M a y , 1921
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D L ’ S T R I A L A ATD E N G I N E E RI X G CH E M I S T R Y
“Clays, Their Occurrence, Properties and Uses,” by Dr. H. Ries (John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1914), is an excellent book which touches only lightly on the technology of clay wares. I t is best adapted for the advanced student who has had sufficient preparation in the sciences to secure the largest benefit from its pages. “The Pottery Industry” (U. S. Department of Commerce, Miscellaneous Series 21, 1915) contains a wealth of material on the technology, economics, and other phases of the pottery industry in this country, &gland, Germany, and Austria. It is largely statistical. “Burning of Clay Wares,” by Ellis Lovejoy (T.A. Randall and Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1920). The treatment of the subject is very thorough. A large amount of space is given to the discussion of kilns, their construction and operation. It is a very useful book. “The Collected Writings of Herman Seger,” translated by the American Ceramic Society (Chemical Publishing Co.. Easton, Pa., 1902), is a collection of papers on the technology of clay wares which are of value to one who has had an adequate preparation in the sciences. The 1.J. S. Bureau of Standards, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, the U. S.Geological Survey and many state Geological Surveys publish frequent papers dealing with clays and clay products.
Glass and Glass Manufacture By E. W. Washburn During the war much publicity was given to the subject of optical glass. Important as such special glasses are, however, they form an almost insignificant portion of the whole glass industry, which in 1920 numbered 369 factories in the United States. As an introduction to the subject of glass technology, Marston’s excellent little book, “Glass and Glass Manufacture” (Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Ltd., New York), may be recommended. This work, after a short historical introduction, discusses in simple nontechnical language the main facts concerning the physics and chemistry of glass and glass making, together with a description of the manufacturing processes as carried out in England and on the Continent. American methods are, however, not touched upon by Marston, and unfortunately there is not as yet any book on the subject which can be recommended as giving an adequate discussion of American methods. The nearest approach to such a book may perhaps be found in the material included in Fettke’s “Glass Manufacture and the Glass Sand Industry” (Topographic and Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, Report 12, 1919), and Palmer’s “The Glass Industry” (U. s. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Report 60, 1917). The latter publication contains an excellent bibliography of 460 selected titles dealing with glass. The most up-to-date and scientific treatise in the English language on glass technology is probably Rosenhain’s “Glass Manufacture” (Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 1919). The physical properties of glass and their ,application to the manufacture of glass apparatus and instruments are discussed by Hovestadt in his “Jena Glass,” translated by J. D. and A. Everatt (Macmillan and Co., New York, 1902).
Vitreous Enamels By C. W. Parmelee “Materials and Methods Used in the Manufacture of &amelled Cast Iron Wares,” by H. F. Staley (Technologic Paper 142), and “Enamels for Sheet Iron and Steel,” by J. B. Shaw (Technologic Paper 165), both published by the U. S. Bureau of
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Standards, are the most useful discussions of the subjects which we have. “Raw Materials of the Enamel Industry,” by Julius Griinwald, translated by H. H. Hodge (Chas. Griffin and Co., Ltd., London, 1914), and “The Theory and Practice of Enamelling on Iron and Steel,” by the same author and translator (Griffin and Co.), should also be mentioned. “Enamels and Enamelling,” by Paul Randau, translated by Chas. Salter (Scott Greenwood and Son, London, 2nd Ed., 1912), contains some material relating to special enamels for watch dials, jewelry, etc., which are not discussed in the books previously mentioned.
Refractories By E. W.Washburn It has been said that the “future industrial success of any country will largely depend upon the extent to which i t develops high-temperature processes.” Refractory articles, crucibles, retorts, fire brick, furnace parts, etc., are a prime necessity to all high-temperature manufacturing processes. The metallurgical industries, the gas and coke industry, and all of the ceramic industries are large consumers of refractory products. Searle’s “Refractory Materials, Their Manufacture and Uses” (Lippincott and Co., Philadelphia, 1917) is the most recent book in this field, but deals more particularly with British practice. Havard’s “Refractories and Furnaces” (McGrawHill Book Co., New York, 1912) is especially valuable for its treatment of metallurgical refractories. Ross’s “Silica Refractories” (U. S. Bureau of Standards, Technologic Pq5er 116) gives a good description of the chemistry and manufacturing methods of this important group of refractories. A survey of the field with reference to the scientific problems which i t presents i s given in National Research Council Circular 3 (National Research Council, Washington, 1919).
Cements, Limes and Plasters By R. K. Hursh “Constitution of the Hydraulic Mortars,” H. LeChatelier, translated by J. F. March (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1905). The researches of this author, published first in 1877, represent some of the most significant work in the studies of the constitution of portland cement. He introduced microscopic methods which have since become of great importance in the investigation of this field. The work is now largely of historical interest. “Manufacture of Hydraulic Cements,” by A. V. Bleininger (Geological Survey of Ohio, Bulletin 3, 4th Series, 1904). The nature of the raw materials and the properties of natural and pozzolana cements are taken up in the first chapters of the report. A resume of the previous investigations into the nature of portland cement, the methods of compounding cement mixtures, and experimental studies on the limits of composition by the author are followed by a discussion of manufacturing and burning processes and equipment and methods of testing the finished cement. “The Chemistry and Testing of Cement,” by C. H. Desch (Longmans, Green and Co., New York, 1911). This book includes a brief history of the development of calcareous cements, a discussion of the materials used, the chemical components and the mineral constitution, the processes of setting and hardening of lime, plaster, and calcareous silicate cements, the physical properties of portland cement, and of concretes and artificial stones. Reference is made to the earlier work of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution, but con-
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siderable development has been made in our knowledge of the constitution and setting reactions of portland cement since the book was written. “Portland Cement,” by R. K. Meade (The Chemical Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 2nd edition, 1911), is a brief resume of the development of the portland cement industry in the United States, followed by a discussion of the nature and composition of cement in which reference is made to the more significant researches up to the time of writing. It includes the more important conclusions with reference to the constitution of portland cement developed by the work of Shepherd and Rankin a t the Geophysical Laboratory on the ternary system CaO-Al20a-SiOZ. The limits of composition, the proportioning of mixtures and the characteristics of typical raw materials are discussed a t length. The main part of the book is devoted to manufacturing processes, descriptions of machinery and equipment, and the operation of rotary kilns. There is also an extensive discussion of the analysis and testing of raw materia’s and finished cement. “The Portland Cement Industry,” by W. A. Brown (D. Van Nostrand Co., 1917), deals with the design and equipment of modern portland cement plants from the standpoint of the engineer, beginning with quarry practice. The types of crushing, grinding, screening, and conveying machinery, their construction, operation, and capacities are discussed in a clear but concise manner. The rotary kiln and fuel for cement burning are briefly discussed. The selection of power-plant equipment for cement
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plants is given considerable attention. A chapter on costs and cost keeping is included. The equipment of several commercial plants is described and finally the standard tests are discussed somewhat briefly. “Portland Cement Resources of Illinois,” by A. V. Bleininger, E. F. Lewis and F. E. Layman (Illinois Geological Survey. Bulletin 17, 1912). The report first takes up the raw materials for portland cement and the function of various constituents, the composition of the mixture and methods of correcting defects of clinker and cement. The mechanical equipment of cement plants and manufacturing processes are briefly considered. The results of a survey of the limestone and clay resources of the state complete the report. “Hydration of Portland Cement,” by A. A. Klein and A. J. Phillips (U. S. Bureau of Standards, Technologic Paper 43, 1914). The various silicates and aluminates found to exist in portland cement have been carefully prepared, and their behavior during hydration has been studied under various conditions both separately and in mixtures. The results on the single compounds and on cements show the processes of hydration and setting clearly. It is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of portland cement. “The Constituents of Portland Cement Clinker” (1915), and “Portland Cement” (1916), both by G. A. Rankin, constitute Publications 218 and 244, respectively, of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. They deal especially with thq physical chemistry of the subject and present fully the present state of our knowledge of this field.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE The Industrial Fellowships of the Mellon Institute The eighth annual report of the Director of the Mellon Institute, Dr. Raymond F. Bacon, covers the activities and progress of the industrial fellowship system during the year ending February 28, 1921. I n discussing the growth of the system, Dr. Bacon says: The Mellon Institute has never aspired to largeness in size. The policy is to devote its funds to improving the quality of its work rather than to increasing the quantity thereof. Indeed, since the number of Industrial Fellowships in operation is limited by the number of men on the Institute’s Administrative Staff and by the Institute’s housing space, it has been required during the past year to decline temporarily several technologic investigations of importance, offered by some of the strongest corporations in the country, owing to the fact that the Institute is a t present filled to capacity. There are now 48 Industrial Fellowships, and several additional Fellowships will begin operation just as soon as the necessary facilities can be provided. It may be noted here that there has been in the last few years a real scarcity of men of demonstrated research ability, and the Mellon Institute adheres to the policy of starting a new work only as qualified scientific investigators are available. The following table presents the number of Industrial Fellowships which have been founded in the Institute from March to March of each year, 1911 to 1921; the number of Industrial Fellows (research chemists and engineers) who have been employed thereon; and the total amounts of money contributed for their maintenance by the Industrial Fellowship donors (industrialists and associations of manufacturers). March to March
1911-1912 1912-1913 1913-1914 1914-1915 1916-1916 1916-1917 1917-1918 1918-1919 1919-1920 1920-1921
Number of Fellowships 11
16 21
21 36 42 42 47 47 48
Number of Fellows
24 30 37 32 63 65 64 77 83 83
Total Foundation Sums
39,700 54,300 78,400 61,200 126,800 149,100 172 000 238:245 293,680 320,848
$
PUBLICATION OF RESEARCHES
I n the long run, an industrial research establishment must be known by the successful commercial processes which it has inaugurated and by the published accounts of the inquiries conducted under its auspices. It is of prime importance to the progress of science and technology to transmit as soon as possible after their completion trustworthy records of methods, theories, achievements, and even of errors and failures. In illustration of this function of the Institute it seems fitting to present here a list of the contributions from the Institute during the past nine years. Books
Year
Published during Year .. 1
.. . .. . . ... ..... . .. . . .. . .. .. . . . .. .. .. .. .... . . . .. ..
1912... 1913. . 1914. , . . . . . 1915... . . . . . . . . 1916......, . , , 3 1917.. , . . . . 1918.. . . . 1919 . . .. .. 1920... . . .. . . . .. 2
.. .. . .
Reports of Researches Published during Year
Other Scientific Papers Published during Year*
United States Pat ent s Issued during Year
13 20 17 10 18
3 10 3 11 4
14 34 23 36
5
7 22 20 35
8 17 48
27 37 17
.. ..
1 The papers enumerated related principally t o the scope, value, and administration of industrial research, and t o the general consideration of techno-chemical problems.
The research findings of the Institute’s Industrial Fellowships are released for publication in accordance with the agreements governing their operation. It is now realized by industrialists that the methods of science are the most effective procedures thus far developed for the advancement of technology and that accordingly scientific investigation is an essential economic adjunct to manufacturing enterprises. This understanding of the meaning and value of research, of the importance of utilizing available and advancing knowledge, has emphasized to a degree not hitherto attained in the history of industry the perils of ignorance and destructive competition. It has indicated clearly the necessity for sympathetic cooperation in the exchange of information. The encouragement of research and the rqcognition of the desirability of disseminating the knowledge gained are indeed among the most noteworthy signs of the times. The evolution from an era of industrial secrecy has been remarkably rapid, but all evolutionary processes are secular and proceed with a leisurely disregard of individuals.
