The Iron Age 1924-02-28: Vol 113 Iss 9

UY Uy VOL. 113, No. 9 Mechanical F oundry Minimizes Labor Output Per Man Trebled in New Plant of Lavelle Foundry Co.— Three Stories, Gravity Flow, Controlled Conveyors and Specialized Designs All Contribute BY J. E. the human element as far as possible, has long been the goal of designers, and some progress has been made in recent years along this line. Among foundrymen, substitution of manual labor by mechanical means has also been given much attention, and here, MECHANICAL foundry, with the elimination of too, progress has been noted. Designers of foundry equipment have also done their share to eliminate many 633 MC DONALD of the arduous tasks of the workers in the foundries of the country. How far this progression has advanced may be gleaned from a description of the new Indian- apolis foundry of the Lavelle Foundry Co. of Anderson, Ind. This foundry is the result of a vision of the officials of the company. Despite many obstacles, these men clung tenaciously to their theory of a mechanical foun- Exterior of Building, Showing Marine Type of Elevator Running on Track Full Length of Building. This elevator delivers materials over roof parapet and through manholes to service bins, as shown in circle : 1 THE \ gS Molds Are | d Into the Ch M gz | hes ss bridge dr Their ideas of what should be done were dis irage y designers and foundrymen alike, but still he g them. Visits were made to almost every fo e country to see what improvements were being made, and to find, if possible, a foundryman with the necessary qualifications for taking hold of the idea, and putting it through to a successful termination. This pe of man was hard to find, but eventually J. F. Stanley, efficiency manager for a large manufac- url Anderson, Mr. Stanley had never had any foundry experience, his experience turing corporation in was engaged. Though as an efficiency man taught him that there were many ways in which improvements could be made in almost his other as a partner. any manufacturing operation. He resigned position and entered the Lavelle Foundry Co Spending ten days Anderson, Mr. in the plant of the company at Stanley was able to get a clear and un- Above Sand passes nto Reach Mold Dumped Through Chute on Floor building, for IRON Shaker Grates on Bottom Floor. hopper, AGE February 2: 4 ‘s, and the Bottom Boards Placed on the Upper Conve for workmen's convenience in moving about the sl p prejudiced insight into its workings, and visions of t} foundry of the future, practically automatic, began pass through his mind. Transferring his ideas to paper he soon had designed a foundry building which, with equipment, has enabled the company at its Indianapolis plant to more than treble the output of similar work at its Anderson plant, with the use of a much less number of men, and also to do it much more economically. The design of the foundry equipment was started in May, 1920, and the foundry was placed in operation Nov. 10, 1923. This is a case where the foundry build ing was designed to house the equipment, and, inciden- tally it may be mentioned that practically all the equip- ment installed was built by the company at its Indian- apolis and Anderson plants, under the personal super vision of Mr. Stanley, who also superintended the ere tion of the foundry building. The building itself is of reinforced concrete, thre Castings are delive! whence it is elevated to sand screen at further use bruary 28, 1924 ries high, 60 x 200 ft., with glass inclosed sides. A ee-story foundry building may be somewhat of a velty, but the general idea back of its construction is to get away from the customary horizontal plane mmon to foundries. All three floors are in use fo indry operations, the work starting at the third floor id finishing at the bottom. Mechanical methods of indling all materials are in use throughout the foun- ry, and this gives a flexibility of operation that allows rr a greatly increased output when occasion requires \ll the mechanical apparatus has not yet been installed, ut the foundry, as operating today, is pretty nearly he last word in automatic operation. Raw materials are now unloaded by hand from cars nto a platform extending along the full length of the Later, mechanical means for unloading will A portable marine type of elevator, run- uilding. e installed. Drag Flight Conveyor for Handling Molding Sand to Molding Machines on Floor Below The sand drops through the hollow supporting pedestals to chutes left, controls the movement of The trough Inset shows molding through Special Operator at the bend, at throughout the is built of steel plates, in sections. floor below. Sand is chutes from drag flight conveyor on floor above flow of sand the sand system. conveyor machines on delivered ly designed gates control the ing on tracks along the full length of this platform, and extending over the parapet of the building, elevates ‘oke, coal, molding and core sands by means of buckets to the roof, where these materials are dumped through manholes to service bins located on the third floor of the building. An elevator conveys the pig iron to the charging floor, where, for the present, the charges are prepared. Later, charges will be prepared on the platform, and onveyed directly by elevator to the charging floor. From the coke storage bins the coke is conveyed by monorail to the charging floor. Ample space has been left on this floor for a reserve supply of raw materials for the cupola, a track and buggies being provided on which charges can be handled easily. Sand Handling Molding sand is put into operation from the service dDins by means of chutes; a bucket elevator to a screen in pent-house on the roof of the building brings the used sand from the bottom floor back into the system. The purpose of the screen is to separate the core knobs and iron dribblings from the molding sand. These through the screen to a chute and over a magnetic pass THE IRON AGE 635 separator located on the ground floor, where the core knobs are removed and the iron dribblings taken back to the cupola. The molding sand drops through the screen to a belt conveyor, which carries it to the tem- pering station, where it is moistened and then dropped into the revivifyer, and thence into a continuous drag flight conveyor fer delivery to the molding machine. The continuous drag flight conveyor is of special design. The flights are spaced 2 ft. apart, and the con- veyor has a capacity of 130 tons of molding sand per hour. The conveyor trough is made of steel plates, in which can be replaced, if worn, The pedestals sections, any one of without disturbing the next supporting the conveyor are hollow, and serve as the upper ends of chutes for delivering the sand to the section. molding machines on the floor below. The conveyor is of the chain and sprocket type, and the driving mechanism consists of a cluster of driving mounted in oil-tight cases, and These gears are driven by a line gears and sprockets, running in oil baths. shaft, and connect with four large driving sprockets located at the four corners of the conveyor, the driving The drag flights are mounted on heavy chain rolling over the sprockets, and are carried by small trunnions, running action being equalized on all four sprockets. : ’ : } "Fie : i : : : 5 so a ES mre ire BRE Atte mn 636 THE IRON on each side of the conveyor trough. These trunnions are fitted with dust proof covers. The speed of the conveyor is now fixed at 80 ft. per min. Only one man is required to take care of all the molding sand used in the foundry. He takes up his position near the tempering station. A valve con- veniently located controls the flow of water for moisten- ing the sand, and if too much sand is being delivered to the conveyor, a pull on a lever automatically reverses the belt supplying the conveyor, and the sand is dumped into the service bin. In delivering sand to the molding machines on the second floor, the sand chute is a continuation of the pedestal support of the third-floor sand conveyor. Each chute is at all times full of sand, and is located directly above its own molding machine. A specially designed gate in the chute regulates the flow of sand, allowing the molder to get as much or as little sand as he re- quires. After the mold is made the operator places it on an endless carriage conveyor, the speed of which can be controlled, but which usually runs at 40 to 60 ft. per min., depending on operating conditions. Handling Molds This mold conveyor is 360 ft. long, and is supplied with 172 mold carrying cars, which are of the 4-wheel ball-bearing type, and run on a conical track. The con- veyor, of the chain and sprocket type, is driven by a cluster of gears extending to a large bevel gear and Immediately above this conveyor, and driven by the same mechanism, is a simi- lar one 200 ft. in length, which conveys the bottom boards from the dumping station back to the molding machines. The molds are checked on the way to the pouring platform. In case of accident, or whenever desired, the whole mechanism can be stopped instantly by a con- veniently located lever. sprocket at each of its ends. The smoothness of operation A demonstration by Mr. Stanley consisted of standing a lead pencil on end and sending it completely around the full length of the con- veyor without its falling flat. From this it will be seen that there is little chance of a mold breaking up before it reaches the dumping station. After passing the checker the mold continues to the pouring station, where the molds are poured as they pass the cupolas. The pouring is done by a pouring crew with hand ladles, from a specially constructed movable platform, 40 ft. long, which runs at the same speed the mold is traveling. The slip cases and weights are put on immediately before the molds are poured, and are removed by the same workmen after the mold has been poured and has returned to their position on the opposite side of the conveyor. With the use of the pouring platform, ample time is available to pour all molds as they pass the station. At present the pouring gang handles 18 molds per min., but this can be mate- rially increased when the full complement of molders is at work. From the time of pouring to dumping the mold 6 min. elapse. The slip cases and weights are removed just before the molds reach the dumping station. Two men remove the molds from the conveyor and dump them into a hopper, at the same time placing the bottom boards on the upper conveyor, to be taken back to the molders. The castings drop through a chute to shaker grates, located on the first floor, where the sand is shaken off. The castings then move into two continuous tumbling barrels, where all gates and sprues are auto- matically removed. The sand passes from the shaker grates into a hopper, which feeds it directly into a large bucket elevator, which carries it back to the sand screen at the top of the building, described previously, and into operation again. Castings are automatically carried from the two large tumbling barrels into two continuous sand blast of this conveyor is uncanny. AGE February 28. 1924 barrels and, after cleaning, to a moving con, where they are segregated from sprues and gates. 1 castings are given a preliminary inspection before | conveyed to the grinders, and a final inspection before packing and shipping. yr ne nie ‘S Core Making The core room, located on the second floor, also ; served mechanically. The core sand bins are located on the third floor, in close proximity to the sand mixer. Sand is carried from the bins to the mixer by a mono- rail system and, when properly mixed, is dropped through a chute to a drag flight conveyor, similar in construction to the one handling the molding sand, and suspended from the ceiling above the core makers’ benches. The sand is delivered by chutes to the core makers, a gate allowing the flow of sand to be con- trolled. After the core is made the core maker, simply turning around, places it in a drawer of the drawer- type ovens for baking. The handling of core sand from start to finish is cared for by one man, with the excep- tion, of course, of the core makers, Mr. Stanley has devised a scheme for baking cores by using the spent gases from the cupola, but this is not in operation as yet. He has designed a special blower, with heavy cast iron sides and boiler plate im- peller plates and shell. His idea is to draw the spent gases from the cupola through the blower, forcing them through conduits to the core ovens for baking. The temperature of the gases will be automatically con- trolled by thermostatic arrangement. Two cupolas of special design are in use, alter- nating each day. The cupolas are of 72-in. shell, lined down to 36-in. Instead of being mounted on legs they are placed on concrete foundations on the second floor of the building. Underneath the cupolas are two cham- bers for droppings and slag. This fireproof construction removes all danger from fire and other causes sur- rounding common cupola practice. The bottom doors are raised and lowered mechanically by specially de- signed windlasses at each end of the cupolas. Wind boxes, tuyeres and tuyere openings are also of special design, simplifying the admission of air into the tuyeres and making possible the opening up of tuyeres while the cupola is in operation. Slag spouts are in the rear of the cupolas, the slag being dropped through a manhole to a separate chamber below the floor, thereby separating the slag from the droppings. The two cupo- las are supplied air by a large Spencer turbine blower, with a specially designed air gate to permit trans- ferring air from one cupola to the other. The blast 1s controlled by this special air gate, giving the cupola a range in melting capacity of from 1 to 5 tons per hour. The cupolas are operated 8 hr. each day. Metal is tapped into a large mixing ladle, mounted on a track for convenience in moving it from one cupola to the other. The metal is poured from the mixing ladle to the pouring ladles from a bottom spout instead of a top spout, such as is common usage. This is an advantage in securing clean iron. Time and Labor Saving The whole plant and equipment were designed save as much time and labor as possible. Cross-overs are constructed over the various conveyors for th venience of workmen, and circular stairways conve niently located facilitate moving from one floor to an- other. Air shafts are also constructed to carry off dust and smoke. The foundry is now running on light gray iron cast- ings, and the output runs as high as 18 tons per day. The castings made generally weigh from 5 to 20 Ib. Eight molding machines are in operation, and the num ber of molds put up by molders in 8 hr. runs up ‘ 400 on a day-work basis. . What the installation of the equipment means !? the e con- February 28, 1924 THE IRON AGE 637 Drawer Type of Baking Ovens in Use Installation has not been completed, and scheme is now being installed for baking ccres by waste gases from cupola Core sand is delivered to benches by suspended drag flight conveyor saving of time of the molder may be gathered from the — planned to install a power plant, but the necessity for fact that, on one job of cored work, the fastest workman getting the plant in operation at this time prevented in one of the company’s plants was able to put up only carrying out this plan, although provision has been 90 molds per day, whereas in this Indianapolis plant one made for it in the design. The plant has now been in molder has put up 281 molds. On plain work, the num- operation over three months, and has justified all ex- ber of molds has been increased from the average of pectations. 100 to 125, in the old foundry, to 350 to 400 in the Indianapolis plant. The speed with which castings are turned out may be gathered from the time required from the molding floor to the shipping platform. This operation, including molding, pouring, shaking out, cleaning, grinding, inspection and packing requires an average of 18 min., and this can be reduced by a speed- ing up of the machinery, in case it becomes necessary. The economy of operation can be seen from the fact that a 40-hp. motor drives all the machinery in the plant. All line shafts are equipped with ball bearings, and conveyors are also similarly fitted. It was at first > s The Pouring Platform, 40 Ft. Long and Moving at the Same Speed as the Mold-Carrying Conveyor, Enables the Pouring Gang to Take Care of All Molds While Passing the Station. Eighteen molds a minute are now being poured. At the left cupola spout and mixing ladle are shown. In the circle is a close-up, showing car structure for carrying molds eek e Fre vege hires mba =, A RAT = NA to ee B %, - ii j Hi Mining and Metallurgical Engineer: Open-Hearth and Blast Furnace Problems Discussed at Annual February Convention—Stainless Iron, Oxygenated Air and Other Subjects HE quality of the papers presented at the sessions of the iron and steel division of the American In tot ale of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers this year was in strong contrast to the program offered a year ago. In fact, the program for these sessions, held during the 129th general meeting, Feb. 18 to ay at the Engineering Societies Building, New York, was considered by many fully equal to the best traditions associated with the splendid papers and discussions of this section during the war and earlier. A well conceived range of subjects, touching upon several of the leading problems of the iron and stee| industry, was covered in papers by competent authorities. Blast furnace and open-hearth problems, new developments in metallography, stainless steel and iron, the structure of metals, refractories and other sub jects were the leading topics. The attendance was large and the discussions, when possible, were animated and instructive. The principal drawback to complete success was the limit to adequate discussion due to a too ambi- tious program and hence lack of time. The two leading events of a general nature were the annual lectures by two distinguished metallurgists. The third Institute of Metals Division lecture by Dr. Zay Jeffries and the first Dr. Henry M. Howe Memoria]! lecture by Dr. Albert Sauveur were landmarks in scientific metallurgical progress. Abstracts of both are presented in THE IRON AGE, Feb. 21 and March 6. The fourth Institute of Metals lecturer, for next year, is an- nounced as Dr. Carl Benedicts, director of metallographic research, Stockholm, Sweden, a man internationally known. The sessions of the Institute of Metals division were as successful as previous ones. A report of these will appear next week. A feature was the decidedly profitable general meeting on oxygenated air as applied to industry, par- ticularly metallurgical operations. A report of this and of the iron and steel sessions follows. Papers and Discussions of the [ron and Steel Division %0M a practical viewpoint, the most interesting ses- sion was that of Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 19, when papers covering open-hearth practice, stainless steel and iron, refractories for steel furnaces and one phase of blast furnace practice were scheduled. The scope of the program was so large that the portion devoted to the blast furnace and to refractories was postponed to the following morning. Stainless Iron The stainless steel and rustless iron development was brought before the session by a paper entitled, “Stainless Steel with Particular Reference to the Milder Varieties,” by J. H.G. Monypenny, chief of the research laboratory, Brown Bayleys Steel Works, Ltd., Sheffield, England. This was presented in abstract by Dr. George B. Waterhouse, professor of metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. An abstract of the portion relating to stainless iron appears else- where in this issue. The discussion of this paper was opened by P. A. E. Armstrong, vice-president Ludlum Steel Co., Water- vliet, N. Y. The speaker commented on various aspects of Mr. Monypenny’s references to stainless iron, agree- ing with the author on the property of this iron to harden even with a low carbon content. He stated that he had experimented with combinations of chromium and iron having carbon as low as 0.03 per cent which he claimed were capable of hardening, but he stated that carbon was not the cause of the hardening. The facts are “that chromium and iron without any other alloying element will harden when subjected to heat treatment by being raised to a high temperature and quenched.” Mr. Armstrong dwelt also on a product which his company has been making for some time which contians chromium around 16 to 18 per cent and silicon around 0.50 to 1 per cent, with a very low carbon content. It is claimed that the presence of the silicon bestows cer- tain properties upon the alloy which do not exist in the absence of the silicon. He dwelt upon the tremendous field for the use of rust resisting irons and stated that developments were proceeding very rapidly so that this material can be put upon the market at a price low enough to be attractive; in fact, he said that arrange- 638 ments had just been made by one large company which has scheduled a program of 100,000 tons of stainless iron as a year’s output. Dr. B. D. Saklatwalla, Vanadium Corporation of America, Bridgeville, Pa., in commenting on Mr. Mony- penny’s paper stated that, in the original stainless steel, a range of 11 to 14 per cent chromium had been selected because this was particularly adapted to cutlery since under 11 per cent chromium is not stainless and over 14 per cent chromium does not harden. High- chromium low-carbon combinations are capable of hard- ening but the presence of silicon is not to be considered. The effect of silicon, he continued, is a good one but in stainless iron the presence of another element, copper, has been found to make the higher chromium combina- tions more resistant to corrosion and to the effect of acids. For engineering purposes not all the work on stainless iron has been done in Great Britain but the work in this country is far ahead of anything done any- where else, said the speaker. The great factor which has hindered the development of stainless iron has been its cost. When it is considered that from 300 to 400 lb. of expensive low-carbon ferrochromium must be added to a ton of steel it is evident, said Dr. Saklatwalla, that no engineering business on a large scale can be ob- tained. A more economical process is necessary and in his opinion the production of the iron by the direct re- duction of chromium ore, which has been developed !” both Great Britain and here, offers more possibilities for the future. Open-Hearth Practice Two interesting papers on open-hearth practice em: braced one entitled “Economic Significance of Metalloids in Basic Pig Iron in Basic Open-Hearth Practice, 7 C. L. Kinney, Jr., superintendent of open-hearth rin Illinois Steel Co., South Chicago, and the other a : sorption of Sulphur from Producer Gas,” by J. H. ne chief metallurgist American Rolling Mill Co., Middle- town, Ohio. Both of these papers were presented abstract by the authors. A portion of the paper by =F. Kinney will be published next week. The chairman of this session, J. V. W. Rey™ ‘ called attention to a previous paper by Mr. Kinney © an associate which a year ago received the Had! jers, february 28, 1924 rize award and commented on the value of both as yntributions to open-hearth steel literature. V. J. Pazzetti, Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., .fter complimenting the author on his valuable contri- bution to the subject, spoke among other things of the nore beneficial value of the presence of 1.50 per cent manganese in the pig iron than 1 per cent. When it , comes to the use of the pig iron containing 2 per cent manganese it was his opinion that the removal of the slag takes too much time. The general benefit, how- ever, of the presence of manganese in pig iron and the residual manganese in the bath he regarded as the best recognized practice at present, although there were cer- tain considerations as to the cost cf scrap, the tapping time and other factors which entered into the matter depending upon local and other conditions. Dr. George B. Waterhouse, after referring to some of the important papers presented previously before the institute on this subject, emphasized silicon and sulphur as the most harmful metalloids in pig iron. Silicon in his opinion is a leading cause of the increase of slag volume, the time for the removal of carbon and the con- sequent coal consumed, but sulphur is the one that is feared the most. The paper by Mr. Nead on the absorption of sulphur from producer gas deals with a subject to which there are many references in literature but on which few actual data have been published, according to the author. Two open-hearth heats in which ingot iron was made are discussed in the paper, data being presented on the absorption of sulphur from the producer gas as repre- sented by analyses of the steel and the slag frequently during the progress of the heat. The author states that such absorption as occurs takes place during the melt- ing-down stage when large quantities, possibly up to 0.025 per cent or more of sulphur, are absorbed. This, of course, is in addition to the sulphur already con- tained in the metal charged. C. L. Kinney, Jr., in discussing this paper said that the evaluation of coal on the sulphur content alone was not advisable. He prefers a coal containing 1.25 per cent sulphur with a B.t.u. value of 14,000 in preference to a coal containing 0.75 per cent sulphur but with a heat value of only 11,000 B.t.u. His reason for this preference was the higher flame temperature obtain- able, Effect of Ingot Molds on Steel The subject of ingot molds and their effect upon steel was brought up by a paper entitled “Effect on Steel of Variations in Rate of Cooling in Ingot Molds,” by William J. Priestley, metallurgical engineer Electro- metallurgical Sales Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., who presented it in abstract. The author shows in a discus- sion of somewhat elaborate nature that ingotism and segregation, the formation of dendrites and the distri- bution of intergranular material bear definite relations to the rate of cooling and the solidification of steel in the mold. He also shows that steel most rapidly solidi- fied in the mold responds most easily to heat treatment. “Forging improves the physical properties of steel cooled slowly in the mold but it cannot correct the bad effects resulting from the segregation of intergranular material.” It is his contention “that while steel should be cast in the mold as cold as possible, in order to ob- tain uniform structure and chemical analysis, higher temperatures in the furnace before tapping will help rid the steel of occluded gases and foreign non-metallic inclusions and give a better and more uniform solution of alloys and other desirable constituents. The best results are obtained by getting the steel hot in the fur- nace and making all the additions possible before the steel enters the ladle. In some cases the steel is cooled in the furnace, but more often it is tapped into the ladle where it is held until the proper casting temperature is obtained.” The results presented by this paper were based upon a comparison of ingots cast in both iron and sand molds with a chill respectively of about 5 to 1, about 3 to 1 and 1 to 1. This paper was discussed by Emil Gathman, Gath- man Engineering Corporation, Baltimore, in a some- what lengthy written contribution, who stated that for many years he had considered the rate of cooling of an THE IRON AGE 639 ingot as a fundamental factor in determining the chem- ical as well as the physical characteristics of the solidi- fied steel casting and he said that all his ingot mold de- signs have been based upon this theory. He proceeded to describe the steps which have led to his advocacy of the big-end-up mold. More than five years ago he said that his company had advised steel makers that an increased ratio of mold chill beyond 2 to 1 was of real value only when employed in conjunction with an ingot of inverted, pyramidal form and suitable taper, or the so-called big-end-up type. In the big-end-down and uniform chamber molds an air gap forms within a very short period between the outer peripheral solidified skin of the ingot and the mold walls which retards the trans- mission of heat from the ingot to the mold wall irre- spective of the ratio of chill. His company has found that a very heavy metallic mold wall, when used in con- junction with the big-end-down ingot, actually increases the time of solidification of the interior of the ingot. He agreed with the author’s deduction that the hori- zontal as well as the vertical contour of the ingots should be such that lines of weakness are: eliminated or reduced as much as practicable. George A. Dornin, also with the Gathman Engi- neering Corporation, read a brief discussion of Mr. Priestley’s paper, concluding with the statement that he had “recently split a forging steel ingot cast in a big-end-down mold of standard dimensions on which a refractory hot top had been used. This ingot weighed approximately 3 tons, was made from a deoxidized heat of steel, was poured at the lowest possible temperature and hence may be regarded as good practice in a big- end-down ingot. It was approximately 20 in. square. Along the axis of this ingot and extending within ‘10 in. of its bottom end was a flawed zone approximately 5 in. square. This zone in one plane contained more than 25 actual flaws varying in length from % to % in. Had this ingot been rolled into bars for charging not one per cent of it would have been sound and it is rep- resentative of the best that can be gotten with a big- end-down ingot. Heavy mold wall chill is of value to industry in the production of sound steel only when it is employed in conjunction with the big-end-up mold and when it is used as an aid in outwardly distorting the lines of freezing ingots from bottom to top and hence is only of value when used progressively.” Blast Furnace Coke Combustibility The two papers crowded out of the Tuesday ‘after- noon session were presented Wednesday morning and covered the subject of coke combustibility in the blast furnaces and refractories for open-hearth furnaces. The blast furnace paper was entitled “Effect of Coke Combustibility on Stock Descent in the Blast Furnace,” by P. H. Royster and T. L. Joseph, Minneapolis, Minn., both metallurgists of the Bureau of Mines. The paper was read in abstract by Mr. Joseph. Briefly the authors contend that stock descent in blast furnaces is affected by the size of the combustion zone which varies in- versely with coke combustibility. The predominating tendency is for the coke to feed downward into the space where combustion is taking place. The authors discuss three types of combustion as illustrated by means of a small model, reproductions of which were thrown on the screen. With a fast-burning coke, they find that combustion is restricted to within a short distance from the tuyeres, and the charge moves more rapidly near the edge of the furnace. In the case of more slowly combustible coke this is consumed nearer the center and results in a greater movement of the stock in this portion of the furnace. The chairman of this session, R. H. Sweetser, Amer- ican Rolling Mill Co., Columbus, Ohio, discussed the authors’ paper somewhat in detail. He dwelt upon the value of this contribution to the subject, particularly its reference to the penetration of the blast. In his opinion many wrong ideas are prevalent as to what is meant by the combustibility of coke and he thought that distance of travel is often confused with the speed in- volved in combustion. Mr. Sweetser offered a new def- inition of the combustibility of coke as “the rate of com- plete gasification in front of the tuyeres under standard err * Cae aio tiny egitim mht wee lly Phas ” Senet A eS ane stage henna it a ee eee tateapr cepa cade ge ~ ae os ee 640 conditions of blast temperature and volume.” The com- bustibility of coke could be iproved by coke oven opera- tors and Mr. Sweetser contended that it has been done in his own experience. Arthur G. McKee, McKee & Co., Cleveland, Ohio, called attention to the confusion existing in the minds of many on this subject and offered a suggestion, which later was put in the form of a motion and carried, that coke oven men, blast furnace men and special investiga- tors in this field get together and determine what is really meant by the combustibility of coke. Refractories for the Open-Hearth An interesting contribution to the important ques- tion of open-hearth refractories was a paper entitled “Observations on Requirements of Refractories for Open-Hearth,” by F. W. Davis, metallurgist Bureau of Mines, and G. A. Bole, superintendent ceramic station, Bureau of Mines, Columbus, Ohio. The paper is based upon results obtained in a survey by the Bureau of Mines of the metallurgical requirements for open- hearth practice resulting from various investigations and interviews with men in the industry, particularly open-hearth superintendents in some of the larger steel plants from the Chicago district eastward. The paper deals in a general way with certain of the necessary requirements for various units or parts of the open- hearth structure. The author discusses refractories in common use for the different parts, both as to the ser- vice they are giving and their suitability under existing chemical, thermal and physical requirements. The re- lation between the service and the allowable cost of a refractory is discussed and suggestions are asked for. A valuable discussion of this paper was presented by C. L. Kinney, Jr., who, after emphasizing the vital interest of the matter, stated that any changes in exist- ing equipment would have to be based, of course, on the economic results or savings which might be effected by the use of a refractory which would eliminate the loss of time consumed by present repairs. If the higher price for refractories for a back wall, for example, would compensate for the time lost in output in repair- ing such falls, the extra cost would be justified. For example, during the life a silica roof, the back wall often has to be repaired four times, which means con- siderable loss of output. The real question involved was a decision as to whether the extra cost of a refrac- tory which would eliminate the necessity for such re- pairs would equal the loss in the output of finished stee which might otherwise have been produced. Mr. Kin ney also discussed various other parts of a furnace such as the port ends, emphasizing the fact that the port ends and combustion chamber need the most attention as to new refractories. He stated that there 1s a need for better refractories in several cases and that the in- dustry can pay a better price in many instances. Mr. Reinhart, American Rolling Mill Co., stated that in the case of back wall repairs the loss amounted often to $60 per hr. and he thought that the industry can pay almost three times the present cost to obtain twice the life of a new refractory. So far as the author’s sugges- tion of the possibility of an open-hearth furnace which should fail all over at the same time, he did not think this could ever be realized. He believed that a more scientific operation of the open-hearth furnace is surely coming, eliminating the present excess of the human element. Zirconium in Steel Making New developments in metallography, certain effects of zirconium in the manufacture of steel and the sub- ject of the constitution of metals were the topics dis- cussed at the first of the steel sessions on Monday after- noon, Feb. 18. Dr. John A. Mathews, Crucible Steel Co. of America, New York, presided over this session. Further information on the réle of zirconium in steel making was presented in an interesting paper entitled, “Effect of Zirconium on Hot Rolling Properties of High Sulphur Steels and the Occurrence of Zirconium Sul- phide,” by Alexander L. Feild, research metallurgist, Electro Metallurgical Co., New York. Results pre- sented in this paper are supplementary to information contained in a paper by the same author presented at THE IRON AGE February 28, 199; 24 the August meeting of the Institute in Montrea abstracted in THE IRON AGg, Sept. 6, 1923. His presentation of the value of zirconium in stee] was contained in a paper presented before the spring meeting of the American Electrochemica] §, in New York by F. M. Becket of the same compan, published in THE IRON AGE, May 10, 1923. The paper this year describes more in detail soy the hot rolling properties of a series of high sul) steels compared with similar heats which had | treated with zirconium. It is shown by the autho: from a consideration of the sulphur, manganese zirconium contents of these steels, zirconium reac: with the sulphur of the molten steel in accordance with the equation Zr + 2S=ZrS:. The author finds that zip conium disulphide appears in the finished state as pray colored inclusions, similar to manganese sulphide in their plastic behavior and general appearance. He states that zirconium completes its act of deoxidization before proceeding to combine with sulphur and indirect- ly increases the effective sulphur-combining power of any manganese which may be present. The pape: illustrated with photographs of the treated and non- treated ingots after rolling and with photomicrographs illustrating the manganese and zirconium sulphide in- clusions. The sulphur content of the steels examined ranged from 0.075 to 0.320 per cent. Summarizing the results, the author states that: U S 1. Zirconium eliminates red shortness when pres ent in the finished steel in the proportion of 1.41 more of zirconium to 1 part of sulphur the ratio 1.41 corresponds to the formation of the normal zirconium sulphide, ZrSo. 2. Zirconium parts o1 sulphide, like rolling manganese sulphide, temperatures and, in polished sections, is visible as ovoid or elongated gray inclu is plastic at sions, }. Evidence is offered in support of the view that oxygen is jointly responsible with sulphur for red shortness in steels that contain manganese only as t sulphur-combining element. 1. Zirconium, unlike manganese, is not required in the finished steel in amount greater than that theoret- required for formation of zirconium sulphide, of its powerful deoxidizing action. In amount greater than that required to form the sulphide, zirconium confers on the sulphur con tent of the steel the property of insolubility in 1:1 percentage of sulphur thus insoluble being proportional to the excess of zirconium in the ratio of 1 part of sulphur to 10 An explanation of this phenomenon is ically because hydrochloric acid, the rendered of zirconium offered Unfortunately sufficient time was not allotted at this session to afford adequate discussion of this and other papers, there having been six papers scheduled for presentation and discussion in only two hours. Dr. B. D. Saklatwalla, Vanadium Corporation of America, Bridgeville, Pa., commenting on the zirconium paper, stated that the author, in discussing the chemical com- bination of sulphur and zirconium, had overlooked other data and conclusions. It was his belief, he stated, that zirconium is one of the most powerful deoxidizers but he felt that this was secondary to its role as a coagulat- ing medium which explained in part its efficiency in re- moving sonims and other non-metallic impurities. New Developments in Metallography The three papers on new developments in metal- lography dealt with new etching solutions and with conical illumination. Dr. Albert Sauveur, in conjunc- tion with V. N. Krivobok, Harvard University, Gam- bridge, Mass., offered a paper entitled, “Use of Sodium Picrate in Revealing Dendritic Segregation in [ron Alloys.” Dr. Sauveur presented this in abstract, statins that the investigation had to do with the possibility ©! using advantageously a boiling solution of sodium picrate to reveal dendritic segregation in steel. rhe paper describes the mechanism of the action 0! the reagent and is fully illustrated with exceedingly good photomicrographs. The authors note the failure ol manganese alone to produce persistent dendritic segte gation. , The second paper, dealing with etching problems, was entitled “Micrographic Detection of Carbides 1 Ferrous Alloys,” by Norman B. Pilling, metallurgist, February 28, 1924 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa., vho abstracted the paper himself. Certain problems onnected with high silicon.steels are dealt with and the bject of the investigation was to obtain a method of micrographic analysis for such steels. The author has found that a dilute solution of nitric acid and methyl ileohol in nitro-benzol is advantageous. He describes the action of this reagent and states that it differs from sodium picrate in that there is no persistent deep- seated staining and also because the solution can be used cold. Photomicrographs illustrating the effect of this method of etching as compared with plain alcoholic nitric acid are given in the paper. New Results of Conical Illumination Further information on new developments in the application of conical illumination was given in a paper entitled “Stimulating Natural Light in Metallography,” by H. S. George, metallurgist Union Carbide & Carbon Research Laboratories, Long Island City, N. Y. The author briefly abstracted the paper by means of lantern slides. The information contained in this paper is supple- mentary to that which the author presented in a paper entitled “Conical Illumination in Metallography” before the annual meeting last October of the American So- ciety for Steel Treating in Pittsburgh and which was abstracted in THE IRON AGE, Feb. 7. The author shows how, by simulating natural lighting, structures that possess relief are given a natural appearance and an example is included of the revelation of a hitherto in- visible microconstituent. For example, etching figures in ferrite, heretofore considered to be pits, are revealed as pyramids, standing in bas-relief. The author offers suggestions on technique because, while the method is obvious, practice and attention to detail are requisite for success. Commenting on the last three papers, Prof. Bradley Stoughton, department of metallurgy, Lehigh Univer- THE IRON AGE 641 sity, Bethlehem, Pa., pointed out that all three of these papers referred to methods of testing which are non- destructive. He believed that they were examples of a decidedly strong present tendency toward the develop- ment of other methods of non-destructive testing of metals, citing X-ray and magnetic analysis, and stating that developments in the two latter processes had been very rapid of late, involving results obtained not by hit-or-miss methods. The Structure of Metals The two papers dealing with the structure of metals were entitled “Overstrain in Metals,” by Joseph Kaye Wood, engineer Westinghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa., and the other, “The Nature of Marten- site,” by Dr. Edgar C. Bain, research metallurgist Atlas Steel Corporation, Dunkirk, N. Y. Mr. Wood presented a brief abstract of his paper, stating that overstrain depends on the partial elastic action occurring above the elastic limit. Although this type of straining, within certain limits, improves most of the ordinary physical properties of a metal, it is de- trimental in that it produces imperfect elasticity and elastic after-effects. The amount of overstrain depends on the amount of “hyper” elastic energy expended, which energy corresponds to the partial elastic action referred to above. Furthermore, this energy depends on both the elastic and plastic constants of the metal, the latter of which varies with temperature, pressure and time. With the aid of these principles, the shape of the stress-strain diagram is explained. Dr. Bain presented a brief abstract of his paper. He describes in the paper the relation of martensite to austenite, the parent substitute, and goes into a detailed discussion of the lattice structure of the austenite as related to the martensite, and offers the explanation that martensite may result from the upsetting of a body-centered tetragonal lattice structure in austenite. Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical Operations HE first session ever devoted to a general discussion of the use of oxygenated air, particularly in iron and steel metallurgy, was held Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 20. The interest in the subject was attested to by a large attendance. Prof. Bradley Stoughton as chair- man conducted the meeting so that the utmost possible was realized from those present. The subject was introduced by the presentation in abstract, by the chairman, of a report by F. W. Davis, metallurgist U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, en- titled, “The Use of Oxygen or Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical and Allied Processes.” Abstracts of this report were presented in THE IRON AGE, one Nov. 2, 1923, on “Oxygen in the Iron Blast Furnace” and one Nov. 9, 1928, on “Oxygen in Steel Making and Ferro- manganese Furnaces.” Before throwing open the subject to a general dis- cussion other papers were presented, one entitled “En- riched Air in Metallurgy,” by W. S. Landis, vice-presi- dent American Cyanamid Co., New York. Mr. Landis in this paper, after discussing the available supply of oxygen, its cost, its production from the atmosphere and from water, then dealt briefly with the only two serious attempts that he knew of to use enriched air in metal- lurgical work. The first one discussed was that made by the Belgians at Liége in their small iron blast fur- nace, and the other second comprehensive experiment was the use of oxygen by a well-known American metal- lurgist to produce ferrosilicon of high silicon content in a shaft furnace in Canada. Both of these attempts are discussed somewhat fully followed by a review of the fields for development in the use of oxygen in the cop- per and lead smelting industries, in the chemical and electrochemical industries and in gas generation. Mr. Landis brings his paper to a close with the following conclusions: There are so many fields of possible utilization of oxygen or enriched air mixtures in metallurgy, each one presenting its own peculiar problem, that metal- lurgists will have to subdivide the field and attack it more or less from separate and distinctive stand- points. There should be kept foremost in mind that an oxygas blowpipe is hardly a metallurgical furnace from the standpoint of ore reduction. The remark- able development of this apparatus, therefore, will throw little or no light on the kind of metallurgical problems discussed in this paper. I can only recom- mend that the experimentation with enriched air should start with carefully standardized metallurgical apparatus and that the oxygen content of the in- going air should be increased step by step. The many new problems of air introduction, of refractories and of new heat balance which will arise show that this is the only logical approach to the problem. Taking as his topic “Cheap Oxygen in Metallurgy,” Edmund B. Kirby, St. Louis, presented in abstract a valuable discussion which was not preprinted nor avail- able for general reading. Calling attention to the amount of heat wasted because of the presence of nitro- gen, Mr. Kirby emphasized some of the changes that would be necessary if it should be possible to use oxygen in metallurgical operations more generally than at present. Such somewhat revolutionary procedure, he believed, would involve a change in location of some industries and probably the elimination of much expen- sive apparatus. He presented a general view of what would be involved in the ultimate use of more oxygen, calling attention to the fact that not only was fuel sav- ing an important item, to which too much attention had thus far been paid, but that also speed of operation was involved. In blast furnaces it was the opinion of Mr. Kirby that the saving of fuel was a minor matter compared with the increase in speed possibly obtainable from the use of oxygen. He regarded the easiest application of oxygen to be in gas producers, followed possibly by its use in copper reverberatory smelting furnaces and then in copper blast furnaces. The use of enriched air in lead blast furnaces, in open-hearth furnaces and in the iron blast furnaces he believed could be brought to an advantageous consummation. In the case of the open- "ale. t: serra neste 28 : > 4 : f Pd 642 THE IRON 1 . ‘2 hearth, a new layout would be necessary and the app+1- he regarded ‘heap oxygen cation of oxygen to the iron blast furnace as difficult. In the latter case, the use of « would result ultimately in the scrapping of much of the present equipment and a demand for a large amount of new capital. Discussing the iron blast furnace, Mr. Kirby said that its efficiency was very poor from a thermal point f view because of the potent heat tl was carried off. The application of enriched air t* such a furnace he believed was a matter of long study. In his opinion, it would be ultimately found that the use of oxygen In the smelting cf iron ore would result in the use of a furnace more like the copper furnace. This might be regard is a strange conclusion but in general he thoucht that the application of oxygen to iron and steel metallurgy would have to be based upon a progressive study 11 the application of oxygen to the smelting of ypper. In any event he believed that a certain amount of air enrichment would be profitable. After the presentation of the foregoing papers, thi meeting was thrown open by the chairman to a general jiscussion conducted under various subheads, the use f oxygenated air in the i