The Iron Age 1924-05-15: Vol 113 Iss 20

ESTABLISHED 1855 _ THE IRON AGE New York, May 15, 1924 VOL. 113, No. 20 Handling Material in Painting Department Overhead Tramways with Special Carriers Take Filing Cabinets Through Three Dips, a Drip and the Drying Oven— Automatic Equipment Featured BY E. T. BENNINGTON*~ T is customary for manufacturers of a product that must be painted before it is shipped to consider the painting of this product a necessary overhead that must be carried on regardless of cost. In very few cases a scientific handling and the application of paint- ing machinery have been adopted. Practically all man- ufacturers of finished steel products and most manu- facturers of wooden products must paint this product before it is shipped. Sometimes this painting consists of merely a coat of rust preventing compound or a coat of paint which need not be applied evenly or in which finish is not a prime object. On the other hand, manufacturers of furniture, pianos, automobile bodies and some automobile parts are careful to see that their product is properly fin- ished before it leaves their plants. Under such condi- tions the product would be marred if permitted to rest on the floor or if it must come in contact with men’s hands, gloves, ete., each time it is moved. A great *Manager electric tramrail division, Cleveland Crane & Engineering Co. ane can enna dere eNEneS SPREAD SCRUNEDECT AEURERUUEDEEEDESSEORNOETENETERERIESLENEVERE. cHREUEREESERSDTEEOEEE _sonnnnenennny Benue =UnTnntnoe.nuenunnnenennnenene. fetethrrnl a deal of ingenuity is sometimes required to devise a means of hanging such products from a carrier, but, when this means once has been developed properly, the product is sure to be more uniformly perfect in finish and with small loss due to scratches, mars or other sur- face imperfections. Regardless of whether or not the product must be finely finished or roughly finished, machinery of dif- ferent kinds can be installed that will lessen greatly the labor involved and the cost of this painting, and in some cases machinery will assist in making the fin- ished product a better and more presentable job. Some time ago a large manufacturer of metal lath said that the cost of painting this lath was greater than the cost. of manufacturing it. In other words, automatic machinery of the most up-to-date design was used to perforate and expand the metal; but after this operation was completed the problem of remov- ing the material from the machines, conveying it to the painting room and putting it through one Cleaning op- eration to remove the oil accumulated in machining and then through one paint dipping operation was 50 per . - Fig. 1 — Dipping Filing Cabinets Into Cleaning Vats Be- fore Painting. They do not again leave their support from the tramrail car- riers until the paint is baked hard C2 eee = td - ees Rome eee. Se eta are eee ea pi nrunien Raine TR ow, vay FOS ERR an maine LF ee . an Re ee ak ge ec ee a NE ces Pallett ett IGS agin ite eyes 1414 THE IRON AGE May 15, 1924 cent greater than the cost of fabrication. In view of the fact that the only object in applying paint to the lath is to prevent it from rusting while in the manu- facturer’s or dealer’s stock, it would seem that ma- chinery of some kind could well be used in the paint- ing department. Slat conveyors, roller conveyors, continuous power- driven chain conveyors, continuous power-driven over- head monorail systems, hand-operated monorail sys- tems, overhead monorail systems electrically operated with electric hoists, cranes, continuous type ovens and many other similar devices have been developed with the definite object of increasing the quality and de- creasing the cost of painting departments. The nature of the material to be painted and the number, kinds and shapes of material that must pass through one painting department, the number of col- ors and variety of paints used, the amount and kind of cleaning required before painting, all are problems which to a large extent determine the type and kind of machinery most applicable to any particular plant. Painting Metal Furniture The accompanying photographs illustrate an appli- cation of the Cleveland tramrail system applied to the painting department of the Yawman & Erbe Mfg. Co., Rochester, N. Y., one of the country’s large manufac- turers of metal furniture. The Yawman & Erbe com- pany produces many kinds and varieties of metal fur- niture, all of which must pass through the one paint- ing department and must be handled by the one type of machinery. Filing cabinets are assembled five on a carrier and remain on the carrier through all the operations of cleaning and painting. Fig. 1 illustrates the manner in which these cabinets are dipped immediately after their receipt in the painting department. Two cleaning vats are located on one side of the room, through which all material to be painted must pass. A dipping elevator, located directly over each vat, lowers the material into the vat without taking it off the overhead carrier and holds it in the vat a predetermined length of time. The first vat contains cleaning compound which removes all traces of oil and foreign substance accumulated during the manufacture and assembly of the cabinets. The second vat con- tains a hot-water bath in which the material is low- ered to remove the cleaning ¢gmpound. Special Dipping Elevators Used The automatic elevators used in this installation are the standardized product of the electric tramrail divi- sion of the Cleveland Crane & Engineering Co. The elevators are electrically operated and are con! by push buttons located on one of the upright mem. bers. The man in the cleaning department , the material to be cleaned on the elevator and pu button which starts the elevator motion. This the material slowly into the vat and, in the eas cleaning, it usually holds the material in the vat a} 5 min. A time element attachment on the elevators can be set to withdraw the material from the soly after any predetermined period. After the set tim: elapsed the elevator automatically reverses itself and withdraws the material from the solution. This sures a uniform cleaning operation and natural], more uniform finish. ; The elevator over the hot-water bath is similar jin operation, but, in most applications, it withdraws th material to be cleaned without holding it submerged for any great length of time. Automatic elevators have been designed which will plunge the materia] in and out of the cleaning bath and hot-water bath. These elevators are usually operated with pneumatic hoists and the speed of hoist is adjusted to meet the eondi- tions of the material that must be cleaned. The ad- vantage of plunging the material in and out of the baths lies principally in the fact that the surging mo Fig. 2—Pushing Loaded Carriers of Painted Cab- inets into Bak- ing Ovens Elec- trically Heated After being dried, they leave the ovens at the other side. The oven doors be- ing open only a minimum time, heat is con- served tion of the water against the material is more certain to remove all traces of foreign substances. After the material is thoroughlyjcleaned and dried, the rows of material are pushed from the cleaning section over to the section in which the paint is applied. Automatic Painting Vats of paint are installed in the floor and the clean, dry cabinets are submerged in the paint of the color desired. A separate vat and elevator must, of course, be used for each color of paint applied.. The elevators used over the paint vats are fully automatic. They lower the material slowly and withdraw it slowly from the paint, eliminating the possibility of air bub- bles forming on the painted’ surface, which would be sure to occur if the material were lowered rapidly or withdrawn rapidly from the paint. The overhead carriers used on this installation are so designed that they can be adjusted to tip the product to be painted at an angle that will permit the paint to drip from one corner, eliminating the opportunity 40° beads of paint to form on the bottom of the cabinets. The product must be held in an upright position when being submerged or withdrawn from the paint. At the back of each painting elevator is a dripping pan over which the painted product’ is permitted to drip for about 15 min. The dripping pan is inclined, to perm! all drippings to return to the paint vat. May 15, 1924 THE FOL an nonneeneneneaneNN aD After the material has been permitted to drip until no further paint flows, rows of the painted material are inserted in drying ovens, as shown in Fig. 2. The design of the overhead carriers will permit the material to be packed into the ovens as closely as good drying conditions will permit. The overhead installation and the ovens are so designed that no space is lost on account of the use of the overhead system. The ovens are heated by electricity, and are automatically con- trolled. This control makes it possible to dry the material rapidly, without any danger whatsoever of the temperature of the ovens rising to a point that would cause the paint to burn. As the ovens used in this plant are open at both ends, the material is inserted at the front and taken out at the back of the oven. The arrangement of the plant is so worked out that the rear of the ovens is in direct line with the final assembly, inspection and shipping departments. Fig. 3 shows an oven load of material just removed from one of the ovens and ready to Fig. 4— Method of Drying Thou- sands of Small Dipped Parts at Once. Several such racks make a full oven Cecnnann nen VOTRS “he tUORUERORDHEN: .sevErTENE: iTEDIenNnrasunT erDernarvRs cry rpaennene cotnnedrnent IRON SOUNYtYE+ A288? HRERERENETOOTD ERUERERROTEREDET:EDSOREOENROUTERTTONND rHurt HT eo eure AGE 1415 P04 DeAOENORERONED TMA “NEREENED. ros srsnveennenenensenny soy seceeseneneme Fig. 3— Dried Cabinets Ap- proaching the Final Inspection and Assembly Station, Where They Once More Assume Sepa- ate Identity ot Leaving the Group Carriers leave the overhead carrier for the first time since it en- tered the painting department. This overhead system is so designed and installed that through the entire process of painting it is un- necessary to remove a single piece from its overhead carrier. The material passes through the entire paint- ing department in large units and in such condition that it is easily handled and moved from one operation to another. No heavy lifting or heavy labor of any kind is required and the number of men in the painting room has been reduced to an absolute minimum. Handling Smaller Pieces Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which thousands of small parts used in meta) furniture are cleaned, washed, painted and dried at one time. The large rack on which these smal] pieces are assembled is of the proper size to go into the same ovens as are used for all the other products of the same color. Fig. 5 illustrates the manner in which drawers for soy PRS OINERG APR SBOORERAEELOELEPPBDADEDEET TESA ICPOTTVTEPFEREEODIERESRSED 'D9ES SEDEOTTD 1002/47 'SE7ERIAIT ROMPRES a eat rien wee em les ie te Ca ay Pc er ny Bete ee a a ena ed Le I Se eke ee eee pager 4 eT ee ne rete eee) nee ee » od ee ad ee at ee ee ee a s ee f i ne i i ; y Qrr - 6 4 1416 THE IRON AGE May 15, 1924 Pa ae PILL a IL LI I LILI » es : PPINGTANKS [ ! 4 ORIP PANS. >} Sonar, _—— || f fy 4 WELDERS4 ===" , Y CLEANING Ses y TANK | es — oe 9 S99 99491959 38 18 on 00 ere 232 =n — —_ — — — — — —_ ae = = Y:. ~ = S33 3/ } S v 44 =<. L chistes et SWITCHES IN 4 ass = TRAMRAIL SYSTEM H NESS parr rzzerrrr rer TELETE LILLE LLLLLLALIAD U4 {Shs FF Lid Lkhbadiihhbtk : LLLL LALA LOL a hh a G Seely _ SHELVES FOR FINAL ASSEMBLED STOCK, sd © Hg » Ee 4 1S rie iz 4 ss 4 sii sila neo gs 418i] iS | g rn wer a8 a ti sw, & a 4 PSP Sr Re 0 24 ee Sg 4 iS) [ist BS Se j ~ me ee ee g ¢ P\'8t & Se 4 = 4 rx g 5 f & G ‘35 0 6 7 ig 7 = ngs f : , $3 § i) a 4 Ts D S SY ernie: 4 =;=\= = SR ou eg wa — DLIEII IIIT LIT LITT IIIT III IIL III III TILT TILT IIIT IIIa aaa rarer zr ‘ral Layout of a Painting and Drying Department for Metal Furniture, From the Battery of Spot Welders Pr: ceding the Painting to the Assembly and Shipping Room Following Drying card files are cleaned, finished and painted. Note the sheets of cardboard that protect each tier from any dripping that may occur from the tier above. A continuous rod conveyor used in connection with the tramrail system. Drawers, covers and other small parts that are dried in the oven on racks are cleaned and dipped in paint on the rod conveyor and are then transferred to the racks on the monorail sys- tem and are packed as closely on these racks as is practical to pack them for drying. Two racks consti- tute an entire oven load of this class of material. The advantage of installing large quantities of ma- terial on racks of this kind can readily be appreciated by the foreman of any painting department. The ma- terial is packed as closely on racks as it could be packed in the oven by hand and the great loss through packing ovens by hand consists of the time that the doors of the oven must be left open to permit the quantity of material to be carried into the oven, as well as the time and heat lost after baking, when it is necessary to open the doors of the oven and permit the oven to cool off before men can be sent in to carry out the finished product. With the tramrail system shown in these photographs it is possible to remove one load from the oven and install a new load in the oven with a loss of time of ony 1 to 5 min., depending upon the type of the carrier used and the nature of the load. The residual heat of the linings of the ovens and other parts inside of the ovens is by no means lost and the is WEDUNEPOUENENY oUDET NER OHOr Eted ensHNHNASHNONAE TENE En CHUNNTERENNENENNT. HT Heenan veentennenty feet RO RNEREREEINENENONEE ot d amount of current required to bring a new load up to baking temperature is materially reduced. General Layout In the plan shown is illustrated a practical appli- cation of an overhead conveyor system of this kind in- stalled in the paint department and its relationship to the other departments, which are usually served also by monorail systems. It will be noted that the ovens are so located that the painting department is on one side of them and the finishing, inspecting and packing departments are on the other side; the entire arrangement is such that the product to be painted need not be handled as indi- vidual pieces from the time they leave the machine where the last operation is performed until the paint- ing is completely finished. The advantages in the use of the overhead system lie principally in the fact that all the work of finishing, painting, etc., is performed on a large number of parts at the same time, which leads to much greater production, per man, per day. The next few years will, without a doubt, bring about radical changes in the painting departments of the larger plants and the ones in which the painting overhead represents a large proportion of the cost of manufacture. Laboring men will not accept jobs in these departments if more agreeable work is available and manufacturers are likely to be forced to adopt ma- chinery to have their painting done, Fig. 5—In Dry- ing Card or Trays, Care Is Taken ‘That They Do Not Drip on Ea‘ Other. Cara- board place‘ between layers protects those beneat! Boxes ennney pernnnennententy Did the War Increase Our National Wealth? Analysis of Census Figures Shows That Those of 1912 Were too Low, While Increases in 1922 Were Largely the Well Known Inflation of Values BY DR. WALTER RENTON INGALLS HE Census report of the material wealth, or value of tangible property, in the United States at the end of 1922 figures a total of 320.8 billion dollars compared with 186.3 billion at the end of 1912. This showing of so huge an increase in a decade is undoubt- edly erroneous, and for three principal reasons: 1. The Census report for 1912 was too low, as I pointed out in my book on “Wealth and Income of the American People.” 2. The Census report for 1922 is more or less exag- gerated by inflated values, which the Bureau of the Census itself has pointed out. 3. There have been changes in methods of estimation by the Census which are ipso facto destructive of true comparisons. In my book, previously referred to, I made an esti- mate, by engineering methods, of what I called the phys- ical wealth of the country as of the end of 1920. A de- tailed comparison of my figures for that time with those of the Census for 1922 is made in the accompanying table, wherein some of my enumerations are aggregated in order to conform to the broader classifications of the Census. The value of U. S. naval vessels has been de- ducted from the Census figures, inasmuch as I did not include them. Census Figures for 1912 at Fault We should expect normally an increase in the physi- cal wealth of the country, year by year, corresponding with the annual savings of the people, which are ex- pressed mainly in houses and other buildings, railroads and other public utilities, manufacturing plants, etc. Previous to the war we used to save, according to the best estimates, as to which authorities pretty well agree, about 15 per cent of our annual income, which saving in the years immediately preceding the war came to about $5,000,000,000 per annum. The actual addition to our wealth was not quite so great, for all the time we were losing old property by fire, obsolescence and other- wise. I estimated the physical wealth of the country as of the end of 1916 at 268.4 billion dollars by ex- actly the same methods that I used for the end of 1920. Considering the amount of our annual saving, a by no possibility could the physical wealth of the people have increased to that figure from 186.3 billion at the end of 1912. Whence it followed that either my figure for 1916 was too high or the Census figure for 1912 was too low. Critical analysis of the items of the Census figures supported the idea that in fact they were too low. The recent Census report, substantially confirming my estimate for 1920, inferentially confirms that for 1916, which was made by the same method, and supports the idea that my estimate for 1916 was not too high. Consequently we can not escape the Physical Wealth of the United States (In Millions of Dollars) Ingalls Census 1920 1922 Gold and silver......... id 3,823.5 4,278.2 Real property, taxed.......... 148,790.11 155,908.6 Real property, exempt...... : 16,625.0 20,505.8 Live stock ....... 2s 7,070.2 5,807.1 Farming implements .... wi 1,773.8 2,604.6 Manufacturing machinery .... 15,500.0 15,783.3 REPONOED. vc cece evesces 25,500.0 19,950.8 AURGNIOUSIES § 8 aides wows 4,594.5 4,567.4 Street railroads ........ A 4,000.0 4,877.6 Telephones and telegraphs... 1,800.0 1,949.7 Railroad cars, privately owned 364.7 545.4 Pipe lines jRulledwdliw oe ve < 608.0 500.0 ee: xaews anes iin w hae 522.5 } saad Camel ss lessees dike anGrath ain 1,000.90 5 1,505.0 Water works, privately owned 310.0 361.0 Electric light and power plants 4,058.0 4,229.3 Gas lighting plants...... as 1,500.0 ; Tetals as ott neu ; 237,840.3 243,373.8 CRaGRER. secu vd te fa oe ex 15,940.0 39,816.0 Sindee. Gf: GOOG s «i's. x6 cwelicewes 19,000.0 36,167.5 Grand totals ...... woe SIRTSES BIGGS conclusion that the Census figure for 1912 is uiterly worthless as a basis for comparison. Turning now to the data for 1920 and 1922, the Census should show some gain, although the rate of annual saving in 1921 and 1922 in my opinion was less than the average pre-war rate, indeed considerably less. Therefore it is in all respects reasonable that there should appear to have been an increase in the value of real estate, both taxed and exempt. But in this con- nection it must be borne in mind that the Census esti- MAT MeeeneN ARTE ET WANS HADETD SPP TOG MboPOGAMNGEE SUMNER ——— ee UCH of the opposition at Washington to the Mellon proposals for tax reduction is based on the contention that the war caused large increases in the wealth of the corporations of the country as well as of individuals. Partly on this ground, radical members of Congress refuse to give industry relief from its present burdens. In his book, “Wealth and Income of the American People,” Dr. Ingalls marshaled the facts developed in a prolonged study of the economic consequences of the war, to show that the common belief that the United States had made great gains material resources was erroneous. The present article may be considered as a further discussion of the subject, though specifically it deals with the Census returns of 1912 and 1922. in the 1912 Census were too low, w Its main points are that the estimates hile the increase shown in the report of 1922 represented in large part the inflated values of that year, to which —— _ there was no corresponding quantitative increase in wealth. ee {SUUMEUANNEHSUEUGBOUONOOTEUTEEE sc pitstUonASNeSUNOV NEHA TE TAOS gO RAE GEG 1417 Arr wi YuenPATD: AOURPTRE RE ACA! 4 ee ee a en ie a es 1418 THE IRON AGE mate for the value of the real estate that is taxed is based on assessments for taxation purposes, and during recent years there has been a writing up of such values without there being a corresponding addition to the physical property represented. Chief Variations on Chattels and Stocks of Goods Footing up the two columns down to the items of chattels and stocks of goods, it appears that the Census estimates for 1922 are only 5% billion dollars in excess of mine for 1920. I estimated in terms of 1913 dollars, though with a certain amount of unavoidable incon- sistency; and for the corresponding items the Census figures are probably on substantially the same basis. The greatest discrepancy between the two estimates is with respect to the railroads. As to them it is sure enough that the physical valuation by the Interstate Commerce Commission is going to support myself, who adopted an estimate by Mr. Loree, rather than the Census. The main increase in the Census figures for 1922 over my figures for 1920 is to be found in the items for chattels and stocks of goods, as to which the Census is 41 billion dollars the higher. Both of us frankly say that the estimates under these heads are only guesses, wherefore no one should assume to draw refined deduc- tions from this part of the work. Even so, a considera- ble reconciliation can be made. I estimated the stock of goods at the end of 1920 to be about eight months’ supply, corresponding with about $180 per person in terms of dollars of 1913. The Census estimated for 1922 in current dollars. Its total comes to about $331 per person, which would correspond with about $195 per person in terms of dollars of 1913, assuming the general economic index for 1922 to have been 1.7. Increase Due to Writing Up of Values About five-sixths of the stock of goods reported by the Census was in the form of manufactured goods, whereof the Census assumed that we had two months’ supply of foodstuffs, six months’ supply of imported merchandise and eight months’ supply of manufactured products. The Census guesses on this subject, there- fore, were not very different from mine in quantitative terms, and the great gain in wealth under this head that it shows is mainly ascribable to the writing up of values. Indeed, the Census says in the prefatory para- graph of its report: It should be borne in mind that the increases in money value are to a large extent due to the rise in prices which has taken place in recent years, and so far as that is the case they do not represent corresponding increases in the quantity of wealth. T am showing in my present analysis that this sta- tistical vitiation occurs especially with respect to stocks of goods and the possession of chattels, to which latter subject I shall immediately refer. There is no reliable method of estimating the quan- tity and value of clothing, jewelry, furniture, horse- drawn vehicles and kindred articles that are owned by all the people. Any estimate of these, either by the Census or anybody else, is necessarily the baldest kind of guesswork, much more so, indeed, than with respect to the stocks of goods, as to which latter we have some evidence in the form of commercial turnovers. In my estimate for the end of 1920 I guessed that the aggregate possession of chattels might be $150 per person, or about $600 per family, in terms of dollars of 1913. For the end of 1922 the Census guesses a total which figures to about $365 per person, or $1,460 per family, in terms of current dollars. The Census in- cludes under this head a value for books in public libraries, which I did not include anywhere. As between the two estimates for the possession of chattels any one may draw whatever conclusion he pleases. I should not, dissent from any criticism that my estimate under this head for 1920 was conservative. I am simply May 15, 1924 making the point now that it would be foolish to pay any attention to the apparent increase of materia) wealth in this form that the Census shows. Interpretation of the Census Figures Examination and analysis of the Census report wealth,. therefore, brings out several important things: 1. An estimation of the national wealth cannot he made properly by purely statistical methods. The Census authorities will assent to this declaration, and it is probable that they would like Congress to relieve them from this work, which is really outside of their scope. In performing their task for 1922 they resorted rather extensively to the engineering method formu- lated by myself, and in so far they departed from the methods for 1912. 2. It follows from the preceding consideration that comparisons can properly be made only of results that are arrived at by the same method. 3. The engineering method is far more expeditious and far less expensive than the Census method, and there is no reason why it should not be worked out annually instead of decennially. 4. The Census report for 1922, which superficially shows a great increase in the physical wealth of the country as compared with 1912, upon critical analysis is found to agree very well with my estimate for 1920, if allowances be made for the increase of two years in houses and some other things; and if allowances be further made for the writing up of values of real estate and stocks of goods, and for the difference in guesses as to the possession of miscellaneous chattels by the people. Inasmuch as I had also made an ‘estimate for the end of 1916 and by comparison thereof with my estimate for 1920 had shown that the United States gained but slightly in physical wealth during the war (far less than would have been the normal gain if there had been no war) the Census report for 1922 goes a very long way toward supporting that deduction and the contention based upon it. 5. I had contended further that the war led to enormous overbuilding of our industries and that we came out of it with a huge surplus of useless plant that would have to be thrown away and written off as a war expense. I argued that our valuable plant was only that for which we had immediate use. I came to the conclusion, after extensive study of the subject, that our manufacturing plant averaged about $2,000 per worker, and estimating 7,750,000 factory workers, ar- rived at 15.5 billion dollars for the value of the manu- facturing machinery and tools of the country at the end of 1920. The Bureau of the Census by totally dif- ferent methods arrived at substantially the same figure for the end of 1922. Steel Corporation’s Orders Show Large Decrease Unfilled business on the books of the United States Steel Corporation as of April 30 aggregated 4,208,447 tons, or 574,360 tons less than reported for March 31, and ‘ the smallest amount reported since February, 1922, when unfilled business amounted to 4,141,069 tons. In March the unfilled tonnage decreased 130,094 tons; in Febru- ary, increased 114,472 tons; and in January, 353,090 tons. A year ago the unfilled business amounted to 7,288,509 tons, or 3,080,062 tons greater than on April 30, last. Following is the unfilled tonnage as reported: 1924 1923 1922 JSOANUALY 6k isa 4,798,429 6,910,776 4,241,675 February ...... 4,912,901 7,283,989 4,141,069 MOTOR. 656 eS 4,782,807 7,403,332 4,494,148 I ns 5 ttt 0% 4,208,447 7,288,509 5,096,917 BOS oveces dies BidEea oe 6,981,351 5,252,228 SUMS ii Sev ven eee 6,386,261 5,635,531 SOS ve kiieh wesc tebe see 5,910,763 5,776,161 Esso ws + 0d hae 5,414,663 5,950,105 September . 66 Gs se ee 5,035,750 6,691,607 SPOUEEE su @.cins a céseaueam 4,672,825 6,902,287 PROVOIOR oun isis, eine wniaiell 4,368,584 6,840,242 Deeewsher. os. i ss cae wees 4,445,339 6,745,703 Development of British Gear Industry’ Specialist Group Studying to Improve Product and Extend Field of Gear Applications—Status of Technical and Shop Practice Outlined Great Britain for about 80 years, their manu- facture could not be distinguished as a special- ized industry until the beginning of the present century, when one or two manufacturers began to devote all their energies to the production of cut gears. For a few years, until about 1907, gear specialists simply made gears to customers’ specifications, or cut teeth in customers’ finished blanks. Gear-cutting ma- chines and cutters of whatever kind which happened to be available were used, and there was not much choice as the variety of machines was somewhat limited. Small gears were generated but sizes larger than, say, 30-in., were nearly always cut with formed milling cutters. The gear shop was, therefore, just a specialized jobbing shop. No engineering department was needed because the gear manufacturer did not attempt to do any designing. He did not pretend to know how to determine sizes for any particular load, and if he ventured an opinion, he was careful to disclaim respon- silibity. The situation was the same as regards tooth shapes. Accuracy did not bother him. He just cut teeth with the appliances at hand, and used the cheap- est materials available. This kind of business is still carried on by several concerns, which are one-man shops, and manage to remain in business by working with very little over- head expense. In this way a certain portion of the demand for rough slow-running gears is met. This kind of establishment is usually an offshoot of some large and progressive one, and has in most cases been started by an ex-employee of a large company. These small shops are not the only prite cutters; there are many larger companies which run a few gear cutters for their own convenience but do not have enough work to keep them fully occupied. Therefore they compete on the lower grade class of work with the specialist, and thus help to reduce prices and to lower the average quality. N Great B machine cut gears have been made in Gear Specialists Develop Better Methods The more progressive and far-sighted gear manufac- turers soon realized, however, that their future success depended on engineering ability and the development of new and better methods, together with steady ex- perimental and research work. The extensive use of high-speed electric motors, the development of the automobile and later the demand for speed reducers in connection with steam turbines, opened up new fields for the gear specialist. But the whole field became so large that only one company has been able to expand its resources sufficiently to cover it all. All others have either confined their efforts to a general class of gearing of small or medium sizes, and for low-speed work, or have specialized in one type of gear, or have limited their activities to a smaller range of sizes. There are specialists in bevel gears, specialists In worm gears, specialists in automobile gears, in raw- hide gears, in herringbone gears and in helical bevel gears, but only one which manufacture all types and all sizes, with the possible exception of smallest watch and clock gears, In the automobile field the practice is now to build complete transmissions and axles, also steering gears. This specialized manufacture tends to increase. But it may not continue to have the same trend. More precise methods and more intensive manufacture may cause the manufacture of gears to be more segregated. *Abstracted from an address by W. E. Sykes, Farrel Foundry & Machine Co., Buffalo, given at the meeting of the American Gear Manufacturers’ Association in Buffalo, April 28 to 30. 1419 Technical investigation soon proved that there was enormous scope for development, and after fundamental principles were better understood, the need for im- proved machines and methods was apparent. Concur- rently, it was discovered that a gear specialist should not only have a knowledge of gearing, but also know a little about every type of machine to which his product was to be applied. He had to study service conditions, to contrive better methods of mounting gears, and to investigate the question of shafts and bearings, also to investigate cases of excessive wear, and failures through breakage. Improved gear cutting machines were therefore de- signed, and greater attention was paid to accuracy of machines and cutters. In many cases the gear special- ists found it necessary to develop and build the machines of their own design and also to devise and build the necessary cutter making equipment. Service Includes Study of Correct Mounting The difficulty of insuring correct mounting resulted in the production of complete self-contained gear units for high-speed work. This led in some instances to a study of flexible couplings thrust bearings, and fly- wheels, and eventually to the manufacture of these appliances. The question of suitable materials had to be dealt with in addition to the more difficult question of lubri- cation. The leading specialists take full responsibility for design, materials and workmanship, and in addition often guarantee maintenance for a specified period. The British gear industry, therefore, consists of two branches. One may be termed “gear cutters” and the other “gear specialists.” Each has its proper function, and, together, they meet the demand of the industry. It is not difficult to discern, however, that the former can exist only by the pioneer work and the technical knowledge of the latter; and whereas it would be prac- ticable to eliminate the gear cutter, the gear specialist is indispensable in a progressive industrial community. British Technical and Workshop Practice The technical departments soon realized that precise calculations are useless unless uniformly precise work can be produced in the shop. The technical man must therefore either know what the limitations of workshop practice are, and design accordingly, or he must design first and then take steps to see that the required work- manship is made possible by the facilities provided. Until a few years ago the first method was tolerated, but now attention is directed to improvement in shop methods. Discrepancies heretofore elusive have been traced to their source and the causes in most cases have been removed, or guarded against. It is now well known that the manufacture of a high-grade gear involves problems more numerous and individually more difficult to solve than any connected with the manufacturer of any other mechanical ele- ments, not excepting screw threads. It is now believed that noise, wear and inefficiency can be avoided and that when any of these faults exist the trouble is due to incorrect design, poor workman- ship, or maltreatment in service. Also, that many heretofore impossible applications are feasible. A not uncommon remark: “Gears cannot be used for this drive,” no longer passes unchallenged. Involute Contour Considered Best Tooth shapes have been laboriously investigated and although there are some trifling differences of opinion, 2 ates ae Cea r e a oe oa ee aaa d ca Re eat Se Sn ad RG Se He ae ee ae oe Nae en athe epeirn= en at ae eee Se ee rene at * . Brno ie We chvseiy Bee ibe et a reaaaeeny ny Pipes on lb cnn 1420 THE IRON AGE it is generally conceded that the involute system is best. But other systems have not been neglected, and it is argued by some investigators that better shapes can be adopted, providing more accurate workmanship can be insured. The main advantage of the involute con- tour is the permissibility of varying center distances. All other systems seem to require exact center distances. The question of tooth heights is more debatableg but the tendency is undoubtedly in favor of comparatively long teeth. Long and short addendums appear to be favored. Smooth finish is particularly demanded, espe- ciallv in worm gears. Generating processes are considered indispensable for all but the most inferior work. All known generat- ing methods are well understood, have been carefully analyzed, and well developed. Accuracy of dividing mechanisms in gear cutting machines is sought after and much progress has been made in this direction. True alinement of teeth relative to the axis is now considered sufficiently important to receive attention. Tooth grinding of automobile gears is extensively practiced with very successful results. These results are, however, due to improved methods of checking, as much as to the grinding of the teeth. Standardization Has Made Little Progress Standardization has made little progress. It is generally believed that development is at present so intensive that standardization is inadvisable. But the work of the American Gear Manufacturers Association is closely watched, and no doubt causes many to believe that British effort on the same lines would result in a duplication of the work. Research work, to determine the mechanical effi- ciency of worm gears, has been carried on for about 10 years by the National Physical Laboratory. And for the last three years the same institution has conducted experiments with spur gears with the object of obtain- ing information relating to mechanical efficiency, load Foreign Visitors to British Exhibiton Intended primarily for the use of visitors to the British Empire Exhibition, the Institute of Metals has prepared a special booklet which, when bearing a vis- itor’s signature, serves as a card of introduction to the meetings of the institute and to the library of the in- stitute during the period of the exhibition. This valuable facility is intended to appeal primarily to overseas visitors, who can obtain copies of the booklet either through their respective high commissioners’ offices in London, from the Secretary of the Institute of Metals, G. Shaw Scott, 36, Victoria Street, London, S.W. 1, or at the exhibition, on Stand No. 237, Palace of En- gineering. The distribution of the booklet is not re- stricted to overseas visitors, and copies can be obtained by anyone interested upon application. (Quad City Foundrymen’s Association Meeting John C. Ploehn, superintendent of French & Hecht, Davenport, Iowa, was elected president of the Quad City Foundrymen’s Association at the final meeting for the year at the LeClair Hotel, Moline, [ll., May 5. Mr. Ploehn has been vice-president of the association since its organization in September, 1922, and has taken a very active part in the work. Other officers elected were as follows: Vice-presi- dent, P. T. Bancroft, John Deere Harvester Works, East Moline, Ill.; secretary and treasurer, Alec Matheson, French & Hecht, Davenport, Iowa. The board of directors consists of: A. E. Hageboeck, Frank Foundries Corporation, Moline, Ill.; Fred Kirby, Marseilles Works, East Moline, Ill.; Roy Schofer, Rock Island Plow Co., Rock Island, Ill.; Pete Bendixen, Bet- tendorf Co., Bettendorf, Iowa; John Diedrich, Black- hawk Foundry Machine Co., Davenport, Iowa. The principal speaker of the evening was H. M. Lane, president H. M. Lane Co., industrial engineer, Detroit. Mr. Lane’s subject was “European Foundry May 15, 1924 carrying capacity, the effect of various lubri: various tooth shapes and tooth proportions. As stated, gears can be made to meet the ioct exacting requirements. There is nothing fundamen:.||y impossible which prevents the production of eo.;. beyonds all reasonable criticism. The difficulty i: produce such gears at satisfactory prices. This problem can only be solved by close cooperation between the works executives and the technicians. British gear specialists know this and realize that money invested in improved methods and equipment will in due time pay adequate dividends; but there are no quick returns for this class of investment. Its ’ rs Initiative a Factor in Future Development Reviewing after 20 years’ intensive experience, the present state of the art in Great Britain, many satis- factory and noteworthy features come to mind. The British gear industry has contributed in a creditable manner to the progress made. The future seems bright. There is much left to interest and occupy the diligent and ambitious. But the true measure of success is the ratio of what has been accomplished to what could have been accomplished. This ratio seems, on the whole, unsatisfactory. The fault is easy to locate. British gear manufacturers have waited for the purchaser to point the way. The purchaser has, in most cases, forced the pace. The future success of the industry depends, in a large measure, on the initiative of its members. A wider view must be taken. Other industries should be studied and their gearing requirements anticipated and fostered. Every new invention likely to create a new industry should be surveyed for possible new gear applications. Many gearing arrangements on machines at present being manufactured can be greatly improved. The gear specialists*could suggest new designs. Even the most gearless machine—the steam locomotive—is now a good prospect. The marine engine is a recent convert. Even radio receiving sets may require gears. Conditions.” He told of the observations he had made during nine months of last year spent in Europe, es- pecially in France. Mr. Lane showed lantern slides of many foundries and described in detail their equipment, explaining how the equipment used in France could not be used to advantage in this country, nor could the equipment used in the United States be used to ad- vantage by the French. Pastels of Steel Plants to Be Shown in Grand Central Galleries Arrangements have been made for the exhibition at the Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association, Grand Central Terminal, New York, from May 15 to 31, of the pastels of R. D. MacKenzie, showing operations of iron and steel plants. These pastels were shown some weeks ago at the Anderson Galleries, New York, and many who wished to do so failed to see them at that time, and this new opportunity is now extended. As the ex- hibit will be carried on while the American Iron and Steel Institute is meeting in the Hotel Commodore, May 23, it is expected that many members of the in- stitue will visit the galleries. Indictments have been returned by the Federal grand jury at Chicago against Morris A. Getz, Ernest W. Fink and James McEnroe, following investigation of charges of a plot to defraud the New York Central in connection with purchases of scrap from that line during the closing days of the Railroad Administration in 1920 and 1921. It is alleged that certain officers of the road confessed that they credited the railroad with short weights or shipped out certain grades and gave the railroad credit for having shipped cheaper material. The railroad is alleged to have incurred a loss of $500,000. Mr. McEnroe has been connected with Albert L. Marks & Co., Mr. Getz with the Great Lakes lron & Metal Co., and Mr. Fink with Walter Erman & Co. Wisconsin Steel Works Adds Open-Hearth Separate Oil and Tar Systems, Laminated Buckstays, Motor-Operated Doors, Valves and Stack Dampers and Minimum ' of Water Cooling Are Features BY GILBERT L. LACHER N open-hearth plant distinguished for excellent A layout, massive construction and late develop- ments in equipment was completed recently by the Wisconsin Steel Works, South Chicago, Ill., hereto- fore exclusively a producer of Bessemer steel. The new producing units comprise five 100-ton furnaces, the out- put of which will be supplemented by the production from the two 10-ton Bessemer converters, up to this time the company’s only source of steel. Plans call for thé construction of six additional open-hearth fur- naces, making a total of eleven and, with the eventual completion of that program, the production of Bessemer steel probably will be abandoned altogether. The first heat was made on March 19. At the time of writing only 56 heats had been taken from the first furnace, and the average output exceeded 112 tons per heat. Fully 120 tons per heat are expected to be obtained without difficulty when operations get into full swing. A novel feature of the construction of fhe open- hearth furnaces lies in their laminated buckstays, each being built up from five plates 15 in. wide and 1 in. thick, which are- riveted together. The lamination makes for greater resistance to distortion under heat and greater strength than with the ordinary type of construction. Inside dimensions of the furnace hearth are 15 ft. 3 in. x 40 ft., with the usual basic lining. The bottom and side walls up to the slag line are built of Austrian magnesite brick, upon which is superimposed a lining of dead burnt magnesite, while Syndolag, a burnt dolo- mite, is used for patching. A Syndolagger, a machine furnished by the Basic Products Co., Pittsburgh, is used to blow the material against the walls of the hearth. What Was Omitted Some of the features absent in the design of the are no slag line coolers, no bulkhead coolers, no water- cooled buckstays and no water-cooled back walls. Water coolers are used only around the doors and door frames and at the port nose. The burner itself is not water cooled but is what is termed a dry burner. The mini- mum use of water for cooling was dictated by a belief that it had been carried elsewhere to an unnecessary extreme. Furthermore, it complicates the furnace con- struction and materially increases the consumption of fuel per ton of steel. Even though the greatest care is exercised, the inside of water piping will corrode, pipes will burst or rust through, and resultant leakage fre- quently seriously interferes with the successful making of steel. Another negative characteristic of the furnaces worthy of comment is the absence of hydraulie equip- ment for operating doors and reversing valves. In fact, in no part of the open-hearth works is hydraulic appa- ratus used. Those in charge of designing the plant decided against it for the reason that South Chicago is in a latitude where low temperatures tend to intro- duce difficulties in the operation of hydraulic equipment. Hence both doors and reversing valves are operated by electric motors. Each door (five per furnace) has its individual motor which operates a crank, alternately pulling and releasing a wire rope connected with the top of the door. The door-lifting rig was built by the Alliance Machine Co., Alliance, Ohio. Oil atomized by steam, together with some coke oven gas, is burned directly in the furnace. The usual separate gas and air chambers have been provided at the ends of the furnace, but the gas chambers now are used for air also and will be utilized for gas only in case it is decided later to use producer gas as a fuel. The gas and air chambers have not a single slag pocket, while the use of producer gas would require a dividing wall. The flue arrangement is very simple, with a furnaces are as noteworthy as those present. There minimum of corners and twists. The passages from In this Plan of the Plant the New , Portions Are Shown Stippled—Open- Calumet Ri’ £- ZZ Hearth Plant and Stock House, ; a ; , t x —_—— Stripper Building, Soaking Pits and 0 100 200 300 400 500 — Blooming Mill. The letters refer to the following: A, Main office; B, Bessemer converters; BYP, By- product building; E, Central electric station; F, Blast furnaces; G, Garage ; H, Boiler houses; L, Labo- ratory ; M, Merchant mills; N, Other rolling mills; P, Pig casting ma- chine; R, Locomotive repair; X, Mixer (to be moved to location shown in open-hearth plant) Open-HearTH le PLant 1422 THE IRON AGE May 15, 1924 the chambers through the valves to the stack are prac- tically straight. Oil Fuel Handling The oil handling system is unusually complete. Tank ears transfer their contents by gravity into under- ground steel unloading troughs arranged for unloading four cars at a time. From these the oil is elevated by two 330-gal. per min. rotary pumps, furnished by the Blackmer Rotary Pump Co., Petoskey, Mich., to two large steel storage tanks, of 1,000,000 gal. and 100,000 gal. capacity, located adjacent to tar storage tanks in the nearby by-product coke plants, and which can be used for tar if desired. The oil unloading station and pump house are at the southeast corner of the open-hearth building but, with the completion of*the six additional open-hearth furnaces, they will be practically in the middle of the structure. Oil passes by gravity from the storage tanks to a 5000-gal. tank, from which it is fed to the furnaces by three Worthington reciprocating pumps. On the line between the pumping station and the furnace the oil passes through a steam heater which gives It a tem- perature of 125 to 150 deg. Fahr. A separate steam heater and a separate system of pipes have been sup- plied for tar, which may be substituted for oil as a fuel, if desired. Heating of the oil pipes is not dependent a edel 7th L e entirely on the steam heaters. Throughout the system, between tank and furnace, steam pipes are wrapped with the oil pipes. This arrangement is so effective that it is possible to use any grade of oil successfully. The viscosity of heavy oil is, of course, dissipated by the heat. Tar pipes also are wrap