^^ieaa^ùu^ RICHARD W.
Report of MCA Tarth Car Editor's Note. The following report was m a d e by C h a i r m a n H e r m a n J . G r o n e m e y e r , Du P o n t , o f t h e w o r k of t h e M a n u f a c t u r i n g C h e m i s t s ' A s sociation T a n k Car C o m m i t t e e , w h i c h h a s for m a n y y e a r s g u i d e d d e v e l o p w o r k o n t a n k c a r s for t h e c h e m i c a l industry. It has cooperated w i t h the T a n k C a r C o m m i t t e e , A s s o c i a t i o n of A m e r i c a n R a i l r o a d s , t h e B u r e a u of Explosives, a n d t a n k - c a r m a n u f a c turers. Industry is never static. R a w materials must b e moved to mills a n d factories and finished products to t h e i r markets. T h e t a n k car has become t h e m o s t useful of all vehicles of t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . Originating a n d still commonly r e g a r d e d as an oil carrier, the tank car has a d a p t e d itself to every phase of industrial a c t i v i t y , particularly in the distribution of chemical products. We have already approached a new era of bulk transportation of freeflowing dry commodities in covered hopper and multiple-unit container cars requiring special designs and alloys for commodities like calcium carbide, crushed
LAHEY
Committee rock, feldspar, lime, phosphate rock, soda ash, and zinc ore. Commodities now shipped in t a n k cars of special design are: Heavy, insulated, and coiled t a n k cars, loaded as liquid, with heat supplied through multiple coils, solidified by s a m e coil arrangement for transportation, a n d then again liquefied for unloading. T h i s method is used for sodium and sulfur. Shipments of 7 0 % caustic soda liquor, instead of 5 0 % as in the past, using t a n k cars with 6- to 8-inch insulation and i n t e rior heater coils, with t a n k interiors p r o tected with special coatings to p r e v e n t iron pickup. Shipments of 55 tons of chlorine in one tank car, instead of 30 tons m a x i m u m previously permitted by bureau regulations, through providing heavier fusionwelded tanks with double safety valves. Protective coatings, like Amercoat, Lithcote, and Heresite, have been applied to t a n k interiors permitting t h e finished product to reach destination free of contamination. The Association of American Railroads' Arbitration Committee has jurisdiction
H e r e is t h e p u r e
MINERAL
WAX
Industry has b e e n waiting for! 1 5 5 ° F. M i n . M e l t i n g
Point
(ASTM D127-30)
2 5 / 3 5 Penetration (ASTM D5-25)
Micris ? ? C " is a p u r e p e t r o l e u m micro-crystalline wax (not a c o m p o u n d ) carefully processed from selected raw m a t e r i a l s . G u a r a n t e e d uniform i n p r o d u c t i o n , this fine wax is odorless a n d t a s t e less. Applicable in all i n d u s t r i e s where m o i s t u r e a n d m o i s t u r e v a p o r resistance, cohesion, a d h e s i v e p r o p e r t i e s , h e a t sealing, low t h e r m a l c o n d u c t i v i t y , flexibility a t low t e m p e r a t u r e s a n d excellent electrical properties a r e of value. Micris " C " w a x e s a r e p r o d u c e d in 2 grades of color; A m b e r (4NPA) and B r o w n ( 8 N P A ) . I M M E D I A T E L Y A V A I L A B L E IN TANK GARS OR 8 A N D 10 LB. SLABS, PACKED IN CARTONS SAMPLES FURNISHED UPON REQUEST
COMMERCE OIL CORPORATION , 2400
WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA
^& Formerly HARRY R. LEWIS COMPANY
C H E M I C A L
over providing an equitable basis for railroad charges covering r e p a i r s , as well as settlement for damage t o tank cars occurring through unfair usage or improper protection by t h e handling c o m p a n y . T o provide more equitable ha-ndling of tank-car mechanical problems it, is i m p o r t a n t to maintain close relation -with these railroad, technical committees, which can best be accomplished through M C A representation. Reports from Bureau of Explosives' inspectors a t points where t a n k cars are unloaded a n d in railroad yards where tank cars are available f o r observation i n large numbers, furnish, information which leads to recommended corrections for better maintenance of tank cars and their appurtenances. Typical examples are t h e replacing of leaky spring closure-type bottom-outlet valves with the positive screw-type valve; improvements in dome fittings, safety and service valves, a n d t a n k car safety appliances, such as railings, grab irons, and foot steps. Increased transportation speeds, longer freight trains, and decrease i n railroad manpower have increased railroad wrecks. I n chemical industry t a n k cars, commodity loss has been infrequent. There a r e about 1_β7,00Ο t a n k cars, in service, mostly Class XCC-103, t h e oil-type t a n k car. Approximately 9,000 c a r s handle chemicals, transporting a diversi fied line requiring many types of construc tion, different alloys r tank linings, insula tions, interior coatings, high-pressure t a n k s , and safety and. service valves. T h e outstanding i m p r o v e m e n t in t a n k car construction was the approval by t h e I n t e r s t a t e Commerce Commission in J a n uary 1941 of specifications for fusionwelded tanks in place of riveted or h a m mer-forged tanks. X t took many years of investigation to obtain this final approval. T h e majority of t a n k cars now built are fabricated by this m-ethod. Other tank-car i m p r o v e m e n t s include safety platforms around tank domes in stead of merely a d o m e board on one or both sides of tank. This is not mandatory according to railway regulations but a rec ommended improvement to provide t a n k car loaders and unloaders with safe work ing facilities. Tank-car problems now under consic eration b y the committee are : A. Safety disk arrangement for cylin ders, a n d ton containers mounted on mul tiple-unit cars. B . A combina/tion safety disk and valve for single-uo.it t a n k cars transport ing high-pressure chemicals, t h e disk pro tecting the working parts of the intricate safety valve. C. Preparation, of a new specification for greater tensile strength aluminum car tanks t o t r a n s p o r t hydrogen peroxide above 5 2 % strength. D. Continuing the p r o g r a m of further standardization of tank-car dome fittings. E. C o m m o d i t y marking and caution ary labeling of t a n k cars. AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
