The Iron Age 1925-11-12: Vol 116 Iss 20

Saeed ae Ree THE IRON AGE New York, November 12, 1925 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 116, No. 20 Time of Pouring Large Ingots Knowledge of Its Relation to Temperature a Basis for Fundamental Improvement in Quality of Steel—Time Study on Various Ingots Bs J. Hi. composition and of the heat treatment of car- bon and alloy steels are well known and although this knowledge is being usefully employed in the pro- duction of steel, the manufacture of sound ingots still remains a strict matter of experience, or rather a re- sult of careful observa- tions. RUYUUUAULAUs4sUa ALiALE Thus, to produce a A composi many of the specific effects of chemical VALLUTORUGALL ALES POUR ANGUS SASHA HRUSKA* to the moment when the mold is filled to the sinkhead, which method is probably the only logical one. The results of the many observations may be best compared from the diagram: Curve 1 represents a summary of measurements made on ingots poured from heats generally referred to as “cold.” Curve 2 shows the time of pouring on “hot” steel. Curve “A,” however, rep- resents the average time at good large ingot accord- 60 | a - ing to the specific effects il already known,two funda-_ _. 30) —" mental principles should be carried out. These are as fullows: A well deoxi- dized quiet steel and a proper speed of pouring (in addition to a correct = q which large ingots should be | NY SS poured under the mentioned TH LN conditions in order to assure SAM a satisfactory metal without RES cracks or blowholes near or on the surface. All the observations de- scribed herewith refer to in- gots which were found after design of the ingot mold). The latter requirement— proper s pee d— includes the point usually consid- eee ered as very important, 0 0 30 40 the temperature during pouring. It is evident, TIME OF POURING,MIN SIZE OF INGOT, TONS cooling and during forging to be practically perfect. Generally the points of the observed intervals do not fall exactly for a 50 60 70 80 90 WO smooth curve to pass through all points. Smooth curves were constructed however, that a regula- Curve A Represents Average Time for the Pouring so as to represent a mean tion of temperature by of Large Steel Ingots so as to Insure the Best Results of all the points. the speed of pouring can be carried out only when UU | nim the volume of molten metal delivered per time unit into the mold is sufficiently small, i. e., the nozzle must be so dimensioned as to compromise the mentioned requirement and the erosion as well as the corrosion by the poured metal. As a standard for the following observations the pouring ladles were equipped with 134-in. nozzles. Time of Pouring and Size of Ingots In studying the time of pouring, the influence of differences in chemical composition, particularly the carbon contents, having no wider limits than the usual forging quality, i.e., 0.20 to 0.45 per cent carbon, was so small that it was altogether ignored unless special steel ingots were produced. The temperature of the molten metal, however, was very closely watched be- cause of the noticeable effect upon the time of pouring. In the following paragraphs this important feature is designated as a conclusive result of careful time studies and observations. By “time of pouring” is understood the number of minutes which elapse from the first metal in the mold *Metallurgist International Harvester Co. McCormick Works, Chicago. At one time the author was connected with the Skoda Works in Czechoslovakia. Ingots with weights up to about 20 tons are nearly all close to the line, with only a few exceptions. All values tended to be- come more or less irregular when the ingot weight was greater than 20 tons. It also should be noticed that the general shape of the curves changes in values close to 18 to 20 tons, which was practically considered as the limit for bottom-poured ingots. LEVI TADEOGADGLUDADAAEMPOA SOUTER NTN EU TPE AUNT Time Studies on Various Ingots In the following lines the author gives a few of his time studies made on typical big-end-up ingots of an octagonal cross-section: Weight of ingot, tons... 5 15 30 60 80 Elec- Basic Acid Basic Basic Melting furnace........ tric O.H. O.-H. O.-H. O.-H. Furnace tapped...... Tae ¢exaar @ wane beeen aénen Pouring started ‘ 7:09 8:09 11:49 9:24 12:13 Mold filled up to sink- EE 2 cu= chbue tenses a 7:14 8:17 12:22 10:05 1:06 (12:34 Sample of steel taken... 7:15 $:19 12:24 10:08412 os 1:0 Pouring finished........ 7:19 8:25 12:30 10:19 1:21 Pouring time in min.... 5 8 33 41 53 Conclusions In the manufacture of large ingots the importance of a correct time of pouring should not be neglected. To a certain extent the proper pouring temperature, usually considered as the most effective point in the 1305 area Bifee re ety a ie, aa r is 1306 production of a large ingot, can be conveniently regu- lated so that even a “hot” steel can be poured “colder” by means of giving a lower speed of pouring, or in other words, a longer time. The detection of the exact THE IRON AGE November 12, 1925 relationship of both factors—time and pouring tem- perature—and its practical application in the making of ingot steel will probably be one of the fundamental improvements in the quality of forging steel. New 600-Ton Central Furnace Stack Better Steel Control and Economies in Manufac- turing Cost Anticipated HE Central Furnace Co. construction program at Massillon, Ohio, is the only instance this year of new blast furnace construction subsidiary to steel works operation. The Central Furnace Co. is a sub- sidiary of the Central Steel Co., which is adding to its control of raw materials for steel making. Having made a specialty of high-grade steel products, control of the quality of pig iron entering into its open-hearth steel has for some time been the aim of the manage- ment, Besides definite advantages in control of steel man- ifacture, the company will realize considerable econ- omy in manufacturing cost by the use of hot metal, by the utilization of the power from excess blast furnace gas and through the sale of slag. Completion of the program includes by-product coke ovens and extension The bins are Hoover & Mason type, with new de- sign of car and roller gates. The ore yard and bins will be served by Alliance bridge and car dumper. A double strand pig machine is provided, while slag dis- posal is by ladle. Construction was started March 9, 1925, when exca- vation of the hillside for bins was begun, excavated material being used for fill in the ore yard. Work was started also on the main track leading from the steel plant yards to the site on the plateau. Concrete was started for bin foundations and retaining wall May 4 and completed Aug. 1. Excavation and concreting for furnace and stove foundations were finished the latter part of May and furnace and stove erection started June 16 and June 25, respectively. To Oct. 15, 132,600 cu. yd. of excavation has been ugust T he f the power program At tl time the blast furnace t only is under constructior Adaptation was made of the topography of the site constructio1 The furnace, stoves, gas cleaning and e dust recovery system, boiler and power plant and ig casting machine are located on the plateau imme- alate ly at the edge of the hillside, overlooking the ley The hillside excavated for the bins and tock house, that the bin tracks are level with the ant yard level, and the stock yard floor is 40 ft. be- al plant yard level. and storage yard for ore gene! This puts the car dumper and down on the the existing steel plant. limestone ’ . > general track level of The plant is to consist of one 600-ton furnace, with ur hot blast stoves, gas cleaning system consisting if gas washer and heat interchanger, flue dust recov- ery system consisting of primary and secondary dust catcher, Dorr thickener, continuous filter and sintering 5500-hp. boiler house with gas, powdered coal and coke braize firing, power house with turbo-blowers, 10.000 kw. of generating capacity, pumps for water circulation, water system consisting of deep well pumps, combined lime-Permutit water treating plant for fur- nace and condenser water and spray pond. plant, lower portion of the I foreground stack appears prominently, with two of the will be the bins and stock house moved and used for backfill and grading and 19,000 cu yd. of concrete placed. There have been employed an 165 men, 100 mules and horses and six Gravel, sand and cement are all brought in average of shovels by truck A. F. tion and Wendling & Co. are contractors on excava- concrete. Riter-Conley Co. is erecting the plate steel and McClintic-Marshall Co. the structural steel. B. F. Fairless is in charge of construction for the Central Steel Co. Freyn Engineering Co., consult- ing engineer, Chicago, prepared plans, designs and specifications and has a resident supervising engineer on the work. W. S. Orr, chief engineer; Floyd Ever- hart, blast furnace superintendent; J. D. Donovan, superintendent electrical and mechanical departments, and George D. Evans, purchasing agent, are active in the work. It is expected to finish the plant during April, 1926 The production executives’ division of the American Association will hold the second of a series of conferences on employee representation at the Kansas City Athletic Club, Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Management Economical Repairs by Welding Steel Mill Maintenance Work Expedited By Use of Arc Process—Applications Include Re- pairing of Cars and Locomotives’ there is no industrial plant in which the tools of production are subjected to such strenuous service and which sustain greater financial losses due to forced shut downs than a modern steel mill. It follows there- fore that there is unusual pressure on the maintenance departments of steel mills to be always on the alert for any processes or apparatus which will enable them to expedite repairs. By using the are welding process steel mill opera- tives have found that a great many repairs previously considered impossible can now be made; that the cost of making numerous repairs has been materially re- duced, sometimes to 10 per cent of previous costs; the time required to make -various repairs has been lowered; the life of certain repaired parts is greater than the life of the original parts; and that a large number of repairs can be made on auxiliary equipment such as steam locomotives. One of the most remunerative repair jobs received Fr may be stated without fear of contradiction that *General engineer, Westinghouse Electri & Mfg. C East Pittsburgh Fig. 1 (Upper)— View of Driving Spindle Before Building Up of Pods by Means of Welding Arc Fig. 2 (Lower)— Spindle After Building Up of Pods. A deposit of high-mangan- ese steel properly quenched has been found to give best results QORONNOND ENE THOR veri ITNONLOTOETOHCOONNEHONONOGUDSEOLONUENDONORHOONEOOUEONDAUENEDENEEY (ou erDDOEDES ORD ONDESSINNED FeREFHONYEODOSeNOErNENDDEESETHONNE TS ne A BY A. M. CANDY* by the welding department is the steel mill driving spindle, the pods of which become worn rapidly in service by the coupling box pods. The appearance of one of these spindles, before and after building up of the pods, may be noted from Figs. 1 and 2, respec- tively. These spindles, which when new cost several hundred dollars apiece, can be reclaimed for $25 to $50 each, depending upon the size. The wear on the pods is principally an abrasive action and, there- fore, to obtain the maximum life, it has been found that a deposit of high-manganese steel properly quenched gives the best results. When the pods are badly worn low carbon steel is used as a base and the high manganese material is used only for the last % in. to % in. layer. In many cases it has been found that pods built up in this manner will outwear the original steel casting. Teeth of Large Pinions Built Up Steel mill pinions represent even a greater sal- vaging opportunity since they are much more expen- sive, running about $2,400 for a 46,000-lb. pinion. Not ee a 1308 only can the pods on the pinion ends be built up, but worn or damaged teeth can also be repaired. Figs. 3 and 4 show a pinion before and during the operation of repairing broken teeth. It is not uncommon for collars on rolls to become chipped or in some cases badly broken. These parts can be restored to service readily by use of the welding arc. By continually repairing pinions, rolls and spin- dles one plant has found it unnecessary to buy any new parts of this type for a period of five years. Another application is the welding of an open-hearth cooler, Fig. 5 showing the cooler as prepared for weld- ing and Fig. 6 showing the cooler welded, ready for service. A striking example of savings resulting from em- ployment of the are process of welding is that of a 1500-hp. vertical blower engine cylinder, which was cracked and welded several years ago. The bore of this cylinder was 80 in. and the stroke 60 in. It was cracked on two opposite sides a distance of 31 ft. and 5 ft., due to the piston assembly becoming loosened on the piston rod. The price of a new cylinder at the time of the accident was $12,000 and the manufacturer wanted nine months for delivery of a new cylinder. The two cracks were prepared for welding and finished as shown in Fig. 7, this being accomplished with a minimum amount of disassembly of the engine, since preheating of the parts is unnecessary with the arc welding process. The cylinder was rebored to clean up some score marks but some of the scores were so deep, that it was also necessary to weld them up and grind off the excess metal. This entire job required } 3827 man-hours and involved an expenditure of $737.20 as compared with nine months to deliver a new cylin- include the der at a cost of $12,000, which does not Figs. 5 and 6— Open- Hearth Coolers May Be Quickly Repaired. A broken cooler is shown at the right, and the cooler welded and ready for service, at the left aie November 12, 1925 Fig. 3 (Left) — Pinion With Broken Teeth Fig. 4 (Above) — Same Pinion Being Repaired by Arc Welding cost of the necessary complete dismantling of the en- gine and the installation cost of the new cylinder. Practically all large steel plants have rolling stock including cars and locomotives of both narrow and standard gage. There is inherently a great deal of maintenance work on this equipment which can be done economically with the electric arc. For example, sharp flanges on car wheels and locomotive drivers such as shown in Fig. 8 can be built up to normal gage without removing the wheels and without requiring any finishing operations. A wheel, 36-in. in diameter, can be built up with four complete strings of deposited metal, using 160 amp. and 3/16-in. high carbon wire, in approximately 3 hr. Appreciable savings have also*been made in loco- motive firebox work such as completely welding fire- boxes, and welding flues to rear flue sheet as shown in Fig. 9. In addition to this, patches can be ap- plied readily to side sheets and door sheets; cracked cylinders can be repaired conveniently and broken frames can be welded in many cases without dropping the wheels. In the yards special track work, such as switch points, frog points, crossings and battered rail- ends, can be built up and ground to the original con- tour. Central Welding Department Advisable To carry on welding operations in a steel plant it is usually advisable to establish a central welding depart- ment where a majority of the work can be brought for repair. For such an installation one or more motor- generators of the multiple-operator type of about 500 amp. or 1000 amp. capacity at 60 volts are usually used. This equipment, with proper control panels, will pro- vide welding current for a number of operators work- November 12, 1925 ing from a single machine. Where it is necessary to take the welding equipment to the work a multiple- operator portable set can be used for capacities of 300 to 500 amp. If only sufficient capacity for an individual operator is necessary the portable single operator type of equipment may be used. When equipment of un- usually light weight is desired and where direct-current service is available at 500 to 600 volts, a resistance welder that weighs 160 lb. and can be carried by two men, can be employed, and if the direct-current service is 230 to 275 volts a much lighter equipment, weighing 60 lb., may be used, this unit being carried by the operator. In addition to the work previously mentioned arc welding can be used to advantage in steel mills, in the repair of cracked steam hammer cylinders; ingot strip- per rams; furnace doors and frames of steel; open- hearth furnace reversing valves; worn blooming mil housing keyways; worn jaw clutches for motor-driven UT eee Oe eLe eee een Pee HTM LOMO shears, and worn “crabs” on rolling mill engines. Other applications include steel oil drums; pipe manifolds; building mill stoves replacing salamanders; steam pipe line brackets; repairing defective forgings; worn swaging dies; and the building up of locomotive main rods, side rods, cross heads and piston rods. The Foundrymen’s Convention in 1926 With the idea of making the annual gathering American foundrymen next year the greatest event in the history of the foundry industry, a comprehen sive program has already been outlined. The conven- tion and exhibition, which will be the thirtieth to be held by the American Foundrymen’s Association, as has been announced, is scheduled for Detroit for the week of Sept. 27, 1926. There will also be held at the same time the second International Foundry Congress. Formal invitations have been mailed to 27 European foundry organizations and a good attendance from overseas is @xpected. Allied organizations in this coun- try are also to be invited. The exhibition next year will be on a larger scale than any heretofore attempted. It will be known as the International Exposition of Foundry and Machine Shop Equipment and Supplies. The opening of this exhibition on Friday or Saturday, Sept. 24 or 25, is THE IRON AGE 1309 being considered. The foundrymen have not held a convention in Detroit since 1910. Sufficient hotel ac- commodations are now assured, not only because of the 14,000 hotel rooms available but also because the con- vention bureau and the hotels of the city have agreed HOCUPEYOGASVENTELGNGLEAUNARUANYSEEYORPTDEYOALST ELLA ALAA CAEL ANU ATEE SEALS EAL AALAND HATA AUDADULALAYEEL PEALE EEA ETA Fig. 7 (Left)—Cracked Cylinder of Blow- ing Engine Repaired by Welding Fig. 8 (Above)—Sharp Flanges on Car Wheels and Locomotive Drivers Are Built Up Without Removing Wheels Fig. 9 (Below)—Welding Flues to Rear Flue Sheet ULSAN TTS not to schedule other prominent conventions in the same week. Although the convention and exhibition is to be held at the fair grounds, arrangements have been made for heating the buildings in case of necessity. An additional open-hearth furnace was placed in operation, Oct. 26, at the American Steel Foundries, Granite City, Ill. This furnace has been down since about the middle of August. en Metal Molds by a New Process Accurate Castings Claimed Possible by “Plastic Process’—New Electric Resistance Fur- nace Used—Permanent Molds BY M. 5. NEW has recently been developed. It “Plastic which castings are made exact form. These castings or dies for stamping and forming sheet metal, bakel- intricate molds and dies is known as the process for making Process,” DY size and to almost ' } l are isec ite, asbestos compositions, etc. The demand for such tools in this country has increased to such an extent that progress in their economical manufacture has not kept pace with it. In consequence foreign competition has crept in rapidly, despite the high duty. A hin- has been the fact that the formed in these molds or dies are often destructive to the metals now being used. drance to progress here materials to be excessively In the plastic process these and other difficulties are believed to have been overcome. In discussing this process three important factors are to be considered: 4 Wit é “A 2 i 2. Ar y SI : The plastic process relates to the casting of steel and nickel alloys to sufficiently close dimensions so that only grinding and finishing are required to pro- duce a complete die for stamping or a mold for form- ing materials now being used for these different pur- poses 4 material has been found which will withstand the nigh temperature if molten steel or nickel, producing a casting entirely free from scale. Furthermore, there is no warping of the surface of the mold—the plastic surface itself—nor of the metal, thus insuring a trust- worthy method of producing molds and dies at a con- siderable saving in cost 3y this process castings for ise as molds or dies are made having a surface requir- ing the removal of only 0.0025 in. to 0.003 in. for fin- ishing. Another advantage of the process is the possibility of employing metals which are non-corrosive; some of the present steels, for example, incorporated in such molds or dies have to be oiled and protected from moist- ire—a decided disadvantage in many ways. While details of the carrying out of the plastic process cannot be made public now, illustrations of the results of its use are possible. Some of these follow: Some Examples of the Process Fig. 1 represents a soap mold, for instance, which was made from a brass model. This mold was cast in a tungsten steel by the plastic process and has already pressed over a half million cakes of soap containing pumice. It shows very slight effects from wear. The ° Macopin Avenue, Upper Montclair, N. J EUAN yy cusicnnanauvvngnnsnanaacnascisasacnnaeoragsuasnnrtnt 7 WHE first prese ntation of two new dé velopments 18 ] . . . } Permanent molds of a novel Both me lting furnace E is an electrochemist. “7 e »] » toilet articles steel tools. ——_—_—_— Witt AAUUAAAANDONEROUET EA ONAL LU EAUNU EAN OADRE NNT JUTE CLAWSON” steel is not affected by alkalis, nor is there any trouble from rust. This particular soap material is very abrasive to steel, and the other dies which have been used here- tofore for the same purpose stand up for only about 1500 gross cakes. Fig. 2 represents a fancy bottle mold. The model for such a mold is very easily made in wood or plaster and the rose design in wax. From this a reproduction of the design is made in any alloy desired, such as steel or nickel, by the plastic process. The one shown was made in a nickel-copper alloy. Fig. 3 shows two steel chocolate forces. With a die and force of both back and front, tins are stamped. These tins are clamped together and a fine representa- tion of an owl is made in chocolate by pouring the soft chocolate material into an opening in the bottom. Sev- eral large companies in this country do nothing but produce these tins in this way and have forms of every description, representing animals, flowers, etc. Tins are stamped out by these companies and shipped to the candy maker. By this new process the finest lines can be brought out, detail in fact which is prohibitive to make in steel, by hand or any mechanical means. Fig. 4 represents seven different articles applicable to the plastic process. The golf heads were cast in steel molds which are cast by the plastic process. Into these molds a nickel alloy was poured, producing a casting which is non-corrosive and takes a fine finish. This is a good illustration of a permanent mold prod- uct, which will be taken up later. Fig. 5 shows a plastic reproduction in steel of a General Pershing fob. This was taken from a bronze piece used as a pattern. Some of the lettering on this piece is only 1/16 in. in size. Lower temperature met- als have been cast, showing fine detail, but the casting of steel alloys is an entirely different field and offers many problems which do not arise in forming lead, zine, brass, bronze, aluminum, etc. Fig. 6 is a reproduction of a printing plate cast in steel. It appears that the life of the regular lead or copper printing plate is comparatively short. By the plastic process, these are cast in steel and can be used in printing coarse paper, cloth or wherever long life or rough usage is called for. In making stamping dies for such pieces as door plates allowances are made for clearance, the exact thickness of the metal to be formed, this clearance being taken care of on the pattern. Where registration of the two dies are necessary, impression lugs are used until the plaster pattern is complete, after which dowel pins are inserted through both upper and lower molds. This insures perfect reg- istration of the complete form. To make forms similar to the lion shown in Fig. 4 it is not infrequent that HUUTUAUUL SEL SUUOTCEUAASU AEA ESATA TTA EE EEE contained in this article: and distinctive character and a unique electric represent several years of research by the author, who There is a demand for durable metal molds for making and confectionery as well as for metal castings such as high-speed SO TTT i 1310 November 12, 1925 eight or more sections are required to take care of undercuts. These are kept in registration in the same way. - Steel and Nickel Alloys Probably the most interesting metal, next to nickel, is high-speed steel. It is also the most important and, furthermore, it is the most uncertain as regards its efficiency in comparing one make with another. Numerous cases can be cited where the standard 3.5 per cent chrome, 18 per cent tungsten, 0.65 to 0.75 per cent carbon steels differ in efficiency on different jobs, so that it can be said without any question that there is no one grade of high-speed steel or alloy which will answer every purpose in a machine shop or manu- facturing plant. This condition makes the disposition of high-speed steel for tools an art, which results in small profit to the manufacturer owing to the excessive selling cost. In addition to the grade of steel, the method of grinding a given brand is a factor which may mean success or failure. This can hardly be appre- ciated by anyone who has not had experience in dispos- ing of this product. For stamping dies the most suitable material was found to be a chrome-tungsten steel, similar to the standard high-speed steel formula. For bottle molds, a nickel-copper alloy works well with the plastic proc- ess and, it is claimed, it is being used now in Europe Fig. 1—A Soap Mold Cast of Tung- sten Steel Fig. 2—A Fancy Bottle Mold Cast in Nickel Fig. %3— Chocolate Mold in Two Parts Stamped Out of Tin With Dies Cast by the Plastic Process THE IRON AGE ‘ 1311 difficulty, owing to the large amount of nitrogen ab- sorbed during the melting period, and this gas must be given up almost instantly on pouring, otherwise our old friend “blow holes” will appear thick and fast. Melting Equipment Most of this work has been done with a resistance furnace. As far as the term is concerned, it is not a new type of melting device. The design, however, ap- pears to have new features. The resistance principle of constructing a unit of this nature would be almost the first conception of an Fig. 2 Fig. 5—A Plastic Reproduction in Steel of a General Pershing Fob Fig. 6 —A Printing Plate Cast in Steel Fig. 3 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 for making fancy bottles. This alloy is not easily ma- chined, therefore it would not be suitable for hand- made molds where the cost of labor is excessive. Permanent molds in connection with the plastic process are usually made of an iron-silicon alloy, sim- ilar to a well-fluxed fine-grained cast iron. This will withstand sudden shocks from heat and cold better than any other combination. This work deals with the casting of steel and nickel alloys, instead of the lower temperature metals such as brass, bronze, aluminum, etc. As the furnace to be described is especially suitable for so-called high temperature metals, very little has been done with the latter named elements and alloys. A nickel-tin alloy can be used for fittings in cream- eries, dye houses, petroleum works, chemical plants, ete. The alloy which has been developed is almost a pure nickel, requiring only sufficient tin to permit of a rapid evolution of the gases which were absorbed on melting. It is well known that pure nickel is cast with great electrical means of melting metals. At the same time, when the engineer actually undertakes to develop one for positive service for steel making or for melting nickel alloys, there are many points to consider, the most important of which is: “How can a metal contact be made to a resistance member, which must maintain a temperature of say 1500 deg. C. through a melting period of one hour, designing said resistance member and the contacts so that the greatest amount of heat will be centered at a point where the cold metal will be continually washed by the fluid metal_as soon as the first portions are melted?” It is necessary also to have some method of keeping the contacts cool. One illustration, Fig. 7, shows a construction of this sort, in which a 60-lb. pot of chrome-tungsten steel or nickel alloy is melted and poured in 45 min., start- ing with a cold crucible. It represents a bank of four furnaces with a volt control switchboard and the volt regulating transformers set into wells. Transformers and regulators are designed to be connected with any of the standard power currents and the primaries so tapped that any voltage from 8 to 18 can be passed through the resistor. It is neces- sary to make these changes of voltage at the primary windings, as it would be almost impossible to change in any way the secondary circuit, owing to the large cross-section of copper necessary. The secondaries have a capacity of 40,000 amp., and it would therefore not be practical to design a means of changing this voltage at the secondary. With this type of furnace the metal is not sub- jected to the high temperature of the arc, as with an arc furnace, nor is it brought in contact with oxidiz- ing atmospheres, as is the case in an oil, gas or coke furnace. It has been clearly demonstrated that it is prac- tically impossible to produce a reducing atmosphere in 1312 any type of fuel furnace and maintain a sufficient tem- perature properly to melt steel or nickel. There is always a predominance of oxygen, which has the effect of unbalancing the proportions of the alloy. With the resistance furnace the condition of the at- mosphere is under control. In other words, there are no foreign gases playing over the metal. This can be easily proved in watching a pot of brass melt. This alloy can be melted and brought up to the pouring tem- perature without producing any of the zinc vapors which arise when brass is being melted in a fuel fur- nace. Nothing more than a lake of red hot metal is ob- served, The furnace has two water-cooled heads which press against the ends of the crucible. The contour of +} write 1c : +) + + pyres . rj the crucible is such that the greatest resistance will bottom. Attempts to use the standard are directly contrary to this principle; in fact, ne who has studied the subject finds that, to prevent racking, a “steel crucible’ must have a certain con- s form necessitates a thick bottom. There- re, it would be impossible to bring this part up to a temperature and would therefore be use- tnrougn tne crucible and th teel melting as a resistor 4 properly constructed crucible for a resistance irnace W have a thin bottom, reinforced on the sides ends, so th cracking is not liable to occur. ) Permanent Molds A »+ ' Wartime experiences with tungsten alloy tools dem- trated the fact that sand molding is a very expen- é 1Ixul and a crude method of forming metals, as the danger of sand washing and air pocketing is so t it can almost be said that a perfect sand tin impossible, notwithstanding the ex- treme care and study which have been devoted to the subject. When one realizes that the smallest particle of dust r loose sand is bound to have upon it a film of mois- ture and it moisture must expand as soon as there rise in temperature, it is not difficult to understand the cause of air pockets in sand mold castings due to steal lo go further it might be said that when a mold baked until the binder is about to break down, f necessary, the difficulty is not then solved in case the mold allowed to cool no more than 150 to 200 deg., as the law of condensation gets in its work and very frequently ruins a mold by causing the surface to break away and wash into the metal, the same as when molten metal drops upon a concrete floor This subject was studied carefully after consider- able experience with permanent molds, before eve having used sand molds. The permanent mold seemed the logical way of forming metals. Therefore it was adopted from the beginning of the research work which resulted in the development of the furnace, plasti method and the different alloys. Cast High-Speed Steel Tools At the time the demand came for cast high-speed steel in as large production as possible, it was neces- THE IRON AGE Navember 12, 1925 sary to use sand molds. At plants where permanent molds had never been used the molders continually charged the metallurgist with a lack of knowledge of steelmaking, and the metallurgist blamed the molders for insufficient knowledge of making molds for this particular purpose. Up to the time when the high-speed steel industry experienced a decided slump, a great deal of difficulty had been experienced in making the proper molding material, as well as knowing how to construct the mold to prevent air pocketing and sand washing. There have been a great many heated debates between the molder and metallurgist regarding the cause of such a large percentage of defective castings. The metal- lurgist who had not had experience with permanent mold casting of high-speed steel was as much in the dark as the expert molder; therefore the debate fre- juently assumed the proportions of a battle. Metallurgists who had been familiar with perma- nent molds, on going into plants where nothing but sand had been used, immediately saw that their good steel could play many tricks in sand molds but was absolutely helpless from their inability to make per- manent molds in many forms which were called for, such as milling cutters, end mills, countersinks, etc. At that time only molds for bar stock and shearing knives had been developed. From this time on, however, manufacturers of rolled or hammered stock will have a keen competitor in cast high-speed steel for tools, stamping and swaging dies, molds, ete. It can be manufactured much cheaper and, on certain classes of work, is far superior. With the plastic process all of the standard forms of tools can be made in permanent molds. With brass forms which are used as patterns, these molds can be readily dupli- eated, thousands of times if necessary. At the present time there is no record of the life of a good permanent mold for steel or nickel castings, as far as we know, but there are permanent molds made for these purposes which show no signs of break- ing down after 300 fillings. It is well to assume that these will make no less than 2000 to 2500 castings for it has been found that, when cracking begins, it does so early in the game. Probably less than 25 castings will start the process. With a well-developed system of handling the mak- ing of permanent molds these can be produced cheaply and in a very short time. When they are properly de- signed, there will be no air pockets, blow holes nor serious defects. Keyways, etc., can be cast with these molds, so that a high-speed steel tool, such as a mill- ing cutter, can be made which will require only sharp- ening after the keyway and hole have been ground to size. The great advantage in using a permanent mold, over the sand form, disregarding all of the other faults in the sand mold, is that when air pocketing is once eliminated, no further trouble is experienced with the filling of the mold in producing a good casting. In other words, when an air pocket is found in a casting from a mold, that same air pocket will permanent Fig. 4—Seven Different Arti- cles Cast in Molds by the Plastic Proce 88 November 12, 1925 ORODDNNHDEDOOEUDHONEDFONIOAFOOUDONSOODENOEODORAADLADURAHTENOHOOLEEOEDAOOR NOLO FeEOeuNDLOCeNnOONFErH TERE HORAD ED ie® Fig. 7— New Type of Elec- tric Resistance Furnace for Quick Melting of Steel, Nic- kel and Alloys. Four furnaces are included in this group appear in every casting and in the same position, so that the designer has some basis to work upon in get- ting rid of this trouble. : When air pockets are found in sand mold castings, they will be found in one place at one time and prob ably at an entirely different point in all of the other castings, using the same pattern and molding method. Too much dependence has been placed upon risers for carrying away the sand and slag from the pattern cavity as has been proved in making cutters, end mills, etc. It appears that either will lodge at any constricted point or wherever there is a decrease in the rate of FORM NEW STEEL COMPANY Sheffield Steel Corporation Succeeds Kansas City Bolt & Nut Co. The Kansas City Bolt & Nut Co., Kansas City, Mo., has been succeeded by the Sheffield Steel Corporation, a new corporation. A controlling interest in the Kan- sas City Bolt & Nut Co. was recently acquired by W. L. Allen, president, and now practically all of the stock has been taken over by Sheffield Steel Corporation. The new company has issued $1,250,000 of 7 per cent cumu- lative preferred stock and 75,000 shares of no par com- mon stock, all of which have been sold. W. L. Allen is president of the Sheffield Steel Corporation and other officers are R. L. Gray, vice-president; L. L. Middleton, secretary; H. R. Warren, treasurer; Ernest Baxter, general manager of sales; J. C. Shepherd, assistant general manager of sales; J. W. Anderson, assistant general manager of sales. The Kansas City Bolt & Nut Co. was organized in 1888 for the manufacture of bar iron, bolts, nuts and similar products. The first unit consisted of bar iron mills and a bolt and nut plant. In 1920 construction of a steel plant was started, which was completed in 1922. In March, 1924, the iron mills were revamped to permit the rerolling of old steel rails as well as bar iron. On April 1, 1925, the construction of the first unit of a sheet mill was completed. This mill was laid out to roll a wider range of sizes than any other sheet mill in the country, and has successfully rolled sheets as wide as 72 in., whereas other two-high sheet mills do not ordinarily roll wider than 60 in. The sheet plant is laid out for six additignal mills which will produce black sheets to be sold as such or to be gal- vanized. THE IRON AGE 1313 flow of the metal, regardless of the size of the riser. Forgetting the other advantages in the permanent mold for casting steel, it should be added that the struc- ture of the metal is very different, producing a fine grain and a more uniform surface. Of course the chill- ing effect of the permanent mold must always be taken into account. Thin sections must not be cast against thick parts of a mold, otherwise the casting will come out very brittle and so dense that it may fracture from simply dropping a short distance. The work here de- scribed is covered by numerous patents on the furnace, process and alloys. The steel works as it now stands consists of two 65-ton open-hearth furnaces, but a third is now under construction. The rolling equipment embraces three stands of 24-in. three-high billet and sheet bar mill, and a Morgan semi-continuous merchant bar mill. The bar iron and rerolling rail mills and the bolt and nut works are housed in separate buildings. The growth of the company is reflected in its record of sales. In 1921 they totaled 29,893 net tons, in 1924, 72,480 tons, and in 1925 they expected to aggregate fully 100,000 tons. To Determine Duty on Ships Imported for Scrap WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.—The question as to whether an “imported” cruiser should be assessed as “manu- factures of metal” or as a vessel subject to the tonnage laws is to be determined as a result of the action of the United States Court of Customs Appeals, which has just reversed the judgment of the Board of General Appraisers. The board had held that an old Canadian cruiser brought into this country by Henry A. Hitner’s Sons Co., Philadelphia, was not merchandise but was a vessel subject to the tonnage laws. The Hitner com- pany protested the assessment by the collector, which called for a duty on the old cruiser as manufactures of metal. In referring to the judgment of the board the court demanded the appeal for a trial on its merits. Thirty electrically driven shears are to be supplied to the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. in its Indiana Harbor tin mill by the Streine Tool & Mfg. Co., New Bremen, Ohio. er one aria ates Paid ep tree yearn ot fs prnrumetpesmes sreesattss ADOPTS 39-FT. RAIL Railroad Association Approves Standard Length —Lessened Expense and Accident Hazard As a further step t b ng apout T reaseq economy tne e1 I f the railroad {f this country, the A I nR As ition | pproved new spec! I ch the lengt fra ised by the lines eas » ft This mean L el ! 1e to be the I rease e! } f e ra 4 ng t the railroads in not u n the main- Che ne I n ans , ro ent n the ! ! ( I rail joints and ul I xT f the total amount of red f bolt nuts, joint bars and ng ised in connecting rails together. l each $1 spent for ( é aint I * Joints, ties ; vo ire joined the leng the rail, ther n¢ f 6» , ) el é t } ’ ve Y e] the eats ‘ l tel n ralls i I nea o ner so f tne ng of the rail and reducing the number! I ich points, the chances for accident du roken ra are reduced In addition, cars I over a track constructed of longer rails will move more smoothly than over a track where shorter rails are used, which will result in a saving in the wear and tear on railroad equipment [Similar action, as taken by the American Railway Engineering Association la March, was reported at page 823 of THE IRON AGE, March 19, 1925. In our issue of Aug. 28, 1924, page 495, appeared a 5-page articl bing alterations in the plant of the Colo- J n desi "Ti rado F At & ron Co., to handle 39-ft. milled-end rails. ] Taylor Society Annual Meeting ‘The Relations of the General Manager and His Principal Executives,” a symposium to be led by six xecutives of national reputation, will be one of the feature if the annual meeting of the Taylor Society, | 1 7 1 which will be held in the ny, oy We St 4 ar d p UT the ten Eng Thirty-ninth Street, pocieties York, Build Dec. 2, neering New sessions, three | be held jointly with anagement division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. At the j Will wi oint meeting planned r Friday evening, Dec. 4, iam Green, president tne American Federation f Labor, will speak on s Ideals Concerning Management.” [wo special sessions for teachers of management been arranged, as well as a special luncheon eeting for younger membe1 At the latter, C. L. American Ideals in the Radiator Co., will Solution of Prac- farnum, comptroller, eak on “Preserving al Problems.” ales Policies and Sales Methods: An Appraisal Fred J. Arthurs, general irchasing agent L: Inc., Buffalo, and “Pur- e as a Psychological Factor in Management,” by Tead and H. C. Metcalf, are other papers that presented Purchasing Agents,” by , irkin ( Mechanical Engineers’ Meeting Among the 60, papers and reports to be considerea it the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, at the Engineering Societies New York, Dec. 1 to 4, may be mentioned Ruilding those in the subjoined list. On page 1204, of last week’s issue, were announced the general features of the meeting, including a lecture by Secretary of Com- me! Hoover on the evening of Dec. 1 and one by Dr Zav Jeffries on Dec. 3 THE IRON AGE November 12, 1925 Machine Shop Practice Principles and Advantages of Optical Methods for Measur- ng Machine Parts, by Henry F. Kurtz; and The Tension Ratio and Transmissive Power of Belts, by Prof. C. A. Norman, Ohi rsity, Columbus (Tuesday morning, Dec. 1) (Juestion Marks f gineer, G. A ve Wear Experiments on : H. Marx, Prof. L. E. nford Univers » State Unive Machine Design, by F. E. Cardullo, Cincinnati; Some Comparfra- Gear Teeth, by Prof. Cutter and Prof. B. M. Green, Normal Pitch, The Index of Gear Eaton Westinghouse Electric & Pa. (all on Wednesday morning) Gray Co Cast Iron Springs Helical Springs I from the Standpoint Precision Instruments, by W. G Brombacher; The Present 1 Manufacturing Small and Medium Diam- Steel Helical Springs, by F. H. Brown; Characteristics Weighing Springs, by J. W. Rockefeller, Jr., John Chatillon Sor Ne ; Springs for Electrical Measuring Instru- nts, by B. W. St. Clair Formulas for the Design of He il Springs of Square or Rectangular Steel, by C. = Edgertor An Outline for the Application of Fatigue and Elas Resu Metal Spring Desigr by T. McLean Jasper (all Wednesday morning, Dec. 2) I Handlir Problems and Their Solution, by Frank ( I I n Co., New York, and S ty in Materials Handling, |} D. S. Beyer, chief engineer, Liberty Mutual nce ¢ B n (Wednesday mor g, Dec. 2) Efficiency, by V. Z. Azbe, consulting é ae Louis, and Fuels and Furn for Industrial Heating, by Prof. W. Trinks, Carnegie Institute of Technology both I Wednesdav Dec >) ices morning, Management Plant Moore Day Influence f Harold T Efficiency, by Philadelphia ; Plant Inc., Design on & Zimmerman, ind Carbon Dioxide as an Index of Fatigue, by W. N. Polakov, Walter N. Polakov & Co., New York (both Thurs- day morning, Dec. 3) - Various Subjects The V Plants by and Stean Industrial Syracuse, W. H. Larkin, afternoon, the ilue of Higher Pressures in William F. Ryan The Supply of Industrial Power, by Larkin & C Butler Pa (both Dec. 1) Stee ( Solvay Process Tuesday ‘astings for Use High Pressure Prof. A. E. White, University The Quality of Bolts for by W P. Wood Steam Lines, by of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich Power Plant Construction, Refractories, by E. B. Powell, Stone & Webster, Inc., Boston of Industrial logy, by Lillian M. Gilbreth, F. B. Gilbreth, Inc., Upper Montclair, N. J Thursday Use in Furnace Present State afternoon) COMING MEETINGS November suvipennepennennnie Steel Construction. White Abbott 350 American Institute of vevengnancnennn 14 Lnnua nventior Springs, W Va Charles F Sul- M ym Avenue New Yorl executive director National Founders Association, Nov. 18 and Twenty-ninth annua onventior Hotel New York J. M. Taylor, 29 South La- : Sa St t, Ch if ‘ secretar\ : American Seciety of Mechanical Engineers. Nov 0 to Dec } Annual meeting, Engineer 5 t Bu 2 29 West Thirty-ninth Street, New Yorl Calvin W. Rice 29 West ; ninth Street, New York, secretary National Exposition of Power and Mechani- Engineering. Nov 0 ( I Grand Centrié Palace New y rk Charles F Roth Inter n Ex] t ‘ rand Central I lace New York na igzer VerresseneueenenrtTes November 12, 1925 OCTOBER STEEL OUTPUT Increase Over September 9841 Tons Per Day or 7.3. Per Cent A substantial increase in the steel ingot produc- tion of the country was registered in October. At 144,183 gross tons per day the October output was 9841 tons per day larger than that of September—an increase of 7.3 per cent. This compares with an in- crease in September over August of about 2 per cent. The August increase over July was about 11 per cent. The statistics of the American Iron and Steel In- stitute show that the October output of the compa- nies which made 94.43 per cent of the country’s total in 1924 was 3,676,109 tons. Assuming that the 5.57 per cent not reporting produced at the same rate, a total October production is indicated at 3,892,946 tons. The corresponding annual rate is over 45,000,000 tons. or about 84 per cent of capacity. The table gives the production by months of the different kinds of steel, together with the estimated daily rate for all companies. Monthly Production of Steel Ingots Reported by Companies Which Made 94.43 Per Cent of the Steel Ingot Production in 1924 ' (Gross Tons) Approxi Calculated mate Monthly Daily Produc- Produ Months, Open- All tion All tion All 1925 hearth Bessemer Other Companies Companies Jan, 3,262,748 689,996 11,960 4,198,564 155,502 Feb. 2,931,964 602,042 13,014 3,756,243 156,510 March 3,336,169 614,860 13,633 4,198,520 161,482 April 2,857,802 515,715 14,182 3,587,524 137,982 May 2,754,130 497,708 13,790 3,458,253 133,010 June 2,538,988 476,945 12,490 3,207,056 123,348 July 2,444,969 457,095 13,547 3,087,590 118,753 Aug. 2,696,667 523,734 12,914 3,424,03 131,694 Sept. 2,737,251 547,121 13,977 3,492,904 134,342 Oct. 3,075,995 584,567 15,547 3,892,946 144,183 10 mos. 28,636,683 5,509,783 135,054 36,303,634 139,629 1924 Jan. 2,766,534 667,032 12,577 3,649,913 135,182 Feb. 2,902,641 695,905 14,085 3,826,246 153,050 March 3,249,783 706,801 15,260 4,206,699 161,796 April 2,575,788 573,381 12,356 3,348,466 128,787 May 2,060,896 425,099 6,648 2,640,034 97,779 June 1,637,660 310,070 2,622 2,065,676 82,627 July 1,525,912 241,880 5,162 1,877,789 72,223 Aug. 2,042,820 361,781 5,764 2,552,891 98,188 Sept. 2,252,976 409,922 6,864 2,827,625 108,755 Oct. 2,505,403 438,468 7,058 3,125,418 115,756 10 mos. 2: 4,830,339 88,396 30,120,757 115,405 Nov. 459,349 8,403 3,121,149 124,846 Dec. 546,506 11,707 3,569,251 137,279 Total 28,811,331 5,836,194 108,506 36,811,157 117,984 Rough Handling of Freight Cars at Terminals An intensive campaign to bring about still further reductions in loss and damage to shipments resulting from rough handling of freight cars has been inaugu- rated by the District Freight Claim Conferences com- prising the Freight Claim Division of the American Railway Association. In view of the fact that a majority of the claims are due to rough handling at terminal points, it is planned to have surveys made at various terminals by a committee on rough handling appointed by each dis- trict claim conference in cooperation with the railroa