The Iron Age 1924-10-23: Vol 114 Iss 17

ay THE IRON AGE New York, October 23, 1924 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 114, No. 17 Making Steam Turbine Diaphragm Blades Novel Planer Fixture Permits Planing at Several Angles with One Clamping—Centrifugal Babbitting of Large Bearings—Unusual Radius Tool ering steel foundry practice at Schenectady works of the General Electric Co., [THE IRon AGE, Oct. 2, page 815] to the blades which are set in place in the core box, before cores are rammed for tur- bine diaphragms. There are some interesting opera- tions on these blades before they are sent to the foun- dry. Certain blade dimensions must be rigidly main- tained in the assembled turbine, regardless of the fact R ering ste was made in a previous article cov- (Right) Exhaust Edge of Blades Is Milled to Form and to Gaged Thick- ness The roller below the milling cutter follows the templet that they are subjected, after machining, to the intense heat of being cast into place in the diaphragm. The form must be held closely, as the space between the back of one blade and one edge of the next is the governing factor in admission of steam uniformly from a higher pressure wheel bucket to the bucket of the next lower pressure wheel. Maintenance of this uni- formity in producing the blades is not only important but tedious. Consideration must be given also to an- chorage in the cast diaphragm, that there may be no burning off of edges, warping nor loosening. Success of present practice is due partly to changes in machin- ing methods and partly to changes in foundry practice. The blades first are cut to template form from 1047 sheets which have been run through straightening rolls. Quarter-inch and over thicknesses are annealed in sand. They then are ground to thickness in a vertical spindle surface grinder, 0.010 in. per side being the average amount removed. The next step is cutting to exact form. This is done in a planer for the smaller blades and in a slotter for the larger sizes. The illustration shows a set-up of small! blades in the planer, being held by two long bolts between clamp bars, one at each end Small Blades Are Clamped in a Fix ture Which Permits All Sides to Be Planed in One Set-Up Large blades are slotted in a similar fixture instead of planed (left) of the group. At one end is a steel block which serves to set the tool exactly to position and gives the shape to which the blades are to conform. Provision is made for swinging the clamped blades as a unit, on centers, so that the four sides may be planed. The jig follows the job through the machining operations. To provide fixed area for steam admission to bucket, the nozzle or exhaust edge must be accurate to length. This edge must also be beveled and held to close limits. It was formerly the practice to leave this edge thick and then bevel it to gage when the diaphragm was re- turned from the foundry. This practice was necessary, as considerable extra stock was cast in the diaphragm nozzles which would burn the th'n edge cf the blados, * ORC me gent I Sr) ee enc asi at ne seer Ae re ee ee A ED as ee en eee neem ne ene Tene ee reer Dena ee rennet 1048 if they were beveled before going to the foundry. A change in foundry practice now leaves little surplus stock in the nozzles, so that with the edge of the blade beveled, a negligible amount of chipping in the casting produces a nozzle within 2 or 3 per cent of drawing area. This change saves considerable machining, the rough beveling of the blades having been done formerly with the diaphragm mounted on a circular table before a shaper, in the ram of which was an electric drill with an end-milling cutter. Finish beveling was done by hand. Blades Are Formed Under Hydraulic Presses. THE IRON October 23, AGE 1924 Next comes the drilling of anchor holes in a mul- tiple spindle drill press, followed by the bending opera- tion. The bend is compound, as it serves to reverse the direction of travel of the steam. Small blades are bent under a punch press, larger ones in hydraulic presses. The bending is done hot, after which comes the inspect- ing of the bend. As the shoulder of the bend of one blade must be sufficiently accurate to form a nozzle when in conjunction with the edge of the next blade, this inspection is most important. The illustration showing the hydraulic bending presses shows also at Each blade must lie in the proper inspection form without shake Turbine Diaphragm Joints Having Different Angles at This work now is done while the blade is still flat in a vertical milling machine. The blade is mounted on the template or jig and a bevel cutter of proper angle removes stock on the edge to the desired amount. A roller on the end of the milling machine arbor, below the cutter, rides along the edge of the template to fol- low the contour desired. The saddle nut on the milling machine is disconnected, and a weight holds the saddle back so that the template is held against the roller, but left free to slide as actuated by the form of the tem- plate. A fixed key in the jig avoids the necessity for measuring. Center and Rim Are Planed in One Fixture in One Set-up left the inspection table and largest and smallest in- spection forms. The form has two pins against which the notches at each end of the exhaust edge fit. When resting against these pins, the blade must lie in the form without shake. This requires that the shoulder bend and edge be absolutely to drawing, which allows a tolerance of plus 0.000 in. minus 0.005 in., as these two with the adjacent blades form steam throats. Faults are corrected by peening until correct form is secured. Milling of the intake edge of the blade is the opera- tion next succeeding. This work is done in a large hori- October 23, 1924 zontal milling machine, on the table of which is mounted a long three-quarter round drum type fixture which has clamps adjustable for different lengths of blade. The blade is clamped lengthwise of the drum, using the valley of the bend as a bearing against the fixture. The THE IRON AGE 1049 of the turbine casing. The joint between the two halves must be absolutely tight and the pitch line of the blades must be centered. To make the job more difficult, dif- ferent angles are encountered in the joint in the dia- phragm center and rim. Babbitt Is Forced Centrifugally into Anchorage Grooves in Turbine Shaft Boxes. Boxes are preheated and the babbitt flow pipe has heat applied until inserted in pouring position drum is provided with trunnions and is held against a form by spring tension. The milling cutter is of angu- lar type. » Machining the diaphragms, when sent from. the foundry to the machine shop with-blades in place, pre- sents an interesting operation. These diaphragms are made in halves, as stated, to accommodate the halves Intake Edge of Blades Is Milled in a Special Fix- ture Adjustable for Blades of Different Lengths. Measuring on part ‘of operator is unnecessary Inset shows cutter position The first operation is the rough facing in a boring mill of one side of the diaphragm, to give a surface truer than the rough casting. For this set-up the cast- ing is registered from the height of blades. The pitch diameter of the blades is used to govern subsequent set-ups, which avoids the necessity for laying out the casting. The diaphragm half is then transferred to NID Or SP REINER ONO gp Se me evs ’ haa Rt ep " x ms s we i oe : S e he § ” i ., faite san tie. peor Perens + sie Sea Wraabs + ait nas ta J ¥ poate salen pia eee ee eer eas Nn eee eh tm ins Bs 5 Bl 4 ~ 4 ee ra eee aad ments teynntiir gn atetchRicet: ¢ fi * ‘ 7 — 1050 the planer, where the joints are planed. This is done in a special indexing fixture consisting of two plates, one superimposed. The lower plate is a little more than a half circle, placed with its straight edge along the planer table edge. The other plate is less than a half circle and swivels on the lower plate at the center. It is graduated on a part of its periphery. A link and screw with nut clamped in fixed position on the planer Pneumatic Drills Mounted and Adjustable Ver- tically on Columns Are Used to Drill Holes in Generator Shell Frames and Ribs. For outsid holes (view above) the shell is mounted on a turntable and revolves: for inside holes (view in circle) the shell surrounds the drill column, which revolves THE IRON AGE October 28, 1924 table serve to swivel the upper table, on which the cast- ing is mounted. A ground pin set at the center is employed to reg- ister the casting, measuring from this pin to the pitch diameter of the blades. Two removable standards are placed in a tee-slot in the edge of the lower plate, from which the rim ends must be equidistant when setting up. These standards are removed when the work is HOOOEDONSODADEUOEDS ADDERDDOOERRAAEDEREGOOEDOAEROGLADOAEGHONREDEOELASULINECUORDOASUUEGEOTONEEOTINLINSEDOUDEOLIDERENODORPTEDEEDOOG6* o0benNEO Cee NFaDE EL TONE ENERO EORRONERENRE CEH aah nanne A Special Radius Tool Is Employed in a Standard Floor Borer to Bore the Seats in Pillow Blocks for Self- Alining Bearings. Two facing heads, one on each side, operate at the same time October 23, 1924 placed and clamped down. The fixture is swiveled to proper graduations, according to drawing, by the screw and :ink referred to, for the different angles called for in the various parts of the joint. Naturally, the joint cuts through some of the blades. These partings are smoothed and slightly rounded, to avoid any obstruction to passage of steam. Subsequent operations are plan- ing keyways in joint, drilling, finish turning and turn- ing the packing ring groove. Turbine shafts run in babbitted boxes. After being machined, and having babbitt anchorage grooves cut in them, these are preheated before being placed in the babbitting machine, which casts the babbitt centrifu- gally. A fixture is clamped around the box and is then placed in the machine, which has two faceplates with journals cast integral. The bearing in which one face- plate revolves is fixed in position, the other is adjus- table longitudinally to allow space for setting the fix- ture between the plates and also to accommodate dif- ferent lengths of bearing boxes. This adjustment is effected by rack and pinion, with a ratchet on the pinion shaft. During the babbitting operation this entire work-carrying portion of the machine is revolved at 500 r.p.m. by an electric motor. Babbitt is introduced through a heated pipe by grav- ity. This pipe is carried on a column adjustable along an extension of the same rack which moves the work- supporting head. The feed pipe is heated by a movable gas torch with 18 flame outlets. When ready to pour, the torch is removed. The feed pipe enters through a hole in the near journal of the revolving mechanism and the babbitt is poured at the far end of the pipe, through a funnel-like opening in its support. One of the machining operations on these turbine NEW INDIAN TARIFF Legislation Protects Industry—Exports Larger— Freight Rates and Labor to Determine Future Market WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.—The recent enactment of a protective British Indian tariff to provide for the fos- tering and development of the steel industry in India has directed the attention of iron and steel producers to that country, according to G. E. Phoebus, Iron and Steel Division of the Department of Commerce. Whether the new tariff will have the effect of shutting out to a large extent the British and Continental manu- facturers who were so strongly entrenched in this mar- ket is a subject that is being given much consideration. The United Kingdom and Belgium have succeeded in gaining most of the Indian steel trade in recent months, with Germany taking an important share. Due partly to a lack of sufficient representation, American iron and steel have not been sold in great quantities in India recently, with the notable exception of tin plate. Another item that merits special consideration is rails and rail accessories, for which the Indian Govern- ment has provided the additional assistance of a bounty to be operative on rails and suitable fishplates manufac- tured in British India from material wholly or mainly produced from Indian iron ore and measuring up to the Railroad Board Specifications for rails and fishplates. This bounty is to be effective in decreasing amounts up to April 1, 1927. Consumption of Steel The Indian Tariff Board indicates that India’s pres- ent consumption of steel is about 700,000 gross tons an- nually and prior to the war exceeded 1,000,000 tons an- nually. In addition to the iron and steel imported, British India uses practically all of the domestic out- put, with the exception of pig iron and ferromanganese. During the second quarter of 1924, 4086 tons of ferro- manganese and 100,185 tons of pig iron were exported from India. Only 52,196 tons of pig iron and 1999 tons of ferromanganese were shipped to foreign countries in the corresponding period of 1923, and during the second quarter of 1922, no ferromanganese and only 16,918 tons of pig iron were exported. Japan has been THE IRON AGE 1051 shaft boxes is the turning of a radial portion at the center. This finds a seat in a corresponding radial portion bored in the pillow block, making the bearing self alining. That portion of the box is turned with a ball-turning rest. A special radius boring tool, devel- oped by the General Electric Co., is used to bore the seat in the pillow block. The bar on which this tool is used carries also two facing heads in the horizontal boring mill. The tool consists of an enlarged portion of the bar, in which is cut a slot. In this slot is a block carrying the tool bit. The block is pivoted and its swing through an arc is controlled by a screw carried through the bar and controlled from the far end by hand wheel and gearing. The sweep of the tool pro- duces a true radius, when set in central position in the block. The department devoted to turbine bu‘lding manu- factures also the generators which accompany the tur- bines. A drilling job on these generator shells has called forth a special arrangement for using pneumatic drills. The shells are built up of ribs and frames, requiring some bolt and rivet holes to be drilled after the shell is partly assembled. To drill and countersink those holes on the outside of the shell, a pneumatic drill has been mounted on a structural bracket which may be elevated or lowered on a column. Before the column is a turntable on which the shell is mounted, so that any part of it may be readily presented to the drill. Frame holes drilled from the inside of the shell are for attaching pole parts. These are drilled in a similar manner, except that a jig is used and the post or column on which the drill is mounted revolves, instead of the work. The shell is lowered over the post, entirely sur- rounding it. . the major market for Indian pig iron, but lately the United States has been receiving considerable quanti- ties also. The large increase in the exportation of pig iron is indicative of the rate of speed at which the dcmestic in- dustry is forging ahead. The Tata Iron & Stee! Co., Ltd., is erecting a modern iron and steel works which it hopes will be one of the largest steel producing units in the world after the materialization of its plans for expansion. The capacity of this company is probably about 650,000 gross tons of pig iron and 425,000 tons of finished steel per annum, In addition the Tata Iron & Steel Co. has interest in associated manufacturing con- cerns, among which is the Tin Plate Co. of India, Ltd., with a capacity of 3000 tons of tin plate per month. Possible Large Production The Bengal Iron Co., Ltd., is capable of turning out 200,000 tons of pig iron per annum and is now melting pig iron at the rate of 150,000 tons annually. The In- dian Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., is equipped forthe produc- tion of about 125,000 tons of pig iron per annum, with a possibility of increasing the capacity of its blast furnaces, if required. The United Steel Corporation of Asia has been formed by prominent British interests for the purpose of erecting a modern steel plant manu- facturing all basic steel products. Charcoal] blast fur- naces operated by the Mysore Distillation & Iron Works at Bhadravati are able to turn out around 22,000 tons of pig iron per year. British India has very large deposits of iron ore of excellent quality, an abundance of manganese, and clays that make satisfactory firebricks. However, the quantity of coal available for coke manufacture is lim- ited. The use of lower grade coal wherever possible has been advocated as a measure of preserving the coal that is suitable for metallurgical purposes. Freight rates and the availability of sufficient skilled labor at reasonable rates will be factors in determining India’s ability to sell steel in world markets in competition with the long established steel producing units. Plans are being developed by the Aetna Foundry & Machine Co., Warren, Ohio, for the construction of a 50 per cent addition to its machine shop capacity at Warren. aoe s - ech Pee ity singer ete + SEANCES ALD ARs RT AE a TT AS NON py pte oe is Seer an eee | aac nee, te oP ary nar uw oe < o7% ilaatineal 52) RN Se eR na ae a v- oT 0 4 Poe CS eas — Dae de nn ame ra a aan ote ee ae ae - e coon rere errees te Ria SN oe Oh ates a i nese elatiel an cenicnp tation nlite Age resent Sears Cn eee bry en Renee en ne Sane Se enane ee ples 0 ee x pe Rear 1052 Reduced Rates for Tin. Terne and Black Plate Not Justified WASHINGTON, Oct. 21.—The Interstate Commerce Commission last Thursday handed down a decision in which it held as not being justified proposed reduced rates on tin, terne and black plate from the Pittsburgh district to the Houston, Tex., district. The schedules suggesting the lower rates were ordered canceled. The present rates, which are to remain in effect, to the Houston group are 80c. per 100 lb. on tin plate and 90c. on the other commodities mentioned. The proposed rates were on tin and terne plate in straight or mixed carloads 76c. and on black plate in carloads, 75.4c. The 90c. rate on terne plate, which also applies on tin and terne plate in mixed carloads, represents the New Or- leans combination, and from Sept. 29, 1922, to Oct. 14, 1928, was 76c. The proposed reductions had been made at the suggestion of the Houston Chamber of Com- merce and manufacturing consumers in the Houston district who at the conclusion of the hearing in the case announced that in view of a controversy which had arisen they were no longer interested in the proposed reduced rates and desired that the all-rail rates be maintained on a normal all-rail basis. One of the principal reasons for the changed atti- tude of the Houston interests was that protest had been made that the establishment of the proposed rates on tin and terne plate would subject Dallas and Fort Worth, Tex., jobbers and manufacturers to competition with Houston jobbers and manufacturers in a large, common territory and to undue prejudice and disadvan- tage and would prevent the building of a proposed plate manufacturing plant at Dallas or Fort Worth. Trustees of Central Manufacturing District to Erect Plant for American Bolt Corporation Business growth and the need of improved shipping facilities have led the American Bolt Corporation to locate in the central manufacturing district of Chicago, where the company has selected a site and approved plans for the erection of a new Chicago warehouse and shop and will lease both land and building from the trustees of the district. The new plant will be built on West Forty-seventh Street near South Turner Avenue. Land with improve- ments will represent an investment of about $230,000. The building, designed by A. Epstein, structural engi- neer, will be two stories in front and one in the rear, faced with brick and terra cotta trim. It will contain 64,134 sq. ft. of floor space. The American Bolt Corporation is a consolidation of four of the leading bolt manufacturers in the country, with works at Bayonne, N. J., Columbus, Ohio, and De- troit, as well as Chicago. The Chicago plant formerly was operated by the Boss Nut Co., one of the firms in- cluded in the consolidation. The corporation makes bolts, nuts, rivets and boss lock nuts. Iron Mining in 1923 Iron produced in the United States in 1923 amounted to 69,351,442 gross tons, compared with 47,- 128,527 tons in 1922, according to figures of the United States Geological Survey. Nearly two-thirds of the total, or 44,348,296 gross tons, were mined in Minne- sota, Michigan being second with 14,174,468 tons and Alabama third with 6,783,146 tons. No other State reached 1,000,000 tons, Pennsylvania falling just below with 993,441 tons. The figures are exclusive of ore containing 5 per cent or more of manganese. The average value at the mines was $3.45 per ton, com- pared with $3.12 in 1922. Stocks of ore at the mines at the end of 1923 were 10,165,875 gross tons. Pro- duction for the year was the fourth largest ever re- corded. Lake Superior ores accounted in 1923 for 59,285,408 tons, or over 85 per cent of the total. Nearly all of this tonnage was hematite, with 59,196,734 tons. The remaining 88,674 tons was magnetite. Of the entire ore THE IRON October 23, 1924 AGE production for the year hematite is given 65,924,454 tons, brown ore as 1,232,848 tons (with some hematite included in reports from some of the smaller districts), 2,190,624 tons of magnetite and 3516 tons of carbonate. Shipments from the mines in 1923 are given as 69,- 811,472 gross tons, valued at $240,738,921, compared with 50,612,620 tons in 1922, valued at $157,809,286. Manganese Ore Imports in Third Quarter Imports of manganese ore in the third quarter of this year registered a decline of 90,000 tons from the total imports in the second quarter, according to statis- tics compiled by the Iron & Ore Corporation of America, 11 Broadway, New York. Only 60,229 gross tons of manganese ore was received from all countries in July, August and September, according to these figures. In July shipments totaled 35,156 gross tons; in August, 21,073 gross tons and in September, 4000 gross tons. The third quarter tonnage was made up as follows: Caucasus, 13,316 gross tons; Brazil, 23,713 gross tons; India, 22,000 gross tons and Porto Rico, 1200 gross tons. Improvements of Delaware River Steel Co. Extensive improvements will be made to the blast furnace plant of the Delaware River Steel Co. at Ches- ter, Pa., contracts for which have been awarded to Arthur G. McKee & Co., Cleveland. The hand-filled furnace will be converted into a skip filled unit, the new work including a steel stock trestle with a Baker suspension type of ore storage bins, coke bins, skip bridge, new furnace top with a McKee revolving dis- tributor and electrically operated bell rigs, scale car, skip cars and other auxiliaries necessary to make the furnace modern and efficient. The plant of the Dela- ware River Steel Co. is the only merchant furnace lo- cated directly on tidewater in the United States and in order to provide for the unloading of foreign ores a new dock will be built, the contract for which has been placed with J. E. Brenneman & Co., Philadelphia. On this an ore handling plant designed by the Brown Hoisting Machinery Co., Cleveland, will be operated. Wholesale Prices in September After an increase in August prices in September receded in many particulars, leaving an average of 148.8, compared with 100 in 19138, according to figures of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The present figure is 3.2 per cent lower than that for Sep- tember of last year. Metals and metal products continue to show decreases, standing now, with the exception of the miscellaneous item, at the lowest point of any of the groups. Metal products are 28.2 per cent above the 1913 level, compared with 48.8 per cent for the entire list. Except for foods and chemicals and drugs, all items showed a decrease from the previous year. Details are shown in the table: Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices, by Groups of Commodities (1913 100.0) Decrease Sept., -——1924——.._ in One Year, Group 1923 Aug. Sept. Per Cent Farm products........ 143.7 145.3 143. 0.4 Foods aes idence ae 147.3 144.0 147.7 *0.3 Cloths and c'lothing.... 201.7 189.9 186.5 7.5 Fuel and lighting...... 175.8 169.7 168. 4.4 Metals and metal prod- ee erry ere ee 144.1 130.4 128.2 11.0 Building materials..... 181.8 169.2 170.7 6.1 Chemicals.and drugs.. 127.8 130.1 130.6 *2.2 House-furnishing goods 182.6 171.0 171.1 6.3 Miscellaneous ........ 120.9 115.0 115.8 4.2 All commodities....... 153.7 149.7 148.8 3.2 *Increase, Our readers are warned against an impostor using the names Edward Winslow and Jean Oliver, and known also as Raisen and Cline. He has no connection with this office and is not authorized to solicit subscriptions to THE IRON AGE. ’ Foundrymen Discuss 65 Papers and Reports Sand and Steel Sessions Center Attention—New Data on Gray and Malleable Iron—Apprentice Training Featured N several respects the American Foundrymen’s Association has never held a greater convention and exhibition than its twenty-eighth, at Milwaukee, It had been 17 months since the convention at Cleve- expressed often by members and exhibitors. land, early in May, 1923. held in the fall months. the spring at Rochester in 1922 Since the one at Columbus, The only other two since 1920—one year having been omitted—were held in and last year at Cleveland. last week, Oct. 13 to 16—this was the opinion Ohio, in October, 1920, this is the first to be The registered attendance at Milwaukee was larger than at any other convention—over 5000—an increase over the best previous figure. This does not include nearly 500 ladies. The central location of Milwaukee tended to draw foundrymen and others from many sections of the United States and Canada. Over 60 Canadians were registered at one booth. adjoining halls, meant much for the success of the meeting. men held their twenty-third convention. The spacious Milwaukee auditorium, with its excellent Six years ago in the same place the foundry- The international feature was again emphasized by the attendance of several distinguished foreign foundrymen and the presentation of exchange papers by Belgian and French representatives. usual program of high-grade papers was attentively listened to and discussed. excelled in not the largest in number of exhibitors, An un- The exhibition, while impressive. other respects and was particularly Foundrymen and exhibitors departed from Milwaukee well satisfied. Varied Program of Timely Papers HIRTEEN sessions, including the annual business meeting, them simultaneously with others, from Monday afternoon, Oct. 13, conducted, most of noon, Oct. 16. At were successfully to Thursday these about 50 papers and 15 committee reports were presented and discussed—a formidable achieve- ment. sessions being outstanding in their excellence. largest attendance. General comment was quite marked this year that the papers were of a high grade, some of the Two Other programs covered three sessions on non-ferrous metals, two on steel castings noteworthy sessions on sand problems drew the and one each on electric furnace gray iron, malleable iron, gray cast iron, apprentice training and foun- dry costs. Foundry Sands and S HE two sessions on sand problems were the best attended of any. Five papers and five committee reports were read and discussed by an enthusastic audience. Committee Reports At the first session on “Foundry Sand,” Walter M. Saunders, Saunders & Franklin, Providence, R. L., presided. The first item was the reading of the report of the chairman of the Joint Committee on Molding Sand Research. This was duly referred to the execu- tive committee of the association for action. Next came the report of the chairman of the Sub- committee on Tests of the Joint Committee on Molding Sand Research. This was read by Prof. Heinrich Ries, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. This report referred to the standard methods of testing molding sand, already published by the association, as well as corrections and additions made subsequent to the date of issue—June, 1924. The subjects of compression and refractoriness were indicated as on the immediate program of work. Refractoriness tests will be made on the “fusing points” of sands, as well as the “soften- ing points” or points of incipient fusion—which is an- other matter. Further, there will be made a study of the deterioration of sands. The method used is to heat the sand up to 600 deg. Fahr. for 2 hr., and then make the usual tests for quality. Discussion Dr. Ries, in the discussion, brought out the fact that, while most of those who had carried through the proposed standard sand tests, by the methods and on They are reviewed in the following pages. 1053 Sand Research the machines recommended by the committee, obtained excellent results, there were some who had not been so fortunate. These the committee would like to help, if they would make known their troubles. H. M. Bougher, of the J. W. Paxson Co., stated that it would be difficult to apply the tests in view of the differences in the sands themselves and the various ways in which the sands were dug and blended. Dr. Moldenke objected to the “blending” of molding sands in general, as the mixing of a fine sand with coarse materials were not good for the quality, particularly the permeability of the resulting material. Further- more, bad material would be mixed with the good and the resulting mixture be worse than if the sands had been kept separate. It further developed, as reported by several of the foundrymen present, that sand-test- ing according to the methods of the association had saved them many lost castings. Mr. Harrington men- tioned that 40 to 100 sand determinations were made daily under his direction, and sand losses had prac- tically ceased. The report was passed on to the board for action. Work of Geological Surveys Dr. Ries next gave his report as chairman of the Sub-committee on Geological Surveys. He described the work being done in the several States in which molding sands occur, and what steps were being taken to harmonize the methods of operation used with the aims of the sand research committee. It was slow work, as political bodies cannot act quickly. Many of the samples taken were sent in to the committee for test. So far, 589 tests had been made, and mostly on webeeeieearrrar ” PERRO A ORR Or S * 5 , ateee pomtihe= aT 7 ee peels sare GT > ETN ANA RR gS RRR EN NR IR a et eens Me ee ng s be pepe ene rat i cin P ‘om i? ree e nnn c en a) 7 , si eae ieee Set See aes er 1054 sands so far unworked, but sufficiently close to rail transportation. to have potential value. The committee asks for cooperation on the part of foundrymen in States where their geological surveys are not active in this direction. The report was sent on to the board. Prof. H. M. Leighton, chief of the geological survey of Illinois, next discussed the investigation on molding sands of Illinois. Samples had been collected in all counties having sand deposits, as well as taken from 40 foundries, the object being to learn what was wanted. All producing pits were visited and 29 new localities found. The sand resources of the State for molding purposes were established as being between 3 and 9 million tons. One hundred and thirty-nine sam- ples were tested, 42 being from new pits. The foun- dries of Illinois had cooperated splendidly. Special at- tention had been given the question of the life of mold- In the discussion Dr. Ries offered a reso- results to be ing sands. lution urging that Illinois permit the promptly published; this was carried. Permeability Apparatus Prof. T. C. Adams of Cornell University presented a paper on the “Development and Comparison of Permeability Apparatus.” This was by lantern slides almost wholly. The development of the different types of apparatus step by step here and abroad was shown, and possible improvements indicated. The permeabiiity test is one of the most important of the sand tests and divides itself into the preparation of the sample and the test itself. Commercial Application of Sand Testing H. W. Dietert, U. S. Radiator Corporation, then read his paper on the “Commercial Application of Molding Sand Testing.” He followed the several tests made on sands with their practical results when stand- ardized for the shop requirements. Thus, for sand- tempering, it made some difference in lost castings whether the sand was either just too dry or just too wet. The relative value of knowing the cohesion and permeability figures of the sand-heaps, as also of the new sand used, was discussed. Also the life of molding sand, as indicated by a heat test of the material under 600 deg. Fahr. for 2 hr. Some interesting figures re- sulted which gave facts regarding the amount of new sand to be added daily. The author has tried to bring the testing of sand—for his works’ purposes especially, to a practical basis, and has so interested the men in charge of foundry operations as well as the molders themselves, in a small molding floor test room that they give the closest attention to the condition of the heaps and facing sands used to make certain of get- ting good work. The results of the life tests indicate that the loss runs from 20 to 40 per cent, the former for Northern sands, and the latter for the Southern varieties. Effect of Water on Bond and Permeability The paper by C. R. Nevin, Cornell University, on the “Relation of Water to Bond and Permeability,” was read by Dr. Ries. Mr. Nevin went into the subject of the sand bond, calling attention to the fact that in addition to clay we have silica and iron oxide as bond material when in the colloidal state—or ex- tremely finely divided. The addition of water would make these minute particles act entirely different than when they are dry, the addition of little water causing the bond particles to crawl around the sand grains and thus at once opening up the structure of the sand for the passage of gases. More water would spoil this effect by making the bond material soggy and lumpy. This point was illustrated by lantern slides and gave a good idea of how the original permeability of a new sand is affected by water additions, as well as how “tempering” affects the regular sand-heaps. Dye Adsorption Tests R. F. Harrington, W. L. MacComb and M. A. Hosmer, of the Hunt-Spiller Corporation, Boston, gave the results of their studies on the “Effect of Heat on THE IRON AGE October 23, 1924 the Clay Content of Molding Sands, as shown by the Dye Adsorption Tests.” Among the many tests made were those by heating the sands at low to very high temperatures, and making dye-adsorption tests of the materials thus treated. These tests were checked up with actual long time runs of the same sands on the foundry floor, the idea being to get at the reliability of such tests. Discussion In the discussion that followed the relative values of the cohesion and the permeasility tests were weighed, as also the applicability of the dye-adsorption test in general. The consensus of opinion seemed to lie in the use of the dye-adsorption test for bond for checking up new sands, and the cohesion test for the regular sand-heap standardization. H. M. Lane called attention to the differences in sand as used by the foundrymen discussing the subject. A. A. Grubb be- lieved that the dye adsorption would always be used, as it gave a measure of the value of the clay bond. More, however, should be known of the fineness of the clay—its colloidal condition. It was not sufficient to know the fineness of the silica component only. Dr. Ries asked if any other dyes than the class used had been tried out. No information was forthcoming, however, on this point. Mr. Saunders then closed the session with some remarks on the dye-adsorption method and its use. Grading Molding Sands On reconvening the following day for the second sand session, Dr. Ries read a paper by C. R. Nevin, Cornell University, on the “Grading of Molding Sands.” The unreliability of sand numbers was shown, and it was urged that steps be taken to enable the sand producers to speak in a common language. The foundrymen could then know what they would get in the way of sand fineness when ordering their supply of this basic material. Several methods of grading were indicated, notably one running the range from extra weak, weak, medium, etc., to strong and extra strong. Much was shown by lantern slides of the con- fusion of grading terms, and attempts to classify the fineness results of tests gave very queer looking curves and complicated tables. Discussion In the discussion, therefore, Dr. Moldenke called attention to this ultra-scientific method of approaching a subject of very practical requirements. He urged ‘at all these scientific investigations, certainly neces- sary to get light on the subject, should, however, be combined with some way to translate the situation into ordinary foundry language so that foundrymen could take with them something tangible even when the elaborate test apparatus was not at hand in their shops. To some of the thousands of foundries for whom this investigation had been made the results were un- intelligible. He hoped that a sub-committee would be formed to take the data as fast as obtained and put them into understandable language for the plain foundryman. Dr. Moldenke was answered by several members of the committee, who assured the foundrymen present that everything was being done to arrive at just such a desirable situation, but the work was not quite advanced enough as yet for this. It would, however, be kept in sight in the future. New French Mold Hardness Tester R. J. Doty now took the chair from W. M. Saunders, and called attention to the international aspect of the work being done on molding sands. He introduced E. Ronceray’s son, who presented his father’s paper on a “New French Mold Hardness Tester.” This was an ingenious type of sand Brinell ball tester, which could be placed upon a mold surface and pushed home. The ball, kept outward by a spring, would then make an indentation, the diameter of which could be measured and give a line on the compactness of the sand surface of the mold. Slides were shown as to how the tester could be applied all over a mold surface to get an October 23, 1924 idea as to the compression produced by “jolting” up molds in machines, ete. Discussion H. M. Lane discussed the instrument, and Dr. Moldenke recalled the fact that the first instrument of this kind was devised over 20 years ago by the late Thomas D. West, and explained and shown at the In- dianapolis meeting of the association. Sand Mixtures and Properties of Molds and Castings The next paper, by R. F. Harrington, A. S. Wright and M. A. Hosmer, on “A Study of Various Molding Sand Mixtures, together with the Physical Properties ef the Molds and the Castings Produced,” was read by Mr. Harrington, whose idea was to put the men of the shop to testing the heaps and the operation of the ma- chines with this sand, to get the best results. A num- ber of studies were made with correlated results as to number and kind of castings obtained. Permeability in the sands was found most important, inasmuch as no venting was used at the foundry in question. It should not be lost sight of that whatever the density of the skin of a mold—through graphite coating, the sand behind it must vent well, and that practically al- together to carry off mold gases and not iron gases. They had devised a special machine, by which air was forced through a mold body when placed upon the mold surface, by a small positive blower provided with a manometer to register the pressure required for given permeabilities. The consequence was that no other mold-tester was needed. The sum and substance of the investigations was that, with the proper k‘nd of sand used, this must not THE IRON AGE 1055 be maltreated; that good treatment of the wrong kind of sand did not help, either. Further, the standardiza- tion of the sand heaps according to the required prop- erties resulted in a marked reduction in machine re- pair, less castings lost, better castings made. It developed that the sea-coal used could be made much finer and hence go further; 85 per cent of the sea- coal as ground at the plant ran through 200 mesh screens. A long discussion followed and was participated in by H. M. Lane, W. D. Moore, Eugene Smith, R. F. Harrington, R. J. Doty and others. Molding Sand Reclamation F. L. Wolf read his and A. A. Grubb’s paper on “Molding Sand Reclamation and Control Experi- ments.” The work for this was done at their plant, the Ohio Brass Co., of Mansfield, Ohio. The steel foundry has the best chance for results along this line. The Dorr Co., with the Eastern Steel Castings Co., have been working on this problem with consider- able success. The Ohio Brass Co. now does not dis- card sand, but reclaims it. The Hunt-Spiller Corpora- tion had done much work in this direction, also look- ing forward toward synthetic sand-making fer their high class work. The paper was not discussed very fully. Physical Properties of Foundry Sands A paper by C. A. Hansen, General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y., on the “Physical Properties of Foundry Sands,” was read by W. H. Dietert, which went thoroughly into the matter from a very highly scientific standpoint. Owing to the lateness of the Sour it was not discussed. Malleable Casting Problems WELL diversified program on malleable iron prob- lems was offered in the one session devoted to this industry. Most of the time was given to two subjects: Graphitization of white cast iron and the problem of bringing this about more rapidly, and the use of pow- dered coal in malleable furnaces. Rapid Malleablizing and Intermediate Products A subject around which considerable controversy has waged in the columns of THE IRON AGE and else- where, is discussed in the paper by Dr. Anson Hayes, W. J. Diederichs and H. E. Flanders, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, entitled “The Mechanism of Graphitization of White Cast Iron and Its Application to the Malleableizing Process.” One of the first occasions on which this subject was publicly discussed was the sectional meeting of the American Society for Steel Treating at Moline, IIll., last spring (THE Iron AGE, May 29, 1924) an abstract of the paper then pre- sented being published in THE IRoN AGE, June 19, 1924, and various comments by H. A. Schwartz appear- ing in later issues. The paper at this convention presented by Dr. Hayes is a further discussion of and contribution to the same subject. The mechanism which the authors explain leads to the belief that complete graphitization can be brought about in much shorter periods than are now the commercial practice. That a whole series of intermediate products of graded physical properties could be produced by only minor variations in the annealing treatment is also indicated. Dr. Hayes’s paper reports work done at Iowa State College, which, in combination with reports of work of other investi- gators, resulted in a theory for the mechanism of com- plete graphitization of white iron and also reports results of the application of this theory. It is stated that the precipitation of the first ferrite about the primary carbon spot is due to two factors; first, the carbon spot promotes the precipitation of carbon, and second, it acts as an inclusion to promote the separa- tion of ferrite. Evutectoid action after the ferrite en- velope is completed takes place by the deposition of ferrite upon that already in the shell, which carbon is precipitated throughout, forming the small carbon spots. These carbon spots may therefore be considered as evidence of an eutectoid structure. The formation of the ferrite shell around the primary carbon spots, as outlined in the paper, produces the well known “bulls-eye” structure. A series of experiments dis- cussed leads to the conclusion that if carbon is once deposited in poor form, subsequent treatment will prove of no appreciable value in correcting it. Discussion H. A. Schwartz, manager of research, National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, very ably discussed this paper, giving the main points in writing. After dwelling on the theoretical metal- lurgical phase he said, as to the possible intermediate products, that the demand for these would be relatively small. Their machining he considered a drawback. What is really needed is a malleable product having satisfactory shock resistance properties for competi- tion in the field of small steel castings. He recognized the need of rapid graphitization, but he considered this an engineering problem. Whether X-rays can solve any of the problems in the mechanism of graphitization was brought up by Dr. Ancel St. John, New York, who indicated that this method of analysis will distinguish very small particles, even carbon in the colloidal state. Dr. Hayes agreed that X-ray study would be of great assistance in an- alyzing the situation, but this has not been possible in his laboratory thus far. Mr. Schwartz added that he had done some work with Dr. E. C. Bain, but the results had not justified talking about, though he had always felt that the X-ray spectrometer could be valu- able in some way. The question of oven atmosphere and the difficulty of graphitizing in hydrogen or in a vacuum was brought up by Prof. Enrique Touceda, Albany, N. Y., who described some of his experiments, particu- larly the disappearance of the carbon under some con- ditions. W. R. Bean, research engineer, Eastern Malleable Castings Co., Naugatuck, Conn., declared his belief also that the 31-hr. annealing process is an en- 1056 gineering problem in which the expensive equipment would be a factor in costs or fixed charges. ‘In the East he said the machining problem was the largest one and that malleable castings are the most easily machined of any ferrous metals. Powdered Coal in Malleable Plants The experience, after a period of about three years, of the Ohio Brass Co., Mansfield, Ohio, in the use of powdered coal in a new plant making malleable cast- ings was discussed in a paper, “Powdered Coal in a Malleable Casting Plant,” by F. L. Wolff and William Romanoff, technical superintendent and metallurgist respectively of that company. Mr. Romanoff presented the paper. An average ratio of 3 lb. of metal melted per pound of pulverized coal consumed is the testimony of the authors who discuss the theory of powdered coal, factors affecting its efficiency and, finally, furnace op- erations. They close with the statement that they have recently extended its use to their new boiler plant and that they feel that powdered coal can be used in a malleable plant to the satisfaction of even the most critical. Discussion Several representatives of malleable plants con- ducted a running discussion of various facts in the paper, among these being Mr. Lansing, Lakeside Malle- able Co., Milwaukee; W. R. Bean, Eastern Malleable Castings Co.; David McIntosh, Newark Malleable Cast- ings Co., Newark, N. J., and others, including the two authors. It was brought out that in the Mansfield plant no foreign scrap was used and that the amount of pig iron used depended on the scrap available; that if there is a decrease in oxidation loss as a result of powdered coal, less pig iron is necessary; that the cost of pulverizing varies, it being $1.65 per ton at the Mansfield plant. One speaker testified that comparing pulverized and hand-fired equipment, he had found that about 33 1/3 per cent of the charge could be pig iron in the former, but 45 to 48 per cent was necessary in the latter. W. R. Bean agreed that pulverized coal has a place in melting and annealing malleable cast- ings, but that, with the high cost of installation, foundrymen must consider all phases carefully. A small plant can not come down to the figures usually given. Broadening an Industry's Horizon The three papers scheduled were supplemented by a fourth one, not on the program nor preprinted, on THE IRON AGE October 23, 1924 “Broadening an Industry’s Horizon,” by A. L. Esch- man, Cleveland, Ohio. It was an excellent review of the progress in research in the malleable industry and a recital of some of the achievements. He showed how the constant demand for better castings had been met in the establishment of higher specifications. He discussed some of the fallacies which had been dis- proved by research, particularly in that the value of such castings lies on the surface alone. He discussed the large field for malleable castings in that these could meet the requirements of strength combined with easy machining, shock and rust resistance, etc., and that in the automobile of today there are 200 to 250 lb. of such castings besides a large quantity used in motor trucks. He pointed to the establishing of voluntary standards and quality as a striking example of group effort in raising the standards of an industry. Oxidation Losses in Air Furnace Melting In a contribution entitled, “Oxidation Losses Dur- ing Air Furnace Melting of White Cast Iron,” the author, H. A. Schwartz, Cleveland, gave the results of a study of the composition of air furnace slags obtained under various degrees of oxidation in the oil fired fur- naces at the Iowa Malleable Iron Co. The bearing of these observed compositions on various hypotheses regarding the mechanism of slag formation is pointed out, although no definite conclusions have been drawn regarding the physical chemistry of the process. It is hoped that besides the use made of the data in the present paper, the observation may be of service as a record of slag compositions, for the benefit of future workers in the same field. The foundryman may here find information regarding the loss of iron by oxida- tion, during melting. A method is also suggested for deter