The Iron Age 1924-07-17: Vol 114 Iss 3

New York, July 17, 1924 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 114, No. 3 Heat Treating at the Chevrolet Plant Continuous Conveyor Furnaces with Drawing Chamber Above the Hardening Chamber in a Single Combina- tion Having One Combustion Furnace manufacturing processes in the automobile indus- try that has accompanied large quantity produc- tion of duplicate parts is the use of heat treating fur- naces of the continuous conveyor type. Another out- standing development in this particular field is the in- stallation of continuous heat treating furnaces of a new design recently made in the axle and gear plant of the Chevrolet Motor Co.; Detroit. The furnaces were de- signed and erected by the McCann-Harrison Corpora- tion, Cleveland. This is a combination continuous hardening and drawing furnace of a double-deck type and an unique feature is that the drawing furnace is located above the hardening furnace and is fired by waste heat from the latter. After the conveyor delivers the work through the hardening furnace and into the quenching tank at the back of the furnace an elevator synchronized with the conveyor delivers it to the drawing furnace. The (=: of the most important steps forward in the NaAbDeNeCanananssnennensansannns sveasennnconnerse: see sennnees: eovnenenee snpenenesnensnesonernn A benanennene vuces nanny sboenenenonsvenaneneenensn seennnses eyneeenen wane ee ouneNnneN son sROPUND HONE TEN SY cnn vOHAD DENY HoRERE HteN VERON suverenntguneennenaanens . Continuous Combination Furnaces Used by the Chevrolet Motor Co., Detroit, for Heat Treating Auto- mobile Shafts Are of a Double-Deck Type ‘with the Drawing Furnace Above the Hardening Furnace and Utilize the Waste Heat from the Latter for the Drawing Furnace. The combustion chamber is located between the two furnaces. Work passes through the hardening furnace and back through the drawing fur- nace, the latter discharging the shafts into a curved chute that delivers them into tote boxes at the side of the front of the furnace combustion chamber is located between the hardening and drawing furnace making a combination over-fired furnace for high temperature. and an under-fired fur- nace for low heats which is regarded as the most satis- factory arrangement. This type of furnace has three outstanding features from the standpoint of economy. The utilization of waste heat saves the fuel ordinarily required for the drawing furnace, the floor space occupied is reduced over one-half with one furnace above the other and it requires only one man to operate the combined furnace unit. The furnaces are used for heat treating rear axle shafts and pinion shafts made from chrome nickel steel. There are three units, one having a chamber 6 ft. wide inside, with a capacity for a single row of pinion shafts or two rows of axle shafts which are only about half the lengths of the pinion shafts. The other two fur- naces have chambers 3 ft. wide or only wide enough for 0bAbOH) 808 VARRODINDSARERST DAME DEEL EE IRED MORE OLS ERECNSLOETORDEPAENLA CIOL OHEREE/ Lbs rte Seen eee g eee. NER ARR N ENRON NED ARE OED TNRDRRRE DENEEHOEE) UNBLAEIEES LON) ONS 1KSA ORE INRD I ROROHRBBANOR TO ONOHE HOON CHEINABEE ELSE 4 wemsecasgracsesccnecesenerte, sf seseensen SEPEREOE EONS OPE) ONT ORE OUETUUMEL ELE OF OURS © RERENEEL “LRDROREROUDRET/IT'S “U>TUMDDO-CRRGORRSTARNOS OE AOCTRONEEED. ADUDERE ESOL HES! MI FS FERUERENS AH OPEELEEC 1 AARUEE, wot £: » : { i 5 ig : oe Se “© ; * Y PO oe «+ eta aE etnias Es EP BTU Se eee ee conc aieienaeenarhannnanatyls axes + an AE Rie i 130 THE IRON AGE handling a rear axle shaft. The length of the harden- ing chamber in both the large and small units is 14 ft. inside. The drawing chamber in both sizes is of the same width as the heating chamber but 21 ft. in length, the increased length being necessary because of the longer time that is required for drawing. Work is propelled through the hardening furnace on a conveyor beam, the large furnace having two beams and the smaller one a single beam. The beam is mounted on rollers which are carried on bell cranks and has a motion forward effected by a crank from 0 to 12 in. and a vertical movement of 3 in., 1% in. above and 1% in. below the hearth. By disconnecting the con- necting rod that connects the crank and beam the latter can be pulled out for repairs. The beam is driven by a 5 hp. motor through a special speed reduction, giving a final speed on the crank shaft driving the conveyor of 1 r.p.m. The worm and reduction gears are inclosed July 17, 1924 the hearth while the beam is making its lowering and backward stroke. An interesting method has been provided for han- dling the shafts from the hardening furnace and through the quenching tank. When the work has reached the discharge end of the furnace the beam lays three shafts on the bottom of the hearth at its discharge end and the beam on its next forward movement discharges the three shafts into a tilting hopper which in turn on the next downward stroke of the beam discharges them to two lowering arms which deliver the shafts into the quenching tank. One end of the tilting hopper in one position also acts as a stop to prevent shafts lying on the hearth from being discharged into the hop- per while the lowering arms are in action and this end of the tilting hopper in another position prevents the work from falling off the beam. With this device the shafts are always kept in line and cannot be turned HOOHCU THUAN ENRON EEE EOMOE ENERO, A Rear View of the Furnaces. The shafts pass from the hardening chamber into a tilting hopper and on to lowering arms which deliver them into a quenching tank and a finger type elevator carries them up from the tank to the drawing furnace in a speed box at the side of the furnace and run in oil. The motor runs at a constant speed of 840 r.p.m.*Push button control is provided at various points on the fur- nace, The conveyor beam is made of structural steel with cast iron caps on which are mounted special tile that provide insulation for the beam. No metal projects from the beam into the chamber so that high tempera- ture material is not required in any part of the con- veyor construction. The slots at the side of the beam are baffled in order to prevent the cold air current from entering and the heat from escaping from the chamber. The tile is cored out to form flues and provide circula- tion. The slots at the side of the beam register with flues in the chamber floor that lead to flues in the side walls so that the products of combustion are drawn down through the work underneath the floor before be- ing withdrawn from the furnace. The work passes through the furnace in units of three, the largest taking two rows of axle shafts, one row on each conveyor, as previously mentioned. The operator lays the parts on the hearth at the charging end, and the ends of the shafts rest on the bottom of HUVUENLAVEREA NOLL GEEOURNDOOERED OOS TONDOOEREDOCUDODOONUAOOSDOOOEEOOONDEODENDERONTEETEAEDIOCHET TTPO THAL, & crossways and possibly become entangled with the beam when passing from the furnace to the quenching tank. The lowering arms are connected through links to bell cranks in such a manner that when the beams lower the arms move rapidly and there is a rapid low- ering movement of the work from the tilting hopper to the quenching tank. As the arms go down the hop- per opens, releasing the axles onto the arms. The construction is such that the axles are rotated as they enter the oil which is essential in preventing warping. An important feature of the furnace is that the work is discharged directly to the quenching tank which gives assurance that it will be quenched at the proper temperature. The tilting hopper is made of Chromel metal, this being the only part of the furnace requiring high temperature metal. A» finger type elevator carries the shafts from the quenching tank to the drawing furnace. The lowering arms that deliver the work from the hardening furnace to the quenching tank disappear through skids at the lower part of their stroke allowing the shafts to be dis- charged on to the fingers of the elevators. The speed of the elevator is timed with the operation of the beam July 17, 1924 conveyor so that the elevator fingers are always in the proper position to receive shafts when discharged from the lowering arms. The finger elevator is made of two strands of heavy malleable roller chain with heavy channels every 12 in. that carry the fingers. The fingers carry the shafts around sprockets at the top of the elevator and they are delivered on to skids which in turn discharge them onto two conveyor chains running through the drawing furnace. The elevator and drawing furnace conveyors are both driven from a jack shaft at the charging end of the furnace which in turn is driven from the motor that drives the hardening furnace beam. The drive is syn- chronized throughout so as to secure a proper operation of all intermittent movements as well as to provide the required speeds for the elevator and the drawing fur- nace conveyor. An important feature of the handling mechanism is that there are no gravity conveyors and the work is always under control thus preventing any mishap that might result from handling by gravity. Axles are discharged from the drawing furnace into a curving chute that dumps them into a tote box at the side of the front of the furnace. This leaves all the space directly in front entirely free from charging the furnace. The hardening furnace, heated by the overhead com- bustion chamber, has a perforated top arch through which the heat enters the furnace and is carried down through the work and through the flues in the beams and up through flues in the side walls to an interme- diate chamber between the top arch of the hardening furnace and the floor of the drawing furnace. From the intermediate chamber the gases are conducted through flues to the drawing chamber and from there Good Building Record in June June building operations held up at a remarkably high rate, according to F. W. Dodge Corporation. Con- tracts awarded in June in the 36 Eastern States (in- cluding about seven-eighths of the United States total of construction volume) amounted to $387,521,100. The decline for May was a little less than 8 per cent, and there was an increase of nearly 5 per cent over June of last year. Construction started in these 36 States during the THE IRON AGE 131 to the atmosphere. Special dampers are provided for taking the heat directly from the combustion chamber to the intermediate chamber and from there to the drawing furnace in case waste heat from the hardening furnace does not give sufficient temperature to the drawing furnace. By-pass flues are also provided for carrying the products of combustion around the draw- ing chamber to the atmosphere should lower tempera- ture in the drawing furnace be required. With this arrangement the temperature of the drawing furnace can be closely regulated at any point between 600 and 1200 deg. Fahr. Hardening is done at a temperature of about 1550 deg. and drawing at a temperature of 900 to 1100 deg. Fahr. Both the hardening and drawing furnaces are equipped with pyrometers. Each unit has four Powell intermediate pressure burners and oil is used for fuel. The narrow furnace has a quenching tank 7 ft. 3 in. long, 4 ft. 2 in. wide and 5 ft. 6 in. deep. The tank con- nected with the larger furnace is of the same dimen- sions except the width which is 7 ft. 2 in. The quench- ing tanks have quick opening valves and large overflows so that they can be emptied quickly in case of emer- gency. For quenching 28 deg. paraffine oil is used. Axles are charged into the small furnace at the approximate rate of three per minute making the ca- pacity 180 shafts per hour. It takes about 155 min. for a shaft to go through both furnaces. It is in the hard- ening furnace 45 min., in drawing furnace 70 min. and in the quenching tank 2 min. After leaving the drawing furnace every tenth shaft is given the Brinell test and in case the work does not show the proper hardness, it is then given another heat treatment. Ultra-Violet Light Factor in Corrosion That exposure of a polished metal surface to ultra- violet light may render it increasingly liable to corro- sion is indicated by tests conducted by the Bureau of Standards, Department of Commerce. Specimens of Armco iron, medium carbon steel, stainless steel and high nickel steel were used for the tests and were ex- posed to the rays for eighteen hours. Moisture from the breath was found to condense differently on the ° exposed and unexposed surfaces, rendering the two Contracts Let for Buildings in June —Per Cent Increase—, -————————Percentage of Total Millions of Over Other Dollars Over May June, 1923 Residences Commercial Educational Public Industrial New York and Northern New SORT ks vecsvaveweves’ 91.5 —17 8 53 14 9 9 4 DOG + DNs 6 ws, 0-0.650'0d are 34.1 —13 12 44 16 12 10 9 BEGGS MEMMMOIO. coc c ccc cececs 40.2 —10 69 42 11 X 26 4 Southeastern States......... 56.2 — 7 19 44 12 10 16 11 Pittsburgh District.......... 51.8 — 9 8 32 8 5 36 s eS ee 102.4 7 —15 34 22 9 19 7 FROUSIG n'o: 6 ac les dadetces 11.05 — 5 —33 45 ae 10 23 a record figure, being a 10 per cent increase over the first half of last year. However, the increase has not been general throughout the country. For instance, New York City has registered an increase of 83 per cent, while the territory outside of New York City has shown a general decline of 1 percent. The New York and southeastern districts have shown substantial increases; New England’s increase has been moderate; the Middle Atlantic States have just equalled last year’s record; and the Pittsburgh, central western and northwestern ° districts have shown substantial declines. All the important classes of construction except in- dustrial plants have participated in the increase in con- struction volume. Industrial construction has declined considerably. Recapitulating the six months’ record, the important groups were represented as follows: resi- dential buildings, 48 per cent of the total; public works and utilities, 15 per cent; commercial buildings, 13 per cent; educational buildings, a little over 8 per cent; and industrial buildings, a little under 8 per cent. A tabulation of the records here made shows how large a factor is residence construction and how small the building of factories. easy to distinguish. On the exposed part the drops of condensation were larger than on the unexposed, and the surface looked as if a very thin film of oil had been spread over it, making it less easily wetted than is the unexposed surface. In the case of medium carbon steels very noticeable corrosion of the exposed spot was found to occur after four condensations of moisture, while the rest of the surface was hardly attacked. Chromium and nickel steels did not show any corrosion, although there was the same difference in appearance between exposed and unexposed surfaces. ‘ This phenomenon was discovered accidentally in the course of some tests being made for another purpose by the optics division of the bureau. Further investi- gations are contemplated. The McKinney Steel Co., Cleveland, has taken bids for the construction of a four-story and basement office building, 260 x 60 ft., to be located at its plant. When completed the general offices of the company, which for years have been located in the Perry-Payne Building, will be moved to the plant. 2c atime cegtrsiihily gene aegis! | ae yew 3 132 THE IRON International Foundry Exhibition at Birmingham BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, June 30.—The second In- ternational Foundry Trades Exhibition organized by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, in conjunc- tion with the Institute of British Foundrymen and the British Cast Iron Research Association, was opened on June 19 by R. P. Patterson, president of the Institute of British Foundrymen, at Bingley Hall, Birmingham. It is fair criticism to say that there was too much similarity between the present and the last exhibition also held in Birmingham two years ago, and the Paris foundry exhibition held last year did not differ greatly from either, although there were, natu- rally, more French and Belgian exhibits. Exhibitors complained that the attendance each day had been poor but, at the same time, they confessed that a fair amount of business had been done. Molding Machines A number of the exhibitors two years ago were absent from this exhibition, but their places were taken by other manufacturers of foundry plant with machines that were unique and interesting. There were a num- ber of well-known types of molding machines on show, most of them in operation, but that which attracted most attention was the Beardsley & Piper sandslinger, which represented something quite new in British foun- dry practice. Being a machine that is of practical value to the small jobbing founder, who specializes in odd castings, it ought to have a big future in this country. Two different types were on view. Pneumatic tools are quite common now in steel, iron and brass foundries in the United Kingdom, and the Glasgow firm of J. MacDonald & Co., in addition to a molding machine and a portable electric sand riddle with an elliptical motion, exhibited the Cleco air grinder, which is something new. It is fitted with ball bearings and is designed for foundries, boiler, bridge and struc- tural shops. One type is for heavy work and another, called a pencil grinder, is for light work, the chuck holding a %-in. emery stick; the whole machine only weighs 4 lb. The electric riddle mentioned is operated by simply connecting up to a lamp socket. Repetition molding machines of well-known types International Steel-Treating Exposition and Convention For the sixth annual convention and international steel exposition of the American Society for Steel Treating, to be held on Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Sept. 22 to 26, inclusive, the Copley Plaza Hotel has been designated as the headquarters, and the plan of having technical sessions in the morning with the exposition closed will be followed again this year. All morning sessions will be held in the ballroom of the hotel, while the afternoon sessions and symposia will be held in the meeting room on Commonwealth Pier. An honorary advisory committee, consisting of Hon. James M. Curley, mayor of Boston; Dr. Albert Sauveur, of Harvard University; Dr. S. S. Stratton, president Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce, are co- operating with the local executive committee under the chairmanship of A. O. Fulton, vice-president Wheelock Lovejoy Co., Inc. Reservations by manufacturers for space at the exposition are reported heavier this year than at any of our previous expositions. The show will be 33 per cent larger than at Pittsburgh last year. An interest- ing part of the exposition this year will be the number of exhibits in operation. The railroads have granted fare and a half for the round trip, and certificates entitling individuals visiting Boston for the purpose of attending the con- vention and exposition may be secured from the society headquarters, 4600 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland. July 17, 1924 AGE were exhibited, in some cases with improvements in de- tails, but a machine operated on a new principle and called “It’s it,” was on the stand of J. M. Terry & Co., Birmingham. It is a hand jolt ram machine and should be useful for repetition work in either large or small foundries. It is operated by one man. The machine is jolted by means of a lever and four jolts are suffi- cient to ram a mold, while it is seldom that more than ten are required. The table is balanced with an oil compensation device and can be jolted without effort by a boy. The output of these hand jolters is high com- pared with any mechanically operated machine and a good draw is obtained. There are very few British foundries with mechan- ical conveyors of any kind, which is surprising in view of the labor which they save and their comparatively low initial cost. An interesting exhibit was a gravity roller conveyor not the least merit of which was its extreme adaptability. Even in a jobbing foundry a gravity conveyor which can be moved quickly to any part of the foundry floor is invaluable for moving sand, molding boxes or castings. In the fettling shop, also, the gravity conveyor should prove invaluable. At foundry exhibitions fet- tling machinery is always interesting and an exhibit of wire brushes on the stand of W. Canning & Co., Birmingham, attracted notice. The brushes shown will, it was claimed, wear down to the end plates, and can be run at 2200 r.p.m. J. W. Jackson & Co., Ltd., Manchester, exhibited a cupola volume meter to give continuous reading of actual air volume passing to the cupola and also a new type of pressure gage. Another firm, George Green & Co., Keighley, showed their emergency cupolas while the models of German cupolas on the stand of Smeeton- Wright Furnaces, Ltd., London, were of exceptional interest. For a cupola with reversing regenerators 25 per cent saving is claimed in the coke charge over ordinary practice and a reduction of 25 per cent in the sulphur content of the metal. A good display of woodworking machinery for pat- ternmakers was made by a Belgian firm, Danckaerts Woodworking Machinery. This included a universal wood worker which planes, mortises, etc., but most of the operations that can be performed on the machine are more for carpentry than for patternmaking. British Empire Steel Changes With the Sydney, N. S., and Trenton, N. S., plants of the British Empire Steel Corporation partly closed down owing to lack of orders, the corporation is taking advantage of the situation to make some needed and long deferred staff changes which will put the corpora- tion in the position to produce more efficiently and eco- nomically when operation is fully resumed. For many years, through a series of changes in administration, official appointees have been accumulating until at the time of the last strike, one of the main grievances of the men was that they could not get higher wages be- cause the plant was over-staffed and its earnings eaten up by officials, foremen and minor bosses of one kind or another. At present this situation is being remedied. In some departments two or three officials are found sufficient to take care of duties formerly divided be- tween seven or eight. Urgent representations to Ot- tawa have resulted in a rail order which will avert the contemplated shutdown of the plant except for two or three weeks. The new order for 30,000 tons of rails for the Canadian National Railways will keep the mill going until next September, by which time general im- provement in the steel industry is expected. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation has placed a con- tract with Arthur G. McKee & Co., Cleveland, engineers and contractors, for electric ball operating rigs to be installed on Nos. 10 and 11 blast furnaces of the Beth- lehem company at Johnstown, Pa. Provisions for Publi city of ‘Tax Returns Important Features of the New Law, Including Posting of Names—Possible Effects on Business—President Coolidge Appoints Members of Board BY L. W. MOFFETT WASHINGTON, July 15.—Publicity of tax returns to a degree never approached since periods of the Johnson and Grant administrations, became effective under the new revenue act passed at the recent session of Con- gress. Strongly objected to by Secretary of the Treas- ury Mellon and other high Government officials, together with business interests generally, the pub- licity features were insisted upon by a dominating element in Congress which, in its political zeal, dis- regarded arguments made against this feature of the law. The point was made before the provisions finally were adopted that similar publicity of tax returns dur- ing the days of reconstruction following the Civil War played an important part in drying up business, in- juring credit, and developing depression, but those in- sisting upon the provisions made all sorts of radical] claims. They contended that publicity would prevent alleged false returns, and efforts at evasion, and compel taxpayers in appealing cases to make known all facts or discourage them from resorting to appeal unless there was sound ground for making it. It was even maintained by supporters of publicity provisions that it was a practice of some business interests to take cases before the Board of Tax Appeals of the Treasury Department and; their cases being heard and reviewed behind closed doors, there was always possible the element of an “understanding” between Government officials and representatives of those making the appeal. Charges as to Former Employees Particularly was the claim made that men who for- merly were in the Treasury Department had taken advantage of their knowledge of the operations of the department to obtain unduly favorable decision before the board for their clients. While rules and regulations of the department provide a certain degree of restric- tion against practising before the board by former em- ployees, it was urged that they have proven inadequate. So far as injuring business is concerned, supporters of publicity provisions pretend to scorn the idea. The publicity provisions as finally adopted are rather sweeping but not so much so as had been proposed. Senator Norris, of Nebraska, had introduced and the Senate adopted an amendment which provided full pub- licity of all tax returns. This amendment was struck out in conference after a vigorous protest by Adminis- tration officials and strong objection from many sources throughout the country. The publicity provisions as finally adopted are so far reaching, however, that they are decidedly distasteful to the Administration, busi- ness interests, and assuredly to many taxpayers as indi- viduals. Three Publicity Provisions There really are three publicity provisions. Each is considered to be broad in its scope. One of them creates a Board of Tax Appeals, part of whose per- sonnel has just been appointed by President Coolidge and has been organized. The new law provides that hearings before the board and its divisions shall be open to the public. If the amount of taxes in controversy is more than $10,000, the oral testimony beginning at the hearings shall be reduced to writing and the report shall contain an opinion in writing in addition to the finding of facts and the decision. All reports of the board and its divi- sions, and all evidence received by the board and its divisions, “shall be public records open to the inspection of the public,” according to the act. oe The second provision, which is rated as a publicity provision, requires the Treasury Department to turn 133 over all tax reports, when requested, to the House Com- mittee on Ways and Means and to the Senate Commit- tee on Finance. While the impression has been given that these committees would not make the records public, there is nothing in the law to prevent them from doing so or from making them available to persons who might want to see them. The third provision requires that the names of al] taxpayers and the amount of taxes paid be posted in the offices of collectors. Anxiety as to Effects Reaction from these publicity provisions is being awaited with interest and Treasury officials are said to be showing a certain amount of apprehension as to their effect. Among other things they have stated that the publicity question of tax returns may be easily used to unjustly injure the credit of business interests, especially smaller ones. The larger ones already pub- lish the facts through reports to stockholders. For example, it has been pointed out, a certain relatively small manufacturing company might show a smaller return for a given year than had been shown the previous year, and on the face of conditions this might give the impression that such a company was moving backward and was making little or no profit. But, as a matter of fact, it was explained, it may have made in- vestments in improvements, replacement and in other ways, showing distinct progress but providing for ex- emption allowances that would reduce the actual tax returns. The point also has been made that the pub- licity provisions will increase investments in tax-exempt securities and consequently will divert money from manufacturing and other enterprises and at the same time reduce the revenues of the Treasury. Twelve members of the Board of Tax Appeals were appointed by President Coolidge. The act provides that the board shall consist of seven members “except that for a period of two years after the enactment of this act the board shall be composed of such members, not more than 28, as the President determines to be necessary.” It is probable that the remaining members of the board will be appointed in the fall. Seven of those appointed were selected from the personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The 12 named are Adolphus E. Graupner, San Francisco; J. 8. Y. Ivins, New York; A. E. James, New Jersey; John M. Sternhagen, Chicago; Sumner L. Trussell, Minneapolis, Minn.; John J. Marquette, Washington; W. C. Lanadon, Salina, Kan.; Charles D. Hamel, Graf- ton, N. D.; Benjamin H. Littleton, Nashville, Tenn.; Jules Gilmer Korner, Jr., Winston-Salem, N. C.; Charles P. Smith, Boston, and Charles M. Trammell, Lakeland, Fla. Most of the appointees are lawyers or accountants, or both. A man-cooling fan so-called for steel mills, foun- dries, forges and plants where heat treating processes are used has been brought out by the American Blower Co., Detroit. The new model fans are built in two sizes, wheels 21%- and 37%-in. in diameter, operating at 1725 and 1120 r.p.m., requiring 1 and 4 h.p. respec- tively. The fan resembles a giant size desk fan. It may be placed to blow a brisk current of air in any desired direction. The Portland, Me., South Portland and Waterville shops of the Maine Central Railroad, employing several hundred men, have closed for a month. Other New England railroads are curtailing operations at their various shops. ; », a vv PoP toner pag at - paw Geer e, mairien uegner 732 ee see Rak acetal - a iE Te aE i ahem tain Semen xh antt Gh etp LTO AA CLR ANL LLM LG ALN AAT: cevtncsetmetcine cle ee “4 me es ee wine cntaigl. 134 a * MUSEUM OF ENGINEERING National Organization Announces Campaign for $10,000,000 One million dollars has been assured toward the establishment of the National Museum of Engineering and Industry, Inc., with headquarters in the Engineer- ing Societies Building, New York. A campaign to raise an additional $9,000,000 has been started. The presi- dent of the new organization is Dr. Elihu Thomson, who received last week the Kelvin gold medal from the Royal Society at the Kelvin Centenary in London. The vice-presidents are Dr. Edward G. Aéheson, one of the creators of the modern abrasive industry; Dr. Leo H. Baekeland, inventor of Velox paper and Bakelite, and president of the American Chemical Society, and Dr. Edward Weston, creator of the Weston type of electri- eal instruments. Its trustees are Philip T. Dodge, chairman of the International Paper Co.; Howard El- liott, chairman of the Northern Pacific Railroad; Dr. {ra N. Hollis, president Worcester Polytechnic Insti- tute; Dr. Elmer A. Sperry, president Sperry Gyroscope Co., and Worcester R. Warner, Warner & Swasey, Cleveland. George E. Roberts, vice-president National Failure to Perform Spotting Service Is Disapproved WASHINGTON, July 15.—Failure or refusal of rail- roads to perform spotting service on interstate carload traffic for or else to make an appropriate allowance to the Jackson Iron & Steel Co. was declared to be unduly prejudicial and unduly preferential of competing plants in a decision handed down last week by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The finding was based upon a rehearing and affirmed that portion of the original report which held as not unreasonable failure or re- fusal of the railroads to perform under their line haul rates to and from Jackson, Ohio, the spotting service on inbound and outbound interstate shipments to and from the company’s blast furnaces, or to make the com- pany an allowance for performing the spotting service. The holding of undue prejudice and undue preference was based on the fact that these services are per- formed at competing plants at Welleston, Lawrence, and Ironton, Ohio. The railroads in the case included the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, the Baltimore & Ohio, and the Hocking Valley. McKeesport Tin Plate Workers Strike Other tin plate manufacturers having failed to fol- low the wage cut announced by the McKeesport Tin Plate Co., McKeesport, Pa., about two weeks ago, amounting to 20 per cent for tonnage men and 12 to 15 per cent in other classes of labor, the entire hot mill force of the company failed to report for work July 10, as a protest against the cut. Unless there is a speedy settlement, this will mean the suspension of the entire plant since other departments can work only as long as the supply of black plate lasts. The plant has been operating on a half time schedule since the wage cut went into effect and this has contributed to the trouble, since the men had expected full time work at the lower wage rates. Wages in Iron and Steel Industry WASHINGTON, July 15.—The Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics, Department of Labor, has just issued Bulletin 353, “Wages and Hours of Labor in the Iron and Steel Industry; 1907-1922.” It shows earnings per hour, customary hours of labor, and actual hours and earn- ings for one-day period in 1922, together with sum- mary figures for preceding years taken from previous reports for 10 departments in the industry. Taking 1913 to represent the index number 100, except for puddling mills, for which 1914 takes the THE IRON AGE July 17, 1924 City Bank, New York, is treasurer, and H. F. J. Porter, industrial engineer, is secretary. In cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution the new organization is planning to erect on its grounds in Washington a building to house the original models of early inventions and the records of constructive achieve- ment of pioneers, inventors and engineers in the de- velopment of transportation and industry. In this way the United States will be given the kind of institution which all the great European nations have possessed for years. An important departure in the American scheme is proposed. In addition to the central collection at Washington special collections, such as replicas of the historical exhibits, will be carried to the people, also live machinery of modern processes will be placed in affiliated museums in industrial centers. Already old models and records have been located and resurrected and this winter will be exhibited at the headquarters as a demonstration of how the ultimate collection will appear. Incorporation was effected in March last under the laws of the District of Columbia by an organizing com- mittee of 100 composed of officers and engineers of industries and railroads and professors of engineering and history in universities and colleges. index number 100, a table in the bulletin strikingly shows the trend of wages in the industry. In the case of blast furnaces, the year 1919 represented the lowest average earnings per hour for the period, taking an index number of 83, while 1920 was the highest when it went up exactly 200 points to 283. In all cases 1920 was the year of the highest average earnings per hour. The high and low index numbers covering average earnings per hour in the various departments for the period follow: Lowest Index Highest Index Year Number Year Number Bessemer converters....... 1908 79 1920 241 Open-hearth furnaces...... 1910-11 89 1920 282 Puddling mills............ 1915 96 1920 279 BlOOMMME. MINS. 0... 0c ccivae 1910 81 1920 233 EEN 8.5. sido a scaled 1911 87 1920 267 Standard rail mills........ 1911-12 89 1920 256 i ES 5 deans teeta a 1908 84 1920 252 SG NG si Niwa se Sree 1910 84 1920 229 "Tinh Ghee WIS. ..6.0 3K o's bce 1910 88 1920 252 Building Cars for Southern Railway BIRMINGHAM, ALA., July 15.—The Chickasaw Ship- building & Car Co., subsidiary of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co., is now turning out the low side gondolas for the Southern Railway and the other cars ordered several weeks ago. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. is also to get a large number of cars from the Chickasaw plant at Fairfield, the order of this company being estimated at $4,000,000. The Virginia Bridge & Iron Co. built a number of flat cars for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. A typographical error reversed the meaning of one sentence in the communication of H. A. Schwartz, man- ager of research, National Malleable & Steel Castings Co., in THE IRON AGE of July 10, dealing with the reduction of annealing time in the production of mal- leable castings. The sentence in question and the two which preceded it are given below in their proper form: “It is difficult to say what value the various special, under-annealed products of Dr. Hayes may have. This is a question for the consumer rather than the pro- ducer. Dr. Hayes himself emphasizes their deficiency in shock resistance, the property which now gives mal- leable castings their greatest value.” Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co. is adding to its works at Mansfield, Ohio. Two buildings, which will be of steel construction, are to be erected which will increase the floor space of the plant by 140,000 sq. ft. The new buildings were designed by B. H. Prack, archi- tect and engineer of Pittsburgh. July 17, 1924 Bulldozer in Manufacture of Heavy Forgings The use of a bulldozer as a preliminary machine in the manufacture of certain heavy forgings is illustrated by the 6-in. swivel tubing hook shown in the accom- panying sketches. In this case production was facili- tated and the expense of break-down hammer dies elim- inated. The steps in the manufacture of the hook may be clearly noted from the sketches. A billet 6 in. in diam- eter and 42 in. long, shown in Fig. 1, is subjected to a good forging heat after which one end is pointed in a hammer. The billet is then transferred to a two-stage die in a Williams, White & Co. No. 27 bulldozer, the first stroke of which forms a double bend in the billet as shown in Fig. 2. This operation is severe, as the radius of one bend is 2 in. and of the other 4 in., and often indicates a peak load of more than 75 hp. In the third operation the bent billet is transferred to the second stage of the bulldozer die, and another stroke of the machine completes the rough forming of the hook as shown in Fig. 3. The partly formed hook is then ready for drop forging. As very little heat is lost in the bulldozer operations, it is said to be unnecessary to heat the material for drop forging, which is an addi- tional source of economy. The hook is drop forged on a 3500-lb. board drop hammer to the approximate contour shown in Fig. 4. Following this is the fifth operation in which the stock Quseeeeeteceeeeerenenereneenanertreneeonent Operations In- volved In Forg- ing 6-In. Tubing Hook. Pointing of the billet is shown in Fig. 1, and the bull- FSG. f dozer operations -————— in Figs. 2 and 3. -———_ tn the fort | Moving bre or en wig. | Plunger Attached Ue. hee ® | 10 Cfosshead or drop forged and in the fifth oper- ation the toggle end is reheated and drop forged as shown in Fie 5. The assembly of crosshead, bushing and cap to toggle of hook is shown in Fig. 6 | Bulidozer enue na one yenyevanene.onanenenen: suvenervesnenesnogeeonnentinreysteneersinenreeeeneeReneernenerpentontonennvensoeonugeeranc rong riennenon is heated on one end and the toggle connection is forged as shown in Fig. 5. The complete hook is then assem- bled as shown in Fig. 6, the assembly consisting of the following parts: A, split bushing in two halves inter- locking in toggle of the hook; B, cap; C, wear ring; D, hook toggle; E, crosshead; F, shackle; and G, hook. The cap, B, is drop forged of open-hearth steel and is then drawn over the interlocking bushings. This opera- tion is done hot, the cap being heated, and the capping is done on the bulldozer employed for second and third operations. This is considered a novel operation. In the bending operations shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the grain of the metal is preserved and a strong product assured. Hooks manufctured by the process described and subjected to tests are said to have only partly straightened under a load of 456,000 lb. A slight defor- mation was noted in the crosshead and shackle but the cap was unaffected. The weight of the finished hook alone is 330 lb. and the weight of the hook assembly complete is 550 Ib. In THE IRON AGE of last week, Commissioner Thomp- son of the Shipping Board was inadvertently quoted as saying that “Congress has been willing to do nothing to meet the wishes and suggestions of the board.” This reverses the meaning of what Mr. Thompson said. The word “nothing” should have read “anything.” THE IRON AGE 135 Wages of Sheet and Tin Mill Workers Reduced 3 Per Cent Tonnage rates paid sheet and tin mill workers in mid-Western mills subscribing to the sliding scale wage agreement of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers decline three per cent of the base rate for the July-August period, following the bi-monthly settlement July 11 at Youngstown. Ex- amination of sales sheets disclosed an average selling price for the 60-day period ending June 30 of $3.60 per 100 lb. for Nos. 26, 27 and 28 gage black sheets, as compared with $3.70 two months before. Under the new rate affected workers will be paid 43% per cent above base. This rate compares with a postwar peak rate of 109 per cent above base, reached in 1920. The examination indicated that independent sheet makers are closely adhering to current quotations, * vf |— i bre or Plunger FIG. 4 , ae ‘ Sila tianary | Dre F/G. 3 Oe ee averaging 3.55c. per lb. for No. 26 gage, 3.60c. for No. 27 and 3.65c. for No. 28, the base. Shipments for the period covered by the examina- tion showed a decline as compared with the preceding two months. It is apparent there have been no sharp deviations by mid-West sheet makers from established price levels. This is the second wage reduction in 1924 for sheet and tin mill workers. Previous to the May settlement, based on a 3.70c. card, the average selling price as re- vealed by the bi-monthly examinations had been 3.75c. per lb., since November, 1923. The Burden Iron Co., Troy, N. Y., is disposing of a preferred stock issue of $700,000, the majority of the proceeds to be used for the purchase of a substantial interest in the Hudson Valley Coke & Products Corpo- ration of the same city. Plans are being arranged by the last named organization for the construction of a large central gas-generating plant and system in the vicinity of Troy, to furnish public utility companies operating in that section, as well as at Albany and Schenectady. The project will involve in excess of $1,000,000. The Adirondack Power & Light Corpora- tion, Schenectady, is understood to be interested in the new plant. na ee ee eS <n - ane Furs iTS ~ ctl. ~ a ee I ste ge 136 THE IRON AGE Sensitive Clutch Control Device for Northwest Cranes and Shovels A device known as the feather-touch lever control, and intended to facilitate shifting of the clutches, is a feature recently added to the cranes, draglines, shovels and trench pull shovels of the Northwest Engineering Co., 28 East Jackson Boulevard, Chicago. The device is said to provide fineness of control without muscular exertion, permitting the operator to “feel” his way and handle the work accurately. It is also claimed to eliminate the cost and overcome the disadvantages of steam and air rams. The device is applied to the end of the drum shaft Feather-Touch Lever Control Device Intended to Facilitate Shifting of Clutches on Cranes and Shovels and actuates the clutch shifter rod which is concentric with the drum shaft and contained in a drilled hole within it. The clutch shifter rod moves back and forth, the inner position being the engagement and the outer position the disengagement. A small drum is keyed on the drum shaft and rotates in the same direction; a clutch band is wrapped about this drum and co-acis with it. The operation of the device is said to be based on the law that there is a definite ratio between the two ends of a clutch or brake band, which is wrapped ex- ternally to a moving drum, depending on the arc of contact and the coefficient of friction of the brake lining to the co-acting surface. Thus, it is said, if the ratio has a value somewhere between 3 and 5, and 100- lb. pressure is applied to the end of the band toward which the drum rotates, by means of the control lever and intermediate linkage, and the opposite end of the band is used to throw the clutch, the effort necessary will be reduced from 1/3 to 1/5 of that necessary to throw the clutch by hand. Disengagement of the clutch is positive. The action of the lever opposite to that necessary to engage the clutch releases it. A lug is brought into contact with an adjusting screw im- parting a reverse action to the entire mechanism. The machine shop practice division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers is sponsoring the program for three sessions at the forty-fifth annual meeting of the society, to be held in New York the first week in December. One of these sessions will have to do with lubrication and the second with cutting and forming of metals. July 17, 1924 Steel Corporation’s Orders Decrease Unfilled business on the books of the United States Steel Corporation as of June 30 last, aggregated 3,262,505 tons, or 365,584 tons less than at the close of the previous month. In May unfilled business de- creased 380,358 tons, in April 574,360 tons, in March 130,094 tons, while in February it increased 114,472 tons and in January 353,090 tons. A year ago the unfilled business amounted to 6,386,261 tons, or 3,123,- 756 tons more than today. Following is the unfilled tonnage as reported by months since January, 1922: 1924 1923 1922 Jan. eee 4,798,429 6,910,776 4,241,678 Feb 29. 4,912,901 7,283,989 4,141,069 March 31 4,782,807 7,403,332 4,494,148 April 30 4,208,447 7,288,509 5,096,913 May 3 ; 3,628,089 6,981,351 5,254,228 wee. Bes sees 3,262,505 6,386,261 5,635,531 July 31 5,910,763 5,776,161 Aug. 31. 5,414,663 5,950,105 Sept 30 5,035,750 6,691,607 Oct 31 “oe 4,672,825 6,902,287 Nov 30.. : 4,368,584 6,840,242 Dec. 3 4,445,339 6,745,703 Light-Weight Industrial Grating Floor grating of light weight, designed for heavy loads by providing deep side bars, has been developed by the Arrowhead Iron Works, 200 West Fifth Street, Kansas City, Mo. Type H grating consists of two comparatively heavy steel bars, disposed on edge, notched to fit the bearing, and connected by two or more crossbars riveted at con- tact points, to which is riveted a web of grating, % in. deep, the span of which, from crossbar to crossbar, is always less than 2 ft. Owing to the notch at the bearing, no clips are necessary for fastening to chan- nels or beams. It is necessary only to lay the grating in place. Outer bars are of sufficient depth to carry the load on any span without varying the depth of grating at the bearings, thus to insure a floor of uni- form strength. When necessary the notch at the bear- ing can be made of such depth as will take care of any variations in levels of supporting steel without the use of fillers. Where the cut-outs occur, reinforcing angles are supplied with special roundhead bolts to fasten to adjacent heavy outer bars. Arrowhead stair treads, one of which is shown here, are designed with a heavy continuous nosing bar which is riveted to a 3%-in. web supported by two carrier bars. The light web used reduces to a minimum the weight Light-Weight Floor Grating Designed for Heavy Loads on the stringers. The grating recently was installed at the Cahokia station of the Union Electric Light & Power Co., St. Louis, for which McClellan & Junkers- feld are the engineers. Fabrication is under way for a second unit which will require as much as the first. A contract has been let to the Romell Motion Pic- ture Co. to take 5000 ft. of film at the plant of the Quickwork Co., manufacturer of plate and sheet metal working machinery, St. Marys, Ohio, showing its line of rotary shears and attachments for circular and straight slitting work. Films will be used not only here but abroad as well, to develop markets in Japan and Europe. July 17, 1924 Strip Steel Coiling Machine A new model of the Clark balanced tension reel for coiling strip steel from cold finishing mills, a feature of which is that it may be used with mills rolling at higher speeds than former types, has been brought out by the Duston & Clark Engineering Co., Cleveland This reel follows the same general design of former models but has various improvements and refinements. The reel is of heavy construction and is designed for rolling a wide range of strip stock. The same type of differential gearing is used as in earlier models. The bearings are built into a one-piece bed plate and are lined with heavy renewable self-oiling bronze journals capable of carrying high tension at high speed. The tension of the reel is adjustable from zero to the full power of the motor to meet the varying tension ‘re- quirements depending on the width of stock, gage and temper. A Clark bronze-faced automatic collapsing chuck 20 Balanced Tension Reel for Coiling Strip Steel From Cold Finishing. Mills. The machine is similar to the company’s former design, but may be used with mills rolling at higher speeds. The tension of the reel is ad- justable up to the full power of the motor. The chuck is of the automatic collapsible type and is 20 in. in diameter and 22 in. face in. diameter by 22 in. face which is built for quick