The Iron Age 1926-05-27: Vol 117 Iss 21

b Engin MAY 28 1926 sary For Contents and News Digest turn to the page with the orange border. THE IRON ACE osssneannnANSANHOUOMANUASAUOOAAAORAUOGAANOEGOOAEAOUEOAGNOGEGAUNCQUOOOOUOOOUENOGUEOAUUOOOUEOQUUEOQUONOUOGONRENOuONOQEONONSOOGEENQUOOAOUCGQNEOOQECAOUNOONEOOQUENOOU0000eQOQH00NUEOOQEEONUENOQuSUAuENONUENOQEOUOUEN00UNOQUEONOESN0NU00QU0000000040000000008000U000480Q04EQQ0ECQNUEOOuEOOOUOOQESNNUEOOOUEOONENOUEHONUEONENENOUOOQUONOAUENONON Published Weekly _ NEW YORK, N. Y., MAY 27, 1926 _ _ Single Copy, 25 Cents Vol. 117, No. 21 Entered Se —— — June 18, 1879, at Post Office Six Dollars a Year in U. S. : New ork under the Act of March 3, 1879 Canada $8.50; Foreign $12 AaounanaannnnnnenneceneGUUGUNEGEGOUeuHUnenaNeaNeauouduaEouonoNdestouneneneceseseuanecaonsnescansesuvenenenssooesususucesecusunususntanenenssusuneesesesusesevnsesnsseusenesesuseuevevevesusususesususeseuenequneuensueneneneousonsusocuoossseveseonsesesevenenenenenenesuseneoeounenenensnenenecenenscessosnenensonsconsesnonsnansnscnensuuse i}y “= ‘ "dq 2 HE phenomenal improvement made in the automobile during the past few years has made the stalled car at the roadside but a mem- ory of yesterday. Likewise the development of special machinery for the heat treating of Cleveland Wire Springs has eliminated, absolutely, the possibility of any defect in the special temper vital to their continuous day in and day out satis- factory performance. Also manufacturers of Steel Shop Barrels, Tote Boxes, Steel Shelving, Steel Stools, Steel Waste Cans and Specialties. THE CLEVELAND WIRE SPRING CO. Main Office and Factory, Cleveland, Ohio Branches: CHICAGO, Machinery Hall *% DETROIT, Garfield Bidg. CLEVELAND COILED AND FLAT SPRINGS THE IRON AGE Courtesy The Walworth Company tor Your Shop EETING all the needs of a dozen different in- dustries is an easy matter with the large diversified stocks carried in each of the Ryerson Steel-Service Plants. The special equipment and facilities for cutting, handling and dispatching the steel are the natural outcome of 84 years’ experience. Nothing is over- looked that will make for quick service. The combined stocks of six huge warehouses assure immediate delivery. Call on the nearest Ryerson Steel-Service Plant. A wire, telephone or letter will start the steel on its way. Write for the Journal and Stock List —the “key” to Immediate Steel JOSEPH T. RYERSON & SON nc ESTABLISHED 1842 PLANTS: CHICAGO ST, LOUIS DETROIT NEW YORK MILWAUKEE CINCINNATI BUFFALO REPRESENTATION IN DENVER HOUSTON TULSA NEWARK MINNEAPOLIS SAN FRANCISCO JERSEY CITY May 27, 1926 For the Waiting Locomotive THE IRON AGE New York, May 27, 1926 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 117, No. 21 Conveyor System Makes Roof Work Utilizing Waste Space for Ovens Releases Valuable Manufacturing Floor— Automatic Control BY ROGERS A. FISKE* AN the roof of the plant be converted into valu- C able manufacturing space? This question was answered in the affirmative by the Simmons Co., New York, the largest manufacturer in this country of metal furniture, with regard to its large Kenosha, Wis., plant. Drying ovens, no matter for what purpose they are used, are bulky, and cover a large floor area in manu- facturing plants which have to use them. Appreciat- ing this fact, the Simmons Co. engineers have so changed the design and operation of the ovens at the Kenosha plant that 80,000 sq. ft. of floor space has been released for other manufacturing purposes. This was accomplished by the installation of a conveyor and elevator system, which made feasible placing ovens on the roofs of six-story buildings, and also through the redesigning of the ovens so that the drying time was reduced from 4 hr. to 1 hr. 20 min. The old ovens were simply long insulated passage- ways, heated to a temperature of 200 deg. Fahr. by means of steam coils, and opening at both ends. The procedure followed in loading was to throw open the end doors and push in, by hand labor, a number of loaded trucks. As the ovens cooled off greatly during the period of loading and unloading, much valuable heat was lost. The air in the ovens was recirculated *Western editor, THe IRON AGB, Chicago. without due regard for its degree of vapor saturation. A further disadvantage of this arrangement was that the ovens had to be located on the operating floor, that is, on the same level with the paint vats and drip racks, for the reason that the newly loaded trucks were moved by hand. : The most important feature of the new layout cen- ters around the conveyor system, by means of which it became possible to remove the ovens from the operat- ing floor to the otherwise wasted roof area. A reduc- tion of the drying period, through improved oven de- sign, resulted in speeding up production. Thus a large floor space was released, for conversion either to addi- tional painting units or to other manufacturing uses. The conveying equipment, largely of special design, is actuated by standard units made by the Oilgear Co., 655 Park Street, Milwaukee. The entire system is synchronized so that parts in process of being painted move through the departments in an uninterrupted stream. Inasmuch as one unit is essentially a duplicate of another, only one unit in the bed finishing depart- ment will be described. When the raw, or unfinished, steel-bed ends are delivered to the paint department each piece is sus- pended from a hook on an overhead conveyor. As a bed end reaches the dipping tank it is removed auto- matically from the conveyor, dipped and suspended if - i. & . ; S| ee Elevator Cylinders Are Equipped With Oil-Cylinder Operated Latches Which Hold the Elevators in the Up Position 1487 1488 Ele: Are Controlled from the Main Cam Shaft ators from a second conveyor over the drip pan. The sag marks are brushed off by hand and, after a few minutes of air drying, the part is removed by hand from the conveyor to a light steel truck. All Movements Are Synchronized After the truck is loaded it is pushed a short dis- tance to a track, in the center of which is a loading cylinder. This, an Oilgear Co. unit, consists of a hori- zontal, double-acting hydraulic cylinder, the piston of which is actuated by oil under pressure from a central pump and under the control of a cam-operated four- way valve. In this way the motion and timing of this cylinder is synchronized with the elevators and con- Oil Pump and Cam Shaft Are Belt Driven. THE IRON AGE Loaded by Means of Oil Cylinders May 27, 1296 veyors, which will now be listed in the order in which they operate as this truckload of bed ends goes through the drying process. At a predetermined time the piston in this cylinder moves forward and a dog on the end of the piston rod en- gages the frame of the truck, pushing it onto an elevator platform. After a few seconds delay the loaded elevator is moved up, by means of a cable which passes over two sets of sheaves and is attached to another hydraulic cylinder. The elevator stops at the level of the floor of the drying oven, which is lo- cated on the roof of the building. There a pusher conveyor, actuated by another cylinder, moves back over the elevator floor, engages the truck just brought up, and in moving forward pushes the truck from the elevator, ad- vances the entire line of trucks in the oven, and at the same time moves the truck at the discharge end of the oven onto an elevator which has been pre- viously brought into position. The charging elevator then returns to the lower level and, a few seconds later, the elevator at the outgoing end of the oven returns to the operating floor level and an unloading cylinder is automati- cally operated to remove the truck from the elevator platform. In this way the bed ends are returned to the paint floor for either the second or the final coat, as the case may be. Oil, under pressure, is furnished to the cylinders by an Oilgear belt-driven, constant-pressure oil pump rated at 4000 cu. in. per min. at 750 r.p.m., or 67 cu. in. per second. Pressures up to 1000 lb. per in, may be obtained and the delivery of oil is automatically controlled. Full volume of oil is delivered up to max- imum pressure and, when the resistance met exceeds the maximum pressure, the volume of oil delivered drops to just enough to maintain maximum pressure. This pump cannot be overloaded, for the reason that, when the maximum pressure is reached, the stroke of the pump is automatically cut off. Oil, under pressure from the pump, is delivered to Which Are sq. The four-way valves are actuated by the cams May 27, 1926 | rt ; Several Seconds After the Elevators Return to the Operating Floor, Oil Cylinders Push the Trucks from the Elevator Platform three four-way valves, which are operated by three cams mounted on a belt-driven shaft. One valve and cam control the movement and timing of the pushers which load and unload the elevators when in their down position. The second valve and cam control the up-and- down movement of the elevators, and the third valve and cam actuate the push conveyor in the oven. The duty cycle of the cams is 4 min. per revolution, that is, 1 sec. equals 1.5 deg., or 1 deg. is equal to 0.666 sec. To follow through a complete cycle, we will start with all valves in the neutral position and designate the cams as Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The loading or No. 1 cam first comes into play, moving the valve piston so as to discharge oil under pressure to the elevator loading and unloading cylinders. Thus the elevator at the ingoing end of the oven is loaded and the elevator at the out- going end is unloaded, this operation taking place at the paint floor level. As No. 1 cam rotates further, the piston rods of the loading cylinders are drawn back into the cylinders and, with a further rotation of the cam, the valve is forced into its neutral position, where it remains throughout the remainder of the revolution. A short interval after No. 1 valve goes into neutral, No. 2 cam actuates its valve, causing the two elevators to rise and stop at the oven floor level. This cam then returns No. 2 valve to neutral and holds it there until the oven conveyor or No. 3 cam and valve have oper- ated the pusher cylinder, which unloads the elevator at the incoming end, advances the line of trucks in the oven and loads the elevator at the outgoing end. No. 3 valve then goes into neutral and No. 2 cam operates No. 2 valve, to allow the elevators to return to the paint floor level. This completes one cycle. Operations are so timed that, when any valve is feeding oil to any of the cylinders taking oil through it, the two other valves are in neutral. There is always time lag between succeeding operations, to avoid diffi- THE IRON AGE 1489 culties arising from belt slippage, unequal resistance to the flow of oil in lines of unequal length and the variations in the fluidity of the oil. Each elevator cylinder is provided with a safety latch which operates automatically to hold the elevator at the top of its travel. Remote control push buttons, located at convenient places, provide a means of stop- ping the motor which drives the oil pump and cams. Design and Heating of Ovens Oven design and method of heating are also of in- terest. Air is drawn from the paint room at about 70 deg. Fahr. by a motor-driven, American Blower Co. tan, which discharges into the top section of a four- pass, oil-fired heater. The heater units are made of sheet metal and are surrounded by the products of combustion, the flow of air being counter-current to that of the gas in the heater. Air leaves the heater at about 600 deg. Fahr., and is discharged to two distributing boxes placed on the oven floor near the unloading end. The hot air travels to the charging end of the oven and is withdrawn by a fan at that point after it has cooled to about 200 deg. Fahr. The flow of air through the oven is opposed to the movement of the product. Each heater unit, made by the McCam-Harrison Corporation, Cleveland, is divided into two sections, and each section is fired by two oil burners. Fuel oil, stored at the power plant, is pumped, under 45 lb. pressure, to a small open tank in which the oil level is controlled by a float valve. The oil flows by gravity to small chambers, to each of which are connected two burners. Compressed air at 80 lb. pressure is reduced to about 11 lb. and stored in a small tank near the heater. The burners are connected to this tank and are so de- signed that the flow of this low-pressure air through the nozzle creates a vacuum and induces the proper amount of oil up to the burner tip. A regulator made by the Foxboro Co., Foxboro, Mass., and attached to a thermometer bulb piaced near the center of the oven, controls one burner in each heat- er section, in this way holding the oven temperature within predetermined limits. This regulator operates by cutting in or off the low-pressure air supply which induces the flow of oil to the controlled burner. : | | } Two Burners Are Mounted at Each Combustion Chamber. One burner of each pair is under auto- matic control and cuts in and out, depending upon the temperature in the oven Steel Bookings Gain in May Orders Show Upturn and Basic Industrial Conditions Are “About as Good as They Have Ever Been,” Says Judge Gary in Address to Institute HE soundness of present business conditions and the recent favorable turn in steel bookings T' were emphasized by Elbert H. Gary, president of the American Iron and Steel Institute, at its twen- ty-ninth general meeting at Hotel Commodore, New York, May 21. The importance of better merchan- dising in the steel industry was stressed by Eugene G. Grace, president Bethlehem Steel Corporation, in an address at the banquet. The program of the technical sessions embraced two papers on. open- hearth furnaces, and papers on steam power stations, wrought iron, coke testing and reinforced con- crete. HE address of Judge Gary, delivered at the opening of the meeting Friday morning, was divided into two parts, one dealing with labor and the other with business conditions. His remarks on the business situ- ation follow in toto: Corporation Figures on Bookings are Encouraging “It is useful and interesting to know accurately and to learn facts relating to present conditions in any line of industry; all would be still better pleased if it were practicable to ascertain in advance what is going to happen in the future. The first is not difficult. The second is impossible, and we are left to mere conjec- ture, which must be based on past history, on existing circumstances and on the fundamentals on which busi- ness, present and future, is founded. “Speaking of the iron and steel industry and con- fining the subject to the United States Steel Corpora- tion, which is more or less indicative of the general steel industry in this country, in the following figures will be found evidence bearing upon business conditions: Tons per Day New bookings for the current month........ 30,300 New bookings for same period last month... 29,600 New bookings for same period last year..... 18,900 New bookings from Jan. 1, 1926, to date..... 38,700 New bookings from Jan. 1, 1925, to corre- BS ere 41,100 New bookings during the lowest consecutive five months in the history of the corporation 7,650 Shipments for the current month............ 45,200 Shipments for same period last month....... 47,900 Shipments for same period last year........ 43,100 Shipments from Jan. 1,.1926, to date........ 49,500 Shipments from Jan. 1, 1925, to corresponding Te err a eee 47,000 Shipments during the lowest consecutive five months in the history of the corporation... 18,100 “The basic industrial conditions of this country at the present time, taking into account all that could be truthfully said for and against, are very much better than on the average, and on the whole about as good as they have ever been, perhaps better. “We are at peace with all the nations of the globe, and this is likely to continue. Labor conditions are generally peaceful and quiet. Labor is well treated and is appreciative. The attitude of the present labor leaders, so-called, is much better than it has been the larger part of the time during the past 25 years. The intention and effort of employers towards employees are considerate and just. The same may be said of employees toward employers. Harmony prevails be- tween these two interests, which is essential to the progress and prosperity of both, and it is expected this will continue. Money is plentiful, the per capita cir- culation is very large, interest rates are low, and every responsible, worthy applicant finds no difficulty in ob- taining funds for legitimate enterprise. The banks are strong and well managed, the bankers are fair and accommodating and have the full confidence of the general public. The people are at work; they are dis- posed to economize; they are, in the main, sober and There were prepared discussions on each paper. The attendance at the banquet was 1355. law-abiding, and not inclined toward extravagance, although there are striking exceptions manifested in some localities. As a rule, wages are fair and reason- able, though in certain lines are outrageously high. The law of supply and demand will sooner or later bring these matters to a just and proper regulation. “The Governmental administration, the disposition of the Congress of the United States, and the attitude of public officials throughout the country generally are much better than they were in past periods; and they are to be commended. “From the crop outlook, according to latest advices, we now expect a net total result that will demonstrate more conclusively than ever before how rich, in re- sources on hand and in future prospects, this country really is. “The climate of the United States is superior, and the average health of the people is good and improving. “It may justly be said that a large majority of the people of the United States are studious, industrious, progressive, consistent, law-abiding and friendly to- ward all the peoples of the world; and they have great reason for gratitude toward a merciful Providence. “It is up to all business men to appreciate what is offered to us and to do our full part in maintaining satisfactory conditions.” “We Can Be Better Merchants”—Grace 66 AVE we handled the commercial end of our busi- ness as well as the manufacturing end?” This question was put to the members of the institute by Eugene G. Grace, president Bethlehem Steel Corpora- tion, in an address at the banquet. Between $4,000,- 000,000 and $5,000,000,000 is invested in the steel in- dustry in this country, he said, but annual earnings are only 4 or 5 per cent on the capital stock. Against that the automobile industry, for example, is making 10 to 25 per cent a year. “It is paying its stockholders what we ought to be paying ours, at least in part,” declared Mr. Grace. There is no necessity for apologizing for profits. Quoting Owen D. Young, chairman of the board General Electric Co., he said, “Profits are the motive power of industry.” Despite the propensity of governmental bodies to inquire into the earnings of in- dustries, it is far preferable to be investigated for profits than to be pressed by stockholders for not mak- ing profits. The steel industry has excelled in perfecting its manufacturing processes. It can, and should, be a bet- ter merchant—within the law, Mr. Grace asserted. It is through improved merchandising and not through wage reductions that the road to profits lies. Funda- mental in our present prosperity, asserted Mr. Grace, is the prosperity of the worker. Brisbane Urges Liberal Wage Policy “From the last war we learned that it pays to pay men well,” said Arthur Brisbane, well-know publicist, 1490 May 27, 1926 who was another after-dinner speaker. “To make money, spend money; to get money, give money,” he continued in his epigrammatic style. “We can’t reduce wages, but we can increase them.” If wages are raised, he pointed out, the people will have more to spend and it will then be possible to raise prices of steel. “We haven’t begun to touch the prosperity of this country,” declared Mr. Brisbane. “There is no trouble with production; the trouble is with distribution.” By distribution Mr. Brisbane was referring to the distri- bution of wealth or buying power. In this connection he said, “The nation needs money spent as much as land needs water.” Nationalization Propaganda Disturbs British Industry “So long as trade union leaders seek nationalization of industries, just so long will the labor problem of Great Britain remain unsolved and unsolvable,” said Viscount William H. E. W. Ednam, recently a member THE IRON AGE 1491 of the British Parliament and identified with numerous large English industries, including the Earl of Dudley’s Round Oak Works, Brierley Hill, England, a large iron and steel company of which he is chairman. British employers, he declared, are wholly in sympathy with the legitimate aspirations of labor. They desire to pay as high wages as those paid in America, provided labor in return gives a full day’s work. He called attention, however, to the difficulty of doing this so long as Brit- ish manufacturers must sell their products in competi- tion with those of Continental plants employing work- men at much lower wages and longer hours. As regards cheaper production the British have much to learn from the United States in modern up-to- date plant and labor-saving equipment, Lord Ednam added. But whereas there is a labor shortage in the United States, there is a surplus in Great Britain. More labor-saving equipment would merely put more English people out of work, he said. Data Relating to Basic Open-Hearth Steel Practice BY AMBROSE N. DIEHL HE primary object of the tests discussed in this paper was the development of data for this com- pany’s information and to further economic produc- tion as well as to develop, if possible, more accurate methods and better quality of product. While the data collected apply principally to the practice from furnaces using pig iron made from Lake Superior ores, yet the principles are such as may be applied to most operations, and in fact cover 75 to 80 per cent of the steel produced in the United States. A number of conflicting results led to a decision several years ago to collect data from a number of open-hearth steel heats, taken with the greatest preci- sion and to the fullest extent within our knowledge. Having in the Duquesne Works of the Carnegie Steel Co. a plant of 32 open-hearth furnaces, a competent squad of 20 experienced and scientifically trained men in the experimental engineering department, equipped with the best instruments of precision obtainable, a fully equipped chemical laboratory for metallurgical work and a thoroughly experienced operating force, this company felt that the data obtained would be as accurate as could possibly be collected. In addition to the records and analyses, graphic charts have been prepared and tables and various ele- ment balances compiled, together with actual prac- tice results on coal, recarburizers, alloys and some con- clusions drawn as to the problematical action of the different metalloids. It is rather the purpose of this paper to submit the data and information as outlined, rather than to express different conclusions, which necessarily would not be applicable when local condi- tions and materials were taken into consideration. The investigations were conducted on furnaces of rated capacities varying from 50 to 75 tons. The main part of the paper, which covers with the charts and tables, 59 printed pages, discusses in detail the construction of the open-hearth furnaces, the type of heats investigated, the method of testing the metal, and the presentation of results which are given in 19 CQL UUUAAMAAN AANA ULTUUUUOUUAAAAAAAASAACD OAL TAAA ALGAAS GAARA UU OU UHAALLAAANONSRGUERUUOUUUUUULAAANOOSSSGN0NREULAOUDUQUUUQLOQGLAN((\0444AA0BTESROUODOUOMUUUOQSOQQOS00MAEDLL0U00 UAALUE CLAS GPRS LAOOUYAOAON THAAD AAD EPSON RNa President Gary’s Views on Business and Labor On Business Conditions HE basic industrial conditions of this country at the present time, taking into account all that could be said for and against, are very much better than on the average, and on the whole are about as good as they have ever been, perhaps better. New bookings for May have been at a daily rate of 30,300 tons, compared with 29,600 tons daily last month and 18,900 tons daily in May of last year. New bookings of the United States Steel Cor- poration since Jan. 1 have been at the rate of 38,700 tons daily, as compared with 41,100 tons of bookings daily during the corresponding period in 1925. Shipments of the Steel Corporation for the same period this year were at the rate of 49,500 tons daily, compared with daily shipments of 47,000 tons in the same period of 1925, showing a gain of 5.3 per cent. On Labor Conditions T may and should be said that the employers in the United States generally stand for fair and liberal treatment of employees. They believe in the open shop, which permits a man to work whenever and wherever he is disposed and can agree with the employer. They insist labor should always receive proper and adequate compensation, depending on the financial ability of the employer and the results of the business. * * * We do not believe he (the employee) should be entitled to a voice in the management of the employer’s property or business unless he has a pecuniary interest and corresponding responsibil- ity. It may truthfully be said that labor generally in the United States is well cared for and is con- tented. In some lines or places it is overpaid; in some instances perhaps underpaid, though it is hoped and believed such cases, if any exist, are exceptional and will be rectified. vue ae nL UNRARNNNNNMEUNNUTEN NUN UEDNU ENE UNETDUANGMUONNAGUNUNNSTOMESaUunOnvUeeaUCoge tdrnuenaty satus UaugeOcagrU LUT vaeMeAU eee UNE MUNROE NARA HAULS EAE RNA eset EN ase NT C1 TAAPELLL SOEUR LO ORRUD TOMTOM AMY abilities were recently recognized by his appointment as oper- ating vice-president of the Carnegie Steel Co., in charge of the plants He was graduated from Pennsylvania State College in 1898 and entered the employ of the Carnegie Steel Co. in 1899 as a chemist in the laboratory at the Duquesne Works. seven months he was transferred to the blast furnace department of the same plant and six months later was made assistant blast furnace superintendent. In October, 1901, he was made superintendent of the blast furnace department and served in that capacity until October, 1915, when he assumed the position of assistant general superintendent A year and a half later he was appointed assistant to the operating vice-president, with head- quarters at the general offices in Pittsburgh. in the Pittsburgh district. of the Duquesne Works and blast furnaces. operating vice-president came in 1925. GUUPPOMELA S411 UNH t)HNTE NEHA LLUONMAME HASAN ELEN tables with accompanying charts, each table and chart representing one heat. There is also a discussion of the action of metalloids in the furnace and the addition of alloys. One section is devoted to the electric furnace prac- tice which is carried out at the Duquesne Works by the duplex process in which part of the finished product of an open-hearth furnace, while still in the molten state, is transferred to a 20-ton Heroult electric fur- nace. Summary The outstanding features of the investigations are summarized by the author in part as follows: In conducting naces investigations on open-hearth .fur- too much care cannot be exercised in the weigh- ing, sampling and analyzing the various materials entering and leaving the furnace. The method for obtaining the total sulphur con- tent of fuel gas was developed and is described. The sulphur combined as gases is absorbed by putting the sample through bromine water and the sulphur sus- pended in the gas in a solid state is separated from the gas by glass wool in the silica sampling tube through which the sample is drawn. The problem of sulphur elimination has not been dealt with in the present paper, as the intention is to deal with this particular feature in a subsequent paper. The addition of alloys is discussed and the metallic efficiency obtained during additions is given. In order to avoid excessive loss, particular care must be ex- ercised only in the case of the readily oxidizable ele- ments, such as chromium and vanadium. The method for quickly calculating the amount of ore and limestone which should be charged for a heat of open-hearth steel is included, and a comparison is given for several different types of heat between the amounts actually added and those required by the method of calculation proposed. Discussion In his discussion of Mr. Diehl’s paper, Vincent J. Pazzetti, superintendent open-hearth department, Sau- con division, Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., said that the real value of an undertaking of this kind, which contains much accurate data of physical and chemical observations, can only be obtained by inten- sive study of each individual heat followed by a com- parison with every other heat. From these compari- sons, he said, no conclusions should be drawn except after most careful study, and these conclusions should be cautiously stated upon the possibility that not all of the circumstances have been detected and weighed. One of the serious handicaps, he said, to a thorough knowledge of the actual happenings in the manufac- ture of open-hearth steel is the enormous number of factors involved which vary from heat to heat with the nature of the available raw materials and of the desired finished product, as well as with the age and condition of the furnace. THE IRON AGE R. DIEHL has had a long career as an operating official, and his UMOOREDARLEUENILYROODNN ELLEN UNMMNRAMDNAL NAAT tS 0eNUHeTMUENLtnannNN AAU eaten! May 27, 1296 CATEUTTL TCT EET After His appointment as A CUUNEAEE SUEY OU EAA MT He said further: “Heretofore, detailed information over the wide range of possible conditions has been available from observations made on one or two heats only. As an example of such complete information I have in mind the very comprehensive paper by Messrs. Keats and Herty on the ‘Elimination of Metalloids in the Basic Open-Hearth Process,’ presented at the February, 1926, New York meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. These observa- tions were made on a 110-ton heat of simple steel made at Bethlehem Steel Co.’s Lackawanna plant. This heat finished to an analysis of 0.37 carbon, 0.61 manganese, 0.014 phosphorus, 0.021 sulphur, 0.081 silicon. All of the heats reported by Mr. Diehl were considerably softer than the Lackawanna heat, and none of them used as little pig iron. In the latter heat there was no run-off slag and in other respects there were dif- ferences in operation. “This series embraces grades of steel running from 0.226 to 0.07 carbon and should form for many lines of inquiry a sufficiently complete series from which to draw valuable conclusions concerning the manufac- ture of basic open-hearth steel in these softer grades. “Mr. Diehl refers to the practice of oxidizing the bath until the carbon content is reduced to 0.1 per cent. This practice, while satisfactory and eco- nomical for certain types of steel, would not be very satisfactory or economical when the product desired is a low manganese and low silicon steel with high carbon content, and from such steel a different set of results would be obtained. On Reducing the Manganese Content “Again Mr. Diehl speaks of reducing the manganese in all heats to a range between 0.10 and 0.20, which we assume is on heats where no run-off slag is required. In this connection my colleague, Mr. E. A. Wheaton, in 1920 presented a paper before this institute on “The Use of High Manganese Iron in Basic Open-Hearth Practice,’ in which the average residual manganese in the heats reported by him was 0.34. For reasons cited in that paper, a number of open-hearth plants find that it would be unsatisfactory and uneconomical to set a rule to reduce the manganese in the bath to be- low 0.20 per cent. “In the paragraph referring to the use of 80 per cent ferromanganese as an alloy it is indicated that under certain circumstances this alloy when added in the bath has a higher efficiency than that obtained when added in the ladle. I cannot say that my experience coincides with my interpretation of this statement. “I am much interested in Mr. Diehl’s paragraphs concerning formulae for the calculation of the charge. I believe that familiarity with these formulae would be beneficial to open-hearth melters and superintendents generally because the study of the subject along the May 27, 1926 lines followed by Mr. Diehl will be sure to open up new viewpoints. Skilled Operator Needed on All Heats “In the comparison of calculated results with ac- tual quantities of ore and limestone sufficient discrep- ancies are indicated to demonstrate the necessity of supervision of a skilled operator through the melting of each heat so that he can observe and assign correct values due to the conditions present at the time, which vary between furnaces and from heat to heat in the same furnace. “The ability to size up correctly and allow for these THE IRON AGE 1493 varying conditions is a true test of a steel melter’s ability quite as much as the test mentioned by Mr. Diehl, which says ability lies ‘in the frequent repro- duction of conditions unfavorable to oxidation and therefore conducive to highly efficient alloy additions.’ “If it is desired to discuss the economies of steel manufacture, the history of every heat of steel should deal with the yields from these heats and the causes for rejections. No study of a heat of steel is com- plete and satisfactory unless it contains not only the manufacturing data but, quite as important, the quali- ties of the steel produced, as represented by the sur- face and interior conditions of the product itself.” Comparison of Open-Hearth Furnaces of Various Sizes BY STEWART J. N making a survey of the sizes and operations of difterent furnaces, there is found to be such a wide variation in tonnage produced and in costs even on furnaces of equal capacity, said the author, that it is impossible to make an intelligent comparison unless the operating details of individual plants are taken into consideration. It will, therefore, be necessary to briefly point out the basic operating conditions that must be evaluated when making a comparison. The canvass made by the author has brought out that practically all operating superintendents are thor- oughly conversant with existing variations in the best open-hearth practice. There are three things that directly affect open-hearth production and costs irre- spective of the size of furnace which are: Physical layout, materials used and grade of steel manufactured. Under physical layout, the author discusses as the principal causes of delay: Stocking and charging, cast- ing, gas producer location and flue layout, furnace re- building and repairs and water. Under materials used, he discusses: Pig iron, scrap, limestone, ore and fuel. Under grade of steel manufactured, he gives a nominal rating of various sizes of furnace capacity, including the rated hearth area and weight of heats tapped for each one. There is an interesting discussion on the tons of steel produced per thousand square feet of area per hour. Taking up the subject of “cost above net metal,” he says this is a better figure to use for comparative pur- poses than total conversion costs, as it eliminates largely the variation due to different percentages of pig iron and scrap charged and also variations in the costs of these commodities. The cost of construction of furnaces of various types is given in detail, and the paper concludes with a discussion of the size and type of furnace to select for various purposes. In summarizing the results of the canvass, Mr. Cort says that there is no reason why as good steel cannot be made in a large furnace as in a small one. The R. CORT is superintendent of the Saucon division, Bethlehem Steel Co.’s plant at Bethlehem, Pa., a position he has held since 1922. He was graduated from Lehigh University in 1906 with degree of metallurgical engineer, and was first employed in the Duquesne Works of the Carnegie Steel Co., remaining there from 1906 to 1916. From 1909 until 1916 he was assistant superintendent of the open- He went to the Cambria Works of the Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co. in 1916 as open-hearth superintendent, but hearth department. within a few months was transferred to the Wilmington plant of that company as general superintendent. pointed superintendent of the Saucon plant. Wut ii 2U00NUUEDOUULUNUULAAGLGASGUELLOEAUU UU OAAAAASA INADA REENREEGAER A NE UA T He took charge of the open- hearth department at the Saucon Works in 1917 and in 1922 was ap- CORT saving in man power in the operation of the large furnace is an important item, as more tons are pro- duced per man with the accompanying lower labor costs. From the standpoint of the capital invested, the 100-ton stationary furnace is the most economical to build and gives the most satisfactory results, when the operation calls for the use of 40 to 65 per cent hot metal. The large tilting furnace, while having the higher initial cost, can more than offset this by the saving in operating costs, provided it is possible to utilize it to the best advantage either on a high steel scrap charge varying from 60 to 80 per cent scrap, or using it in the duplex operation. The large tilting furnace is best suited for a large steel plant which is equipped with sufficient soaking pit capacity to charge 250 to 300 tons of ingots at a time, while a small steel unit can be more thoroughly operated if the ingots are received in small lots. The large furnace, while it is built to produce at a lower cost, will not be able to entirely displace the 60 to 75-ton capacity in specialty shops, that is, shops making a wide range of alloy steels for the merchant trade where only small tonnages are required of a given composition. Discussion The blast furnace is the first step in making good steel, said James L. Hyland, superintendent open-hearth furnaces, Illinois Steel Co., Gary Ind., in discussing Mr. Cort’s paper. The charge of the open-hearth fur- nace should be carefully analyzed to insure melting at the proper carbon and with the proper amount of fluxes. This removes the handicap of adding raw materials in the ladle. Close analysis of the charge is becoming more and more essential because much of the work of steel plants is specialty business, calling for rigid ad- herence to specifications. The radiation from a furnace is about 60 per cent ULALTEVEEOUONEONLEEYYPACUEUNNS NS LSTA AORDUEMAURP PONT UPAA EGON AE SPAETH ANE PEMD AOU EL ADAOU EN EPAD NDGA EHSL EY EPR ) 2 ee cmmmmmmmmmameeeeneed ‘I UNVEUEDEGUUULLUUREQNURONNTELGAL40ALEOONLNUEREELEONOOUSEDLAENQOQUGLEUONGONSAAADONOQORESULSOAALIUNSG000ONS0ORLU0UNN0G400011%! S000T001 SAL0ERS9QLSGGNPORNADUEUSLLSEOTOOUGREOUEGALI1/91 PEOPOLTEROOEDSOQUOTALETONLUCS ASOD EULLUESEDTTEAA ONETOETGTD SAAD DOMEAEDEOEYPURDAOEREEODNPT EAS HOENY PONTO MEOOOPOERDAD ON EELGU ENG U0EH 0S 200A SSRANME EEE ERRSTOD CEO OORMRUD ETNA RSMAS of the heat input. It is obvious, therefore, that increas- ing the charge is in the interests of heat conservation, he said, in effect. Most Furnaces Are Overcharged “In drawing comparisons to determine the tonnage te be expected from various sized furnaces the hearth area alone does not give a true indication of the ca- pacity, as there is considerable variation in the depth of bath relative to the area in the design of the fur- naces. In addition nearly all furnaces now in oper- ation are overcharged, the excess ranging from small amounts to as high as 50 per cent over the rated ca- pacity, thus increasing the depth of bath still more,” added Mr. Hyland. Must Design Large Furnace for Disposal of Flue Gases “Design of a furnace for large capacities should be made with special reference to the disposal of flue 1494 THE IRON AGE May 27, 1296 gases, as the velocity and temperature will cause rapid erosion of the brick work in the ends of the furnace unless the passages at this point are large enough to provide an easy exit. Also, constrictions due to valves or small flues which affect the draft throw the furnace off balance by building up a back pressure, causing distortions in the travel of the flame and interference with the proportionate admission of air and fuel, which cannot be overcome by any adjustment of gas pressure or air inlet. “The relative velocity of gas to air entering the furnace ports is approximately 2 to 1, but when back pressure is built up the furnace man can raise the gas pressure to overcome it, while the air, which is forced in by barometric pressure cannot be regulated in the same way and combustion is retarded, giving a long, misshapen flame,” said Mr. Hyland. This over- heats the walls and roof and makes the work sluggish. The heats are slow in clearing up and do not purify easily, while the quality of the steel is impaired. Notes on Coke Testing BY WILLIAM A. HAVEN NTEREST in the subject of coke testing seems to be growing rapidly, said the author of this paper, and he referred to excellent work being done by other blast furnace and coke oven operators and by the United States Bureau of Mines. As a contribution to the liter- ature on this subject he gave in detail the results of various methods which have been employed by the Re- public Iron & Steel Co. in its effort to obtain blast furnace coke of uniform size and quality. He stressed the point that the raw material most likely to determine the success of blast furnace oper- ation is the coke, and commented upon the growing willingness of coke oven operators to conduct their practice along lines more favorable to the production of good metallurgical coke. A difficulty, however, is their inability to find out just what kind of coke a furnaceman would like to have because the latter often does not express himself in terms which are related both to blast furnace practice and coke oven practice. The furnaceman rates the coke by its ability to give a smooth working furnace and a good grade of iron while carrying a sufficiently large ore burden to obtain a low coke rate. The furnaceman profits but little unless he can show the relation between furnace practice and those qual- ities of the coke which it is within the ability of the coke producer to improve. Mr. Haven said that the determination of such relationship is properly a blast furnace problem and requires primarily a knowledge of blast furnace phenomena. It also requires a knowl- edge of the properties of coke by which it performs its duties in the furnace, and a means of expressing MMI MOOG AAU WUUDAMUSA CALETA ELLEN eC ETAL Crucible Steel Co. R. HAVEN is superintendent of the Northern blast furnaces of the Republic Iron & Steel Co., Youngstown, where he has been since 1918. Prior to that he was for one year superintendent of the Haselton furnaces owned by the same company. After graduation from the Pennsylvania State College in 1909 he entered the employ of the Carnegie Steel Co. in the blast furnace department at Farrell, Pa., later becoming blast furnace foreman at the Farrell and Clairton plants of the Steel Corporation, a position in which he served for five years. Between his connection with the Steel Corporation and 1918, when he went to the Republic Iron & Steel Co., he was superintendent of blast furnaces for the Marting Iron & Steel Co. and the Pittsburgh the degree gn which different grades of coke have, or do not have, such properties. In his paper Mr. Haven paid considerable attention to the work he has done in developing satisfactory methods for testing coke with such ends in view. In commenting on the combustibility of coke and its effect on the driving rate of blast furnace operation, Mr. Haven drew attention to an impressive test made at the Etna furnace at Ironton, Ohio. The coke ordi- narily used for this furnace was made in Semet-Solvay ovens chiefly from eastern Kentucky coal, and the fur- nace at full capacity of the blowing engines made about 300 tons of iron per day. Then the furnace tried some beehive coke from the Toms Creek (W. Va.) dis- trict and the results were very bad, the furnace going on higher pressure than the blowing engines could con- tend with, and none of the usual remedies were suc- cessful in loosening it up for any length of time. After a trial of several weeks this fuel was given up and a supply of Pocahontas beehive coke was obtained. To this change the furnace responded quickly, the blast pressure becoming normal and the rate of driving was improved, even over that obtained from the regular coke, so that the month’s daily average production rose from a previous best figure of 313 tons to 356 tons. In another case, at Haselton furnaces, there seemed to be considerable difference in the combustibility of coke made from Freeport coal and from the Klondike mixture. By actual test in a small furnace the number of charges taken at the same rate of blowing was about 10 per cent greater for the Freeport coke. From these experiments the development of a suitable combustion U(QUULLOAA/LUNYLULCURERUUNCE RU OUEUTUAGA AGUA ERERSUAGEAG ULL AEC OOH EEE SOACTNSSOPRAGALENSNAANAAUUUEUUENNNNNNANOOOOULEELANAAAUUOAUAL hate? HUHAS POMUSNANENAUAAOATONEMEENAATUOUUUD NOUN NAQOOUGHeNgeEANEUEUUeANENNONUUUanNNNTAAMUH NOU nGaneNdtAUOOnnENNANEGTONON EESETELUAOELOEEONEGNCUUE UO AERSEOEOUOUOUUU REND EOAOUUOORONGASELTOOUUUOEENEOOOUOUOOnE ERS GASONOOTUONEONNEOCHAOOROOO Hen Gui HOR neRNEO TOUCH ENENNEEAUOOOOUYRENOAOOtOQOOUROENOGNAQGOOUHOOOOO OCU OE May 27, 1926 THE IRON AGE 1495 ‘AMAA TATU TTA ASA LEN LLL A SLAM NN SSS E. LINDAU, president American System of Reinforcing and e its associated company, the American Wire Fence Co., Chicago, has long been identified with the concrete reinforcing business. For 19 years prior to his becoming president of the American System of Rein- forcing in January, 1924, he was with the Corrugated Bar Co., Inc., Buffalo. Mr. Lindau is a graduate of the engineering department of the University of Michigan, of the class of 1900. He was consecutively with the Whiting Foundry Equipment Co., Harvey, IIl., the Wisconsin Bridge Co., Milwaukee, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and the Rock Island Lines, following which he entered the service of the Corrugated Bar Co., at that time located in St. Louis. Chief among products patented by him was a flat slab construction known as Corr- Plate floors. At the time the company moved its headquarters to Buffalo Mr. Lindau was made Western manager in charge of business in the Middle West. general manager of sales. In 1916 he was called to Buffalo to become In 1918 he became a member of the board of directors, and in 1921 he was elected vice-president. eee MYMNSTAA OAM AMMAMAANENANUNTNENNN UAT NANAHN NAA LAUUNNNANNOUASAENAUUONNNOTOUERREROGNGNNSOOUOUASEOUOOGNEYOOCSSTOAUOAESGUUOOONRSOOOUOLGGOPOUUEGSNOLAUGSSONOUGENOOTAOOOONEENAUOUESTOUUDENTNA OrnNUdD UO eEANOONNSSHLLUYAEHNLQOUANOONGO CGB GNSNENCREEESO OD EDSNOOOEREOGGUUOEOESOOEOTONGUOUOERSO AOU EMRLGDOROUANALUODENYAOEUERSOUUUOOGNEEOLAUNONOROODUEREGAY ECE eAMAUUNA ENED EET ANN test seemed to promise profitable results, Mr. Haven said. Mr. Haven went into detail as to other coke tests, including the use of a tumbling barrel, sizing tests and chemical analyses. Other investigators have previously reported on such tests, but the data sheets which ac- companied Mr. Haven’s paper will undoubtedly be of interest and value to those, who like himself, are work- ing upon a solution of the problem of more accurately determining the actual value of coke from a furnace standpoint. Discussion What blast furnaces need most is a uniform qual- ity of coke, whether it is good, bad or indifferent, said M. D. Curran, vice-president St. Louis Coke & Iron Corporation, in discussing Mr. Haven’s paper. This is difficult because there is frequently a variation in qual- ity between coals of the same seam, not more than two to three miles apart. The St. Louis Coke & Iron Cor- poration tests its coke for strength, hardness and brit- tleness, as well as for specific gravity. By means of empirical formulae the coke is graded according to a conventional scale of measurement. Coke Tests Should Be Standardized Coke tests should be standardized as to apparatus, size of sample, units of measurement, etc., said J. C. Barrett, Carnegie Steel Co., Youngstown, in comment- ing on Mr. Haven’s paper. He listed numerous tests for coke, among them the following: Chemical test, sizing test, shatter test, shatter bag test, porosity test, combustion test, abrasion or tumbling test, moisture test, specific gravity. Reinforced Concrete BY A. E. OR all practical purposes it is sufficiently accurate to say that the beginning of the present century ushered in the era of reinforced concrete construction in our country. Cement production has risen from 8,500,000 bbl. per year in 1900 to 137,000,000 bbl. in 1923, an increase of 1600 per cent. From the sales records of the firms specializing in reinforcing products, data has been secured to supply approximate tonnage records from 1900 to 1909, which amounts to 680,000 tons approximately, since which time the records of the American Iron and Steel Institute are available. If we multiply each year’s tonnage by the mill price for that year and add about $2 per ton for size extra, we shall have the annual value on a Pittsburgh base and, totaling the annual figures, we find that a total value of $360,000,000 f.0.b. cars, Pittsburgh, has been shipped as reinforcing bar steel, involving a total tonnage of 7,200,000 tons. The peak production of ai