The Iron Age 1931-09-24: Vol 128 Iss 13

.. THE IRON AGE... NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 24, 1931 STABLISHED 1855 VOL. 128, No. 13 oC WHAT INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT HAS LEARNED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS By RALPH E. FLANDERS Manager, Jones & Lamson Machine Co Springfield, Vt RALPH E. FLANDERS a 2A on depression has stimulated hard thinking. It has brought out an ever swelling flood of proposed remedies, many of which are mere panaceas with no appeal to sober business judgment. The ensuing analysis by Ralph E. Flanders, Jones & Lamson Machine Co., is a penetrating study of the problems of adversity from the practical viewpoint of management. It emphasizes particularly the impossibility of an individualistic policy in an economic world in which each man’s fortune is inextricably tied up with his neighbor's. “The individual manufacturer,’ says Mr. Planders, ‘has been accustomed to think of the maximum output at the height of prosperity as representing the opportunity to cash in on the ‘velvet’, but since for one reason or another this maximum production seems inevitably to be met by the failure of consumer purchasing power, that velvet begins to have a shoddy look.” : JOD business practice requires that the torn ncreases ll! everity. The last thing t pe SUD vicissitudes of the business cycle be so met mitted to would be the loss of customers’ good will. as to serve the following ends: (1)safe ex- A business is indeed near shipwreck when this has pansion of earnings, (2) maintenance of een discarded. ngs when expansion fails, (3) maintenance of In the discussion of the various periods of the g power, (4) maintenance of cash position e, we will arbitrarily divide it into four, the first liquid assets decreasing, (5) maintenance olf eing that of depression in which we now find our- assets, (6) maintenance of management polli- elves, the next step being recovery, the third boom efficiency, quality, etc., (7) maintenance of per ind the fourth collapse. The past two or three years and its morale, and (8) main- should teach us the particular kind of nce of markets and customers’ action with which to meet the con- will. tingencies of these four stages. We lhese ends are not put in the order their importance, but in the order in may properly say from the lessons of the past that the period of depression nh they have to be thrown over- should be devoted to long-time planning and preparation. During the period to lighten ship as the financial HE purpose of business is to make profits.”” This truism is now seen as being subject to qualification. Frequently an excessive profit today begets a serious deficit tomorrow. “Material purchases,” declared Mr. Flanders in this article, which is based on a recent address before the Smaller Industries Conference, “should be made with reference to the current manu- facturing schedule rather than to possible changes in price. Investment of reserves should be made from the standpoint of availability and safety rather than possible speculative profits.” —_— a ae pre ! t Allt é ~ rie é ; é [ } ree ' e ¢ I i é e Q l! t } ? t i } f ) ' 4 = roduction Poli } é } whe Ne ea ym? ne? nas il e( t me st { re De eal r tw e! nould ery nat a i ] U! i he preset! 31 mn nd making the nost V¢ I 1 We ild De 1) qd Mik ip tne isefulnes f our various trade organizat s l the industries for which such reports are possible, there should be obtainable monthly reports of pro- iction, shipments, stocks on hand, new orders and } ad 804—The Iron Age. September 24, 1931 scrutiny of such stat yuntermane A close should enable us to get a fairly clear-headed vis as distinguis ondition of business the actual rom our emotional reaction to it We should al ollow the best obtainable business forecasts, but ess these have improved, we may fi then liable as our greatest need for them ap} Sales Policies Our experience would lead us to pelieve not advisable to push instalment selling dur the boom. One of the most badly needed impr ments in American business is to find some safe effective way to permit instalment selling dui the depression. Then is the time that it is neede While recaptures of goods so!d on extended terms a reported to be extremely low, this does not tell beyond question tha T} whole story. It seems to be the large volume of instalment selling during tl boom has been one of the elements that has delaye selling, if there is a1 [r put It is to be hoped that ne recovery. New instalment way of arranging it, would hasten recovery if force at the present time. developments and new courage on the part of credit organizations, and the development of something co responding to ‘“‘equirment trusts” for smaller unde takings than those to which they are usually applic Le Z A + * \ I it To? tructive a el ( ness practice Wut the depre ‘ ler ethe 1 when te curtai ( t ‘ | ES ; @ +} } isuallhy suuter fringe of order takers who show ry oming effective salesmen and w é ilne ther re ceases when the market gets In t ive! h; O different ty} us Ss pl ‘ e inelast y ae ll i S@iling ¢€ pe ( VI I riceé [ nve WI1UI ( | produce results shi ( \ ivity When t} I] | irtailed, 5 rd re lit D ittalne bringing tne ilesn t Ww d stud of new deve! yp! irthe} ! rl TY n the practical ae rk The iestion of whether to reduce price ne Should work be taken at a loss fo) ing overhead? In some cases this may seen proper thing to do. In such cases it should be calle stop loss” work rather than ‘“‘work taken at a los [It is seldom desirable to do this in a highly compet 45 ) ve field, because the net result is that all manu facturers will meet the new price and there will b: no change in the relative position. One may sa that the price for old work should not be cut beyor the profit point. A little better case can be made out for taking contract work which lies outside the rk or ] Vif | of active competition. If such work carries the r and material and overhead which can be strict ssigned to it, with a fair margin for carrying general fixed expenses of the company, this mai rth while. Such work should be of the typ lily discarded in favor of the regular produ is business picks up ere is little possibility f steadily gn markets to take care of steadily disappear lomestic ones if the manufacturer is not alread rooted in the foreign field. The habit of de ding on foreign markets for success in manu =? turing is dangerous, as the home market in the g run offers by far the most attractive and pr +} Die field. Personnel and Wage Policies ; \ etter policies nave ever been announce ! Ve 7 f f the General Electric | wnich a few vears al ; tated that it would, when business is increas it s : add employees as slowly as possible, 2 1é : : ease the number In especially Dusy department re . — . . her department 2 . + 4 nsters trom otner departme S, ») resort " me betore increasing the working force, and tnone nls t ‘O wal and maintenar ‘ rk pone pian renewal anad maintenancs rK possible, employing the men on regula Wt g immediat zg f ‘ ( T T rs é ers ¢ j stin ‘ er; ? t ’ ) i <’t i r l ry i i I ¢ rT nd r ‘ A rK I vl 11 Dieé ) aenp: Tmer g ) er eT Vee@K, 4 yroceet ruct ) t it ties I f i I p ) G f S i < ‘ f sey t aepe (i } i ire é \ x n t ess PEK Tt t 7 1. ‘ ic( raanceé \ 4 S g ¢ plo ees netne 1 ff I I } Lit ( vor} } rT | ~ latte he u Q me aing nat t A rul I anu ¢ | } irden of unemployment is best spread S ire reduced rather than if men are let it innot be reduced, however, bevond the p< ere good men will leave to get otner 10Ds As the King period of bad business continues or increases, good HERE is danger in making too generous dividend payments in prosperous times. Some industries, Mr. Flanders points out, have paid out in dividends funds which should have been retained for offsetting obsolescence of equipment. Replacement of machinery and plant expansion may fre- quently be carried on to best advantage during dull periods. ‘There is less danger in making unwise expenditures of this kind in the conservative atmosphere of the de- pression than there is in the hysterical stimulation of the boom.” + is ‘ Cal i i t Dey t f XI gone rye ‘ y } ] ] ? read t ? 10 nu iT é ey! rrié se ) y ! 5) } ind LOU ey ' ' 17 y | 4 if) ici¢ l ‘1 ’ ’ au } \\ ‘ ‘ re t é ire ! I ind é ry t ‘ ‘ } ; ( r) t é | ‘ yy i I I nr . v1 e tne re ¢ al ineffhi € nmon ense 4 t ‘ tT « ene _ in I r luct r re vr é t D iT] el il} [ rte! ? It ma be difficu t edict in j this would |} stabilizing effect it ! i ( nce t permaneé 0 e pr en f sustained prosperity w hich The lron Age, September 24, 1931—805 proved knowledge and efficiency ; } : 10es not translate Im] into shorter working hours; and it seems a reason- le a f fa to take the indicated step without yreseeing the minute details of the Onsequences. The ind lal 1 irer has been accustomed ! ne maximun itput at the height of prosperity as representing the opportunity to cash n the “velvet,” but since for one reason or an maximum production seems inevitably to t the failuré f nsumers’ purchasing it “velvet” f ns 1 have a sl r\ddy look Here and there ind lual manufacturers may cash on it, but it is evident that business as a whol. point of ew, proposals for a shorter r wee! with il increasing penalty for over bral n the unwise and ry ; endeay th reacn out 1or profits business as a whole. Th e ( read law I a ‘ ] y th¢ dvantag of the poli e that mes the familiai I ) f ! eaure instead o ¢ TY r out on The 1? man W the crash comes. In a pread of emplo t f a letdown i1 ] r mater) < y ro! tne ATi pri¢ cold-blooded 1)¢ l t na wat nsidered a desirable ndustrial vi This proposal ved instead of I I it any ti lhir tl price ! rt f n 1uStrit { t 10-hr. proposal ef rade organiza ; l ( 2 a mé ver 4 rie pric erienced throughout the world a SoU I y I I L875 il S I lat Wwe al ! r pel me decline ! ir be effo1 maintain wages fail, bu t he case, nothing sf that we an d will D I i c tne prolonged period ot ¢ 1 Dusiness 1 VI manufacturers and rkmen are looking forward. A long-time price de- i eY I recession, Witn a generally lower ile of industry, mmerce and standard of living vould appear wise for those mpanies located e the metropolitan area to encourage the va 806—The Iron Age. September 24, 1931 Particula rious means of thrift and self-support. for rural and suburban communities, the keeping home gardens to assist in the support of the fan is a valuable and too much neglected resource. sistance and education in the direction of such forts will be a valuable aid to decent living un: adverse conditions. By all means standards of production and qu ity must be maintained under the most unfavora producing circumstances. If a force is being ma tained larger than is required for production whi can safely be financed, that force should be put useful work of other kinds relating to maintena: and improvement of property, rather than being ouraged to work at low efficiency on their regu ASAS. Product, Research and Development The time to expand these activities is imme Crisis. ately after the During the collapse and d tl lepression is the time for experimental ©€ (< r of new product, building of new models, design a1 of new equipment, and of jigs and fi tures for producing them. There are many advar ages to this policy. One of them is that it kee the best men (who are required for this kind oi It does this because th It runs high ynstruction work) at the lowest cost. material cost of such work is low. in material. The second reason for this policy is that it e1 bles the manufacturer to begin stocking new go at the first pickup of business. This is in contr distinction to the usual policy of stocking up mods The stock made at that tin design whe decline. tely on the iy be out of style or out-dated in new business comes along. At the same time, ar duction of working forces should be made as so possible after the juite a bit of ollapse, when there is st work available. The needs work is along towa time when workman most seriously the end of the depression. to build up a stock of vho will be seriously in need of work and at Then is the time to beg new goods, hiring back m¢ a tin vhen all manufacturing costs are low. Product research and development should have the aim of diversification, if it is of a kind that will smooth out the through seasonal or cyclical fluctuations. eithe demand for products Howeve! such diversification is questionable if it omplicate the manufacturing policy. tends Replacement of Buildings, Equipment, Ete. Maintenance and When expansion of earnings has been given u} longel I when maintenance of earnings appears no possible, when maintenance of earning power comes difficult, when the cash reserve commences t evaporate, every effort still should be made to main- ) nen the value of the fixed assets, se them if possible without too great expendi- r turn for material or for labor beyond the amount h can be properly appropriated under the given litions. This, again, is an in aintaining personnel, since nditures go to labor rather + here again, in order to maintai | care must be taken to see th: ently and carefully. isiness as a whole ve funds available for es through good times and pan be st and indeed tf In steady e manufacturing plant should run two or three shifts iway business, but it should not expand. Financial Considerations ee Ther an inevitable tendency to pay out larger nexpensive method : ed sums in d lends during prosperous times thar n- e major par he ‘ + ‘ } alt I I tne isiness le prove 1aVvisavdit As han material; e k at r cash reserves, there are certain things the morale, un- S . tnat we natura eltner earmark or put int sepa at the work is dons ' rate funds as being unavailable for dividends We lild up reserves for taxes, for depreciation and eadied D naving ; rm 1d y 1a tor I lescence if machinery and equipment mven quipment pur- | ‘ ‘ . . gs pees : these elementary requirements are not always taken bad. ré rié Cotto! tex industry, tor instance, ta] ) P, > Area h; he ‘dinarv mal f ike more courage than the ordinary manufac - , a , 2 : fo) ears pa it 1 dividends funds which nossesses., ; arger sans thé are usua : > ; ' possesses, and larger means than are usuall should have bean retained for offesttine encence lisposal f hir t -arry +} + Y liew +hr : 5 adisposai, tor nim to Carry 3 policy tnroug! ¢ ial ‘ ( lit a , , basis irrest tive £ +} +o4 . Strictly even bDasis irrespective ¢ 1e ite they ré f we rs ‘ ve ‘ et i cle i ness i reserves fot ntinuing dividend Efficiency e reasonabl e during period f bus- highly desirable to make the period of cd: on one in which advances are made in } lu , as »« ‘ “t9] hrio [+ +} nd general managerial efficiency i € study methods of management ar I nd to rearrange macniner\ tne I I neeial machinery ia + lt writ] +he speclal macninery 18 0 lll W ‘ hould be undertaker : +} y Snoul e undaertaken lrin nis f re the fu for Expansion . : ° ; . 1: ‘ epiacement OIL machine! \ naicated a 4 nserva e productive police is have lesirable policy during du times The e! ] issed | ne iture pDusiness y firr 1x7} »} } . ¢ 4 » 4 ‘ Y firms wnicn nave ¢ é irtne! nar | ’ Aina tat ‘ +} ry : . gy most or tneir plant extensions at the | t! il I id ible ertain heir capital expenditures have been lessened 1 ill be set aside r tl irpose, to be ng the work done at time wne! ts are eral me time during the trougn 1 lower than during b I time ind thel! ‘ , | 1 the y leratior ire taker , h , t Gill in # lon? fF +} } on ‘ 1, ‘ - ave leiped oO fill e aep e { ( ] ‘ ‘ indoubted! i i damper ind to cut the top fF t} neaks | ne lla roe a de? j luring the pea f ting Hnoon é T 18 2 YY Lhe 4 é if rer ; VeEVe?) it tine ; lid i rably iffe: ft tne 1! rrié rT thé . rT} +a: > . . cess T he rend us ess 3 I purse r r tine ni mié oT if T 4 aer eT 1 . “i ’ . : n lls and hollows as A KNOW ali ft » Wwe as tf time and the stockholde! I ild be aqeciding on tne rate of expansion, whetnel { 4 al ¢ te the effectivens I ic! 0} y qa + | , + tho y . +} —— f ‘ ; j ‘ I ake a Lne S ] 4 Ip-pu ror nel! al ' I | ¢ ent of is} eS 4 fT } rob r T r r ‘ , ? ‘ ; | +} ritne l i@Tacvlo! ‘ i 1S e added a rea able return from interest 7 is a last dubious consideratior ild the tte! speculative increase be taken int account ‘ ‘ ‘ + | nese nsidera ns sugges nat reserve nouid , nt time deposits as the re being built i] bu oe the } TY per d hen there tender some danger of drawing the tre ne ta! is t e low in price, it may perl be ad ne of the rising elems Ts Pe irve ‘ nvest a YT rt y t the resé ye in wiit-edage I secting tne waves in tne proper I nné irities i this type Enormou s:mounts I I ess danger of making u ‘ titures te ish reser inds were invested in the r nd n the mnservative at nhers fF 4he¢ ’ ket dur go the ist boon It j loubtfu whether than there is in the hyster stimulatior erve iseful purpose t al ibt I Mar A t i YT t I \ ] | ey lf ’ y + +F rt v y +» r 1est \Y ting 2 r ] er ex] , 4 tme ; y 4 inde! ur + ire narii Ties TI ers wnat + ’ oF , +, y 4 Y ‘ } >} rate 4 toreat . . i » } | ia i : vy ve fy m ting ” tror + ¥ ‘ ra ¢ tine vo * +F + +) r<¢ p ¥ ‘ f r the ‘ ting r manutacturing ties I t tneé rger I these tunds t ie t sten 1 t! f I towns :, in eemrkben y y ld ne - \ nder eY a rT . hler . 2} eaet s in honde » » A A ‘ . ar a . Ms ‘ 5, : I Dusiness As the peak S approached, thé ere vith the hope i making profit, Dut t The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—807 ing expense and other variati ’ have already been mentioned. ny h ré With all these considerations a , others of a similar character Fey mind, it is possible to set up stan ‘ t ard budgets for various degrees activity. It is particularly impo. geest al iseful course tant that this sliding budget | ‘ se { best ty if investment applied early in the collapse rather than waiti: GC rnment nds. Mr. Kuvin ot intil the reserves are drawn dry. Nat Industrial Conference Board has ve Mention was made earlier of an endeavor to g mpiled for me the average prices of seve! he complete money’s worth for all money spent nent nds availabl During the even when operating at a fraction of the norm r 1929 prices were v. The average ran from 10] sutput. The endeavor to make an operating profit hade 99 in November. Since that for as long as possible has a psychological valu ey ha nsistent!] sing until now the Of course, the time comes when it is necessary e) r 104. Thi ild indicate that a hift from this basis to one of preserving cash firn ash reserves int set From the standpoint of morale and physi ‘ ring the mmer of 1929 would distress, it is desirable, if possible, to concentrat n form to be realized on to advantage the short-time and lay off in the summer rathe er part of 1930 and through 1951 t than in the winter, but it is difficult to order wis hey a most needed. The the company’s affairs so that this is possible. ee! buy Government bonds dut All of these financial problems are complex, a1 ( during wl ve the time has not yet come when definite rules ress1o} tion thought out by experts and written in boo ere are no such clear ind vill completely take the place of first-hand perso1 mes of 1921. Bond prices did idgment in meeting the vicissitudes of business. ei! nt unt iter in the boom, General Attitudes to rise until business it There are certain qualities which run through all ’ There were, however, special the suggestions which have been made. Government’s mainte! . Pep Every move should be constructive as well as co1 pita sm ie servative The attractions of large-scale specula wi tive profits should be resolutely refused. Material surchases should be made with reference to the cur- ! vcle is rent manufacturing schedule rather than to pos nancial contro sible changes in price. Investments of reserves each cycle has it should be made from the standpoint of availabilit) ild be carried out, at ind safety rather than possible speculative profits ncerned. What A general recognition of the fact that the nation’ aS to plan prosperity is a homogeneous problem will and should : e, under grow on us from year to year. There is a real con , © bucee the munity of interest between the manufacturer as ‘ budget vill producer of goods and his own workmen as one tie © nave the large body of consumers on whose _ prosperit 4 7 ' the prosperity of the manufacturer is dependent. ) | —— Karly in this article it was stated that there ar sur typical periods to the cycle and each period has 3 ' vities W ts appropriate activity. There are also certa 4 scale ‘ ialities of character which are appropriate to th A time perations as rou periods of the cycle: 1 e} é ynditions are . 3 aie tliaae: . aan re on—Vision and imaginatior 4 Recovery—Courage ¥ e rate, as previously) Niet «MDa, Malian : wher , ( lapse Patience : a : ” Unfortunately we have always tended to be lit PAIS CBRHOL DC Gere! phase late, both in our appropriate action for th i rom a port f tne nisvol s One ener period of the cycle and the quality of the characte! ‘ 1utomaticall which we manifest therein. We have waited on th nul sia it they can be ollapse to exercise sober judgment, during the de ‘ ipplyin ncereast pression we have used such patience as we were able ned stock Carried or in the 1n to muster, during the recovery we have enjoyed th ess. Salaries, bonuses and xcitement of vision and imagination, and we hav: nn Ye given variations up and down delayed until the boom to display our courage, a! vith ft ecré f production activity. Travel that is just the time when we need it least. 4 808—The Iron Age, September 24, 1931 Cia adie kee I aes de all s Pi oo ce HIS casting of steel from an electric furnace, with its arresting show of pyrotech nics, is one step in a process under which a razor blade will be made and marketed by the maker of the steel. The company is the Heppenstall Co forged under a steam hammer to convenient size, machined to remove scale and decarbonized area and finally hot rolled and cold drawn into strip 0.006 in. in thick ness. The strip is then converted into the razor blades, which are shortly to appear under the name Hardtem. The cast ingot is The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—809 PROPER SAND CONTROL AND MPROVEMENT ght steel castings by th pplication of foundry technique that will tend to 1 ta high ductil and eliminate pin holes was discussed by George Batty, director, Steel Castil Development bureau, Philadelphia, it paper entitled “The Inter-Relationship of Pin Hol Troubl he Low Ductility Problem,” presente re t teel sess ns a tne i! la meet Oo! e Ame} Foundryme Associatior \ é 1 ’ yllowe the present no the papel aerable disagree e! \ expressed tl me ol e vlew aken Mr Batty. The low luctili yblex he aid, had been solved with roper s ynt the extent that light steel istings are now being produced of higher physical ropertle { ! led r ll specificat ons Aluminum Causes Low Ductility the speaker said, resulted from e us iminum as a deoxidizer for metal pro- from acid electri teel for light castings. However, the elimination of pin holes by dosing the steel with aluminum is not the only cause of the eduction luctility in cast steel Pin hole trouble and the low ductility problem re usually identified with green sand practice. Mr Batty said that green sand has a tendency to inject nold gases derived from the binder through the solidifying metal. Synthetic molding sand has been produced with the use of which pin hole troubles and low duct lity have been largely avoided. Pin holes became more of a menace in the production yf light steel castings with the advent of the electric furnace. The general opinion is that electric fur nace metal has to be hotter than converter metal to give equivalent abil- ity to run light-se tion castings. A re- medy for pin _ holes was found in the in troduction of alumi- num in the hand ladl efore pouring. The writer took the position, when an in vestigation of deoxi- dation of steel was be- ing conducted at the United States Bureau 810—The Iron Age, September 24, 1931 of Standards, that it could hardly be hoped that solution of the low ductility problem lay entirely the use of a deoxidizer other than aluminum and still insists that the problem arose primarily as result of the type of cure adopted to eliminate | Mr. Batty held that the formation of pin ho represents some reoxidation of the metal and the p1 lem is one of preventing this reoxidation in the m noles. rather than adding a powerful supplemental deo» dizer which promotes embrittlement. Trouble Comes from the Mold and Not the Metal If it is conceded that immigrant mold gases a1 not gases coming from the steel are the cause pin holes, the trouble must be identified with t! mold and not with the metal. He held that, by pré venting the injection of mold gases, the formatio of pin holes would be avoided, as well as the neces sity of adding a supplemental deoxidizer in the pour ing ladle. He said that, while green sand has n been produced that will not inject some gas in t! castings, sands are being produced with the us¢ which the injection of mold gases is almost ins nificant and, as a result, the amount of alumina er! brittlement has been so reduced that he consider the low ductility problem substantially solved. However, investigations are being continued wit view of finding a means of applying a deoxidiz that will not have the same effect as aluminum promoting decreased ductility. The speaker c ceded that causes other than injected mold gas may produce the embrittled condition in steel a1 mentioned two of these as separate from the int relationship of pin hole trouble and the low duct ity problem. Alumina, he said, is one of the causes, but su alumina may be produced through careless practi in the foundry. Also the method of adding alun num to the pouring ladle involves a small produ tion of alumina and consequently has some effect +} ie ductility of the metal. Aluminum should i.dded to the hand ladles as the metal is flowing fro! the large ladle and should be thrown into the strea! if metal so that it will be carried down as far possible below the surface. Mr. Batty said that his paper was a rebuttal some of the conclusions of a paper prepared | J. V. McCrae and R. L. Dowdell, which was pr sented before the American Society for Steel Treat of contention for some time. proper remedy. +HE LOW DUCTILITY PROBLEM ETHODS of solving the problem of low ductility in light steel castings made from acid electric furnace steel have been a bone Foundry metalburgists differ as to the The author contends that proper sand control is the solution not only of low ductility but also of the pin hole problem. He : asserts that aluminum additions are a major cause of low ductility. ns Dissenting and supporting opinions of other metallurgists are given. 0 he pI ar, and he obj ir in th t n hok n f those two authors \ jue W l fn { He was if le ¢ he said, when electric furnace metal wa 1] et } ynelu ‘ ‘ We red to foundries. A curé \ dos f I produce 1 in aluminum but that brought the low rittlene \ im_ brittlen« up | problem. ilumina. In dried re d rittl et u e [wo Solutions Offered by a Commentator aeaai Hi oe it Mr | ritten discussion of the paper was submitted | proved | tention pst i. S. Rawdon, chief of the division of metallurgy ’ Ratt ee aid that metal may be con atl eau of Standards. He agreed with Mr. Batty we ted by careless addition of alansiaum tm ih _ . n holes may occur in well-made deoxidized : Load his burns in the ladle on the top of ra nder impro} er mo d cor ditions, There are two the steel and the metal that goes into the castings z possible solution tne roblen ne sald. ntaminated Embrittlement, he contended, : rst 1s to treat the steel just bef 1t 18 poured ynger a problem but only an incident. The in a molds +0 de gasiicatiol ‘ { the metal, with ection of mold gases is much less than formerly. pe that ductility will satly affected the treat- not be presence of products resulting from The other is to attempt to improve the mold ynditions will not arise to affect the metal . ans 7 he ' Mr. Hall’s side in W ( No improvement of the molds, however, ‘ 1} } ne made a set ¢ te } ° . | | 7 ) Ad pense entirely with the deoxidation treat- . ,: : . ; tnose cast from met n required in regular steel-making practice. Mr. ' embrittlement, while Ci paper, he said, served merely to amplify the : ‘ ; : . was used ame ou ast method of solving the problem of low du 7 ‘1 . . . ()rne neaker T¢ a The success claimed for mold improvement : . . h te 77 tt isized the importance of research on proper- a aw, Was et , > 1 n treatment witl Cl f foundry sands and methods of testing them. ; ‘ S . ° . pure nto teapot Ir. Rawdon questioned the explanation of Mr. ae ’ ; y hoy 1 oreat : hwikae. ¥ T eces showed great su regarding the formation of pin holes. The : : ; . . . . riation iY anet “nl mulation of gas adjacent to the met under aE i a im au . . . if hong? TY un ent pressure to replace the surface layer of oeURUUS S al ' . } 1 : . : 1 tr gore Ter du ed metal, followed by the heating of the sur , t pertorat ns thus forme: cannot be read re! He be . : . . = » diffa y 1 { d, he said. If the mold gas enter tne¢ 1 tne mere . : ‘ , _— ‘ saa Daan a metal as large a r larger than the pin holes, GU was au 5 ee a ae . . : s ‘ th, nditio f "eal ild seem doubtful if the deoxidation treatmen ndition r emove these bubbles. il a he me num Vas ., Pin Holes Not Due to Mold Gases rdde Mr. Batty il ; ! } : e ¢ , 1aded tnatt lean- 1 | Vhile he agreed with many features of M1 : 7 . no fF ¢+ha al 2 > assistant to the president he idk of 's paper, J. H. Hall, reat lor-Wharton Iron & Steel Co.., Bridge, N. J., a ee Aluminum a Mr. Lorenz, Bucy without ld of of whict ladle 3; and hand ladles Cause of Embrittlement Milwaukee, took He aid that in dry sand molds and rus-Erie Co., discussion treated with aluminum showed those in which no aluminum britt lenes iden 10 test final running Irom were given deoxida ratal metai was The test 1 aluminum. ‘The The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—8II Close-up view of one of the welding machines showing overhead suspension with 812—The Iron ; a 48 d railroad regarded bv some rather husky vel ym Ing Many ems oe al about a ¢ peen used bridge building lateral and longitudinal travel ige, September 24, 1931 at CONSTRUCTION} £ By HARRY E. STITT Chief Engineer, Austin Co., Cleveland } r yr’? \( n the part of officials of municipal buil ng departments and codes have been amended mort ordingly. Such representative cities as Cleveland, Detr Col Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas and Atlanti tra City have codes that permit welding New York and Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore ar ‘vising codes now. In all, more than 150 munici of ilities, in some form or other, permit welded stee! as buildings. State legislatures are passing measure infant. Weld sho} hanged may be just as well that these codes were slow enable additional cities to adopt rules and regu lations applying t ’ welding. In this connection, coming, for welding has developed unham pered Welding and Riveting Made Optional as to Cost A little over a year ago the Austin ( ffered welded steel construction at a cost omparable with riveted steel construct or the first time in building history. T meet the coming demands our compan has completely equipped its plant Cleveland for the straight-line productio of welded fabricated steel. This plant known as the Bliss Mill plant, has a laid out in the assembly end that one sid - es. lie Pa —— “A monthly capacity of 1000 tons of welded | E Bh f Ebb steel and 1800 tons of riveted steel. It is s used for riveted work and the opposit side for welded work, although either sid can be used for riveted work at the pres ent time on a_ straight-line producti DasIs. As a means of speeding up welding and thus reducing costs, we are now using welding assembly jigs for holding the work during assembly and welding when + he contract warrants. Truss sections are cut to length by a high-speed friction saw in a shear house at the side of the crane-equipped stock yard. This saw has a maximum capacity fo! cutting a 24-in. beam. Other equipment ENGINEER DISCUSSES STRUCTURAL WELDING HIS article may be said to represent a user's viewpoint of welded structures. In his capacity as chief engineer of the Austin Co., the author has had a ten-year period of opportunity to observe the de- velopment of welding as applied to riveted structural steel. His opinions, as gained from this experience, are set forth in this 7 a a ae article ed in the next bay for the final 1l-automat and fo A SECTION of the welding depart- nt of the Austin ricating shop. This laid out for traight-line pro- iction. On the op- site side, but not hown in this picture, a similar “straight ne section for riv- eted members The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—813 A trainload of welded trusses en route to the “windowless factory’ of the Simonds Saw & Steel Co.., Fitchburg, Mass. USS¢ T De madé TI }1y s laid flat O! the as ml} bed and the pieces forming the outer men russes are laid just inside the flange of né ngies rming the Iter sia¢ ot tne ig The es rest : Ss we lde a tne angle S and e he e du r welding lamps or clips he cross members are laid direct above milat embe1 r and are similar] lamped. Wit! 1S¢ é gy, sevel trusses or other duplicate 3; can be welded in the same time that it takes to veld one unit without a jig Welding the Trusses for the “Windowless Factory” The largest and most interesting welded steel job yur company has done to date was the fabricat tf 136 t-tvne t ( iQ 7 long and 10 f YD he enter il bo parall« chord-car? n ISS 1() t. lo d 9 ft. de n the ente} est tl ses eré r the new windowless factor’ f the Simonds Steel Industries at Fitchburg, Mass., whicl e designed and built complete. It is the first naustria lant without window r skylights, and so the first “‘controlled nditions” plant in indus : We were able to furnish this steel from our own plant very prompt ind ship directly to Fitchburg; the trusses were fabricated and welded in two t three weeks. The total tonnage of this job was ap- proximately 425 tons. A similar order for riveted trusses would require about 490 tons of structural » steel, so a Savil ipproximately 65 tons was ef fected in the amount of steel r¢ quired. In the field this particular job was riveted to the supporting olumns. Welding from a Structural Engineer’s Viewpoint Tt ] . .* + ‘ ‘ ©) . If I were asked to sum u he advantages of welding, I believe the following points would e them in a general way. 1. Steel erected by welding is a silent operation as pared to a job that is riveted. 2. Welded steel presents a neater and cleaner app: ance, Welded steel points the way to lower building ; onstruction costs. ‘ 1. Welded steel gives a stronger and stiffer constr tion; trusses that are welded are considerably lighter riveted trusses designed for the same loading. 5. Welded steel offers opportunity for simplificatior provement of design and detail of members. 6. Structural steel trusses and all other structw pieces may be made by welding without inaccessible par for painting. Additions and connections can be made to existins ‘uctures and members may be easily strengthened the welding method. 8. Accident hazard is reduced by the absence of falling 9. The fire hazard has been reduced by the eliminati 10. Alterations, caused by changes or errors, are easily made by welding. 11. Welding requires simpler and less expensive st ings than riveting. The complete story of welding would require article much longer than space would permit in thes columns. The above conclusions help materially explaining why structural steel welding has vanced to its present development, and in my opini indicates the important position it will occupy in future. Familiarity with the methods of successfully welding truss spans was obtained in the earlier days of Austin research by destruction tests of { welded and riveted members of similar design. This shows a load of beams being applied for that purpose. 814—The Iron Age, September 24, 1931 EACH INDUSTRY SHOULD HAVE CONSUMPTION STATISTICS ay am & PRESCRIPTION for managers for matured standard businesses is the way the author denominates the accompanying article. All manufacturers, he contends, should supply information of sales, for example, to an official who is in the confidence of all the members of the industry. Then the individual in turn may discover from the totals if he is maintaining his place in the industrial procession. The author's suggestion covers what some trade associations are already attempting to do. Others could do something and more of them more. vr wre WwW 1 bs By JOHN TOMAJAN General sales manager, Washburn Co., Worcester 1? a intall y + , +) ‘ ‘ : + ; ry ‘ uv t} YY + } y ' vy HE intelliger yperation of any isiness di ’ nce whethe1 eis ga pends largely upon a fairly accurate knov ind e pos he ls in th edge of the extent of the market to be reaches Dey sé arl 9 . ; . Y + By market we uO not meal Impiy rit il nitormat y } r we adily avaliabdit pecause els of distribution. We mean more particular! most manufacturers have not sufficient nfidence in al available consumptio I le proaut h other ft yen their records to ea ! rder nh to arr it tnat total Yet, a tota r tne ileS OF al nese weak position of most mature businesses to tne ma! ture? na ndustry will, for all practi C i hw vera Nain tf niant r\< ty with- nNuryp 4 ‘ +} total nsumption f 4 t nroduet caused Dy over-expansion OF pian apa with IT] f nsumy] ! i 1u consideration ft the fundamental question ol ; . ¢ os . 7 1 Each Industry Needs an U mpirs or not the expansion of consumer demand has : tf} proportion. It would be simple to determine L rye tion is to have a disinterested out ent of our efforts and our outlay in inventors in umpire, or referee, 1 plea ‘ we knew the extent of the market we wer { I nce f all members of ar! ndustry an to reach. After all, the most that any manu is access to all the records of each manufa ‘er can hope to do is to supply his share of the turer. He will know all about each manufacturer ble demand. That share is determined not by And while, through him, each manufacturer can find us factors of only temporary value and impor it about the total consumption of the product at any It is determined by the position that manufa given time, he will not be able to find out about the ids with relation to his competitors, that posi- pecific operations of any other manufacturer. In ing determined after a sifting down process ther words, the referee will have a judgment based ling over a period of years during ipon all the facts in the industry. But the industry in question has been any individual manufacturer will know zing itself. e therefore, it 1s possible to know ee T reasonable accuracy what is the only his own volume. That to say, it is possible for him to know at all times whether or not he is continuing to sup- . . ot hie nronortio the tot: onsumption of any given article, his proportion of the total ts of by comparing his own volumes Fortified with such knowledge, the total consumption, any manufai (Concluded on page 842) The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—815 t Py } y y T i rd , ’ n eff t é iut ? rae né re KGOWT Dp Stra miner Fj i graphically the 816—The Iron By MAURICE RESWICK Chief Engineer, Pennsylvania Lubricating Co., Pittsburgh vrvrwvw { { t \ i, pag OU trength characteristics of a lead oleate lubricant no bet early defines the lead oleate as compared wit! neral o t contalr Research con traight mineral cylinder oil. This graph is ba fev ! ndicates, | ‘ver, that ipon actual tests, the two lubricants having ibricants for extreme conditions of ame viscosity. erse N e tru urn that a mil \ good lubricating film was maintained with tter Ul mpound thi neral cylinder oil until the load reached 7000 Ib. 1 q. in.; at this point the coefficient of friction begar thi t decade rise rapidly, so that between loads ranging from 80 into the manu to 10,000 lb. per sq. in. the entire film was practica ep jueezed out. The border line is here indicated ther peeds and greate! re at 7000 Ib. load. To the left of the border li ndusitrial there was perfect fluid friction; to the right of , ster f brication was only partial at first, resulting in sen bearings, Dut 11d riction Hence, we may onclude that w ] + ' ght mineral oil it is not safe to exceed a wu f 7000 Ii ' } Sure 4VUU LD per sq T + } 4 , } ; 4 i} ne lead oleate ¢ ind, whlle 1 . ( rict n Was LLY I l ron ! Ii} i »? ma I ( l] i } } (sey0) Ft er ? \ ned I I ( solid f1 | + i i ! re 1 1 snown it } ra ‘ I 4 if ] al l i ( \ i Ie aril l l | Ss) } livet + } +} +) i) iu rate OTN é i t will be Tine }) I , ibricant t} c 0)? ar . —$—_—_ iubrical otf o inde! ( tre é | | | “Borde |" aol Line” ] + * + tna Wit! ne pounded mineral \ Lead oleat | Lead OleateLubricant yng + + + 4 4 | es = tL /m/tof Capacity | : 0,900 00 30000 NNW 90,000 60,000 ically and insepara Load or Pressure in Lb. per Sa. In. bly combined wit! pure lead oleate. It ind is a compos erate tion of highly r + fined low cost est Coefficient of Frict} ° So ] > blended oils, chen 1G. 1.—Film strength characteristics of two lubricants having the same film viscosity should not contal! dge. September 24, 1931 ORF HEAVILY LOADED GEARS AND BEARINGS ORDER-LINE” lubricants, particularly those containing lead oleate, developed to meet extreme pressure and speed conditions, are here discussed by Mr. Reswick, whose article on lubricating greases appeared in these columns on August 27. The lead oleate compound, it is shown, will maintain a lubricating film beyond the break-down point of straight mineral oils. But it has ul . . . . . . . 80 its limitations and should not be adopted indiscriminately; furthermore, ica being comparatively expensive, its use is not justified where efficient her lubrication can be obtained with the usual oils and greases lin en l Ti y ir i ns i () ite mpound n T lea I il actul 1 Ir it if yntest ! ly wi vith a me in t RB ra ff r i ibra la I yrade e! ITT ‘ ral ner i ner i ne i née 1 Ca er \ re nd as a strengthener of the | film and to elin tne ft I y or gears increase a nigne test the inherent disadvantages of mild abrasion and t} must be used in order to obtain the prope! hen tion. The modern highe: peed and heavie1 tectior Wit 1 lead oleate compound para ipplications of gears (hypoid, spiral bevel, her rtant, but not to the same extent, be wit! e, etc.) and bearings (plain and anti-fr wider latitude of protection e. It rating with little clearance require a lubricant ol l istrated graphically in Fig. 4, which shows ital! film strength and free from abrasive action. This tl elative significance of viscosity when referred The Iron Age, September 24, 1931—817 to mineral oil and to a lead ohkeate compound. Let us assume that in a certain gear drive the same lubri cant is used for both gear teeth and bearings Phe manufacturer’s original recommendation, based on his experience with straight mineral oil, is to uss an oil of 1500 sec. viscosity at 100 deg. F Refer- ring to the chart, Fig. 4, it is obvious that the same protection may be obtained with a lighter grade of lead oleate, which has a viscosity of only 500 secs. Say bolt at 100 deg. F In the chart the line AB repre- sents the safe film strength of a 1500-secs. viscosity oil, AC represents the film strength of a lead oleat« co und the same viscosity, BC represents thi ! film strength between these lubricant ame viscosity, while line BD represents the wable drop in viscosity when changing from a a nt mineral i Tt a lead oleate ompound. While no great accuracy is claimed for this dia be seen that the vertical scale of pres LOAD-W 0 LB LUBRICANT COMPOUNDED CYLINDER trogen a LEAD OLEATE UBRICANT mineral cyl e) SU é ( it 100 dey K Ss Snow! é I Str I | 7500 » Ne g- 3 which is he mit capacity of the me oil as illus- rated I I o i \ [ positio ol the curve fon 1d eate 1D! { such that thers s a lib tor of safet In applying this diagram to e determination of the correct viscosity of a lubri- t r gear teeth, the error entering into the com- yn of the unit load at the pitch line of the teet] generally greater than any error in the dia gram. Hence tl diagram may serve a useful pur ear ul ition appil tie S he statements made here are not mere theory, but represent the actual tendencies and practice among the outstanding builders of machinery; name ly, to specify as light a lubricant as may be con- stent with the load, and to rely on the “border ” characteristics of the lubricant to provide pro- istead of specify a heavy, viscous oil This is also a step nearer to the ideal lubrication ndition which was defined as follows by Gill: ‘The cardinal principle underlying all lubrication use the thinnest (or least viscous) oil that will tay in place and do the work.” A lead oleate lubricant adheres to, or “‘wets” the } 1 rubbing surfaces better than mineral oil, for the £18—The Iron Age, September 24, 1931 reason that it is a compounded and blended produ possessing the properties of “oiliness” of the called “fatty” or animal oils. Water-Absorbing Property a Disadvantage Like other compounded oils, lead oleate lubrica will absorb moisture and form an emulsion w water to a certain degree. In some cases this desirable property, but in most cases this charact istic is a disadvantage. When using a lead olea lubricant of any grade, one should make sure that will not come in contact with water. Atmosph: condensation may be disregarded in most cases. As to operating temperature and_ efficie: laboratory and field tests have shown that for eq viscosities of a lead oleate lubricant and the high grade of mineral oil, the operating temperature the latter lubricant is slightly lower, while efficiency of the machine is higher with lead 800 LB 1G. 2.—Comparison of two different lubricants by results of wear tests on S.A.E. No. 65 bronze. Each of the two pieces was tested for 60 min. at a rub- bing speed of 435 ft. per min. compounds The reason for this has not as been determined definitely. However, a lead ol compound of a lower viscosity than the mineral regularly used will give lower operating tempe! tures and higher efficiency and at the same time sure greater protection. This is particularly 1 when the machine is operated above its rated ity and when the gears and bearings are ov loaded. Great care should be exercised in adopting | cleate lubricants in the industrial field. While lubricant has undisputed points of superiority, also has its limitations, especially in regard t emulsibility characteristics. The main point to member is that a lead oleate compound is an 1d lubricant for overloaded conditions, where the monly used oils or greases fail to stand up. W! efficient lubrication is being obtained with comn lubricants, there is no justification for recomme! ing a more expensive product like a lead oleate c pound. Nearly every plant has isolated cases excessive wear on gears and bearings due to in cient lubrication; in such applications lead olea compounds and their derivatives like special | oleate greases, will establish for themselves a re] tation. The recommendation of the Society of Autor l Engineers is that for lubrication under condi- in extensive use in automobiles, especially in differ- : ns where extreme pressures are encountered, spe entials having hypoid gears. “extreme pressure” (EP) lubricants can be sup- . ss: etaleailaain, all temaiaialiaaaiaieias ice, Seta (\pplications Cover a Wide Range Lead oleate compounds are giving satisfactory a service in many fields. Light viscosity material is em] ed in small fractional horse-power speed re ducers, as operating medium in hydraulic feed mech ( ms of the Oilgear type, and in special machines le ‘ il I 175 to R55 (O-s¢ VIS aif t i) a 7 - leg possessing great film strength Mediun f pplications 1 ide medium sized gear rt } qu inits [I tne pul bevel, herringbone ind | : \ t 3; in sed-type chain speed reducers ar rculatng ng systems tor gears and Deal 7 nys nere there $3 no watel nditi ’ O d oleate compounds those of heavy vis sity are most used extensively in the automobile ndustrial fiel They are employed in worn ea f evel e; in reduction gears of every type, I ny ! id geal flexible couplings of the internal gear sleeve type; in screw-downs on rolling nills ecna i ! brakes of disk t ett c }—Diagram of wear testing machine used on ' samples shown in Fig. 2. The rotor is of case Jened carbon steel, 400 Brinell. The same rotor was used in all of the above tests in the order shown thout regrinding. The load at W is the total cal lated load on the '2-in. wide test piece and is 11 times the beam load 4 r J a 7 SoS Pee arn ee le for various viscosities 0 500 000 S00 2000 2500 3000 Viscosity in Seconds at 100 Deg. F. (Saybo!tUniversal ) 9 . 2 lea ts are intended for use where pressures are t Extra heavy viscosity lubricants of this type are a1 to permit maintenance of “fluid film” lubr ised widely in the steel industry for the lubrication pe n. Lead oleate lubricants come under the class f rolling mill pinion gears and bearings and for all e extreme pressure” lubricants, provided they ar extra-heavy gears subjected to overload, reversal erly made and do not contain solid materials in ind shock This grade can be pumped in cold nsion. Approved types of this lubricant ar weather through steam-jJacketed pipes and pumps : D ( Sims, American Steel F unaries, aia tne Proper Sand Control and the Low ob atid sadithes hale lie cman eel A be Lin He believed the gas in pin hole hydro Ductility Problem € He ti 1 of experiments he had made witt ron (Concluded fron R11) melted in an acid open-hearth furnace and poured vi ind bad dry sand molds. Castings mad nn portance In order to avold contaminatiol mold improperly dried had the worst pin hok ne etal between the furnace and the mold : ali. | there ia to relation hetwees tin } F Hall contended that converter steel is as and ductility and that aluminum is not a cure for es inject to embrittlement as acid pen-neartl n ! troubles In any tee l. He found a di