Foundry Trade Journal : with which is incorporated the iron and steel trades journal, Vol. 72, No. 1462

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NICE'S FIREBRICKS

Uui'd by all the leading Iron and ijdworks and Foundries at Home

and Abroad JSEND US YOUR ENQUIRIES tmifiKtured by

T. P R IC E & C O . LTD.

TOURBRIDGE Telegram s:

B llon e: “ Refractory.

Serley Hill 7162 B rierley Hill ”

WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE IRO 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 . 73. No. 1462. A U G U S T 2 4 , 1944 f S l n , l . Copy 6d. By Post i

. _ II. , ,*//--i I Annual Subscription, Hoi

Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper* Offices: 49, Wellmgton'Slreet, Strand, Lonaon, W .C .A (_an<i Overseas, 21 /- (Prepaid

PIG IRON

• H E M A T IT E

S P E C J A L H E M A T I T E

^'lÎea^J Trade)

S A N D C A S T o r M A C H IN E C A S T fàu& Ûfia ':: ’ ...

Supp tied by

s E liX GUEST K EE N BALD W IN S

IR O N ¿ S T E E L CO. L T D ., P O R T TA LB O T, ENGLAND

MANSFIELD MOULDING SAND

# 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 D

A L B IO N (M ansfield) S A N D C O . thoS: w. w a r d e d . Albion Works, SHEFFIELO

Telephones: Sheffield 26311 (15 lines) Mansfield 371

W IC K E L „

o v e

^ ïS E M E N T Pneu/ec CUPOLAS

THE CUPOLA W ITH TUYERES PLACED BELOW INST

Built by

P N E U L E C L T D . . S M E T H W I C K . N r .

OF INSIDE THE r

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STEEL WORKS PLANT

165 F E N C H U R C H S T R E E T , L O N D O N , E .C .3 . W orks: Alliance, O hio, U .S .A ., and H yde, Cheshire in Association with

JOSEPH ADAMSON & CO. LTD., P.O. Box 4, Hyde, Cheshire.

Manufacturers of Boilers of every description. Pre^work. if o 1!1 es( -hp^h*tr ^ Work.--- -i ■ .

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AUGUST 24, 1944 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L

B IR L E C L E C T R O M E L T 3-phase, direct arc F U R N A C E S are used for the production of B L A C K H E A R T M A L L E A B L E iron by cold melting or by duplexing.

The furnace illustrated is rated at 600 kw. and has a capacity of 15 cwt.

BIRMINGHAM ELECTRIC FURNACES LIMITED

E R D I N G T O N

R M I N G H A M 2 4

T E L E P H O N E — EA St 1471 (9 Lines),

The fa c t th at goods m ade o f ra w m a te ria ls in sh o rt su p p ly o w ing to w a r co n d itio n s are a d v e rtise d '-I th'r. m o o r sh o u ld n o t fe e taker, as an in d ica tio n th a t 'h e y a -ef hey a n e c e s s a r i l y a v a ila b le fo r e x p o rt

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4 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L AUG UST 24. 1944

“ COLEM AN ” HAND STRIPPING or DROP PLATE TYPE MACHINES

T H E S E M A C H IN E S A R E S U IT A B L E FO R E IT H E R H A N D R A M M IN G O R FO R U S E W IT H “ S A N D S L IN G E R S ”

★ M ULTIPLE A D JU ST M EN T OF Y O K E TO EN SU R E PERFECT D R A W

★ BUSHES, SHAFTS, ETC., H A R D EN ED A N D G R O U N D

★ PRECISIO N BU ILT

★ R O BU ST LY C O N ST R U C T ED

IL L U S T R A T IO N S H O W S O U R IHS T Y P E M A C H IN E , S U IT A B L E F O R A L L S IZ E S O- P A T T E R N FL A T E S U P T O 25in. IN W ID T H A N D G IV IN G 9i n. P A T T E R N D R A W

C O L E M A N F O U N D R Y E Q U I P M E N T COM PANY LIMITED

ST O T F O L D B E D F O R D S H IR E

LET US SEND YOU CATALOGUE OF OU R COMPLETE RANGE OF MODERN FOUNDRY MACHINERY

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O n m y

d e s i g n s . . .

*

In

m y d e sig n s i t w ill be p o ssi

b le to work o u t a c a stin g or f o r g i n g th a t w i ll w e ig h p o u n d s in stea d o f h u n d r ed w e ig h ts, or ounces in ste a d o f p o u n d s. In th is w a y the lig h t a llo y s th a t h a ve been developed un der th e stress o f w a r are destin ed soon to lig h te n the m ach in ery o f life in every d ire ctio n — so th a t in d u stry , tra n s p o rt, ( a n d , we hope, in te r n a tio n a l re la tio n s J w ill benefit.

T hat is one o f the reasons why we are so p r o u d to be m akers o f

_

a lu m in iu m a llo y s f o r every conceiv

a b le pu rp o se .

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6 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L AUGUST 24, 1944

0UÜI ^é ^f ^à ^e s e . . . .

...mr

GEORGE COHEN, Sons

Scrap Merchants since 1834 ■ Broadway Chambers, Ham m ersm ith, London, W.6 (Riverside 4141) Q uadrant St., Canning Tow n, E.16 (A lbert Dock 3104) • 600, Commercial Rd., E.14 (Stepney Green 3 4 3 4)

A nd at Sheffield, Birmingham, M anchester, Newcastle, Belfast, Swansea

ONE OF THE

GROUP 000

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AUGUST 24, 1944 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L 7

W A L L W O R K G E A R S L I M I T E D

F O U N D R Y E Q U I P M E N T D E P A R T M E N T

O C E A N IC H O U S E , la , C O C K S P U R S T R E E T , L O N D O N , S .W .I Telephone: W h ite h a ll 8051/2/3 ■Telegrams :*- - W a llw o r k O cean illa Lesquare London••• -

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4 4 RAMOLITH ^{y y}

NO CONTRACTION (R EG ISTERED )

F U S IO N P O IN T 1 7 1 0 ° C .

NO EXPANSION

T H O M A S E. G R A Y & CO. LT D . G R A N B Y C H A M B E R S , K E T T E R IN G

ESTABLISHED 1877.

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T H E

(ONSFRUCliONAl

* E N G I N E E R I N G C O U P

, hone. T I T A N W O R K S

M i D P4 7 5 3 - 4

B I R M I N G H A M , 12

Birm ingham "

Saving in Skilled Labour,

A girl can operate the Titan machine. Intricate cores may be blown in one operation (one movement of the hand lever).

Faster Output.

Up to tenfold increase over hand methods.

Better Cores

of uniform quality, greater strength and maximum permeability.

The machine illustrated is fitted w ith a sand container of 75 lbs.

capacity (which can be re

charged in a couple of minutes) motor-driven sand agitator and automatic compressed air h o ri

zontal clamp. This machine takes boxes up to 20 ins. long by 12 in. w ide by 24 in. high w ith o u t rem oving the clamps.

E A R LY D E L IV E R Y

Provided motors for standard current are required, we can offer early delivery of machines of the above type for w ork of certified priority.

Ask for Folder 204

TITAN CORE MACHINES

are daily solving ne w core-making problems

and r e m o v i n g

bottle-necks in

war production

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10 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L A U G U S T 24, 1944

M M U » !

The success attained by the Armstrong W h it worth products, in all spheres, begins with the care and experience, under advanced techni

cal control, exercised in the production of the basic metals entering into their manufacture.

ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH GATESHEAD

o n

TYNE

W E

SHOT BLAST

FO R A L L T R A D E S

2 4 H O U R S S E R V I C E

C H ILLE D IRON

& ST EE L SHOT ALSO BLASTYTE

A«-«- TYPES n

1

M H H ^ ’^iiilllllllllllllllll

ÜRICHAR

P H O N E : M I D . 2281 (3 LINE,

III

IDSON&SONS

s)

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin iiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiii^ m

|TD COMMERCIAL ST.

L " BIRMINGHAM.!

E S T A B L I S H E D 1887.

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AUGUST 24, 1944 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L II

S C R E E N " 3 9 '

KNOCK-OUT BAR

FOR SMALL MOULDS SAND

DISCHARGE SPOUT (ANGLE AD JU STA BLE)

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH

FEEDING H O PPER

IM PELLER CASING DUST PROOF

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

★ P o w e r fu l g y r o -r e c ip r o c a tin g m o tion o f riddle.

★ D r iv in g gear to ta lly e n c lo se d .

★ S tu rd y co n stru ctio n th ro u g h o u t.

★ P u s h b u tto n e le c tr ic control.

★ C le a n s , aera tes, and d eliv ers sand clear o f m a ch in e.

★ A n efficient lab ou r-savin g unit.

F O U N D R Y P L A N T & M A C H IN E R Y LTD. m' ^w GL ^a ! ^gon ^v J st"

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0 The illustration shows a typical self-contained feeding and firing equipm ent using pulverised fuel from a m ain storage bunker.

Suitable for use with all types offurnaces or other installations.

Any number of separate firing points m ay be employed with complete individual control.

FOR OVENS

AMD FURNACES OF ALL SIZES_____

B R IT IS H ‘ R EM A ’

PULVERISED FUEL FIRING EQUIPMENT

C o m p le te I n s ta lla tio n s S u p p lie d

B R I T I S H “ R E M A ”

M ANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.

(P ro p . : E d g a r A llen & Co. L td .)

I M P E R IA L S T E E L W O R K S — S H E F F IE L D , 9

_____________________________________________________________________ F .T .J.

A S E A

E L E C T R I C

P U L L E Y B L O C K S

T h e ro b u st to tally enclosed construction and close lift m ake the A S EA electric pulley block th e best handling eq u ip m en t for fo u n d ry use. Its range o f usefulness is alm ost unlim ited th ro u g h o u t th e various foundry d epartm ents, for in stan c e : C upola feeding (block arranged w ith fast

lift).

H an d lin g core boxes and p o u rin g (block fitted w ith inching attach m en t giving control to •0 2").

K nocking o ut cores and fettling (as illus

trated).

L o ading th e finished castings for despatch.

W e will gladly send p a rticu la rs on request.

A S E A E L E C T R I C L I M I T E D

{Associated with Fuller Electric & Manufacturing Co. L td.) H EA D O FFICE : F U L B O U R N E R O A D , W A L T H A M S T O W ,

L O N D O N , E. 17 Telephone : Larksw ood 2350 (10 lines) TeU graph : A u to syn cro , T e le x , London

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A U G U ST 24, 1944 f o u n d r y t r a d e j o u r n a l 13

FOR T O U R TOOL FOB FOUR JOB * THE RIGHT TOOI

TOUR JOB • THE

OL FOR TOUR JOB • THE

RIGHT TOOL FOR TOUR,

Y M ' Y T° oib f o r y o u b

L U ^ l A I f o ï

YOUR8

C L I M A X R O C K D R I L L & E N G I N E E R I N G W O R K S L T D . , 4, B R O A D S T . P L A C E , L O N D O N , E . C . 2

R E D U C E Y O U R L A B O U R PR O B LE M S

A N D L O W E R Y O U R COSTS B Y E F F I C I E N T P L A N T

Prompt Deliveries

M O L IN E U X

F O U N D R Y E Q U IP M E N T L T D .

M A R L B O R O U G H R O A D - L O N D O N , N .I9

PATTERN SHOP

P A T T E R N LET T ER S

BR A SS A N D IR O N D O W E L S

“ PL A ST IFIL ” P A T E N T FILLET L E A T H E R A N D W O O D FILLETS R A P P IN G PLA T ES

LIF T IN G ST R A PS

Manufactured by

J. W . & C. J. PHILLIPS LTD.

P O M E R O Y S T R E E T , N E W C R O S S

L O N D O N , S .E .I4

TAS /C X .383

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16 F O U N D R Y T R A D E J O U R N Al. AUOUO I Z*T»

T he need for all p o ssib le co n ser v a tio n o f m an p ow er ; the dem and for the m ax im u m o u tp u t o f vital cast m etallic p ro d u c ts; the in sisten ce u p o n the lo w e st c o s t o f p ro d u c

tio n ; and the n ecessity o f m ain tainin g, and even im p rovin g, the q uality o f th o se p ro d u cts.

A ll th ese c o n d itio n s c o m b in e to p o in t to the on ly satisfactory so lu tio n to all th ese p ro b lem s—

MECHANISATION

but it m u st be m ech an isa tion particularly con sid ered , d esigned and adapted to th e in d iv id u al site co n d itio n s ; to th e particular p rod u ct ; and w ith fu ll regard to

a ll

the factors, ec o n o m ic , geographical and h u m an , w h ich may have any bearing on the p rob lem .

In oth er w ords c o n s u lt :—

" The Specialists in Foundry Mechanisation”

w h o se p rod u cts

" Set the Standard by which Foundry Plant is judged.”

’Phones : 6 1 2 4 7 & 8

HALIFAX , ENGLAND

’C r a m s : A u g u st, H a l i f a x Sole Licensees a n d m a n u fa c tu r e r s for B ritish E m pire ( ex cludin g C a n a d a ) o f the S im pson S a n d M i x e r

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established /$Q2

w ithwhich a ihcovohatus THE^MONAND STEEL TRADES JOURNAL

Vol. 73 Thursday, August 24," 1944

Dust in Steel Foundries

There is n o th in g v e ry re v o lu tio n a r y in th e “ F ir s t Report o f a C o m m itte e A p p o in te d to C o n s id e r Methods o f P re v e n tin g th e P r o d u c tio n o r th e Inhaling o f D u s t a n d th e P o s s ib ility o f R e d u c in g the U se o f M a te r ia ls C o n ta in in g F r e e S ilica in Steel F o u n d r ie s ,” * f o r m o s t o f th e r e c o m m e n d a tions a re a lr e a d y s ta n d a r d p r a c tic e in m o s t sh o p s . Moreover, th e y d o n o t in v o lv e a n y s e rio u s c a p ita l expenditure. P u t b riefly , th e s u g g e s tio n s w h ic h a re likely to b e c o m e la w a r e : — (1) T h e silic o sis p a r t of w hat is k n o w n a s “ c o m p o ” s h o u ld b e re p la c e d by ch am o tte; (2) th e u se o f p a r tin g p o w d e r c o n ta in ing free silica to b e p r o h ib ite d ; (3) f r e e silic a to be replaced a s s o o n a s p o s s ib le b y o th e r m a te ria ls , and (4) a n u m b e r o f s u g g e s te d re g u la tio n s to c o v e r various a s p e c ts o f s h o t-b la s tin g . D e a lin g w ith these s e ria tim , it is g e r m a n e to stre ss th e r e a s o n for c o n d e m n in g “ c o m p o ” o f th e o ld - f a s h io n e d type. T h e c o n d e m n a tio n re s ts u p o n th is p re m is e . To q u o te th e R e p o r t, “ A s w ith a ll m o u ld in g materials, a p o r tio n o f th e c o m p o a d h e re s firmly to th e c a s tin g , a n d is d iffic u lt to re m o v e . The m e th o d s u s e d f o r re m o v in g it g iv e rise to fine p a rticle s o f d u s t, w h ic h th e d r e s s e r is lia b le to inhale.”

It seem s to us, t h a t h e a lth re g u la tio n s a p a r t , a n effort s h o u ld b e m a d e to fin d m o u ld in g m a te ria ls which w ill y ie ld c a s tin g s c a p a b le o f “ b e in g s trip p e d with a ta p a n d th e n e x h ib it a b lu e s k in ,” to p a r a phrase a tr a d e a d v e rtis e m e n t. T h e p r e a m b le to this p ro p o s e d r e g u la tio n is n o t to o h a p p ily phrased, a n d w h ils t o n th is s u b je c t w e o b je c t to the in clu sio n o f su c h a rid ic u lo u s lo c a lis m as

“ mucking o ff,” e v en a s m in o r a lte rn a tiv e to stripping. T h e r e h a s re c e n tly b e e n a d e p lo r a b le tendency to d e p a r t f r o m d ig n ifie d E n g lis h in G overnm ent R e p o r ts . H o w e v e r , to r e tu r n to th e implications o f th e R e p o r t. T h e s e c o n d su g g e stio n as to the p r o h ib itio n o f silic a d u s t a s a p a r tin g powder, n o o n e w ill re g re t its p a ssin g . I f o u r memory se rv es u s c o r re c tly , th is m a te ria l c a m e in to vogue a s a n e r s a tz s u b s ta n c e d u r in g th e la s t w a r, largely re p la c in g ly c o p o d iu m . T h is p o w d e r u sed

• T> v,. V, A hv H.M . S ta tio n ery Office. T ork House, K ingsw ay, tod Po t w « P r i c e 6 d .n e t .

to b e im p o r te d f r o m R u s s ia , a n d w a s v e ry p o p u la r.

H o w e v e r, th e r e a r e n o w a v a ila b le o th e r s u b s ta n c e s a d e q u a te , s u c h as d o lo m e tic lim e sto n e , s illim a n ite a n d c h a m o tte .

T h e m a jo r ity o f th e r e c o m m e n d a tio n s in c o n n e c tio n w ith s h o t-b la s tin g re a lly e n te r in to th e c a te g o ry o f “ g o o d h o u s e k e e p in g .” A n

“ a p p r o v e d ” ty p e o f h e lm e t is to b e p ro v id e d ; n o p e r s o n u n d e r e ig h te e n y e a rs o f ag e t o b e e m p lo y e d in o r a b o u t s h o t-b la s t a p p a r a tu s , a n d a n e x te n d e d u se o f v a c u u m c le a n e rs . T h is fin al su g g e stio n m e r its th o u g h t, f o r if it is d e s ira b le as p a r t o f th e e q u ip m e n t o f a f o u n d r y , th e n it is su re ly w o rth w h ile to p u r c h a s e a p ie c e o f g o o d a p p a r a tu s a n d e x te n d its u se to a v a rie ty o f p u rp o s e s .

I n a d d itio n to th e re c o m m e n d a tio n s , th e r e a r e a few su g g e s tio n s as to th e lo c a tio n o f s h o t-b la s t p la n ts — e sp e c ia lly w h e n p la n n in g n e w in s ta lla tio n s ; th e in s tr u c tio n b y lea fle t a n d p o s te r d isp la y o f th e o p e ra tiv e s as to th e h a z a r d s to b e a ss o c ia te d w ith s h o t-b la s tin g a n d th e la p s e o f tim e b e tw ee n th e e n d o f s h o t-b la s tin g a n d th e o p e n in g o f th e d o o r s . T h e fin a l su g g e s tio n — a n d w e q u o te th e R e p o r t— is “ S u ita b le re s p ir a to r s s h o u ld b e p r o v id e d f o r a n d w o r n b y f e ttle rs a n d d re s s e rs o f steel c a s tin g s .” T h e first p a r t is re la tiv e ly easy , b u t w e d o u b t th e u n iv e rs a l p o p u la r ity o f th e se c o n d , ju d g in g b y a n a n a lo g y w ith fe ttle r s ’ goggles.

T h e r a iso n d ’e tr e f o r th e c re a tio n o f th e C o m  m itte e w a s th e d e p lo r a b le in c re a s e in d is a b le m e n t a n d d e a th s f r o m silico sis w ith in th e in d u s try d u r in g th e w a r y e a rs . I t is p r o f o u n d ly to b e h o p e d t h a t th e r e s to r a tio n o f n o r m a l c o n d itio n s w ill n o t m e re ly re s to r e th e p r e -w a r fig u res, b u t re d u c e th e m to z e ro .

C o n te n ts

D u st in S teel F o u n d ries, 327 —N o te s from th e B ra n ch es, 328 — C orrespondence, 328 —N ew C a ta lo g u e, 328 —D ev elo p m en ts in th e D e s ig n a n d U se o f S id e-B low n C onverter P la n ts , 329.—

Iro n fo u n d ry F u el N ew s—X V I I , 334.—F u e l S a v in g by E co n o m y in W a ter C onsu m p tion , 334.—C a stin g s v. W e ld in g s, 334.—M o u ld in g a M ortar M ill R o ller in G reen Sand, 335.—

30-in. G r a p h ite E lectro d es, 335.—H a r d e n a b ilitv of Cast Steel, 336.—A b r a siv e W h eels, 33.6.—P r e se n ta tio n to Mrs. D. Sharpe, 336.—Zinc A llo y D ie c a ste r s ’ A sso cia tio n , 336.—S teel M ixes an d I n o c u la n ts in G rey C ast Iro n , 337.—N ew s in B r ie f, 342.—

S to ck s o f A lu m in iu m H o llo w -w a re, 342.—E m p lo y m en t of D isa b led P erson s, 342.—C om pan y R esu lts, 344.—O b itu a ry , 344.—P e rso n a l, 344.—R a w M a ter ia l M a rk ets, 346.—N ew Com  p a n ies, 346.

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328 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L ^{A L i —} ¹⁹⁴⁴

NOTES FROM THE BRAN C H ES C O R R E S P O N D E N C E

S o u th A fr ic a .— T h e M ay m eeting h eld u n d e r the ch airm an sh ip of M r. J. M . Stones w as devoted to the discussion of m em b e rs’ problem s. M r. W ard raised the q u estion as to w h eth er if one did n o t lig h t vents fro m large castings, the resu lt w o u ld be an in ferio r job. M any reaso n s w ere given as to the desirab ility o f the practice, b u t no definite answ er w as given.

M r. H o ld sw o rth asked a b o u t the co v erin g o f risers to m ain tain pressure in the m o u ld as S outh A frican practice was to leave th em open. T h e view w as ex

pressed th a t risers h ad n o th in g to do w ith venting, but were to feed the casting; thus it a p p ea red th a t they sh o u ld be larger th an the c a s tin g ! R od feeding cam e u n d e r review , an d h a d b o th su p p o rte rs an d opposers. A local p ro b lem w as the su b stitu tio n o f scrap by pig-iron. D o u b le m elting fo u n d su p p o rt.

T he ad d itio n o f ferro-silicon to the lad le o r to the cu p o la charge fo u n d su p p o rters o f b o th practices, but in the latter case b riq u ette fo rm w as p referred . T he final p ro b lem w as th a t o f c am b er in long castings.

O n M ay 16, a p a rty o f 60 m em bers visited th e f o u n dries of the D u n sw art Iro n & Steel W orks, L im ited, w hen they saw the casting o f a c ast steel d ru m check fo r a 12 ft. h o ist w eighing a b o u t 14 tons an d m ea su rin g 15 ft. diam eter overall, w ith a gear ring cast in tegrally carrying 140 teeth. 4 in C.P. A b o u t 20 tons o f m etal was used. M r. Stones, the B ranch president, an d C olonel G u y seconded a vote o f th an k s to M r.

C artw rig h t an d M r. Snow fo r the g enerous h o sp itality accorded the m em bers.

N a ta l S e ctio n .— A t the Ju n e m eeting, M r. F . H . C.

O ram , the ch airm an , an d a m em b e r o f the L o n d o n B ran ch addressed the m em bers on “ F ifty Y ears in F o u n d ry In d u stry .” T h is w as largely an a u to b io graphy, as th e A u th o r w as apprenticed,' in Ja n u a ry , 1892, to the firm o f H o w ard F a rra r, o f P o rt E lizab eth , at w hich tim e th ere w ere p ro b a b ly n o t m o re th a n 20 fo u n d ries in S o u th A frica. J o h a n n e sb u rg h a d ju st been connected u p by ra il fro m th e so u th . T h e p ro gress registered w as illu stra te d by th e fact th a t since 1939 o ver 5,000 ships have been re p aired in S ou th A frican ports. T h e B oer W ar created a local b oom , b u t this w as follo w ed by a fo u r-y e a r depression. D u r ing the last w ar, M r. O ram b ecam e fo u n d ry fo rem an a t th e S ta n d ard B rass C o m p an y , o f B enoni, w hich th en only em ployed th ree jo u rn ey m en , b u t n o w ran k s a m o n g st the larg e r in d u stria l estab lish m en ts on th e R and. T hirty-five years ago th ere w ere eleven f o u n dries in D u rb a n , a n d th o u g h to -d ay th ere a re few er, th ey a re now sizeable concerns. In 1912, b e fo re the inception o f either Isco r o r N ew castle p lan ts, pig-iron was being p ro d u ced a t Sw eetw aters, n e a r P ie te rm a ritz burg. ^ It possessed its ow n coke ovens, an d fo u n d ry , b u t failed to find a m etallu rg ist c a p a b le o f overcom ing local difficulties.

(t £ aPe . S e ctio n .— A P a p e r b y M r. H . S tein h ard t on P ractical F o u n d ry C h e m istry ” w as re ad a t th e A pril m eeting. It is to be given late r to a B ranch m eeting in Jo h an n esb u rg .

[W e a c c e p t no r e s p o n s i b ili ty fo r th e s t a t e m e n t s m a d e or th t o p in io n s e x p r e s s e d b y o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n ts . 1

“ LOST W A X ” PROCESS

T o the E d ito r o f Th e Fo u n d r y Tr a d e Jo u r n a l. S ir,— I h av e re ad w ith in te rest the article on thelj

“ lo st w ax ” process of castings in y o u r issue of July 6,/

1944. I sh o u ld like to c o rre c t o n e o r tw o points in the p ro c ed u re as defined by y o u r correspondent. 1 have a ctu ally h a d experience w ith the m anufacture o f p a tte rn s re q u ire d fo r this ty p e o f w o rk an d also am fa m ilia r w ith the a c tu al casting.

In the first place w o o d p a tte rn s a re n o t suitable, as- the g rain o f th e w o o d is easily lifted by the wax and m etal p a tte rn s h av e been fo u n d to be th e only type' suitable. O rd in a ry p a tte rn ta p e r o f approxim ately 6 deg. to ta l angle an d loose p ieces a re used where;' n ecessary. T h e lo o se piece acts in the sam e way as a®' sand co re, a n d the m o u ld is v irtu a lly m ade up in the*

sam e way. T h e m eta l p a tte rn is m o u n te d on a plaster odd side m erely to fo rm the p a rtin g line o f the mould and to p re v en t the p a tte rn , if o f a frag ile nature, from;

springing. F ro m th e ab o v e set u p , we place a metal, flask on the p laste r od d side an d in to this, u nder pres-;

sure, a m etal cast sim ila r to p rin te r’s m etal is made.

If care be tak en in the rig h t selection o f the metal foi the p a tte rn a n d the casting m ate ria l to fo rm the mould, no ap p rec ia b le difference in the coefficiency occurs.

T h e m etal p a tte rn can th en be w ith d raw n from the m ould, an d an y “ h ig h sp o ts ” o r blem ishes which may have been on th e p a tte rn a re rem o v ed w ith a scrap er.' T h is is a m eth o d w hich h a s been em ployed success

fully. a n d castings have been in n o n -ferro u s m aterials_

an d high tensile steel. T h e acc u rac y , b oth dimension- ally an d “ tru en ess,” are v ery fa v o u ra b le w ith machined .'.

castings, an d o n ly grin d in g is n ecessary on steel castings.

Y o u rs, etc.,

R. H. Rout. 15, O ld C h u rc h S treet,

A ylestone, L eicester.

N E W C A T A L O G U E

X -ray D ark-room P ractice.--I lf o rd , L im ited, Ilford._

L o n d o n , h av e p re p a re d fo r d is trib u tio n a m ost useful b o o k let co v erin g this c o m p a ra tiv e ly new adjunct to q u a lity c o n tro l in fo u n d ry p ractice. T he booklet ' show s v ery c le arly th a t, w hilst la titu d e is allow ed to®

th e d e v elo p m en t o f sn ap sh o ts, it is essen tial to adhere;?

to sta n d ard ise d tim e a n d te m p e ra tu re c o n d itio n s when u n d e rta k in g in d u stria l an d X -ray p h o to a ra p h y . The fo u n d ry in d u stry a t least will be g ra te fu l fo r the re -T lease o f th is p a m p h le t. A leaflet e n clo se d w ith this®

b ro c h u re covers th e su b je ct o f lead screens

Mr. W. F Lamoreaux has resigned his appointm ent*

as d irec to r of research fo r the M eeh an ite M e tal Cor™

p o ra tio n , a n d h as accep ted th e p o st o f research

E S T C - S o t , C- ~ - » S r t a s ! fe

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AUGUST 24, 1944 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L 329

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DESIGN AND USE Advantages and

OF SIDE-BLOWN CONVERTER PLANTS* of the process By P. C. FASSOTTE (Iron and Steel Control) outlined

Introduction

The m a n u fa c tu re o f steel castings is o n e o f the sections o f th e steel in d u stry w hich h a s re q u ire d c o n siderable ex p an sio n d u rin g the w ar, a n d this has e n tailed the erec tio n o f a n u m b er o f new plan ts. Som e of them have been e q u ip p ed w ith electric fu rn aces, but, for reasons bey o n d the scope o f this P a p e r, o th ers have been prov id ed w ith co n v erter plants. A t the time when th is dev elo p m en t w as p lan n e d the supply of ores su itab le f o r th e m a n u fa c tu re o f h e m a tite irons suddenly b ecam e p re ca rio u s , a n d it w as th ere fo re necessary n o t only to eco n o m ise in the use o f h e m a tite iron, b u t also to e x p lo re u n o rth o d o x m eth o d s o f steel p roduction.

M ore th a n h a lf the steel used in B ritish fo u n d ries

silicon fo r successful o p e ra tio n of the process. It w as g en erally re g ard e d as fu n d am en tal th a t the exo

therm ic re a c tio n o f silico n an d oxygen w as the m ain d e te rm in a n t of the final steel tem p e ra tu re an d th at th e re fo re this re ac tio n , credited w ith a h eat value of som e 7,000 kg. cal., could n o t be dispensed w ith in c o n v erter o p eratio n . T h e c arb o n reactio n w as dis

c o u n te d as a h e a t p ro d u cer ow ing to the belief, fo ste red by th e text-b o o k s, th a t m ost o f the carb o n was b u rn ed in to c arb o n m onoxide, a re ac tio n yielding o nly 2,430 kg. cal. an d negative fro m a h eat-increm ent p o in t o f view. L ittle notice was tak en of the carbon- dioxide re ac tio n , yielding 8,100 kg. cal., as this re actio n w as n o t considered to take place to an a p p re c ia b le degree.

T a b l e I . —Analyses of Gases Escaping from the Converter.

Samples tak en 9 in. from nose end.

F irst heat. Second heat. Third heat.

Weight of charge. Cwt. 75 65 65

Silicon content. P er cent. 0.18 0.32 0 .6

Duration of blow. Min. ¹² ¹² 17

Gas analyses after min. : 1. 5. 9. ². 7. 11. 1. 7. 11.

Carbon dioxide. Per cent. 4 .0 9 .8 1 2.8 12.0 1 2.2 4.2 4.2 10.0 9 .8

Oxygen. Per cent. 10.4 2 .6 2 .8 2 .4 0.9 1 0.2 5.6 4.4 5 .0

Carbon monoxide. Per cent. 0 .2 0 .2 0 .2 0 .2 Nil Nil 0 .1 0 .1 Nil

Nitrogen. Per cent. 85.4 87.4 84.2 85.4 86.9 85.6 90.1 85.5 85.2

Blast volume. Cu. ft. per min. 4,200 4,200 4,000 4,300 4,500 4,500 4,200 4,200 4,200

before th e w ar w as p ro d u c ed in co n v erters. T h e r a tio of scrap to p ig-iron used in the v ario u s p lants differed w idely, d epending o n the lo c a tio n o f the foundry a n d the c o n stru c tio n o f the u n it; it a veraged about 50 per cent, th ro u g h o u t the c o u n try . O n acco u n t of its m o d erate cost, h e m a tite iro n w as used liberally and in m o st p lan ts was relied u p o n exclusively to p ro duce the silicon c o n te n t aim ed a t in the iron. T his silicon c o n te n t also v a rie d co n sid erab ly , b u t the a v e r

age was a b o u t 1.5 p e r cent.

Fxnerintents on the Relative Importance o f the F S ilicon R eaction

v „„ r. 0 f co n v erter use h a d cry stallised th e o p inion that m olten iro n h a d to c o n ta in 1.3 per cent, o r m ore

• A ^p3per~~pre Pared for p resentation to th e Iron and Steel In stitu te.

T h ese beliefs had becom e deeply ro o ted an d alm ost ax io m atic. Y et o b serv atio n s m ad e of a large nu m b er o f p lan ts o p e rated in w idely varying c o n d itio n s an d in different c o u n tries h ad th ro w n d o u b t on these accepted theories. W hereas som e side-blow n co n v erters w ere being o p e rated w ith silico n u p to 2 p e r cent., o th ers h ad been know n to! w ork w ith iro n s co n tain in g only 0.5 to 0.7 per cent, o f silicon a n d yet p ro d u c e steel sufficiently h o t to m ak e sm all an d in tric ate castings.

T h ere was a strong suspicion, th ere fo re, th a t too m uch stress h a d been laid o n the significance of the silicon reaction. T he follow ing experim ents w ere accordingly planned in o rd e r to ascertain its tru e im p o rta n ce :—

(1) A charge o f n o rm al cu p o la iro n (carb o n 3.2 per cent., silicon 1.3 p e r cent, an d m anganese 0.5 p er cent.) was in tro d u c ed in to a co n v erter and blow n in the o rd in ary way. W hen the c arb o n flame

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Side-blown Converter Plants

a p p e a re d the blow was sto p p ed a n d th e m etal p o u red in to a ladle. T h e te m p e ra tu re o f the m etal w a s th e n 1,535 deg. C . a n d the analysis 2.7 p e r cent, o f c a rb o n , 0.15 p e r cent, o f silicon a n d 0.14 p e r cent, o f m anganese. T h e m eta l w as co o led in th e ladle a n d p o u red b ack into th e c o n v erter w h en the tem p e ratu re h a d d ro p p ed to 1,435 deg. C . T h e b last w as p u t on a g ain a n d the blow p ro ceed ed n o rm ally despite th e d isap p earan ce o f the silicon. T h e u lti

m ate tem p e ra tu re o f th e steel w as 1,650 deg. C., an in crem en t o f 195 deg. C.

(2) A ch arg e of low -silicon iro n (carb o n 3.2 per cent., silico n 0.21 per cent, a n d m an g an ese 0.3 p e r cent.), m elted in an electric fu rn ace, w as in tro d u c ed into1 a c o n v erter a t a te m p e ra tu re o f 1,385 deg. C.

T he blow was n o rm a l an d the final steel tem p era -

ho le in th e co n v erter bod y a n d th ro u g h th e lining, at a p o in t 4 ft. ab o v e the tuyeres. T a b le II gives the analyses o f these sam ples.

A ttem p ts w ere also m ad e to an aly se th e gases at a po in t a few inches ab o v e the tuyeres, b u t these were ab o rtiv e as the a p e rtu re w as quick ly blocked by pro jectio n s. G a s analyses w ere also tak en in other plan ts. T h ey g en erally confirm ed th a t c arb o n dioxide is overw helm ingly p rev alen t. Y e t u n d e r c ertain w ork

ing co n d itio n s a p p rec ia b le q u a n titie s o f carbon m o n o x id e c an be p resen t in the e xit gases, and this fe atu re h as been o b serv ed p a rtic u la rly w here the blow ers a re u nder-sized. T h e fu n c tio n o f the silicon re a c tio n now a p p e a re d in its tru e perspective. It is essentially a kin d lin g agent. Its p rin cip al purpose in side-blow n c o n v e rte r p ra ctice is to m ake up the difference betw een the te m p e ra tu re o f the iro n intro

duced in to the c o n v e rte r a n d th e te m p e ra tu re at which the c arb o n re ac tio n sta rts freely.

T a b l e I I .-—-Analyses of the Converter Cases 4 ft. above the Tuyeres.

F irst heat. Second heat. Third heat.

Weight of charge. Cwt. 56 56 60

Carbon content. P er cent. 2.92 3 .14 2.9 8

Silicon content. Per cent. 0.46 0.31 0 .6 6

D uration of blow. Min. 13 11 11

Gas analyses after min. : 3. 6. 10. 3. 6. 11. 1. 4. 8. 10J.

Carbon dioxide. Per cent. 4 .0 6 .2 14.2 8 .0 6 .6 10 .8 6 .4 1 2 .0 1 2 .8 12.4

Oxygen. Per cent. 1 0 .6 3.0 1 .6 0 .8 4 .2 0 .4 0 .3 0 .1 Nil 0 .6

Carbon monoxide. Per cent. 1 .0 0 .4 2 .6 0 .8 0 .4 1.4 0 .9 0 .7 0 .2 0.1

Nitrogen. P er cent. 84.4 90.4 81.6 90.4 8 8 .8 87.4 92 .4 87.2 87.0 86.9

Blast volume. Cu. ft. per min. 3,500 3,000 3,000 3,580 3,050 3,050 3,200 2,900 2,900 2,900

tu re w as 1,590 deg. C ., an In crem en t o f 205 deg. C.

(3) A charge o f low -silicon iro n m elte d in an electric fu rn ac e (c arb o n 3.26 p e r cent., silic o n 0.17 p e r cent, an d m an g an ese 0.18 p e r cent.) w as in tr o duced into a c o n v e rter a t 1,440 deg. C. a n d blow n in to steel w ith a final te m p e ra tu re o f 1,630 deg. C., an in crem en t of 190 deg. C.

A Carbon-dioxide Reaction

In view o f the sm all a m o u n t o f silico n c o n ta in e d in the iro n s used in these ex p erim en ts, the te m p e ra tu re increm ents co u ld o nly be e x p lain ed by the fa ct th a t the c arb o n c o m b u stio n w as essen tially a c a rb o n -d io x id e reactio n . In this respect, the side-blow n c o n v erter ap p ears to w ork differently fro m th e b o tto m -b lo w n type, w here the passage o f gases th ro u g h layers o f m etal rich in c a rb o n fa v o u rs the p ro d u c tio n o f c a rb o n m onoxide. T h e gases escap in g fro m th e side-blow n co n v erter w ere an aly sed a n d T a b le I gives the results.

T he gas sam ples w ere tak en som e 9 in. below the e xit o f the converter.

A nother series of sam ples w ere tak en by drillin g a

C onclusions front Experim ental Data

T h e ex p erim e n tal w o rk w a rra n te d the following co n clu sio n s:— (1) In the side-blow n c o n v erter the bulk of the c arb o n is tra n s fo rm e d in to carbon-dioxide, p ro v id ed th a t th ere is a d eq u a te b last volum e; (2) irons co n tain in g fro m 2.7 p e r cent, o f c a rb o n upw ards, with only a negligible silicon c o n te n t, can p ro d u ce a tem p e ra tu re in crem en t o f o ver 200 deg. C .; (3) the carbon- dioxide re ac tio n is c ap ab le o f m ak in g up the differ

ence betw een an iron tem p e ra tu re of, say, 1,450 deg. C.

an d the steel tem p e ra tu re re q u ire d by the steel foundry, an d (4) silicon in the iron can be dispensed with, prov id ed th at the m etal is sufficiently h o t a t the- co m m en cem en t o f the blow.

It is a w ell-know n fact th a t the affinity o f carbon fo r oxygen increases w ith te m p e ra tu re , a n d becom es p a rticu la rly p ro n o u n c ed a t tem p e ra tu res exceeding 1,450 deg. C If, th ere fo re, iro n w ere su p p lied to the co n v erter sufficiently h o t fo r the c a rb o n re ac tio n to sta rt im m ediately, th en silicon co u ld be dispensed w ith, w ith the c o n co m ita n t elim in a tio n o f the h em atite an d ferro-silicon fro m the c u p o la charges It becam e

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AUGUST 24, 1944 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L 331 a m atter of su b stitu tin g fo r h e at chem ically produced

in the c o n v erter b y the silicon com bustion, h eat physically im p a rted to the iro n p rio r to the conversion process. T o achieve this end a fu rn ac e h ad to be introduced betw een the cu p o la an d co n v erter in w hich the iron co u ld be b ro u g h t up to the tem p eratu re at which the c a rb o n reactio n starts. I f large enough, such a fu rn ac e w ould also act as a m ixer an d re serv o ir for h ot m etal, w hich w ould m ake it possible to o p erate the cupola in d ependently o f fluctuations in the dem and for steel an d to secure greater u n ifo rm ity in the iron and efficiency in the co n v erter o p eratio n .

Description and Operation o f the Side-blown Converter Plant

In designing the cupolas c a re w as tak en to provide them w ith deep wells in o rd e r to fa v o u r c arb o n pick up, as the charges w ere to be com p o sed o f steel scrap only. T he m etal p ro d u ced by the cu polas has a p p ro x i

mately the follow ing c o m p o sitio n :— C, 2.7 to 3.2;

Si, 0.05 to 0.2; M . 0.3 to 0.7; S, 0.11 to 0.18, and P, 0.03 to 0.07 per cent. A fte r it h as been desulphurised the iron is tran sferre d to the m ixer, the tem p eratu re being 1,280 to 1,380 deg. C.

The ro tary m ixers have a n o m in al c apacity o f 12 tons, but m ay reach 25 tons, d epending on the degree of wear o f the linings. T hey are fired by a n th ra cite, and the calorific in p u t is such th a t the iro n c an be raised to the re q u ire d tem p e ra tu re a t th e rate of 17 to 18 tons per hr. T h e fuel co n su m p tio n is 80 lbs. per ton o f m etal. A fte r it h as been su p er

heated the iro n is tran s ferre d to the co n v erters in batches of 56 to 70 cwts. T h e m ixer is co n tin u a lly being refilled by d esu lp h u rised cu p o la m etal, u sually in lots o f 5 tons.

The silicon c o n te n t in the m etal ch arg ed into the converter ap p ro x im ates to 0.05 to 0.2 per cent. Iro n containing as little as 0.05 per cent, o f silicon has been blow n successfully an d yielded steel sufficiently hot for fo u n d ry req u irem en ts. As the castings p ro duced in this p lan t have a w all thickness o f 0.3 in..

it will be realised th at q u ite h o t m etal is required.

Although in principle the co n v erters w o rk w ith silicon- free iron, in practice sm all am o u n ts o f ferro-silicon are used fo r m in o r tem p e ra tu re ad ju stm en ts. If, for instance, the tem p eratu re of the iro n is judged to be on the low side, if the co n v erter has been standing for som e tim e b efo re the new c h arg e is introduced or if a p a rticu la rly high tem p e ra tu re is req u ired in the steel, ferro-silicon a d d itio n s are m ade in the converter.

For a w eek’s o p e ratio n en tailin g the use o f 1,085 tons 10 cwts. o f liq u id iro n , th e ferro-silicon consum ption (75 per cent, silicon) is 4 ton 10 cwts. 3 qrs. 18 lbs., representing an average ad d itio n o f 0.^8 per cent, of silicon to the co n v erter charges.

D e s u lp h u r is a tio n

A s no pig-iron is ch arg ed into the cupolas, a high coke ratio is req u ired (6:1), w hich involves a relatively h io h s u l p h u r c o n te n t in the iro n (from 0 .1 1 to 0 .1 8 n r e n t ) . W hen desu lp h u risin g w ith sodium c a r

bonate in the norrnal m an n e r the steel frequently

show ed a su lp h u r co n ten t upw ards o f 0.06 per cent.

Selection of a m o re suitable lining m aterial fo r the ladle im p ro v ed m atters. It was then fo u n d th a t by using two ladles a n d p ouring slag a n d m etal fro m the first to th e second ladle the efficiency o f the process w as increased. In T ab le III the com plete analyses of a sh ift’s o p e ratio n o f the p lan t are recorded. H eats N os. 9,139 to 9,160 w ere desulphurised in ladles lined

Ta b l e I I I .- Analyses of the Steels Obtained on One Shift.

T.C. Si. Mn. S. P.

e a ts Nos. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent-

9139 0.23 0.35 1.72 0.052 0.075

9140 0 .2 2 0.27 1.64 0.046 0.076

9141 0 .2 2 0.31 1.68 0.044 0.075

9142 0.2 4 0.27 1.64 0.038 0.072

9143 0 .2 2 0.32 1.64 0.042 0.068

9144 0.23 0.26 1.50 0.036 0.067

9145 0 .2 2 0.27 1.58 0.038 0.069

9146 0 .2 2 0.24 1.60 0.036 0.068

9147 0.23 0.29 1.52 0.038 0.066

9148 0.21 0.27 1.60 0.032 0.067

9149 0.23 0.28 1.60 0.032 0.066

9150 0 .2 1 0.29 1.62 0.036 0.063

9151 0 .2 2 0.28 1.70 0.030 0.064

9152 0 .2 2 0.23 1.46 0.038 0.064

9153 0.21 0.25 1.46 0.040 0.062

9154 0 .2 1 0.25 • 1.42 0.036 0.059

9155 0.21 0.32 1.54 0.034 0.057

9156 0.21 0.24 1.54 0.032 0.058

9157 0.2 1 0.23 1.42 0.018 0.058

9158 0.2 1 0.30 1.46 0.038 0.057

9159 0 .2 2 0.29 1.60 0.036 0.059

9160 0.2 1 0.24 1.38 0.036 0.057

9161 0 .2 2 0.28 1.50 0.028 0.057

9162 0.2 1 0.28 1.46 0.030 0.058

9163 0.2 1 0.33 1.50 0.028 0.058

9164 0.23 0.27 1.52 0.028 0.060

9165 0.2 1 0.32 1.48 0.026 0.061

9166 0.21 0.29 1.44 0.026 0.059

9167 0 .2 2 0.30 1.44 0.028 0.061

9168 0 .2 2 0.29 1.44 0.026 0.069

9169 0.2 1 0.31 1.42 0.028 0.058

9170 0.23 0.25 1.46 0.028 0.059

9171 0.21 0.34 1.64 0.026 0.059

9172 0.23 0.27 1.50 0.026 0.061

9173 0 .2 2 0.37 1.48 0.028 0.060

9174 0.24 0.27 1.44 0.024 0.060

9175 0.23 0.35 1.44 0.030 0.059

w ith firebrick, an d gave an average su lp h u r co n ten t o f 0.0367 per cent. T he subsequent heats w ere d esul

phu rised in ladles lined with basic m aterial, and gave an average su lp h u r co n ten t of 0.0272 p e r cent.

A ssum ing th a t the iron used in the la tter heats had an original su lp h u r content o f 0.13 per cent., th ere was a su lp h u r elim in atio n o f 79 per cent. T h e high su lp h u r co n te n t o f the iro n p ro d u ced by the process is th erefo re n o t necessarily detrim ental; in fact, steel

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Side-blown Converter Plants

h as been p ro d u ced with a su lp h u r c o n te n t below 0 .02 per cent.

Duration o f the Blow

T h e ro tary m ixers w ere n ot ready to o p erate w hen the p lan t w as started up, an d fo r a tim e steel was m ade in the n o rm a l T ro p en a s m an n er, using a p r o p o rtio n of pig-iron an d ferro-silicon in th e cu p o la to give iro n w ith u pw ards o f 1 per cent, o f silicon.

W ith these charges, the c o n v erter blow s lasted an average o f 18 m in. W hen the ro ta ry m ixers w ere bro u g h t into use w ith iro n s low in silicon, the average du ratio n o f the blow was reduced to 11 m in. T he im m ediate result w as th at two co n v erters instead of

m ixers w ere p u t into o p e ra tio n p ro v id ed confirm ation.

Silica sand w as th en in tro d u c ed in the e m p ty converter b efo re th e liquid iro n , so as to p ro v id e th e SiO, re q u ire d to b alan ce the oxides. N o t o nly did this a d d itio n o f sand stop u n d u e c o rro s io n , b u t it im proved the life o f the linings re m a rk a b ly . W h en operating the p lan t in the n o rm a l T ro p e n a s m an n e r, the inner linings o f the c o n v erter gave an average life o f 60 heats w ith o u t patch in g . W h en u sin g low -silicon irons to g eth e r w ith a san d a d d itio n , th e in n e r linings made up o f b rick s fro m the sam e so u rce a n d also w ithout p atch in g gave an average life o f o ver 200 heats. This in creased life o f th e linings, h o w ev er, is p a rtly attri

b u tab le to th e re d u ce d blow in g tim e.

T o a scertain th e effect o f sa n d a d d itio n s on the c o m p o sitio n o f the slags, sam ples w ere tak en during the c o n v erter o p e ra tio n in a n o th e r fo u n d ry where

Ta b l e IV .— Metal and Slay Analyses during the Blow (Tropenas Plant).

Converter charge : C 2.54, Si 1.46, S 0.079, P 0.047, Mn 0.27 per cen t.; 75 cwt. T em perature of iron : 1,280 deg. C.

T otal blowing tim e, 48 min.

Time from commencement of blow—

11 min. 18 min. 28 min. 37 min.

Finish of blow.

Analysis of m etal :

C, per cent. 2 .6 6 2.44 2.18 1.38 0.05

Si, per cent. 1.26 1.08 0 .50 0 .3 4 0.08

Mn, per cent. 0.19 0.15 0 .08 0.0 6 0.03

S, per cent. . . . .. 0.078 0.070 0.067 0.059 0.054

P, per cent. 0.047 0.050 0.052 0.049 0.045

Analysis of slag :

Silica., per cent. 38.1 40.95 46.15 55.35 66.65

Ferrous oxide, per cent. 5 4.5 52.28 47.61 37.67 27.09

Alumina, per cent. 3 .9 3 .20 2 .80 3.70 3.60

Manganous oxide, per cent. 3 .29 3 .36 3 .36 3.07 3.39

Lime, per cent. 0 .50 0 .40 0 .30 0 .30 0.30

Magnesia, per cent. Trace Trace Trace Trace Trace

Tem perature (immersion thermocouple), deg. C. . . 1,310 1,370 1,560 1,685 1,690

th ree w ere ab le to feed the fo u n d ry w ith the req u isite a m o u n t o f steel, an d this added flexibility w as a cco m panied by a red u ctio n in the lab o u r cost.

Slagging

A fa v o u re d deo x id a tio n p ro ced u re in c o n v erter fo u n d ries is to rem ove the b ulk o f the slag fro m the co n v erter befo re an y deoxidising a g en t is in tr o d uced in to the b ath . W hen high-silicon iro n s are used, co n v erter slags are heavy an d th e re m o v a l o f the slag is a slow an d difficult o p e ratio n . W ith low - silicon iro n there is less slag, it is less viscous an d its rem oval is b oth easier a n d faster.

Converter Linings

It w as realised th a t w ith low -silicon iro n s there w ould be alm o st no S i 02 p ro d u ced , a n d th a t the c o n v erter linings w ere likely to be a tta c k e d severely by m etallic oxides. T h e first few blow s a fte r the

high-silicon iro n s are used a n d the p lan t is such th a t the c o n v erter o p e ra tio n is o f long d u ra tio n . These 4 m etal an d slag analyses are re co rd e d in T ab le IV.

It is interestin g to c o m p a re these re su lts w ith samples 31 o f slag tak en fro m one o f the c o n v erters o f the plant o p e ra tin g ' the new system (see T a b le V ). It will be n o ted th a t in the case o f the n o rm a l T ro p e n a s plant there is a c o n stan t deficiency o f SiO . to ba lan ce the ^ oxides until the o p e ratio n is w ell ad v an ced , which is n o t the case w ith low -silico n iro n s w h en ’ a sand a d d itio n has been m ade to th e c o n v erter. It is also n o tew o rth y in T a b le IV th a t the fo rm a tio n o f FeO to and M nO is p ractica lly in stan ta n eo u s ; th e re fo re the tim ely presence o f a sufficiency o f SiO a in th e slag nam ely, a t the beginning o f the blow , is a ll im portant"

M etallic Loss

E»

It was ex p ected th a t iro n s low in silicon an d m a n ganese an d blow n in sh o rte r tim e w ou ld n o t be

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AUGUST 24. 1944 f o u n d r y t r a d e j o u r n a l 333 subject to the sam e a m o u n t o f m etallic loss as is

encountered in n o rm al side-blow n converters. T his an ticip atio n was verified in practice. W hen w orked in the T ro p en a s m an n er, the blow ing loss in the converter was a b o u t 9 per cent., w hich co m p ared favourably w ith the average m etallic loss th ro u g h o u t the c o untry. W ith low -silicon irons and reduced blow ing time the m etallic loss in the converter, checked as carefu lly as possible over a n u m b er of heats, averages betw een 5 and 6 per cent. N o m etallic loss is experienced in the ro ta ry m ixers.

Phosphorus

It is a w ell-know n fa ct in c o n v erter fo u n d ries th at, despite the care w hich is tak en , w ro u g h t o r cast iron occasionally finds its w ay in to the cu p o la charges.

M oreover, the p h o sp h o ru s c o n te n t o f steel scrap can

T a b l e V.—Slag Analysis during the Blow (Low-Silicon Iron).

Converter charge : C 2.7, Si 0.2, Mn 0.35 per c e n t.;

70 cwt. Sand (70 lb.) p ut into the converter prior to the introduction of the iron. Total blowing tim e : 14 min.

Time from commencement of blow—■

2 min. 4 min. 6 min. 8 min. 14 min.

S i02 55.4 54.2 54.0 56.0 60.0

A1203 3 .6 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.1

FeO 23.2 25.7 25.1 25.2 22.5

F e203 7 .5 4.1 4.7 4.0 3.3

MnO 10.1 1 2.2 1 2.0 10.9 10.7

T a b l e V I.— Physical Properties of Three of the Heats Obtained.

Clover-leaf test-blocks treated a t 940 deg. C. for £ hour and air-cooled.

A nalyses. Physical properties.

Yield M axi

point. mum Elastic Elonga R educ Brinell

Heats C. Si. Mn. S. P. Tons stress. ratio. tion. tion of Izod value. h ard

Nos. Per Per Per Per Per per Tons Per Per area. Ft.-lb. ness

cent. cent. cent. cent. cent. sq. per cent. cent. Per cent. No.

in. sq. in:

Î 2 7 .2 39.6 68 22 26.31 25, 26, 30—27 1

8131 0 .2 0 0.27 1.26 0.032 0.064 ■I 27.2 40.0 68 27 43.41 41, 42, 43—42 >163

[ 2 7 .2 40.0 68 26 36.56 33, 33, 33—33 J

f 24.8 36.0 69 30 43.41 46, 46, 46—46

8129 0.19 0.27 1.08 0.034 0.063 ■i 25.8 36.0 72 31 40.72 44, 51, 46—47 >156

[ 2 5 .6 36.0 71 30 43.41 46, 44, 45—45

J

f 26.8 37.2 72 28 42.07 40, 40, 43—41

8119 0.19 0.33 1.23 0.040 0.064 ^ 26.0 37.2 71 29 43.41 46, 48, 47—47 >156

[ 2 6 .4 39.6 66 27 36.56 37, 37, 37—37

J

vary co nsiderably, p a rticu la rly in a p lan t like the one under review w hich has to w ork w ith unselected scrap.

In such con d itio n s, the p h o sp h o ru s c o n te n t o f the final steel can som etim es be very high, an d w hen this plant w as w o rk ed in th e T ro p e n a s m an n e r the final steel o ccasionally show ed a p h o sp h o ru s c o n te n t well above 0.1 p er cent. T hese fluctuations in the p h o s

phorus c o n te n t have been levelled o u t by the m ixers and, as w ill b e seen fro m T ab le III, th e p h o sp h o ru s variation in the steel pro d u ced is extrem ely sm all after the first few heats.

Bvetry day the first few h e ats tap p ed fro m the cu p o la show a h ig h er p h o sp h o ru s conitent th a n during the rem ain d er of the day. T h e p h en o m en o n is ex plained by the p h o sp h o ru s pick-up fro m th e ash of th e initial coke charge (the p h o sp h o ru s c o n te n t o f the coke being 03 per cent.). T h ere is, how ever, a m ore im p o rtan t aspect to the q u e stio n o f p h o sp h o ru s co n ten t. A ttem ptf

to d e p h o sp h o rise iro n in the cu p o la in the presence of silicon a n d m anganese have failed, as selective o x id a

tio n o f these elem en ts takes place b efore any im pres

sion is m ade on the p h o sp h o ru s. W hen using all-steel charges in th e cu p o la, how ever, the silicon and m a n ganese co n te n ts o f th e iron are negligible and co n d i

tions are fulfilled w herein deph o sp h o ri sad on in the cu p o la becom es th eo retically possible, provided th at a basic lining is used. •Experim ental w ork in this direc

tio n is in hand.

Physical Properties o f the Steels Obtained T he typical test results given in T able V I w ill e n able the physical pro p erties o f the steels m ade by this process to be co m p a red w ith sim ilar steels m ade by o th er m ethods.

( C o n tiw ^ d overleaf, co lu m n 1.)

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334 F O U N D R Y T R A D E JO U R N A L AU G U ST 24, 1944 D E V E L O P M E N T S IN T H E D E S IG N A N D

USE OF S ID E - B L O W N C O N V E R T E R P L A N T S (C o n tin u ed fr o m p revio u s page.)

Credits and D ebits

T h e ad v an tag es o f th e p ro cess m ay b e su m m arised as follow :— (1) E lim in a tio n o f h e m atite an d fe rro - silicon fro m the cu p o la c harges; (2) re d u ce d c o n su m p tio n o f ferro -silico n in the con v erters; (3) a p p rec ia b le red u ctio n o f blow ing loss in co n v e rter; (4) in cre ased flexibility an d p ro d u c tio n th ro u g h re d u ctio n in b lo w ing and slagging tim e; (5) lon g er life of c o n v erter linings; (6) less v a ria tio n in p h o sp h o ru s c o n te n ts an d in final steel analyses; (7) m o re c o n tin u ity in c u p o la o p e ratio n ; a n d (8) red u ced q u a n tity of c o n v e rter slag an d easier rem oval.

Tihe process h as the fo llow ing disadvantages w hich m ust n ot be o v erlo o k e d :— (1) C o n sid e rab le in crease in cap ital ex p en d itu re due to the cost o f the m ixers an d the provision o f a heavy c ran e to c h a n g e the m ixer bodies; (2) h eav ier stru c tu re needed to su p p o rt this crane an d larg e r a rea re q u ire d by the m elting plant; (3) higher coke ra tio s needed in the c u p o la fo r m elting all-steel ch arg es; (4) g re ate r w ear o n cu p o la refracto ries; (5) ex tra la b o u r and upkeep e n ta ile d by the o p e ratio n o f th e m ixers; an d (6) fuel a n d lining costs o f the m ixers.

In the p a rtic u la r p la n t u n d e r review , the item s of increased co st a re m o re th a n offset by th e savings due to ch ea p er charges, re d u ce d m etallic loss a n d im p roved p e rfo rm a n ce o f c o n v e rte r re fra c to ries. T h e m ain p u rp o se o>f th e u n co n v en tio n a l design, n am ely, the co n serv atio n o f h em a tite iro n , has been fully achieved.

Acknowledgm ents

T h is re co rd rep resen ts w o rk c a rrie d o u t over several years an d has led to th e fo rm a tio n o f a S u b -C o m m ittee o n Side-B low n C o n v e rte r P ra ctice (rep o rtin g to the Steel C astings R esearch C o m m ittee) w hich is c o n tinuing the investigations. A cknow ledgm ent is m ade to this Sub-C om m ittee fo r in fo rm atio n c o n ta in ed in T ab les II an d VI.

T echnical developm ents are freq u en tly th e result of co m b in ed efforts a n d in th e case o f the p ro cess o u t

lined this is p a rtic u la rly true. A m ong the c o n trib u tors, special referen ce m u st be m ade to D r. T . P.

C o lclough a n d M r. S. L. B engtson, w ith o u t w h o m the process w ou ld never hav e been estab lish ed . A g reat deal h as b een due to the energy o f M r. P. H . W ilson an d th e e n th u siasm o f his staff, M r. W. R o u tled g e, M r. H. Sm ith, M r. S. S pray an d , last b u t n o t least, M r. J. T ow nsend. D r. T. Sw inden a n d the staff o f tihe U n ited Steel C o m p a n ie s’ R e se a rc h L a b o ra to ry , in p a rtic u la r, M r. W . W. S tevenson, h av e given v a lu ab le help an d g uidance. O th e r n o tab le c o n trib u tio n s have b een m ad e by M r. W . K . Bird, M r. C. W . D.

T ow nsend, M r. F. C o u san s, D r. A. C ro ss, D r. J.

R ait, the late M r. S. J. H ew itt, M r. T . H. S kelton, M r.

J. G ib b , the staffs o f th e B ritish G ast Iro n R esearch A sso ciatio n an d H. A. B ra ssert & C o m p an y , L im ited, a n d m an y o th ers too n u m ero u s to m en tio n .

IR O N F O U N D R Y FUEL N E W S —XVII

N u m b ers of fo u n d ries visited on b e h alf o f the R egional P anels o f the Iro n fo u n d in g In d u stry Fuel C o m m ittee have been fo u n d to be o p e ratin g mould an d co re-d ry in g stoves w ith d o o rs o f o rd in ary sheet steel— n o t in sulated in an y w ay. Such d o o rs allow, of course, a c o n sid era b le a m o u n t o f h e at to be lost by c o n d u ctio n th ro u g h th em . T o one foundrym an w ho d o u b ted the im p o rta n ce o f this loss, it was quite a sim ple m a tte r to p rove th at the a m o u n t of coke he had to b u rn to supply the h e at lost th ro u g h one of his m o u ld drying stove d o o rs, size 10 ft. by 8 ft., am o u n te d to a t least 5 cwts. p er week.

W here do o rs are c o n stru cted o f single steel sheets braced w ith angle iron on the outside it is a simple m atte r to face the d o o r w ith m o re sheets and to fill the in terv en in g space w ith slag w ool. A lternatively, d o o rs can readily be lagged w ith p ro p rie ta ry insu

lating b o ard s. A t one fo u n d ry on the N o rth-E ast C o ast the stove d o o rs w ere in su lated w ith blocks m ade fro m a m ix tu re o f co k e breeze an d cement.

W hile the use o f coke breeze fo r this p urpose may, p erh ap s, be open to q u estio n , th ere is no d o u b t that the a m o u n t o f fuel used in the b lo ck s w as recovered in increased efficiency in a m a tte r o f w eeks, o r even of days.

FUEL SA VIN G BY EC O N O M Y IN W A T E R C O N SU M P T IO N

F u el can be saved by red u cin g the po w er required to p um p w ater a t the w aterw o rk s a n d in the factory. „ T h is can be acco m p lish ed :— (1) By finding o u t how m uch an d w here the w ater is used; (2) by reducing the c o n su m p tio n to a m in im u m : an d (3) by reducing the h e ad a t w hich the w ater is p u m p ed to a m inim um , and by m ain tain in g a ll pu m p s in g o o d order.

T o do th is:— (1) K eep d rin k in g w ater clean and cool;

(2) use the ch eap est so u rce o f w a te r in lavatories if m ore th an one source is av ailab le; (3) use the same w ater as m an y tim es as possible; (4) in sert orifices in cooling m ains to allo w o nly the re q u ire d q u an tity to pass; (5) fit b o o ste r p u m p s to su p p ly sm all users of high pressure w a ter; (6) m ain tain pipes and plan t in a clean co n d itio n .

CA STIN G S y. W E L D IN G S

A n article by M r. L. F. W illiam s, a ssista n t secre

tary , C o o p e r B essem er C o rp o ra tio n , M o u n t V ernon, O h io , p rin ted in th e “ Iro n A ge.” c a rrie s the follow ing in tro d u c to ry p a ra g ra p h :— '“ In the m a n u fa c tu re of Diesel engine c o m p o n e n ts fro m w elded steel fa b ricated bo th wiitihiin an d w ith o u t its ow n sh o p s, this com pany has been abile to co m p a re fa c to ry co sts w ith those o f c o m p a ra b le p a rts m ach in ed fro m M e e h an ite c ast

ings, and h a s fo u n d them very m u ch in fa v o u r o f cast

ings, w hen p ro d u c tio n runs a re m o d e ra te ” T he a u th o r ’s figure is th a t w eldings a re 330 per c en t m ore costly.