The Iron Age 1924-03-20: Vol 113 Iss 12

Miu > ESTABLISHED 1855 ve Sw i @ i) SRS les 3 . “a ve “Gt % + ‘ i nn “— sh “jp “dy, “ Keno ~ ian akan “Cg SI dima New York, March 20, 1924 VOL. 113, No. 12 Human Factors at Cash Register Plant” Evolution of Welfare Work at Dayton—Division of Profits with Resultant Low Labor Turnover—Apprenticeship in Cooperation with Engineering Schools turned to the factory of the National Cash Register Co. because of defective workmanship. Investiga- tion showed this to be due to several causes. Work- men were trying to produce new models with the same tools which were used for making earlier models. The factory, as was commonly the case in those days, was [ 1894 a large number of cash registers was re- *Several articles on the National Cash Register Co. were contributed by L. S. Love last year, covering tooling and machining methods among other things, the issues being Aug. 30, Sept. 13, Oct. 25 and Dec. 20. unsanitary, poorly lighted, and the grounds were lit- tered with scrap, rubbish and material. The grounds were surrounded by a high board fence. There was nothing in his work surroundings to inspire the work- man to do his best. The first step toward improve- ment was the furnishing of better sanitary conditions. The next the removal of the board fence and then the planting of shrubbery and sowing of grass seed. Im- provement was at once noted in work turned out. This work has gone along through the years, until today the plant is surrounded by lawns, trees and shrubs. Employees to the Number of 1200 May Be Seated at Once in the Main Cafeteria Sueeennenenonoatnennmed essen naoennvan teen ivensusenacin AVOMCAAUUIE Gove cuonnenentennoncsmuagenea’ nnppanagennneet ssissyeuearyenenens 0 reevenene ceneaassssnanectnarnedss soenesurrneneenccses ovine Aeepe rene: qe a 844 The next step was the embryo of the present ex- tensive lunch room facilities. One day it was noticed that one of the women employees placed a pail of coffee on a radiator to warm. From this the ceived of providing hot lunches, first for the women, all employees, at the food. Today In the main office building for executives, foremen, etc., and one for women employees. Another lunch 1200, is provided for other employees, except those from the foundry, for whom a lunchroom is provided in the foun- This saves the necessity for their taking to go to the main lunch- idea was con- later for cost of there are four lunchrooms. are two, one room, seating dry building. time to change their clothes room. The same kitchen serves both these dining rooms. The next step after improving conditions in and around the factory was to improve conditions in the neighborhood. The known as Slidertown, one of the worst sections of the problem being the boys who broke fences windows. To keep these boys, and girls as well, profitably employed and out of mis- idea was started. The company and the boys did the work. kind of settle- ment work, which includes clay modeling, wood carving factory is located in what was then city, the main and stoned out boy garden space, tools and chief, the provided seeds, This idea has developed into a Evening Classes for Employees Are Held in the N. C. R. City Club, which Was the Old Patterson Residenc« Community hall and the old barn club are two of the recreational provided by the centers company for plovees em- -_: THE IRON AGE March 20, 192: and drawing for the boys and sewing, embroidery a: cooking classes for the girls. Graduate boy gardene: join the Boys Box Furniture Co., which at first mad. simple furniture from old packing boxes, but now us: new lumber and makes cabinets, tabourets, bird hous: flower boxes, etc. This training not only keeps then out of mischief, but helps them to spend time in usefy pursuits and occupations. They are able to make many repairs at home, because of this training. The work with boys and girls developed into competition for prizes in the neighborhood for the bes! kept lawns, backyards and gardens. Slidertown finally became South Park. The work started in Dayton by the National company has spread and can be extended still farther through distribution of instructive book lets, neighborhood improvement association, etc. In further regard to improved sanitation, considera- ble development has taken place. A hygiene depart ment has been instituted, consisting of a surgeon, two physicians, four nurses, two masseurs and two dentists This department has reduced lost time from sickness t: a remarkably low figure. Baths and showers have been installed and each employee is permitted one bath a week in winter and two in summer on the company’s time. Laborers, who are of an unusually high type, wear khaki or white uniforms in their work. These men ars permitted use of the barber shop for hair cut ting and shaves on company’s time. They are required to bathe daily and have nails mani- cured, then proceed to the dining rooms for ser- vice as waiters. For this service they leave their work in the shop at 11.30, bathe, etc., wait on tables and are paid until 12.30. Freedom from dust in the plant is main tained through proper suction appliances and fresh air ducts. General health is assisted by use of sanitary fountains, abolishment of roller towels, ten minute rest period during morning and afternoon for women workers and a shorter work day for women, permitting them to avoid congested street railroad cars. Women are pro- vided daily with clean aprons and sleevelets with out charge. These are washed in the company’s laundry. On rainy days umbrellas are lent by the company to employees ard in addition rub- bers to the women. With the idea that the eye will grasp learn ing more quickly than the ear, an auditorium is provided in which 2300 employees can be March 20, 1924 Employees Are Encouraged to Use Their Brains. A library is provided in the main office building for their accommodated. In this theater each day at noon mo- tion pictures are shown. These are of an educational nature, as well as comic or otherwise. Facilities are provided for taking motion pictures. A $40,000 pipe organ is installed in this theater. In the main office building is a library for the use of employees. All are taught to improve themselves in every way and to use their brains. Suggestion con- tests are held with prizes amounting to $3,000 every six months. The improvement in mind takes us into the Owl Classes held in the NOR Hall and the Coopera- tive Industrial High School and the part time extension school plans. To cover the first a short outline of what is taught will probably give a good idea of the value of this work. The old Patterson residence in Dayton was used as a girls’ dormitory during the war, then devoted to the uses of the NCR City Club. Owl Classes held in this ha'l have no age limit. Employees are taught in different subjects, each class having 1% hr. per week for 26 weeks. Class in salesmanship covers various styles and types of registers and their application to different businesses. Students are given actual practice in salesmanship, one taking the part of merchant, an- other the part of salesman. Other classes are held in agency office practice, public speaking, shop mathe- maties, drawing and blueprint reading, Spanish, time and motion study, and for women employees home economics, dressmaking, millinery, health and hygiene. Women’s classes are held in one of the high school buildings under the auspices of the National Cash Register Co. A part of the hall’s facilities are a read- ing room, a nursery for use of children of employees during entertainments at the clubhouse, and a kitchen. Entertainments are held in a large auditorium, in which THE IRON AGE 845 Lost Time from Sickness Has Been Materially Reduced by the Installation of a Hygiene Department which HasS a Surgeon, Two Phy- sicians, Two Dentists, Four and Two Masseurs Nurses In the Departments Em- ploying Women Ten-Minute Rest Periods Are Permitted in the Morning and After- noon. Attractive rest rooms are provided for their use at these periods on other nights basket ball is played. Dances are held regularly Saturday nights by the Women’s Club. Another part of the welfare work is the former National Cash Register Country Club, several years ago deeded to the city of Dayton and now known as Hills and Dales Park. In this park are facilities for base- ball, golf, tennis, polo, wading pool and amusements for children, camping, etc., and a community club known as the Old Barn Club. The plan of profit sharing developed by the National Cash Register Co. might properly come under the clas- sification of part of the story of production. This is one point where production and welfare overlap. The theory is that first labor is entitled to a living wage, and endeavor is made to keep the wages paid employees at least equal to the high prevailing rate in that section of the country for similar work. Capital is also entitled to a proper return. To cover this 6 per cent on invested capital is deducted. What is left over is divided equally between employees and stockholders. : Employees are divided into five groups. Group A is composed of managing employees or executives in the most responsible positions. These men receive 12 per cent of the net profits. Group B is composed of foremen and other executives whose duties do not call for the responsibilities of those in Group A. This group receives 5 per cent of the profits. Group C is com- posed of job foremen and others in minor executive capacity. This class receives 8 per cent of the profits. Group D is composed of all other employees at Dayton plant who have been with the company for at least six months. These receive 25 per cent of the profits. Group E is composed of employees who are on a 30-day probation basis before being placed in Group D. Any member of any group is in line for promotion into the * Sng oo 7 : 7 + - ye % e+ ae ¥ ; ; Se a ee eee 846 THE IRON AGE next higher group, depending upon abilities demon- strated. The 50 per cent on net profits assigned to the com- pany is devoted toward improvements and expansion of the business. It is invested in land, buildings, ma- chinery, inventions, or whatever the needed expansion may call for each year. The 50 per cent share of profits does not always meet the amount spent by the company : enlargement of business. Profits are deter- mined by an outside firm of accountants. No value is given to “investment on patents” or “good will.” Individual share of profits to each employee is figured on wages or salaries earned in each six months period, but are paid three times a year. Provision is made for contingencies such as illness or temporary absence under permission. In case of death of an employee, his share of profits up to the time of his death is paid to his dependents at the next distribution date. This system has many advantages to the em- ployee and also many to the company. Profits are paid in cash in addition to high wages and salaries. Everyone is a partner in the business. The company takes all risk of loss, the employee none. The more the company earns the greater the profit to the employee. Each man has opportunity to make himself capable to enter the next higher class. The benefits from the company’s standpoint are manifold. Labor turnover is reduced, with closer co- operation and greater efficiency. A desire for promo- tion is stimulated, with consequently an increase in production, decrease in cost and reduction in wasted materials, time and labor. Profits for all are increased, helping employees toward better living conditions,. bet- ter education and more self confidence. Each employee taking more pride and effort in his work has lost the short-sighted outlook on life of producing as little as possible and loafing as much as possible. Many other beneficial results are apparent in the community life generally. In other words, a good wage with a bonus or profit sharing plan is infinitely better than the same yearly amount paid in higher weekly wages, which are squan- dered and leave discontent and lack of interest in the work; better for the company and makes a better citizen of the employee, both financially and in character. A personnel department is operative. It is working ~~ « Tee éntertainment Is Provided Each Lunch Period in a Theater Seating 2300. most frequent forms of entertainment Ce MOM tt wn aT} CULEEUTNTPDOEDOEDONEDE SenENDOND ODeEEDETERHOEN eRRNRLoEDOOEOREERED March 20, 19 for a square deal to the company and the employ: and all the employees know it. Consequently they ha confidence in the decisions of the department. A rep! sentation committee of shop men has been discontinu: as the employees never used it, preferring to go dir: to the personnel division and get decisive action. Th: may appeal to the executive office if they desire. This personnel division was instituted during t war, as were similar divisions in many other plant The department at the NCR is one of the compara tively few still active. It helps employees in sh relations, in many outside interests, often makin; recourse to lawyers unnecessary for the employee private affairs. Company attorneys are permitted assist employees in making income tax returns, etc. Another phase of the work of this department is th: rating of employees each six months as to ability, character, etc. In all the work the industrial relations department has shown itself as very important and having great bearing on the success of the company. In common with many other shops, the National Cash Register Co. has had difficulty in securing trained employees. For this reason it has instituted an apprenticeship system in cooperation with schools and colleges. The object of this cooperative plan is to in crease the knowledge, efficiency and earning capacity of future mechanics, as well as to make it possible for boys to secure an engineering course who otherwise would not be able to accomplish it. It has been found that about 50 per cent of these apprentices stay with the company, thus materially improving the quality of the younger personnel. Some leave for employment elsewhere, which improves con- ditions in the trade generally. Some of those who leave later come back to the company with some added ex- perience. The apprenticeship system is gaining steadily. Cooperative apprentices are required to show two years of high school study accomplished, applications for the course being received during the second high school year. Boys are given employment during the vacation period following the second high school year. This is a further test of the boy’s fitness and at its conclusion he is indentured as an apprentice. During these first two years at high school the school author- ities shape the boy’s course to fit him for the later co- operative course. eR Pictures and organ recitals are the HOOUT UCONN OAUOTNORORTOTORETERDONL OeREAERO TED vnnveeunnnnneeneeneenenestDENRENOBOONEOOO080890094000Q0040000400000800EA000058E000808°082SSSSASOSSSS SS THE IRON March 20, 1924 In the Dayton Cooperative Industrial High School boys taking the course range from 16 to 18 years of The school year consists of 26 weeks in the shop Hours at school cover five days per Boys alternate every age. and 24 at school. week and seven hours per day. two weeks between school and shop and are paired, so that each pair of boys alternating keeps the school balanced and also keeps the same number of apprentices in the shop each week. Foremen in the shop have definite instructions to follow, so that the shop work may supplement the school work and completely syn- chronize with it. Each Saturday morning there is a meeting of boys. They run these meetings themselves under regular parliamentary procedure, thereby helping to fit them- selves as citizens. They elect their own officers and in the meetings discuss features of their work, opera- tions, etc., so that all may fully understand just what is going on. This is a time for any boy to bring up for discussion some phase of his work that is puzzling him. They are also given talks by department heads, etc. The last Saturday of each month the meeting is f devoted to a demonstration by one apprentice who E takes any subject of an educational nature, a hobby, his a job, ete. Recently a graduate of Heidelberg who is taking the continuation course, learning tool making, 5 gave a talk on psychology. The whole course is under the direction of an advisory committee composed of one member representing the school authority, two repre- senting the manufacturers and two skilled mechanics. There are fourteen Dayton factories cooperating with the schools. AGE Neighborhood Boys Are Kept ut of Mischief and In structively Helped by the Boys’ Box Furniture Factory Originally articles were mads id packing boxes but latterly new lumber is used ind an extensive variety o l art les turned out by the boys After the boys have had two years at the cooperative high school they may elect to take four hours a week at the Dayton continuation school or they may elect to take the engineering course at University of Cincinnati or Antioch College. The former is for a period of five years, the latter for six years. Time at schools applies against apprenticeship time. Rates of pay at the shop are at present minimum 25c. per hour, with increases of 2%c. every six months during the first two years. After the third year boys are paid what they are worth. Engineering students are paid a minimum of 30c. per hour with 2%c. increase every six months for the first two years, then 2%c. per year for the last three. This, of course, is not sufficient to pay college expenses, but is a big help. College students alternate every four weeks at Cin- cinnati, every five weeks at Antioch. At present there are 110 apprentices in the N.C.R. shops. Twenty-eight are at college; 54 in continuation school; the remainder are cooperatives. The electives are toolmaking, drafting, machinist trade, printing, pattern making and assembling at Dayton, and elec- trical, mechanical and commercial engineering and busi- ness administration at Cincinnati and Antioch. The details of the courses cannot be outlined here. They cover certain periods on different types of ma- chines, bench work, etc. Each department has its quota of apprentices. Tool making, for instance, can accom- modate 20 apprentices. Full high school credits are allowed boys who complete the two years at the co- operative school. A degree in engineering is conferred on the student completing the course at college. e sane x Ba EOE + > gee sy nes fom we RTE } ’ : , : 4 848 THE IRON AGE USE OF OXYGEN-ENRICHED AIR* Experience in a Belgian Blast Furnace—Applica- tion to Ferrosilicon—Advantages in Roast- ing Non-Ferrous Ores oo first serious attempt to use enriched air in metallurgical work was that made by the Belgians at Liége in their small iron blast furnace. This fur- nace had a considerabe history behind it and its char- acteristics and constants as operated in the ordinary manner were well known. A _ small liquid-air plant was set up near the furnace and the effect of intro- ducing small quantities of oxygen in the blast was very carefully studied. Oxygen in a Belgian Iron Furnace Whi'e the detailed results of these experiments were not made available to the general public, and the outbreak of the war put an end to the experiments, nevertheless a certain amount of information is at hand. The slightest introduction of oxygen into the air blast made itself felt, a fraction of 1 per cent over- coming detrimental effect of the moisture of the atmos- phere. An increase of oxygen content from the norma! 20 per cent up to approximately 24 or 25 per cent made it possible to dispense with the hot-blast stoves and produced a higher grade iron. I do not recall whether they ever worked with a higher-oxygen content than 25 or 26 per cent. This development proceeded along rational lines. It must be remembered that the temperatures in the modern blast furnace are very close to the critical temperatures at which that type of apparatus can efficiently function. While it is true that a higher oxygen mixture would have made more smelting heat available in the furnace, we must seriously question whether the furnace could have withstood the accom- panying temperatures, or whether the auxiliary equip- ment could have held them in check through more rapid charging, greater rapidity of descent of charge, or have handled the increased output. An experience many years ago in changing the character of the charge in an iron blast furnace and suddenly doubling its smelting rate without giving due thought to charging equipment and to ability to han- dle the doubled output, impressed upon me the neces- sity of a most careful and comprehensive study of auxiliary equipment when attempting metallurgical revolutions. It is a situation that can only safely be approached step by step and great credit must be given the Belgians for the care with which they attacked this problem of enriched air in their small iron blast furnace. Oxygen and Ferrosilicon The second comprehensive experiment in the use of oxygen in large-scale metallurgy took place some years ago just over the boundary line, in Canada. It was an attempt made by a well known iron metallurgist of this country to produce ferrosilicon of high silicon content in a shaft furnace. A small coke-fired shaft furnace was built, based on the designs of this metallurgist, and enriched air carrying 60 per cent of oxygen was available in unlimited quantities. The experiment, while hardly to be classed as a complete failure, never- theless actually advanced the art very slightly. The fur- nace possessed no history and had no standards behind it for comparison; and instead of approaching the problem from present practice, it was approached from the mathematical standpoint, the mathematics being based on pure theory without respect to the various factors such as tuyéres, furnace lining, gas velocities, etc., entering into the calculation at any place. Naturally, such an approach in this particular case, where shaft reduction plays little part, leads one to the answer that the greater the purity of the oxygen the better the furnace should work. “As a matter of *From a contribution to the symposium on “Oxygenated Air in Metallurgy,” conducted by the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers at its annual winter meeting in New York, Feb. 20. The author, W. S. Landis is vice-president American Cyanamid Co., New York March 20, 1924 fact, it can hardly be said to have worked at all. TT temperatures were so great that not only did the f nace melt down as rapidly, or even more rapidly, tha the charge, but the back flash of the flame against th. best water-cooled copper tuyéres cut them out in few minutes. The experimenter was so impressed wit! the accuracy of his mathematical calculations that refused to pay due attention to the practical limita tions of his actual furnace. From the two experiments cited, which are the onl) ones conducted on a large scale with which I am fa miliar, I can but repeat that I do not believe the us of oxygen is going to suddenly revolutionize meta] lurgical practice. We are going to take standardized apparatus, well known as to peculiarities and of which we are completely informed as to constants, and slowly and carefully and step by step, through the introduc- tion of oxygen build up a set of experimental data, re- vising our equipment as to details on the basis of our new knowledge and, without appreciable break from sequence, develop from our present to the new practice. All the calculations in the world will not prevent a fire brick from melting or a tuyére from being cut out if we have not also the acquired experience of slow and tedious experimentation. Fields for Development There are a number of metallurgical! Selds quite or almost untouched; the iron blast furnace is one of them. Whether oxygen at $15 or $20 per ton can re- place the hot-blast stoves, the dry-air equipment and other apparatus, economically, must be left to the furnace engineer. It is a very complicated problem. The Bessemer converter offers some slight encourage- ment. It is not impossible to contemplate the use of a still lower grade metal together with enriched air. | use the term “lower grade’ in this case to mean a lesser percentage of fuel elements. The basic con- verter seems to me to offer a better field for work than the acid converter. The open-hearth furnace and the crucible furnace present little field for.effective use of enriched air; the wear and tear on equipment will be- come too great with enriched air for its use to be profitable. I have always felt that the copper industry pre- sents some interesting problems which the use of oxy- gen should solve. Pyritic smelting.is essentially an oxidizing action. With true pyritic smelting, the higher the temperature, or in other words the greater the available smelting heat, the better the furnace should operate. If one desires to convert a copper con- verter into a combined converting and smelting opera- tion, the use of enriched air may find some field. I must leave to the copper metallurgist the question of whether a shaft furnace or a copper converter is the best type of smelter. I have never been enthusiastic about the introduction of oxygen in lead smelting. In the Roasting of Ores There is, however, one important possibility in the metallurgy of the non-ferrous metals that must not be overlooked, and that is in the preliminary roasting operations. I believe that the judicious use of en- riched air in roasting will greatly simplify the opera- tion. It will suddenly lower the grade of self-roasting ores, thereby eliminating the use of external fuel, and should at the same time yield a more completely dead- roasted product. This is a field of great breadth in that it affects practically the whole of the non-ferrous industry and possesses many very valuable features, which are fundamental to the practice though far from available to the present metallurgist. It is a point of attack which should yield the greatest results with the least expenditure of effort and money. Of secondary interest to the roasting operation 1s the fact that the use of enriched air greatly simplifies the recovery of the roaster gases. The conversion of these gases into sulphuric acid is now almost a stand- ardized procedure. This conversion would be very great- ly affected through the use of enriched air and the elim- ination of external fuel and is quite as important 4 factor in our whole metallurgical procedure as the roasting operation itself. Heat Treating Low-Carbon Bars for Rivets Cold Working Strains, as Cause of Broken Heads, Removed—Properties of Final Product Improved BY C. B. LANGSTROTH* \Y) metallurgists, belonging to the younger branch of the profession whom we recognize as physical metallurgists, are quite well aware of the benefits to be derived from heat treating low- carbon steel. The designing engineer and the gen- eral user are, however, not so well acquainted with these advantages. The practical application of the advantage derived from heat treating low-carbon steel is very clearly shown by some experience with rivets. The company where the particular study of rivets was made used 4000 to 6000 lb. of rivets daily. It found that the heads of some rivets broke off after the Fig. 1-— Photomi- crograph of the Condition of the Steel in the Rivet at the Point of Rup- ture Fig. 2-— Photomi- crograph of the Structure of the Rivets After An- nealing that did not comply with the above analysis, so that from this standpoint the rivets were satisfactory. It was impossible of course to make any physical tests on the broken rivets aside from the hardness and this was found to be no different on the broken rivets than on the unbroken ones. The next investigation took up the microstructure of the rivets and on all of the broken heads evidence was found of cold-working strains in the corner where the head joins the shank of the rivet, and a further investigation of new rivets brought out the fact that a number of the new rivets were coming in with a Hee qeiteeeee Fig. 3-— Photomi- crograph of the Structure of the Rivets after Quenching, After Heating and Draw- ing Back Fig. 3 cold riveted parts had been shipped. This failure was not only very expensive, but it also caused consider- able adverse comment in regard to the company’s product. Standard specifications for rivets call for the fol- lowing analysis: Per Cent Carbon .... bemec dhene buns Manganese 2 x a ea eat .. 0.30—0.50 PUNE x:< as). otc antein Se 0.04 or under BURN, <A ints dee aie 0.045 or under On over 100 tests of broken rivets there were none *Consulting engineer, 529 Stowell Avenue, Milwaukee. 849 small crack started in the region of the cold working strains. Photomicrograph, Fig. 1, is a good example of this rupture. With the start as shown, it was not long before the fissure worked completely across the shank of the rivet with the ensuing failure. To prevent the rupture starting in the rivet we assured ourselves that the bars were given a thorough anneal before being formed into rivets and, to further prevent any cold working strains remaining in the rivets, they were annealed after forming with the re- sulting structure shown in Fig. 2. The formation of owe : ri 1 i : j % napewen 850 THE IRON any cracks in the head was prevented by tnis opera- tion, but by using the rivet in a dead soft condition it was found that the rivets were too weak and also not in the best condition to resist the dynamic load they were subjected to. All of the cold working strains which are so prominent in Fig. 1 had been completely removed, but the rivet was naturally in its weakest ondition due to the open grain. In order that the rivets might have greater strength they were quenched after heading and then drawn back to prevent any high carbon rivets, which might ‘ome along and which would be too hard, from getting into the shop. Photomicrograph, Fig. No. 3, is a typi- al example of these heat-treated rivets. This reveals 1 tough sorbitic structure with all the cold working strains removed. These rivets proved to be satisfac- tory. It is interesting to see the effect produced on the physical strength of the rivets by the annealing and heat treating mentioned above; physical tests showed: ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS Application to Material Handling Equipment Use on Steel Mill Motors Has Advanced Advanced practice in anti-friction bearings was out- lined in a paper by P. B. Liebermann, industrial en- gineer, Hyatt Roller Bearing Co., Harrison, N. J., at a meeting of the Metropolitan section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, held in Newark, a March 11. The advantages of any anti-friction bearing as com- pared to a well designed plain bearing were discussed and regarding ball and roller bearings it was said that for most applications they were equally suitable. When heavy loads must be carried in a limited space, the greater capacity of roller bearings, size for size, was said to make them preferable, this also holding true where severe conditions of shock and vibration exist. Where loads are light, operating conditions smooth and speeds of several thousand r.p.m. are encountered, ba!l bearings were thought to be generally given preference. To illustrate the various characteristics of anti-fric- tion bearings typical applications were Ciscussed, and illustrated with lantern slides. These examples were limited to one type of roller bearing. Rapid Use On Material Handling Equipment Rapid The application of anti-friction bearings to material handling equipment was cited as having been particu- larly rapid. Among these, belt conveyor installations were discussed, a conveyor with its multitude of bear- ings being said to be improved in several ways by the ipplication of anti-friction bearings. The advantages is arrived at by tests are given in what follows: “The number of conveyor installations in operation has made it possible to conduct extensive and conclusive tests which have brought out valuable information on power consumption of both plain bearing and anti-fric- tion bearing equipment. These results were obtained by measuring the power input into the driving motor, also the belt speed and weight of material carried by the belt per hour. After reducing the test data to a common basis for purposes of comparison, it was shown that a saving in power of from 40 to 50 per cent is obtainable under average service conditions by the use of Hyatt roller bearings. “With a belt conveyor such a saving does not merely mean so many hp. or kw. hours, it means also less tension on the belt, less number of plies, a smaller motor and controlling apparatus, and naturally, less wear and tear. The latter is particularly due to the re- duced starting effort.” Details were given on two conveyor installations which were cited as represening the most advanced prac- tice in this field. One was the Colonial conveyor system of the H. C. Frick Coke Co. which carries coal a distance of five miles underground through a tunnel from the mine to a tipple on the Monongahela River. The coal was formerly carried by mine cars and locomotives. The conveying method is superior to the mine car method in AGE March 20, | H Natural Annealed T; Elastic limit, Ib. per sq. im...... 48,000 33,000 { Maximum tensile, lb. per sq. in.. 73,000 48,300 f Elongation, per cent in 2 in..... 11 42 Reduction of area, per cent...... 59 73 The standard practice now in heat treating material for rivets is to anneal the rods before hea ing. The rivets are then heated to 1650 to 1675 d Fahr. and oil quenched, after which they are draw back to 1250 to 1275 deg. Fahr. From this treatment there is obtained, as the phys cal tests show, a rivet which is not as strong as t! ones made from the unannealed stock but which stronger than the ones after annealing. Also th: cold working strains which were so prevalent in th rivets made from the stronger unannealed rods hav: been overcome. Thus by properly selecting the heat treatment we have eliminated the rivet troubles ex perienced by this manufacturer. offering continuous and uninterrupted service and much greater output over the existing haulage way in the mine. The principal characteristics of this installation were given as follows: Total length of conveyor five miles, all below ground except at tipple. Number of individual conveyors, 20. Motive power: Each conveyor is driven by a three-phase 2200 volt, 875 r.p.m. induction motor of 175 hp. Reduction gears: Ratio, 875 to 39 r.p.m., step ping speed down to 39 r.p.m. Width of rubber belt, 48 in., 10 ply; belt speed, 550 ft. per min. Idlers: Some 3 pulley, some 5 pulley; idler spacing, 3 ft. Weight of coal carried, 1220 tons per hr. or 10,000 tons per 8 hr. day. Anti-Friction Bearings Applied to Steel Mill Motors The application of anti-friction bearings to electric motors was also discussed, it being pointed out that bearings are now applied to general purpose motors, locomotive motors, railway motors and vehicle motors. “It is rather surprising,” said Mr. Liebermann,” that the biggest demand: originated with the steel mills, where conditions are generally considered most severe and unfavorable. Bearings applied to steel mill motors have as a rule given a good account of themselves and their application has advanced so far that the need for standardization of bearing sizes, shaft dimensions and housing bore dimensions soon became apparent. Con- siderable progress has been made by the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers in conjunction with the Electric Power Club and it is expected that their investigation will be finished soon. It has been recom- mended by the bearings committee of the power club that only anti-friction bearings of the 300 series be used on general purpose motors of 1 to 100 hp. “The motor application represents one of the few in- stances in which power saving is of a negligible amount. The losses caused by bearing friction in a well designed plain bearing motor rarely exceed 1 per cent. Anti- friction bearings may reduce this loss to % or % per cent. This makes the fact stand out clearly that in many cases other advantages than power saving are sufficient to justify the use of ball or roller bearings. In the case of electric motors, the reduced leakage of lubricant from the bearings onto the insulation, together with less frequent lubricating periods and greatly re duced maintenance charges, make anti-friction bearings a paying investment. “Quite frequently it happens that the bearing prob lem is nothing else but a question of economics, that 1s, lower first cost. This holds particularly true for such applications where well designed plain bearings are giving a fairly good account of themselves and where there seems to be on the face of it no apparent reaso! for a change to anti-friction bearings. When computing, however, all of the items entering into the cost of co! struction, that is, all material and labor, it sometimes leads to the surprising result that an anti-friction bea: ing can be applied at an initial saving in cost. Such a case happened some time ago to a large steel mill. « new roller table.” ma High Rail Failure Record for 1917 Rollings Better Records Later Justify Hope of Progressive Improvement, Says Rail Committee of Association—Electric Welding in Steel Fabrication Discussed formance in comparative records of rail failures made public by the rail committee of the American Railway Engineering Association at its twenty-fifth annual convention at Chicago, March 11 to 13, inclusive. For five years of service just completed, standard sec- tion rails rolled in 1917 showed an average of 137.1 failures per 100 track miles on railroads reporting to the association, as compared with a five year average of 105.4 failures for 1916 rollings, 82.4 failures for 1915 rollings, and the low record of 74 failures for 1914 rollings. Records thus far compiled for later rollings indicate that 1917 registers a peak of bad performance and justify the hope that the banner record of the 1914 rollings will be at least equaled within the next few years. ik year 1917 stands out as a period of poor per- Average Rail Failures per 100 Track Miles Year Years Service Rolled 0 l 2 3 { 5 1908, 598.1] 1909 224.1 277.8 1910 124.0 152.7 198.5 1911. 77.0 104.4 133 176.3 1912 28.9 32.1 49.3 78.9 107.1 1913... 2.0 12.5 25.8 44.8 69 91.9 1914.. 1.2 8.2 19.8 32.9 50.9 74.0 Selec | We 8.9 19.0 34.2 53.0 82.4 1916 1.6 11.8 29.2 CT.e 70.6 105.4 Beery es 5.3 21.6 38.9 66.0 110 137.1 1918 1.6 8.9 27.6 54.0 92.8 et eee 14.8 39.4 73.7 1920.. 3.9 14.2 32.4 1921.. 1.6 10.! 1922... is The committee also indicated that it hopes to succeed in devising a method by which the tonnage carried by the failed rail may be introduced into the calculations. Transverse Fissures Due to Manufacturing Defects? The committee announced that it is participating in a joint investigation of the underlying cause of trans- verse fissures in rails, cooperating with the Bureau of Standards of the Department of Commerce, the Rail Manufacturers’ Committee, and the Joint Committee on Stresses in Track of the American Railway Engineering Association and the American Society of Civil Engi- neers. In a circular sent to members of the American Railway Association, asking for full information as to the number of rails which have failed from transverse fissure in track, it was stated that preliminary conclu- sions drawn from incomplete data previously furnished strongly indicate a defective manufacturing condition in the rail head as responsible for such failures, and do not bear out the assertions of the Bureau of Safety of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which has re- peatedly insisted that excessive axle loads are the cause of transverse fissure development. Slow progress was reported by the committee on its ag of the comparative wear of various weights of rail. The committee was not prepared to recommend a definite rail length in excess of the present 33-ft. stand- ard for adoption as an alternative standard, and asked for a reassignment of the subject. It was pointed out that proponents of a 39-ft. rail length base their choice almost entirely upon the length of equipment available for transportation, while those advocating a 45-ft. length believe that equipment should not be a govern- ing factor and that economies in track maintenance re- quire that rail shall be the maximum permissible length consistent with proper expansion. Average Weight of Rails Increases A table compiled by the committee, showing the average weights of standard section rails rolled by the mills during the past six years, indicates a progressive increase, the average weight for all mills in 1922 being 851 101.3 lb., as against 97.7 lb. in 1921 and a low average of 94.2 lb. in 1919. iverage Weights of Standard Section Rails Mill 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 Alzoma 85.0 100.5 97.5 100.3 105.0 Bethlehen 102.1 109.2 113.3 101.1 115.3 122.1 Cambria 118.9 120.6 105.4 121.2 119.1 130.0 Carnegie 101.8 103.4 102.6 105.4 107.1 109.9 Colorado S9O_8 89.2 &9.2 90.3 90.0 89.4 Dominior 85.0 85.0 aie 100.0 . Illinois 94.6 93.2 $2.3 95.5 95.8 96.3 Inland va emma. was 95.2 Lackawanna 97.0 99.9 95.4 96.8 99.7 98.4 Maryland 106.5 102.6 91.6 85.0 865.0 . Pennsvlv i 100.0 101.1 119.3 105.5 119.2 Tennessee 87.5 87.9 89.0 88.7 88.2 90.0 Average 96.2 95.4 94.2 96.6 97.7 101.3 No Economy in Rerolling Rails Barring exceptional circumstances on. some roads, there is no economy in rerolling rails at the present high cost of doing this work, together with transporta- tion costs necessary to move the rail to the mill and its return to points where it will be placed in the track. This was the conclusion reached by the Committee on Track as a result of compiling replies to a questionnaire sent to all Class 1 roads in the United States, exclusive of switching and terminal companies. The resawing of rails for relayers, however, was found to be economical and good practice either with a portable rail saw or at a permanent mill. In its study of rerolling or resawing rail for relay- ing the committee arrived at the conclusion that the relative economies, as between resawing and recondi- tioning rail by building up the joints in the track by acetylene, electric or other processes, is so interwoven that a study of the economies as between the two meth- ods can best be made by assigning both subjects to the Committee on Track, Electric Welding in Steel Fabrication Experience in electric welding of connections in steel structures was outlined by the Committee on Iron and Steel Structures, but insufficient progress has been made, in its opinion, to warrant action by the associa- tion at this time. Two methods of electric welding have been used—resistance welding and arc welding. In resistance welding the parts to be united are placed in contact, a current passed through the parts, heating them at the contact surfaces, and the pieces are then pressed together. The heat and pressure cause the parts in contact to be welded over a certain area. Several types of machines have been designed for welding of this kind, one type being somewhat similar to the ordinary power machine used in driving rivets. The machine grips the parts to be welded between electrodes which force the parts together under pres- sure. The current is then turned on and the material brought to a welding heat, which, together with the pressure, makes a spot weld, uniting the adjacent parts of the material in the form of a small cylinder integral with the material of the connected parts. This is the method of spot welding. It has not been much used for steel structures. The method most used thus far has been arc weld- ing, according to which an electric circuit is formed between the carbon or graphite electrode and the two pieces of steel which are to be welded by bringing them together. The arc is then formed by withdrawing the electrode a short distance from the steel. This method is simplified by using the welding wire or rod as one electrode in place of a carbon or graphite electrode. In this case, the welding wire or rod melts and is fused with the molten steel of the parts to be welded. Good results have been obtained in arc welding of structural steel for various kinds of structures. Pres- - oe =~ APRA a 852 THE IRON AGE sure tanks are very largely being constructed by arc welding instead of by riveting. One ship has been constructed by the use of are welding throughout and has been in service for at least three years. The re- sults obtuined by are welding are very largely de- pendent upon the skill of the welder, and this work should be performed only by skilled operators. The art, however, has progressed sufficiently for us to know what conditions are necessary to obtain satis- factory results, and when these conditions prevail and the work is done by a good welder, satisfactory welds should be obtained. Unfortunately, the strength of the weld cannot at the present time be positively deter- mined by an inspector. The strength of the joint is dependent in part upon the strength of the welding material. Tests indicate that this welding material has an average ultimate strength in shear of about 36,- 000 lb. per sq. in. A safe working stress would there- | fore be about 9000 lb. Employee Representation Recommended The adoption of a plan of employee representation in railroad work was recommended in the report of the Committee on the Economics of Railway Labor. Such a plan, in its opinion, will, through the improvement of the spirit of cooperation, serve largely to stabilize labor and reduce the problem of obtaining new em- ployees. The committee also indicated its approval of benefit associations providing insurance against the Multiple Core-Making Machines The multiple core machines illustrated, which are intended to provide increased production of cores and also cores of high quality, eliminating many machining operations on the castings in connection with which they are used, are being marketed by the Skeppstedt-Erick- son Co., Moline, Ill. They are available in two sizes or types, on both of which gang core-boxes are used. The larger machine designated as the type A is for jobs having a heavy run, while the smaller unit, type B, is for short run jobs and for core-boxes requiring more sensitive vibration. On both machines vertical rods engage with notches in the edges of the core box, and are connected by a cross bar which carries the vibrator, vibration being transmitted to the core-box by means of the vertical rods. The latter, together with the notches in the core- bex, also serve to guide the box during the drawing March 20, 1924 hazards of sickness, accident, superannuation and death. and savings funds and loan provisions placed at thé posal of all worthy employees. Participation in stoc ownership and the maintenance of satisfactory wor! conditions were recommended. The establishment ‘standards and units of measure for all work perform which is susceptible of measurement was pronour a fundamental basis of harmonious understanding tween employer and employee and the foundation f, economical and efficient handling of labor. The creat of a personnel department was recommended for a roads of sufficient size. The committee suggested for further examinatior by the railroads of guaranteed employment or unem ployment insurance, prompted by the desire to provide continued employment, freeing the employee of anxiety; and bonus payments for continued service, avoidance of lateness and absence, prevention of waste and other features of economic operation concerning which the employee may not have full realization of his obliga- tion. The convention had a total registration of 987, a new high record of attendance for the association. Officers elected for the coming year include: President, G. J. Ray, chief engineer Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; vice-president, C. F. W. Felt, chief engineer Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé; treasurer, George H. Bremner, engineering department Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and secretary, E. H. Fritch. 1 operation, an arrangement intended to provide a straight draw. A solid instead of a split box is usually employed, which is emphasized as eliminating the fin formed at the joint and also as resulting in longer life for the core box. The type A machine is provided with a mechanical drawing device which is particularly useful where a long straight draw is required. A trigger arrangement sets the vibrator in operation automatically when the core-box has been placed in position on the table of the machine. The type B machine is provided with a knee valve which when pressed actuates the vibrator. This machine is equipped with a movable carriage so that after each box full of cores has been made the carriage The Type A Core Machine for Long Run Jobs Is at the Left, the Type B Machine, Above Prem un ” seeveennenennne may be moved to make room for the next row of cores, and when the plate is filled it is placed on the core rack or in the oven. With the type A machine a whole core plate is filled by one box. Among the advantages emphasized by the makers is that because the core-box is not fastened to the machine by screws or other clamping device, time lost in changing jobs or boxes is eliminated. All that !s required is to lay the one box aside and pick up the next one. Another advantage is that the vibration 1s applied to the core box only, before and during the drawing operation, the vibration being most intense at the beginning of the draw and decreasing gradually as the operation is completed. The latter feature 's said to result from the manner of supporting the guide rods in the machine. March 20, 1924 THE IRON AGE 85