The Iron Age 1926-03-25: Vol 117 Iss 12

THE IRON AGE New York. March 25, 1926 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 117, No. 12 Vartin Mono plane on Cata pult on the Roof of a Tur ret of the qT! ‘ S Vissis sipp ce - The Navy and the Steel Industry Ultra-Modern Fighting Units Call for Steel—Early Uses of Steel— Making First Steel Members for Naval Vessels SY G. K. SPENCER cted by an extensive force of REAT changes have been brought about in nava ink adequately prote vy 3 G warfare by the introduction of various aero ruisers, submarines and aircraft, through aerial and nautical and chemical weapons. This renders 11 ‘hemical operations. In recent tests a ship was bathed essential that all battleships be accompanied ght in chemical fog, while air forces “bombed” it to death cruisers and submarines for primary operations, and its gunners unable to see the foe by destroyer leaders for handling destroyers in the fac« The proposal is now openly broached that all United of the new weapons. New construction desired is «ce States merchantmen be equipped, in event of hostili scribed by Admiral Charles Hughes, commander-in-chie! tie with aircraft, catapults and aircraft personnel of the battle fleet, as “vitally necessary, if we are t [hese would be provided much after the system which move successfully from our own shores in the event ve utilized in providing merchantmen with naval gun of hostilities.” ‘rews during the late war This, again, involves the Laymen in naval affairs are generally almost totally construction of a great reserve supply of catapults, unaware of the widespread changes in tactics involved which may speedily be mounted on merchantmen. by the new weapons \ large ship can he nded, Immediate need is stressed for 22 new 10,000-ton ght cruisers, 18 destroyer leaders, 23 large fleet high *San Diego. Ca eas submarines, at least one new aircraft carrier. four arama: 22;erecr eerie la aia il ill ars ROM the earliest steel ships, begun in 1883, to the present writing, about 2.185.000 tons of steel and iron—mostly steel—has gone into the construc- tion of United States naval vessels. While this is, perhaps, one-fourth of 1 per cent of the enormous tonnage of rolled steel produced during the 43 years, yet its influence on the development of the steel industry has been out of all propor- tion to its tonnage. The article here presented traces brie fly some of the development features in which the Navy and American industry have gone hand in hand. It has been claimed that ue ithout this impetus of naval needs the American steel industry would not today be in the commanding position w hich it enjoys. This and two succeeding articles show why. opm 831 R39 THE ’ ne all t rsonne n problems the el igh an important, f e gear alread < ! I I Lian ng ol the ited amphibious I { A and la g ng, will assume the I ! Che Na reat sesses a small oO? f ] p ! S¢ land- n n nore ree I the fee a sea he d: es of men migt ded from open r é aen rate ne lebacle i { 1} I ent maneuvers ol r own fieet. Ih ry W e requested to cooperate in the furthe1 evolution of heavy machin« of all types for the new rus \ ] rdnance. Q ‘ ements of sea warfare of the past have iriou speedy movement. Smoke and 1 fog are liberated by aircraft and surface ves- to shield any number of ships or aircraft or indi- dua nits. ( re es which simulate the color of the t n obliterate race OI tne torces they protect. Hig pecialized vessels are required, quickly and ex- é t t search out tnese feints and shelters rces unprepared to cope with this kind of fighting, ven if they are extremely powerful potentially, can be destroyed piecemeal by much inferior forces, ade- juately prepared for these tactics It Is tnis subdtie point whicl tne naval chiefs are ying to indicate to the country and to Congress Naturally, ¢ gress lags in an understanding of these new aspe f war at sea, for the whole picture is so lically different from what it was even three years f T nsiderable extent, the development of the J IRON AGE March 25, 1926 All-Metal Mar- tin Plane for Use with a S u b marine T his machin dives with thi 8 u b marine It is employed for scouting purposes cruiser, ircraft as ubmarine, of ight the destroye? leader and the well as the powerfully gunned scouting which we i for this change. And squadron have but the three, is responsible United States has been left behind, not because of naval reticence in bringing he facts before Congress. but because of the natural difficulty in bringing laymen to understand the proble Congressmen recently have been accompanying the fleet maneuvers and instruction has been given them in these new factors. The Henderson, a large naval transport, is used for this instruction, carrying to each naval maneuver a party of interested Congressmen, and members of the naval affairs committees of the House and of the Senate. The Navy’s Influence on the Steel Industry The influence of the Navy on the development of the steel industry in the United States has been con- siderable. Steel plates were first used in this country for making an experimental firebox for a locomotive, at the Altoona shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, in July, 1861. Not until of this material. 1865 was a second firebox made The difficulties in making plates from steel were great, as steel could be produced only by the crucible Problems in connection with making steel plates were, however, sufficiently solved, so that by 1880 such plates were being used more or less generally for locomotive boilers and As the product still so that manufacturers would not accept orders for material conforming to specifications, the purchaser had to depend for quality on the general yuarantee of the manufacturer. In 1869 steel was used in the construction of the St. Louis bridge across the Mississippi River. Its use was considered such a bold piece of engineering that the experiment was not repeated until about 1879. Then Bessemer plates and shapes were adopted for the road process. fireboxes. was uncertain Demolitio? Bomb Carried Under a Bomb- ing Plane and Designed for Attacking Both Capital Ship and Land Fort- ifications ee a AM Ag ne March 25, 1926 way, girders and approaches of the East River ( Brook lyn) Suspension Bridge. The use of steel for shipbuild ing had made practically no advance by that date, al- though one establishment, the Pusey & Jones Co., Wil mington, Del., had constructed five small river steamers and six lighters with steel plating, most of which was imported. In 1881 Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt appointed a board for recommending the design and construction of new Navy. The of this board marks the beginning of moder Navy and of the manufacture of steel as an industry in the United States. The board made an exhaustive r port on the types of ships that should be built and als recommended that they be built of steel atte1 respect the recommendation of the board was not una) imous. A minority report, by the element, was against the use of considered a highly experimental material. At that time, in the opinion of these members, ste: of satisfactory quality could not be United States. Finally, however, the views of the ma jority prevailed, and four vessels built of steel of do mestic manufacture were authorized by Congress These vessels were the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and lolphin—the A, B, C, D of the “new Navy.” The con tract was placed with John Roach, Chester, Pa., on July 26, 1888. At this point the real influence of this vessels for the WOrk both the In the more conservative steel, as t Was still produced lt the ilding pré 2 Marines Landing Light Artillery from an Moving Picture Shows Fabrication of Steel Railroad Cars The Bethlehem Steel Co. expense in perfecting a moving picture manufacturing facilities at its Cambria plant, Johns- town, Pa. The film was shown Tuesday evening, March 9, at the Copley-Plaza Hotel, Boston, before the New England Railroad Club by George A. Richardson, mat ager technical publicity department. The part of the film deals with the development of the railroad passenger car, from the time of the first steam loco- motive, which is shown in motion, down to the modern type, covering a period of approximately 100 years. As the passenger car, from the production standpoint, is largely a specialty affair, the major portion of the film is devoted to mass production of freight cars. At the time the film was made the Bethlehem Stee Co. was putting through a large Pennsylvania Railroad car order, and production was at the rate of one car -ach 15 min. in a 10-hr. day. All work on parts is completed in such a manner, and departments are so arranged, that there is a continual flow of materials toward the central erection shop. The operation of a 27,000-lb. hammer forging steel center plates, and rolls for bending tank car plates were among the many mechanical features shown. Mr. Rich- ardson said that the roll is the largest bending rol! in existence. The top roll contains 73 tons of metal. The fabrication of underframes was filmed in detail. Previous to his address and the film there was a short business meeting of the club. F. J. Carty, me- has gone to considerable on steel car nrst THE IRON Armored AGE 833 gram on the steel industry of the country begins, not because of the tonnage involved (about 10,000 tons of plates, shapes, forgings and castings), but because of the prescribed specifications as to quality. At first no steel manufacturer was willing to accept a contract to de- liver steel in accordance with the Navy Department specifications. Finally, John Roach himself built a mill, to make certain of the material. The mills which sup- plied the steel were the Chester Rolling Mills, Chester, Pa.; Norway Iron & Steel Co., South Boston, Mass.; Park Brothers & Co., Philadelphia, for angles, tees and beams. The difficulties which these mills experienced in pro- ducing steel complying with the specifications were enormous. Great pressure was brought to bear on the deck Navy Department to modify the requirements, but all such efforts were successfully resisted. Finally, mate- rial was produced which met the specifications and, what was of greater importance to the steel industry, manufacturers taught how to make good steel. Krom that there was no question that the United States could produce steel as good as any abroad The Dolphin was completed in 1885, the first of the building program to be delivered. This after 36 years of service, was placed out of commission at the Boston Navy Yard in December, 1921, and was sold in 1922. No better testimonial to the quality of the ma terial which entered into the construction of this vessel were time on vessel, needed than this long record of service, “Ark” Which Is Proof Against Machine-Gun Fire chanical engineer Boston & Albany Railroad, was elected president and F. C. Sheperd, chief construction engineer Boston & Maine Railroad, vice-president. C. H. Sherburne, Boston, was treasurer of the organization and William E. Cade secretary. re-elected Lower Bookings of Commercial Steel Castings Bookings of commercial steel castings in February are reported by the United States Department of Com- merce at 75,548 net tons, compared with 84,232 tons in January, and with 85,397 tons in December. With those two exceptions the February figure is the largest in more than a year and compares with 61,535 tons in February, 1925. The current operation represents 74.1 per cent of capacity, compared with 82.6 per cent in January. Production figures, which were given for the first time a month ago, show a slight gain. Febru- ary output was 72,789 tons, or 71.4 per cent of capacity, against 72,016 tons in January, or 70.6 per cent of capacity. Railroad specialties booked in February, at 31.,- 401 tons, were at the lowest level since October, but were considerably above the average month of 1925. Miscellaneous castings in February, at 44,147 tons, were below the 46,555 tons of January, but otherwise were the highest for any month in more than a year. February bookings of railroad specialties were at 71.7 per cent of capacity, compared with 75.9 per cent for miscellaneous castings. ae 2 a BA % : 4 | A ca : Delving Into Metal Structures II.—Copper or “Corson” Alloys and the Effect of Varying the Chromic Acid Etching Re-agent—Grain Struc- tures and Alloying Aggregations Revealed > BY J. R. VILELLA FTVHE etching properti f at s of romi mistaken for the true structures of the alloys, and sma amounts f hydrochlori ed to quite erroneous conclusions (See Fig 14). Solu- ered during the investigation of tions of ammonia plus hydrogen peroxide were tried, bearing silicides of nickel, but these failed to reveal the structures with sufficient iron (Corson alloys) It was sharpness and clearness of detail (See Fig. 15). ( tial, for the purpose of th nvestigation, to re Acidified ferric chloride solutions developed the grain eal the gra tructurt f the ground masses as well structures comparatively well, but failed completely to ‘ ogrega i ng silicides reveal the presence of the finely divided particles of hrom uS SU obalt silicide (See Fig 16). ' rise to false etching figures that were The first satisfactory results were obtained wher < -* Ot aire Wt Pie) Po A he es ay 2 EEE. os aie 2s Fig. 18. Structure of the same alloy shown in Figs. 14 to ia. etched with a 10 per cent solution of chromic acid contain- per ‘ ing two drops of hy- (Marchand’ ‘3S tg RY Wwe Te et om drochloric acid to peroxride oe etd 5) a ‘ EEN 4h every 50 cc. of solu tion. X 100 ogen March 25, 1926 THE IRON AGE 835 Fig. 19.—Tobin bronze forged and annealed: etched with chromi plus hydrochloric acid for 8 sec. X 100. Fig 20. — Copper-aluminum Fig 21 Copper-alu minum - silicon alloy, etched for 8 sec. X 100 Fig. 22 VMuntz metal forge d and quenched alloy, cast; etched for etched f 5 sec Y 100 8 sec X 100 the sections were etched with a 10 per cent soluti of hloric acid was finally established when a few drops chromic acid to which hydrogen peroxide was added f this acid added to the inactive peroxide restored the previously to immersing the specimen (Miller’s rea etching power of reagents prepared with it. gent) (See Fig. 17). Further investigation showed hydrogen peroxide The results obtained by the use of chromic acid’ to be a totally unnecessary ingredient of the reagent, plus hydrogen peroxide reagent continued to be satis- n fact, its presence is detrimental to the extent of factory as long as the hydrogen peroxide employed preventing uniform etching Several portions of a was of certain brands (Marchand’s or Eimer & 10 per cent solution of chromic acid were further acidi Amend), but when the supply on hand of these brands fied with different amounts of hydrochloric acid and was exhausted and Merck’s U.S.P. product was em tested for their etching action Those specimens, ployed, the reagent became totally inactive, failing etched in solutions containing two or three drops of even to wet the polished surface. hydrochloric acid to every 50 cc. of chromic acid, ex The etching action of this reagent has been at hibited structures superior by far in sharpness and tributed to the formation of nascent perchromic acid clearness of details to any of the others. but on this basis it was impossible to explain the in Ar ttempt to find the optimum concentrations of activity of reagents prepared with Merck’s hydrogen acids had to be given up as futile, chiefly because diff peroxide. On investigation it was found that the a erent alloys require different concentrations. Reagents tive brands contained appreciable amounts of hydro prepared with solutions containing over 15 per cent chloric acid, while the inactive one was free from thi chromic acid and more than 2 or 3 drops of concen- preservative The essential réle played | hydro trated hydrochloric acid were found to stain the sur- bbb iad a i y ‘ w MULUDAALL UAL sAAMS MMMM SONU wiiusisbsaaanamammmany ’ YHIS is the second in a series of three articles on new etching 1 reagents and polishing methods, which bring out metal struc- tures hitherto undeveloped. The first article, in THE IRON AGE of March 18, dealt with aqua Tt gia aL glyce rine and ita effect on chrome-iron alloys. This week’s article discusses the use of chromic acid plus hydrochlor ec acid as an etching medium for certain copper alloys. The author, who is a member of the techn cal staff of the Union Carbide & Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc., Long Island City, N. | was born in Porto R co, was graduated from Pennsyl- vania State College in 1921 with the degree of bachelor of science in chemistry and, after serving as a seco d lieutenant of infantry during the World War, engaged in biological research for two years. Since then he has been a metallographer with his present company. He was co-author of an article on an improved method for polishing iron and steel, appearing in the Transactions of the Ame rican Society Tor Steel Treati id, April, 1925. J.R. VILELLA NN ee TPPTTNTTPPRET LVM TELM ' " sere ner ~~ man 7 TTT Gate " SUPT TTA: I THE IRON AGE Leg -C0O} / etchec LO X 100 Fig { Sa) ; Fig ta} ) \ r i é ire ealed er ‘ } reagents Ked ontra ind narpne Bronzes and brass have been conveniently « ched vith 10 per cent chror acid containing two drops of vdrochloric acid to eve} SO oe ‘ solution. the lenet} the attack varying be et and 10 se Alloys containing er 95 per cent copper, nick /ppe illoys and pure copper require longer attacks than bronzes or brasse by the method of alte ribed in connectio1 (THE IRON AGE, Mar the abi ity of the re nhomogenity as is oft alloys. The toy These metals are best etched rnate polishing and etching de- with the iron-chromium alloys h 18) Figs. 23 to 26 illustrate agent to register such chemical en met in forged and annealed reagent ‘ n wher emploved Lo Fig. 27—Electrolytic copper rolled and annealed at 850 de g. { , for three hours. X 100 March 25, 1926 Fig. 25.—Structure of a forged and annealed 8:92 aluminum - coppe? alloy, etched for 7 sec. X 100. Fig. 26.—Same section as Fig. 25, etched for 20 sec. X 100 etch pure copper, is selective to a great extent, that is, different grains are attacked or tarnished more deeply than others, depending on the orientation. This prop erty is responsible for the sharp color contrast ex hibited by the structures and constitutes one of the aluable features of the reagent. When employed to etch alloys of more than one phase, its selective action is so marked that, unless great care is taken, one phase is apt to be deeply etched, resulting in a black and white appearance of the struc- tures. In copper-tin alloys the alpha solution is not attacked, while the delta etches brown or black, de- pending upon the length of the attack. In zine-copper alloys the beta solution is attacked, the alpha remain- ing unaffected. Uneven staining of the etched surface often results from employing chromic anhydride contaminated with sulphuric acid and other impurities; for this reason the reagent should always be freshly prepared from chemically pure substances, and discarded as soon as the solution darkens or becomes turbid. Care should be taken to prevent contamination with alcohol or other substances which easily reduce chromic acid. To secure uniform etching the specimen should be kept moving in the solution and washed immediately in a current of hot water. (The third and last article will deal with the effect of new etching reagents on aluminum alloys. Struc- fures are brought out which have not been deve loped formerly and which throw considerable light on the properties and heat treatment of these alloys.) An unusually large crane shipment was recently made by Whiting Corporation, Harvey, IIl., which re- quired 16 freight cars. It consisted of two electric traveling cranes, each crane having a main hoist of 200 tons capacity and an auxiliary hoist of 25 tons ca- pacity for a span of 58 ft. and a vertical lift of 110 ft. The cranes were built for the New York Edison Co., New York, for the East River Station, designed by Thomas E. Murray, Inc. ee ee Making New Metal Specifications Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Committees of the American Society for Testing Materials Hold Spring Delibera- tions Progress in Research Work | VITH a registration of over 325, and th « 70 sessio of CO ttees. the majority | dealing with metals, the fifth aroun meet nag t committees t thy 1 price | Society far Testing Materials, held last week, was the largest of the } These gatherings. which started somewhat « rpe) le ntally in 192. , are rapidly assuming the charact of conventions R: presentat ‘ of consumers and producers from many quarters met at the P dence-Biltmore Hotel, Providence, R. 1., March 17, 18 and 19. On each day there vere ” neous sessions of committees and sub-committees Stee l, non-ferrous and other specifications, and a research problems, were the chief subjects con sidered, the deliberations all be ing pre paratory the annual convention at Atlantic City in June. The vere impre S earnestness and enthusiasm, as wwe ll as the arge tttendance at each committees meeting, sive. In the following account some oft the chiet to touched on. HE first group meeting of, this nature was held i Washington, in 1924, with the second in Pittsburgh, the same year. The two meetings last year were in Philadelphia in March and in Cleveland in October. While the Providence gathering last week had the larg- est registration, the various group meetings can hardly) be compared on this basis because the committees ir cluded have differed in various localities, depending upon the region and other conditions. a Specifications for Steel The most important and interesting of the various sessions was that of committee A-1 on steel, the largest of any of the committees. The proportion of the tota membership in attendance was large and it was pre sided over by its chairman, F. M. Waring, Pennsylvania Railroad, Altoona, Pa. The meeting was held in the large ballroom of the hotel, on Friday, March 19, the deliberations consisting mainly of reports from sub- committees which had held sessions on the two previous days. Normalized Forging Steels An important report was that of sub-committee VI on steel forgings and billets, presented by its chairman, H. P. Tiemann, Pittsburgh. At a largely attended 7 Stl WR he ce sO é meeting of this committee the day before, the discus- ; sion centered around three topics: High-tensile norma! ; ized steel, imperfections in billets and particularly axles with special reference to seams, (covering rejections recently because of small openings in test bars which have already passed specifications), and the investiga- : tion of the effect of the amount of reduction in rolling ingots into blooms. The problem of specifications for high-tensile, nor malized steel, such as carbon vanadium, nickel and man ganese steels, was referred to a special sub-sub-con mittee, which is to draw up tentative specifications. Th« same disposition was made of the question of imper fections in forgings. Rail Specifications The report of sub-committee I on steel rails and accesseries, of which E. F. Kenney, Bethlehem Steel Co., is chairman, was presented by J. B. Young, engi- neer of tests, the Reading Co., Reading, Pa. The prin- cipal recommendations of this committee were repre- sented by revised specifications for open-hearth steel girder rails of the plain, grooved and guard type. Thess are the same as those of the American Railway Engi- neering Association, with a few minor changes. They are classed as tentative, subject to the usual letter bal- lot of the committee. The same action was taken re- garding specifications for open-hearth, carbon stee! vcs and results oT the deliberations are hriefly rails, the specifications of the A. R. E. A. of 1925 being conform to those of the A. S. T. M Steel for High Temperatures and Pressures Considerable time was spent upon the report of sub- committee XXII, dealing with steel castings, pipe and fittings at high temperatures and pressures. This was presented by its chairman, V. T. Malcolm, metallurgist, Chapman Valve Mfg. Co., Indian Orchard, Mass. Two proposed tentative specifications were offered, one fo: forged or rolled pipe flanges and one for lap welded 01 seamless pipe for high-temperature service. These specifications were adopted by the full committee as tentative, subject to letter ballot. The proposal to ad- vance to standard specifications those adopted last year, namely, A95-25T, covering steel castings for high temperature service, and those designated as A96-25T overing bolts for use under the same conditions, after a few minor changes, met with considerable opposition The bolt specifications were finally advanced to stand ard and those for steel castings were left in the tenta tive state. The chairman announced that the committee by a inanimous vote had decided to formulate specifications for similar materials at 1000 deg. Fahr. and also by a ose vote to formulate specifications covering tempera- tures as high as 1200 deg. Fahr It was announced that L. W. Spring, chief chemist and metallurgist, the Crane Co., Chicago, had been elected chairman for the next two years, the retiring chairman being obliged to give up the work to which he has devoted so much time f 1 number of years. Structural Tool and Bar Steels The report of sub-committee II on structural steel! r bridges, building and rolling stock, was presented yy its chairman, A. W. Carpenter, New York Central Railroad, New York. The principal work of this com- mittee has been the simplification of specifications for tructural steel for locomotives and cars in order to ordinate them with those of the American Railway Association Sub-committee III on ship steel reported the for- ilation of tentative specifications for marine boiler teel which had been approved by letter ballot and which will be reported at the annual meeting in June The advancement of tentative specifications for too! stee] to standard, covering both carbon and high-speed steels, was the main portion of the report of sub-com mittee XIV. Two new tentative specifications were presented by J. J. Shuman, inspecting engineer, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, chairman of sub-commit + tee XV on commercial bar steels. These had to do wit! R37 a THE IRON AGE March 25, 1926 ! f sheet material, both ferrous and non-ferrou hod b> alla shed shaft The second procedure involved the disregarding so fa aoe ate the fu ttee. the as possible the present very diversified practice and ado} the approaching of the problem of a test specimen by ‘ isua the development of what might be called an “ideal’ he ciety specimen. The comparison of this “ideal” specim« with those now in use has revealed the fact that seve f the latter are very close to the ideal, three are faiz , result of se, with the remainder rather scattered. he investigation Supplementing the foregoing study, the committe: n steel, whicl has planned a most extensive series of laboratory test G. K n which several of the leading test specimens are beings rivet inced, notably that being done by the Aluminu ica on aluminum sheet and by the Be ul lelephone Laboratories, Inc., on bronze sheet. Tests Washington, arefully compared. Some of this work is well ire about to be undertaken in the laborator OPA CTU PEDAL Pata High Points in Accomplishments of Committees at Providence Meetings . I 4 ; ' ] , , I \ i i | nvs ind Bi ets A sub-sub-committec Will report ol ‘ . ‘ | i, Mee ; t a eatmen I gings and Forging Billets: A sub-sub-committee w investigate npments in their inspection and rejection. ti ecifications proposed for certain aluminum M High Temperatures and Pressures: Further progress in present specifica repare specifications for temperatures as high as 1000 and 1200 ly i r eS } or} fan erature propertle s of me tals. i! W rought s and non-ferrous metals and other fields in 1 yin RE o ter e metallographi the American Sheet & Tin Plate Co. and othe1 ) endural ‘ ropertle ot nerative tests are expected 4 t e ‘ nted to draltt i and ne nclusions fo! le mperature and Properties of Vetals at ] : [he cooperating laboratories which are working inder the direction of the committee having in charg E the joint research on the effect of temperature on tht ] ? ‘ re } } ( mpletior ( m . ° ° ‘ , , ne properties of metals under the chairmanship of G. W oy ad otf m ] ‘ ed . ee . . I “ty ¥' Saathoff, chief construction engineer, H, L. Doherty & ‘ x nu y nging OO to { 1 : y , . J t + ] “ Co., New York, reported that of the four classes of stee . ee neluded in the original program one class has Dee! ; : heat treated and distributed to the four laboratorie : i ] ly ring teel, 1 ’ ° ; [wo other classes are in the hands of their sponsors e! its, furnished in 1, 2 and 8-11 : 1 : ; ; , oe for similar disposition, and arrangements have bee! Z I eltect I liphnu n wheel } . ° . . P mpleted for the preparation of the fourth class ( ; re ed that ro . , . . ‘ mae . material. For the accumulation of service informatio! 6 4 ; ' oneerning the success or failure of various metals $ A rie mavlel Indag¢ | ations CcOV- orh —+ yn ~«) + ‘2 <ervice ‘ nact} « ‘oe ic heinge nre 4 gn-temperature service, a questionnaire Is being } i ‘ é ] y ntent The . . ° . . . : y : ared and will be distributed to various industries using I tu? ] P ress W >. . . etals under high-temperature service conditions t on t f T ( 1aGV otf tt I l t Te T ( y rene ‘ erences ar H rought Tron \ roducers of stec stings throug} a ' 9 ! . : 5 . % Ami n Foundryme! Association and the Stee e realm of wrought iron, committee A-2 0 : nae} Societ Ame t e re ight iron, H. J. Force, chemist and enginee! ; ter ests, Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad : Scranton, Pa., chairman, took steps toward the inclu i Festing Thin Sheets ion in the specifications of rules for the double rolling f staybolt : bee ata ¢ ' tf stayb iron. It also recommended changing t! 3 arg n rtance I niiorm methods ot testing ' ee 1441 name of merchant bar iron to common bar iron e etals Was recognized some little time ag 1 tee a bs? +4 4 ; The work of this committee in research is being ety’s ¢ tee E-1 on methods of testing : : ] > G+ i ; i ai et - : . ntinued, particularly with reference to the bene! rma 1 Ol a special committee +} " la na Ra T) moneshie at vhich may be bestowed upon wrought iron by anneal a pi 1€Tn, nis committee, } P , ng. This work was started a vear or two ago and rmanship of H. C. Knerr, consulting meta : — ed a year or ti ¢ Noir P adalnhi<« -_ . me interesting results have not onlv been obtaine: gical engineer, hiladeiphia, held a series of t : Ol mee he form of open Ut #re Still in prospect. The microstructure of wrought ron is being investigated and also the question of th¢ he committee has taken as its first problem th 7 villain oe chain at different periods during . thods of 4 tact} . ‘ prolonged use. of methods ension testing of sheet metal and slats cluded under this heading all material from ep 4 ; . . -fFerr > hickness of %4 in. down to foil of approximately 0.010 \Non-Ferrous Metals we liy f nro } "oO hs ha lau 7 > j 1] . . +4 two li * x p edure have been followed: On Considerable advancement in the work of committe ing a review of all tension test pieces of whic} B non-ferrous metals and alloys was recorded knowledge could } sapnred thy sedi i = . per . ae . , n é = uld be cured by means of a question- its meeting last week. Its chairman is Dr. Willia r his has resulted in a list of a list of about 30 speci Campbell, Columbia University 3esides the recon pert Boe ape & " ie wae et et esol a RIS March 25, 1926 Ty es 2¢ ’ ' LHE IRON AGE Sov mendation of a revision of specifi sheets, five new tentative specifications The first one covers aluminum base al] form for sand castings: the second. alu for sand castings; the third, steam o1 sand castings; the fourth composition, for sand castings containing copper 8&5. t Inc 5 per cent; and the fifth, an 88-8-4 per containing copper, tin and zine for sand casti1 As an appendix to the committee’s an there will be a discussion and a list of the lis num base sand casting alloys, including their composition and physical properties. There be added to the report a discussion of fluidity bearing metals. . Corrosion Problems é S ASIS lor gaivanizes os ‘ s ted methods esting, particularly ‘ ! ts re ng made in four dif ! I I and they are intended to be used ral itmosphe} exposure results. This is I S n preferable met Ss ( t \ nd parallelir { porate gs Pr) sure t snow getting under way \ nas a ve cooperative rela nsnip I rros vestigations in progress ul enen t 9 daar otner specia technical organ ‘ will a s soring the formulation of specifica test ns f gs as applied t i wide range of Corrosion of Non-Ferrous Products he chairmanship of the vice-chairman of the In the important work which the society is ng mmittee, Henry S Rawdon. vhysicist Bureau of the study of corrosion phenomena, two important Standards, Washington, the committee B-3 on corro mittees held well-attended sessions: Committee A-! n held a well-attended meeting Friday afternoor corrosion of iron and steel, and committ B teport ibmitted from several sub-committees ind corrosion of non-ferrous metals and alloys that the program for total immersion tests wa ; ‘ 5 gressing rapidly and that several companies con Corrosion of Iron and Steel a 6 hast salt Milne eaitilie Waite aetaeiRaal Wins With J. H. Gibboney, chief chemist Norf & West ests; that in the investigation of rrosion by inter ern Railroad, Roanoke, Va., in the chair, a r mitter ( the iY iboratori¢ doing thi summary was presented of the results tl ! ! ‘ mpleted the investigation and that, in the tained in the total immersion tests under w at Ar effect f spray tests on the corrosion of non-ferrous napolis, Washington and Key West. Wher mpleté netals, certain phases of the work had been completed these will not only give data regarding thi viceab vhile others were still in progres Those involving ty of different classes of iron and steel when immers¢ the effect of sodium chloride spray on the metals se in different waters, but are expected also t ifford a ted have been completed, while those using chrom comparison of the material in immersion service a 1, acetic acid and hydrochloric acid sprays were stil against the results obtained in atmospheric exposurs n progress The work has progressed so far, how The results of tests of black sheets exposed to the ever, that a complete report on most of it will be pre atmosphere at Fort Sheridan, Il., and Annapolis, M nted at the annual meeting in June were reported with further failures recorded. Tentat In the wor I gr elerated elect: tic tests specifications for galvanized sheets for various class« some of the have been completed, some will be com of service and for certain classes of wire and w by June h one worker making an earnest en products have been developed and suggestior heer ! hat time Simplification of Wire and Sheet Gages to Be Investigated Steps to determine the possibility of star wire and sheet metal gages were taken at a <¢ held under the auspices of the American E Standards Committee at the Engineering Building, New York, March 18. The conference followed a request of the S Automotive Engineers that the A. E. S. C. take unification of methods of designating the s and the thickness of metal sheets and plat presided over by C. E. Skinner, assistant d engineering, Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Pittsburgh, and chairman of the A. E. S. ¢ Fi general discussion and vote on the questior the unification or simplification of the diverss for gaging wire and sheet metal be unde1 sectional committee,” sponsorship and scope was appointed. The me this committee .were: F. J. White, Okonit« York, and engineer of the American Electri Association, chairman; F. H. Colvin, editor, Machinist; Commodore A. B. Fry, superinten architect’s office, United States Treasury Dep: W. C. Wetherill, director of metals utiliza ment of Commerce; and Walter W. Lower, se the National Association of Sheet and Tin P] facturers, Pittsburgh. The scope adopted for the work committee was as follows: “The standardiza method of designating the diameter o alloy wire, the thickness of metals and meta sheet, plate and strip form and wall thicknes piping and casing made of these materials; establishment of a standard series of non and of tolerances for wires, sheets, plates and Joint sponsorship of the American Society chanical Engineers and the Society of Autom gineers was also recommended by the comm 1 these organizations accept sponsorship the} Metal ig — ectional committee nder the rules of the Bef the general discussion and vote to appoint the y committee, a résumé of the present practice, prepared by Col. E. C. Peck, Cleve neering and 7 st Drill Co., Cleveland, was pre sented to the Societic nference by John Gaillard, engineer of the A. E. S. C wl ilso presented a résumé of the European practice etv of I} th of these papers, it was pointed out that at the y the present time there are some thirty different wire and f wire heet metal gage systems used in this country in which It was the same gage number often designates different actua recto? zes, thus causing confusion. From foreign standards ssued in Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland ind Japan, it appears that the tendency abroad i toward decimal designation of the sizes and the abolish tem ment of the indication by gage numbers \ brief ex ken bv a planation of the preferred number system for the a temporary special committee or tandardization of sizes was given by L. P. Alford bers of member of the sectional committee on preferred num ( New bers appointed by the A. E. S. C., and consideration of Railway tl stem was urged Yr) i¢ "nt of x ‘ et & vr ‘ ‘ - ' . . ng th. Americal irtment, \ t f Stee] M ers Walter Voigtlander Depart H. F. Smith and M. O. Kapperl, Ameri retar r. Robinson, Ge ectr c represent Institute of tr Engineer Ww. 1 te Mar ‘ (sor und J. H a ] H. W Bearce ; \ I tor of metal Tl meta } M. tsa ‘ Leer allovs 11 x ~ Automot f tubing ‘ ( Kenosha, Wis and the : t 4 Agent ore \ j Morg o _ AIT i Mi é Tr ps ¢ ° lar depa v of Me . 4 Capta Ww. i say 0m or ne et eter 840 THE IRON AGE The iron house at Tilton, ne Birmingham, England, which is still in excellent condition after more [ fa 1a q re } iSé¢ Frame ‘ walls, sash a nd door jrames are all of wren. latio between the metal ext than a An air space provides rior and the interior plaste r finish The Dwellings of Tomorrow IV.—Some Objections Often Raised to Use of Iron and Steel for Houses—With Answers Thereto BY PRENTICE ‘SPM, RON and steel in houses will lessen the ir) labor needed to erect our homes, you say. Well, won't the labor unions ob t to that and try to block it?” asked the Man from Missouri when the topic ect ot conversatior nthe Pullman car too nN “They may,” replied the ardent ad- cate of more iron and steel in houses. have done short-sighted things befcre. But such interference can long stand in the way of in- creasing social and economic pressure. Probably there ‘'t be any trouble at all; but if any does come, it will be merely inter-union squabbles, such as those vhich accompanied the introduction of steel sash and door frames not so long ago. That worked itself out without any difficulty. Iron-workers disputed the right arpenters to hang steel sash or door bucks, but to- day both iron-workers and carpenters will be found doing this work and the use of steel for these purposes as increased steadily. “Organized labor as a whole frowns on such inter on disagreements and moreover has every reason to favor the increased use of iron and steel for dwellings Whatever the building trades unions may think, the rest of union and non-union labor will not be long in earning that lower rents, smaller taxes, decreased in- irance and better homes will result from the use of id steel in their homes “Transferring more of the work required in house mstruction from the field to the factory will take plac gradually and will have little, if any, effect on wages and hours in the building trades. The labor cost of a house will be reduced, since comparatively cheap hand labor will be still further aided by machinery, some of automatic. “Building mechanics will doubtless learn to handk iron and steel construction units more easily than they learned to handle wood and more field work will be iccomplished by each, when the use of such units be- comes widespread.” WINCHELI “Hasn't the steel housing program in England be hampered by the labor unions?” injected the Gentle man from Missouri. “Might that not happen here?” “It isn’t likely,” was the reply. “Conditions a1 quite different. Labor in England objects to severa things which would not necessarily enter into the situ ation here. First of all, there is a good deal of questio: as to the type of house being erected in England; neither labor nor builders are entirely satisfied. Second, the shifting of a large amount of work from the build ing trades to the factories during a period of sever unemployment naturally causes more opposition thar would be the case, if the change were made graduall) or if there were enough jobs to take care of the me! who would be thrown out of work. Third, there hav been some indications that, since less skilled labor required on the standardized types of houses called for in the English program than on wooden houses, wages might be reduced—a proposal which naturally meet with much opposition. “No, the English situation is quite unlike ours There they are trying to abolish the tenements ar give employment to shop labor by erecting large nun bers of dwellings exactly alike. In this country th emphasis has been placed on the development of u! parts adaptable to any house design or any owner’ individual preference.” I] “How about rust?” asked the Gentleman from Mis sourl. ‘“‘Won’t steel and iron corrode so quickly that their usefulness will be greatly lessened on that ac count?” “There are several answers to that question. On is that it is possible to make iron and steel which wi! not corrode readily. We have stainless irons and stee! today, expensive as yet, of course, but then there a! copper bearing steels, ingot iron and so on. Then ©! course it is possible to protect iron and steel so that they will resist corrosion far better than wood can r t the inevitable decay. Metals may be painted sist March 25, 1926 eo DUO Cate Prater iy elt Aine March 25, 1926 THE IRON AGE yvered with a protective coat ~ ‘ f ments W nave et nade in this country have anizing, for example—and experie1 as shown th: se. the development of standardized units if this coating is kept Intact by period renewa I struct rather than in the direction of uni- and steel are practically indestructible. Meta f lesion or du ite dwellings. You know how the n the frame, floor or walls of a house m e in ‘ neste ill sorts of thing it of the meta in cement-plaster, stucco or concrete and tl} natro +} Ch 13? Same pi protective covering against orrosio! ! ising nat ‘“‘We don’t have to go as far back as the Bla P , goda of Konarak in India, alth igh mat oh beams used in that building are still in good condit It se so revolutionary that I would expect to There is an iron house in Tipton, England, that etning loose ro change the building habits ld nobody can remember when it was erected | rhaps ¢ world, seems a large orde! till inhabited and the tenants state it is the n Gentleman from Missouri hes ante fortable house they have ever lived in—dry, warm irge orde? But not very mu h larget cosy in winter. The frame and walls of this house ar changing the transportation habits of a nation iron, and the metal is in excellent condition today, sin Not irger than changing the amusement ply because it has been properly painted from time i S indred million people, after all What time. It is known that the house was built sa alii the railroad, the automobile, the movies and radio have before 1790, for the company which now owr ’ ed should be an indication that the building records going back to that date and the house not fa nation cal e changed. entioned.” ‘Moreover, derable headway has already been le ste ising are not pre ‘ new II Ne went) ears ago a steel frame house was built “Don’t you suppose the idea tandardized cor at Tuxed N. } Meta imber ha een made and truction is likely to militate against the introductior id for mart eal though paratively little ha f iron and steel in dwellings?” continued the gue ( r small house Met ith has increased tioner. “There are a good many concerns selling ready ise treme is] recent- years and metal roofing ut houses of various kinds, but the public as a whol e use of steel for frame wall has not taken very kindly to the plan—at least, o1 a irtitions and not come suddenly, but a very mall part of our annual building expenditure goes for nsiderable be ng has been made. The next decade uch houses.” ' robably e al rease in the use of steel for “T don’t think standardized construction w ente ve ‘ a ’ te comparable to the increase nto the matter,” was the reply. “Practically all the the e of ‘ ree lilding , ' Metal Lumber for Fireproof Floors N November, 1921, Thomas J. | t ol f n be da vere | man, National Bridge Works, Long | eXce ! City, N. Y., addressed the American h about 10 eel lumber Joists were first Steel Institute on the subject of le fi et el and ce that time the for buildings ‘Steel lumber ‘ heet 1 strip steel for tl purpose sists of light structural membe1 t} tead reased Ma Minion square of I-beams and hannel I ippr f f s etal lumber have been ne-third the weight of the t en years, but very little of equal depth and primarily designed to 1 \ has been used for residentia ru fill the function of woode1 t Wit! ipidly growing interest 1 The first steel joists were pro } a ! i ste for Is¢ the market for ee] about 1855 and some of the! ! ‘ : ed ause of its adapta the five-story bank building W z eproof floor nstruction when near Wall Street n New Yo1 ! teel Ira dwellings. building was erected in 1855 and 1 ) O the erage,” stated the National and the steel joists, of a f hat differe ead s ‘ Ma n, Ohio, recent ., d t floor co *THI \ ee; 4 { 4 1 j = <* ; r ~ Frz oF <7y 23 a : Typical Methods oo 4 4 , { of Fire-Safe | ‘ a Floor Construc- 3 tion, Using Met- al Lumber. De- signed by T. J. Foster, chairman, 4 : National Brida: Works, Long Is- ~ See 4 =f land City, N. Y. ~ : —— ts - % . + J of Seer ee sao emEeee oe 7 , r if = » ; ; . ¢ High-Production Milling Machine utomatic la Feature of New Duplex Machine—Design Permits Wide Variety of Fixtures and Attachments th independent spindle changes for both spindle re, Whiel naependently ol and table and table are accomplish other, thus giving a wide rai f table feeds for any spindle speed and vice versa ait in [I drives. Sper eacn be readily equipped with individual motor drive gang The spindle heads are mounted on uprights, wh I ne ] ¢ pe I a ‘ ‘ ‘ nly, a e gt ised rhe reverse at a ! Reversal of n neans ol ) work requiring 1 Van ety of Fixtures and Attachments May Be ployed. T he N¢ t-up ahovwe and that below show the use of two special fixtures and of two vertical spindle a tachments Em ‘ a q S / : _ ee ¢ { I l ma nti feature Both the nd « ng feed of the table operate auto ‘ e) ? on, m: oe the machine adapt I & Sharpe method of milling with a : nd of the This feature is “7 I ave vhe il automat ( Accu etting of the tablk ‘ 1 he ft ping leve ire | ‘ rting t being of par ol adva ge when the operatior part aut ‘ Che I bi 1 and rigid and the saddk vhicl ri de variety of fixtures to b Such fixtures are designed permit loadir are located one on each side of the table, as show! nimum ti and in conjunction with the u Each spindle is provided with independent vertical ad rapid, constant fa t travel, and the automat justment, and there is a separate set of change gea! Of POEM Che MACHINS LO CUL AlmOSst Constantly for each spindle. The upright which mounts the ma! mpilicity of ¢ rat OI ind { ‘ adaptability of tl pindle is cast asa part of the bed; the outside uprig! a broad field of work further { ! is adjustable and is provided with a transverse mo facturing uses. ment of 7% in. machine rf con é drive ‘ The automatic movement of the table. in eith« 842 ee ae ‘ ; : : March 25, 1926 THE direction, includes a constant nations of table movements are possibl If nf fixture is used at one end of the table, which may b ( necessary when cutting above and below simultane the work is loaded, the fast table travel engag: table advances at fast travel, cuts and returns at fa travel to loading position, where it stops for reloading If a swiveling fixture is used to save loading time, tl operator can be loading one station $f the fixture whil the work in the other is being cut, the cycle being th« same as for the single fixture noted above, except the table stops to permit indexing of fixtures in place complete reloading. The intermittent cycle may be used when two more fixtures can be set up in line, having varying amounts of cutting feed and fast travel jumps betweer The table reverses at the end of the last cut and re turns to loading position at fast travel, where j The pieces are removed as they come out from unde) the cutters, except the last piece, which returned to loading position. The first fixture is then loaded TX before the operator trips the fast travel control again repeat the cycle, the other fixtures being loade as the cutting progresses. In the above cycles, instead of returning the wo! past the cutters at fast travel, if desirable it can returned at cutting feed until clear of the cutters be fore the fast return travel is automatically engaged Also. in other than the full automatic cycle, the table can be set to stop for unloading before returning that no finished work is passed back over the cutte1 Special Attachments Increase Range In addition to the