The Iron Age 1926-09-23: Vol 118 Iss 13

THE IRON AGE New York, September 23, 1926 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL, 118, No. 13 Directors of the Credit Union at the Diamond Plant Plan Wins Employees Good Will Industrial Relations Program in Moderate-Sized Plant Is Comprehensive—Individual Instruction Given Apprentices—Group Insurance and Mutual Relief Association Are Features BY BURNHAM FINNEY” others, has impressed itself upon the minds of foreign observers who in recent months have had an opportunity to study industrial conditions in the United States. It has been one of the chief features distinguishing American industrial life from that of Europe. The era of good will now prevailing between most employers and employees in this country is not an accidental development. It has come as the logical result of years of solicitous effort on the part of industrial executives to provide healthful and pleasant surroundings for their workmen, to safeguard them against accidents, to pay them wages sufficiently ample for them to live in comfort and to give them every possible assistance in meeting their everyday problems without at the same time encroaching upon their per- sonal lives. This is an achievement of which every American may well be proud. That such a program can be carried out by large corporations, employing thousands of men, commands admiration. It is, however, only when one studies medium-sized industrial units, with from 300 to 500 employees, that one fully comprehends the extent to which the spirit of cooperation is permeating American life. Typical of the progressive programs now being | otters. be humanized! This picture, above all *Resident editor, Tur Inon~ Ace, Cincinnati 835 carried out by companies of moderate size is that of the Diamond Chain & Mfg. Co., Indianapolis. Here it has been found that the harmonious relationship be- tween the management and the employees already has produced one outstanding beneficial result—the reduc- tion of labor turnover to a minimum. Workmen Eligible to $1,000 in Group Life Insurance To understand how the company has accomplished such results, incidentally at an incredibly small cost, it is necessary to outline its program. Those employees who have been in the service six months are eligible to participate in a group insurance plan. Workmen can take out a maximum of $1,000, superintendents $4,000, and executives $6,000. The management of the insur- ance plan is entirely in the hands of the Diamond Chain Insurance Club, of which the officers and members are employees. Premium payments are made on the basis of term insurance, so that the cost to policy holders is small, indeed almost inconsequential. Men who have been in the employ of the company for a long time are rewarded for faithful service by being made eligible for special insurance arrangements not open to the newer workmen. If a workman gives up his job, he may retain his insurance without converting it, provided that he has been on the payroll for two years and that he makes the regular premium payments to the treasurer of the Visteaghes » Gh TANI acl PLL IIR SENS 8 Ss 6. tee Wnt Spe Tage rm 5 a, 4p RAIA bey geri 836 msurance club. He has this privilege, no matter what the cause may be for his quitting work. While participation in the insurance plan is in no wise compulsory, its benefits are such that few em- ployees fail to take advantage of them. Credit Union Is an Opportunity to Save and to Borrow Another important agency the exclusive function of which is to be of service to the company’s employees is the Diamond Credit Union. This organization is incorporated and is operated under the State laws of Indiana. In its structure it somewhat resembles a building and loan Every Diamond Chain workman is invited to invest his savings by becoming shareholder and thereby receiving annual dividends. The money so secured from the shareholders is loaned exclusively to company employees. A workman may borrow a maximum of $50 without collateral, but asking for a greater sum he must have a guarantor. How the loans prove of assistance to employees is best Chain association. Appre ntices Lore d Given Individual Instruction on All the Different Types of Machines in the Shop. In way they get a well THE IRON AGE September 23, 1926 weeks annually. In order to qualify for the larger amount, an employee must make an average of $25 a week. Vacations are granted employees according to their term of service and the method of wage payment. Those paid weekly or monthly wages are given a week’s vacation with pay after one year’s employment, and two weeks after two years. Others working on an hourly basis receive one week’s vacation annually after five years of service and two weeks after ten years. Payment of wages is looked upon as an individual rather than a collective matter. Differentiation between old and new employees is provided for in the form of a service bonus which increases consistently according to the term of employment. The base rate, however, does not necessarily remain constant, but changes ac- cording to the character and the quality of the work. No daily records of employee performance are kept, since it is the duty of each supervisor (foreman) to dis- cuss continually with the personnel director the question this rounded training, which would not be possible if they were assigned work in regular pro- duc tion illustrated by an example. Many borrow a suffi- amount of money to invest in a winter’s supply of fuel at a time when coal is cheap. Repayment of the loan with moderate interest is made on a weekly basis Bac h new the Credit men cient shareholde1 Union from the officers of a letter in which he is welcomed as a To call attention to the services rendered by the organization, bulletins are about the plant. Manifold benefits have accrued from the operation of the Credit Union. It has promoted thrift by making saving easy on a weekly plan. It has offered all work men short-term credit, so that they can avoid being the prey of loan sharks. Managed solely by employees, it gives them an intelligent insight into the handling of money matters. receives member posted at various points Mutual Relief Association Protects Workmen Against Illness Immediately upon entering the company’s servic« an employee is permitted to join the Mutual Relief Association. By paying dues of 50c. a month, he is in- sured an income of $8 a week during illness. Payments of $1 a month entitle the member to $16 a week. Ben- efits, however, are limited to a maximum period of 13 of the wages, ability, capacity for work, etc., of each man in his department. Apprentices Receive Individual Instruction To secure promising young men as apprentices the company seeks high school graduates who have had a primary course in manual training. Whenever a boy 1s hired, an effort is made to have either his mother or father, or both, come to the plant office for an inter- view. In this way the seriousness of the work which the boy is undertaking is brought home to his parents. They are made to feel that he has enrolled in 4 practical school of industry in which the instructors take a personal interest in their students. At the time that an apprentice graduates, the com- pany gives him a dinner, at which he is the guest of honor. His parents and all of the other apprentices are invited, and here again they get a real glimpse of the human side of industry. Apprentices are not placed on machines used in regular production, where their opportunity is limited to learning how to operate only one or two machines. Instead, under the direct supervision of the machine shop foreman they are given individual instruction. He places them as helpers with skilled mechanics work- ing on a particular kind of machine. As soon as the apprentices attain sufficient proficiency, they are given September 23, 1926 machines of their own to operate under the general supervision of an experienced man. After they have become thoroughly familiar with details of those ma- chines, they are given another type of machine and go through a similar process. The training continues until the apprentice has a good knowledge of all of the dif- ferent kinds of machines. Rapidity of Learning Determines Apprentice’s Progress Each apprentice is handled according to his ability. There is, therefore, no arbitrary length of time for learning to operate a particular machine. The rapidity of his learning determines his rate of progress. After completing the work in the machine and tool departments, the apprentices are permitted to enter the engineering department to obtain practice in designing. While no outside study is required, apprentices are urged to keep up regular educational work during their leisure hours. The regular training course for apprentices pro- vides for four years of work divided into 16 periods of approximately 13 weeks each. The company pays the following wages during the training period: 675 Hr. Rate per Hr. 675 Hr. Rate per Hr First period....... 25c. Ninth period 34 Second period...... 25c. Tenth period... 36c Third period....... 265c. Eleventh period 38c Fourth period...... 26c. Twelfth period. . 40c Fifth period....... 2c. Thirteenth period 42c. Sixth period....... 28e, Fourteenth period 44c Seventh period..... 30c. Fifteenth period. . 46c Eighth period...... 32c. Sixteenth period i oa Overtime work is paid for at regular overtime rates and also applies on the number of hours in each period, thus making it possible to reduce the length of each to considerably less than 13 weeks. High school graduates with technical training receive credit for Periods 3, 4, 5 and 6, thereby reducing their appren- ticeship term appreciably. Welfare work is carried on by the company through the office of the personnel director, but it is termed “mutual service.” The word “welfare” implies char- ity; and many of the employees would resent any ac- tivities in their behalf which might be interpreted as charitable in nature. The service consists of extend- ing help temporarily whenever unforeseen circum- stances have made it impossible for a workman or a woman employee to get along without outside assis- tance. Employees Interviewed When They Leave Company Each employee, before leaving the company’s ser- vice, is interviewed by an official. No matter what the cause of his departure, whether it be the opportunity to earn more money elsewhere or some other reason, he is made to feel that the company has been interested in his progress and that he will be accorded every chance to secure employment in the Diamond plant should he desire to return in the future. The intensely personal aspect of this interview gen- erally brings to light any differences between the em- Building Construction Makes Another Increase In contrast with the declining tendency of preceding months, August construction in the 37 States east of the Rocky Mountains amounted to $600,808,000, ac- cording to F. W. Dodge Corporation. This, the second largest monthly total ever recorded, was 2 per cent under the largest month—August, 1925. The increase over July was 18 per cent. New construction started in these 37 States during the eight months was $4,247,- 808,000, an increase of 9 per cent over the first eight months of last year, which was itself a record. Residential buildings, as for many months, led in August construction, with $223,300,000, or 37 per cent. Public works and utilities at $125,700,000, commercial buildings at $81,350,000, industrial buildings at $68,- 300,000, and educational buildings at $42,100,000 were the principal other groups. All previous resords for construction were broken in the Central West, including States from Indiana and THE IRON AGE 837 ployee and his fellow workmen and any dissatisfaction which the employee may feel with the position which he is giving up. Elimination of internal dissension and the promotion of good will toward the company are two practical benefits resulting from the interviews. An employee who is off duty for any reason ap- proved by the company is transferred to Department SX, and thereby is permitted to retain membership in the various employees’ organizations merely by paying the dues. Emergency Squad Includes Applicants Who Cannot Be Placed If a man or woman applies for a position and none is available at the moment, he or she is placed in the “SE” or emergency squad. Should a regular employee be absent, one of the “SE” squad fills his position and is paid on an hourly basis. In this way applicants qual- ify for regular positions, and the company is able to reduce its surplus labor to a minimum. Should any department find it necessary to reduce operations and, consequently, cut down its number of employees temporarily, the idle workmen are placed in the emergency squad. There are many other activities included in the com- pany’s comprehensive program in behalf of its em- ployees. Married men above 25 years of age and women supporting children or parents are given the prefer- ence in filling vacant positions. Applicants living in the vicinity of the factory also are given extra consid- eration. No discrimination against any nationality, creed, or organization is a policy which has been adhered to consistently. Other Features of Employment Policy Proper working hours; regularity of employment; wages based on the buying power of the dollar; safety groups, whose object it is to see that the plant is a safe and healthful place in which to work and that employees observe safety rules; protection of the health of employees by means of a first aid nurse and physicians; legal aid and financial advice; a large recreation field with croquet, tennis, horseshoes, volley ball and basketball courts, a baseball and football field, and a cinder path for runners; a branch public library; a social and athletic club managed by employees—all these have been provided to add to the comfort and the security of the employees. Here then is an insight into the policies of a moderate-sized American industrial plant. The setting up and maintenance of such an all-inclusive program have entailed much effort on the part of the executives of the Diamond Chain & Mfg. Co. But everyone of them testifies to the fine results, reflected in the greater initiative of employees, in the increased effi- ciency of the individual workers and in the spirit of cooperation and loyalty which permeates the entire in- stitution. Michigan on the east to Nebraska, Kansas and Okla- homa on the west. The amount of August construction was more than $196,000,000, exceeding the previous month by 27 per cent and the corresponding month of 1925 by 57 per cent. August construction in this sec- tion was 33 per cent of the total for 37 States. Con- struction for the eight months in this section, however, was not quite 25 per cent of the total for 37 States. It stood at $1,056,550,000, an increase of 9 per cent over last year. The use of electricity in the foundry will be dis- cussed by Phelan McShane, general engineer, Westing- house Electric & Mfg. Co., at the first fall meeting of the Pittsburgh Foundrymen’s Association in the assem- bly room, Fort Pitt Hotel, Pittsburgh, Monday evening, Sept. 20. The application of electricity to machinery, core ovens and furnaces will be explained. The asso- ciation will entertain the foreign guests of the Ameri- can Foundrymen’s Association in Pittsburgh, Oct. 8 and 9, concluding with a banquet at the Fort Pitt Hotel, Saturday evening, Oct. 9 ee eae pete Wheel Makers Expand Laboratory Test Specimens Studied in New Metallographic Department—Add Equipment and Modify Methods for Physical Testing BY ROGERS A. FISKE* in its physical testing laboratory during the past two years, the Association of Manufacturers of Chilled Car Wheels has recently made important addi- tions in equipment. The purpose of the laboratory, now, as in the past, is to further the efforts of members to obtain uniformity in the quality of their products and standardization of materials and design. Although op- erating strictly under the guidance of the association, the laboratory is located at the Sacramento Square plant of the Griffin Wheel Co., Chicago, where the fa- cilities of a chemical laboratory are available to supple- ment microphotographing and physical testing equip- ment owned by the association. Br OURAGED by what has been accomplished Progress in the carwheel industry has been almost wholly a record of improvement through experience. An empirical practice developed because the variables in- volved in casting carwheels are so numerous that it has not been possible under shop conditions, to calcu- late results to be expected from changes in their re- lationship. Records show that prior to 1835 gray iron was the favored material used in carwheel manufac- ture, but in that year the Washburn chilled-tread wheel made its appearance. Up to 1908 little further progress either in design or material had been made, largely because there had been no concerted move by manufacturers to improve the quality of the product In that year when the association was organized, 308 wheel patterns were in use. Today only four patterns are employed, and this number is governed by the axle loading of the car. The patterns are designated as 650-lb., 700-Ib., 750-lb., and 850-lb., and they are for use on 30-ton, 40-ton, 50-ton and 70-ton cars respectively. Small Number of Patterns an Aid toe Research Failures of chilled carwheels occur from time to time, and the opening of the laboratory by the asso- ciation early in 1924 was an acknowledgment that more exhaustive research was necessary. The previous reduction in the number of patterns formed the basis for a much closer study than otherwise would have been possible of service conditions affecting the 25,000,000 chilled wheels in use in the United States, Canada and Mexico. *Western editor Tue IRON AGpg, Chicago The laboratory is divided into two main units, one in which physical tests are made and another devoted to the microscopic study of chilled and gray irons. The physical laboratory department, established in 1924, has been equipped more completely, while the microscopic laboratory is a recent innovation. The physical laboratory is divided into two parts. One contains the furnaces used in the preparation of various mixtures of iron and in the study of annealing, and in the other section are located the physical testing machines and tools for the preparation of test pieces. Wide Range of Test Specimens Made A study of iron mixtures in the foundry is not sat- isfactory, because at least seven variables are present in the preparation of the elements which make up the final mixture. The problem can best be attacked if only Complete Metal- lographic Records Are Being Made of Various Sec- tions of Chilled Iron Carwheels one or two or, at the most, three variables exist. Conse- quently the purpose of the laboratory, when installed in 1924, was to produce test specimens for a wide range of mixtures and at the same time hold the number of variables to a minimum. Results obtained from such tests have been plotted and have given makers of chilled wheels information necessary for the manufac- ture of an improved and more uniform product. Iron is melted under controlled conditions in a high- frequency induction-type tilting furnace the origina! equipment of which has been modified in some respects on the basis of experience. Single-phase electric cur- rent, brought into the laboratory at 220 volts and 60 cycles, is stepped up by a transformer to 6600 volts and is then conducted across a spark gap made up of 4 carbon electrode and a mercury cup, both of which are incased in a water-cooled pot. At this point the current is at 15,000 cycles per second and 6600 volts. It is then impressed on a bank of condensers and is delivered to the furnace at 15,000 cycles and 10,000 volts. Iron Melted in Graphite Crucible The furnace consists of 40 turns of copper pipe wound around a silica tube. Inside of the tube has been placed a graphite crucible, and between the tube and the crucible is a space approximately 13-16 in. wide filled with lamp black which servés as an insulating 838 September 23, 1926 ~~ —— Sa - e m THE IRON AGE A Complete Set of Machine Tools Has Been Installed for Use in Preparing Test Specimens material. A cover fits snugly over the top of the -fur- nace and is so arranged that an inert gas can be sup- plied to the surface of the metal. In this way oxidation is prevented, and since there is no difficulty resulting from the products of combustion, an optical pyrometer can be used to obtain accurate readings of the temp- erature of the metal within the crucible. The molds are mounted directly in front of the furnace and at such a height that a minimum of time elapses during the pouring of the metal. An essential requirement of the molds is that un- certainty as to the rate of cooling must be overcome. For that reason green sand molds cannot be used. The molds are made of baked oil sand similar to the or- dinary baked-sand core, and each mold is covered by a pouring dish in order that the metal may be evenly distributed at a common temperature to the three test pieces which are made at each cast. The test pieces cast in each mold are a tension bar, a chilled test block for depth of chill, and a section resembling a smal! The High-Frequency Induction-Type Electric Furnace Allows Close Regulation of Temperature. wheel which is used in making measurements of wear resistance. Electric Furnace Used for Annealing Experiments The new equipment in this department includes an electric furnace, made by the Hevi Duty Electric Co.., Milwaukee. It will be used for heat-treating tests to study the effect of the form and character of graphite in chilled and gray irons that are subjected to various temperatures during a given period of time. It is ex- pected that the laboratory information gained through the use of the furnace will form the basis for better annealing practice in the chilled iron wheel foundry. The desired temperature is maintained in the anneal- ing furnace by means of a Leeds & Northrup Co. potentiometer furnace controller. In addition, a man- ual control has been provided, which is constructed with 72 steps. As equipped in 1924, the physical laboratory con- tained a three-screw 100,000-lb. Riehle Brothers testing The cru- cible is not removed from the furnace when pouring. At the left, a spark gap and a bank of condensers supply high frequency current used in the furnace a Oe sa SOL coe Nr etn BAIR DER Pe Beare 840 THE IRON AGE machine and a Niles-Bement-Pond Co. lathe to turn specimens for the tension test. For hardness tests, a Shore scleroscope and Brinell apparatus were provided. New equipment added to the department this summer consists of a portable grinder made by N. A. Strand & Co. and F. W. & John Barnes Co. drill press, an American Tool Works Co. shaper and a Racine Tool & Machine Co. band saw. The band saw, which is geared down to 60 ft. per min., is used to cut out samples for microscopic examination. These machine tools are all individually motor-driven. Develop Own Form of Tension Test Bar It is interesting to note that when specimens which undergo the tension test were turned down according to the specifications fér steel, they invariably ruptured at either one shoulder or the other and outside of the gage marks. This difficulty was overcome by turning the test specimens to the desired diameter at the center and between the gage marks but using a 10%-in. radius in place of the usual 1-2 in. fillet. Hardness tests may now be made by means of Rockwell apparatus which is newly acquired. Metallographic equipment consists of a Bausch & Lomb unit fitted with an incandescent lamp with a hor- izontal ribbon filament. This provides a uniform light so that either observations or photographs of various specimens will be taken at equal intensity. The micro- scope is of the inverted type, and it is not necessary to mount the sample with opposed parallel surfaces. A specimen polishing machine, made by the Warner & Swasey Co., consists of four wheels, a 100-mesh grind- ing wheel and three lapping wheels. Standardized Practice Facilitates Comparison of Metallographs Great care has been taken in the selection and op- eration of the microscopic equipment to insure uniform September 23, 1926 results when taking photographs of various specimens at different times. It has been pointed out that the light is uniform. Film and contact print develop- ment solutions are all standardized, and a chart indi- cates to the operator the length of development time required in accordance with the temperature of his solu- tion. Films of a uniform grade are used, and the time of exposure is standard. The exercise of care in these respects is especially important in making a series of metallographs of va- rious sections of the wheel structure. For instance, a series of photographs is now being taken across a sec- tion cut from a wheel plate which may vary from % to 1% in. in width. Since the magnification is 100 diam- eters, it is readily seen that a large number of photo- graphs must be taken in order to cover the full width of the plate. Later the photographs are mounted end- to-end so that a complete metallograph of the cross- section of the plate is laid before the investigator. Thus uniformity of photographic work is essential in order that the intensity of high lights and definition in the prints may be the same. This point is also stressed be- cause in some cases a specimen is etched with dif- ferent chemicals to show various elements that are be- ing studied. Various groups of photographs represent- ing several full cross-sections at 100 diameters are then mounted one above the other so that at any given point in the cross-section the picture of the elements con- tained in it can be observed. A dark room is complete- ly equipped for the convenience of the operator, and a feature of its construction is a labyrinth entrance, which admits air to the room but eliminates light from outside sources. The men directly in charge of the laboratory are G. E. Doke, president and secretary of the association, F. K. Vial, consulting engineer for the association and vice-president and chief engineer Griffin Wheel Co., and A. D. Whipple, assistant consulting engineer for the association. Program Arranged for Convention of Steel Construction Institute The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., 285 Madison Avenue, New York, has announced the program for its fourth annual convention, which will be held at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Oct. 26 to 30. Opening Tuesday morning, Oct. 26, with an ad- dress of welcome by C. Edwin Michael, president Vir- ginia Bridge & Iron Co., Roanoke, Va., the convention will run through the remainder of the week. Among the addresses scheduled are the following: Structural Steel and Its Relation to Competition, by John A. Crook, president Denver Steel & Iron Works Co., Denver, Colo. Fundamentals of Welding and Their Possible Application Structural Steel, by William Sparagen, secretary Division of Engineering and Industrial Research, National Research Council to Salesmanship and Broader Markets, by E. St. Elmo Lewis, advertising and merchandising expert, Detroit. Corrosion as Related to Structural Steel, with name of speaker to be announced later Steel for Strength and Permanence, by Dr. George F Swain, professor of civil engineering Harvard University Research Investigation in Connection with the Structural Steel Industry, by Milo S. Ketchum, dean and director Col- lege of Engineering and Engineering Experiment Station of University of Illinois. Some Possible Economies in Steel Construction, by C. R Young, professor of structural engineering University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. Better Architectural Design in Steel Bridges, by Wilbur J Watson, president Watson Engineering Co., Cleveland. Marketing and Merchandising as Applied to the Steel Industry, by Francis H. Sisson, vice-president Guaranty Trust Co., New York. Architectural Design of the Future, by Harvey Wiley Corbett, architect, member of the firm of Helmle & Corbett, New York. The Fireproofing of Structural Steel, by Rudolph P. Miller, consulting engineer, New York The Structural Steel Industry and Its Future Prospects by H. A. Fitch, Kansas City Structural Steel Co., Kansas City, Mo.; Horace G. Miller, president Union Iron Works of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Cal.; W. S. Mosher, president Mosher Steel & Machinery Co., Dallas, Tex. There will be entertainment features, including golf, and a “get-together” dinner Saturday evening, Oct. 30, at which C. M. Denise, McClintic-Marshall Co., Pittsburgh, will be toastmaster. Auto Accessory Trade Show to Be Held at Chicago The Automotive Accessories Association, 123 West Madison Street, Chicago, has completed plans for an auto accessory trade show which will be held in the Chicago Armory, Sixteenth Street and Michigan Ave- nue, Nov. 8 to 13. A total floor space of 22,000 sq. ft. will be used by 150 exhibitors of auto parts accessories, supplies and equipment. Directors of the association are: S. M. Dover, Doray Lamp Co., Chicago; H. J. Goldblatt, Arrow-Meter Co., Chicago; Lewis Chaps, United States Auto Lamp Co., New York; Ben Warner, Warner Sales Co., Chicago, and Sol Heyman, Fremont Mfg. Co., Fremont, Ohio. American Welding Society Program Tentative plans for the annual fall meeting of the American Welding Society at Buffalo Nov. 17, 18 and 19, have been announced. An exhibition of welding equipment will be held in conjunction with the meeting. Technical sessions will cover such subjects as, “The Design and Development of Welding Apparatus,” “Organization of Welding on the Railroads,” “Welding of Locomotive Parts,” “Welding Science in the Engi- neering Curriculum of Universities,” “Are Welding in a Gaseous Atmosphere.” Entertainment features will include a trip to Niag- ara Falls, followed by a buffet supper on the Canadian side. A dinner dance will be held Thursday evening, Novy. 18, at the Hotel Statler, Buffalo. Heat Treatment Improves Bronzes Modern Methods for the Control of Crystal Structure in Castings—Effect on Aluminum Bronze BY N. K. is wel! understood and the production of the neces- sary physical properties in many machinery parts would be impossible were it not for this process, now so highly perfected. The annealing of the many non-ferrous materials in the process of rolling or drawing in the modern brass rolling mill is standard practice. This has long been known and through careful research and study has now become an essential scientific step in the process of the production of rolled or drawn wire, sheet or tube. The heat treatment of such materials, in order to produce a recrystallization that will develop a given improvement in physical characteristics to meet a defi- nite need, is a highly scientific process and is now rapidly becoming better understood by metallurgists and engineers. Many of the best metallurgists are still of the opinion that a casting of a given alloy or mixture of non- ferrous metals will be uniformly satisfactory for a given service, if the chemical content is held within narrow limits and impurities are kept below a specified mini- mum. Yet today we have chill cast bronzes which differ from the same alloy sand cast just as the chill cast iron differs from the sand cast iron of the same analysis. This is one example of the difference in the castings, due to difference in crystal structure or grain size, or both. Controlled by one who understands it, this chill casting process alone opens up new fields for bronze and brass castings and solves many of the difficulties heretofore baffling to the designers of mechanical units. Few engineers are yet aware that this development of the desired crystal structure by heat treatment can be applied to castings in bronze and brass with bene- ficial results. This is a new application and must be most scientifically done to effect the change definitely needed. Heat treatment is a step farther in the control of the crystal structure of these metals to insure uni- formity of characteristics and service. Heat treatment of the bronzes consists, essentially, of the same methods as in the steels, namely, heating to a predetermined temperature and quenching, heating again to the proper temperature and drawing. Here, however, color is no longer a guide, as it is in many of the steels. The same powerful influence upon the resulting product [ise heat treatment of steels is an art which today *Secretary Lumen Bearing Co., Buffalo a2 bemergareretms ses Fig. 1— Lumen Alloy No. 11-C. Sand Cast. X 200. Etched with FeCl, + Hcl B. SPO N newme ences ons see remem enetens nae neon sar set aneaptines eerae Homage Name aes PATCH” that we find in many steels is found here in the effect of the admixtures of small amounts of ingredients other than those usually found in a given specification. This treatment of the cast bronzes is much more delicate than may be supposed, and the study of this has revealed the importance of scientific, accurate con- trol along much closer limits than is today in vogue with the steels. It is therefore obvious that only foun- dries equipped with laboratories which are manned by skilled men having the requisite experience can be trusted to produce a uniform product of this kind. Heat treatment of bronze and brass castings, applied intelligently, is rapidly coming to the fore, but to at- tempt this with inadequate information at hand can only result in failure. The Lumen Bearing Co. has made exhaustive studies in the application of the heat treatment process to cast bronze and brass and, in meeting the needs of modern industry for long wearing bearings or gears, the usefulness of this research is daily more and more apparent. Many bronzes respond to this treatment. Some gain much by its application, others only change in a minor way, but frequently this minor change is sufficient, if scientifically controlled, to improve the service many fold. Aluminum bronze responds to scientific heat treat- ment to a remarkable degree. Fig. 1 is a photomicro- graph of a piece of Lumen alloy, 11-C, as sand cast, this aluminum bronze having 10 per cent of aluminum and also 1 per cent of iron. Fig. 2 represents this bronze after heat treatment. The crystal structure is obviously materially changed. The more interesting change to the engineer is that. of the physical characteristics, as given in the table for both the sand cast and sand cast after heat treat- ment. These values are typical, although they may vary in the case of the heat-treated piece by a varia- tion in the heat treatment. By varying the heat treat- ment scientifically, a wide range of changes in struc- ture and strengths may be developed. The United States Government has recognized the value of this practice as applied to bronze castings, and the American Society for Testing Materials has indicated the importance of it by including in the ten- tative specifications for aluminum bronze castings fig- ures for the heat-treated as well as the sand cast. These specifications were adopted as tentative at the last convention held at Atlantic City in June of this year. Many of the vital details in connection with the ———— Fig. 2— Lumen Alloy No. 11-C After Final Heat Treatment (Quenching and Annealing). X 200. Etched with FeCl,4 Hcl TR OSES ERA SITES SSO HU; ah Sir Ra? pay Re a SERGE I ERO OR Re RAG dF 842 application of heat treatment to cast bronzes have only been developed to this modern perfection within the last few months, one of these being the method of insuring absolute uniformity of structure in thousands of pieces, regardless of size or shape. Many engineers do not appreciate the importance of crystal size and structure of the cast bronzes. When it is pointed out that the difference between a good worm gear and a poor one is very largely one of type of structure, hardness of crystals and strengths, the im- portance of controlling these intelligently is apparent. Again, a good bearing in a given alloy may be marked- ly better if the structure is maintained within accurate limits. The control of the crystal structure of cast bronzes is now regularly applied to many castings such as worm gears for motor trucks and buses, special high duty bearings and bronze spiral gears. THE IRON AGE September 23, 1926 ENR HCERRETT CE LAebERONERE cme Le Ve8 of Physical Properties of Non-Treated and Heat- Treated Aluminum Bronze Castings Sand Cast 60 to 75,000 Table Sand Cast, Heat-Treated Ultimate tensile strength, Ib. per sq. in. Proportional limit in tension, Ib. 80 to 93,000 per 8qQ. im. .....-.cessvcevces 10 to 11,000 38 to 40,000 Yield point in tension, Ib per Gh, Bh. + Fune.secdednstsr ace 22 to 26,000 50 to 60,000 Elongation in 2-in., per cent.... 15 to 25 4to10 Compression of 0.001 in. at..... 16 to 19,000 54,000 Compression of 0.1 in. at...... 75 to 83,000 Compression under 100,000-Ib. ee Ucctecckushieondbewerel ae 0.13 to 0.16 in. Brinell hardness number*...... 90 to 100 0.05 in 170 to 200 *Brinell or sand cast taken at a 500-kg. load whereas, heat-treated and being so much harder, it was necessary to use a 4000-kg. load to have sufficient impression. TV eTUPEOEDOENODUND PSN EODEED OPECDENDOOENADOOEDL GOON L LOND DOOEDDSAUOENLANT CFDATAASESUEETY USRONEDONRONNEE TOUT POTTED eDPH ES bee renT i overOT eRe pe COPY STEEL CORPORATION German Steel Trust Modeled After American Company but Has Much Smaller Capitalization Die Vereinigte Stahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft (the United Steel Works Corporation), a merger of leading Rhenish-Westphalian companies organized early this year at Diisseldorf, Germany, was patterned after the United States Steel Corporation, according to a brochure recently distributed by Schwarz, Goldschmidt & Co., Berlin, Germany. On this point the pamphlet says, in part: “If the creation of this great organization need not be regarded as a dangerous experiment, as a jump in the dark, it is because there was at hand a great model after which it could be patterned. In surveying the technical and business prospects of the new industrial organization the genesis and later development of this precursor are highly reassuring. This forerunner is the United States Steel Corporation.” The size of the United Steel Works Corporation is indicated by its percentage of the quotas established by various German cartels. In raw steel its share is 46.82 per cent of the total. In semi-finished steel its proportion is 56.49 per cent; in pipe 50.2 per cent; in structural shapes 28.04 per cent; in railroad track ma- terial, principally rails, 55.77 per cent; in bars 41.94 per cent; in wire rods 38.75 per cent; in plates 47.13 per cent. In the Rhenish-Westphalian coal syndicate the new corporation’s quota is approximately 22 per cent of the total. The United Steel Works Corporation grew out of a merger of the following large industries of the Ruhr: 1. Rhein-Elbe-Union, including (a) Deutsch-Luxemburgische Hiitten A. G. (b) Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks A. G. (c) Bochumer Verein fiir Bergbau und Guss- stahlfabrikation. 2. Phoenix A. G. fiir Bergbau und Hiittenbetrieb; with the Vereinigte Stahlwerke van der Zypen und Wissener Eisenhiitten A. G. 3. Reinische Stahlwerke A. G. Bergwerks und 4. The Thyssen group. After its organization, the Charlottenhiitte A. G. in Niederschelden and the Bergische Stahlindustrie were added. Likewise a part of the works of the Stumm company was leased and placed under the man- agement of the United Steel Works Corporation. Later the Rombacher Hiitte was acquired. The properties of the United Steel Works Cor- poration include 85 blast furnaces, 27 converters and 157 open-hearth furnaces, as well as numerous rolling mills, the capacity of which exceeds that of the steel works. In addition, the corporation has iron and steel foundries and a large number of plants for the manu- facture of finished products fabricated from iron and steel. It is true, says the author, that the United Steel Works Corporation was not-a consolidation of 147 sep- arate plants, as was the case when the United States Steel Corporation was formed, but the German com- pany took over a larger number of blast furnaces and other important producing units in good running con- dition. It is an important point in favor of the German corporation, the pamphlet states, that its collective plants, as a result of improvements in equipment which the German works were forced to make because of the singular economic conditions of the past decade, are today preponderantly modern. This could not be said of the United States Steel Corporation in 1901, even taking into account the state of technique in the indus- try atthat time. Furthermore, if one considers that the United States Steel Corporation was formed with a total capital stock and bonded debt of nearly $1,400,- 000,000 (5,880,000,000 marks), while the capital stock of the United Steel Works Corporation is only 800,000,- 000 marks and its entire obligations amount to less than 1,500,000,000 marks, it becomes apparent, says the pamphlet, that the new German company was organ- ized on a much more favorable basis than the Amer- ican corporation. Lake Superior Association Issues Data on Iron Ore A directory of the Lake Superior iron ore mines and a large amount of statistical information covering the iron ore industry in that district are contained in a booklet just issued by the Lake Superior Iron Ore Association, Union Trust Building, Cleveland. The di- rectory includes the names of mining companies, list- ing the mines they operate and their location, the names of the officers of the companies, mine superin- tendents and sales agents. Whether the mine is open pit or underground, active or inactive, and the metho/ of treating the ore before shipment is given. The statistical section shows annual shipments from all mines for the past 10 years, total shipments prior to 1916, annual shipments by ranges and by ports, all rail shipments, receipts at Lake Erie and other ports, ore on docks May 1 and Dec. 1, shipments from mines in United States other than from the Lake Su- perior district and imports of iron ore by countries. Distribution of Pipe Fittings _ Current output of the Walworth Co., maker of pipe fittings, is running about 23 per cent ahead of last year, while inventories are approximately 22 per cent less than at the beginning of 1926. The company re- cently completed a study to determine the outlet of its fittings. It disclosed that 23 per cent went into new buildings, replacements and repairs in old buildings, while 77 per cent went into industries such as rail- roads, oil refineries, pipe lines, oil production fields, power houses, chemical plants and manufactories ih general. Though Down, Britain Is Not Out Her Industrial Problems as Seen by the American Man- agement Mission—British Views of the American “Secret”—More Consolidations Are Likely BY JOHN CALDER LONDON, Aug. 31.—England is a moving sight this summer to an American observer. Right before one’s eyes the British Lion, still licking its war wounds, is attacked ferociously by some of its own cubs and does not even box their ears! Here is a land of toleration to which we are strangers. Here she stands, “with the finest statesmen and the rottenest coffee in the world,” as Will Rogers told a London audience recently. Imperturbably she nurses her injuries, economic and social, declining to be stampeded by unreasonable sectional demands in or out of Parliament, but by no means blind to the vulnerable joints in her social armor. A Serious Industrial Plight Due to a variety of internal and external causes, and greatly accelerated by the coal stoppage, England’s exports, on which she now lives and moves and has her being, are very seriously decreased. Her iron and steel production is arrested, her shipbuilding moribund and her shipping industry languishing for lack of freights. Yet her huge drink and betting bills remain undi- minished, and she goes on “playing cricket,” literally and spiritually, amid great tribulations, paying her debts, keeping her word, taxing her people to the limit —despite shortage of homes, peaceful trades lacking fuel, unsocial objectives of angry radicals and die- hard attitudes on the part of some of the privileged I have met. The steel and shipbuilding industries, in which readers of THE IRON AGE are especially interested, will be dealt with in a separate article, but here we set down the summary of impressions of the Northern, Midland and Southern counties this summer, when both their best and their second rate industrial admin- istration was inspected. The National Psychology To one who spent his youth in England during the era of Disraeli and Gladstone great political changes are apparent. A Conservative premier, for instance, more liberal in social policy and practice than Glad- semneneeaensnesstt sets nents enenmeneenseumssens seers ene 0114/74 see tenmEPRLRNNEDEY CmmPENENES "456 one R. CALDER’S first article, based on his observations as a member l of the American Management Mission, which made industrial investigations in a tour of Europe last summer, appeared in THE IRON It was a clear--ut analysis of the coal mining situation Mr. Calder’s opinion, pungently expressed, was, in brief, that both sides had lost the strike, while the public loss, in manifold AGE of Sept. 2. in Great Britain. ways, had been enormous. This second article deals with the British industrial problem as a whole, and finds that while it is serious, it is by no means hopeless. In a third article Mr. Calder summarizes the results of a similar inquiry in France, and a fourth is devoted to Italy and Mussolini. the International Labor Office at Geneva showed the work there to be in highly capable hands, as told in the fifth article. British steel and shipbuilding industries are shown as depressed but not defeated. stone ever thought to be, and an administration dread- ing the connotation of the word “nationalization,” but handing a hundred million dollars to miners and mine owners for pocket money, while they were making up their minds whether to shake hands or to fight each other, are characteristic. England has certain sacred words and “nationalization” is not yet canonized. So long as the label is left off, you may go as far as you can. Here she stands, seeking her place in the sun again and ultimately compelling the unwise and unsocial on both sides of her payroll and on the side lines to yield to that apparently unorganized common sense which always saves England in extremity. So uncommon is it in some other countries that it is attacked as hypocrisy or perfidy. To the French, in particular, the illogicality of “the Englishman in a hole” is a stand- ing grievance—some times positively maddening. Unemployment More Serious Unemployment all over England rapidly increased with the disappearance of artificial conditions, such as the occupation of the Ruhr and strikes in the United States, but making due allowance for these and for the 450,000 who, for vaFious other reasons, were idle in pre-war years, the 1,600,000 unemployed this summer are a decided increase, and this figure takes no account of people who have left work due to trade disputes. An examination of the various factors involved leads us to believe that if it is to absorb its increasing working population, British industry will have to grow even more rapidly than in the years immediately pre- ceding the war; for, in the first place, it is quite evi- dent that emigration from England will not be re- stored to its former dimensions until a new ethic is adopted by the nations of the world and the present restrictions upon migrations removed. In the second place, the reveiation of the amount of unemployment existing in a year of normal trade activity will inevit- ably raise the standard of employment which society will strive to attain. Serious obstacles are in the way. Many exporting British lines of industry are now veep: once Lecwanennmae men apes — A visit to In the sizth the ro NRT oo PETE Te ‘- abies A eet Tien nieiein Laila atitiat il il he et lnk < atl a Sia et ros Ne - vA initia odd tieablihetin | . | <A NUNES As Bi oo ere ae vow 844 THE IRON AGE heavily weighted by increased foreign competition, and this has led to a change in the character of the ex- ports, the finished product and the highly specialized product having become relatively more important. Even in the case of the latter the difficulty of main- taining the British export trade seems to be growing rather than diminishing, due, we believe, to the dis- proportionate rise in the cost of supply, which in its turn arises from abnormal rise in cost of labor and production, in cost of distribution and in the heavier overhead in general. Hourly wages are still twice pre- war figures, while weekly earnings are but 75 per cent greater due to failure to increase efficiency in pro- portion to the reduction in hours. Continental competitors enjoy a triple advantage over British concerns, viz., lower wages, longer work- ing day, and more elastic conditions of work—not to speak of the much heavier local and national taxes on industry in England. The lesson from England’s ex- perience is that of the great difficulties created when one country attempts to raise its standard of living considerably above that of competing countries with similar geographical and industrial features. Employer-Employee Investigations ~* These facts were brought home to the workers of Great Britain by a joint investigating committee of employers and union representatives in shipbuilding and allied crafts which went abroad to the Continent for the purpose; but opposition to “payment by re- sults” and the most efficient utilization of new ma- chinery is still in evidence, as we