BRI
WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED TH E IR O N A N D S T E E L T R A D E S J O U R N A L
V O L . 72. No. 1445. A P R IL 27, 1944 r S i n f l e Copy 6d. By Post
Registered at the G .P.O . os a Newspaper. Offices: 49, W ellington Street, Strand, London, W .C . 2. [ _ ^ d 1O v e n ^ s ^ 2 ? / - H ( P r e p i
MOULDING MACHINE C ° LTD
S T F I N MANSFIELD MOULDING SAH
I — ■ » I W • P U L V E R I S E D R E A D Y F O R U S E I F R E Q U I R E
REFR A CTO R IES FOR EV ER Y PURPOSE HAVERSHAM, KENT.
JO H N G. STEIN & CO. LTD.
B O N N Y B R ID G E , SC O T LA N D
• P U L V E R I S E D R E A D Y F O R U S E I F R E Q U I R E A L B IO N (M an sfie ld ) S A N D CO.
Ä W. W A R i p T A “ » ™ Works, SHEFFIEL T e le p h o n e s : S h e ffie ld 2 6 3 1 1 ( IS lin e s) M ansfield 3i
■33*
, r '
H V D R O - B L R S T
Removes cores... deans castings... reclaims sand
B u i l t i n E n g l a n d b y
M I T E » , S M E T H W I C K , N r . B I R M 1 N G I M
ALLDAYS & ONIONS LTD
B IR M IN G H A M I I
M a n u fa c tu r e rs o f
... v. . „ c Z J tY P I A N K
T H E E R I T H R A N G E O F S A N D C o m b in e a v ariety of »elected L O A M S a n d S IL IC A S A N D S of gu aran i q u a lity , s u ita b le for ev ery ap p ro p riate fo undry req u irem e n t. In fu n d am en tal resp e c ts th ey a re th e o u tsta n d in g sands for p rese n t- p rac tic e , a n d are trie d a n d pro v ed by perfo rm an ce a n d resu lts.
W t ' t o f o r illu s t r a t e d B r o c h u r e a n d F r e e S a m p le s t o : E S T A B L IS H E D 1 I D D IC U SL r.A P R I T U U P N T
f i
[POLITECHNIKI 1
THE FORDATH ENGINEERING C L
t e l e p h o n e:
WESt bhomwich0549(2 unesi
H A M B L E T W O RKS W EST BROMWICH
T E L E G R A M S - M E T A L IIC A L WEST BROMWICHA PR IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L 3
F A V E R S H A M K E N T
B r i t i s h M o u l d i n g M a c h i n e C o . L t d .
The fact that goods made of raw materials in short supply owing to war conditions are advertised in this paper should not be taken as an indication that they are necessarily available for export
Ü this th ey w ill save p o w er, overcome corrosion. Used archi- I1 J
g tec tu r a l l y they w ill sym bolise a better a g e when lig h tn e s s ana H cleanliness g o w ith s tr e n g th a n d b e a u ty . These, too, are I reasons why ‘ I N T A L arc so I p r o u d t o b e m a k e r s o f
¿sgi a l u m i n i u m a llo y s fo r every
A PR IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L
T h e e m e r g e n c e of
CEREAL STARCH BINDERS
O ne o f the m ost significant d e
velo p m en ts in oil sand practice during recent years has been the rapid em ergen ce o f the cereal starch binder in c o re p rod u c
tion . F requent references in con tem p orary F ou ndry litera
ture, b oth h ere and in U .S.A ., in d icate the grow in g ap p recia
tion o f the benefits o f this new tendency in technique. G.B.
K O R D E K h old s the field in this d evelop m ent due to certain
unique advantages.
G.B K o r d e K
M anufactured under British Letters Patent Nos. 515470, 543202C O R N P R O D U C T S C O M P A N Y , L T D . , 356, O X F O R D ST., W . l .
will
D EV ELO P G R EEN BOND W IT H W E T SAND R ES IS T SAGGING IN CORES W IT H W ID E LIM IT S PRODUCE A V E R Y SMOOTH T E X T U R E ON CORES W O R K IN ANY SYNTHETIC COMBINATION OF SANDS N E V E R B A L L U P IN ANY T Y P E OF M IX IN G PLANT
B R A N C H E S A T M A N C H E S T E R , B I R M I N G H A M , L E E D S , N E W C A S T L E , B R I S T O L A N D G L A S G O W
T F r i l 27, 1944 ^FOUNDRY TRADE JO U R N A L 7
Mr. H u n t s m a n breaks a spring
Benjamin H untsm an, the inventor o f crucible cast steel as we know it to-day, practiced as a W atch and Clock M aker in D oncaster in the m iddle years of the eighteenth century, and the constant failure o f British Spring Steel caused him to experim ent and later perfect the m anufacture of the fine quality steel which m ade him world fam ous. We propose to illustrate some o f the interesting episodes from M r. H untsm an’s life in this series o f advertisem ents.
B R O C K H O U SE CA STIN G S LTD . now produce Steel Castings to all com m ercial specifications and specialise in H eat Resisting Steels pro
duced by the m odern equivalent of the H untsm an process.
CASTINGS IN STEEL
B R O C K H O U S E C A S T IN G S L T D . W E D N E S F IE L D W O LV ER H A M PTO N
Telephone : Fallings P ark 31221
G u n Q uenching Jig cast in H e al Resisting Steel by B R O C K
H O U SE C A S T IN G S L IM IT E D HOLDENS
THOHAS E ISAAC BRADLEY LTD
B E N T L E Y R O A D , * D A R L A S T O N * S T A F F S .
FOUNDRY ENGINEERS M ETALLURGICAL & A B R A SIV E S U P P L IE S • Telephone D ARLASTO N 3 5 6 - Telegrams B R A D LEY D A R L A S T O N 356
— I « I I I 1 - IIIIIIB Mli llllll IWTBM M W M M M M B B H M I I I I I I1 1 W IB IIH IH I— m a m
INCREASE MOULD PRODUCTION
& REDUCE FOUNDRY COSTS
b y m ouldin g electrically on
B f MAGNETIC
• I * MOULDING MACHINES
( B r it is h P a t e n t s N os. 321777, 4 7 1 0 9 0 , 5 0 0 5 6 6 )
—the c h e a p e s t a n d most r a p i d m e a n s o f p r o d u c i n g a c c u r a t e m o u l d s
BRITISH INSULATED C A BLES LTD.
H ead Office: PRESCO T, LANCS. Tel. N o .: P R E S C O T 6S7!
A PR IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L 9
Se le c te d high grade rav\
material and careful technical control at all stages of manu
facture from the mine to the loading bank ensure the con
siste n t high q u a l i t y of NETTLE (42/44% Alumina) Firebrick.
CREOSOTE-PITCH FIR IN G : A n u m b e r o f firm s a d o p tin g th is fu el h a v e e n c o u n t e r e d n e w R e f ra c to ry P ro b le m s c a u se d by C o r r o s i o n a n d V itrific a tio n S p allln g . B u t. if a s u it a b le d e s ig n o f b u r n e r is u s e d , th e t r o u b l e c an u su ally b e o v e r c o m e by u s in g a H ig h A lu m in a F ir e b r ic k su c h as N E T T L E —a p o i n t p r o v e d by th e p r a c tic a l e x p e r i e n c e o f s e v e r a l c u s to m e r s . A n a d d itio n a l p r o t e c t i o n t o t h e b r i c k w o r k b y w a s h c o a tin g w ith M a k sic c ar II o r S te in S illim a n ite C e m e n t w ill o f te n be f o u n d e c o n o m ic . F u r t h e r in fo r m a tio n w ill b e g lad ly su D o lie d o n r e q u e s t .
Obsolete M a c h in e ry ^ ^ g is P o te n tia l S C K J m r J
The bit o f M ach in ery which we have so u n ju stifia b ly stuck in the m iddle o f a great modern Power Station is “ D r. IVilde's Separately Ig n ited D y n a m o i n v e n t e d a n d paten ted in 1863/5. F ar be it fro m us to suggest that y o u r W orks contains a n y p la n t as antique as this— but y o u m ay possess one or two item s that have ou tlived their efficiency and can now be spared fo r scra p p in g . I f so, we shall be p lea sed to pu rch ase them an d ensure that the resultant scrap reaches the consum ing 1Vorks w ith all p o ssib le speed.
G eorge Cohen. Sons & C o m p a n y9 L td .
Broadway Chambers, Hammersmith, London, 1F.6 (Riverside 4141) • QuadrantStreet, Canning Town, £.16
(Albert Dock 3104) • 600 Commercial Road, £.14 (StepneyGreen 3434) • and at Sheffield, Birmingham. U U U
Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast, etc.
GROUP
A PR IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L II
A new re-circulating FAN for
HEAT TREATM ENT FURNACES
If you are interested, we shall be pleased to send you full particulars.
K E IT H B L A C K M A N L T D ., M IL L M EA D R O A D , L O N D O N , N.I7. T N . : T O T T E N H A M 4522. ‘ K E IT H B L A C P H O N E L O N D O N .’*
T h is new p a te n te d u n it is a v e ry stro n g ly co n stru cted p ropeller ty p e fa n fo r in te rn a l circu latio n of high te m p e ra tu re gases a n d a ir on v ario u s ty p e s of h e a t tr e a tm e n t furnaces. C o n stru cted in sh eet o r c a s t m etals, a n d expressly designed for h an d lin g ex trem e ly h igh te m p e ra tu re gases.
FURNAC
N.R.S.
s t “ rd s“ NEWSTAD” RECIRCULATION SYSTEM
— N.R.S. STOVES—
for Efficiency, Q uality and Economy Types for any capacity and Foundry condition Mould and Core Stoves, new and conversions
with guaranteed results for coke, coal, gas or oil
N.R.S. Heating Units and N. M OULD DRIERS --- Hot A ir Units for Skin Drying ---
Sole Sup p liers:
MODERN FURNACES & STOVES LTD.
B O O T H S T R E E T , H A N D S W O R T H , B IR M IN G H A M 21
T e l.: Smethwick 1334 ’Gram s: Mofustolim
N.R.S. Conversions of Two Mould Drying Stoves at Messrs. Clapham Brothers Ltd.
in Keighley, Yorks.
S C R E E N A R A T O R
F O R R A P I D S A N D C O N D I T I O N I N G
★ Cleans, aerates and delivers sand clear of machine.
★ Sturdy construction throughout.
★ Driving gear totally enclosed.
★ Easily moved about the foundry.
★ Push button electric control.
★ A n efficient labour-saving unit.
FO U N D R Y P L A N T & M A C H IN ER Y L T D . "3’ % la !« ,w st
A P R IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L 13
^ The New Refractory
★ A Tremendous Step Forward
H I S E G A R REGD.
HIGH ALUMINA PLASTIC
FIRE BRICK
For Ramming
AND
FLUID R E F R A C T O R Y
For Pouring
H IS E G A R is co m p letely neutral to expansion and co n tra ctio n .
H IS E G A R possesses a high re fra c to r y valu e Cone 32T7I00 C en tigrad e.
H IS E G A R has exceptional hard burned strength and is highly resistant to th e r
mal shocks and abrasive action.
E N G I N E E R S S E R V I C E S A V A I L A B L E O N R E Q U E S T
F o r com p lete in stallatio n o r repairs to : Re-heating Furnaces, Soaking Pits, B ille t Furnaces, A n n e a lin g and H e at
T re a tm e n t Furnaces, etc.
D o n ’t w a it fo r d e live ry o f those special shapes, co n tact U S im m ediately.
THE MIDLAND MONOLITHIC FURNACE LINING
CO M PA N Y LIM ITED ,
B L A C K S E A M H O U S E , N A R B O R O U G H , Nr. L E I C E S T E R .
C A R D IF F
P H O N E : N A R B O R O U G H 222 8- 2229.
Stocks available at Branches in
B IR M IN G H A M M A N C H E S T E R G L A S G O W L O N D O N
FOUNDRY MECHANICAL PLANT
I : '
f . „ f « ATMn p r f p A R A T I O N A N D C O N T I N U O U S M O U L D I N G P L A N T S f o r a l l F o u n d r i e s
V V e a r e d e s i g n e r s a n d m a n u f a c t u r e r s o l S A p r o n C o n v e y o r s , M a g n e t i c S e p a r a t o r s , t o t a l l y e n c lo s e d
- -
MARCO CONVEYOR & ENGINEERING CO.
L IM I T E D
Rowin Works, Leytonstonc,London, E.11
T e le p h o n e : L E Y T O N S T O N E 2 2 5 4 - 5 T e le g ra m s : E N G IM A R C O , LEY STO N E
O n W a r O ffice and A ir M in is try L ists M id lan d O ffic e : M r. G . H. T a y lo r, L o n d o n A s s u r a n c e H o u s e , 3o, B e n n e rs H ill, B irm in g
h am , 2. T e l e p h o n e : C e n t r a l 2.917
A P R IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L IS
r Forget ^
^ your Rust ^ problems
b y r e m e m b e r i n g
A T L A S
USKIL1
IRON & STEEL PRESERVATIVE PAINTS
—
the Paints o f Stam ina !
Colour Card, particulars and prices from
Sole M frs. ATLAS PRESERVATIVE COMPANY LTD J
V
U N D E R C L IF F W O R K S , E R IT H ,V
Telephone : E R IT H 22S5-6
K E N T
G oods H a n d lin g E q u ip m e n t fo r
a ll I n d u s tr ie s
•
CRAN ES CONVEYORS R U N W A YS W IN C H E S P U LLEY - B LO C K S
a n dE L E V A T O R S
Low-Headroom E le c tr ic Hoist Block with 5-ton Test Load
P A T E R S O N H U G H E Q
E N G IN E E R IN G C O M P A N Y LIM ITED W B e d fo rd H o u s e , B e d f o rd S t., S tr a n d , W .C . 2 T e m p le B ar 7 2 7 4 /6 W y n d fo r d W o r k s , M a ry h ill, G la s g o w , N .W . M a ry h lll 172/3
h u P H ' J T r . v
w i t h WHICH IS INCORPORATED T H E IR O N A N D S T E E L T R A D E S /O U R N A L
4 9 , W e llin g to n S t r e e t , L o n d o n , W .C .2 .
W A R T IM E ADDRESS t o w h ic h all c o m m u n ica tio n s s h o u ld b e s e n t i—
3, A m e r s h a m R o a d , H I G H W Y C O M B E , B u c k a.
'G ra m a ■ “ Z a c a te c a s, H igh W y c o m b e .”
'P h o n e i H IG H W Y C O M B E 1792 (3 lin e s).
PU B LISH E D W EEK LY i 21a. p e r a n n u m (H o m e a n d O v e rs e a s OFFICIA L O R G A N O F I .
C O U N C I L O F I R O N F O U N D R Y A S S O C I A T I O N S C h a irm a n i F lti H e r b e r t W rig h t, T h e B u tte rle y C o m p a n y Ripley n e a r D e rb y . S e c re ta ry i V. D e lp o rt, 2 , C a x to n S tr e e t, W e s t m in s t e r S .W .I .
P ort/c/p ot/n g Associations i B ritish B ath M a n u fa c tu re rs ’ A s s o c ia tio n ; B ritish I r o n f o u n d e rs ’ A ss o c ia tio n ; B ritish M alleable T u b e F ittin g s A s s o c ia tio n ; C a s t Iro n A x le b o x A sso c ia tio n ; C a st Iro n C h a ir A sso cia
t io n ; C a st Iro n H e a tin g , B o ile r an d R a d ia to r M a n u fa c tu re rs ’ A s s o c ia tio n ; C a st Iro n S e g m e n t A sso c ia tio n ; G re e n s a n d Pip e F o u n d e rs A sso c ia tio n o f S c o tla n d ; I ro n f o u n d e rs ’ N a tio n a l C o n fe d e ra tio n ; N a tio n a l A sso c ia tio n o f M alleable I ro n f o u n d e rs ; N a tio n a l In g o t M ould A sso c ia tio n ; N a tio n a l Iro n fo u n d in g E m p lo y e r s ’ F e d e r a t io n A s s o c ia tio n o f A u t o m o b ile a n d A llie d H ig h D u t y I r o n f o u n d e r s ; B ritish C a st Iro n R e se a rc h A ss o c ia tio n (atfi H a te d ); b r itis h G r i t A sso c ia tio n (affilia te d );
I n s titu te o f B ritish F o u n d ry m en (affilia te d ).
I N S T I T U T E O F B R I T I S H F O U N D R Y M E N P R E S ID E N T , 1943-44 : D . S h a r p e , F o u n d r y P la n t & M a c h in e ry L t d . 113 W e s t R e g e n t S t r e e t , G la sg o w .
LIST O F SECRETARIES—
G e n e ra l S e c re ta ry I T . M ak em so n . A c tin g S e c r e t a r y , I . B o lto n , S ain t J o h n S t r e e t C h a m b e rs , D e a n s g a te , M a n ch e ster 3.
BRAN CHES
B irm in g h am , C o v e n try a n d W e s t M idlands I A . A. T im m in s, F.I.C . 3 3 , C a r t e r s L a n e , Q u i n t o n . B r is to l a n d W e s t o f E n g l a n d : A . H a re s, 2 0 , G r e e n b a n k R o a d , H a n h a m , B risto l. E. M idlands i S. A.
H o r to n " T h r e e , ” M o sty n A v e n u e , L lttle o v e r, D e rb y . Lancs i H . B u c k ley , E lle s m e r e , N o r f o lk A v e n u e , B u r n le y . L o n d o n ; V. C . F a u lk n e r, 3, A m e rsh a m R o ad , H igh W y c o m b e . M id d le sb ro u g h (pro t e m . ) : 1. K.
S m ith so n , N o r th -E a s te r n Iro n R efining C o m p a n y , L im ite d , S tillln g to n , S to c k to n -o n -T e e s . N e w c a s tle -u p o n -T y n e : C . Lashly, S ir W . G . A r m s tr o n g , W h it w o r t h & C o . ( Iro n fo u n d e rs ), L td ., C lo se W o rk s , G a te sh e a d . S c o ttish i J. Bell, 60, S t. E noch S q u a re , G lasgow . Sheffield ; T . R. W al k e r , M .A ., E n g lish S te e l C o r p o r a t i o n , L td ., S h effield . W a le s and M o n m o u th ■ A . S. W a ll, 14, P a la c e A v e n u e , L lan d aff. C a rd iff. W e s t Riding o f Y o r k s h i r e : D o u g la s J e p s o n , M .Sc., 9 , A m b le s id e A v e n u e , B ra d fo rd . S o u th A frica : B. P. S k o k , M u tu a l 8 u lld ln g , J o h a n n e s b u rg .
SEC TIO N S
B u rn ley I H . B uckley, E lle sm e re , N o rfo lk A v e n u e , B u rn ley , Lancs.
East A nglian 1 A . N . S u m n e r , 5 1 6 , N o r w ic h R o a d , Ipsw ich. F alkirk T . R. G o o d w in . " V le w fie ld ,” F alk irk R oad, B o n n y b rld g e. L incoln i E.
R. W a lt e r , P h .D ., T h e T ech n ical C o lle g e , Lincoln.
A S S O C I A T I O N O F B R O N Z E A N D B R A S S F O U N D E R S P r e s i d e n t : H . B lssell, J. S to n e & C o ., L td ., L o n d o n . S e c r e t a r i e s , H e a th c o te & C o le m a n , 2 5 , B e n n e tts H ill, B irm in g h a m , 2
T H E I N S T I T U T E O F V I T R E O U S E N A M E L L E R S P r e s id e n t i W . H . W h it t le , W . H . W h it t le , L im ite d , Eccles, n e a r M a n c h e s te r. C h a irm a n I W . T o d d , P a r k in s o n S to v e C o ., L td ., Seech- f o r d , B irm in g h a m . H o n . Sec. i W . T h o m a s, A .I.C ., B a n k H o u s e , H ig h S t r e e t , R ic k m a n s w o r th , H e r ts .
F O U N D R Y T R A D E S ’ E Q U I P M E N T A N D S U P P L I E S A S S O C I A T I O N
P re s id e n t I G . E. F ran ce, A u g u s t’s, L im ite d , T h o r n T r e e W o r k s , H alifax. H o n o r a r y S e c r e t a r y : K. W . B rid g e s . A s s is ta n t S e c r e t a r y ; Miss L. C o x , 52, S u r b ito n H ill P a rk , S u r b ito n , S u rre y .
W E L S H E N G I N E E R S ’ A N D F O U N D E R S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N P r e s id e n t i W . E. C le m e n t, C .B .E., M orfa F o u n d ry , N e w D o ck . Llanelly S e c re ta ry ; J. D. D . D avis, I, S t. Jam es G a rd e n s , S w ansea.
B R I T I S H C A S T I R O N R E S E A R C H A S S O C I A T I O N A l v r c h u r c h , B i r mi n g h a m . ’P h o n e a n d ' G r a m s : R e d d l t c h 7 l 6 . S c o t t i s h L ab o ra t o r i e s F ou n d r y Te c h n i c a l I n s t i t u t e , M e e k ' s R o a d Fal kir k. I P h o n e I 372 .)
T h e n eed fo r all p o s s ib le c o n s e r v a tio n o f m a n p o w e r ; th e d em a n d fo r th e m a x im u m o u t p u t o f v ita l c a st m e ta llic p r o d u c ts ; th e in s is te n c e u p o n th e lo w e s t c o s t o f p r o d u c tio n ; and th e n e c e s s ity o f m a in ta in in g , and e v e n im p r o v in g , th e q u a lity o f t h o s e p r o d u c ts .
A ll th e s e c o n d itio n s c o m b in e to p o in t to th e o n ly sa tisfa cto r y s o lu t io n t o a ll th e s e p r o b le m s —
MECHANISATION
b u t it m u st b e m e c h a n is a tio n p a r ticu la rly c o n s id e r e d , d e sig n e d and a d a p ted to th e in d iv id u a l s ite c o n d it io n s ; to th e p articu lar p r o d u c t ; and w ith fu ll regard to a ll th e fa cto r s, e c o n o m ic , g eo g ra p h ica l and h u m a n , w h ic h m ay h ave any b earin g o n th e p r o b le m .
In o th e r w o r d s c o n s u lt :—
“ T h e S p e c i a l i s t s i n F o u n d r y M e c h a n i s a t i o n ” w h o s e p r o d u c ts
" S e t t h e S t a n d a r d b y w h i c h F o u n d r y P l a n t i s j u d g e d . ”
LIMITED
’P h o n es : 6 1 2 4 7 & 8 H A L I F A X , E N G L A N D ’G ram s : A u g u st, H a l i f a x
Sole Licensees a n d m a n u f a c t u r e r s for B ritish E m p ir e ( e x c l u d i n g C a n a d a ) o f the S i m p s o n S a n d M i x e r
F o u n d r y T ra de J o u r n a l. A p r i l 2 7 . 1944
V - 6 9 / i \ l i j u _ / y
e s ta b lis h e d 19 0 2
W ITH WHICH a INCORPORATED T H E I R O N A N D S T E E L T R A D E S J O U R N A k
Vol. 72 Thursday. April 27, 1944 No. 1445
£8 ,700,000
D u r in g th e d e b a te in th e H o u s e o n th e E d u c a tio n B ill, th e c o s t f o r th e e x p a n s io n o f te c h n ic a l a n d g e n e ra l a d u lt e d u c a tio n w a s a t firs t e s tim a te d a t £ 2 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 , b u t la te r, a f te r s tr o n g p r o te s ts b y th e re p re s e n ta tiv e s o f b o th in d u s tr y a n d e d u c a tio n , M r.
B u tle r r a is e d th e e s tim a te to £ 8 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 . T h is fig u re is d e e m e d b y m a n y s till to b e in a d e q u a te . W e a r e ill- in f o r m e d a s to w h e th e r th is g r a n t h a s to ta k e c a r e o f a g r ic u ltu r e , m in in g , tex tile s , a n d th e b re w in g a n d c h e m ic a l in d u s trie s , a n d to w h a t e x te n t th e s e in d u s tr ie s a r e in n e e d o f a d d itio n a l c r a f t tr a in in g fa c ilitie s . W e d o fe e l, h o w e v e r, t h a t th e th o r o u g h r e -e q u ip m e n t o f o u r te c h n ic a l s c h o o ls a n d co lle g es s h o u ld h a v e p r i o r c o n s id e r a tio n , if f o r n o o th e r r e a s o n t h a n b e c a u s e o f th e g r e a t c o n tr i
b u tio n th e y h a v e m a d e to th e w in n in g o f tw o w a rs . B e ca u se m a n y o f o u r te c h n ic a l c o lle g es a r e o ld , m u c h o f t h e ir p l a n t is r e a d y f o r e ith e r th e s c ra p h e a p o r th e m u s e u m . W h a t o n e c a n b u y f o r
£8 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e p e n d s o n th e w is d o m o f th e p o lic y o f th e b u y e r.
W e s u p p o s e th e p ro c e s s w ill b e f o r e a c h re g io n a l e d u c a tio n a l a u th o r ity to a p p ly f o r a g r a n t, a n d th e o n e s w h ic h w ill re c e iv e th e m o s t f a v o u r e d t r e a t m e n t w ill b e th o s e w h ic h c a r r y th e h a ll- m a r k o f tru e w o rth . T h is c a c h e t c a n o n ly b e o b ta in e d b y th e lo c a l e d u c a tio n a l a u th o r ity p r o v id in g it is a s s u re d in a d v a n c e o f t h e c o - o p e r a tio n o f lo c a l in d u s try . T h u s a s c h e m e w h ic h c a r r ie s th e p h r a s e ,
“ th e r e a re 15 f o u n d r ie s in th e a r e a s e rv e d , w h ic h s h o u ld p ro v id e a n a n n u a l in flu x o f 25 to 30 s tu d e n ts f o r th e p r o p o s e d f o u n d r y w o r k s h o p s ,’- w ill n o t c a r r y a s m u c h w e ig h t a s o n e r e a d in g — “ T h e lo c a l f o u n d r y in d u s tr y h a s g u a r a n te e d a n a n n u a l in ta k e o f 20 s tu d e n ts .” T h is c a n o n ly b e d o n e b y e m p lo y e r c o - o p e r a tio n . A g a in , a v e ry h ig h p e r c e n ta g e o f t h e m a c h in e r y — e sp e c ia lly m a c h in e to o ls — b e lo n g s to th e G o v e r n m e n t, a n d m u c h o f it c a n b e e x p e c te d to c o m e o n to th e m a r k e t d u r in g t h e im m e d ia te p o s t- w a r y e a rs . I n th is c o n n e c tio n w e su g g e st t h a t th e e d u c a tio n a l a u th o r itie s s h o u ld b e g r a n te d p r io r ity . H e r e , a g a in , th e p ra c tic a l a d v ic e o f th e in d u s tria lis t w ill b e re q u ir e d .
T h e d iv is io n o f th is £ 8 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 w ill n o t b e d e c id e d b y in d u s tr y , b u t b y th e e d u c a tio n a l
a u th o r itie s , a n d it is o n ly n a tu r a l t h a t th e y w ill c a te r f o r th o s e s e c tio n s o f in d u s tr y w h ic h le n d th e m o s t p r a c tic a l s u p p o r t. H e n c e th e tim e to s ta k e o n e ’s c la im is n o w . I t w ill c o m e as a s u rp ris e to m a n y f o u n d r y o w n e rs , w h e n th e y m e e t h ig h e r o fficials o f th e B o a rd o f E d u c a tio n f o r th e first tim e , to fin d h o w g r e a t is th e ir k n o w le d g e o f th e p ra c tic a l r e q u ir e m e n ts f o r te a c h in g f o u n d r y science.
F o r in s ta n c e , b e in g w e ll a w a r e o f th e o u t p u t o f e v en q u ite s m a ll c o m m e rc ia l c u p o la s a n d th e diffi
c u lty o f th e u s e fu l d is p o s a l o f its p r o d u c tio n by s tu d e n ts , th e officers o f th e B o a rd h a v e a lre a d y c a u s e d to b e d e s ig n e d a sm a ll p la n t e x h ib itin g all th e e sse n tia l fe a tu r e s o f its la r g e r c o u n te r p a r t, b u t w ith a n o u tp u t e m in e n tly s u ite d f o r te a c h in g p u rp o s e s . A f te r tria l, w e u n d e r s ta n d , th is is to be s ta n d a r d is e d f o r th is p u rp o s e . A le tte r to “ T h e T i m e s ” sig n e d b y a n u m b e r o f d is tin g u is h e d in d u s tria lis ts a n d tr a d e u n io n le a d e rs v e ry stro n g ly u rg e s th e im m e d ia te a p p o in tm e n t o f a c o m m issio n to re v ie w th e field o f te c h n ic a l e d u c a tio n , e sp e c ially to e x a m in e a n d “ to d e fin e th e re g io n s in to w h ic h th e c o u n tr y w o u ld n a tu r a lly fa ll, a c c o rd in g to its g e o g ra p h ic a l a n d in d u s tr ia l n e e d s ,” a n d th e n “ to re c o m m e n d a sy stem o f a d m in is tr a tio n , b o th e c o n o m ic a n d e x ec u tiv e , w h ic h w o u ld b e d ire c tiv e f o r s u c h re g io n s .”
T h is a s p e c t w a s ta k e n u p in a f u r t h e r le tte r fr o m S ir H a r o ld H a r tle y , F .R .S . H e r e fe r r e d to th e f a c t t h a t M r. B u tle r h a d a p p o in te d o n A p r il 5 a C o m m itte e to c o n s id e r th e n e e d s o f h ig h e r te c h n o lo g ic a l e d u c a tio n a n d th e re la tio n s h ip o f te c h n ic a l c o lle g es a n d u n iv e rs itie s . W e w e re p le a s e d to see t h a t h e in te r p o s e d a p le a f o r c o n -
(Continued overleaf, col. 1.)
Contents
£8,700,000, 343— R ese ttle m e n t a fte r D em obilisation. 344.—
N otes from th e B ran ch es, 344.—Iro n fo u n d in g In d u s try Fnel C om m ittee, 344.—The L a b o ra to ry a n d th e F o u n d ry , 345.—
S ta n d a rd C osting and Cost C ontrol, 351—H ig h e r Technological E d u c a tio n , 354 —S itin g of New I.C.T. F a c to rie s, 354.—Control in th e M agnesium F o u n d ry , 355.—U sing a P a tte rn a s Core
box 358.—N ew s in B rief, 360.—P e rso n a l, 360.—C om pany R esu lts, 362—O b itu a ry , 362 — B aw M ate rial M arkets, 364 — N ew C om panies, 364.
RESETTLEM EN T AFTER D EM O BILI
SA TIO N
A s p a rt o f the re settlem en t schem e a n d as a m eans o f fu rth erin g the su p p ly o f skilled w orkers in industry to m eet ab n o rm a l deficiencies in the po st-w ar period, in d u stria l train in g will be in tro d u ced to assist m en an d w om en released fro m w ar service w ho are in need of a course of train in g to en ab le th em to o b tain e m p lo y m en t o f a kind likely to lead to p e rm a n en t re se ttle m ent, hav in g reg ard to th eir cap a city an d to the esti
m ate d p ro b a b le needs of industry. A sta te m en t issued by the M inistry o f L a b o u r states th a t in o rd e r to p ro vide o p p o rtu n ities fo r those w ho are the last to be released fro m the Forces, the train in g schem e will be co n tin u ed u n til the en d o f the dem o b ilisatio n o f p e r
so n s w ho have served d uring the perio d o f hostilities.
T h e schem e will ap p ly to m en an d w om en released fro m the A rm ed F o rces, M e rch a n t N av y , C ivil D e fence Services, N a tio n a l F ire Service, Police A uxiliaries and Civil N u rsin g R eserve a n d to perso n s whose w ar service h as been on o th e r types o f w ork o f n a tio n al im p o rtan ce , including in d u stria l w ork. I n ad m in istra tio n o f the schem e special c are will be tak e n to ensure th a t m en and w om en w ho have served in the A rm ed F o rces an d are eligible fo r train in g u n d e r the schem e receive th e ir train in g as early as possible a fte r release fro m the colours, and, if at any tim e the facilities for train in g are insufficient to m eet the needs o f all a p p li
can ts w ith o u t delay, m en and w om en released from the F o rces or fro m the M e rch an t N a v y will, in general, be ad m itted first.
T h e train in g will be given in G o v ern m en t T rain in g C en tres ad m inistered d irect by the M inistry o f L a b o u r an d N a tio n a l Service an d also, u n d er arran g em en ts m ade by the M inistry, in co n su lta tio n w ith the B oard o f E d u ca tio n an d the Scottish E d u ca tio n D ep artm en t, in T ech n ical C olleges, or in o th er ed u catio n al insti
tu tio n s. D u rin g train in g a d e q u a te allow ances, in clu d ing su p p lem en tary allow ances in respect of d e p en d an ts w ill be paid. T h e d etailed a p p lic atio n o f the train in g schem e to the different in d ustries will be w orked o u t in co n su lta tio n w ith th e re p resen tativ e org an isatio n s o f em ployers an d w ork p eo p le concerned.
£ 8 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0
(C o n tin u ed fr o m p revio u s page.)
s id é r a tio n to b e g iv e n to in d u s tr ia l d e sig n . T h e m a in p o in t o f h is le tte r , h o w e v e r, w a s t h a t th e re g io n s su g g e ste d b y th e e a r lie r le tte r s h o u ld h a v e a s th e ly n c h p in o f th e s tr u c tu r e o n e o f th e g r e a t te c h n ic a l in s titu te s “ e q u ip p e d w ith th e m o s t m o d e r n fa c ilitie s f o r te a c h in g a n d re s e a rc h , to w h ic h a ll te c h n ic a l co lle g es a n d s c h o o ls in th e a r e a w o u ld b e a ffiliated , so t h a t it w o u ld a c t a s a fo c u s f o r th e p la n n in g o f te c h n ic a l tr a in in g in th e a r e a . ” W e h e a r tily e n d o rs e th is , as it w o u ld te n d to p r e v e n t th e o v e r-c ro w d in g o f th e e n v is a g e d j u n io r te c h n ic a l s c h o o ls w ith “ d u d ” e le v e n -y e a r o ld s.
N OTES FROM TH E B R A N C H ES
South A frica.— Som e fifty m em b ers w ere p re sen t a t th e J a n u a ry m eeting h eld in Jo h a n n e sb u rg , w h en M r.
G . S. R eid p resen te d a P a p e r on the “ E x tru s io n of B rass a n d C o p p e r.” T h o u g h n o t ex actly a fo u n d ry subject, a g o o d discussion fo llo w ed , in w h ich a w ide range o f re lated topics w as in tro d u ced .
O n F e b ru a ry 10, o v er 80 m em b ers w ere th e guests o f Isco r, w hen a n in sp ectio n o f the V ereen ig in g w o rk s w as m ade. D u rin g th e m o rn in g , w h ich w as sp e n t in ■ the fo u n d ries, m u ch in terest w as show n in 5 j- to n in g o t m o u ld s cast in g reen sand, an d in a 30-ton cast steel rolling m ill housing.
D u rin g lu n ch eo n , over w h ich D r. M ey er presided, M r. J. M . S tones, the B ran ch -P resid en t, ex p ressed the th an k s o f th e m em b ers fo r th e h o sp ita lity show n.
A fte r M r. T o n g e h a d seconded, M r. S im p so n , the w orks m an ag er, said th a t the p resen t m o n th ly o u tp u t o f 1,400 tons o f grey iro n castings w as sh o rtly to be increased to 1,600 tons. A fte r lu n ch eo n , the p a rty spent an in stru ctiv e a fte rn o o n visiting th e b last fu rn aces a n d ro llin g m ills.
T h e C ap e T o w n section h as b e en successfully lau n ch ed , w ith M r. L. R aw ley as c h a irm a n a n d M r.
K . J. Z w an zig er as h o n . secretary . I t sta rts w ith an in itial m em b ersh ip o f 55.
IR O N F O U N D IN G IN D U ST R Y FU EL CO M M ITTEE
IR O N F O U N D R Y F U E L N E W S
M o s t iro n fo u n d ers w ill, by now , be a w are o f th e existence o f the Iro n fo u n d in g In d u stry F u e l C o m m itte e w hich w as fo rm e d m o re th a n a y e a r ag o to assist the w hole o f th e iro n fo u n d in g in d u stry to save fuel. C o n tacts betw een iro n fo u n d e rs a n d th e C o m m itte e a re g en erally m ad e th ro u g h th e C o m m itte e ’s R eg io n al Panels, o f w hich th ere are fo u rtee n , co v erin g th e w hole a rea o f G re a t B ritain. T h e p rin c ip a l activ ity o f the P anels is the visiting o f fo u n d ries to give advice on fuel eco n o m y problem s.
M o re th an 200 firm s hav e so f a r b e en visited, a n d an a p p rec ia b le a m o u n t o f in fo rm a tio n on fuel saving in iro n fo u n d rie s h as been o b tain e d . I t is in te n d ed to m ake this in fo rm a tio n as w idely k n o w n as po ssib le by m eans o f b rief n o tes in th is J o u rn a l u n d e r th e h e ad in g o f “ Iro n fo u n d ry F u e l N ew s.” T h is m ed iu m w ill also be used f o r a n n o u n cem en ts, etc., in co n n ec tio n w ith the fuel e co n o m y cam p aig n in th e in d u stry .
A n Outsize E lectric Furnace Installation.— M r.
W. O. P h ilb ro o k , w riting in “ M in in g an d M e ta llu rg y ,”
gives the fo llow ing details as the m o st o u tstan d in g e x am p le o f a n in te g rate d ele ctric steel p lan t. O ne b last fu rn ac e o f 27 ft. h e a rth d iam e te r an d 450,000 sh o rt to n s cap a city supplies h o t m eta l fo r fo u r 250- ton tilting o p e n -h ea rth fu rn aces. T h ese p re p a re liq u id ch arg in g m etal f o r nine electric fu rn aces o f 750.000 to n s a n n u a l in got capacity.
A P R IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L 345
THE LABORATORY AND THE FOUNDRY*
By D. FLEM ING
Applying science to the whole field o f foundry work
Long ago, p ro b a b ly som e 6,000 years ago, an im pure fo rm o f c o p p er w as sm elted an d cast. I t is n a tu ra l to suppose th a t in these e arly tim es one m a n w ould direct th e w h o le o f th e o p eratio n s, a n d w hilst the first m an to succeed in sm elting a n d casting co p p er was no d o u b t justifiably p ro u d o f his success, it is very d o u b tfu l th a t he w o u ld realise th a t h e w as to be the fa th e r o f the th ree g reat fam ilies th a t are now b ro ad ly classed as fou rtd ry m en , m etallurgists, and chem ists, yet such w as the case. It is h a rd ly neces
sary to define a fo u n d ry m an ! A nd ju st a b o u t a y ear ago the L an c ash ire b ra n c h was very ab ly given a glim pse in to the early h isto ry o f the fo u n d ry m a n ’s c ra ft by M r. Brown.
A m etallu rg ist is essentially “ one skilled in the art of ex tractin g or w orking m etals,” an d thus it will be seen th a t as tim e passed an d o p e ratio n s w ere c o n ducted on a larg er scale, the fu n c tio n o f the m eta l
lurgist w ould ten d to be split. T h e fo u n d ry m an took to his b ra n ch a p a rt o f the a r t o f w orking m etals, the sm ith at his forge to o k an o th e r, and as extraction slowly becam e a process a p a rt fro m the fo u n d ry and m ore a specialised fu n ctio n o f the m in er an d m elter, so did the ex tractio n side o f m etallurgy becom e a separate fam ily b ran ch .
T h e co p p er age in tro d u ced by the' successful sm elt
ing o f co p p er ores led progressively to the bro n ze age, w hen co p p er was sm elted w ith tin ores, a n d /o r , lead ores, th ere being som e c o n fu sio n betw een these two in the early days and a t a still late r da te to the age of brass pro d u ced by the sm elting o f c o p p e r an d zinc ores. T h ro u g h o u t all these changes, the sm elting of the m etallic co p p er w ith som e o th er ore o r ores w as often p erfo rm ed in the fo u n d ry p ro p e r so th a t the interm ingling o f the fam ily persisted in p a rt over a long period.
It can w ell be im agined th at am o n g these early foundrym en-sm elters w ere som e w ho becam e m ore interested in w h at h a p p en e d w hen different m aterials were added to, an d sm elted w ith, the vario u s m etals and ores, th an in the later use to w hich the alloys w ere put. T his b ra n ch sim ilarly ten d ed to separate, alth o u g h they rem ain ed fo r thou san d s o f y ears essentially practical experim enters w ho w ere n o t very concerned w ith w hy th e v ario u s results w ere obtain ed , but w ho had, by now, a g re at know ledge o f the results th at w ere obtain ed w hen m an y substances w ere m ixed and heated together, b oth m etals an d non-m etals.
T h e centre of civilisation at this tim e w as an cien t E gypt, and this b ra n ch of an cien t E gy p tian s w ho w ere in the m ain now the priests attach ed to the tem ples,
» A P a p e r r e a d b e f o r e t h e L a n c a s h i r e B r a n c h o f t h e I n s t i t u t e o f B r i ti s h F o u n d r y m e n , M r. A. H o p w o o d p r e s id in g .
h a d m uch know ledge of co p p er, gold, lead, silver and tin, iron, an d m an y m inerals. T h ey w ere also co n versan t w ith the m a n u fa ctu re o f glass, soap, resins, pigm ents an d dyes. V isiting G reek -R o m an s w ho w ere m uch im pressed by the a rt o f these E gyptians in m etal w ork in g an d these o th er crafts, called these arts by the collective term “ T h e A rt of E g y p t ”— the E gyptian w ord fo r E g y p t being “ K em i.” F ro m this description
“ T h e A rt o f K em i ” has d eveloped o u r present w ord o f “ chem istry.”
G reek P hilo so p h y
T h u s the th ird m em b er of the fam ily w as evolved fro m the sam e ro o t as the fo u n d ry m an and the m etal
lurgist. T h e E gyptians, how ever, w ere very practical in th eir trea tm e n t o f the subject, an d do n o t seem to h a v e b o th ered m u ch a b o u t exp lain in g th eir processes o r theorising, w hilst the G reeks w ere theorists w ithout p arallel, having m any w o nderful theories to explain alm ost everything in the w orld w ith little or no facts to su p p o rt them . In the seventh century a.d., h o w ever, the tribes of Islam conquered the w hole M edi
terran ean a rea, a n d w hen these co n q u ero rs settled dow n, they started a fresh era o f learning and know ledge was sought all over the area. T h u s, in the field of chem istry the arts o f E g y p t w ere jo in ed w ith the theories o f G reece.
T h e first really great chem ist lived in this period u n d er the C alip h H a ru n A l-R ashid, an d w as called la b ir-Ib n H ayyan, generally know n as G eb er. W hilst m u ch tim e w as w asted, even a fte r his day, in fruitless searches fo r th e p h ilo so p h er’s stone an d synthetic gold, and w hilst chem istry w as m ade subservient fo r a period to the a rt of m edicine, progress never really stopped from this tim e u n til the beginning of the 19th century, when D a lto n ’s ato m ic th eo ry laid the fo u n d atio n s of m o d ern chem istry as it is know n to-day, w hich p ro vided a new im petus.
C hem istry has, in fact, progressed since th eo ry and practice w ere m arried in 700 a.d. h as paused, w hen theories w ere laid aside, as in the search fo r gold, w hen a prom ise o f quick riches seem ed m ore im p o rtan t th an the ad v an cem en t o f know ledge, an d has leapt fo rw a rd on each occasion w hen som e new theory has successfully ex plained a set o f h ith e rto puzzling facts.
T h e rev o lu tio n in chem istry w hich to o k place with the tu rn o f the century, how ever, w as to have effects p ro b a b ly as fa r reach in g as th e F re n c h R evolution w hich h a d ju s t preceded it. T h is is illu strated when it is realised th a t a t the tim e of the p u b licatio n of D a lto n ’s ato m ic th eo ry in 1807, the n o w fam ous chem ists, B erth o llet, B erzelius, C arlisle, C avendish, D an iell, H u m p h re y D avey, D u m as, M ich ael F a ra d ay , G ay-L ussac, Liebig, N icholson, Priestley, W ollaston
The L a b o ratory and the Foundry
an d A vo g ad ro , w ere all allies, chem istry m ad e e n o rm o u s strides d u rin g the 19th c en tu ry , an d this fact, tog eth er w ith the new sp irit o f freed o m a fte r th e F re n c h R e v o lu tio n , w as to lead to a general fo rw a rd surge in all the sciences.
What o f the Foundryman?
It w ould a p p ea r th a t w hen chem istry finally broke aw ay in the tim e o f Islam , fro m the essentially practical E g y p tian m eth o d to the union o f th eo ry and practice of G e b er an d his successors, the fo u n d ry craft rem ained u n to u ch ed to a n y degree by the influx of th eo ry an d continued to be a lm o st w holly p ractical.
F u rth e r, this state o f affairs a p p ea rs to ha v e lasted a lm o st to the close o f th e la s t cen tu ry . T h u s in the late 1800’s, the fo u n d ry m a n w as still an essentially p ractical c raftsm an , his know ledge o f his c ra ft being the re su lt o f h a rd w on ex p erien ce gained by his p re decessors over a p erio d o f som e 6,000 years, and h an d ed dow n fro m g en eratio n to gen eratio n .
T h is m eth o d does n o t, o f course, p reclu d e progress, as know ledge is slow ly a ccu m u lated by a process of tria l and e rro r leading to th e fo rm u la tio n o f a vast n u m b er o f impiraciisms. I t also leads to an additive know ledge o f facts, th ro u g h the o b serv atio n s o f happ en in g s o ccu rrin g d uring th e v a rio u s processes of the trad e m ade by countless n u m b ers o f craftsm en as the g en eratio n s succeed one an o th er. M any facts are observed, how ever, th e significance of w hich is m issed.
M any things a re lea rn t by one m an, only to be lost a t his d eath u n til som eone la te r— p erh ap s very m uch late r— re-discovers them . M an y fallacies are h a n d ed dow n as facts, due to the im possibility o f specifying all the necessary d a ta re q u ire d w hen in fo rm a tio n is c arried fro m gen eratio n to gen eratio n a n d fro m w o rk shop to w orkshop.
Limitations o f Craftsmanship
In o th e r w ords, w h at w as fo u n d by tria l an d e rro r to be the b est o r only w ay o f p ro d u c in g a certain alloy o r jo b satisfacto rily u n d e r one p a rticu la r set o f co nditions, m ay p ro v e to be a certain w ay of pro ducing bad m aterial o r rejects u n d e r an o th e r different set o f con d itio n s existing a t a la te r d ate o r in an o th e r w ork sh o p , yet having p e rfo rm e d the jo b satis
fa cto rily as in th e first case th e p ra ctical m an is in clined to say, fro m experience, w hich is his guiding sta r “ do so a n d so an d all w ill b e w ell.”
F o r exam ple, a fo u n d ry m an m ight be in the h a b it o f p ro ducing a g u n m etal in a p it fire w hich ru n s w ith a slightly reducing atm o sp h ere. O ne m ay suppose th a t gas pick-up is precluded, as h e also uses a fire- refined b ra n d o f c o p p er w ith a h igh oxide content.
H e m ay th e n p e rh ap s re aso n a b ly say “ m elt th e c o p p e r a n d lift the tem p e ra tu re to a p o in t a t w hich it w ill dissolve the m ixings an d still b e a t casting tem p e ra tu re, rem o v e fro m the fire, deoxidise w ith p h o sp h o r co p p er, add the zinc an d tin, stir, skim off and cast and all will be well! ” B u t w h at w ill h ap p en
if this ru lin g is passed o n to a co lleag u e w h o se pit fire a tm o sp h e re is also red u cin g — p e rh ap s d ecidedly so, an d w ho uses, n o t a c o p p er c arry in g a h ig h oxide c o n ten t, b u t a n e le ctro -c o p p er c arry in g o ccluded h y d ro g en , o r a t least little o r n o oxygen— su rely a gassed-up m elt is a re a so n a b le ex p ectatio n .
P erso n ally the A u th o r h as a g re a t a d m ira tio n fo r the degree o f craftsm an sh ip w hich w as a tta in e d by the p ractica l E g y p tian , an d a still g re ate r a d m ira tio n a n d respect f o r the fo u n d ry c ra ftsm a n o f m o re re ce n t tim es.
In fact, he c a n n o t b u t m a rv e l a t the degree o f skill a cq u ired a g ain st such terrific odds. M a n y o f th e c ast
ings th en p ro d u c ed re m a in to testify to his c ra ftsm a n ship and to give p au se to an y m an w h o w o u ld decry his efforts. Y et the A u th o r m u st u n h esitatin g ly state his b e lief th a t n o t alo n g th e r o a d o f th e p u re ly p ra ctic a l does re al p ro g ress lie. O nly w h en th e o ry goes h a n d in h a n d w ith p ra ctic e can p ra ctic e b e p u rg ed o f its p itfa lls a n d re su lt in sw ift p ro g ress u n h a m p e re d by such an infinity o f a p p a re n t c o n tra d ic tio n s th ro u g h w h ich one d a re o nly tre a d a lo n g v ery w ell-w o rn p a th s fo r fe ar o f being sw allow ed in th e bogs o f u n c ertain ty an d disaster w h ich lie off th e b e aten track .
The Re-entry o f Theory
T o re tu rn to the sketch y h isto ric a l o u tlin e p re sen te d above, it w o u ld a p p e a r th a t in th e la s t ce n tu ry th ere w as a g en eral u p su rg e in the a p p lic atio n o f the sciences, a n d th a t a m o n g st o th e r p eo p le affected by th is im p a c t w ere th e fam ily re la tio n s , th e e x tra ctio n m etallu rg ists o r sm elters. I t sh o u ld be n o te d here th a t the m etallu rg ical in d u stries h a d , h o w ev er, been co n tin u o u sly keeping m o re o r less in step w ith the advances m ad e in ch em istry , w ith w h ich th eir re la tio n ship h a d alw ays re m a in e d o f a clo ser n a tu re th a n th a t existing betw een chem istry a n d the fo u n d ry ow ing to the v ery n a tu re o f th e pro cesses involved.
I t w as a t th e beg in n in g o f th e la st cen tu ry , h o w ever, th a t D a lto n set c h em istry on th e co u rse alo n g w h ich it h a s since so ra p id ly ad v an ced . I t w as a t the beginning o f the last cen tu ry th a t it w as first settled th a t steel possessed its u n iq u e p ro p e rtie s o f h a rd e n - ab ility because o f its c arb o n c o n ten t. T h e c o n d itio n s w ere arriv in g w h ich m ad e a re lia b le system o f a n aly tical chem istry assu red an d w hich fo resh ad o w ed th e c o n tro l to b e a d o p te d in the steel a n d iro n p r o ducing in d u stry as in v en tio n a fte r in v en tio n fo llo w ed th ro u g h o u t th e cen tu ry . O f these th e B essem er steel fu rn ac e in 1855 is ty p ical, c h an g in g th e steel o u tp u t as it d id fro m som eth in g lik e 51,000 to n s p e r a n n u m f o r the w h o le o f G r e a t B ritain , a t a p rice o f a b o u t
£50 p e r ton to so m ething like 830,000 to n s p er a n n u m in Sheffield a lo n e a t prices o f fro m £4 to £10 p e r ton.
T h e an aly st, o f course, a t first only assisted the pig- iro n an d steel p ro d u c e r to in v estig ate his p ro d u c ts in m o re detail, b u t slow ly the steps in this process cam e to be m o re an d m o re b ased o n a n aly tic al d a ta fro m the raw m ate ria ls in th e shape o f ores, fluxes a n d fuels to the finished p ro d u c ts as pig-irons, steels a n d slags, etc. M u c h p ig -iro n w as an in te rm ed iate p ro d u c t in the process o f steel m ak in g , a n d f o r th is p u rp o se analysis cam e to be the m o st im p o rta n t m eth o d o f
A P R IL 27, 1944 FO U N D RY TRADE JO U R N A L 347 jud g in g its suitab ility . S im ilar trends no d o u b t
o ccu rred , how ever, in the o th e r m etal producing industries.
W ith the pig-iron p ro d u cers m aking m o st o f their iron to analysis, pressure cam e to b e ar on the iron- fo u n d ries to bu y th eir iro n “ to analysis ” ra th e r th an by the o ld an d tru sted m eth o d o f a n u m b er based on general p ro p erties a n d fra c tu re such pressure, when acco m p an ied by a g en eral rise o f in terest in scientific m eth o d th ro u g h o u t industry, by the know ledge . th at the p ro d u cin g industry itself fav o u red this m eth o d and the fact th at a co m p lain t o f off sta n d ard frac tu re could be answ ered by the re to rt th a t the analysis w as all right, a fa ct th a t the fo u n d e r him self co u ld n o t verify, no d o u b t c o m b in ed to cause a n u m b er o f fou n d ries to em p lo y th eir ow n a n aly sts to check incom ing m aterial and to see w h eth er they co u ld n o t em p lo y sim ilar m ethods o f c o n tro l in the rem elting o f th eir ow n irons fo r fo u n d ry use a process w hich was no d o u b t also com ing in to vogue in fo u n d ries a tta ch e d to the w orks of the p rim ary pig-iron m an u fa ctu rers.
T he Invasion had Begun!
T h is d ram atic d escrip tio n is used h ere w ith in ten tion— the ad v en t o f th e la b o ra to ry as a n ad d itio n to the fo u n d ry w as to h av e two h all-m ark s o f an invasion.
It w as to sta rt th e b ro a d e r use o f th eo ry in the arts of fo u n d in g an d bring an infusion o f new ideas. It was to be resisted an d resen ted by the original sole occupiers o f the territo ry . It is th is la tte r fa c t w hich in the A u th o r’s o p inion con stitu tes the m o st u n fo rtu n ate fa cto r in the w h o le o f the sto ry o f th e fo u n d ry since the tu rn of th e c en tu ry it h a s led to a false re la tio n ship bew een the fo u n d ry an d th e la b o ra to ry w hich persists to -d ay in larg e sections o f th e in d u stry and w hich m ust be rem oved b e fo re tru e and ra p id progress can be achieved!
A q u estion one could easily ask h ere is “ W h o was to blam e fo r this state o f affairs ”— the analyst o r the fo u n d ry m an ? T o try a n d sh o u ld e r th e b lam e on to either w ould no d o u b t be a fa ta l m istake—-it w ould once again stir up the very an tag o n ism , the last vestiges o f w hich it is felt m ust be rem oved fo r the m u tu al benefit o f th e in d u stry p er se, an d o f the m en w ho are to c arry it th ro u g h th e future.
T h e causes o f this ob stin ate antagonism , how ever, m ust be ro o ted o ut, b o th sides m u st face the tru th and n o t leave rem n an ts o f b ad feeling in th eir m idst.
T h a t som e o f this an tag o n ism does in fact still exist surely can n o t be denied. A m eeting o f this B ran ch of the In stitu te m u st su rely b e said to re p re se n t a cross section of th e m o re progressive m em bers of the industry an d yet— can it be denied th a t w ords have several tim es been h e ard w hen th eo rist an d pra ctic al m en ha v e jo in ed th e fray in lo cal discussions— w ords beyond the p o in t a t issue, seeking to discredit one or the others rig h t to an opinion. (If such things can occur in th e m eetings o f a bo d y w ith aim s such as those of this Institute, surely in the ind u stry as a w hole the situ atio n is worse. It is as if cases o f a plague w ere to occur in a disinfectant facto ry — either the situ atio n outside is extrem ely b a d o r the dis
in fectan t is n o t as effective as it should be.)
R etu rn in g to the conditions prevailing w hen the a n aly st entered the iro n fo u n d ry , a picture is o b tain ed w hich m ay th ro w som e light on this point. W hereas fo rm erly the p ractical fo u n d ry m an h a d placed his reliance o n his w ide experience o f different grades an d b ran d s o f pig-iron blended in certain ways, co n tro lled largely by frac tu re an d carefu l atten tio n to his practice, a n d ju d g ed by his a c tu al results, alm ost to ta l reliance w as placed by the new com er on analysis.
The A nalyst’s Viewpoint
T he an aly st th ro u g h o u t the w hole o f his training had the em phasis laid on a p a rticu la r w ay o f thinking.
T he scientist is only a scientist w hen he used this way o f th in k in g (at an y o th er tim e he is ju st an o rdinary m o rtal, the w hole scientific m eth o d is built round o rganised know ledge an d organised th o u g h t; know n facts a re exam ined, an d th eir inter-relations are studied u n til a logical h ypothesis can be p u t fo rw a rd as to w hy th ey are so related ; this hypothesis is th en tested— it is re-exam ined to see w h eth er som e new conclusion can be reached by its a p p licatio n ; w hether it c an bg said, if this hypothesis is co rrect, th en w hen u n d er co n tro lled conditions, such a n d such is done, so an d so w ill alw ays result. O nly w hen u n d e r all the test co n ditions w hich can be applied to it does the new h ypothesis p redict the c o rrect answ er, c an it be accepted as a th eo ry on w hich to build.
W hen the a n aly st en tered the field o f grey iron control, he did so firm ly believing th a t the th eo ry th at if two iro n s hav e sim ilar analyses, they w ould have sim ilar prop erties, was a c o rrect theory, and that, th erefo re, in good fa ith , h e entered the field riding on a fallacy, due to the lack o f know ledge possessed by the m en o f th a t perio d concerning th e facto rs we now class u n d er th e headings o f “ h ered itary ” effects in pig-iron and “ in n o cu latio n ,” etc., and th a t h e was fu rth er m isled by the lack o f know ledge th a t altered m elting conditions could lead to p ro fo u n d stru ctu ral differences as in irons carry in g very sm all am ounts of trace elem ents, such as titanium , of w hich his system of analysis did n o t take m uch account.
It is easy to be wise afte r th e event, in the light of this late r know ledge, b u t is it any w onder th a t any an aly st train ed as he was w ith fa ith in the theories o f his tim e, faith in his own figures w hich w ere concrete an d rep ro d u cib le to a high degree of accuracy, w as staunch in the defence o f his position, w hen the fo u n d ry m an , w ith his essentially p ractical background, declared th e p ro d u c t to vary occasionally in a m arked m anner, n o t possessing the stan d ard p ro p erties these new -fangled figures indicated— surely h e m ust, being only h u m an , hav e felt th a t the fo u n d ry m an , w ho co m p ared w ith his ow n precise m ethods, ap p eared to w ork alm o st entirely by ru le o f th u m b , w as th e m o re likely to be causing these variatio n s by un n o ticed differ
ences in his han d lin g of the m ate ria l in the foundry.
H ere he was lost! H e could n o t argue w ith the fo u n d ry m an a b o u t the la tte r’s practice w ith o u t being on u n fa m ilia r a n d to him u n ch arted ground. He lack ed the n ecessary exp erien ce possessed by the practical m an; h e w as used to an entirely different
