that the larger number of representatives from local societies gives a preponderance of votes to such societies. As a means of solving the compromise, it was sug- gested that possibly some organization like that con- trolling affairs at Harvard University would There a president and four or five fellows administer affairs. Corresponding to these there could be the president and one representative from each of the major societies. Then at Harvard is a board of over- seers, comprising a large group to which it is a notably high honor to be elected; the overseers function solely as advisers to the president and the fellows. Likewise from all over the United States could representatives of local societies be selected to serve as an advisory board to the F. A. E. S. administrators. Thus at all times the president and the fellows could get the point of view of all sections while the actual results, it was contended, would be in keeping with high standards. Through some such reorganization, the hope was ex- pressed, the engineering profession can be kept united in efforts to promote the public welfare. serve. To Re-chart Financial Policy What may be termed a re-charting of the course the society is to pursue came out of a long discussion in the council of the ‘broad question of how to finance a professional society with the complementary question of how to administer the funds after arranging to get them. Some few years ago a taking of stock of the aims of the society resulted in a definite espousal of certain phases of industrial engineering and apparently, now from within the council, it has seemed advisable again to survey the avenues which may be traveled. Several members expressed themselves as believing in a writing down of a definite program for the benefit of the officers as they take up their duties; that if there is not a worked out plan in consonance with the current needs of industry, the society’s progress will be halting and the consummation of the desired end checked by a president’s taking up his work without a chart to direct him where the members should be led. Dexter S. Kimball, dean of the college of engineer- ing, Cornell University, was made chairman of a com- mittee on financial policy as a result of the discussion. The investigation will cover the essentials of society work and then those things which it is obviously desira- ble to do if it is possible so to arrange. Calvin W. Rice emphasized that the society is living within its income, but that there are ever-increasing demands from members for additional service, and yet in the face of increasing costs the dues have remained without change. General Character of Technical Contributions The society meeting was the regular annual spring affair. It was held at the Mount Royal Hotel, Montreal, which proved well adapted to accommodate several simultaneous general sessions and committee confer- ences. In metal working lines the technical contribu- tions related largely to the paper and pulp industry in recognition of the large part paper-making has in the industrial activity of that part of the American continent. Both the management and the machine shop practice sessions were somewhat special in this respect. The power sessions were devoted in part to the prob- THE IRON AGE ™ “~~ June 7, 1923 lems of waterpower developments, so conspicuous in the general region, and a session on port development covered harbor design and material handling as affect- ing pier design with one of the excursions a trip around the Montreal harbor. The railroad session had to do with car design and to this was tied a visit to the Angus shops of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which provided a special train for the purpose. Another notable plant visitation included an inspection of the machine shops and foundry of the Dominion Engineer- ing Works constructed for the fabrication of the Quebec bridge and now manufacturing hydraulic tur- bines and paper-making machinery on a large scale. Proposed Machine Shop Practice Activities A suggestion of vital interest to those engaged in metal working was made by a special committee on plan and scope of the machine shop practice division. It was that machine shop practice papers for the an- nual and spring meetings should be of a fundamental or research nature. In general, said the committee, they will deal with machine shop processes applicable to machine shops everywhere, rather than to those in a particular industry. “As such papers cannot be ob- tained on the spur of the moment or even with several months’ notice, the planning sub-committee should lay down a ten-year plan under which the various shop processes can be taken up. By laying down plans thus far ahead it will be possible for the sub-committee to keep in touch with research and experimental work of various kinds and arrange, through the meetings and papers committee, to have it presented before a meet- ing of the society when its development is sufficiently advanced. “It was also felt that, on the contrary, papers to be presented at the regional and the local section meet- ings, where machine shop practice is the general topic, should probably be of a more industrial type. For in- stance, papers describing methods of processes in ma- chine tool building shops would be of interest to the Cincinnati section, whereas papers on subjects con- nected with textile machinery would interest sections in the textile districts of New England or the South.” It was also suggested that in those localities where several plants are situated which produce similar prod- ucts, and which thus have similar production problems, groups be organized to work up and present discussions on their common problems. “A large amount of valua- ble information and data is unavailable to the engineer- ing profession at large because those holding such material have never made it public. It is realized that much of it has direct commercial value, and the or- ganization whose property it is does not wish to make a present of it to competitors. On the other hand, such competitors usually have data of their own along very similar lines. In such cases arrangements might be made so that the presentation of such similar data from several organizations would be made at the same time, thus making it a matter of exchange of information which should be to the advantage of all parties. Even eliminating such confidential information, there are a large number of every-day shop practices which could be discussed to advantage by a group representing dif- ferent organizations engaged in similar work.” Officers Nominated for 1924 On the last day of the meeting the nominating com- mittee determined on its list of candidates for election in the coming months and to take office immediately following the annual meeting in December for the ensuing year. The nominations are as follows: For president, Fred R. Low, editor Power, New York. For vice-presidents: George I. Rockwood, Rock- wood Sprinkler Co., Worcester, Mass.; Morris L. Cooke, consulting engineer, Philadelphia; W. J. Sando, con- sulting engineer, Milwaukee. For managers, E. O. Eastwood, professor of mechan- ical engineering, University of Washington, Seattle; F. A. Scott, vice-president Warner & Swasey Co., Cleve- land; E. R. Fish, vice-president Heine Boiler Co., St. Louis. For delegates to the American Engineering Coun- June 7, 1923 cil of the Federated American Engineering Societies: Dexter S. Kimball, dean of college of engineering, Cor- nell University; William Schwanhausser, chief engi- neer Worthington Pump & Machinery Corporation, New York; Dr. S. W. Stratton, president Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; P. F. Walker, dean of engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan.; F. X. Copeland, president Sullivan Machinery Co., Chicago; J. G. Faig, president Ohio Mechanics’ Institute, Cincinnati; Ralph E. Flanders, manager Jones & Lamson Machine Co., Springfield, Vt.; C. C. Thomas, Dwight P. Robinson & Co., Inc., Los Angeles; William B. Powell, Buffalo. For treasurer (renominated), John Wiley & Sons, New York. H. H. Vaughan, consulting engineer, Montreal, was chairman of the local committee which helped through the entertainment and plant visitations to make the Montreal meeting an outstanding one, aside from its attracting the largest attendance for a number of years. The council, which was entertained by the council of the Engineering Institute of Canada on the first day of the meeting, had both its Pacific Coast mem- William H. Wiley, 120-IN. MOTOR-DRIVEN PLATE MILL First Unit of This Type in United States Operates Efficiently BY W. KENNEDY* UR new 120-in. motor-driven plate mill is the first electrically driven plate mill in this country for rolling steel plate directly from the ingot. There has been installed at the Dominion Iron & Steel Co. plant in Canada a 110-in. mill for the same service, but noth- ing of this kind has been operated before in the United States. The mill is driven by a 4000 hp., 35 deg. Cent. rise, slip-ring induction motor, 6600 volts, 3 phase, 60 cycle, having a synchronous speed of 200 r.p.m. The usual permanent secondary resistance is employed, with a notch-back regulator for increasing the amount of re- sistance on heavy loads. The motor is furnished with a 73,000-lb. cast steel flywheel, 204 in. in diameter, which is mounted directly on the rotor shaft and the wheel and rotor are supported by two bearings only. The motor unit is coupled directly to the reduction gear through a flexible coupling. The reduction gear set has a ratio of 20 to 51 and the face of the gears is 48 in. The entire set runs in a continuous bath of oil. From the gear set the power is transmitted to the usual 3-high pinion stand of cast steel teeth and thence to the mill, which is of the usual 3-high type with tilting tables. From the above it will be seen that the reduction gear set takes the entire shock of rolling, since the flywheel is mounted directly on the rotor shaft. The operation of the entire equipment has been exceptionally satisfactory and very good results as to power consumption have been obtained. Most of the work carries an exceptionally high elongation, running anywhere from 20 to 70 on an average of approxi- mately 50. Under these circumstances the average power consumption for a month has been running 48 kw. per ton charged. I do not have any figures from other mills with which to compare this power con- sumption, but it is considerably lower than was origi- nally expected. It is interesting to note the comparison between this mill and a steam driven mill, operating in the same plant. While the steam driven mill is larger, being 160 in., yet, due to the line of work rolled at present, a fair comparison of the work between the two mills is possible. The no-load rolling speed of the electric mill is 472 ft. per min., while the steam mill runs at 422 ft. per min., which means that the electric mill is only *Operating engineer, Worth Steel Co., Claymont, Del. This is an abstract of a paper read before the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers THE IRON 1627 AGE bers present, and no less than nine past presidents attended the spring meeting. Few of the visitors expected to see such large ma- chinery as forms the equipment of the Dominion Engi- neering Works, Ltd. Among others seen in operation were a Sellers vertical boring and turning mill, with a capacity to take work 35 ft. in diameter and having 18 ft. under the cross rail, a Niles boring and turning mill of 18-ft. diameter capacity and a 200-ton hori- zontal press. The foundry has three cupolas, 36, 54 and 84 in. in inside diameter and water-tight concrete pits for molding large castings and special pits for rolls and dryers. Besides its output of paper-making machinery, the company was building a sintering machine and a large number of hydraulic turbines. Its contracts in- clude four 30,000-hp. I. P. Morris turbines for the St. Maurice Power Co. at La Gabelle, Que., four 11,300- hp. turbines for the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Co. and three 58,000-hp. turbines for the Hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario, besides some 22 turbines and valves and other equipment, mostly of smaller power ratings. 12 per cent faster running than the steam mill. However, in actual operation it is evident that the actual rolling speed obtained by the electric mill is considerably faster than the steam mill. This is due to the fact that the electric mill slows down but 10 or 15 per cent even on heavy drafts, while the steam mill will drop as much as 50 per cent. In one case on the electric mill, where too heavy a draft was taken, the rolls actually slipped on the ingot; but it was possible to raise the top roll quickly and allow the ingot to go through, and it was finished without any loss. This would have been practically impossible with the steam mill as, under the same conditions, probably it would have stalled, resulting in the loss of the ingot. At present the motor, and in fact the entire plant, when the electric mill is operating, is driven by one 6250-kva., 3600-r.p.m. steam turbine. The rolling peaks on the motor run anywhere from 2000 to 5000 or 6000 kw., which makes an extremely hard condition for the operation of the turbine governor. The speed of the turbine, however, varies but slightly and the entire operation of the whole equipment, including the gov- ernor, has been more than satisfactory. There has been a notable decrease in steam consump- tion, although no accurate figures are yet available. It has been found, however, possible to reduce the num- ber of boilers in operation, due to the better steam economy of the steam turbine as against the recipro- cating engine running non-condensing. When the steam mill is operating, the exhaust steam from the engine is used to run a 2500-kva. steam turbine which is used for the usual power supply to the plant. How- ever, the load on this turbine is not nearly sufficient to take the entire amount of exhaust steam, so that part of the above mentioned steam economy with the electric mill is due to the fact that there is practically no waste of exhaust steam. Study of Quenching Media The object of a new investigation started by the Bureau of Standards during the past month is to obtain more complete information than is now available on the cooling properties of the ordinary quenching liquids used in the heat treatment of steel. 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