partments of missiles, and for jet engine compressor blades and disks. Major use for the metal was in nonstructural applications, such as nuclear reactors and weapons, inertial guidance components, heat sinks, and optical systems of space craft. Up to now, utilization of beryllium as a structural material for production components has been almost nil. This should change now, and, according to George S. Mikhalapov, president of Brush Beryllium, "Beryllium is coming into its own as a structural material —always believed to be beryllium's ultimate market." Also, he says, "Severe design limitations once associated with beryllium no longer exist, and beryllium must now be considered for a wide range of structural applications in the aerospace field as well as in other fields."
BERYLLIUM SPACER. Component for Minuteman missiles is made of beryllium and weighs less than 17 pounds. Brush Beryllium fabricates the part under a $2 million contract from the Lycoming division of Avco Corp.
Beryllium Gains as a Structural Material Brush Beryllium signs a contract with Avco to make spacers for Minuteman missiles on a production basis Beryllium is gaining a foothold as a structural material. The metal is now going into production use in a structural component of Minuteman missiles. Brush Beryllium recently signed a contract, valued at more than $2 million, with the Lycoming division of Avco Corp., Stratford, Conn., for the production of beryllium spacers for the Minuteman. The spacer component connects the guidance and control compartment of the missile with its re-entry vehicle. The beryllium component's 16.65pound weight is less than half that of its aluminum predecessor, Brush says. Because there were problems in fabricating structural components of beryllium it has taken a long time for the metal to become established as a material for components made on a production basis. But recently developed fabrication techniques for beryllium, such as chemical milling, forging, and brazing, have opened the way for its acceptance. An important technical advance that
made the beryllium spacer for the Minuteman economically possible is the ring-rolling technique. The technique was developed cooperatively by Brush Beryllium and Ladish Co., Cudahy, Wis. The spacer's cylindrical shell is fabricated by machining a heavy-wall ring from a hot-pressed block of beryllium. It is then ringrolled close to its final dimensions and machined to exact specifications. Another critical aspect in the spacer program was development of a way to join the beryllium structure to the adjacent metal whlei accommodating the high thermal strain involved when two dissimilar metals are put into high temperature use. This was accomplished by using an adapter ring of stainless steel, which permits the two parts to expand freely while still transmitting the applied leads. Structural Parts. In 1963, only small amounts of beryllium metal were used in structural components—in such areas as prototypes for the Minuteman spacer, the guidance and control com-
Other Areas. This year the outlook for beryllium in other areas is somewhat mixed. The Department of Agriculture, through the Commodity Credit Corp., barters surplus agricultural products with foreign countries in exchange for beryllium and beryllium-copper master alloy for the supplemental stockpile, Last year, about 80 tons of beryllium was delivered and this completed the contract for vacuum cast ingot, unless the Government extends the barter agreement. Outlook for increased use of beryllium in nuclear reactors doesn't look too bright, and beryllium consumption in this area will probably decline. Beryllium oxide, however, shows promise as a moderator and reflector in reactors. The use of beryllium in alloys should increase. Beryllium-copper alloys have conductivity and corrosion resistance coupled with good heat treatability and strength that can't be duplicated by other alloys. Also, berylliumaluminum alloys now under investigation are showing promise of use in structural applications. In 1963, consumption of berylliumcopper products increased by about 5%. This growth should continue because of the trend toward miniaturization of components and the need for higher-strength, more highly conductive materials in electrical and electronic applications. For instance, beryllium-copper use by the auto industry is increasing as the industry moves toward longer guaranty periods for parts and because of increased use of automatic equipment. FEB.
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Carolina Nitrogen's Fertilizer Plant on Stream Ammonia for new $10 million plant at Wilmington, N.C., is imported from Trinidad W. R. Grace's 75%-owned Carolina Nitrogen Corp. now has its nitrogen fertilizer plant in operation. The new $10 million plant, at Wilmington, N.C., makes prilled ammonium nitrate, ammonium nitrate-limestone, and nitrogen fertilizer solutions from ammonia brought in from Trinidad. The plant includes a 380 ton-perday, single-train nitric acid plant, and facilities for making 480 tons of ammonium nitrate, 250 tons of prilled ammonium nitrate or ammonium nitrate-limestone, and 600 tons per day of nitrogen solutions. Chemical Construction Co. handled engineering and construction of the plant. There is a good possibility that more plants of this type may be built in the U.S. and Europe. Natural gas is extremely cheap in Trinidad and some other locations in the Caribbean, North Africa, and the Near East. The recent development of improved tankers for carrying liquefied ammonia makes it economical to make ammonia at sites where gas is cheap and markets limited, and ship it to conversion plants in coastal areas with big nitrogen fertilizer markets. Special ammonia tankers will eventually carry ammonia from the plant of W. R. Grace's affiliate company Federation Chemicals, Ltd., in Trinidad. The first of two sister ships (9000-ton capacity) was launched early this year in the Netherlands (C&EN, Jan. 13, page 37). Ammonia is unloaded at the Carolina Nitrogen plant into a refrigerated storage tank which can hold 20,000 tons of liquid ammonia at —28° F. Marketing. W. R. Grace's place in the fertilizer industry is primarily that of a supplier of basic materials through its nitrogen products division and Davison Chemical division, which produces phosphatic fertilizer materials. Nevertheless, the company is very interested in marketing its fertilizer materials as close to the farmer as possible. Much of the nitrogen fertilizer material made in Grace's plants in Memphis, Tenn., and Big Spring, Tex., is sold for direct application through a network, of distributors. The company has a few plants for manufacturing complete fertilizers. 28
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The Wilmington area has a number of small independent manufacturers of mixed fertilizers. In order to pave the way into local markets, Grace arranged for local fertilizer companies to buy the minority interest in Carolina Nitrogen. The South Atlantic region of the U.S. has maintained consistently high consumption of nitrogen fertilizers for almost two decades. In 1962, consumption in the region was 496,289 tons (total N ) . By 1965, consumption should top 550,000 tons, according to Grace estimates.
Acquisitions Move Firms Into International Markets Three companies—Commercial Plastics, Richardson-Merrell, and Witco Chemical—are moving further into international markets through acquisitions. Commercial Plastics (Holland), N.V., has purchased a majority holding in Great Bay Chemicals and Plastics, Inc., East Brunswick, N.J. Great Bay was a wholly owned subsidiary of Gary Chemicals, Inc. Commercial Plastics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, says it plans to expand Great Bay's present marketing organization. New product lines will be added, based on processes and manufacturing technology supplied by the new owner. Witco Chemical's acquisition of Societe Anonyme des Produits Synthetiques, Adjubel, will help strengthen Witco's operations in Europe. The Belgian chemical firm, located at Lembecq-lez-Hal near Brussels, produces basic detergent chemicals as well as finished synthetic detergents. Witco, which makes and sells detergents and detergent chemicals in the U.S. and Canada, says the acquisition is another step in its plan to expand operations in Europe. Richardson-Merrell's Mexican subsidiary, Vick Mexico, S.A. de C.V., has bought Laboratories Picot, S.A., Mexico City. The purchase is part of Richardson-Merrell's international expansion program in ethical and proprietary drugs and chemicals. Picot, whose chief products are a nutritional supplement and a digestive remedy, will become a unit of Vick's international division. Richardson-Merrell says that Picot's production facilities will be enlarged and that its specialty products will be introduced in other market areas.
BRIEFS American Cyanamid has reduced prices on several of its ultraviolet light absorbers. Cyasorb UV 9 light absorber is now $4.20 per pound (reduced 55 cents a pound). Cyasorb UV 24 light absorber was reduced 75 cents per pound to $6.70. The price of Cyasorb UV 531 light absorber is $4.10 a pound, a reduction of 45 cents a pound.
Rohm & Haas cut the price on all quantities of its urethane catalyst tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) by 50 cents a pound. Drum quantities of TMEDA are now available at $2.50 per pound, f.o.b. Philadelphia, Pa. Drums of TMEDA are packaged in quantities of 325 pounds. TMEDA is used as a catalyst for the preparation of rigid polyurethane foams and for polyurethane elastomers.
Marco Chemical Corp., Linden, N.J., has purchased the Resi-Chem division of Raymond Chemical Co., Swanton, Ohio. Resi-Chem makes polyester resins. The purchase includes ResiChem's plant, equipment, trade names, personnel, and raw materials.
NEW FACILITIES Humble Oil & Refining Co. will build a hydrocracking unit at its Baton Rouge, La., refinery. Construction of the 12,200 barrel-per-day unit will begin later this year and is scheduled for completion in the last half of 1965. The hydrocracking process converts heavier petroleum liquids into highquality gasolines.
Providence Industries Association will build a 30,000-square-foot plastic products plant for Mehl Mfg. Co. at Providence, Ky. Mehl, Cincinnati, Ohio, is a subsidiary of Phillips Petroleum.
Brand Plastics Co., Torrance, Calif., has begun operation at its Medina, Ohio, polystyrene facility. Brand now makes general-purpose and impacttype polystyrenes at three sites: Willow Springs, 111., Torrance and Medina.
