The sky is not your limit You're looking at an historic first — a 238,857 mile lunar bull's-eye scored by a team of scientists from Raytheon and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, using a powerful new Raytheon-developed laser light beam. This success typifies the far-ranging variety of advanced projects challenging young engineers and scientists at Raytheon today. For EE's, math and physics majors — in all the varied fields of engineering and science — Raytheon offers unlimited opportunity for growth and continuous advancement. Personal career development is encouraged by a wide variety of educational assistance . . . seminars, special courses to meet individual needs and work-study programs leading to advanced degrees from renowned universities are all available. You may well qualify for one of the exciting, career- building projects underway at Raytheon. Originality, imagina- tion and high technical competence are your tools — the rewards are prompt and appropriate for success. For detailed information, arrange an on-campus inter- view through your placement director or write G. W. Lewis, Manager of College Relations, Raytheon Company, Executive Offices, Lexington 73, Mass. An Equal Opportunty Employer. FROM THE OCEAN'S DEPTHS...TO OUTER SPACE Striking examples of Bendix research facilities are the huge sonar tank in California and the space chamber in Bendix operates 32 divisions and subsidiaries in the Michigan, among the most completely equipped in the United States, and 12 subsidiaries and affiliates in free world. These facilities, designed and financed by Canada and overseas. Our 1950 sales volume was $210 Bendix, characterize our continuing advanced product million. Last year it was over $750 million. research and development efforts. Look over the materials we have in your'school's place- College graduates will find a variety of technical chal- ment office. Talk to our representative when he's on lenges. Bendix participates in almost every phase of the campus. Meanwhile, if you'd like to have your own copy space, missile, aviation, electronics, automotive, oceanics of our booklet "Build Your Career to Suit Your Talents,' and automation fields. We employ top-notch engineers, write to Dr A. C. Canfield, Director of University and physicists, and mathematicians at all degree levels. Scientific Relations, The Bendix Corporation, Fisher Build- ing, Detroit 2, Michigan. An equal opportunity employer. "When I was first interviewed by American Oil representatives I was told I'd be given a free hand in guiding a wide variety of projects. This promise has certainly been kept!" Jim Roller, 25 years old, came to American Oil right out of the University of Wisconsin where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. An Evans Scholar at Wisconsin, Jim describes his job at American Oil this way: "I work on basic chemical engineering problems, specializing in reactor design and process development problems. Before a process can go commercial, it must be tested in pilot plants. That's where I come in." Jim wants to stay in the technical research area, and plans to enroll in the Illinois Institute of Technology night school for courses in advanced mathematics. The fact that many gifted and earnest young men like Jim Koller are finding challenging careers at American Oil could have special meaning for you. American Oil offers a wide range of new research opportunities for: Chemists—analytical, electrochemical, inorganic, physical, polymer, organic, and agricultural; Engineers—chemical, mechanical, metallurgical, and plastics; Masters in Business Administration with an engineering (preferably chemical) or science background; Mathematicians; Physicists. For complete information about interesting careers in the Research and Development Depart- ment, write: D. G. Schroeter, American Oil Company, P.O. Box 431, Whiting, Indiana. VOLUME 16 NO. I NOVEMBER, 1962 9 DEAN'S LETTER 10 THE CASE FOR LIFT SLAB 12 RAUDALES DAM SOLVES AGRICULTURE PROBLEM 14 WHAT ARE YOU WORTH? 20 THE SUBMERSIBLE 26 FROM PHEND 31 CALENDAR GIRLS 32-33 MISS ENGINEER 36 MSU NEWS NOTES 42 FINAGLE'S AXIOMS AND THE SNAFU EQUATION 43 SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? 46 SIDETRACKED 48 ADVERTISER'S INDEX Your future in chemical engineering is his business He's a Monsanto Professional Employment representa- futures about the future Monsanto offers you in research, tive. He's your representative, too . . . your link between engineering, manufacturing and marketing. campus and company. His knowledge of Monsanto is See your Placement Director to arrange an interview complete, and he's especially qualified to counsel with when we visit your campus soon. Or write for our you regarding your future. new brochure, "You, Your Ask him about Monsanto's diversity—in geography, Career and Monsanto," to activities, products—that means ever-expanding op- Professional Employment portunity for the young man of exceptional promise. Manager, Department EM-3, Ask him about Monsanto's research -mindedness, how Monsanto Chemical Com- it helps develop your creativity. Ask this expert in pany, St. Louis 66, Missouri. "NOW LET'S PUT IT ALL TO WORK" An engineer knows no greater satisfaction Or you may prefer Research or Electrical than putting his training, his ideas Systems or Production Engineering—just and energy to work. At Detroit Edison, three of many challenging fields open to you engineering talent finds rewarding oppor- at Detroit Edison. tunities for expression and professional advancement in this great and growing For full career information, write for our industrial center of Southeastern Michigan. free booklet about professional opportuni- You might be interested in training as a ties for graduates in our company. Address Detroit Edison Project Engineer, develop- is 2000 Second Ave., Detroit 26, Mich. Or ing vital power-producing installations. talk with our representative when he arrives on your campus. ...suddenly, new hope in life A man lies on the operating table, crippled with the exhausting tremors of Parkinson's disease. The surgeon guides a slender tube deep inside the patient's brain until it reaches the target area. Then liquid nitrogen, at 320 degrees below zero F., is fed to the end of the tube. Suddenly the trembling stops. The unearthly cold kills the diseased cells . . . and a once desperate human being has been given a new chance in life. • Medical reports have indicated that not only Parkinson's disease but also other disorders causing tremor or rigidity have responded to this new technique in brain surgery. The operation has been described as easier on the patients than previous surgery, and they have been able to leave the hospital in a surprisingly short time. Also, encouraging results are reported on the use of cryosurgery, as it is called, to destroy diseased cells in other parts of the body. • Through its division, Linde Company, Union Carbide was called upon by medical scientists for help in designing and making equipment to deliver and control the critical cold required in this new surgery. This dramatic use of cryogenics, the science of cold, is an example of how research by the people of Union Carbide helps lead to a better tomorrow. Leading organization seeks brilliant executives-in-the-making The organization: perhaps the most important The resources at hand for the career devel- in the world today...186,000,000 sharehold- opment of these applicants are matchless. ers in this country alone. ..an area of distri- They are participating in the world's most bution extending millions of miles upward advanced research and development pro- and outward. grams. Engineering, science, administration The immediate business at hand: protecting —each career field calls for the services of and sustaining the peace-our very survival. forward-looking graduates who will assume There are some who would describe this vital responsibilities. The start of an out- organization as non-profit. And there are standing career awaits you in this organiza- others, who would more thoughtfully deem tion where success is more than a corporate its investments, dividends, and assets noth- objective-because if it doesn't happen here, ing less than priceless. it won't happen anywhere. Today, thousands of selected young college For details on the opportunities open to you graduates are joining that organization in as an Air Force officer, mail this coupon. responsible executive positions. They join to serve as officers in the United States Air Force. There's a place for tomorrow's leaders on the Aerospace Team. U.S. Air Force. Dean's Letter This seems a year of culmination for much of our planning, a new build- ing and programs, both designed to orient our engineering graduate toward the needs of tomorrow's world. Our facilities visibly reflect that the engi- neering successes in jet and rocket propulsion, new energy conversion methods, new alloys and semiconductors from the solid-state field, and the complexity of today's engineering systems absolutely require a change in the preparation of the engineer. There are also changes in engineering methods, less visible, but perhaps more profound in making tomorrow's engineer more an innovator, an analy- zer, a planner, and less of a doer than has been true in the past. Among these changes in thought and method are: 1. Acceptance of research as a normal engineering duty. 2. Employment of the mathematical method as the usual approach to problem solution. 3. Appreciation of the computer as a necessary engineering tool. 4. Study of the system in contrast to concentration on the components. These changes are in the nature of concepts or philosophies—more difficult to appreciate because of their abstract nature. With most of the new devices one can at least "see" something; a concept must be passed from mind to mind. By keying our programs to these new concepts and to the problems of tomorrow's world we hope to provide you with the fundamental knowledge in an atmosphere of intellectual inquiry and technical curiosity, and of dis- satisfaction with things as they are—to make you capable of attacking tomor- row's challenging problems, and of reaping the large rewards for their solu- tion. J. D. RYDER, Dean THE CASE FOR LIFT SLAB Case Hall, Michigan State's first regular construction, in some instances structure by hydraulic jacks from the coed dorm was built by the new lift by more than 30 per cent of structural ground floor level. slab construction method employed by costs, but due to the unique building the Great Lakes Lift Slab Company of process, work could continue through- Each slab used in the building is Chicago. out the winter months. pre-cast of 2,000 psi concrete mixed at the site. Ordinary concrete is mixed Designed by Louis J. Sarvis of Battle The following is simply a general- with pea-sized aggregate (with a max- Creek, the $5 million structure houses ized view of lift slab construction, 1,040 students and has facilities for imum diameter of y4 in.) for a light- only applying to Case Hall when weight mix to facilitate lifting. eight classrooms and 16 offices. Christ- specifically stated. man Company of Lansing was the Circular cans or cardboard tubing contractor. with reinforcing rods are cast into the Lift slab was used to build Case BASIC LIFT SLAB slab to create openings for pipes, more because the growing enrollment at COMPONENTS strength to bending moment and clear- MSU called for an inexpensive meth- The name "lift slab" describes the ed chambers for air-conditioning ducts od of filling the space gap fast. Lift floor construction of buildings created and utilities. Inc identally the resulting slab appeared to be the answer because in this manner. The floors are all hollowncss p r o v i d e s sound-proofing it not only was less expensive than slabs of concrete that are lifted as between floors in the finished building 10 The poured slabs must set from two to four days before lifting. Since the underside of each slab forms the ceiling of the floor below, it is imperative that no form marks show. Therefore each slab is cast on the machine-troweled top of the lower slab. With the resulting smooth ceiling, ceilings do not need to be plastered, merely painted. COLUMNS Columns used in lift slab construc- tion are either of pre-cast 5,000 psi concrete or of steel. The addition of calcium c h l o r i d e to the concrete strengthens its development so that columns can be picked up in three days. Columns higher than 30 feet need steel reinforcement. During most of the lifting process, the weight of two or more slabs is carried by these col- umns unsupported except at the ends. The greatest intensity of stress occurs when the roof slab is in position and the next group of slabs is being lifted clear of the stacks on the ground. The columns are usually braced against lateral loads by a reinforced concrete shear-wall with diagonal brac- ing on all sides. At the top of the column is a steel cap plate used to support the hydraulic jacks used for lifting. Concrete columns are preferred over steel by some builders because of the extra rigidity they provide and because they need not be fire-proofed. COLUMN COLLARS Lifting collars are usually of struc- tural steel or cast steel. Two steel collar bands are incorporated in each column and welded to the slab collars. These collars are angles forming hollow boxes which slide vertically up the columns with a minimum clearance on both sides. The horizontal legs point outward and are reinforced with steel plate gussets. The other legs are drilled with holes under which the bushings of the lifting rods engage. Threaded inserts cast into the col- umns for lifting eyes can take the place of the collars. (Continued on Page 28) RAUDALES DAM Ever since Mother Ceres invented The Toltecs, the Mayas, and later the itive Mexicans from those of today, the art of husbandry, men of all races, climates, creeds and cultures have sub- Aztecs, depended principally on maize maize is still this country's staff of life sisted largely through the practice of for their sustenance. Therefore, this Mexico, like many other countries this art. The ancient tribes which set- gramineous plant, whose first fruits of Latin America, is still trudging to- tled in the Valley of Mexico centuries these indigenous people of Mexico wards the goal of agricultural self- ago were no exception to this rule, for dedicated to a protective deity, not on- sufficiency. While undergoing during they left traces that clearly attest their ly represented their daily bread but the past three decades a rapid process knowledge of land cultivation as well of industrialization, this country 'has also signified the source of religious as a civilization and theology based been striving to carry out a wide con- on this knowledge. worship. And though the great chang- es of six centuries separate these prim- struction program consisting of major 12 (Continued on Page 34) Spartan Engineer • ENERGY CONVERSION IS OUR BUSINESS—Admittedly, a broad and far-reaching theme, but then, so are the scientific investigations now underway at Allison Division of General Motors. Within our 217-acre R&D Center in Indianapolis, Scientists and Engineers consider all aspects of energy conversion—utilizing nuclear/solar as well as chemical forms of energy. Allison—long a leader in advanced types of aircraft engines—now is extending capabilities of turboprops to meet urgent, new military needs generated by current limited warfare require- ments. There's emphasis on new engines for V/STOL applications, incorporating BLC (Boundary Layer Control), and programs to maximize fuel economy and range through high temperature regenerative cycles. In the nuclear energy conversion area, Allison is prime contractor for development of MCR (Military Compact Reactor)—a highly mobile, completely self-contained nuclear fission power system—to provide electric power in remote areas. First and second stage rocket engine cases designed and produced by Allison for Minute- man have achieved a 100 per cent reliability record. Allison's steadily growing competence in the field is reflected in the forward strides made in titanium and glass filament-wound ICBM cases. Also, in the missile field, Allison has developed a highly efficient regenerative liquid metal cell that may point the way to a powerful yet compact electrical system for space-age applications. That's a small sample of the broad diversification of our activity today. Perhaps there's a challenging opportunity for you in the creative environment at Allison. Talk to our representative when he visits your campus. Let him tell you first-hand what it's like at Allison where WHAT ARE YOU WORTH? Last spring, the AIEE-IRE conduct- where they stand u n t i l they have (1) Have you published any articles, ed a study among graduating seniors groped t h r o u g h several interviews. including newspaper and m a g a z i n e to correlate their starting salaries in Taking a first job after college is one articles, especially any AIEE-IRE Stu- industry with two major factors: (1) of the biggest steps taken in life, so dent Contest Papers? Indicate nature the student's grade point average; and the decision must be a carefully weigh- of article and any awards received; (2) (2) his background, including extra- ed and intelligent one. This article is Did you enter a project in the MSU curricular activities, marital status, an attempt to give a reference point Engineering Exposition? Indicate na- military service and previous experi- for making an intelligent evaluation of ture of project and any awards re- ence with industry (summer employ- prospects; it's at least a starting point. ceived. ment, etc.). Below is the q u e s t i o n n a i r e each From a graduation class of 86 sen- The results of similar surveys were senior was given to complete. iors, 80 responded. We divided the published periodically in trade journals If we conducted this study again, we class into four major groups, the first but were nationwide in scope and ap- would ask two additional questions: two groups are of primary interest and plied to industry in general, not to a particular school. We are interested in these factors as they relate specifically to Michigan State University electrical engineering students. This information will serve as a guide in helping students of fu- ture graduation classes determine what they might expect for a starting salary with industry upon graduation. As more information is obtained from future graduation classes by their AIEE-IRE organization and added to the accumulated data, the correlations will become more accurate. The idea of such a correlation study and of the analysis techniques used can be applied not only to electrical engineering students but also to stu- dents in every college of every univer- sity in the United States. Interest in conducting such a study stems from the desire of most people for equal compensation for doing the same job, especially if their back- grounds are parallel in nature. As de Tocqueville implied, we would rather have equality in slavery than freedom, if the choice had to be made. This is also the first time many students have had any direct contact with big industry. Most find them- selves so inadequately informed that they don't know what to expect or 14 will be discussed at c o n s i d e r a b l e length; the last two groups are of minor importance and will be men- tioned briefly. The numbers in paren- thesis throughout this article designate the number of students represented by the percentage figure. Group I—52% went directly to work with industry (47). Group II—28.75% were planning on taking graduate work (31). Category 1—12.5% will be coming to MSU (10). Category 2—10% will be going to various other schools (8). Category 3—6.25% will take graduate work through some company-sponsor- ed program (5). Group III—2.5% are going directly into service (2). Group IV—10% were of no help because they failed to indicate either their grade point average (gpa), their initial pay, or both; or they were not in class the day the study was made. Group I Table 1 is a complete summary of the questionnaire of the 47 students who went directly into industry. Start- ing salaries are listed in order of mag- nitude, ranging from a low of $530 to a high of $735 per month. The infor- mation in any one row represents the pertinent factors of the person whose salary is to the left of that row. The columns h e a d e d "S.S.," "Age," "G.P.A.," "Marital Status," and "Pre- vious Experience" are self-explanatory. The uncircled numbers in the "Organ- for the predictability of a possible in- the higher the starting salary should izations" column under "Extra Curric- dividual starting salary. be. However, this is not the case, due ular Activities" indicates the number partly to the fact that in some salary of organizations in which the student The average salary was $606.12 per month, or $7,340 per year. To find ranges only a very few students were held membership. The circled num- sampled; this hardly justifies making a bers represent the number of these the "median" salary, divide the 47 students by 2 giving 23 students. generalization about all similar groups. organizations in which he held an Nevertheless, students with gpa's in office. For example, student No. 37 Count down the right column to the twenty-third student. The median sal- the mid 2.7 range may optimistically was a member of six organizations; of conclude that they will receive a start- these, he was an officer of two. The ary was $596 per month. The "modal' salary was $585. Since more students ing salary of at least $575 to $625. figures in the AIEE-IRE column are No one else, at this point anyway, already included in the "Organiza- received this amount than any others, this is probably the most accurate of may conclude anything about their tions" column and the 1 or 2 indicates starting salaries from their gpa because whether he was a member of one or the three. there are too many other factors (to both EE organizations. T h e same Grouping these starting salaries, we be discussed) which affect it. method was used in the "Honoraries," see that students fall within a certain Compare the starting salary vs gpa "Fraternities" and "Other Activities" salary range. of students 4 and 5 and also 15 and columns. Under "Branch of Military Seventy percent of the students re- 16. Students 4 and 5 got the same Service," R.O., A.F., A., N. and M. ceived from $575 to $625, only a $50 salary, but look at the difference in stand for R.O.T.C., Air Force, Army, spread. The "Average G.P.A." column their gpa. The same is apparent with Navy and Marines, respectively. indicates the average grade points of 15 and 16. Now compare students 4 These various factors can be corre- those students in that particular range. and 15. They have the same gpa, but lated until a pattern becomes apparent It appears that the higher the G.P.A., (Continued on Page 16) November, 1962 $25 per month difference in their sal- ary. These disparities could be due to (1) the first impression they made during the interview, (2) the various purposes for which they were being hired, (3) the type of industry they went with and (4) differences in back- ground. The interview is a very important factor in determining starting salary 87% (41) are in extra curricular Logically, married students get more and must be ranked almost equally activities than single students. Married students with gpa and the total background. 40% (19) are married have more responsibilities than single Personal appearance, poise, self-confi- students and hense are generally more 34% (16) had some military ex- dence, sincerity and good command of stable and of less risk to a company perience the English language all go into mak- which spends a lot of money training ing an employer's first impression. 47% (22) had related previous ex- a new engineering employee and ex- Whether it is a good, fair or poor perience with industry. pects its investment to be a lasting one. impression will make a difference in Remember, when considering any 34% are veterans, average gpa: 2.77 salary. one factor in Table IV, assume all Veterans average $629 (16) other factors as being equal (which As for the various purposes for Non-veterans average $594 (31) they are not, but without some simpli- which one may be hired, a person go- Naturally. Non-vets usually have ing to work on a drafting board with fying assumption we could conclude nothing at all). As before the number their military obligation yet to fulfill a 2.7 gpa would probably get less than in parenthesis is the actual number of and are therefore a greater "training another who is going to be a field students represented by the percentage. investment" risk than a vet, who won't representative with only a 2.3 gpa. 79% belong to "organizations," an be leaving the company right away A 2.3 student might receive a higher for this purpose. average of two each salary from an electronic and govern- They earned an average of $584 26% are both vets and married, av- ment contract oriented company than erage gpa: 3.05 (30) a 2.7 student from an electrical power Those who were officers earned Average of married vets: $635 company. In other words, the starting an average of $600 (11) (12) salary is also a function of the compar- ative types of industries. Those who did not belong earned Average of those who are either an average of $607 (17). vets or married, but not both: Now consider how a student's start- It would appear as though it doesn't $608 (11) ing salary is affected by his back- pay to belong to organizations, but Again, more stable, more responsi- ground, i.e., extra curricular activities, this assumption is certainly not well ble, more experienced. marital status, military service and pre- founded. However, it does seem logi- vious experience. Call these four fac- Note the average gpa's of the last tors a, b, c and d. In Table III all cal, as the figures show, that organiza- three groups: the marrieds, the vets, those students who have no back- tional officers should earn more for and those who are both veterans and ground factors are listed in one group, starting salary, all other things being married. as are those with one, two, three, and equal. The service has a more maturing all four background factors. Details of 32% belong to honoraries effect on an individual than just mar- each factor are not specific but only a Belongers average $613 (15) riage; but a married veteran is consid- correlation of the number of factors Officers average $575 (1) ered highest in maturity by employers. they possessed with their salaries. N o n - h o n o r a r i e s average $585 (32) 47% had previous experience in in- It might reasonably be expected that dustry the broader a student's background, Again, it seems only right that hon- Previous experience average: $622 i.e., the more factors he has, the great- orary society members should be worth (22) er his salary should be. This indeed more than non-honoraries. Also, offi- seems to be the case as Table IV cers should earn even more, but this No previous experience average: shows (except for no factors and is not obvious from a sampling of only $594 (25) four factors, due to the lack of a large one officer. The average monthly "previous ex- enough sampling of students in these perience " salary was $400 per month. 23.3% belong to fraternities categories). If the average starting salary of those possessing four factors Members average $604 (11) Some companies allow a definite, were extrapolated, assuming an ample Officers average $615 (5) but variable, starting salary increase sampling, it might be around $650. Non-members average $606 (36) for such factors as military service, Officers get more than members. previous experience, being married, Naturally, the older he gets, the Non-members get more than members! etc. With military service the increase more factors a student has; however, varies with the length of enlistment Don't forget the number sampled. there seems to be no clear cut correla- and how the service job is related to tion between gpa and the number of 40% are married, average gpa—2.4 Marrieds average $625 (19) the job sought. Previous experience factors. Non-marrieds average $593 (28) depends on how related and how pro- 16 (Continued on Page 38) Spartan Engineer Miniature turboexpander permits major breakthrough A leader in cryogenic cooling and lightweight turbo- in cryogenics .. .Temperatures ranging from — 200°F to machinery, Garrett-AiResearch is now developing a closed —452°F are achieved by converting gases such as helium cycle cryogenic system to compress and then expand (boil and nitrogen into a liquid state. off) the low temperature gas into its supercold liquid state. When cryogenic liquids circulate over an object, the The tiny turbines within the system run on air bearings moving molecules within come virtually to a stop. This and eliminate all rubbing surfaces. Much greater system abnormal condition makes some metals superconductive and reliability and long life is the result... another major ad- extraordinarily sensitive to any form of electrical energy. vance by Garrett in the exciting new science of cryogenics. Military and commercial applications include increas- For information about other interesting projects and the ing the effectiveness of ground and airborne detection, navi- many career opportunities with The Garrett Corporation, gation and communication systems, shrinking the size of write to Mr. G. D. Bradley in Los Angeles. computers and solving specialized space cooling problems. Garrett is an "equal opportunity" employer. BOUNDLESS OPPORTUNITIES in space research OPPORTUNITIES for career development No matter what degree or academic level you have at- Should this environment interest you, write the Per- tained, NASA offers the graduate engineer or scientist sonnel Officer of the center you prefer: unparalleled opportunity for continued professional NASA Headquarters, (BPH) Washington 25, D. C ; growth. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland; At NASA, you'll play a significant role in answering Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia; Lewis modern mankind's greatest challenge—the conquest Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Marshall Space of space. You'll participate in history-making proj- Plight Center, Huntsville, Alabama; Ames Research ects and work with eminent professional people. Center, Mountain View, California; Flight Research Center, Edwards, California; Manned Spacecraft Cen- NASA offers outstanding work-related graduate study ter, Houston, Texas; Launch Operations Center, Cape programs. While on full salary, you can take graduate Canaveral, Florida; Wallops Station, Wallops Island, courses for credit during working hours at a nearby Virginia; Western Operations Office, university, with tuition paid. Seminars conducted by Santa Monica, California. world-famous scientists and engineers are frequently held. NASA offers you a wide choice of work areas, un- equaled facilities, and outstanding opportunities for professional achievement and advancement. 30 ways to waylay opportunity at SYLVAN IA ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS R&D openings exist in all 30 areas detailed at the left. SYLVANIA ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS is a major division of Sylvania Electric Products Inc., a subsidiary of General Tele- phone & Electronics Corporation. The division has over-all responsibility for systems management of GT&E's major government projects, coordinating the broad defense systems capabilities of the various GT&E subsidiaries. Within this rich mosaic of technical effort, any electronic engineer or scientist is practically certain to find an assign- ment which reflects his individual interests and provides a pathway for rapid professional growth. Current openings are distributed over the 17 laboratories within the division. A talented man can concentrate on the field of his choice at one laboratory, or move freely anywhere within the complex as his career advances. He can become a technical specialist or develop the broad background required to enter large-scale systems engineering. Sylvania Electronic Systems, established late in 1954, now has over 6,500 employees in six different operations (approxi- mately 2,300 engineers and scientists). There are three main locations: Western Operation (suburban San Francisco), Cen- tral Operation (suburban Buffalo) and Eastern Operation (suburban Boston). Also near Boston are operations serving the entire division: Applied Research Laboratory; Product Support Organization; Systems Engineering and Management Operation. For further information on specific assignments, contact your College Placement Office or write directly to Mr. D. W. Currier. THE SUBMERSIBLE The last earthly frontier is said to commercial fishermen that the fish be the ocean's floor. In the great at this time was impossible. However, tend to concentrate around sunken ves- the tests had proved the principles in- depths of the seas, vast areas are still sels because of the protection afforded unexplored and almost unknown to volved in the construction. The craft by the hulk. The rancher has achieved was given to the French Navy who man. The little that is known was similar c o n c e n t r a t i o n s by dumping learned almost entirely from instru- have operated it successfully since streetcars, old automobiles and any- then. ments or from a very few dives made thing else into the water that will give by adventurous men. In 1952 the Piccards designed the the fish protection from their preda- tory associates. Oyster farming is car- "Trieste," a craft able to function safe- The continental shelves are known ried on in the French coastal waters ly at 12,000 feet. to be rich in fishes and minerals. The floor in the pelagic deeps holds myste- by men in Aqua-lungs. Captain Cousteau has designed a ries greater than any terrestrial wilder- diving saucer, which is capable of op- Petroleum and sulphur wells tap ness. The scanty facts collected in- erating at a depth of 1,000 feet. dicate that man's future may be the mineral deposits off both the At- intimately tied to the seas. lantic and Pacific coasts in the United The diving saucer has been proven States. There is also considerable in- in 65 successful dives and is the ideal Mystery is sufficient reason for the terest in the magnesium nodules that tool for the exploration of the contin- adventurer to probe the unkown. Of can be found on the ocean floor. ental shelf," Cousteau said. It has been course, there are military reasons suf- used in Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe Is- Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the inventor ficient in themselves for knowing lands, and the Western Basin of the about the ocean depths. But the great- of the Aqua-lung, says that these are Mediterranean. Soon it will be used est impetus to exploration comes from the formative years of the submarine under the Arctic ice cap. the knowledge that man is likely to industries. He says that the present ef- outgrow his present food supplies and forts to utilize the sea's resources are The latest s u b m e r s i b l e , also de- known mineral resources in an uncom- the first timid steps in the develop- signed by Captain Cousteau, is the fortably short period of time. ment of under-water agriculture, min- "Deepstar." This ship will be built in ing and possible transportation. the United States by the Westinghouse The annual harvest from the seas Company. It is a commercial model increases each year. New methods of Captain Cousteau, Auguste Piccard, which can be purchased or leased by taking the resources are developed and his son Jacques are pioneering in anyone interested in the bottom of the more rapidly as the need arises and the development of the submersible— ocean. the interest and knowledge of seas ac- an underwater craft capable of diving cumulate. to the floor of the sea at great depths The "Deepstar" is basically spheri- and yet operating independently of the cal. The one and one-half-inch shell There are several attempts at "wet surface. of high grade steel is about six feet ranching." Off the coast of Monaco, in diameter and w e i g h s seven tons. the waters are fertilized to produce One of the first submersibles was This spherical cabin has two plexiglass abundant fish foods and a correspond- the FNRS2 designed and built by the Piccards in 1948. This craft was tested windows four inches thick. A three ing increase in the number and growth man crew can view the surrounding rates of the fishes. The California wet off the coast of Dakar in that year and dived unmanned to a depth of 4500 area and observe the operation of the rancher merely provides cover for the two remote controlled arms. The arms fish he hopes to harvest in greater feet. It also dove to 80 feet with a crew aboard. The FNRS2 was dam- will place sensitive oceanographic in- numbers. It is well known among struments precisely, something which aged while in tow and further testing 20 has seldom, if ever, been done in deep Spartan Engineer Auguste Piccard and son suggest an underwater helicopter that will propel itself to the bottom with two counter rotating screws. The cabin will be made entirely of plexiglass and be pos- itively buoyant. In the event ol power Iailure the trait will float to the sur- face like a six-foot bubble. Jacques Piccard believes it possible to produce a ship which can adjust its shape automatically, as a dolphin docs, to prevent turbulence in the wat- er next to its skin. The ship might have a rubber skin e q u i p p e d with manometers to detect early formation of turbulence. An impulse transmitted to the central electronic system and relayed to magnets would attract pieces of iron glued to the skin, producing a craft nearly hydrodynamically per- fect at all times. Such a vessel would require much less power than conven- tional ships. The o c e a n o g r a p h e r s have many questions, more will develop as in- vestigations proceed. C h a r l e s D a r w i n is said to have waters, or will pick up samples and Most of the equipment—the mot- solved the riddle of the coral reef with otherwise function as extensions of the ors, cameras, lights, balancing system a lead line and a vaulting pole. With operator's arms. and arms—will be covered or attached such equipment as the "Deepstar," the to a hydrodynamically shaped surface "Trieste" and other submersibles as The craft will be propelled by two of the sphere. they are developed, an investigator to- special electric motors, exposed to the sea but sealed in low viscosity liquid In an emergency the ship can be day must make some truly startling dielectric imiscible with sea water. The given positive bouyancy by dumping discoveries. shaftless p r o p e l l e r s will be integral ballast or in extreme situations, by parts of the motors which will elimi- dumping equipment. nate the necessity of shaft logs, bear- ings and seals. Twin screws will make The vehicle will have a range of the "Deepstar" highly maneuverable. about 20 nautical miles and will be handled by a "mother ship" that will In operation the "Deepstar" will be take it to the area of the dive. neutrally bouyant and will climb or Mr. John Clotworthy, manager of dive by changing its attitude in the the Ordinance Division of the West- water. Mercury will be pumped fore inghouse Defense Center, is responsi- and aft between tanks to cause the craft to head up or down as desired. ble for the construction of the "Deep- In order to make the most of the max- star." Mr. Clotworthy said, "Westing- imum allowable time below, the craft house will build the 'Deepstar' as its will rise and descend in a vertical at- own laboratory facility to test oceanog- titude. Average speed will be about raphic instrumentation, develop new three and one-half miles per hour. detection t e c h n i q u e s and generally study the marine environment. The oxygen system will enable the "Deepstar" to stay under water for 48 "We will also lease the 'Deepstar' hours; however, the battery life will to organizations which need such a limit the effective time to 24 hours. special-purpose vehicle for deep sea re- search," he said, "and we will build All of the necessary equipment is similar vehicles for sale to organiza- included to make the "Deepstar's" ex- tions which may want this kind of cursions onto the ocean floor as sci- mobile facility on a full-time basis." entifically profitable as possible. Cam- eras, floor lighting, radio, sonar and The future will bring other sub- such safety equipment as smoke and mersibles which will perform more light flares have been provided. efficiently at great depths. November, 1962 Ambitious, talented young men with new ideas and a zest for challenge will find unusual opportunity at Delco Radio Division, General Motors Corporation. Delco enjoys an enviable reputation for attracting and retaining top-notch talent in the electronics field. We feel it's a result of the atmosphere at Delco where the individual finds opportunity to exercise and develop his abilities to the fullest. Ourrecentlycompleted 125,000 sq. ft. Research and Development Center provides unlimited facilities for utilizing these abilities in the investigation and development of such space age devices as semi- conductors, computers, static inverters, thermoelectric generators, power supplies, machine controls, to name but a few of Delco's current projects. To this combination of outstanding talent and facilities we attribute our pattern of success over the years. To this same combination we look for continued success as we assault the challenges of the future. Why not cast your lot with a leader in the field? Arrange an appointment with our interviewer when he visits your campus, or for additional information write: Mr. C. D. Longshore, Supervisor —Salaried Employment. It happens at Du Pont. Frequently. That's because 1350 technically trained employees are engaged solely in pioneer- ing research. They're in the business of discovery, develop- ment and follow-through. Sometimes the newly discovered chemical poses the question, what to do with it? For instance, Dr. Thomas J. Swoboda, a member of the Central Research Department staff, and his associates re- cently discovered a new family of metallic compounds, chromium manganese antimonides. They're unusual materi- als. Over a specific temperature range they are magnetic. As temperature drops, the magnetism does too. The chart, pictured with Dr. Swoboda, shows the sharp magnetic transition. To the right, the material is ferri-mag- netic, to the left (at low temperatures), anti-ferromagnetic. So we have a solution. Now to find the problem it will solve. This situation was largely true when nylon was dis- covered. Only later did we find the many problems which its unique characteristics would solve—from cord for air- plane tires to plastics for gears. New products, new jobs There's opportunity here for men of virtually every technical skill. For further information about chromium manganese YOUR EYES CAN BE ON THESTAFBUT YOUR FEET MUST BE ON THE GROUND The glamour and excitement of space age programs often obscure a fundamental fact. It is simply that farsightedness must be coupled with sound, practical, down-to-earth engineering if goals are to be attained. This is the philosophy upon which Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's position as a world leader in flight propulsion systems has been built. Almost four decades of solid engineering achievement at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft can be credited to management's conviction that basic and applied research is essential to healthy progress. In addition to concentrated research and development efforts on advanced gas turbine and rocket engines, new and exciting effects are being explored in every field of aerospace, marine and industrial power application. The challenge of the future is indicated by current programs. Presently Pratt & Whitney Aircraft is exploring the areas of technical knowledge in magnetohydrodynamics . . . thermionic and thermo- electric conversions . . . hypersonic propulsion . . .fuel cells and nuclear power. If you have interests in common with us, if you look to the future but desire to take a down-to-earth approach to get there, investigate career opportunities at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. ARK YOU ON THE ROAD TO Why Graduate School? GRADUATE SCHOOL? Graduate work is absorbing and Graduation from the College of En- stimulating to the young engineer. He- gineering at Michigan State University is interested in his profession and en- is an important crossroad in the life of joys working hard at learning more in the young engineer. The number of depth about it. directions you can go after graduation Many professional goals require the approaches infinity, and the choice you advanced training of graduate study. make will affect you the rest of your If you are considering teaching or re- life. search, for example, advanced degrees are practically essential. As a matter For simplicity, let's put the possible of fact, for most engineering careers, roads after graduation into two main graduate study will be a real advan- groups—employment in industry or tage. Additional points of view on the government, and graduate study. Some value of graduate work in your area may take other paths, but these are of interest may be obtained from relatively few. Some may have military professors, advisors and industrial per- service coming up, but usually this is sonnel. an interlude before returning to their An important point to keep in mind career in engineering. is the value of resident graduate work. The choice is an individual one. On the campus, you have the associa- Find out what you can, evaluate this tion of faculty and students who share your interests. There are adequate li- in terms of your own desires, needs braries, laboratories, and other facilities and abilities and make your own de- for scholarly pursuit. You are, essen- cision. It isn't an easy one, and you tially, in a "learning" atmosphere. should consider it carefully. You will Graduate study is not just the accumu- need detailed information. To have lation of academic credits. It requires time to gather this information, you an atmosphere of inquiry, concentra- should begin considering your decision tion, and study that cannot readily be in your junior year, or no later than achieved when you divide your atten- the beginning of your senior year. tion between part-time study and full- Don't wait until you have to make time work in industry. this decision with insufficient data. Which road are you going to take? The Bethlehem Loop Course . . . and how it works office in Bethlehem, Pa., beginning ress. Regular reports on his work early in July. He attends orienta- and progress are made to depart- tion talks, listens to discussions by ment heads—and annual reports to management men on all phases of divisional vice-presidents—through- company operations, and makes out his career. daily trips through the local steel plant. At the end of this period he Emphasis on Technical Degrees has a sound knowledge of the over- all Bethlehem organization. Because of the nature of Bethle- hem's activities, the greatest de- mand is for men with technical Their First Assignments degrees, especially those in chemi- At the end of the basic course, cal, civil, electrical, industrial, me- loopers receive their first assign- chanical, metallurgical, mining, and ments. Ordinarily a large majority naval architecture and marine report to our steelmaking plants, engineering. The Loop Course is our continuing where they attend orientation pro- program for selecting and training grams much like the initial one at qualified college graduates for ca- Bethlehem. During this period, reers with Bethlehem Steel. It was plant management closely observes established some forty years ago. each looper's aptitudes and inter- Its unusual name comes from the ests, with the objective of giving fact that from the very beginning, him an assignment for which he the course has included an obser- appears to be best fitted, and cor- vational circuit (or "loop") of a responding as closely as possible to steel plant. his interests, educational back- ground , and work preferences. Loop- Promotion from Within ers selected for sales, research, fabricated steel construction, min- The Loop Course provides man- ing, shipbuilding, and the com- agement personnel. Since it is our pany's administrative departments, policy to promote from within, it is proceed from the basic course to vital that competent men, well- Read Our Booklet specialized training programs. grounded in our practices and The eligibility requirements for policies, be available to fill manage- the Loop Course, as well as how ment openings as they occur. And, Preparing for Advancement it operates, are more fully covered due to Bethlehem's steady and As the looper gains in ability, in our booklet, "Careers with Beth- continuing growth, there has been experience, and knowledge, and as lehem Steel and the Loop Course." no lack of opportunities to advance. openings occur, he is moved into Copies are available in most college positions of increasingly greater placement offices, or may be ob- The Basic Course responsibility. The company ex- tained by writing to Manager of Every looper attends the initial pects and encourages the looper to Personnel, Bethlehem Steel Com- five-week course held at our home produce . . . to make steady prog- pany, Bethlehem, Pa. An equal opportunity employer the collar of the slab. The jack pulls C O L U M N ERECTION The Case for Lift Slab up the lifting rods in the threaded For any structure, columns must (Continued from Page 11) openings of the collar which are em- have adequate foundation and be firm- JACKS AND JACK RODS bedded in concrete. ly anchored. Hydraulically powered jacks are Steel hoisting towers may be used Anchor bolts one-foot, six inches placed over each column top to do the in conjunction with the jacks to speed long and four and % inches in diam- lifting. Oil pressure is furnished by a lifting time. eter are adequate to hold the columns. six-cylinder diesel-driven pump with a There is little worry of bending mo- capacity of 35 g p m . under a lifting ment in the bases since the dead pressure of 200 psi. CONSTRUCTION PROCESS weight of the structure eliminates al- Thirty-six jacks can lift 12 tons. FRAME WORK most completely any requirements of Twelve jacks operate simultaneously The top of one slab is the only form tensile stresses due to bending. from a control table that feeds fluid needed to construct the next slab ex- The last step before pouring the to all the jacks at the same time or to cept for a small amount of perimeter first slab is to slip lifting rings or each jack independently. work. collars around each column. Threaded In older equipment, each set of hy- The basement floor is cast on the holes on either side of the collar are draulic lines leading into each jack ground to serve as a casting bed for where the lift bar sets. The upper terminates at the control in a revolu- ends of the lift bar are attached to future slabs. Each floor is cast directly tion-counter indicator which gives the hydraulic jacks set over the columns. on the basement floor which is ma- operator a measure of the amount of chine-troweled to a smooth surface. lift. The operator at the console can control the rate of lift for each jack by Either the surface of the basement POURING a series of hand-operated valves. New- floor is wax-dusted with a foundry After the columns have been erect- er equipment performs this task auto- dusting powder, painted with a coat ed, the ground floor is poured around matically. of curing compound followed by two them leaving a clearance around the additional coats, or sprayed with two columns. Each floor is dusted as pre- Such a control system for transmit- applications of colorless sealing com- viously mentioned. All castings are ting hydraulic material to the jacks in- sures uniform lifting. pound after it has taken initial set. done at two- to four-day intervals and These prevent bonding between the given ten days for the roof slab to From the jack on each column, two slabs and are repeated before each cure before lifting begins. threaded lifting rods reach down to slab is poured on the underlying slab. (Continued on Page 30) Learning never stops for engineers at Western Electric There's no place at Western Electric for engineers who feel In the management area alone, several thousand supervisory that college diplomas signify the end of their education. jobs are expected to open up to W.E. people within the next However, if a man can meet our quality standards and feels 10 years. And our work of building communications equip- that he is really just beginning to learn . . . and if he is ment and systems becomes increasingly challenging and ready to launch his career where learning is an important important as the communications needs of our nation and part of the job and where graduate-level training on and off the world continue to increase. the job is encouraged — we want and need him. At Western Electric, in addition to the normal learning- while-doing, engineers are encouraged to move ahead in their fields by several types of educational programs. Western maintains its own full-time graduate engineering training program, seven formal management courses, and a tuition refund plan for out-of-hours college study. This learning atmosphere is just one reason why a career at Western Electric is so stimulating. Of equal importance, however, is the nature of the work we do. Our new engi- neers are taking part in projects that implement the whole art of modern telephony from high-speed sound transmission and solar cells, to electronic telephone offices and computer- controlled production techniques. Should you join us now, you will be coming to Western Electric at one of the best times in the company's history. SECURING SLABS The concreting of the slabs entirely The Case for Lift Slab by grade instead of by hoist and in the (Continued from Page 28) When all slabs are lifted to the top air can result in a net savings of $0.10 LIFTING of the first column length, the second to $0.30 per square foot. Before any slab is lifted clear of the section of the column is secured and stack it is cast on, the corner jacks are slabs are lifted to this level and welded Erection speeds save an amount de- operated alone, without the interior in place. The columns are held rigid pendent on the value of the actual jacks, so that each corner is pealed during lifting by guy wires anchored time saved. (i.e. raised l/8 to 1/4 inch) to allow to concrete deadmen. In addition to these major saving air to break the suction bond between The ground floor slabs are attached factors, the total savings in structure the slabs and the stack. to the basement walls. Other slabs are can be blown up by other factors. Before the roof slabs are lifted, all connected directly to the columns. roofing material is placed on them for The winter protection costs which The two collar bands incorporated are either reduced or avoided can add lifting at the same time. in the column are welded to the verti- up to $1.00 per square foot savings. The sequence of lifting is the most cal reinforcement steel of the slab Floors can be cast in the winter at 30 fundamental and important item in lift collars with electrodes of low hydro- degrees Farenheit with heating con- slab. The sequence desired rests on gen iron powder. This welding equip- fined to an area of the ground where these points: ment is because of the high carbon the slabs are cast. 1) the point at which the columns content of the reinforcing steel. The may be conveniently reduced to size; lifting collars are also guyed in place. The elimination of plaster ceilings 2) the height at which the Euler can save $0.30 per square foot. Re- On some construction jobs, specially load is best dealt with; duced floor to floor height saves vol- cast shear-heads are f i e l d - w e l d e d to i) the height required to fix finally ume in the building which for most the wide-flange columns and to bear- as many of the lower slabs as possible structures costs a minimum $1.00 per ing plates set in the concrete ribs. to stack temporarily the upper slabs cubic foot. conviently for the next lift, and Slabs can also be connected to the 4) the length of the lifting rods. column by load wedges placed between With savings like this, it is no the bottom of the cast steel lifting wonder that more domestic, commer- Slabs are lifted at speeds of six to collars embedded in the slabs. Shear cial and industrial lift slab construc- eight feet an hour in series of two to plates are shop-welded to the columns. tion is the current trend. four slabs at a time. After positioning the slabs, wedges are The usual procedure is a 45-foot TIME SAVINGS welded to both the collar and column. first lift with succeeding lifts shorter In addition to economic savings, lift and shorter as column size reduces. slab saves time. Building specifications often limit the ADVANTAGE OF LIFT SLAB maximum difference in the amounts CONSTRUCTION The speeds of erection are consider- lifted between columns that are group- able. Two slabs can be lifted to their ed together to I/4 inch. ECONOMIC correct level daily with final fixing to Dials on the jack console panel in- More than 30 per cent of the cost follow. Each slab is cast into place in dicate how each jack is operating. for structural work can be saved by two to four days. the lift slab method of construction. Careful control makes sure that the Form work is almost entirely elimi- free-standing columns do not drift off Cost savings are attributed to three nated deleting the time normally con- line towards the vertical. Two plumb- factors: sumed in building and demolishing a bobs, six-inch diameter steel cylinders 1) elimination of slab forms; wooden superstructure. filled with concrete, dangle from the 2) concreting of slabs by grade; ends of the structure and are watched Finishing the structure takes less 3) erection speed. carefully. time, too, because the lower surfaces The elimination of slab forms saves of each slab are as smooth as the Of course, transit and level observa- tions are also considered. about $0.50 per square foot. The lift- machinne-troweled polished surface of ing charge is $0.30 per square foot. the floor on the lower slab. They need Each floor is braced in place as it A net savings of $0.20 per square foot only be painted with plastic paint be- reaches its final position. can be realized (.50 — .30 = .20). cause no plaster is needed. Also, all heating and electrical work is incor- porated in the slabs on the ground. The architect has more freedom in internal arrangements also. This is a result of the almost entire elimination of beams in the structure. The advantages of life slab construc- tion can be called the three C's. CONVENIENCE COST-CUTTING CELERITY. EDITORS NOTE: The Spartan Engineer has started the new year with a new Staff and new ideas. The new staff was rounded up rather hastily and this issue completed in a mad scramble to the deadline. There is nothing quite like pressure to whip a staff into shape. Our new ideas are quite frankly a different viewpoint. Every editor sees his magazine and its objectives differently than any previous editor. In reading through the past issues of the Spartan Engineer we have found high standards continuous throughout the years. It is the intent of this editor and his staff to maintain this standard. The excellent papers from the broad field of engineering, papers covering new developments in industry, research and engineering education will remain the backbone of the magazine. We are par- ticularly interested in what the MSU engineer is doing, and who he is. This, is our different viewpoint. There are some interesting people in the Engineering College; students and staff members both. These people are doing some interesting things, and we are going to tell you about them. We need some help. We can't meet everybody nor read everything. We're going to miss much that should be told. Collectively you know everything that happens in engineering, so . . . what is your special project? What's your roommates'? Who has a study that we ought to know about? Tell us about it, or better yet, write it up and we'll see that the other engineers know about it too. I—i tral, northeastern and northwestern re- 200,000 hectares in the future. This Raudales Dam in itself would fully justify the money gions, which have the densest popu- (Continued from Page 12) lations. invested in the project. Furthermore, and minor irrigation systems whereby electric power can be generated by this Therefore, the program formulated to intensify the cultivation of extensive dam in the amount of 425,000 KW, by this Secretariat is now mainly di- areas that were hitherto unused, and and 2,490 million K W H yearly which rected to the southeast, which is Mex- thereby to achieve an a g r i c u l t u r a l will suffice to insure industrial devel- ico's most promising region for ag- abundance. opment throughout the region and pro- ricultural development. This region This work, entrusted to the Minis- vide a surplus to be distributed to comprises the states of Tabasco, Chia- try of Hydraulic Resources, has been other regions. pas, Campeche and Oaxaca. Grijalba going on as fast as available means and Usumacinta are the two main riv- In order to begin the construction have permitted, and its aim has been ers whose flow must be harnessed to of the Raudales dam it was necessary to catch up with the ever increasing benefit this region. Their watersheds to deflect the river through five tun- needs of a population that has grown cover an extensive area and constitute nels 14 meters in diameter, excavated in the past 30 years at an inordinate- a hydrographic system with thirty per- in rock. These tunnels are being con- rate. cent of the country's hydraulic re- crete lined and are soon to be com- Furthermore, the application of the sources. At the hydrometric station pleted. Two of these tunnels, on the Agrarian Reform has been seriously called Penitas the mean run-off of the left bank of the river are to feed the hampered on the one hand by lack of Grijalba has been registered at 19 bil- hydroelectric p l a n t and at the same water, fertile lands, modern mechani- lion cubic meters annually. During the time will make p o s s i b l e discharges cal equipment, as well as of adequate months of September and October the when such are needed; the other three financial credits, and on the other by maximum flow of the two rivers has on the right bank will also take care an excess of farmers, or because the shown 6,220 cubic meters per second of outflows from controlling works. families of those who have been al- respectively, while the capacity of their lotted in past years parcels of land beds is only 3,500 cubic meters per The intake works at the Raudales have increased to six or more mem- second. dam will be located on the left bank bers, whose males have usually fol- of the river, using t u n n e l s number lowed the father's occupation in hus- The potential wealth of this region, One and Two that feed the hydroelec- bandry. Thus, the problem of accom- capable of supplying raw materials for tric turbine. modating the surplus rural population the development of important indus- must be solved by increasing the coun- tries is immense. The forest-covered This dam is rock fill with imperv- try's area of tillable soil. terrain is a store of timber species ious core of compressed clay, gravel where mahogany, rosewood, ebony and and sand filters. Its crest will be 20 Up to 1926, practically no major cedar abound. The higher slopes are meters wide, 450 meters long, and 130 irrigation projects had been developed rich with colder climate varieties of meters high. The total capacity of the in Mexico. But beginning that year, pine, fir and oak. Its wild-life fauna Raudales dam is 12,500 million cubic when the government created the Na- includes deer, tapir, wild boar, jaguar, meters, which makes it the largest in tional Irrigation Commission, the manatee and other species. Latin America. The artificial lake country entered upon a new era. In formed by the reservoir will cover an 1948 this Commission was elevated to The area has vast regions suitable area of 29,000 hectares. the status of a Ministry, titled Secre- for cattle raising and for almost every tariat of Hydraulic Resources, main- form of agriculture. It also has great The filling in of land depression tained directly by appropriations from reserves of mineral wealth, mainly with silt carried by the river is an ad- the federal budget. that of oil, particularly in the state of ditional feature of the Grijalba proj- Tabsco. Nature indeed endowed Mex- ect. The drainage method is to be util- Today, the federal appropriation for ico's Southeast with an incalculable ized in the formation of soil. Past ex- the Secretariat of Hydraulic Resources, store of unexploited riches, which will perience, that at the Don Martin dam amounting to 779,630,000 pesos, be open to exploitation when the pro- in the state of Coahuila, shows that stands next to that of the Secretariat gram of the Ministry of Hydraulic while from 1931 to 1938 its system of Public Education, which is foremost Resources is completed. worked normally, by the end of 1938 in government expenditures and is al- the reservoir went completely dry, in- most at par with that granted the Sec- While this program consists of var- dicating that silt deposited along the retariat of Communications and Trans- ious projects, that of the Raudales far end right to the wall of the dam ports. dam, at the confluence of the Grijalba not only preserved the bed of the Sal- Since its foundation, the Secretariat and La Venta rivers, in the state of ado river, but also the grass that had has built numerous irrigation projects Chiapas, is already under construction. grown in it. Something similar was ob- in different regions of Mexico, as well (1) The benefits that will be derived served in 1953 in the Marte R. Gomez as potable water and drainage sys- from this dam can be listed as fol- dam after ten years in operation. Such tems in cities, towns and villages. The lows: prevention of disastrous floods eventualities are b e i n g prevented in great increase in the volume of Mex- over the communities in the region the construction of the Raudales dam. ico's agricultural production d u r i n g called Olla de Chontalpa, as well as the past 30 years has been largely the To form the reservoir of this dam over approximately 100,000 hectares result of irrigation systems built by it was necessary to close three open- under cultivation; the reclamation of ings by means of section dikes similar this Secretariat. Most of these systems, 350,000 hectares of excellent land, however, have been built in the cen- to those of the dam in which 17 mil- with the probability of additional 34 (Continued on Page 36) poker. The intense heat on the surface heat of re-entry? Engineers found the X-15—the famed research rocket plane answer to this difficult problem in a that has reached speeds over 4000 mph of the ship would soften and weaken and altitudes of 314,000 ft. Re-entering materials normally used in aircraft con- Nickel-containing alloy strong enough the atmosphere on the way back home, struction. What kind of metal can be to resist sizzling temperatures of 1000 friction can make it glow like a red hot counted on to stay strong at the red degrees, and more. Today's engineer is aware of the advantages of Nickel-containing metals. He knows that Nickel, or one of its alloys, can make hun- dreds of new designs — from the strong, heat-resistant skin of a research rocket plane, to the com- plex parts of a moon surveyor- perform better and last longer. 2000 mph airliner—a supersonic jet that Moon crawler. Sometime during 1964, You'll find Inco's List "A" helpful will fly from New York to London in this spider-like object—the "Surveyor" and informative. It has descrip- just over 2 hours at speeds of 2000 mph, — is expected to land on the moon's sur- tions of 200 publications, covering and at 70,000 ft. altitudes. What will face and transmit information to earth applications and properties of hold her skin together? Logical choice: on what the moon looks like and what it is made of. What metal will this Nickel and its alloys. Write: a brazing alloy containing palladium Educational Services, (one of the 14 elements produced by machine need to withstand the extreme International Nickel), providing great cold? Most likely a Nickel-containing alloy to provide toughness at sub-zero The International Nickel Company, Inc. strength at high temperatures—up to 67 Wall Street, New York 5, N. Y. 630° F—caused by supersonic speeds. temperatures. Dr. Charles R. St. Clair, who was lion square meters of materials were event ot an atcacx on uic u m i t u engaged in missile research for Avco utilized. Flood control will be made States. Corp. before c o m i n g to MSU last by two structures (1) a controlled crest What qualities would the optimum spillway and floodgates and (2) a April, noted that such a missile would signal have in addition to being easily be highly invulnerable to antimissile floodgate structure capable of regular- audible? Dr. Oyer, who has just start- izing the maximum current flow of missiles. ed on the project, is not sure at this 8,300 cubic meters per second to point. Known interception techniques, he 3,300, In case of an extraordinary flow explained in an address to the MSU "Offhand, however," he said, "I can of 20,000 Cubic meters per second, Men's Club, depend upon being able think of several probable requisites. which is considered improbable, the to detect and track an oncoming mis- two structures can discharge 16,000 "The sound should be of a disturb- sile on radar. cubic meters per second or enough to ing nature. Perhaps it should be a Space scientists i n v e s t i g a t i n g the regularize said flow. sound that suggests danger to a per- problem of undetectable missiles think son. While the entire project will require the solution could be a matter of shape several years for its completion, the "It should be a sound that would or material, or both, Dr. St. Clair said. construction of the Raudalcs dam is not be confused with some other, The MSU engineer pointed out that going ahead at a speedy pace and something different from the tele- phone bell or a fire engine which a missile nose cone, the part which should be in operation by the end of people are used to hearing. It ought carries the payload, is shielded from 1964. Along the course of the Gri- jalba river, all the way from this dam to arouse a person from sleep as well the heat of re-entry by an ablating ma- to its outlet into the Gulf of Mexico as compete with the noises of his reg- terial. at the port of Frontera, Tabasco, navi- ular environment." "This material," he said, "can be gation shall foster trade and the es- made of plastics and silica. It has to The sound could resemble a human tablishment of new industries. The ir- have low heat conductivity and burn or animal sound, Dr. Oyer observed. rigation of several hundred thousand away during r e - e n t r y , much like a Also, he added, several a t t e n t i o n - hectares of land in the Chontalpa re- piece of wood. getting noises could be combined in- gion will provide opportunities for to one signal. "When the nose cone re-enters the settlement of large contingents of landless farmers, and will greatly in- One sound Dr. Oyer wants to try atmosphere, the material is chemically crease the state's agricultural product. is "white noise." This is a blend of decomposed and vaporized by the in- several frequencies (pitches) just as tense heating, but only part of it is Comprising the initial phase of a white light is a blend of several colors destroyed before the n o s e cone is comprehensive long-range government of the spectrum. slowed and the heating decreases. The program which will materially trans- rest of the vehicle is protected." form Mexico's southeastern region, "White noise makes a sort of hiss- ing sound, like a steam clothing pres- While use of the ablating material and thus extend its benefits to the en- ser," Dr. Oyer said. Slight variations has solved the basic problem of re- tire country, the "Raudales" dam, an in the blend, he added, produce other entry heating, several improvements admirable feat of engineering, is an undertaking of signal importance. sounds. are needed, he continued. The MSU researcher pointed out Among them, he said, is the need Acknowledgements that frequency ( p i t c h ) , intensity to develop materials or designs which The technical data contained in (loudness) and other p r o p e r t i e s of will permit constant radio communica- this article has been obtained from sound can be r e g u l a t e d to produce tion with the g r o u n d . At present, papers from Mr. Alfredo Varela E. sounds of any given specifications, there is a temporary "blackout" as re- Colin, civil engineer, and Under- natural or unnatural. Sound waves can entry forces create a sheath of charged secretary of the Secretariat of Hy- be clipped off and regulated in other particles around the cone. draulic Resources, and Mr. Jorge L. unusual ways. Before space scientists decided on Pedrero, civil engineer. "We can do all kinds of things ablation-type nose cones, Dr. St. Clair with sound," Dr. Oyer said, "but what said, d e s i g n s called for cones con- MSU NEWS is ultimately the best warning signal structed of solid copper with a mirror- remains to be determined." like surface. After a thorough review of past re- "The objective," he said, "was to search related to this project, Dr. Oyer absorb the heat from the gases flowing plans to conduct l a b o r a t o r y experi- over the surface and conduct it away What noise grabs a person's atten- ments and actual field trials to deter- from the surface rapidly enough to tion best? prevent surface melting . . . It probab- mine the relative warning values of Dr. Herbert J. Oyer, professor of various sounds. ly was capable of operating success- speech at Michigan State University, fully but it was exceedingly heavy." plans to find out. —MSU Information Services As associate manager of the physics Working through a $42,780 grant The need for ICBM nose cones that research department at Avco, Dr. St. from the Office of Civil Defense, Dr. are invisible to enemy radar was listed Clair was involved in the design of Oyer will attempt to determine what as a requirement of the Space Age by nose cones for the Minuteman and sound or combination of sounds would the chairman of mechanical engineer- Titan missiles. be the optimum warning signal in ing at Michigan State University. —MSU Information Services 36 HOW CUTLER-HAMMER CREATIVE ENGINEERING HELPS INDUSTRY REACH ITS AUTOMATION GOALS Q. How long has Cutler-Hammer know-how to solve a customer's 1. Create a system that will been in Automation? manufacturing problem. They start solve the problem. with a thorough grounding in the 2. Design the system within the A. Long before the word "auto- customer's products —how he time allotted. mation" was coined. moves and works the materials he Many company historians view manufactures. Then they apply 3. Install the system at a cost the installation of the first electric their technical knowledge to create which pays its way for the turret-turning control for battle- a practical solution. We have a customer and provides us a ships as our original "automatic Materials Handling group, a Metal fair profit. system" achievement. In 1904, Processing group, and many other Task forces work together in a trials aboard the U.S.S. INDIANA industry groups composed of young, modern 500,000 square foot plant so improved rapid-fire and gunnery- creative-minded engineers. specifically designed to house every control scoring that identical sys- And, we don't "stock-pile" our activity involved in the evolution tems were installed on sister ships. engineering talent. Every engineer of the complete system. Every pos- we hire is expected to contribute sible step has been taken to provide Q. How does your Automation — quickly and directly to the team a climate that is conducive to effort. creative planning and development. or "System Control"-effort This approach has paid off! Long differ from your other control recognized as a leader in standard- business? Q. How does Cutler-Hammer ized motor control, Cutler-Hammer approach an automation job? is more and more being regarded A. We work in two areas of control. as a major contributor in industrial One involves research, develop- automation. Our automation cre- ment and manufacture of stand- A. We have learned that a sizable system needs painstaking coordi- dentials include innovations in every ardized electric control components industrial field from continuous and apparatus. Here the customer nation between many groups — project teams, engineering, mainte- process lines to newspaper mail orders from us through a bill of rooms. material. nance and purchasing personnel at the customer factory and head- The automation customer is dif- quarters locations . . . machinery Q. How do I learn more about ferent. He has no bill of material builders, motor manufacturers, Cutler-Hammer's automation —he has a problem. He needs to contractors and many more. capability and the career op- improve production or quality, or to reduce his unit costs. He isn't We view this coordination as one portunities for engineers? of our primary functions, and fulfill buying "hardware," he's seeking a A. By v i s i t i n g y o u r P l a c e - it by furnishing all responsible creative solution to a challenging ment Office . . . picking up the groups and individuals the infor- problem . . . and that's what our Cutler-Hammer literature on the mation they want and need to engineers provide. rack, and talking to your Placement guarantee an efficient dovetailing of effort. Director. Or, you can write direct Q- Assuming I decide to work We organize a coordinating task to T. B. Jochem, Cutler-Hammer, for a control manufacturer, why force for each project, headed by a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a com- Cutler-Hammer? lead engineer and staffed by engi- plete kit of information. And, I neers representing every necessary hope that you will plan to meet A. The most compelling reason is technical discipline. That task force with our representative when he our continuing interest and exten- is charged with three duties: visits your campus. sive experience in "System Con- trol." This is the life of our com- pany and distinct career advantages result from this concern. Our engineers are forced to apply a combination of advanced elec- tronic and electrical engineering WHAT ARE YOU WORTH? (Continued from Page 16) gressive the experience was. If you worked four years but were only re- peating six months experience eight times over, you are not as valuable as you would be if all four years had been progressive experience. Other companies, after asking what other offers were made, will simply make an offer of whatever the budget of the department chosen can stand, regardless of any background factors. This is an example of starting salary calculation. A list of the pertinent fac- tors are: Age: 26 G.P.A.: 2.56 Extra-curricular Activities: Organizations: 4, 2 Honoraries: None Fraternities: None Other: None Marital Status: Married, 2 chil- dren Military Service: 48 months, Navy, AT2 Previous Experience: 18 months, Wedemeyer's Electronic Supply Co. and Lear-Siegler Inc. Estimate a salary between $575 and $625 since 70% of the 1962 class made this. From Table III, under four Background Factors in age and gpa, average the three salaries and set this average aside for later use. $ 585 620 $629 $629 _624 3/T889 $1889 Set the extrapolated figure of $650 from Table IV aside. Because of mem- bership in four organizations and holding office in two, set aside $600. mately $627 per month or $7,524 per There are other important consider- A married veteran should use the fig- year, $884.83 of which will go for ations to be made before a graduate ure $635. Because of employment by Federal income tax leaving a net sal- chooses the company to work for: (1) Lear-Siegler last summer and 15 ary of $6637.17. what is the company's growth poten- months by Wedemeyer's add $622 to the list. Now find the average of If the employee is single, tax on his tial over the next few decades; (2) these figures: $7,524 per year salary will be $1,415. what kind of a story does the com- $ 629 analogous to other students pany's annual report tell; (3) what Now that you think you know what 650 extrapolated average you re worth, don't walk into an inter- are chances for a d v a n c e m e n t ; (4) 600 officer of an "Organization" view with your mental calculator go- what opportunities are offered for fur- 635 "Married Veteran" ing, trying to figure out how large a ther education; (5) what percentage 622 "Previous Experience" salary you can wring out of the em- of their business is tied up in govern- $3136 ployer. ment contracts, i.e., how diversified are they in their interests; (6) company $627 Seniors last year, for example, did location; (7) the city; (8) recreational $627 5/3136 not all accept the highest starting sal- facilities, company and city; (9) taxes, ary which they were offered. Most state, county, city, school and proper- Therefore, the predicted average of people would rather be doing a job ty; (10) housing a v a i l a b i l i t y and all offers received for permanent em- they enjoy, with less salary, than one comparative cost; (11) is the company ployment this year will be approxi- which is a high paying headache. growing or dying; (12) how much 38 stress is placed o n R & D ; (13) what is the nature of the training program; (14) is the job description informa- tive enough; (15) what are the ages of the men in m a n a g e m e n t ; (16) what are the records of past graduates of MSU whom they have hired? The interview should bring out the answers to many of these and any other questions a prospective employee has. Listed in Table V are the companies who hired last year's seniors and the breakdown by numbers. Table VII was set up to correlate starting salary and gpa with the amount of previous experience a per- son had. The "Previous Experience" Under Category 2, one student is salary is listed in order of magnitude. being admitted to graduate school with A close correlation exists between the only a 2.65 average; he is not taking number of months of previous experi- advanced engineering work. In gener- ence and salary; the more experience, al, with a low gpa, a graduate can the more a prospect is valued. How- still obtain admission to do graduate ever, Table VI shows no correlation work in another college, such as law, between gpa and length of previous business, accounting, etc. experience. Among those taking graduate work The c o r r e l a t i o n becomes clearer is a conspicious lack of married stu- when certain groups are averaged to- dents and/or veterans compared with gether as in Table II. those students who went directly into industry. Those vets who went into in- Those so dedicated to a field of in- dustry probably went into the service terest in engineering that the starting directly out of high school for several salary is immaterial should find use- reasons, (1) financially unable to start ful information in Group II. right in with college directly out of Under Category 1, no one is going high school, (2) emotionally unpre- to graduate school this year with less pared for the rigor of collegiate aca- demic study, (3) not sure where they were headed or what they wanted out than a 2.9 average. of life. Many found themselves ready for college on all accounts after a maturing tour of duty in the service. Most v e t e r a n s are also married ( 7 0 % ) . Hence, from their maturing look at the outside world while in the service, and their responsibilities as a bread winner, they have acquired the drive or ambition to make the grade, if only by sheer determination. On the other hand, those going to school for graduate work (1) were in the top 10% of their h i g h school graduating class, (2) wasted little time on social events (they could have par- ticipated in extra curricular activities without "wasting" any of their time), (3) are very dedicated to their studies, (4) and don't have the responsibilities of a family man. A Word From The Author I hope you'll now be in a better position to make an intelligent de- cision about this major step in your life. (Continued on Page 40) (Continued from Page 39) lations I've made this year. I have sampling of students in each of the I enjoin next year's AIEE-IRE stu- made "cliff h a n g e r s " out of many different categories. dent officers to continue this survey to correlations, i.e., the results are incon- Good luck and good job hunting! further validate or disprove the corre- clusive due to the lack of an adequate Acknowledgements: Thanks to the following people for their comments on the article: Dean Ryder, dean of the College of Engi- neering; Dr. L. W. Von Tersch, chair- man of the Electrical Engineering De- partment; Mr. F i t z p a t r i c k of the Placement Bureau; Professor Baccus, AIEE-IRE faculty advisor; Dr. Richard Reid, Electrical Engineering faculty member; Pete Stewart, chairman of the AIEE-IRE; Ron Reynolds, vice-chair- man of the A I E E - I R E ; and Vic Humm, former Spartan Engineer stu- dent editor. "Give us a brake," Ford Motor Company engineers were told, "that will automatically compensate for lining wear whenever an adjustment is needed-and make it work for the entire life of the lining." Tough assignment-but not insurmountable. Today, not only does every Ford-built car boast self-adjusting brakes, but the design is so excellent that adjustments can be made more precisely than by hand. This Ford-pioneered concept is not complex. Key to it is a simple mechanism which automatically maintains proper clearance between brake drum and lining. Self-adjustment takes place when the brakes are applied while backing up. This adjustment normally occurs but once in several hundred miles of driving. The brake pedal stays up, providing full pedal reserve for braking. Another assignment completed-and another example of how Ford Motor Company provides engineering leadership for the American Koaa. Finagle's Axioms and the Snafu Equation EDITOR'S NOTE: We found this in There is also an equation, called On Production & Testing the Missouri Shamrock—enjoyed it— the general snafu equation, which re- 1. The most vital dimension on any thought you might too. lates actual experimental results with plan or drawing stands the great- actual correct results. The equation, est chance of being omitted. with its empirical proof is presented, As Engineering students, it is im- in the form of a theorem, immediately 2. Major design changes will always portant that we should know not only following the list of axioms. arrive after construction is nearly the goals and extent of engineering, complete. but also the horizons and limitations. NOTE: This list of axioms may not One of the primary differences be- be complete. If the reader is aware of 3. Parts that positively cannot be as- tween a scientist and an engineer is any other axioms, please notify the sembled in improper order will that whereas a scientist wants to know author of them, c/o this publication. be. exactly what is happening inside a It will be greatly appreciated, emp device, an engineer is satisfied if the 4. Interchangable parts won't. device works well. True, theory is very Finagle's Axioms 5. A part requiring service or ad- important to an engineer, but let us On Experimentation & Calculations justment will be in the least ac- not forget that our primary purpose is cessable position. to apply the theory to some beneficial 1. In any calculation or experiment, purpose. any error which can creep in will 6. Service c o n d i t i o n s as given in do so. specifications will be exceeded. In applying theories, it is often 2. Those factors which cannot go 7. All delivery promises must be necessary, in the interest of labor- wrong, will probably go wrong multiplied by a factor of 2.00. savings, to make "engineering approx- anyway. imations," some of which tend to leave 8. M a n u f a c t u r e r s specifications of Pure scientists and mathematicians 3. No matter what goes wrong, it performance must be multiplied white-faced and shuddering. As engi- will probably look right. by a factor of 0.50. neers, however, we merely shrug and proceed, often throwing caution to the 4. Any error will be in the direction 9. Salesmen's claims for perform- winds. of most harm. ance must be multiplied by a 5. Constants, especially those from factor of 0.25. Because of the many approximations engineering handbooks, must be and assumptions which are commonly 10. Installation and operating instruc- treated as variables. used, there is usually some inconsis- tions will be promptly discarded tency in experimental work. 6. When an error has been found by the shipping department. and corrected, it will be found to There are some twenty-nine axioms, have been correct in the first 11. The best approximation of service known as Finagles axioms, which place. conditions in the lab will not be- should be known by every engineer gin to meet those conditions en- who is concerned with experimenta- 7. Any data, which, when included countered in the field. tion, calculation, production or testing. in a calculation, produces the de- sired result, are fair data for the 12. If only one bid can be secured They are presented here in two sec- calculation. on any project, the price will be tions, one concerned with experimen- unreasonable. tation and calculation, the other with 8. (Corollary to # 7 ) If enough production and testing. The axioms data is available, anything may 13. If a safety factor is set through are arranged in semi-logical order, (i.e. be proven by statistical means. service experience at a maximum as logically as possible), and are num- value, someone will promptly de- 9. Hell hath no fury like an unjusti- vise a method to exceed said bered separately in each section. fied assumption. safety factor. 42 14. Identical units which test in iden- Further attempts at duplication will The MSU scientist is certain that tical fashion will behave dissim- only produce more sets of inconsistent there is much more oil under Michigan ilarly in the field. data. Thus, it is seen that the Snafu than has been found so far. He also equation holds, although since the K's believes that more iron, copper and 15. If a test installation functions vary in semi-random fashion (i.e. other mineral deposits will be discov- perfectly, all subsequent produc- sometimes random, sometimes not, thus ered and worked. tion units will malfunction. preventing use of random number 16. Warranty and guarantee clauses tables in the solution), it is of little At least a dozen oil and mining are voided by payment of the in- practical use. This may, indeed, be the companies, including some of the big- voice. reason that Kg appears to be the most gest in the nation, have demonstrated commonly used term. strong interest in Dr. Hinze's work. The Snafu Equation He estimates that they have donated Theorem; or lent to MSU the use of about $100,000 worth of geophysical instru- The results of an experiment per- ments and about $50,000 in direct formed under controlled laboratory grants and fellowships. conditions by competent personnel, us- ing accurately calibrated e q u i p m e n t The National Science Foundation can be described by the following non- has also participated in underwriting convergent infinite power series, whose Great reservoirs of oil hidden deep the cost of research performed by coefficients are semi-random functions under Michigan in the limestone reefs undergraduates during extensive field of space and time. of an ancient sea are being brought trips throughout the state. closer to discovery, reports a Michigan —MSU Information Services x1 = Kix -f K 2 x- -f Kax3 -f State University geophysicist. 4 K4x + K5x> - f K,-,x« + . . . . For three years, Dr. William J. Where: Hinze has led MSU student teams measuring gravity and magnetic force x1 represents the correct results; across most of Michigan, particularly x represents the experimental re- the lower peninsula. sults; He and others have long suspected K1 r e p r e s e n t s Finagles constant that valuable supplies of oil and other (variable); minerals are trapped under a mile-or- more-thick covering of sediment and K2 represents the fudge factor; glacial deposits from the ice ages. Ka represents the Bugger variable "The results of our investigations," (constancy); the associate professor of geology sug- K4 represents the Diddle factor; gests, "should make it easier to locate this wealth by reducing the risks in- K.->, Ki,, KT, . . . are as yet unknown, volved in deep-drilling and deep-min- General Electric e n g i n e e r s have although ing operations. been assigned the task of measuring the effects of lightning strokes on mis- Ks is generally known as the to- "We cannot be certain that a partic- sile sites. hellwithit factor. ular venture will pay off but we can Under a $400,000 contract from the reduce the odds. Air Force's Special Weapons Center NOTE: The proof is not rigorous, but empirical. In fact, no known rig- The extent to which the information at Kirtland Air Force Base, New orous proof exists, which bothers us is helpful, he points out, depends on Mexico, G.E.'s Radiation Effects Oper- not at all. how shrewdly it is interpreted. All ation will build instrumentation to geophysicists, however, need this kind measure lightning effects on missiles, Suppose that a certain experiment, of data to make reasonable predictions. missile pads, and associated electronic say Q, is performed under the specified equipment. conditions at some time t at the south Geophysical techniques improve the oil drillers chances of striking it rich. In addition, the G-E group will con- end of a lab, say at position xi, posi- duct artificial lightning tests in con- tive x being to the north. Suppose "The use of geophysics," Dr. Hinze junction with the Company's High that Q is performed by a second simi- points out, "cuts the risk in half." Voltage Laboratory in Pittsfield, Mass., lar group at the north end, say xi -f- to initially check out the instrumenta- 50, also at time t. It will soon be To aid in interpretation, Dr. Hinze tion and present lightning protection discovered that the conclusions of the has made detailed gravitational, mag- equipment. too groups do not agree. If both netic and seismic observations in Mich- groups repeat the experiment at some igan oil-producing areas and is de- Moreover, the Company's General later time, say t1, it will be seen that veloping methods with his graduate Engineering Laboratory in Schenectady neither group can duplicate the previ- students for using the MSU computer will provide one of the first histories ous data; i.e., there will be four sets to determine when similar measure- of atmospheric behavior surrounding °f conclusions, no two of which are ments from other areas signify the the time of a lightning stroke. Previ- the same. likely presence of oil. (Continued on Page 48) November, 1962 43 Degrees —temperature as well as engineering —really matter at Linde Company. LINDE, a leading commercial producer of industrial gases for over50 years, is now engaged in many diverse industrial activities. Heat, cold, pressure, vacuum, and engineering talent are the basic creative tools used in continuing efforts to, develop new products and ad- vanced technological capabilities. Temperatures uti- lized may run as hot as 30,000°F., to as cold as —452°F. This work particularly requires the skills of Mechanical, Chemical, Metallurgical, Electrical,and Civil engineers. There are excellent opportunities in programs in Cryogenics, Plasmas, Flame-Plating, Industrial Gases, Electronics, Molecular Sieves, Bio-Chemistry, Crys- tallography, and other technical areas. You can look forward to a rewarding career in Re- search, Development, Design, Engineering, Produc- tion, Sales Engineering, Administration. LINDE is a nationwide organization with offices, plants, factories and laboratories throughout the coun- try. Where you work will largely depend upon the work you do. Research and Development: LINDE has three tech- nical centers at Buffalo, N. Y., Newark, N. J., and Indi- anapolis, Ind. Production Facilities: LINDE operates production facilities in nearly every state of the Union. General Offices and Sales Offices: LINDE'S general offices are located in New York City; region sales of- fices are located in major cities throughoutthe country. LINDE offers a progressive employment benefit pro- gram: relocation; Educational Refund Plan for ad- vanced study in your field of interest. Promotion from within is a basic company policy. For further informa- tion, please contact Mr. E. R. Brown, Jr., Department 3742, Linde Company, Division of Union Carbide Cor- poration, 270 Park Avenue, New York 17, N. Y. All inquiries will receive prompt replies. Which Would You Design As Malleable Castings ? SIDETRACKED A young business man, a deacon in The bright young high school grad- The colonel was lecturing a class of his local church, was going to New uate applied for his first full-time job. ROTC students. York on business and while there was He read the application blank which to pure hase a new sign to be hung in asked: "A 40-foot f l a g p o l e has fallen front of the church. down," he said. "You have a sargeant "What machines can you operate?" and a squad of men. How do you He copied the motto and dimen- erect the flagpole again?" sions, but when he got to New York After a moment's thought he wrote: discovered he had left the paper be- The students thought, then made "Slot and pinball." hind. He wired his wife: "Send motto suggestions about block and tackle, and dimensions." * * * derricks and so on. An hour later a message came over A new inmate checked in at the "You're all wrong," said the colo- the wire, and the new lady clerk who local asylum. Whereas most of the nel. "You'd say, 'Sergeant, get the had just come from lunch and who new arrivals have a sullen attitude, flagpole up.' " knew nothing of the previous message this fellow was all smiles. In fact, he * * * read it and fainted. When they looked was laughing uproarously. at the message she had taken, it read: Seems that a wife, who was dearly "Unto Us A Child Is Born. 6 feet "Nearest kin?" asked the examining physician. loved by her husband, died. This de- long and 2 feet wide." voted husband believed in cremation. "Twin brother," responsed the fel- After which he placed the ashes in a * * * low. "We were identical twins. Could- vase. Wishing to display his love for n't tell us apart. In school he'd throw his departed mate by having her ashes An old gent was passing an inter- a spitball and the teacher would blame near him, he placed the vase on his section when a large St. Bernard ran me. Once he was arrested for speed- study desk. by and knocked him down. ing and the judge fined me. I had a A moment later, a Crosley car skid- girl. He ran off with her." After a while, as is the human habit, ded around the corner and inflicted he more or less forgot her "presence" "Then why are you laughing?" and became quite careless with his other damage. A bystander helped him to his feet, and someone asked "Cuz last week I got even with cigar ashes by using the vase for an him if the dog hurt him. him." ash tray. "What happened?" One evening, a friend who knew "Well," he answered, "the dog didn't hurt so much, but the tin can "I died and they buried him." the departed well, was visiting the tied to his tail nearly killed me." widower, and casually glanced into the * * * vase. * * * A preacher at the close of his ser- "Ah," he said, "I notice your wife Late to bed mon discovered one of his deacons has put on a little weight." asleep. He said, "We will now have And early to rise. a few minutes of prayer. Deacon * * * Brown, you lead! " Keeps your roommate "Just because my eyes are red is no "Lead?" cried Deacon Brown, sud- sign I'm drunk. For all you know I From wearing your ties. denly awakening, "I just dealt!" may be a white rabbit." 46 When a space vehicle slants back into the earth's atmosphere at mission's end, a curtain of silence lasting minutes closes between it and its tracking earth sta- tions. A similar communications blackout occurs dur- ing the space firing of rocket engines, Villain is intense heat generated during re-entry and rocket fir- ing which leads to ionization of atoms and disturbs or blots out radio frequencies. Because this phenome . non repr esents an obstacle to remote control of space vehicles, Douglas scientists are studying its exact causes. Work is in progress on methods of modulating or eliminating this interference. The above is only one of hundreds of interesting assignment areas at Douglas. If you are seeking a stimulating career with an organization in the thick of the most vital programs of today and tomorrow, we invite you to contact us. Write to Mr. S. A. Amestoy, Douglas Aircraft Company, 3000 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, Dept. 600-X. The spacecraft contains all the guid- ance equipment necessary to detect its deviation from its intended orbit. The G-E orbital guidance system, made up of a radar altimeter and a simple digital computer, can continu- ously measure the spacecraft's altitude while passing over water—three-quar- ters of the time of a typical Earth or- bit. These measurements establish the vehicle's radius from Earth's center of gravity. From the record of the ve- hicle's altitude during its first orbit compared with its intended orbit or trajectory, the system can determine the actual course of the vehicle for astronauts or Earth control centers. The new G-E system can determine this information after one orbit with an accuracy now obtainable only after multiple orbits using ground tracking stations. The entire system is self-contained for being carried in the space vehicle and weighs 20 to 30 pounds, depend- ing upon application. It requires 30 to 40 watts of power to operate. —J. B. Stroup, G.E. So What Else Is New? perature that are analogous to the well- Criticality Achieved in B&W (Continued from PAGE 43) known magnetic properties of ferro- The world's first commercially oper- ous work in this field has been limited magnetic" materials. ated pressurized water thorium con- to atmospheric measurements at chosen "This discovery of a material having verter reactor achieved criticality in times during a storm. This work will nearly ideal electrical characteristics August. give the Air Force increased scientific including apparent true 'coercivity,' in ability to predict strikes. According to its designer and build- the language of the electrical engineer, Later tests will be conducted at er, The Babcock and Wilcox Com- is expected to stimulate new avenues missile sites themselves where actual pany, the reactor will supply enough of research leading to applications in lightning will be experienced, and steam through fossil-fired superheaters compact electronic circuits of great in- measurements of its effect will be to generate 275,000 K W of power, terest to the computer, control and made. making Consolidated Edison's Indian communications sciences." Point station the largest electric gener- Lightning protection systems cur- Earlier experimenters had discov- ating station in the nation employing rently used at missile bases will be ered a stable form of ferroelectric po- nuclear power. evaluated during these tests. tassium nitrate only in the range of —Stroupp, 110 to 125 degrees centigrade. Mr. The reactor is the world's first G.E. News Bureau Schubring and Mr. Nolta have now power generating reactor to use a com- observed, however, that this range may bination of thorium and uranium as Elements Comp's Ampl. be extended to include room tempera- fuel, B&W added. Gross thermal out- Possibility of using cheap and abun- ture under certain conditions. Their put for the r e a c t o r is rated at 585 dant potassium nitrate for computer present research is centered on deter- MW. and amplifier elements is under study mining the factors affecting the stabili- at General Motors Research Labora- ty of the ferroelectric form of potas- The reactor is a pressurized water tories, Warren, Mich. sium nitrate at ordinary temperatures. thorium-uranium converter, and uses "For the first time," said John M. a basic fuel of highly enriched urani- —GM Corp News Campbell, GM Research scientific di- um 235 mixed with a fertile material, rector, "a common, easily prepared thorium 232. Additional fuel in the polycrystalline, ferroelectric material Gemini form of uranium 233 is obtained by has been found that exhibits much conversion of fertile material within A Gemini-type spacecraft is guided sought after low-energy electric capac- the reactor core. by a new orbital guidance system un- itive memory properties at room tem- der development by General Electric. —Babcock and Wilcox Co. Kodak beyond the snapshot... (random notes) Resist education Cheaper than rubies Adhesive findings maybe A certain engineering college recently Mr. G u y V. M a r t i n , 110 Yale Blvd., asked us for a contribution not of money We have entered the laser rod business. S.E., Albuquerque, N.M., has found but of a small object suitably symbolic This decision looks logical enough. EASTMAN 910 Adhesive vastly supe- to deposit in the cornerstone of a new Lasers are a) very, very, very promising rior to soft solder for transmitting ultra- building. After thinking about it a bit, and b) connected by a strong thread to sonic vibration. He has used up to 60 we sent three intricately shaped bits of a technology about which we feel cocky kc and electrical power inputs up to 200 metal so small that one of them got lost —namely, non-silicate rare-earth glass, watts at temperatures up to 200°F. and never found its way into the box which we broke open commercially 25 When he feeds energy like that that will be opened some day to show years ago for photo lenses. through a solder bond from a transducer our descendants the topics that engineers It was a thrill to hear that a rod of of laminated nickel sheets to an applica- in 1962 regarded as fresh and promising. ours commenced action at a threshold tion tip, the solder deteriorates progres- Is it not true that the engineering mind of only 4 joules at room temperature. It sively and the transmission drops steadily. today is much occupied with working emitted at 1.06uby transition of Nd+++ An EASTMAN 910 bond acts differ- metals and semiconductors in ways to from 4F]/2 to 411/2(not down to ground ently. Without apparent change, it get as much performance as possible state, which is 419/2). Its time to techno- transmits three to four times as long as from as little bulk as possible? logical obsolescence will be inevitably solder takes to reach disintegration. Doggone right. In addition to making and indubitably short. When the 910 bond finally snaps, it deposits in cornerstones, we have been Meanwhile, for the people busy feel- does so all at once with an audible snap. busy expanding the line of photosensitive ing out the ground rules of laser engi- In the case of aluminum bonded to the resists on which this hot new art so neering for machine tools, weapons, etc., nickel, rupture always takes place be- strongly depends. Everybody in it should our neodymium-boron-barium-lanth- tween the adhesive film and the alum- be delighted to learn of KOR, a new one anum-thorium-strontium glass is a good inum. With other metals, plastics, that's 10 to 15 times as sensitive to arc first choice because 1) neodymium needs ceramics, or glass bonded to the nickel, light and 30 to 100 times as sensitive to no refrigerants (fluorescence doesn't re- the rupture divides itself between one tungsten light as Kodak's well-known turn Nd*" to ground state); 2) 1.06u is interface or the other and doesn't appear resist, KPR. This opens up the possibil- convenient to phototubes, phosphors, within the film. ity of exposing K O R by a projected and photography; 3) threshold for laser Mr. Martin claims that for some 30 image instead of by contact printing, action comes at1/3the energy input that years Kodak has been very obliging in but the photographic speed is still a little Nd"* needs in silicate glass. furnishing him helpful information from low for an ordinary enlarger. A high- You have heard of ruby lasers? They time to time. We claim that in volun- intensity projection printer will turn depend on Cr"*. Cr*** depends on the teering his adhesive findings, he has now the trick. crystal field to define its energy levels. amply repaid us. We shall be very happy If you don't even know what we are Rare earths don't need a crystal field to furnish you, too, with helpful infor- talking about, you have a dangerous because their 4f levels are shielded by mation for 30 years. EASTMAN 910 blind spot in your education which you 5s electrons. Therefore they can work Adhesive is obtainable in a $5 sample could repair quickly by sending a buck in glass, which can come big and homo- kit from Eastman Chemical Products, to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester geneous. Already a 2" x1/4"rod with Inc., Kingsport, Tenn. (Subsidiary of 4, N.Y. for a copy of "Photosensitive ends tuned to reflect —100% and 98% at Eastrman Kodak Co.). It develops great Resists." 1.06U costs less than a decent used strength withi.i seconds. motorcycle. How Scientists and Engineers Work Together in Industry Q. Dr. Suits, I've heard a good deal about the scope of your programs. Is your research mostly in physics and electronics? A. This is a common misconception. The work of the many laboratories of Gen- eral Electric "covers the waterfront" in science and in advanced engineering tech- nology. Some laboratories specialize in electronics research, others in atomic power, space technology, polymer chemistry, jet engine technology, and so forth. Actually, the largest single field represented by the more than 1000 Ph.D. researchers in General Electric is chemistry. Q. Is this research performed principally by people with Ph.D. degrees in science? A. General Electric research covers a broad spectrum of basic and applied work. At the Research Laboratory we focus largely on basic scientific investigations, much as in a university, and most of the researchers are Ph.D.'s. In other Company laboratories, where the focus is on applied science and advanced engineering, engi- neers and scientists with B.S. and M.S. degrees predominate. Formal college training is an important preparation for research, but research aptitudes, and especially creative abilities, are also very important qualities. Q. What are the opportunities for engineers in industrial scientific research and how do scientists and engineers work together in General Electric? A. Classically, engineers have been concerned with the problem "how," and scientists with the question "why." This is still true, in general, although in ad- vanced development and in technological work scientists and engineers work hand-in-hand. Very close cooperation takes place, especially in the increasingly important fields of new materials, processes, and systems. Certainly in General Electric, a person's interest in particular kinds of problems and his ability to solve them are more important than the college degree that he holds. Q. What does it mean to an engineer to have the support of a large scientific research effort? A. It means that the engineer has ready access to the constant stream of new concepts, new materials, and new processes that originate in research, and which may aid his effort to solve practical problems. Contact with research thus provides a "window" on new scientific developments—world-wide. Q. How does General Electric go about hiring engineers and scientists? A. During each academic year, highly qualified technical people from General Electric make recruiting visits to most college campuses. These men represent more than 100 General Electric departments and can discuss the breadth of G.E.'s engineering and science opportunities with the students. They try to match the interests of students and the Company, and then arrange interview visits. The result of this system is a breadth of opportunity within one company which is remarkable. Experienced technical people are always welcome, and they are usually put in contact with a specific Company group. Where no apparent match of interests exists, referrals are made throughout General Electric. In all cases, one finds technical men talking to technical men in a really professional atmosphere. Q. Are there training programs in research for which engineering students might be qualified? A. There certainly are. Our 2-year Research Training Program at the General Electric Research Laboratory gives young scientists a chance to work with ex- perienced industrial research scientists before carrying out research and develop- ment on their own. In addition, there are seven Company-wide training programs. Those that attract the largest number of technical graduates are the Engineering and Science, Technical Marketing, and Manufacturing Training Programs. Each includes on-the- job experience supplemented by a formal study curriculum. Of course, not all graduates are hired for training programs. In many cases, individuals are placed directly into permanent positions for which they are suited by ability and interest.