The Iron Age 1932-09-29: Vol 130 Iss 13

i Sh oer THE IRON AGE --september29,1938 J. SEVENTY-EIGHTH YEAR OF SERVICE H, VAN DEVENTER Ww. W. MACON A. I. FINDLEY G. L. LACHER Editor Consulting Editor Editor Emeritus Managing Bditor F. J. WINTERS R. E. Mitnuuer DP. H. Gmrken BURNHAM FINNEY a 7 y Pittaburgh Detroit B. F. Conn F. L. Prentiss R. A. Fiske L. W. Morrerr EHENSTROM, Jr Cleveland hicag Washington Announcement Design Policies Cut Distribution Costs Production Aided by Recording Device “Better Times” Pig Iron—In Prospect and Retrospect Hardening of Special Cast Irons Spot Welding the Rustless Steels Liquid Baths for Heat Treating New Equipment News Automotive Industry Personals and Obituaries Letters to the Editor Editorials Markets Construction and Equipment Buying Products Advertised Index to Advertisers (Advertising Section) (Advertising Section) a tn tr Mar E. WRIGHT keta and News RBditor GERARD FRarar Boaton MolInTossH Cincinaatt 489 490 492 494 496 497 498 499 30 50 THE IRON AGE PUBLISHING COMPANY, 239 WEST 39th ST., NEW YORK Division of United Business Publishers, Inc F. J. FRANK, President G. H. GRIFFITHS, Secretary ©. 8. BAUR, General Copyright, 1932, by ADVERTISING Tue IRon AGE PUBLISHING CO Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations Published every Thursday Subscription Price Charles Lundberg, 45 Kent United States and Possessions, Mexico, Cuba, $6.0 Del. Co., Pa Canada, $8.50, including duty; Foreign, $12.00 a OC. H. Ober. 239 W. 39th St.. year. Single Copy 25 Cents W. B. Robinson, 1319 Park Bldg W. C. Sweetser, 239 West 30th Cable Address [ronage ee Warrer P. O. Box 81 Emerson Findley, 1362 Hanna Bldg., B. L. Herman, 703 W. Ferry Street, H. K. Hottenstein, 802 Otis Bidg., Member, Associated Business Papers Peirce Lewis, 7338 Woodward 402 Traction Bldg., Cincinnati Upper TO THE METAL WORKING INDUSTRY Advertising Manager leveland Boffalo, N Ohicago » Detroit, and Darby Pittsburgh New York Conn ery r* “Eos co es tee a on te a F <4 =e eal gto i Ba. THE IRON AGE SEPTEMBER 29, 1932 Page 8 Savings ~~ must begin right at your own desk ls your shop operating with curtailed production and are you finding it increasingly difficult to make any profit with inefficient methods and machines ? These are times when every effort must count and when pro- duction costs must be cut to the bone... times when Warner & Swasey engineering service comes to the front more than ever before. W & S engineers have helped hundreds of manufacturers solve their turret lathe problems by showing where new methods or new machines may be profitably installed. They are ready to give you the benefit of their services without cost or obligation. You cannot afford to overlook the savings that can be | made by more efficient methods Ask to have a W & S engineer show what you can save on your regular work by improved methods. There is no cost or obligation for this service. Just phone, wire or write for a W & S representative. The Warner & Swasey Company Cleveland, Ohio, U. S. A. ..THE IRON AGE.. NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 29, 1932 ESTABLISHED 1855 Vel. 130, Ne. 13 c ° (ESE — es - M eta ro d ts | e e & ARTI [QUAKES ilter landscapes The night oil’ in the endeavor to discover effective sales major economic convulsions which have timulants shaken the foundations of industry during : Distribution, under this intensive study, has re- ! | the past three years have necessarily destroyed old : aled its intimate relationship to design, selection landmarks and raised new ones. Already we can - product, price policy .; e observe perceptible shifts and upheavals in our in l pri I and cost reduction. No : : longer in these ' - - ala’ . ; dustry and in its markets. ese subjects be filed in s parate nice an j | ‘? pigeonholes of detached responsibility. With bu y- — . - 7 ! ia ol . Executives of machinery and metal-working ing, these concomitants of selling have moved up establishments are facing and will continue to con uirs and are receiving the closest executive 1 4 front problems that cannot be solved with the ala rutiny. of precedent. Heretofore the future could be pro . = It i bore ¢l ~~ ° ] | Ss 1Or this reaso tn: > - jected from past performance with reasonable sure —* eason that Modern Merchandising aa , in the Metal-Worki — ty. Today, looking backward is of small help in etal-W orking Industry is receiving and ie 2 Will, Tor some time to come, receive emphasis in forward planning. the editorial pages of THE IRON AGE. The article Especially is this true in merchandising and mat which immediately follows is the third in this gen- keting under the existing and prospective altered eral series. It deals with the vitally important re- conditions. Curtailment and shifts in consuming lation of product selection and improvement to the power, a decided alteration in the identity and rela- building of sales volume. tive importance of company units, realinement ot M iny other ] , . ‘ . . 1 y il ©) » CTS »e executive personnel in surviving establishments, all closely connected phases of busi- ’ . ness rebuildir . . wait introduce new and serious problems of product uilding in the metal-working industry disposal. wae be considered by selected authors of special- ized experience and progressive outlook. It will Selling and buying have moved “upstairs.” be our purpose thus to bring to executives in They are now executive functions in the broad our industry an intimate and timely aid in the study sense and will remain so for a long time to come. and solution of their most pressing problems Especially is this true with regard to merchandis- | ing. It is indeed the fortunate and exceptional plant whose executives, from president to shop John H. Van Deventer. Editor superintendent, are not now “burning the mid- »« « « How Modern Design Policies War, and espe lally l after the 1921 panic, attentio1 * in reducing costs on all kinds mechanical products was ncen- trated on cutting labor cost TI was accomplished redesigning eliminate operations, but mostly by efficiency methods in the production shops It was an advance over thé re-war “efficiency” period, because set about to cut costs by better equip- nt and more intelligent factory ar- rangements rather than by speeding ip labor. It necessitated redesign oi il und mill machine for aut tit al en automa eration hich brought the proble l é e designer, bu the maiz ré n at tn time Was a manage ind produc n problem rather oY e i I d ( Lor one Today, cost reduction lars c the lap of the designer, althoug tly back into the effect go direc In th s the designer cannot depend ipon labor saving alone because labo1 s now one of smallest single iten in most products. In one radio re tailing at more than $200 the cost of labor is less than $15. The average found for a large group of machines S cS and mechanical devices is les nan & per cent for labor. If a 10 per cent saving can now be made in labor co it is seen to affect the sales cost but The heavy items of cost are thos: for distribution. As high as 60 per cent of the selling price is frequently being paid to the distributers alone. In the case of unusual products, where the demand has to be created, the sales cost is even more excessive. One spraying apparatus, which retails at $5, costs only 92c. to manufacture, including materials, labor, overhead and a manufacturing profit. In other words, 82 per cent of the sales price voes for advertising and selling. This item is typical of a great number of articles. If the designer, therefore, intend to make any large dent in costs at thi must contemplate method that will help to cut into that very distribution 2 per cent saving ime€ he large item of expense, remembering that a there will in many cases equal a 20 per cent cut on labor. He must dé ign sales helps into his product. He must do this by a redesign that can be sold on price like the traditional so that very large sale commissions Wi “hot cakes,” 1 be unnecessary. Or ll he must make the article so attractive 490—The Iron Age, September 29, 1932 ~~ & te ABOR is now one of the minor elements of cost in many con- sumer products. The objectives of design, therefore, are no longer primarily aimed at speeding pro- duction, but at decreasing distri- bution costs. How the depression has caused our designing engineers to become ‘‘sales-minded” is told by the author, who relates numerous examples of successful breaking down of sales resistance through the redesign of products. This is the second article by Mr. Brady in THE IRON AGE’S new series covering the various problems of modern merchandis- ing in the metal-working industry. — a oe and containing so many appealing features that the consumers will seek it rather than be driven into buying. Once such a program has. been launched it will be found that the en- gineering department will come out of its smoked glass atmosphere and become a dynamic part of the execu tive organization. It will become a place of practical ideas rather than of pictures. The engineering dreams that require 82 per cent of the sales price to “put across” will be relegated to the limbo of record books by the chief engineer who has the real fun- damental interests of the business in his mind. These statements are not They are based on the movement that is actually taking place at the present time in development work. Engineers Are Becoming Sales- Minded theoretical. The depression has been instrumen- tal in making the engineer more sales-minded than ever before. The old theory of the salability of the best mouse trap, which was smothered by the avalanche of a ballyhoo type of advertising and high-pressure sell- ing, is again coming forward as a safer and saner doctrine. Advertis- ing and selling are necessary func- tions in proper proportions, but they are seldom or never worth 60 to 90 per cent of the cost of the article to the consume! The very best sales organization cannot sell a product efficiently and without great expense if that product is inferior in appearance and in per formance to the products of its com petitors. Points of superiority must be apparent. The obscure, indefinite, debatable points are the ones that have to be sold by expensive ballyhoo and repetitive driving. To cut down that expense it is vital that the en- gineering organization learn what is required and expected by the customer, and then design those wants into the product as nearly as can be to con form to the production possibilities of the shop. This naturally requires in- tensive cooperation between sales, en- gineering and production staffs. Design Can Cut General Overhead Another heavy item of expense with many large companies is the overhead that is tacked on the factory costs, which in some cases is as high as 200 to 300 per cent. Any part of this overhead that has to do with the means of financing the business is outside of the scope of either the de- signer or the production man. But if the engineer can produce designs that are simpler to manufacture so that factory space and equipment re- quirements can be reduced, then he is really arriving at an ultimate reduc tion in overhead. In the consumer products field two mechanical-electrical appliances can be taken as examples of what has been done lately to achieve sales in highly competitive markets—one the electric washer, and the other the electric range. In the washer field a condi- tion had existed where each company had jealously watched the others and incorporated modifications of every change, so that the sales departments had no real distinguishing arguments beyond slight differences in materials and finishes, and had to depend upon price cuts. When prices had been slashed by competition to approxi- mately half of what the _ trade considered normal, the Syracuse Washing Machine Co. decided that it would cut itself from this class of competition. It made an extensive sales engineering study of the field, determined to give the market fully as much as the other companies were giving in a low-priced staple machine, but to give also a better machine at a higher but mors economic manufacturing price, and then to have a de luxe machine which would have outstanding mechanical features that could be seen and appré loose it Distribution ted at once by customers who were ling to pay for tangible quality. Actually, it realize these ends in spite of a long took two years of work ‘perience in the m in the machine was analyzed tically. business. Every Every possible sales argu ent and customer objection wa ought up, all the back correspond regarding troubles or suggested anges was checked. Every advan of this and that material was rutinized, and every commercial part it might be fitted in economically vhich might add to the sales pres given a hearing. Models built for test and criticism. en a sculptor was called in to view appearance of the machine in its ation to the surroundings into hich it was to be sold. pre was The result was a series of machine iat were compact, efficient in oper- on, tinkerproof, requiring no ser- ing or oiling, and of fine appear nce. This company took the lead in es the next year, beating all its n records, although it was a year general depression. All of this in- estigation work, and then the obser- ation that competitors jumped in to ypy designs, impressed upon the ninds of the engineers and sales staff that arguments regarding “the best that can be bought” were futile. Both the chief engineer and the sales man- ager related to me that it had served to prove to them that what they had themselves considered “ultimate achievements” the year before were outclassed by what they could pro- duce with constant research and ex- perience. They consequently set up an organization to keep engineering at the forefront and in constant co- operation with the sales and manage- ment ends of the business. Electric “Cooking Machine” Provides Apt Example The case of the electric range was somewhat similar from a competitive angle, but it had the added feature that the proportion of electric to total stoves sold was continuing too low. lo bring up the general sales possibili- ties either the power companies had to be induced to lower their rates or in electric range had to be developed hat would consume much less electri- al energy. Although some of the argest electrical manufacturers in he country were producing electric ranges, it remained for a relatively mall company to do the necessary horough engineering job. However, osts « « « By GEORGE S. BRADY Ist e sald tnat a ire powel ympany, interested in increasing ] : ] ‘ » Sales of electric current, Dat he investigation and des The engineer in charge looked ‘ir problem as a “cooking mach and undertook it as a job in machi design. The main idea was to obtan first a heating unit that could | made to cook the average fam iy mea 1 juickly with a small consumption current, and thus give a worthwh talking point to break the existent sal resistance to electric stoves based on high cost of operation. The heating init also had to be replaceable easily and cheaply when its. efficien lropped, as it always did after a period of use. New types of cone shaped elements were designed that could be screwed into reflectors that concentrated the heat directly under the cooking container. Practically all heating elements up to that time had been the old flat type that radi ated in all directions and thus lost much of the energy. The new re flectors were heavily chromium-plated in order to retain a bright reflecting surface even when exposed to heat and hot greases. One problem after another in the stove was then worked out in pains- taking detail with radical changes from hitherto accepted design stand- ards. Out of it came an oven with rounded edges, heating elements in the center, and chromium-plated in- terior walls to reflect back the heat that otherwise would escape through the standard oven walls. Inciden tally, another stove company at th same time hit upon the idea of re- flecting back the heat waves by lining the oven with aluminum, which re- flects more than 90 per cent of the waves. Even the standard four legs that had been used since the Romans first built stoves were revamped: in the “cooking machine” into a more prac tical and neat-appearing double pedes- tal. When models were built, they were put out to cooking schools where they received in a short period of continuous service even more use and abuse than they would get in years in an average home. The suggestion of the critics of the schools were also reduced to practice where possible The Iron Age, September 29, 1932—491 of this stove broke all regarding precedents and standards “that the consumer is d to and wants.” The new range sold freely in the worst year of de ideals pre or But it was not able to rest ng “on its laurels,” because other g designers set about to equal or better the design. One maker of gas toves, Odin, applied the cone re- flector under the gas burner with a gain in heating efficiency of 15 per cent In this case the “heat-concen- trating bowls” were of cast iron, reeiain ename led. Engineering-Sales Analysis Applied to Automobiles Among the automobile plants can be found many examples of engineer- ing-sales analyses during the difficult business years, and sums ranging from $500,000 to several millions of dollars are being spent annually by individual plants on engineering alone. In this field the sales work is complicated by the fact that as soon as one company incorporates a new idea the other companies announce practically the same feature. It makes for a condi- tion where secrecy is spread around the engineering activity until such time as a new model is to be placed on the market. Probably one of the most outstand- ing examples of sales design during the early depression period, before tight money tied up the buying power of the utility companies, was that of the Yellow Coach bus of the General Motors Truck Corpn. With General Motors, as with practically all of the development work of the large auto- mobile companies, engineering is in charge of a man on the executive staff on an equal basis with the heads of sales and production. The vice-presi- dent in charge of engineering has headquarters in the executive office, removed from the designing divisions. This is more likely to create a de- tached viewpoint and stimulate co- operation with all factors in the plant to obtain an eventual product wherein every facility of the plant is utilized to best advantage. When the Yellow Coach was de- signed it was to meet what the sales staff believed was the crying need of the time, namely, quick, easy main- (Concluded on Advertising Page 12) “4 ONTROL f production ma 5 . ¢ 7% ? hiner is the funct ion OL a mechanical recording device, automatic in operation, that + ¥ « ] . , . : ne It keeps a check on produc ion by recording the rate of produc One of the outstanding advan claimed to result from its use that it aids in eliminating leaks in production by showing the cause and ¢ ion of all idle time and thus enables the management to reduce the BG KerowsKy | = "LL de how! Acree 2£¢ ae 4737S Imaporates Aloe Gaze : “fe * Une ing Jolachere, the machines are idle. he instrument prints at fixed inte on a chart the ope rator’s clock farorer © + Yee et meres 1264 Ss: 2 T 2é shor once ne, the accumulated idle time, th accumulated production time, the ; a pleces produced and the caus¢ of idle time. The clock time and a ( imulated idle and production time and the number of pieces produced are } also indicated on register wheels vhere the operator may see the fig- ires at a glance. The record as shown on these register wheels may also be printed at any time on cards or use by the time study or produc- mn department or paymaster by slip HIS shows below) the front and reverse sides of the card record, or Chrono- card, that is printed as re quired at any time desired and sent to the payroll, pro duction, time study and other departments that may need explicit records of ut progress made on the ma chine. The printed top line is always a reproduction of the last line on the Chrono log record. 1-342 sFoO 7-203 492—The Iron Age, September 29, 1932 of the idle die nL ERATOR *S, bottom Production Control Aided by Recording Instrument ping a card into a slot in the side of the machine and bearing down on a printing lever. The device is either mounted di- rectly on a machine or on a pedestal at its side within convenient reach of the operator. It is operated by two switches working in synchronism, one contacting the piece that is being pro- duced and the other contacting a shaft of the machine. However, when machines are not single-purpose tools but are doing different types of work 4 5 4 5 4 8 4 3 4 a 4 3 ~ 3 , 3 4 + a4: 2 ~ 5 1 “ E 2 2 | > 3 = $ 5 3 ’ a S, r Oe 1 $ OS i $°:4 ° “ ; er oo 2 ¢ < 1 ; 7 . . = : $:1 6 2 F 437 2 * i cae eA 44 1559 1234 5:2 $ ] t > 0 $ 4446 15’ 6464 | 1264 $:2 7 ied 207 444 eS. a, 3 j $:2 8 4 os 33 | 447 Se. @. | 5:3 8 | as oso 8 I 1234 $4 | T 210 456 7 60 ¢ | $:4 3 7% e. 4. j i |} S:4 8 T 16] | ont : Sees T oe 8 7 6 1 6 6 1 $38.3 ' ae | 5 6 | t | 226 2s 6 T 2 , 4 > € | ’ ¢ } i | j ~ INSPECTION CLEANING MACHINE TOOL GRINDING ~ MACHINE REPAIR a : Gusy CN OTHER Pathe _ Sie NM ETO ' N the upper part of this illustration is the end Chronorecord, or record made on the Chronolog. This shows in the bottom line the operator’s quitting time, idle and production minutes and total pieces produced. The letters that appear in one column are symbols for the cause of idle time. The operator’s clock number is shown column in the second column. in the first appears the clock number of the fore- man or other employee who has been called to the machine. After the chart is removed from instrument a clerk rubber stamps at the the form shown in the lower part of the illustration and summarizes and totals the time time, goes to the foreman, superintendent This report, showing the causes of or manager. aa and are largely manually operated, isually only one switch, operated by the cycling shaft or piece, is used. The operator on reaching his ma- chine in the morning inserts a key that unlocks a control switch which he then turns on. The Chronolog prints the time on the chart, register- ing the time the man actually reaches his machine rather than the time that he comes in the factory entrance, as is shown by an ordinary time clock. The device at the same time records on the chart the man’s clock number, which is his key number, and the re- etting to zero of the various indica- tors. After the instrument is set it re- quires no attention from the operator so long as the machine is under pro- duction. "When operation is uninter- rupted the instrument automatically prints the record on the chart at 5, 10, 15 or 30-min. intervals, these ing fixed to suit the requirements ol of the work. In case of interruption the operator turns a lettered dial in front of the instrument, dialing the li- letter that is a symbol of the reason al for stopping production. At the same on any finger bears down on ao 1ECES inspected with a tolerance gage are counted by a Chronolog in -the vO ing lever, causing to be printed on the National Acme plant. With a time study estimate of 350 pieces per —— — har y j ¢ . x . rag [es P a > ‘ eek, : ies ‘eee oy de x the end of the second week and 600 at the end oe ae chicd ae This speeding up enabled the inspectors t work shorter hours with the same pay, du to a grinding such as “no stock,” “down for piece-time rates. on tool grinding” or “machine repairs,” ls as well as the record up to that mo 4 ’ *k ment in other columns on the chart. made and as thes a ae corded together with the accumulated Then the instrument stops adding up a not counted and for thi reason production record. production and starts to add up idl pill teed ehcnig nig tacreratbeeh tg [he record is printed on a roll of minutes. The symbol letters and th tomatically restore the I! rane or paper placed within the machine and reasons for interruption that they the production position. When th is taken out at the end of the day stand for are listed on the front of operator is ready to resume production or job by tearing off the portion con- the instrument. he pushes a button which res = one taining the record. Notations may be dial in the production position. Should written on the record through slots | Red Light Indicates Machine Is Idle the operator fail to dial the reason over which there is a hinged cover. . in case of interruption, his neglect is The device operates on an ordinary A red signal light shows at the revealed by a repetition of the figures lighting circuit top of the device when the instrument on the printed record showing the . has been dialed and this light remains number of pieces produced. When he Applications on until the dial is returned to “pro- removes his key on quitting work his [The instrument has been success duction” or to normal position. This light indicates to a foreman or any other supervisor that the machine is down. In case production is inter- rupted for lack of stock or for other reasons when the machine is running this signal flashes intermittently. This warning signal light is duplicated in any desired remote location by means of a remote signal cord. When the operator dials for the stock, repair or set-up man, for example, the man whose services are required puts his key in a second slot in the instrument yn his arrival and presses down on the print lever, which prints a line on the chart and this shows his key number as well as the chart record. Checking this with the operator’s dialing shows the time that has elapsed between his dialing and the arrival of the man who has been summoned. stopping time is automatically re fully used on various types of ma- (Concluded on Advertising Page 16) After dialing for any cause the in- LOSE-UP of a Manville trimmer showing the two switches for actuating the strument is automatically restored to counting mechanism of the Chronolog. The oscillating switch on the left - registers the count of the pieces and the switch at the right flashes the red light on and off when the feeding hopper is empty. After two days’ production was production position as soon as produc- tion is resumed except when it is recorded the charts indicated that slight adjustments to the machine were neces- . Pr . + ay sary and these increased the actual production on 9/16 x 2'%4 in. extruded screws dialed to set-up position. When in the oo "Sago pieces per hour, as compared with an estimated production of 2080 pieces set-up position, trial pieces are being per hour The Iron Age, September 29, 1932—493 “Better T . ul Imcs ~— Third of a series of “Performance Pages” as selected from actual practice by The Iron Age Ball Bearing Race Ring; High-Carbon Steel Method shown, 1 man, | press, 60 strokes per minute 3000 pieces per man hour Previous method, 3 men, 2 presses, 334 pieces per man hour 494—The Iron Age, September 29, 1932 Editors Headlight Latch and Lock Stamping; Medium High-Carbon Steel Strip Method shown, 1 man, | press, 164 strokes per minute, 2 pieces per stroke 16,400 pieces per man hour Previous method, 3 men, 3 presses 334 pieces per man hour | | PRODUCTS: Stampings and formed metal parts DPERATIONS: Piercing, blanking and forming PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT: E. W. Bliss Co. automatic speed presses and forming machines | | ECENT developments in auto- matic press operation have in- creased production per man on some special stampings by fifty times. The examples shown here are taken from actual present-day operating prac- tice, and the rate comparison is with good practice immediately preceding the introduction of the new method. This is the third of the new IRON AGE “Better Times” series. Suc- ceeding issues will give examples of actual practice with a wide diversity of equipment and product. Small Rotor and Stator Laminations: Mild Steel Strip Method shown, | man, | press, 180 strokes per minute, 2 pieces per stroke 18,000 pieces per man hour ' Previous method, 2 men, 2 presses 3000 pieces per man hour Speedometer Bezel: Coiled Brass Strip Method shown, | man, | press, 200 strokes per minute 10,000 pieces per man hour Previous method, 3 men, 3 presses 2000 pieces per man hour The Iron Age, September 29, 1932—495 W. S. PILLING a PIG IRON—Primary Material in Prospect and in Retrospect By W. S. PILLING + penaveow E attention is being focused on the depression ills and 4 future problems of the steel business, the “forgotten industry.” But what of the outlook for the pig iron industry, its even more obscured progenitor? What will be the trend of future consumptive demand? What changes will eventuate in the ranks of merchant and steel company units during the coming decade? These and other related questions are succinctly dealt with by Mr. Pilling, who prior to his retirement last year was “dean” of the Eastern pig iron trade. His background of 60 years as a producer and seller of pig iron affords an unusually clear perspective with which to view the industry’s future. [ is needless t point out tnat any yrophecy at this time Ss more han ordinarily hazardous. Whil rained to believe tha ry will repeat itself, changing nditions would seem to indicate that ile will be much modified from i presel! sta! nt f TH! ( i irin tne I } 1911 an nte 1 rodu of ro! n iy I ind per capita I po ion iu ! ne nreceding 4 Begint he ear a l de iC \ i a gene} high increas¢ f production. } ! on i € Tel mi? } han a ible ] C ne nere a d T i eT ( d ( h en eal rio l rene} K yw rin icn « f} UU per cel The h oh t r l vas reached in the yea I otal nea 1? 000.001 \ l re ar! e Tac w- I A | ne rure repre ng ne pr capita consumptio United Stat This rose from n 1860 to 782 lb. per capita in 920, but dropped in 1930 to 566 Ib. Che large increase in production dur- 196—The Iron Age, September 29, 1932 ing the decade succeeding 1920 o curred in the year 1929 and, while not showing as much increase as during previous years, rule of progression was still in force [I doubt, however, whether any stretch of the imagination could lead any thoughtful student to believe that the year 1940 will show a corresponding There are Increase, ' good reasons for my belief on th int Decline in Population Growth and Railroad Expansion In the first place, the population of the United States will increase much less rapidly during the present decad than in any during our past history. Some time ago I read a thoughtful article in one of the magazines which indicated, from the author’s calcula ons, that the population of the United States in the year 2000 would be only 150,000,000. the estimate be based upon various condition especially reduction of immigration lower birth rate. I think | figure is entirely too low, but bs eve that the general trend is toward slowing up of population growth. and the Another fact is that the great rail- road systems of the country have been practically completed, although main- l tenance and laterals will still be a indicated that the probably two great factor in iron consumption, a will also be the gradual replacement of tracks and bridges by heavier ma terial. We must also bear in min that each replacement is largely offset by a large tonnage of scrap. In spit of this, however, it is quite certal that each decade will show, perhap irregularly, a marked increase in con sumption of iron and steel. I doubt whether changing processes, such a: electric furnaces, stampings, forgings etc., will have any great influence on the consumption of foundry iron—not enough to be an important factor. Merchant Capacity Not Likely to Increase I doubt whether, unless under very exceptional conditions, there will be any sustained effort to increase the capacity of strictly merchant pig iro furnaces. I think the most favored ones will continue to be a factor, but to a decreasing extent. The eno mous cost of construction of moder blast furnaces is not likely to induc« capital to venture into the merchant field. Large steel plants, owing t fierce competition, must modernize 07 construct blast furnaces to product pig iron at lowest cost. These fui naces are also receiving considerabl credit, due to the utilization of ga and other by-products, which giv them a still greater advantage ove! the strictly merchant furnace. The merchant trade, although I important than consumption for stee adds to the total tonnage and reduce overheads of steel producers, and wit! modern practice it is comparativel; easy to switch grades and qualities accommodate requirements for cast ings. The small rolling mills requit ing iron are practically extinct. It not likely that steel producers wh have gone to the expense of buildit up a merchant trade will relinquis! this business merely because there a temporary demand for steel] suf cient to tax their capacities. My thought is that some of tl present makers of merchant iron w retain their trade, particularly whe they have a reputation for specialtic ut the irnace, unless possessing local ad- 4 T fray act iy +} + 1 | I pABANnD for cast irons that ar ing at 1200 deg. F., hardening being machineable and at thesam readily accon hed r-c ng ne possess great ar Iss in ir Py 15 - eels great hardnes in thei from 1560 de Marter é iteria ished state led L. Guillet, J. Gal n the as-ca ondltior a er urg and M. Ballay (Revue cd pered to the de ed | 17 r Bh r ‘ ‘ : ae eee vee letallurgie, November, 1931) te formly in the thick and thin sectio1 idy the influence of quenching o1 I ae : Stue th; nfl y f different physical properties and structure nearial 2AG rh ] ] sie ; : sone peclal cast iron compounded in 2.9 . ° ° al \ J nat I icibles. Machining qualities elimi ; 2 ‘ y ‘ De e white and mottled iron castings. . +The "2% : Tr al P ; that gray iron is the essentia ‘ : ng rate l I I l [ enade arting point, the aim being to im : . i oward mal I te i I ised al ove machineability by causing com- : : as : zation nat etweel an U.f ned carbon to be converted so as to 5 ; per cen ingane g y lowered pear in the form of sorbite or mar- , nsite. n transtormatio! ind 4a . tinctly reduce ne cl i uencning (Additions of nickel tend to cause rate nfluencir he hat espe Carbon to appear as martensite cially after the secor . ther than as pearlite in the origina vithout much effect after th ting, giving considerable hardness. mary yuench. Nick vere it above 300 Brinell the material be- transformation as low 660 deg. | mes difficult to handle, as it is ver ! iced = th ritica ng rate nsitive to the amount of addition. favored secondat ra tnal rl rt may then be made to q iench- marv nardening i! i tate f-1 t Ax ¢ +} . followed by tempering. With or graphitization. Chromiu vith I nary gray iron very drastic quench reduces the critical rat rt quench is required, which results in favors secondary hard o sit ) y crease tr ptr Arter t \lloying elements are availabl quent ‘rease the quenching temperature The hardr rate of cooling necessary, reduc ng variou ompositio1 m differ e the danger of internal fissures ent tempt il I “= 5 ardening compositions may bs ‘ ‘ old-fashioned uneconomical vista does not seem to count for much When depressions occur the gloomy untages, will probably have to drop view is taken that tl] nd of A quite natural that during the pres- x iron would make and pile steel! buovant and instead of nuttine he end of pros- or operate only spasmodically. It perity has been and may) omething never come again. depression steel makers producing happens, and every producer becomes 1 instead of j ig hand ades knowing that ultimately they some profits into bank r securities | be utilized. The piling of foundry invests them largely cks al rades is much more troublesome, as mortar and enormou expensive various analyses must be piled physical plants, which are 1 asset parately and any large tonnage i1 after profits disappear and er ! lves complicated records and ur bonds become payabl | ( momical piling and_rehandling array of wrecks on the ch is not to much extent the cas¢ ously prosperous plant th steel grades. illustrates the t1 ith and | ipp ha What History Teaches profits and mistakes v y? Oy? { a r y l > + , “ty r Past history does not seer to WW 4} - ‘ ‘ VW ‘ ’ rest nor to be seriously considers cee Eee . mS] erva tne present generation. The lon: el} ¢ ant | n¢ I \ ( Hardening of Special Cast Irons By Development of Martensite b m pe um hardness is phorus had practically no influence. st iron for martensitik quenching temperature for maxi- reduced. Phos- Tests showed that while quenching affected unfavorably properties other than hardness, these, like the hard- ness, were improved after tempering. The improvement was as much as 30 r cent in hardness, 50 per cent in sistance to shear and 10 per cent bending strength, compared with as-cast condition. choosing the composition of a quenching necessary that the iron be gray, is imposing certain minimum values carbon and the silicon +} ++ } Lal as determined by the size of isting. Then to produce the harden result nickel is added, and the con figure can be reduced by 40 per t of the amount of nickel to pro the same graphitizing tendency. chromium is used its anti-graphi- effect will account for three . rik mes its percentage of nickel. The Iron Age, September 29, 1932—497 [he quantity of nickel required de on the admissible quenching te, which is determined by the thick and shape of the casting Thus compo ition for oil-quench from it 1500 deg. for 13/16-in. thick o oan nenk C6 wee So > 1.5 Si: and 1.5 to 2 N For alr ‘hing there sh« uld be 4 to 5 per nickel, and the proportion of this ent should be relatively high in ees to be obtained hard after and n¢ About 1 pe! ent each < f anganest and m are gene! ally lired nm ac l! of the wear! of ur erial, special attention must b d to avoid inte rnal fissure by rulating the rate of cooling. Com cated shapes may be reheated be re thev have cooled below 400 deg and. frequently the ymposition ist be regulated so as to demand @ lative low ritical cooling rate hile repeated quenching is to be ded, test howed that the prop tre vere littl nfluenced DY a set 1 quench i rons susceptible to heat treat- + ler ent have been develope d too recently r the applications to be numerous they should be useful in the con- tion of evlinders of internal com- it gears and other parts tion engine erating under severe condition the cost of casting and machin- more important than the ma i involved the more expensive gredients should be no drawback in f the nproved wearing qual Spot Welding the Rustless Steels By V. W. WHITMER Metallurgist USTLESS steels are particular- ly well adapted to spot welding because of their clean surface edon rom any K1d¢ r ( int Is¢ f the apsenct any <¢ i ne i¢ é zinc or lead, as n gaivan a r terne plate stock ~ we ling’. n prin ple ] no ore than holding two shee I conta between two <¢ ppel ectrodes about an inch or s n diameter with the contact’ ends tapered to about % in. in diameter, 1 passing a current low in voltage it high in amperage through the recuit for a short period. Fusion mediate takes place between th \ sheets, while the excess heat apidly carried away from the outsid« irfaces by t water-cooled ele trod The low voltage, about 2 t { volts, is obtained from a step-down ansformer wound in sections, each elng mnecte witl stop on a ro- ary control switch by which the irrent or | can be increased ecreased by turning up or down r¢ ¢ ely. Success Depends on Four Variables While the total heat t rotary adjustment, a of the electrode points should near constant as increase 1n applied will be ry led v the nined y t maintained as Any will duce the heat per unit area, esulting in an improperly or poorly area d joint \ decrease in area will ncrease the unit heat and will usually burn a hole entirely or partly through the sheet to be welded, other factors remaining constant. The pressure j trodes is exerted Dy the eiec renerally nr lneed hy tr generally proauced Dy ne helical can be adjusted by a ompression of springs and lock nut on a shaft through the center of the pring. Variable pressures will also affect the quality of the weld. Too much pressure will reduce the resis- tance of the joint and hence tend to The determines’ the amount of upset displacement directly following the fusing period, produc ing an indentation on each side of the sheets welded. decrease the heat generated. pressure generally In addition to time of current Too result as too these variables, the flow is of great im- long a period gives much heat. will produce no portance, the same Too short a contact weld. It is welding ‘ that following evident, therefore, depends on the our variables: spot 1. “urrent (controlled by rotary switch). Republic Steel Corpn. ter f electrode contact points, ire (controlled by spring or pnel I ) he irrent owed \ Less Heat Required for Rustless Steels While it would not be impossible to letermine an adjustment of each of respect to the other for welded, as in the case machines where time are accurately controlled by motor-driven cams and the current et by hand, it would be next to im- ssible to determine them for man operation, due to the personal Furthermore, such adjust- ment would be necessary for each ndividual machine. This makes it to set up any specific pro- these with each gage to be of automatic and pressure element. in possible + ‘edure to follow for this class of work. However, rustless steel, such as En- duro, in general will require less heat * than the same gage in common steel, due to its lower heat conductivity (tending to concentrate it in one spot), its lower melting point and better contact due to a _ scale-free Consequently, if an operator is producing work on say 20- gage black steel, he could, in general, change to the same gage of rustless ither switch one point or reducing the time slightly, or surface. good by « dropping the both. More definite instructions can not be given but the exact procedure must be worked out individually, bal- ancing on intil the the other is obtained. variable against desired result Welds Should Be Placed in Inconspic- uous Positions If both electrodes are of the same diameter, will occur on both sides which, while not serious on a depression the pickle finishes, may be objection- This copper thick and 2 in. electrode and thus putting the major depression on the side. An aluminum block % in. to 4% in. works even better, but due to its lower melting point will tend to pit if a slight are is drawn. This procedure will reduce the depression but will not eliminate it entirely, as it is due to shrinkage of the molten metal in the center and, hence, pulls from both surfaces. The indentation remaining, if the work is to be polished, will have t ground out with a cotton whee! able on the polished surfaces. can be block square reduced by using a about % in. between the polished side, lowe! to be set up with glue and abrasive. (Use about 80 grit or finer.) When welding polished rustless steel, it is advisable to place the welds 498—The Iron Age, September 29, 1932 and polished if No. at the least conspicuous positions, often it is difficult to refinish welds and have the same color if whole piece is not refinished. T depends, however, to a great exte upon the finish of the sheets. Spot welding, like any other type welding requiring high temperatu will form an oxide on the surf: which will be blue in color, If t is exposed to the weather or m conditions, it will slowly change a brown color resembling rust. T! however, is only a surface condit affecting the original oxide only. such welds are to be exposed to atmosphere, they should be clear either with acid, as in pickling in ease of No. 1 finish sheet, or grou or higher finis] are employed. In the ground ar polished state, spot welds are ju as resistant to the salt spray as original metal. Color Inlays in Micarta ree inlays in colors al now available in micarta finis! ing materials, according to an al nouncement made by the Westin house Electric & Mfg. Co. Striking color effects can be ol tained, according to the announc ment. A controlled dyeing proce makes available hundreds of colors any desired variation of hue, value an chroma. Typical examples of th possible combinations are ebony blac and silver, wine red and golden y¢ low, and moss green and autun brown. The designs are stamped or cu out and are incorporated into tl micarta in the manufacturing proce Micarta consists of a half doz or more sheets of paper or cott fibre, treated with phenolic resins, an subjected to great pressure and his temperature. The decorative effect and color designs appear in the t sheet of the uncured micarta. Duri the curing process, the resins fi throughout, resulting in a homogen: ous mass of material. However, t) designs and colors remain clear a! distinct. Tests show that the color are “fast” under the most severe co! ditions. Production of dredging, excavatir and road-building machinery in th United States in 1931, according preliminary report of the Bureau the Census, amounted to $47,508,76' ,ee compared with $91,438,554 in 1929. In the interest of Tariff Commission has discontinu' publication in Commerce Reports the full text of notices regarding vestigations. Simple announceme! will, however, be carried in that p' lication. economy, Liquid Baths for Heat Treating —Advantages and Disadvantages of Salt Baths By W. PAUL EDDY, JR. Metallurgist, General Motors Truck Corpn., Pontiac, Mich ] a 4a tr ‘ salts usually more desirable for lo al heating. + Y the term “salt bath” is usually HIS is the third in a series of meant a bath, composed of one articles on liquid baths for heat or re salts asio > ty Por . . e p \ yr more il , designed t torm treating. In it the author takes (5) The salts themselves and i heating medium inert to the work . , ; _— the pots containing them are items imparts neither a hard nor a soft = the broad subject of salt baths. vt. irface to steel, but turns out work There is a comparison of salt baths - ae ager ss — ee ving the same chemical composi with oven furnaces and of salt ee Sere yn from surface to interior as it had with lead baths. The ideal salt (6) Salts carried over with work a bath should be inert to the metal to a quenching bath may change efore heating. ; the nition of thi ench heated therein, should not change — ae Oe eS J Salt Baths in General its composition or form a sludge, ae gre oar = ee a “ie i \/ EWED in this light, it becomes should not fume corrosively nor aber in liquid in whi h the n evident that a salt bath does not pit or corrode the container. An salts in question are soluble. mpart certain mysterious, beneficial ideal salt bath, however, has not (7) Work must be dry and pref o yperties to metals heated therein, yet been discovered, he states. aki Medthe ‘eeaiieaiel ae ee is has been claimed, and that, to be Subsequent articles will take up Mes cieniine ao a ; ms , i The e eally desirable, it should be a heat the low, medium and high tem- ¢ nase Bie sncenaitieel clini heat ng medium and nothing else. perature mixtures into which ing in an air furnace an The value and ecoromy of a salt classes he divides salt baths. In (8) Salts flux with many if not th ath depend upon its application to THE IRON AGE for Sept. 1 and _— all’ vefractories at high tempers table jobs and upon its use within 15 baths of oil and lead, and of tures. This means that furnace zx he: limits of temperature at which cyanides were respectively dealt maintenance may be more costly if n » salt mixture operates at highest atl, Meili aia ficiency. These two considerations with. Oe ee re hoe re vital. Many heat treaters have (9) Radiation losses from a salt tl ecome mentally “set” against salt — F bath furnace are higher than from aths because they had believed th« a closed oven furnace. : travagant claims made for a salt here IS no reason VW he heating (10) The question of warping and “ nixture, concerning the wide variety N | n as nil mn aS in any cracking of work heat treated in a as rk which could be best handled t bath. salt bath is one which cannot b« n that bath, or the wide temperatur: (2) Salt baths, if properly main- answered in a word. In some cases inge throughout which the bath tained and operated, eliminate scal- where the work is preheated and, perated perfectly, or the perpetua ing. This is unquestionably an ad- due to its nature, may be heated nertness of the bath. Salt baths are vantage of salt baths over any air more uniformly in a salt bath, : no panacea, and every mixture has furnace when operating at scaling warping and cracking may be less : fairly definite limitations as to tem- temperatures. Salt adhering to with a bath than with an oven. On perature which are in many cases work removed from a bath also the other hand, where slower heat rather narrow. helps to prevent scaling while cool- ing is desirable, a well-designed m ing or during transfer to the oven furnace may yield less warp 01 Salt Baths vs. Oven Furnaces quenching mediun ing and cracking than will the best , Let us compare, in general, the (3) Salt baths. as here consid- salt bath ever put together. characteristics of salt baths with ered, do not carburize, but tend to (11) I suppose I must say some those of oven furnaces: decarburize steel. It is possible to thing concerning temperature uni- 7 (1) The bath tends to heat work obtain salt baths which, if used formity, though the comparison is +} ere tiiteenie ti du tne properly, decarburize so. slightly somewhat analagous to that be ovens, for two reasons: Work is that the soft skin cannot be de- tween electric and fuel-fired fur rdinarily suspended in a bath, but tected after quenching but the ap- naces. A suitable salt bath in a 6 is usually laid on the hearth in an plications produc ng such results modern, well-designed furnace ha oven; and the nature of a bath nat- are limited. This point will be no doubt, more uniform t