v.1-1 SpartaN - r,'W,/' Fit( nl'Ce~~itating "111e location neal the u-;uk. facilitatt.$ dcli\'(~T}' a proportional increa~e in building facilil(.~, UIC of t,.'"Oal. The ne\\' .)'.stem wiI/I'Clain co., 1 :b fuel. need for more electrical power OUlp,.t ai..,sunH.>t1 a An)' amount of tlte fuel may be Morcdalong the: prominent place in ule ~I icbig ..n )' .. tr~ College tracLs within ca,)' reach of a railroad.mounted clam c..xpamion progTam. In ~(idligan ~',clU:'~~}~tCIl), t}1>Ccrane or any type of bulldor.cr. Construuion e1cctric pow'er for the caUlpu~ ~tem~ Itom gener- o( the planl eliminalcs the ncc~it}' of lifting the ators drhen br~tcam turbines. Coal,fired boilch coal b}' crane to dIe bunlcr le\'cla5 in the old con\cn the water to ~team, the "team turllS the boiler plant !a)'out. At UIC building site nm two turbine, and the turbine in it~ turn drhes the parallci ~ebM nilroadtracls Und(T which wal electrical generator br meam of a direct .,haft COllI). pockets hne been built. The podet under the ling, During the warmer month .., me turbine mn ... ourhoarntnck (£arUIC5t from the huilding) find) condensing. that ~. the ~team is allowed to expand use pr:imar-ilr as a slorage hOPJ>cr. '111c hoppel completel}" and i~ then remo\ed to a condemn. beneath the inbo:ud track feeds d il'l.'CtI)' t coal handling II • ' Un'1l a) the Redl ~ ") ~I,~m This ~}Stem requires space (or (uel '\toragc, ,is acompar:lti\'(~I)' new de\'elopmeIH. '1'1 _ I )~-t>cr boil~, turbines, electrical equipment, and auxiJ. dclin.'n thc coal 'lo a (nlsher which hl(~.I'" the: iar)' equipment. At ~Iicbigan State the-.e integral (uci up into paniclC5that do not c;""ecd a maxi. par~ of me power s}Stem OCCUP} a central position mum diameter of three-founh .. of :1I1 ,indl. 'J~hi~ on me campus. Squeezed into a\'ailable ~pacc be- I>cnllitsthe purdlasc of mine mn coal, a chc;lper tween \'arious engineering and maintenancc build- grade than that used at thc present boiler planl. ings, me old power plant prC)Cn~ a crowded picturc From lhc crusher the fuel mo\'cs along a COII\'c)'or wim i~ railroad trad,.s, coal piles, large ~tack, and to an ele\'ator shaft and is liftcd 6(~'ent)'.fi\'c feet boiler and turbine roollli. The solution to thh into the air. Another com c)'or di"tributc. .. the ('Oal power question could be e\ohed onl~' in the erec- to the (i\'e bunkers. The elevator pan (J( lhc tion of a new plant, or portion mereo£. Thc college s)'stern mo\'e<; the coal :upward ina ,)()Iid strealll. lUmed to South Campus as me ob\ iou) site for This is done h)' a chain comi~ting of flat "C" this much-needed building. The pr(,$cnt boiler lthapl.-d plates that remain horizontal as the ]ink~ plant contains five boiler~, howeH.:r, tWo of th~ ri~. The Redlcr'System c:tn thus handle lift)' 'lOllS are condemned. The remaining thH.'C suppl)" the of fud per hOll'. J\n a\'cl'3gc cO;ll Colr cont:,im required steam but no pro\i~ion (or blJilt:r (ailure lorl)' I(J sixty Ions. exis~. Thus the ~ituation call be likt:lwd to taking Erl( lo~"(1 hunkt'tS kelp IXlal dl\~t in the ail :It a long automobile trip without a l>p:lre tin:. II }OU :. minimum, 'I'h(~ hllnkers feed :fucl 10 thc~ hoilco get a Oat, )'ou must ,>top and patch the tuhe bdoH~ dirt,(t1y II)' gnJ\'il)':ltId lrolllcirh(.'1' side II)' IllClim the car can continue to (unction efficientl)'. In like (If :tn umkr hllnker (om'eror built II)' SlOd; En. manner, if one o( the boiJcn. ~h()uld hrc';fk down, gi'II~l'ting UlIIlJl:HI)'. In (,ldcr~)"Mcnl!i Ih:1I do 1101 immediate repair~ are ne(l.~,>aJYbelore the requill:d IUH'c lIH~ IInlier 1IlIIlk(~' (On n')'01 " c;l('h hoikr rc, amount of steam can be generated. 'fhi, was tlw fd\'l'S {0:,1 (rwll :i spcdlk lJUllkel'. Thm :if n hoil(~ need that jU'>ti(icd immediate action, /(IJeS Ollt 01 sen'it:c, Ihe 1l):II stored in lhe hUllkel Claud R, Erickson, con.,ulting engineer fol' h('(l.lll1t'l> u~~h'S~ lo the pl:\11I. III SI:llC'!I 1I1~\\' plalll the Lansing Board of Water and Light. designed cffi( icfll planning rHo\'idcd ;1 ltlC:lIlS I(J amid .his the new steam generating plant now nearing com. hOllkncl\.;. Th" (oal i) no IOll~t't' tied up. ,\ sr:t1c pletion, Situated south of the Red Cedar liver. the wt'igh .. the amount of fud fc-d III cadI hoilcl'and new building occupies a space ano:.,> the railroad then deliH,'lS the wei~hcd Iud dUll :r tillite 10 the tracks from ~tacklin Field. stoker. 7~ .4 ():J One of the New Boilers During Installation Built by the Detroit Stoker Company, the Roto- removal trucks. The removal process remains dust- Grate stoker contains four kickers or spreaders less because of the installation of a dustless unload- spaced across the front of each boiler. These spread- er which automatically mixes water with the ash. ers throw the fuel particles out on the grate. The United Conveyor manufactured the ash handling grate itself travels slowly toward the stoker. ''''hen system. With the ash removed, attention can now a point below the stoker is reached, the grate passes be focused on the boilers. over a roJJer and reverses direction. At this point Wicks Boiler Company of Saginaw, Michigan combustion is completed and the remaining ash constructed the boilers which are designed to oper- drops off into the removal system. ate at 300 psi pressure and 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The ash must be lifted from below the front Under the preceding conditions, each boiler should of the boiler to a position a t the top of an ash develop 100,000 pounds of steam per hour with a tank located in the northeast corner of the building. possible [our hour overload of 125,000 pounds per There are two types of ash removal systems- hour. The plant design calls [or three boilers, but hydraulic and dry. Hydraulic removal embodies only two have been installed so far. the use of water; the dry system employs air. MSC On the top level of the building forced draft uses hydraulic sluicing in the present system, but fans, driven by 75 HP electric motors, supply the the dry method is instaHed in the new plant. It air required for combustion in each boiler. The wiJJ operate as foJJows: a vacuum, created at the air passes through a preheater on the way to an top o[ the unit by a steam jet, causes air, admitted air pocket below the grate. Next the air moves at the lowest point in the system, to rush upward. upward through the grate causing combustion to Picking up the ash enrou te, the air moves to the take place. The products of combustion then top of the unit. There the ash-laden air passes thru move over the tubes, over the baffels, and into the a cyclone type precipitator. Precipitated solids drop air preheater. Thus the products of combustion into the ash storage tank below and the air moves preheat the incoming air. FinaJJy the gases reach on thru a 'washer to insure a dust-free atmosphere. a precipitator where 93% o[ the solids are removed. Built as an integral pan or the building, the The induced draft ('Ins are driven by 290 HP ash storage tank terminates high enough above the electric motors. They arc located above the boilers grade level to aHow for gravity unloading of ash and carry the exhaust gases out the stacks. 5 The solids removed from the exhaust gases carry the vapor from South to North Campus. in the precipitator may be routed two ways. If Another 8 inch main returns the condensate to' completely burned, the residue may be added to the new plant. These three mains pass over the the ash in the ash storage tank for removal. If, Red Cedar River protected and supported by the however, the solids are not completely burned, they new foot bridge which thus serves a dual purpose. may be blown back into the boiler by means of Even though the water-to-steam-to-water system high pressure air. Thus efficient methods keep is closed a small amount of water is lost in process. loss of energy to a minimum. The water used must be soft water, otherwise the Four DeLaval centrifugal pumps feed the solids would precipitate in the boilers and tubes. water from the condensate storage tank to the Scale formed in such precipitation is definitely boilers. Motive power comes from two 60 HP and injurious to the metal and the life of the installa- two 100 HP electric motors. In addi tion to this tion would thus be shortened. Boiler makeup electric drive one of the pumps requiring 100 HP water is supplied by a softening system at the old may operate by a small steam turbine mounted on plant. For the new plant the present softening the pump shaft. The smaller pumps are rated setup in the old plant will deliver the required at 117 gallons per minu te and the larger ones at ma keu p water. . 234 gallons per minute. Connected in parallel, Directly in front of each boiler stands a con- all of the pumps can handle up to 702 gallons per trol panel. The equipment pertaining to each minute. Each pump is rated at a pressure of 392 boiler can be controlled at the individual panel, psi or 905 feet of head. however, the electrical relays and other con troIs Once generated, the steam must travel to the occupy a space in the southeast corner of the build- turbine floor in the old power plant. To accom- ing. These are all incorporated in a panel known plish this, one 12 inch and one 8 inch pipe line as Cabinetrol. Despite the fact that General Electric manufactured Michigan State's Cabinetrol in their Detroit custom-built shop, the design is standard. Future expansion can be accomplished by purchase o[ additional sections. Not many installations in this country have such a system. The building itself occupies an area 62 feet by 129 feet and measures 85 feet from grade line to the top of the stacks. Following the general architectural styling of the campus, the building was constructed only to protect the functional parts of the plant from the elements. Brick and steel [arm the basic structure. \t\Tith the columns sup- ported at the lowest level o[ the building founda- tion, the plan t 1\1 ay be enlarged by teari ng au t the south wall and building toward Shaw Lane. \Vindow space is ample and the window sash are all aluminum. The upper 1100rs are made of steel gratings; the stairs are also of steel construction. The January issue of Powe1' Magazine carried a \iVicks Boiler Company advertisement featuring Michigan State College's new steam generating plant. In this ad 'Wicks calls State's installation the best of any institution in the country. Some of the reasons [or this rating can now be considered. First there is a large amount of bunker space for coal storage. One day shift at the plant should store enough fuel in the bunkers for 24 hour operation. Along with the bunkers, mention must be made of the under bunker conveyor. This conveyor eliminates Section View 01 the New isolation of coal when a boiler is Steam Generation Plant. continued on page 23 Sales Engineering A Post..War Profes~ion BERNARD LESTER The Westinghouse Electric Corporation Sixty days ago the new plant for building jumped by leaps and bounds into a pOSitIOn of pumps would have been a great place for an en- singular importance. Everyone knows that the tertainment - walls glistening, the floor big enough age in which we are living is becoming increas- for a rolle'r skating rink. But now the steady ingly mechanical, but technical products are use- fluorescent light from the. ceiling sheds its bright less unless skillfully applied. rays over long rows of machine tools, conveyors, Saving the old horse and buggy with paint and spotless work tables. Not only a safe effi- and repair no longer works. Machinery and equip- cient layout, but a pleasing place to work. ment are on the move. There are better designs It had all come about through the persistent each year, with new operations to perform. Re- skill of the "Vorks Engineer and his crew, and the sults come in the ever-expanding use of capital Sales Engineers representing suppliers of just the goods, through spending wisely, with a keen knowl- right apparatus for the job. A building itself edge of depreciation and possible output, and years ago was ninety per cent of the investment. through earning power. Now the tables have turned, The house - impor- With all this progress ha~ come a great change tant enough - is designed to enclose a whole ar- in the art of selling productive equipment. Years ray of carefully engineered apparatus, many times ago the machinery salesman was a high powered its value. entertainer. For instance, he knew scarcely more Machines? Plenty of them. All were selected about the power plant equipment to be sold to and tailored for one particular job, And here the village than the city fathers themselves, as they were alive. Motion and power with infinite they accepted his entertainment and sometimes his exactness all engineered to perform one particular graft. Sales Engineering is today a serious job duty - to make high grade pumps efficiently and requiring talents of a high order. Yet we still profitably. associate with selling the idea of persuasion to buy In accomplishing such a result the work of that which one may not actually need. Not so the Sales Engineer is seldom recognized. To the with the Sales Engineer. He does not grab the casual observer the credit for producing all this order and disappear. He must live with his cus- productive apparatus goes to the men at the sup- tomers year after year. He is the consultant- plier's headquarters who designed and built it, the expert in his line of equipment - the man who and to the people who own and run the plant gets into the plant and works out the problem. where it is installed. But to the capable and re- Sometimes his recommendations are not to buy sourceful Sales Engineer should go much of the and often this advice creates a reputation that is credit [or intelligence in putting the various tools worth its weight in gold for many years to come. to their proper use. His job is never done, until Creative? No class of engineering service is what he sells is properly engineered and in place, more creative than that of the Sales Engineer. Of continually producing the full service for which course, he creates business for his employer. But it was intended. materials are of little value in their native state. Exactly what does this Sales Engineer repre- The value in the machine tools he sells, for in- senting the apparatus manufacturer do? He is an stance, traced way back, is the work that has gone engineer, a practical economist, and a promo- into the making of them. tional force - these, all in one. He must know "Vho could be more productive in creating the design and construction and operating factors work for his own company or for the plant that of what he sells. And too, he must know people uses his machines, products, and services. - how their minds work - from the customer's But Sales Engineering is creative also in an- engineers to their purchasing agent who places other sense. Back in the black thirties there was the order. a run-down paper mill- antiquated, inefficient, Sales Engineering during recent years has continued on page 24 7 WKAR,AM Broadcasting Service of Michigan State College • CLIFF F. GRAY Although WI\. \R has been in operalion for Th(~ power outpUt of the crplal mci/latol. nc.lfl}' eight reap>, the I/Mallalion h ,slill one of \\'hile accm'3tcl)' rollll'ollt.,<1 with 1'0,)('(.1 to fn." the mo~t modern in the country. The amplitude quellC}'. is n:T)' small. Since the l'3tCtI OUtput of modulated tran<.miuer is a 5000 wan in ..tallation WK~\R is :'000 wathit b lll'Ct~S3ry 10 3/11plif)'the built by the \\'e ...lem EIC 5000 wam, plo} ing the Doheny linear amplifier. It is lo- First a series of amplifiers ill(,J'C3~ the I)()Wl.~'un. cated JUSt south of the rinT 0pP(hitc lhe .\udi. til iti~ sufficient to dri,'c the modulated Magc. torium Building. The tran\miner own '.Ille modulatc:.-d stage is the place \\'here the pro- building. and the antenna is locatl'tl jll ..t "ollth 'gram is introduced onto the carriel'. 'In this <:ase.: of it. The sludios are located in the Auditorium it is the ;\13ge before the rimrl :unplifiCl'. This Building. Magc consists of t\\'o InK' WE ,249Btul)C) in par- The heart of a radio tran ..miucl' i.. the radio allel. The 249B is ,3lrlode ral('ll at 200 \\'am frcquency ~ection. This pro\'idl. ... the carrier which plate dissipation. Thoc tuhes arc grid hias modu ..en~ to carry the program (rom the alllenna I:HI.'tI • through the ether to }our radio. In radio there The mO$t intlTesting (eature of the lI'311sl1IiuL'l' are two {{eneral das'>h of frequencif", radio and i~ the final amplifkT, which is of the 1)ohell)' tnK'. audio. Audio frequencies are tho~e ,,'hich you can \\'e shall ha\'e more to S:1\' of its operation later, hear or, in other word .., are audible. The human hut first a comparison" of ~ther types i~ in mder. ear is capable of hearing fn"cillator. This pro\ ide .. ~"lTemcl)' telll o[ plalc mcxlul:ltion h:h the :Id\'antage of high accurate control of the [requenty. The \'ariation operating ellic:icn(}'. M05t of the DC powcr input [rom 870kc. is generally I~s than 5 <}dc\. or rouKh. tf) the final:llnplilil:1' j\ WII\'Crl<.'(1 into J::ulio ht~. Iy I part in 200,000. Control as a{(utatc .1\ this Ilunll)' power. It has thl' c1is:IlI\'3l1lagc, h \cl" \\CHlld Iw elf ,IH~ ollkr' III 4000 \\'aIlS (,,\(,~ r,ooo arately from the uammiucr i\ l!\,'d to IlICa\Ufl: W;1I15, il i.. 10 "I~ rCIIICmht:n:d, h ;U:1Il:t1 II II1I10du, the operating frequent)'. Thi\ meter reads dirctdy JaH~c1 (:allil~r' lillII'm ill Ihe ,(;a",:of IIrO:I(I(:I,,' t 1':11I.,. in t)cJes 0[[ the assigned frequency. PI'J icxli< l1Iilll'l1», '\11 alllli" 5)'1>1011 whit h will Jll'(,\'idc Ihis checks o{ \\'K.\R\ frequent}' arc aho mad" by a po\'n at high fidelilY is \l~I)','xpc:lIsi\l" III Ih,: standard Iaborator) in Detroit. Two l'l1tircly \l'p. eta .... H line;" ")\Inll Ihis objUliull is ;I\Uilkd sillc,: arate crystal oscillators arc maintained. If onc rill' lI~"hlllilll't' i.. lIlodulalnl ill ;')C)/II(: 1"w,'I' I><,wl" should rail or get too far of[ the assiWlt:d fr cqut:ncy, ..tage. 1I0WC\l:I. "insi,alb 8 Mr. Norris Grover, Chief Engineer, at the Operating Console of the WKAR Transmitter operating the amplifier at a very low efficiency. form a parallel resonant circuit. Then the im- The efficiency is usually of the order of 33% and pedance across the other end of the network (in is sometimes even lower. This means that for other words the other capacitor) is very high when every watt of carrier output three watts must be the one end is shorted. If, on the other hand, supplied to the tubes. Therefore the tubes will the short is removed and no load is placed across have to be much larger than in the class C plate the capacitor, then it and the inductance form a modulated amplifier, and the power consumption series resonant circuit and the impedance across is also excessive. the other capacitor becomes very low. Whenever A linear amplifier operating at the high effi- the impedance is changed on the load (output) ciency of the class C plate modulated amplifier side of the network, then the impedance on the would provide an amplifier with the advantages line (input) side of the network changes in the of both systems and without the major disadvan- opposite direction. This property is essential to tages of either. While not the first such system the operation of the Doherty amplifier. proposed, the first to find commercial acceptance The Doherty amplifier consists of two tubes. was the one proposed by William H. Doherty of One tu be is called the carrier tube, the other the the Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1938. The peak tube. With unmodulated carrier nearly all design of the amplifier was incorporated into the of the load is carried by the carrier tube. On the final amplifier of the Western Electric type 405B-l positive peaks of modulation the peak tube carries transmitter installed at W"KAR. a substantial proportion of the load. With un- Figure 1 represents the basic circuit of the modulated carrier the grid bias on the carrier tube Doherty amplifier. The operation is based on is adjusted so that it carries the load, and the grid the impedance inverting property of a 90 degree bias on the peak tube is adjusted so that it is phase shift network, also called an artificial quar- nearly cut off. W"hen the radio frequency drive ter wave line. At the operating frequency the is adjusted to give the rated carrier output the capacitive reactance X c of the two capacitors in the carrier tube is just at the point of plate saturation. network is made just equal to the inductive re- That is, increasing the drive to that tube would actance X L of the inductance" This property may produce no increase in radio frequency power out- be observed by considering one of the networks put. This occurs when the peaks of the radio fre- isolated and shorting one of the capacitors. This quency voltage on the plate are roughly equal to causes the inductance and the other capacitor to the DC voltage on the plate of the tube. The CARRIER TUBE -300\1' BIAS MODuLATED RF INPUT 900PHASE PEAK NETWORK TUBE -460v- BIA.S Fig. 1 Basic Circuit of the Doherty Linear Amplifier RF voltage is, of course, dependent upon the plate to the antenna. The efficiency in the peak tube load impedance which is furnished by the antenna is very high since it is biased beyond normal class through the output tank circuit and then through C operation. The overall efficiency of the Doherty the 90 degree phase shift network. The advantage amplifier is usually about 65%. The 90 degree of having the tube operating at plate saturation phase shift network in the grid circuit of the peak is that the efficiency is much greater than one op- tube serves only to make the voltages from both erated as a linear amplifier below saturation so tubes in phase across the output tank. that amplification of the positive peaks of modu- The final amplifier at WKAR uses two type lation occur without distortion. However, in order WE 343AA tubes. These are air cooled triodes for the amplification to be linear it is not only rated at 5000 watts plate dissipation. The anode necessary that the peak tube operates on the posi- is provided with fins and is enclosed in a sleeve. tive peaks of modulation, but it is also necessary Air is forced past the fins, cooling the tube. The that the carrier tube puts out more power. This installation at WKAR was one of the first in the is accomplished in the following manner. On the country to employ forced air cooling in a 5000 positive peaks of modulation the peak tube begins watt Doherty circuit. It should, of course, be to furnish power to the output tank circuit. An noted that the circuit of figure 1 is only a diagram increase in the voltage results across the output of the basic circuit of the Doherty and not the tank. This causes the same effect to the carrier actual circuit of the transmitter. The actual op- tube as increasing the impedance of the output erating circuit employs many refinements such as tank since the carrier tube must now supply less harmonic and parasitic supressors. No attempt RF current to maintain the same voltage across has been made in figure 1 to indicate the DC the tank. This is in turn reflected back through circuit. the 90 degree phase network and is inverted mak- The antenna is a shunt fed, grounded, quarter ing the carrier tube work into a smalJer value of wave tower. The antenna feed line is a 72.1 ohm load impedance. Since the positive peak of modu- coaxial line. The line can be nitrogen filled but lation is also applied to the carrier tube it now it has not been necessary to do so in the past. An has an increased drive voltage. This allows it to extensive copper wire ground system is installed maintain the same voltage across the lowered plate to provide a uniform field pattern and high radia- impedance thus increasing its power output on tion efficiency. The tower lights are automatically the positive peaks of modulation. The sum of controled by a photoelectric celJ which turns on the power in the peak and carrier tubes appears the lig'hts at dusk and turns them off at dawn. across the output tank, and is conducted frol11there The entire operating power for the transmit- 10 tel' is taken from a 240v. 3 phase line. All of the it is necessary to completely short the 12,000v. sup- operating voltage for the transmitter is controled ply to ground before the compartment door can by a voltage regulator which maintains the volt- be opened. age constant regardless of line voltage variations. One of the best features of the transmitter is The 12,000v. for the final amplifier is supplied by the system of indicating lights. These lights en- a three phase, full wave, bridge rectifier. It is able the operator to tell at a glance just which interesting to note that the original six rectifiers circuits are energized and which are ready to be are still in service with over 28,000 hours of energized. There are two lights associated with operation. each switch, one red the other green. If the green The power circuits of the WKAR transmitter light is of!. this means that the circuit is ready to are controled through a series of relays. These be energized when the switch is turned on. If the relays provide for a definite sequence in which red light is also on then the circuit is energized. the units of the transmitter are turned on. The For example, the green lights associated with the filaments for the tran~mitter are controled through oscillator amplifier plate and the high voltage three separate circuits. The rectifier filaments, switches do not come on until the end of three the power amplifier filaments, and the oscillator minutes. This is a great help in locating trouble amplifier filaments. The oscillator amplifier unit in the transmitter and isolating it to a particular comprises all of the operating circuits of the trans- unit. There is also another series of lights which mitter except the rectifiers and the final amplifier. indicates whether the overload relays are closed. It is necessary that the forced air cooling be turned The design of the transmitter is such that it on before the final amplifier filaments are turned could be operated from a remote location. Op- on. The filaments in each of the 343AA tubes dis- erated as a standard broadcast station, as is WKAR, sipate over lkw. each, and if no cooling were pro- this would be against the law. However, in other vided there would be danger of breaking the glass types of service it is not necessary that the oper- seals. The oscillator amplifier and rectifier fila- ator be at the transmitter. The power circuits ments are energized as soon as their respective are so arranged that an identical set of switches switches are thrown on. The rectifier filament and indicator lights is on both the operating con- switch also energizes a time delay relay at the time sole and the transmitter panel. If the operating it is turned on. At the end of three minutes the console were many miles away it would still be time delay relay operates and turns on the bias possible to turn the transmitter on and off from voltages and allows the high voltages to be turned there. There is also a remote reading antenna on. This three minute time delay is necessary to al- current meter on the console so that the power low the mercury vapor rectifier tubes time to warm output could be checked from the remote location. lip. If the high voltage is applied to them before Another feature incorporated into the trans- they are sufficiently warm they will be damaged be- mitter is automatic change over to reduced power. yond repair. At the end of the three minutes the There are many stations in the United States which rest of the transmitter may be put into operation have a different rated power at night than during by throwing the oscillator amplifier plate switch the day. This transmitter is so designed that for and the high voltage switch. 1. he former applies a station licensed, for example, for 5000 watt day- voltage to all stages except the final amplifier. time operation, and 1000 watt night time oper- The high voltage switch controls the 12,000v. for ation, all that is necessary to change from 5000 the final amplifier. If these switches are thrown watts to 1000 watts is to throw a switch. This on before the end of the three minutes the high eliminates the necessity of having two transmitters. voltages simply come on automatically at the end The change over is accomplished primarily by re- of the three minutes. ducing the plate voltage on the final amplifier. That is the normal power sequence. The The station requires one operator at the trans- transmitter has, however, safety and protective de- mitter at all times. He is required by law to keep vices which will interrupt this sequence to prevent a log of the transmitters operation. Each half either damage to the transmitter or danger to per- hour it is necessary to log the antenna current, the sonnel. In both the final amplifier and the modu- final amplifier plate voltage and current, the fre- lated amplifier before it there are overload relays quency deviation, and the crystal oven temper- in the plate circuit to prevent them from drawing ature. In addition the time the station goes on excessive currents. Protection for personnel is pro- and off the air and any interruptions in operation vided by door interlocks in all of the operating must be logged. In general the transmitter op- compartments of the transmitter. These turn off erator is legally responsible (01- what is goin?; over all o( the circuits supplying high voltage to the the air at any tillle. He is also responsible for compartment whenever the door is opened. In seeing that the station leaves the air at the end of the compartment containing the final amplifier continued on page 26 11 Capturing Light The Chemistry of Photography LAWRENCE K. W ARTELL Click! An insignificant sound. Yet what an Chemicals of a high degree of purity are used cssential part it plays in photographic procedure. in the preparation of the two principle constitu- In the brief span of time that the shutter of a ents of modern photographic films, the base or camera clicks chemical action is begun, action that film support and the light-sensitive emulsion. It requires further chemical treatment to produce a should be noted that throughout this article the finished and permanent record of what was photo- term emulsion is used as in photographic termi- graphed. nology, i.e. it refers to a dispersion of solid particles The basic reaction underlying photography is in a liquid phase. thc observation that certain substances, in particu- Two general types of film support are manu- lar the salts of silver, undergo a chemical change factured, namely cellulose nitrate, which is quite when exposed to light. Although silver chloride inflamable, and cellulose acetate, the slow-burning was known to the early alchemists, the first record- safety film. The quantity of the latter film has cd observation of the darkening of a silver salt been increasing steadily. The process of manufac- when exposed to sunlight was in 1727. In that turing the film support is complex and involves year Johann Schultzc prepared copies of stenciled dissolving the cellulose acetate or nitrate in such lctters with a mixture of silver nitrate and chalk. solvents as acetone. This solu-tion is referred to Thc last twenty-five years of the eighteenth century as film 'dope'. Plasticizers are added to the dope and thc carly part of the nineteenth was a period to give elasticity and flexibility to the film su p- during which a large number of observations were port. Camphor is a common plasticizer. The film reportcd on the chemical activity of light. This dope is formed into the thin transparent film sup- culminated in the publishing of a paper in 1802 port by evaporation of the solvent. This is done by Thomas Wedgwood and Sir Humphrey Davy, in drum machines that produce various widths up which described the making of prints on leather to 60 inches and lengths up to 2000 feet. De- that had been treated with silver nitrate. The pending on the purpose or use the thickness varies prints, however, were not permanent - that is, on from about .003 to .008 in. Before the support is furthcr exposure to light the whole print would coated with emulsion it is usually coated with a darken obscuring the image. Also the process was substalUm to insure maximum adherance of thc very slow. The first permanent photograph was cmulsion to the support. made by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826. The The light sensitivc cmulsion is essentially a slowness of his process and the lack of contrast homogeneous suspcnsion of silver halides in gelatin. rendered the method of little interest for photo- A physical function of the gelatin is the protection graphic purposes. Another Frenchman and partner of the unexposed siher halide grains against de- of Niepce, Louis Jacques Mande Dagueere, de- velopment. Silver halides without the presencc of veloped a silver iodide process that produced pic- gelatin will be reduced by organic reducing agents tures of beautiful quality. The product of this or developers, no matter whether they were previ- process later was to bear his name as daguerreo- ously exposed to light or not. Silver halides im- types. William H. F. Talbot worked on the posi- bedded in gelatine will not be affected by a live-negative theory and was the first to develop a photographic developer unless exposed to light. latent image in the negative and use it to make The gelatin molecules, having surrounded the silver a positive print. His work, done in the middle halide particles, seem to form a protective layer of the nineteenth century, was made possible by preventing the developer from reacting too vigor- the earlier development of a fixing agent, sodium ously with the silver halide particles or 'grains' lhiosuJ[ate. From this beginning, with the transi- as lhey are called. Gelatin will not dissolve in cold lion from wel to dry platcs, and finally to a film water, but will soften and swell, thus allowing base for thc sensitive emulsion, the story of photog- chemical agents to enter the emulsion and react raphy is one of constant improvement in quality with the silver halide. To prevent the gelatin and conven ience. from going into solution in moderately warm water, 12 hardening agents, such as formaldehyde and alum, st 8 1.5 61"1/>.J:5. 'sensitivity specks' of silver sulfide. These specks, C 1.8 9 M/>.J:5. it is believed, arc deposited on the surface or the silver halide crystal. They enter into the crystal lattice, whereby as foreign matter they produce Loc:; TI""E strain forming at the same time areas of weakness. As some authors have termed it, they represent Fig. 2 Showing Variation in Gamma centers of disturbance in the crystal lattice. The with Developing Time sensitivity specks are of greatest importance during the exposure of photographic emulsions. exposure latitude. The undercoating consists of If the ripening is carried out excessively, the a lower speed emulsion of higher contrast than that emulsion becomes developable without exposure of the top layer. Subsequent layers applied to the for one or both of two reasons. First the physical film include an anti-halation backing (dyes that ripening or growth of the crystals is carried too far. absorb light and prevent it from reflecting back The gelatin then renders insufficient protection to the emulsion through the film support), layers to the large grains. The grains approach the state to cou nteract curling, anti-static layers, and a final of a silver halide precipitate which is developable hardened gelatin coating to protect the emulsion without exposure. The other reason for excessive itself from mechanical injury. ripening might be a surplus of sensitivity specks When the halides of silver are exposed to light in the grains or a partial reduction of the silver they darken visibly. Silver is deposited on and in halide to metallic silver induced by the gelatin. the silver halide and free halogen is liberated. To prevent the continuation of ripening stabilizers I n the presence of halogen acceptors (nitrite or are added prior to coating the film support with gelatin) the darkening increases. It is now generally the emulsion. These stabil izers form nearly in- accepted that even during the shortest exposures soluble silver salts. They are added in very sma11 atomic silver is formed throughout the silver halide quantities ranging from .OOt % to .2% of the grain. These silver atoms liberated from the silver gelatin. halide accumulate in the neighborhood of the Additional agents, added prior to coating, are sensitivity specks or siher sulfide nuclei, which physical hardening agents (formaldehyde or chrome ,,'ere formed during the after-ripening period of 14 the photographic emulsion. The silver formed ents: the developer or reducing agent or agents, during the exposure is known as the latent image. the preservative, the activator, and the restrainer. The nature of this image is not known in spite There are many hundreds of organic compounds of extensive research. However, it is known that and a few inorganic substances that have been the qualitative action (Q. A.) of light on a light sugg-ested for use as developing agents. Only a sensitive emulsion is in direct proportion to the f~w of these compounds have ever been used to intensity of the illumination (I) and the duration any extent and only three are in common use. of the exposure (t). This is known as the photo- These three are methyl para-aminophenol or metol chemical reciprocity law: (known commercially as Elon, Rhodal, and Pictol), Q. A. =It hydroquinone, and pyrogaIlol or pyro. Develop- Increasing either or both would increase the degree ers containing pyro are not used nearly so much to w h: ch the grains are effected, and therefore as those containing metol and hydroquinone. Each increase the amount of silver formed. The degree developing agent when in solution has its own of darkness is termed density. This relationship energy characteristic. Metol, for example, starts is determined by the characteristic curve of the to develop quickly but slows down considerably p:uticular emulsion. This is shown in figure I. as the time of development increases. Hydroquin- The slope of the straight line portion of the one, on the other hand, has much the opposite cune, the tangent of the angle theta, is referred effect. Usually commercial developers combine to as the g-amma of the film. An increase in the several different agents to obtain the desired char- exposure time (at least over the straight line por- acteristics. A preservative, usually sodium sulfite tion of the curve) will increase the density, but and occasionally sodium bisulfite, is added to pre- will not increase the variation of density between vent the oxidation of the developer by air. Too the tones. This variation in density between thc much sulfite must not be added or some of the tones is the con trast or the gamma of the film. silver halide will be dissolved and the development The gamma to which a film develops is determined retarded. It is usually necessary to add an alkali solely by the time of immersion in the developer, activator to the developer solution before develop- gamma increasing as the time of development in- ment wiIl proceed. Three kinds of activators are creases. This is shown in figure 2. It is possible in common use: caustic alkali, such as sodium to produce a visible imllge by an exposure many hydroxide; carbonated alkali, such as sodium car- thousands of times that required to produce a bonate; and borated alkali, such as borax or sod- latent image. Such emulsions are called print out ium borate. Higher energy developing agents such and a typical eXlimple is the gelatino-chloride as metol, which brings up the image quick~y, gen- printing out paper used by photographic studios erally require a lower concentration of alkali than to make brownish-red proofs. For a normal ex- the slower developing agents such as hydroquinone. posure time, however, it is necessary to develop Excessive concentrations of alkali tend to give a the fi];n before a visible image is produced. chemical fog while a deficiency wiIl retard the A photographic developer is a solution con- developmen t rate. A restrainer is also necessary taining a chcmical reducing agent which is capable to prevent fogging and minimize the effect of over- of reducing the exposed grains of silver halide exposure. Potassium bromide is the most com- to melall ic sil ver. This type of developmen t is monly used restrainer. Sometimes it is possible called 'chemical' and differs from 'physical' de- to eliminate the restrainer entirely in bromide velopn:ent, wherein the solution itself contains a films since the bromide accumulates as a byproduct silver ~alt which is deposited on the tiny nuclei of development. of the latent image. Physical development is used In general the degree of development depends very little except to intensify the density of a weak upon the time of developrpent, the temperature, negative. \Vhen the exposed sensitive material is the amount of agitation during development, and placed in the developer the solution penetrates the activity of the developer. Stagnant develop- the gebtin and begins to reduce the exposed grains ment requires about twice the time for the same to metallic silver. As development progresses the contrast as development with constant agitation. contrast 01 the image increases. If the develop- Best results are secured with most photographic ment i~ carried too far the negative may become too materials when the developer temperature is main- dark to print. Also the developer may reduce tained between 65° and 70° F. Most developers some of the unexposed grains causing a generaIly should not be used above 75° }- unless special pre- muddy or foggy condition over the entire nega- cautions are taken to prevent swelling of the gela- tive and destroying the highlights and delicate tin. Sodium sulfate is sometimes added as an anti- shadows. The time of development varies with swelling agent. At low temperatures the rate of the developer used. development is slowed appreciably. A need exists Practiclilly all of the morc commonly used with some of the present day films, especiaIly when developer formulas contain four essential ingredi- continued on page 26 ]5 Editorial It has been apparent for many years that with field. It would leave him better prepared for man- the constantly increasing complexity of the en- agerial posts in industry and government, and for gineering fields adequate training for a career tiS nonspecialized positions in sales and other fields. a professional engineer and a general liberal educa- tion can not both be given in a four year college At the same time the program does not neglect course. A blanket increase to a five year course the training of the professional engineer. After has been proposed and put into effect in some of all we do not try to train a doctor or a lawyer in the engineering schools of America. This does four years, and we think it is becoming more and not seem to us an entirely satisfactory solution to more evident that we cannot train a professional the problem. While it provides well for the student engineer in four years either. This has led to a who desires to go into the technical aspects of the situation in many schools where the masters degree engineering profession, it means an additional year is no more than a fifth year of engineering. Many of training of questionable value to the engineering schools (not Michigan State however) no longer student who desires a less technical engineering require a thesis or research for a masters degree in career. It seems to us that the curriculum recently engineering. It seems to us that research is one proposed by Dean Thorndike Saville of New York of the fundamental purposes of graduate work. University is very nearly an adequate answer to That to grant a graduate degree with only course the problem. work is to reduce the graduate degree to a point where it is no better than a second undergraduate Dean Saville proposes that a general four year degree. This situation is excused in many schools curricula be set up leading to the degree of Bachelor on the basis that the student is not adequately pre- of Engineering. The first three years would be pared to do research work with only the bachelors nearly uniform for all branches. It would include degree, in other words he does not have enough of all of the basic sciences and the fundamental en- the fundamentals of his profession. The five year gineering subjects now offered. It would also in- program leading to a professional degree would clude more courses in economics, public aUairs, eliminate this. It would return graduate work to and history. It would also allow for the study its rightful place and at the same time provide of a foreign language which we personalJy think is adequate technical training for those not desiring a much neglected part of the education of the to take graduate work. modern college student. The senior year of study would include a considerable number of technical Dr. Saville suggests that the plan would require electives. This would alJow the student some spe- that adequate guidance be given to the student cialization in a particular field. The program to help him decide whether to stop at the Bachelor taken during the senior year would be somewhat ')f Engineering degree or to go on for the profes- different if the student were to terminate his course sional degree. Such a plan would, however, defer with the degree o[ Bachelor o[ Engineering than il the choice of the field of specialization until the he were to go on [or further technical study. For beginning of the senior year. We feel this would the engineer desiring to enter the technical phases be a distinct advantage to the student in helping of the field of engineering Dean SavilJe proposes him make his choice of the field of specializatioll. that an additional year of study leading to a pro- In many schools it is now necessary to choose the fessional degree as ME, CE, or EE be taken. field of specialization at the end of the freshman To us such a program would hold manifold year. advantages. Under the present four year program This plan also provides adequate recognition of it is impossible to give a fundamental liberal edu- the fifth year of work by granting professional de. cation and an adequate technical education in the gree, and yet differentiates it from the masters same four year program. If a good fundamental degree which in our opinion should be given more education in the humanities is given, then either for research than course work. the fundamental science courses or the technical ones must be sacrificed. Regrettable as this is, we Dean Saville's plan seems to us the most ade. believe that it is none the less true. Dr. Saville's pro- quate solution to the problem of providing both an gram we think is an answer to this dilemma that adequate education and an adequate tech nical might well be seriously considered. It would ade- training for the engineer without at the same time quately train in four years the stuclent who did not unnecessarily lengthening the course. desire to enter the highly technical aspects o[ the 16 Open Letter The Editors of the Spartan Engineer wish to express their appre- ciation to the many people who have aided us in establishing this publication. We are especially indebted to Dean Dirks and Miss Mc- Cann of the School of Engineering, to Professor Charles Pollock and Ronald L. Randall of the Art Department for our cover and masthead designs and many suggestions in make up, to President John A. Han- nah, and to Professor Arthur Farrall and the Agricultural Engineer- ing Department for our office space and equipment. The establishment of the Spartan Engineer brings to the Engineer- ing School at Michigan State College a service which has already been extended to the students of other engineering colleges of this country. In establishing this publication we have tried to incorporate, in so far as possible, what we thought were the better features of the magazines published at other colleges. Our primary interest, however, is to sat- isfy the needs and the desires of you, the engineering students of Mich- igan State College. We invite your criticism and ask your help in making the Spartan Engineer provide the best possible service to you. It is our earnest desire to provide this kind of service to you, but we cannot do this without your help. In order to do this we need first of all your criticism and views, so that we may know what you want. No less we need your direct help in publishing this magazine as members of the staff. In order to fully establish this publication freshmen and sophomores are needed just as much as upperclassmen, for they will be the future editors. We therefore extend to all of you the invitation to join us as members of the staff. It is our sincere hope that we can fill a place of service to the Col- lege and the School of Engineering which heretofore was left vacant. In doing so we hope to be a credit to the School of Engineering and to Michigan State College as a whole. The Editors 17 The Societies TAU BETA PI son compared the operation of the heat pump with that of the refrigerator. He illustrated that the Woman Wins Freshman Scholarship Prize difference is only one of operating requirements Last February 19 Tau Beta Pi resumed the and not one of principle. In the refrigerator heat presentation of its annual scholarship prize. to the is taken from the cold room and dissipated into outstanding engineerin'g freshman of the previous the air. In the heat pump heat is taken out of year. The award for the 1946-1947 school year the ground or other heat source and is used to went to Natalie Noble. Natalie is a sophomore heat the home. Mr. Erickson pointed out that a engineer from Cummington, Mass. She had an home heated with a heat pump would have no average of 2.941 for her freshman year. This furnace or chimney. The talk was illustrated with placed her at the top of the thousand basic engi- colored slides. neering freshmen in last year's class. In addition The initiates were welcomed into the Mich- to being an excellent student Natalie is a member igan Alpha Chapter by Paul J. Walters. The re- of Sigma Kappa and Tower Guard. sponse for the initiates was given by Charles H. The Tau Beta Pi Freshman Scholarship Award Single. Prof. Donald J. Renwick was toastmaster. has long been a tradition of the Michigan Alpha Three guests from the Michigan Gamma Chapter Chapter. During the war the award was discon- at the University of Michigan attended the initia- tinued, but the presentation was resumed again tion and banquet. this year. The award consists of a K and E log- The senior men initiated were Guy S. Vissing, log duplex slide rule, and a certificate with the Charles '!\T. Bachman, Jack E. Harney, Charles E. name of the award winner engraved upon it. Stevens, John F. O'Donnell, Joseph 1.'. Aalsburg, The presentation was made at an open meeting Kenneth A. Clapp, and Merthyn E. Evans. of the chapter. At the meeting Nick Kerbeway of The list of junior men included Roy A. Paan- the Public Relations Department showed movies anen, Charles C. Sisler, Claire A Stepnitz, John of the football teams trip to Hawaii last fall and D. L'Hote, Richard .J. Lappin, George W. Michel, gave a commentary on the trip. Refreshments were also served at the meeting. Tau Beta Pi Initiates 37 Men The largest group ever initiated into the l\lich- igan Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi was taken in- to the chapter March 4. The group, totaling thirty.seven men, included eight seniors and twen- ty-nine juniors. Following the initiation at the Tau Beta Pi chapter room a banquet in honor of the new ini- tiates was held at the Home Dairy in Lansing. The principal speaker at the banquet was Mr. Claude Erickson of the Board of Water and Electric Light Speakers table -left to right, Professor Cory, Dean Dirks, Commissioners. Mr. Erickson is also consulting President Gray, Speaker Erickson, Professor Renwick. engineer for the college, and was in charge of the design of the new steam generation plant here Lloyd E. Kaechele, Charles H. Single, Robert N. at M.S.C. He is a member of the Michigan Alpha Edmondson, Roger .J. Nelsen, Denton S. Montross, Chapter here. Harold V. Lee, Jr., Ross !\il. Robinette, Frederick !\ilr. Erickson talked on the heat pump and P. vVitte, Alfred .J. Monroe, and Carl E. Christen- its application to residential heating. He showed sen. that if the cost of electric power is not too high, Other juniors were John C. Bullock, Jr., Don- the cost of heating a home with a heat pump com- ald E. Anderson, John K. Carlyle, James c. Bar- pared favorably with that of other methods, such rett, Robert E. Clark, Raymond E. Mohlie, Ray- as gas, oil, or coal. One of the major advantages mond E. Gale, Takashi Nakamura, George S. of the heat pump is that it Illay be used to cool Breitmayer, Jr., Robert W. Jurgensen, George A. the home in summer without any additional equip- Seymour, Melvin A. Nuechterlein, and Richard A. ment than that required for heating. !\ilr. Erick- Hiscox. 18 Metallurgical Engineer Society society plans a round table discussion. The topic Last fall term with the help of Professor Sweet, will be "Is Graduate Work Necessary?" Partici- James Bostwick, Robert Dickenson, Robert Shim- pating in the discussion will be professional men, kus, Vance McIntyre, and Robert Fisher formed professors, and students. the newest student professional group on campus, the Metallurgical Engineer Society. Through most American Institute of Chemical Engineers of fall and winter term the group was busy organ- Mr. Roger Hewitt of the Distel Heating Com- izing and going through the necessary steps to pany of Lansing spoke before A.LCh.E. members bring the society on campus. After an OK from concerning opportunities for the chemical engi- Student Council the Met. E's started making up neer in industries outside the chemical field. He [or lost time. At their first meeting in January pointed out that many phases of industry today they saw a color movie entitled "Steel- Man's have a direct need for the services of the chemical Servant". A business meeting was held in the last engineer. On April 13 elections will be held to part of the month. Mr. F. T. Hook of the Amer- determine who will fill the shoes of the outgoing officers. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Guiding the AS.M.E. student branch through winter term were the following officers: Harvey Wilson, president; Edward Gillisse, vice-president; David ''''oJ[, secretary; and Christopher Lindeman, treasurer. At their last meeting in January the society was addressed by Mr. George Sanborn of the Fellows Gear Shaper Company. In addition to his talk Mr. Sanborn showed a color movie on the generation of gear teeth. AS.M.E. got to- gether with the campus A.LE.E. on March 3 to hear Mr. Sam Dean of the Detroit Edison Com- pany. Mr. Dean is a graduate of the M.S.C. engi- neering school. The first thing on the business slate this term is an election of officers. After that Winter Tau Beta Pi Initiates the group will make plans for the district student ican Brass Company talked to the group on Feb- A.S.M.E. convention which will be held here at ruary 4 on the "Properties of Copper and Its Al- Michigan State College. loys". In conjunction with his talk Mr. Hook had a film on copper mining in Chile, South Amer- American Institute of Electrical Engineers ica, and Arizona here in the United States. "Fac- Institute of Radio Engineers tors Influencing the Choosing of Steel for Fabri- On this campus these two groups are organ- cation" was the topic of a talk that the Met. E's ized jointly with the officers as follows: William heard at their next February Meeting. The speak- R. Carlyon, president; Clare K. Tubbs, vice-pres- er was Mr. R. A. Allen, assistant chief metallurgist ident; William J. Rupple, treasurer; Mac R. Doo- at the Republic Steel Corporation. little, A.LE.E. secretary; and Roy A. Paananen, I.R.E. secretary. The Great Lakes District of the American Society of Civil Engineers ALE.E. held its convention in Des Moines, Iowa, The M. S. C. student branch of the AS. C. E. on April 1st through the 3rd this year. Included heard two speakers and saw one movie at their in the district are the states of Michigan, Indiana, winter term meetings. The first of these speakers Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South was Mr. J. Meyers of the Abrams Aerial Survey Dakota. Along with the professional society, the Company, Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Meyers spoke student branches met. Of the nineteen schools on "Aerial Photography and the Civil Engineer". in the district, eighteen were present in Des Moines. The other speaker during the term was Mr. Blom- Dr. Strelzoff of the M.S.C. electrical Engineering quist of the college Civil Engineerinf.{ department department headed the State delegation. This who spoke on "Registration Examinations for Civil group consisted of William Carlyon, Donald Beck- Engineers". On January 13 a movie, "Clean .Wa- with, Mac Doolittle, Clare Tubbs, ''''illiam Rup- ters", on the problem of sewerage and the preven- pie, Harv~y Powers, and Martin Skinner. Skinner, tion of stream pollution was shown to the as- a gTaduate assistant here, presented a paper on semble members. After election this term the "Electrical Computing Machines". 19 o. J. Munson ARCHITECT FOR MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE Including Such Buildings As Natural Science Building Agriculture Engineering Building Berkey Hall Stadium -Macklin Field 409 Wilson Building Lansing, Michigan 20 The Faithful Scientist Tad was the first to reach the summit of the jagged peak. Before his surveying eyes lay the broad expanse of Tomahawk Valley where, cen- turies before, the Indian had chased the mighty L Beginning Its 35th Year buffalo. Tad breathed deeply the exhilirating air, neat- ly keeled over, put his hand on the head of his A of Successful faithful camel, Gold Dust, and turned to see how his faithful companions, Spike and the Crisco Kid, were doing. N Stamping Service S "Get the lead out of your pants," he yelled gledully as he playfully tossed a miniature boulder at the head of his faithful pal Spike. Poor Spike didn't duck in time. After they had buried Spike in a fitting man- ner they held a wake which would have put Paddy I Murphy to shame. Nearer and nearer they came to the fabulous "Mountain of Suds." Through his faithful 7 x 50 Zeiss binoculars Tad could see N the green boxes studding the mountain side, with patches of Luminess here and there. Mostly there. It was for Luminess-the magic sunshine in- G gredient-that the group, headed by Dr. Proctor and Prof. Gambel of the Oxydol Institute, had started their long trek. The scientists at home had long been dissatisfied with our calendar. The complications in the calendar resul ting from the S earths 365.28 days per solar revolution had long perplexed our greatest scientists. "Vhy not substi- tute the Luminess sun for our own with its 360.00 T days per solar revolution, and make all the months exactly 30 days? This would simplify things no end. And as the eminent Austrian scien tist, Dr. A Heinrich von Smorgan, once remarked, ""Vhat the hell! No end!" So, onward the expedition expedited. Faith- M fully. Fools! Didn't they realize that they would Serving p never reach the mountain? Hadn't they heard of Manuf acturers of Lux's theorem as applied to statistical entities? But it was even more clearly shown in Dr. von Smor- gan's "Infinite Relativity of Nonentity" theory. So AGRICUL TURE I EQUIPMENT simple that even the most uninitiated Ph. D. could understand. 1) the distance If we let E represent the expedition, to be travelled, M the mountain, INDUSTRIAL N EQUIPMENT G and T the time the expedition travels, then quite obviously: DOMESTIC EQUIPMENT c From which it can ue seen that no matter how large T becomes D would never equal zero LAWNMOWERS (which would, of course, be necessary if they were ever to reach the mountain). be some distance to travel. There would always But not knowing this Tad and his faithful companions plodded faithfully on. Faithfully. 1159 Pennsylvania Ave. Lansing, Michigan o MORHEA T CORPORATION BOILER - BURNER UNITS Morheat offers fast, safe steam or hot priming. Morheat's patented design water heating at greater fuel savings for permits rapid absorption of heat, giving residences, hotels, theaters, schools, a high overall efficiency which has re- churches and commercial buildings. sulted in fuel savings as high as 30% Morheat Boilers come to you fully over old style heating boilers. insulated and complete with built-in Morheat Boilers are suitable for combustion chamber, ready for quick steam space heating up to 15 lbs. p. s. i., easy installation. hot water space heating up to 160 lbs. This light-weight, compact boiler IS p. s. i. up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit - suitable for installation In less space they are built to A.S.M.E. Code - Na- than IS required by other boilers of tional Board Shop Inspection - they equal capacity. have been used by the Army, Navy, The Morheat Boiler is a steel water and the Air Services. tube boiler with natural rapid internal Morheat Boilers can be fired by oil, water circulation, free from surging or gas, or combination. IF YOU WANT THESE THINGS: HEATING COMFORT HEATING SATISFACTION HEATING ECONOMY GET A MORHEA T BOILER - THE FINEST HEATING BOILER BUILT PERFORMANCE DATA - MORHEAT DOMESTIC BOilERS MAXIMUM OU'!'PUT AT BOILER OUTLET FUEL CONSUMPTION Boiler I Square Feet~Steam Square Feet-Hot BTU I BHP Fuel Oil No.3 Natural Gas Mfd. Gas Cu. Ft. Cu. Ft. Number EDR @ Water EDR Per Hour Per Hour GPH Per Hour Per Hour 240 BTU @ 150 BTU 2 701 1122 168,379 5.03 1.60 225 432 6 1041 1666 250,000 7.47 2.25 312 624 8 1486 2378 356,843 10.66 3.40 476 915 10 1998 3197 479,896 14.33 4.57 640 1230 12 2565 4104 615,605 18.39 5.86 821 1579 16 3531 5650 847,587 25.32 8.07 1131 2174 18 4170 6672 1,000.902 29.90 9.54 1335 2567 DIMENSIONS (Subject to change) Diameter of Smoke I '"W" IC='_1 Opening satl(:~n Bo.ler Width I Boiler Length I Boiler He:ght Boiler We'ght Pipe Inches Openmg Inches Pounds Inches Inches Inches Inches Overall (Approx.) 6 2% 11/2 26 36 60 650 7 2V2 IV2 26 40 62 850 8 3 2 31 44 64 1050 10 4 2V2 37 50 64 1200 12 4 2V2 37 55 66 1450 14 5 2V2 41 65 70 1850 14 5 2V2 41 70 70 2100 Morheat Industrial Water Tube Boilers for processing _ 100 M.W.P., A.S.M.E. Code - National Board Inspection - Sizes 5 to 32 h.p. - for oil, gas or combination firing. MORHEAT CORPORATION 700 East Kalamazoo Street lansing 12, Michigan 22 Building 163 continued from page 6 taken of[ the line, or in other words, removed [rolll operational status. VlTith induced draft fans, a tall exhaust stack or natural draft chimney becomes unnecessary. Lundberg The MSC stack has long been a campus landmark. In the new plant some exhaust gases are present and these pass out of thc building through short stacks--one [or each boiler. After the gases leave Screw the induced draft they travel approximately 29 feet to the top of the stack. Directly below the stack the blades of the induced draft [an are exposed to the elements. Products Co. When operating, the revolving blades will throw off the water; when not operating, the fan blades become susceptible to corrosion and subseqvent unbalancing. A manually operated rain gate pre- vents this corrosive action. Because it is so balanced, the rain gate automatically opens when the fan SCREW MACHINE PRODUCTS resumes operating. The Cabinetrol panel discussed previously is another point o[ interest. Rather than scattering the controls and individual set ups through the plant as in older systems, the Cabinetrol efficiently concentrates electrical controls in one locale. Ease 2101 W. Willow St. Lansing, Michigan of maintenance is realized in this new develop- ment. At their rated load the boilers should generatc a total of 200,000 pounds of steam per hour. This leaves at 300 psi and 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The old plant using three boilers supplies 200,000 to 225,000 pounds per hour at 175 psi and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Inability to obtain pipe fittings able to withstand higher pressures and temperatures LANSING causes the old plant to operate at this level. The generated steam activates one Allis-Chalmers 3.000 KW and two 500 KvV turbines. Designed to usc DROP steam at over 200 psi pressure, the 3000 KW tur- bine is obviously not operating at full capacity. FORGE One morc turbine, a 3000 KW General Electric will be added to this group. In [act, it is now in the process o[ being installed. One oE the boilers COMPANY has already been dried ou t and pu t on the line. The extra steam is required in campus operation. MSC engineers are contemplating moving the coal storage, boiler room, and eventually the whole Steam Hammer Forgings power setup to South Campus. Design of the new plant calls for three boilers but so far only two Board Hammer Forgings are installed. Addition of the third boiler is the next project. If more steam becomes necessary, Forging Press Forgings the building may be extended toward Shaw Lane. Perhaps a turbine floor could be added to the plant at some future datc. Rcmoval of the railroad bridge and the tracks would tu rn the cen tral por- 1024 S. Logan Lansing tion oE the campus, presently dominated by the power plant installation, into an engineering circle. Included would be the electrical engineering building now under construction. the end 23 Sales Engineering 2300 feet per minute. This remarkable improve- ment came about largely from the efforts of a Sale~ continued fwm page 7 Engineer selling rolling mill machinery and a Sales tottering. The Sales Engineer of an important Engineer selling electrical equipment, both work- equipment builder looked upon it with vision and ing in conjunction with the engineers connected intelligent enthusiasm. He set to work. Nothing with the steel mill. was farther from the mill owners mind than to "Vhere do Sales Engineers come [rom? How buy - unwillingness - inability. But the Sales are they trained? Some few capable men, likely Engineer had resourcefulness and ability. He stud- the older ones, ne\'er took an engineering degree. ied the mill and its inactive layout. He drew Most manufacturers of machinery as well as of spe- sketches and developed a new possible productive cial products to be technically applied such as al- layout - all reduced to figures of expenditures and loys, lu brican ts, a nd chemicals, take on from the resulting reduction in the production cost and technical schools each year a number of engineer- price per ton of paper. He interested local bank- ing graduates for training. Larger companies can ers and consulted with other apparatus suppliers establish definite and thorough training courses, in lines parallel to his own, gaining their support. \Vith many of the smaller companies, the boy is Finally he developed a practical program of re- simply put to work to learn the business. vamping, and the willingness to invest funds. The Though the work of the Sales Engineer is decision was made to go ahead - even in the poor- an art, back of it stands science. It is a science est times. He got a substantial order for apparatus. based upon a knowledge of business organization, Was he creative? markets, distribu tion methods, and an understand- Innumerable examples can support this same ing of group and individual human effort. More idea. In 1934 the steel mills rolled cold-rolled and more the heads and executive staff of manu- tin plate at a maximum speed of 400 feet per min- facturing companies are now drawn from the ranks ute. Only five years later, in 1939, a mill was in of the Sales Engineers. operation producing this tin plate at a speed of continued 011 the next page JARVIS ENGINEERING WORKS Engineers and Fabricators of Steel Products 901 River Street Lansing, Michigan 24 Thirty or forty per cent of engineering gradu- ates within a few years are engaged in work that is largely of a commercial nature. The various courses in salesmanship - so commonly given in any important city - are often of little significance to the Sales Engineer, for they concentrate on mer- chandise and commodity selling. The fundamental training most neede.d by the prospective Sales Engi- neer is a combination of technical training and business training - the latter dealing with capital investment for technical accomplishment. The Sales Engineer must have one eye well trained to engineering - and the other trained to detect values and economic results. He must possess not only technical skill, but an understanding of where the use of this technical skiU is leading us. Salesmen and salesmanship are often frowned upon in academic circles as too close to the ped- dler or slap-the-back promotor. Because the Sales Engineer seUs, he is often mentally catalogued as a pronounced extrovert. Unfortunately too few of us have had a chance to meet a mature, friend- ly individual selling mining machinery, foundry 0/ a equipment, power plant equipment, or a host of OLher classes of equipment or highly technical prod- ucts, and to watch him exercise an ability, quite his own, comprehending a whole system of spe- cialized production. His tools of accomplishmen~ are in his head, crammed full of experience. The great need today in technical accomplish- ment is an understanding of where the invention, the new design, the improved process, the new material, will lead us, quite apart from the skiU to create it physically. Sales Engineers can lend a vision to management, for they can be skilled in detecting the over-all result, whether it be mechan- ical, economic, or social. They can give the "Why" so greatly needed today, to guide the "do." Although the Sales Engineer is the mouthpiece for the company he represents, he is also the eye which detects customers' needs. He is the one who can point to improvements. He can guide the designer in the character of the apparatus built. He often points to new items which his company might build, and provides the necessary spark S. .A. G. to accom pI ishmen t. The barometer of business activity points to various conditions at different times. Only about one quarter of the time is the emphasis on produc- tion - times when plants are loaded and the chief problem is to produce. The remainder of the years, plants are not working up to capacity, and the pressure is on distribution - not production. Even today, when we are still wriggling out of the harness of war, the importance of distribution is coming to the front again with alarming force, and the Sales Engineer is taking his place at the head of the parade. the end 25 Capturing Light excess hypo to sodium sulfate which is inert and continued from page 15 soluble in water. Any excess eliminator evap- orates on drying. they are to be enlarged to considerable size, to re- In summary, the action of light on a silver duce the size of the silver particles. Much re- halide suspended in gelatin forces a small amount search has been done on this problem. Para- of metallic silver to gather around a speck of im- phenylenediamine obtains the best results in re- purity. This silver acts as a nucleus for further ducing the particle size, but it is very slow and development which causes mOoresilver to be de- also quite toxic to the skin. Another compound, posited, forming a visible image. To make this sodium thiocyanate, has been suggested for this and image permanent we fix it by removing undevel- has the advantage of being non toxic. oped silver halides, thus rendering the film im- After the developing has been completed, but mune to further action by light. This is the before the image is fixed, it is necessary to remove process used in capturing light. the end all of the developer from the film. This is usu- ally done by washing the film with water. A dilute solution of acetic acid, about I %, is also used. After development all of the unreduced silver continued from page 11 halide still remains in the film. If this is not its legal operating time, if it is operating on limited removed it will darken upon exposure to light time. The operator of a standard broadcast sta- and make the entire film black, obscuring the tion must hold a first class radiotelephone license. image. The process of removing this silver salt This license is granted by the Federal Communica- is called fixing. About the only chemical which tions Commission after the licensee passes the will dissolve the silver halides without otherwise examination for that class of license. affecting the film is sodium thiosul£ite or hypo. In the process of fixing hypo combines with the ''''KAR is licensed to operate from sunrise to silver halides to form complex silver salts which sunset. These times are computed on an average are removed in the final washing after fixing. basis for the mon th and are specified in the sta- Besides the hypo the fixing solution usually con- tion license. The license also specifies the oper- tains the following: a preservative, an acid, and a ating power, the antenna current, the impedance hardening agent. The most common preservative of the antenna transmission line, the call letters, is sodium sulfite although sodium bisulfite is used and the operating frequency. if the hardening agent is to be omitted. The sul- The "VKAR transmitter was installed in 1940 fite prevents decomposition of the hypo by the acid. and began regular operation in June of that year. Otherwise free sulfur would form and stain the Previous to that the transmitter was located in the gelatin. Acetic acid is included to neutralize the Power House and the operating power was 1000 developer and stop its action. Potassium alum is watts. The transmitter, built by the Western used as a hardening agent to harden the gelatin Electric company, was installed under the super- and reduce the possibility of mechanical injury vision of Mr. Norris Grover, chief engineer of to the emulsion. Certain ratios of these three WKAR. Since then the transmitter has been in chemicals must be used for best results. Other- continuous operation during its allotted operat- wise the acidity may be too high and cause break- ing time. the end down of the hypo, or too low and allow a reac- tion between the sulfite and the alum to form a white sludge of aluminum sulfite which will de- posit on the film. The stability of fixing baths is improved by the inclusion of boric acid. Films are usually fixed for about twice the time it takes Franklin DeKleine to clear them, and the temperature of the bath should be about 70° F. Company After fixing, a final washing is given the film to remove the hypo. Since it is difficult to re- 315 N. Grand Ave. Lansing, Mich. move the last traces of hypo some chemical means Telephone 5-7154 have been suggested. Most of these have been unsatisfactory because other undesirable chemicals Printing - Lithography - Bookbinding are le[t in the emulsion. One recently proposed method uses two volatile chemicals, hydrogen per- Office Supplies - Office Furniture oxide and ammonia. This solution oxidizes the 26 Educational Gas Turbine A major step has been taken in providing stu- dent engineers with the means of studying at first hand the type of power plant which drives jet planes, and which promises to play an important Spartan Engineer role in land applications. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has installed in its Mechanical Engineer- ing Department laboratory an "educational gas turbine", the first of its kind to be acquired by Staff Positions Open any engineering school. In this unit students are provided with a means of studying the performance and characteristics of the gas turbine cycle, according to Dr. Neil P. Interested Engineers Bailey, head of R.P.I.'s Department of Mechanical Engineering. He pointed out that the equipment Visit Office would be employed to "substantiate and supple- ment the theory of the classroom". The installation is built around a G. E. design Mondays 1 to 5 of a turbosupercharger which has been equipped with a combustion chamber, compressor inlet flow nozzle, compressor discharge, control, and other Room 9, Ag.Eng. Bldg. accessory equipment. The turbosupercharger was purchased from the War Assets Administration and is of the type used in the B-29 Superfortress to pro- P. O. Box 468, East Lansing vide high pressure air to engines at high altitudes. In addition to the gas turbine performance cycle, the equipment can be used in the study of centrifugal compressor performance and air flow measuremel}t. Our Congraulations to the Sponsors of THE SPARTAN ENGINEER and Best Wishes for Their Continued Success MELLING FORGING COMPANY Serving Industry Since 1917 Manufacturers of Quality Steel Drop Forgings and Machining Offices and Machine Plant-1401 Case St. Forge Plant - 1705 Thompson St. LANSING 3 MICHIGAN 27 SIDE TRACKED Once upon a time, so the story goes, the fence between Heaven Student - "Why didn't I make POME and Hell was broken. St. Peter 100 on this history exam?" appeared at the broken section I tried to kiss her by the mill Prof - "Do you remember the and called to the Devil, "Satan, One starry summer night. question 'Why did the pioneers since all of the engineers are over She shook her head and sweetly go into the wilderness?' " at your place, how about getting said, Student - "Yeah." them to mend the fence?" "No, not by a dam site." Prof-"Well, your answer, "Sorry," replied the Devil, "my '* while very interesting, was incor- men are all too busy to go about rect." 1st ME - Busy? fixing measly fences." 2nd ME - No. You busy? "Well, then," replied St. Peter, 1st ME -No. "I shall have to sue you if you And then there was the Frosh 2nd ME - Well then, let's go to don't." who thought that steel wool came class. "Oh yeah," chortled Satan, from hydraulic rams. "where are you going to get a lawyer?" Industrial advertisement: For Sale: One high-powered An engineer wandered into a wench in good condition. Freshman - What is the differ- tennis tournament one day last season and sat in the stands. ence between a sewing machine After a few minutes of interested and a girl running for a street car. "Damn," exclaimed the con- watching he said, "Whose game?" Senior -:-A sewing machine has tractor as the block of new pre- The shy young thing sitting only one bobbin. fabs collapsed, "I told those car- next to him spoke up hopefully, penters not to take down the "1 alu." sca(folding until aftel" the walls As Prof. Cade says in Mechan- were painted." '* There are a lot of couples who don't like to sit in parked cars. '* .ics, "Every couple has its mo- ment." Little dog looking up at a park- In fact Pinetum is full of them. ing meter. Hell, you gotta pay now. Two small negro boys were sit- '* Then there was the story of the two old maids that went for a tramp in the woods. '* A Scotsman walked up to a friend at the bar and began tell- ting on a curb. One turned to the other and said: Ah's five. How old is yo? Ah doan know. Ah reckon ah's ing him about a hunting trip. Do you neck? '* That's my business! "\lVe shot a couple of deer," he said, "but the biggest thrill was five too. Does you dTeam of wimmen? Nope. tracking yures." Yo's only foh. Oh good, a professional. "\Vhat's yures?" asked the '* '* friend. A group invented an atom "I'll have a beer thanks," re- CAMPUS REGULATIONS bomb so powerful that it could plied the Scotsman. 1. No lighted tobacco may be destroy the world. They couldn't Just as they reached the bottom brought into or through college resist trying it just once. When of their glasses, the friend re- buildings. , the smoke had cleared away, the marked, "Well I'll have to get 2. Do not drop ashes or bults on only two things left on the face going. Got to get home and do the floor. o( the earth were two monkeys my chores." somewhere in Tibet. The male "What chores?" asked the Scots- monkey leered at his companion man. You can lead an engineer to and said, "Well, shall we start the "Beer, please," the other said. water but why disappoint him. whole damn thing over again." Breathes there a man so much abnormal sors missed. '* He who laughs last has found a double meaning that the cen- '* I'm sorry I slapped you - I thought you were trying to steal my sorority pin. That he isn't stirred by a low cut formal? By SPARTY 28 FEDERAL DROP FORGE Producers of Medium Weight Drop Forgings For Automotive Domestic and Farm Use 2200 S. Washington Ave. lansing, Michigan .L ~ _'_ A Path Doesn't, Stay Worn Without Traffic Through the years, Industry has kept the path brigh~ to our door in quest of better Forgings. The name "Atlas", as applied to Steel Drop Forgings, has a special meaning to men of long business experience. Likewise, to young engineers about to find their places in Industry, "Atlas" will come to denote top excellence in Drop Forging practice. /lA Good Forging Must be More than a Shope" ATLAS DROP FORGE COMPANY Lansing 2, Michigan