TECHNOLOGY mate method, b u t is the only present means of placing reasonably large q u a n tities into military equipment, says P . J. Maddex, Titanium Metals Corp. of America. However, t h e present process is undergoing constant change, leading to better uniformity and greater quanti ties at lower cost. Titanium Metals is now expanding its plant at Henderson, Nev., to produce 10 tons of titanium daily. By their process, titanium tetrachlo ride is reduced with metallic m a g nesium. The tetrachloride is made b y starting with rutile, 9 5 % TiCX>, w h i c h is chlorinated in presence of carbon a t high temperature. After purification, the tetrachloride reacts in retorts with molten magnesium. Resulting sponge titanium is separated from excess metal lic magnesium and the magnesium chloride product, then melted in arc furnaces to make large ingots of tita nium or titanium alloys. Future for Fluorspar. The w o r l d looks to Europe to supply surplus d e mands for fluorspar, as already manifest by increased exports from Europe t o t h e U. S. and other countries, says Arnold H. Miller, consulting engineer. For t h e sake of national emergency it is impor tant to develop and equip fluorspar
EYE WASH FOUNTAINS A sort stream of water from op posite sides of M U R D O C K Eye wash hounte:ns bathes the eyes. Stop-cock (hand o p e r a t i o n ) selfclosing. Tw ο types: wall and pedestal. Made o f bronze and brass t o give years of unfail W A L L TYPE ing t r o u b l e - f r e e service. D e t a i l e d description and prices on request.
EMERGENCY SHOWERS For quick relief, a drenching downpour of water, through single or d o u b l e h e a d . M U R D O C K Showers have broad treadle (foot operation). Can be installed in unheated buildings, out doors. W i l l not freeze. ' Manufactured of brass and bronze. Last for years. Catalog and PEDESTAL prices upon request. TYPE 42 inches
The MURDOCK CO. 426 Plum St. Cincinnati 2. Ohio
MURDOCH 818
mines in the U. S. where mineral is of good grade, can be mined economically, and where mines are favorably situated. Deposits of this mineral in the U. S. have been largely explored and those within economic shipping radii are in production. Mexico is not situated well to supply the east coast of the U. S., while Canadian production is not large enough to be a factor. Deposits in South America do not present imposing potential possibilities. African deposits are a n unknown factor, except a mine near Durban, which ships to Japan. Deposits in Morocco and the near east are largely speculative; those in India, Korea, and China are good, but the economic outlook is not inviting. For many years Germany has been a leading producer and exporter, second to the U. S. in production. Mines of free Germany have an annual produc tion of 70,000 tons, but once German industrial production is in balance she will need all her own fluorspar. That mineral in northern Spain rates among the finest in the world, with the largest known deposit today at the mines of Caravia. About 58r/c is consumed by the steel industry as a slag conditioner in open hearth furnaces; 2 7 % is used in manu-
facture of hydrofluoric acid; 10% is used in manufacture of glass and enamel, and 57c in miscellaneous out lets. Fluorocarbons are rumored to have become an important factor as a sub stitute for fluorspar, with the largest experimenter Pennsylvania Salt Mfg. The company has indicated that it has not yet entered the field of pro duction. It is not likely that fluorocar bons will become a devastating compe tition—not at the present price of fluor spar. Underground Petroleum Fires. Sev eral petroleum companies have experi mented with underground fires in nat ural underground oil reservoirs to in crease reservoir temperatures to lower the resistance of flow of the oil. Bruce F. Grant and Stefan E. Szasz, Sinclair Research Laboratories, say their experi ments have proved that this can be accomplished b y cold gas injection. They have demonstrated "practically complete depletion of the oil-bearing formation in the heated area." Even heavy crude oil will be moved by the front edge of the heat wave for recovery before ignition temperatures are reached and oil is burned by the under ground fire.
Paper Needs "Synthetic Strength" Possibilities for chemistry in industry g r e a t e r than e v e r , meeting told . . . Nicholson a w a r d e d m e d a l N E W YORK.-Paper industry which has experienced phenomenal growth will have to fix its sights on lower costs in future in order to further expand its markets. For one thing, an additive is needed which will produce "synthetic strength/' said George Olmsted, Jr., at annual meeting of Technical Associa tion of Pulp and Paper Industry here. Long fiber is the expensive ingredi ent in paper-making in many areas, and their economy would be improved if they could use a greater proportion of short fiber from hard woods, or greater proportion of reclaimed paper stock, said Olmsted, who is president of S. D . Warren. Speaker saw "almost limitless fields" ahead for industry—paper to replace metal, for cotton cloth, for acetate film, for metal cans. Chemical possibilities are great, meeting was told, and this sort of thinking would permit them to utilize in some directions many fas cinating developments in resins, films, and techniques being produced in laboratories of chemical industries themselves. CHEMICAL
Meanwhile, paper consumption has expanded faster than nation's popula tion. In 1924 consumption was about 9 million tons and last year about 31 million tons. This in an increase of 240%, made in a period when popula tion was growing only 44%. "It's been done," he said, "by ingeniously substi tuting a web of paper for other mate rials and thus developing wholly new fields of consumption." Medal A w a r d e d . Olmsted was speaker at annual TAPPI luncheon which is occasion for presentation of its award each year for outstanding contributions in paper technology. Re cipient was Gunnar W. E. Nicholson, Union Bag & Paper. Citation said that the medal was in recognition of services given b y the recipient to tech nical advancement in pulp and paper industry. In his address, Nicholson urged ex tension of development and greater utilization of woods resources and mill wastes. TAPPI and the industry, he thought, should also explore more fully human relationships. Attainment of AND
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Just a small a m o u n t of Carlisle's Glyceryl M o n o O l e a t e b r e a k s t h e s t u b b o r n streak in most a i k y d resins . . . m a k e s t h e m c o m p a t ible with odorless solvents. "Tor outstanding contributions to paper industry technology," Gunnar W. E. Nicholson of Union Bag and Paper receives annual award of Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry from K. O. Elderkin, Bowaters Southern Paper, at New York meeting contented employees, he felt, was not a Utopian dream. They should also further the education of young men and women of promising calibre, even if they do not possess high school education and college degrees. Having thoroughly invaded such fields as textiles and plastics, fibrous glass is now a paper-making material. Papers containing suitable proportions of the fiber may b e expected to show superior thermal stability, shelf life, dimensional stability, chemical inertness, and filtration efficiency, says Thomas S. Chambers of Owens-Corning-Fiberglas. Glass-Paper Available. Speaker said t h e r e are indications that cellulose pulps show superior tear strength as tenting progresses if reinforced with chopped Fiberglas after beating. .Ability of glass product to enhance drainage characteristics of cellulose pulps and to dry rapidly are other advantages. Papers for electrical use, plastic impregnation, and efficient filtration, are now in production and should appear on the market at an early date. Work on Fiberglas-reinforced papers lias also been conducted by National Bureau of Standards. A paper by four researchers at the Bureau said that tensile strength of paper made entirely of glass fibers can b e increased to more than 300 pounds per square inch compared with tensile strengths of only 30 to 40 pounds per square inch, as first reported to TAPPI in 1952. Result is due t o control of p H value and certain changes in mechanical handling at mill. Increased crush resistance, subject of much research and study in industry, -was discussed during symposium on corrugated containers. Three formulas VOLUME
3 2,
NO.
9
for starch adhesives were taken up b y Claude H . Fletcher of Corn Products Sales. Prior treatment employed molten sulfur for impregnation, applied at temperature of 280° F., and which resulted in a pickup of about 50% o n one side only. Corrugating plants which have experimented with method have run into difficulties, speaker said. In first starch formula, the plant employed a viscosity system, with viscosities running b e tween 3 2 to 35 seconds, depending o n temperature. To water a t 100° F. a r e added p e a r l starch, previously dissolved caustic, then cold water for total of 202 gallons. Resin in Formula. Second formula was sought to obtain waterproof bond. To w a t e r , pearl starch, a n d caustic a r e added urea-formaldehyde, aluminum sulfate, and a preservative. Viscosity figure a i m e d at was 40 seconds. I n third formula, experimenters employed starch, caustic, borax, and bakélite resin, all of which were introduced at various stages, plus preservative. Effects of humidity on adhesive case seals was discussed at same symposium by W. Sederlund, National Starch Products. Loss of water through a b sorption, it was said, was more important t h a n loss through evaporation. Bond failure due to glue softening w a s a major problem, and high humidity may promote bacterial growth and molding. It was contended that resin adhesives generally withstand high humidity conditions. C. J. Zusi of Container Laboratories emphasized that various properties of container materials are not all affected in same manner. Further, it takes some time for paperboard to reach equilibrium. M A RCH
1, 1 9 5 4
Carlisle's Glyceryl M o n o O l e a t e is a coupling agent finding h i g h l y successful application i n odorless paints, varnishes a n d lacquers. T h i s coupling a g e n t p e r m i t s u s e of resins previously i n c o m p a t i b l e in odorless solvents. Ajid, C a r lisle's Glyceryl M o n o O l e a t e will not affect p e n e t r a t i o n o r t h e a d hesion, durability, w a t e r resistance, a n d brushability of t h e finished surface c o a t i n g . Economical to use, this Carlisle product offsets its s m a l l cost b y requiring less resin in y o u r formula. For a l a b o r a t o r y s a m p l e of C a r lisle's Glyceryl M o n o O l e a t e a n d further details—write t o d a y !
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