. PERIODICAL JUL 3 1953 MICffiGAN TATE COLLEGE UBRARY MAY 1953 Vol. 6 No.4 25c Only STEEL can do so many lobs ~o well t - OPPORTUNITIES Stainless steel walls mark the handsome They work high to dig deep. Steel. derricks skyscrapers of Pittsburgh's Gateway Cen- like this symbolize one of AmerIca's m?st WITH U. S. STEEL ter. Panels are made of corrosion-resistant vital defense treasures .•. oil. To help bnng Stainless Steel, backed up with lightweight up the "black gold" from its ancient, mil~- concrete reinforced with welded wire fabric. deep resting places, U. S. Steel makes d~ill- If you're thinking about what These are attached to the building frame ing rigs, steel drill pipe, casing and tubmg, you're going to do after gradua- quickly and easily. Multi-story building cement, pumps, wire lines, and tough all?y tion ... if you're interested in a walls go up with astonishing speed-in this steels for the drilling bits that can bIte challenging, rewarding position project, at better than a floor-a-day rate. through the hardest rock. with a progressive company ... And because these wall panels weigh less, Pho,o-S,"odard Oil Co. (N. J.) then it will pay you to look into the weight of supporting structural mem- the opportunities with United bers is also reduced, resulting in lower States Steel. Your placement di- building costs. rector can give you more details, or we'll be glad to send you the Taking no chances is a good informative booklet, "Paths of rule to follow on modern Opportunity." United States Steel highways. Drive carefully- Corporation, 525 William Penn the life you save may be ~our Place, Pittsburgh 30, Pa. own. This U'S'S AmerIcan M ultisafty Cable Guard . too Over saves many I IVes, : act 140 proving ground Imp _ tests using cars of all type:, ha ve' demonstrated that thIS type of highway guar~ p~; vides greater protectIon high speeds. This trade. mark is your guide to quality steel UNITED STATES STEEL AIIERICAN BRIDGE •• AIIERICAN STEEl & WIRE and CYClDNE FENCE COl TUBE Oil WEll SUPPLY •• TENNESSEE COAL & IRON UNITED STATES " UMBIA.GENEVA STEEl •• CONSOLIDATEO WESTERN STEEL •• GERRARD STEEL STRAPPING •• NATIONAL 'H •• STEEL PRODUCTS UNITED S MTlSBUR, GUNNISON HOMES, INe. • UNION SUPPLY COMPANY. UN •• TATES STEEL SUPPLY •• Divisioos 01 UNITED STATES STEEL CORrORATlON, '091 ITED STATES STEEL EXPORT COMPANY. UNIVERSAL ATlAS CEMENT COMPANY 3- • • One day of feeling better doesn't mean you're cured EVER HAVE FLU, feel better, and go Out too lower prices, lower taxes, and most important of soon-only to have a relapse worse than the all, less war, arc in prospect. BUT- first attack? Don't let's take it too easy too soon. The fever For years the world has been sick. "Something- of inflation and debt have wasted the nation's for-nothing," Welfare State, Socialism, "more-pay- strength and substance which have to be built for-less-work" -the disease has different names at back. If we continue our tried and true American different times and places, but it's the same trouble medicine of hard work, and add the convalescent -loss of energy, ambition, faith-in-yourself. tonic of thrift, we'll really recover. But as any doctor knows, this first surge of "feeling better" Now much of the world and especially this is the dangerous stage: part of it is feeling better; we think we'll live- as this is written it looks as though more housing, A relapse could kill us. lJ7aruer & Swasey is always itlterested ill talking future opportunities to young me'l of ability and character. lJ7rite Charles Ufford. YOU WARNER & SWASEY MACHINE TOOLS, TEXTILE MACHINERY, CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CAN PRODUCE IT BETTER, FASTER, FOR lESS WITH May, 1953 A Quarter Mile Up JOBS ARE BEING ENGINEERED Your future lies not in the obvious, the complete, the established. It is forming on the drawing boards, in the laboratories and within the minds of men. Don't look to what is, but to what shall be. Fortune comes from the new. This Air Force Radio tower, a 1218-foot equilateral steel triangle, is the tallest in the world; second among man-made structures only to the Empire State Build- ing. It was designed and fabricated by Republic's Truscon Steel Division. The operation of this tower is government business. But its stresses and its resistances are Republic's. The engineering of this I lacy pinnacle will find adaptations in the near future. They are being shaped now in the metallurgy and design departments !......... of Republic. A quarter mile above the earth, the steel toys with gales and totes an unpredictable burden of ice. And the facts of these achievements shall be trans- lated by men of your generation into the still higher pinnacles of the future. Republic's Truscon Steel Division leads the world in radio towers. Republic's other divisions push forward other frontiers. No manufacturer makes more kinds of steel, nor any better. But the making of steel is only one phase of Republic. Our many divisions design innumerable products, fabricate thousands of items. Here lies the new-the realm for young men of talent and vision. REPUBLIC STEEL w 0 RL D'S WID ES T RAN G E 0 F STEEL S "N 0 5 T E EL Spartan Engineer In honor ot I Dean Lorin G. Miller, the retiring Dean of Engineering, this, the May issue of the SPARTAN ENGINEER is hereby respectfully dedicated. 5 May, 1953 By metallurgical controls and tests of materials, our members are able to produce cast iron pipe with exact knowledge of the physical characteristics of the iron befo're'it is poured into the mold of a centrifugal casting machine. Cast iron pipe is the standard material for water and gas mains and is widely used in sewage works The great majority of cast iron pressure construction. pipe produced today is cast centrifugally, in metal or Send for booklet, "Facts About Cast Iron Pipe." sand-lined molds. Address Dept. C, Cast Iron Pipe Research Association, When this mechanized process was introduced 27 T. F. Wolfe, Engineer, 122 So. Michigan Avenue, years ago, its potentialities for improved production Chicago, 3, Illinois. controls were evident. For human fallibility was largely replaced by machine accuracy based on scientific principles. The improved production controls made possible by the centrifugal casting process have long since been realized. Hundreds of millions of feet of centrifugally- cast-iron pressure pipe are now in service. All of this pipe is more uniform in metal structure, in wall thickness, and in concentricity, than pipe not centrifugally cast. Better production control means better pipe; it re- sults in greater uniformity of quality. Production controls in cast iron pipe foundries start almost literally from the ground up with inspection, analysis and testing of raw materials; cominue with constam comrol of cupola operation by metal analysis; Section of 114-year-old cast iron gas and end with rigid tests of the finished product. main still in service in Baltimore, Md. SERVES FOB CENTURIES 6 Spartan Engineer SpartaN ENGINEER Table of Contents EDITORIAL STAFF: • articles EDITOR Robert G. Kitchen ROCKY ROAD TO OIL 11 ASSOCIATE EDITORS ENGINEERING RESEARCH-CUM LAUDE 12 Lee Mah Phil Sanford POWER INDUSTRY LOOKS AIII~AlJ 14 PHOTOGRAPHER THE MIRACLE FUZI~ 16 Ray Steinbach YOUR FUTURE IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING 18 PROBLEMS OF SUPERSONIC FLIGHT 22 BUSINESS STAFF: EDUCATION AT THE AMEIUCAN UNIVERSITY OF REIR UT 2:3 BUSINESS MANAGER Jim Gusack ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER • features Torn Clark BROTHERLY LOVE 24 CIRCULATION MANAGER Dick McClaughry NEW DEVELOPMENTS 25 CLUBS AND SOCIETIES 27 PICTURE PAG ES 31 STAFF: OUR GREATEST NATURAL ImSOUltCE :38 Josephine Fantauzzo AUTHORS' PAGE .42 Harlow Nelson SIDETRACKED 58, 62 Torn Ayres CROSSWORD PUZZLE 60 Larry Jackson James Otis Ralph Powell COVER John Rood COVER: Dean Lorin G. Miller of the Michigan State Zigurd Levensteins College School of Engineering Joe Myers Published four times yeerly by the students of the SCHOOL OF EN. GINEERING. MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE. Eest Lensing. Michigen. FACULTY ADVISORS: The office is on the third floor of the Union Building. Phone ED 2.1511. Extension 251. Entered es second c1ess meller et the Post Office in GENERAL Lensing. Michigen. under the eel of Merch 3. 1879. W. E. Libby Address Meil to: P. O. Box 4b8. Eest Lensing. Michigen. EDITORIAL and CIRCULATION Publishers representetive D. D. McGrady Littell.Murrey.Bernhill. Inc. FINANCIAL and ADVERTISING 101 Perk Avenue. New YorL Paul G. Gray 605 W. Michigen Avenue. Chicego PHYSICAL FACILITIES and Subscription rete by meil S 1.00 per yeer. PRODUCTION Single copies 25 c.nls. Theodore J. Brevik 7 May, 1953 • Earle R. Wall, Jr. was graduated from mechanical design of afterburners which must Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1941 with a diffuse exhaust gases from t h e tur b.me at tern- .h B. S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and peratures over 1650 degrees Fahrenheit, WIt. after a live year tour of duty with the Army came a minimum loss of energy, and consume ad~- to Allison to do pioneering work on turbo-jet tional fuel for thrust augmentation. After t e engines. correct design has been calculated and draw~, . Earle today has an important job as an engi- prototypes of the afterburner are tested by t e neer in the turbo-jet design group and he is Test Control group and Earle then analyzes working on afterburners for some of America's results. One of the many problems IS . the akf en- newest jet engines. Allison Division was the durance life of the exhaust unit. He must m first aircraft engine manufacturer to produce a choice of present metals or search for n~ turbo-jet afterburners. The afterburner is a metals to withstand the high temperatures an thrust augmentation unit for jet engines to give forces of the gases which pass through. the engine more thrust in take-off, climb and Earle and many other Alhson .. engl.ne ers have f' t combat emergencies. An additional cone is interesting, important jobs in the sClenc~ D .Ie added after the turbine where more fuel is in- engines. They are making a direct contr~butlOn jected into the exhaust gases of the engine and to national defense and adding to theIr D.Wn ignited to give a larger amount of thrust. knowledge of a subject which offers lifetUne Earle's job includes the thermodynamic and careers for engineers. Allison is loolcing for young men with degrees in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, , • s AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING and INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. There are also a number of opening for majors in Metallurgy, Electronics, Mathematics and Physics. Write now for further information: R. G. Green- wood, Engineering College Contad, Allison Division, General Motors Corporotion, Indianapolis 6, Indiana. DIVISION GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. Indianapolis, Ind. Design, development and production-high power TURBINE ENGINES for modern aircraft •• E heavy duty TRANSMISSIONS for Ordnance and Commercial vehicles DIESEL LOCOMOTIV PARTS .•• - tion • • • • PRECISION BEARINGS for aircraft, Diesel locomatives and special appllca 8 Spartan Engineer • Engineering Planning, Design and Construction The devel~pment. and. economic utilization of p~ogresslve engineering methods to make pOSSIblethe continued expansion of industry and modern living. 5 pat~s • Power System Engineering ~he application of proved engineering prin- ~Iples to the. day-to-day problems of operat- Ing the equIpment used in the production transmission and distribution of electri~ to your power. • Sales and Customers Service The promotion of increased sales by helpinl( success at the consumer make the best use of the energy he buys, and by showinl$ him how to let electricity do more of his Jobs. DETROIT • Research The investigation of problems which daily face any part of the production, distribution or sale of electricity, and making recom- mendations for their solution. EDISON • Business Management The coordination of problems related to Company finance, materials, property nnd per~onnel for the efficient operatIOn of the business. These are the five principal channels through which pany. It is foresighted, too. For example, already Detroit graduates may advance at The Detroit Edison Company. Edison engineers are working with Dow Chemical Com- Un~~r these broad headings are hundreds of different pany as one of the nation's four atomic research teams. posItIOns-all working together for the best interests of Under investigation is use of nuclear heat in thermal customer, employe, and investor. electric generating plants, to produce electric power even more efficiently. ~hen a graduate joins The Detroit Edison Company, There's a future for graduates at The Detroit Edison ~e ISassured every opportunity to fit into the job he likes Company-a career opportunity best described by the est-and, once there, he knows he will be encouraged to fact that many of the high ranking executives in the advance as rapidly as his ability and energy will carry him. organization at this time began their climb to l'UCCCB8 in Detroit Edison is a fast-growing electric utility com- positions similar to those offered graduates today. ANOTHER DETROIT EDISON STORY OF CAREER SUCCESS Paul Murphy, Jr., received his BSME degree from Purdue in 1941. After four years of service as a Naval engineering officer, he joined Detroit Edison as a junior engineer in the Production Department and progressed in less than seven years to the position • of Boiler Room Engineer in charge of all 12 boilers at Detroit Edison's Delray plant, a ' position of responsibility that includes the supervision of methods, procedures, and maintenance scheduling for boilers and coal handling equipment •• ' . For the full story of your career opportunities at Detroit Edison, simply call or write for a free copy of this new booklet "What about the Electric Power Industry?" I I " ' The DETROIT EDISON Company 2000 SECOND A VENUE DETROIT 26, MICHIGAN 9 May, 1953 , ..... _". - L•• '. < / Shale processing, retort plant. Ore is heated in this unit at various periods and temperatures to ascertain the most efficient method of turning the oil shale into oil. After the oil has been retorted, the hoppers are opened and the slag is dumped out on the ground. After COOlingit is pushed by bulldozers into a nearby arroyo. The retort plant can accommodate 35 tons of ore. JO Spartan Engineer ROCKY ROAD TO OIL Reprinted from THE LAMP Standard Oil Company (N.J.) Culled by Larry Jackson, Geology '54 The majestic mountains of western Colorado, rIsing Third, oil shale doesn't contain oil. It holds in its pores steeply into the sky, contain more than cascading trout a substance known as kerogen, which is a general term streams and tourist scenery. The bare cliffs that stare for organic material that was decomposed (Iown to a at the passing motorist are really the faces of tremendous certain point and then remained fixed. One theory is that plateaus of a rock known as oil shale. For the second petroleum was formed in ancient times from minute time in this century, scientists are studying those greyish- animal anel vegetable organisms trappe,l in silt at the brown mountains of shale intensively, to see how they bottom of salt-water seas, whereas keroj('en in this country fit into the picture of our future oil supply. came largely from minute plants that once were deposited America counts its proved reserves of petroleum-its at the bottom of fresh-water hIkes. In any event, kerogen working stocks in the ground-at almost 25 billion barrels is a solid substance containinj(' hydrocarbons (molecules and there are other billions in unproved reserves. By the of hydrogen and carbon) in combination with flulphur, most conservative kind of figuring, the nation has at the oxygen and nitrogen. Although it isn't an oil, it can he same time a potential oil reserve of 250 billion barrels, turned into an oil by heating. lying unused in tremendous deposits of oil shale. The Fourth and perhaps most basic, the crude oil made from richest of these shale beds are in Colorado and neighboring shale isn't in any sense petroleum. It looks and smells Utah and Wyoming, but other parts of the country con- different, it behaves differently, it must he refined (lif- tain oil shales as well. ferently. And what do the engineers and chemists think are our chances of converting those oil shales into liquid fuels? The answer to that question is wrapped up in three bi/(' ifs. The most informed opinion now holds that America will have fuels from shale: If the cost of mining the ore can be made low enough so that it will be economically practical to handle the vast amounts of rock that will be needed; If an efficient and economic way can be found to extract the oil from the shale; and If research can turn up means of refining the crude shale oil into useful products in the price and quality range of petroleum products. These three ifs are by no means insurmountable ob- stacles. Indeed, progress has already been made toward solving some of the very many problems involved. There is no reason why, given enough intensive research in the coming years, oil from shale should not take over some of the burden now carried by petroleum alone. But first the public will have to erase certain misconceptions about what a shale-oil industry might be, just as the handful Eroded bluffs of the Colorado River basin, where of researchers in the field had to revise their thinking beds of 011 shale lie a few hundred feet from the cliff top. on the subject at the very start. First of all, oil from shales is not a new concept. The French had a shale-oil industry as early as 1838; the In a sense, any industry that rises on the foundations Scotch, in 1850. The Japanese fueled part of their navy of oil shale will be a new industry. The shale must be with shale oil during the recent war. Substantial shale-oil mined' but because it contains so little actual fuel per industries operate today in Scotland, Sweden, South ton of rock the mining cost must be substantially lower Africa, Australia, France, Spain-and perhaps Estonia than the average cost of producing a ton of, say, coal and Russia as well. Indeed, the United States itself under- which is almost all fuel. Shale must also be retorted (or took shale experiments during the 1920's when the govern- heated) to convert its kerogen into oil; but old methods ment, having floated a successful war on oil, began to of retorting haven't proved economical with the vast Worry about future supply. amounts of shale that must be handled. And the shale Second, the rock we call rock shale in this country isn't crude oil must be refined; but, for chemical reasons, co~- a shale at all; it is a marlstone. Marl is harder than shale ventional petroleum refining isn't the answer for shale OIl. -a matter of utmost interest to the engineers who must I n dozens of scattered research projects scientists . d are mine it. (Some of the foreign deposits are true shales; going after the three big "ifs" in a. de~rmlne way. thus the name here. The great Athabaska tar sands of A good deal of the experimental work IS being conducted Canada, which are sometimes confused with oil shales, (Continued on Page 36) are really quite different.) II May, 1953 ENGINEERING RESEARCH ...... CUM LAUDE By TOM CLARK Chemical Engineer '54 With the creation of the Air Forces Air Research and tical Air Command, and other major independent com- Development Command at Baltimore, Maryland on Jan- mands. uary 23, 1950 by order of USAF's Chief of Staff, General In general, the mission of the Air Research and Develop- Hoyt S. Vandenberg, engineering research made one of ment Command is to provide the Air Force with improved its greatest gains of the century. The Air Research and devises and systems for the conduct and support of air Development Command was formed to keep up with the warfare, including aircraft, guided missiles, weapons and new technological advances in the art of air warfare. other equipment. In accomplishing its mission, the ARDC As a result of the investigations of the Scientific Ad- is streamlining its relationship with industry by establish- visory Board and the Air University it was found that: ing joint project offices at Wright Field, manned by Air research and development was being given a priority both ARDC project engineers and AMC project officers, that was too low to be efficient in its operation. Research to form one central place where industry and Air Force and development was diffused throughout the Air Force, operational commands can present their problems and get both staff-wise and command-wise. Too few Air Force their questions answered promptly. The ARDC has also officers and civilian employees had adequate technical tried to give to industry progressively greater responsi- qualifications. Existing facilities and resources available bilities for the development of complete weapons systems. to the Air Force were inadequate for the required re- As a result of this new streamlining policy, approx- search and development effort. imately 87 per cent of the U. S. Air Force's total research and development funds ($525,000.000 for fiscal year 1953) is used to sponsor activities by non-Air Force agencies under research and development contracts. The 13 per cent is used within the Air Research and Development Command's laboratories to work on projects with the "outside" agencies and to conduct "in-house" research and development. The "in-house" activity is mainly evalu- ating results of sponsored programs with non-Air Force agencies. Approximately 160 non-profit organizations, 1520 industrial organizations and 270 government agencies (e.g., Naval and Army Ordnance, Civil Aeronautics Ad- ministration, etc.) are working on Air Force research and development projects. Basic research projects for the ARDC are largely cen- tered in the following fields: Fluid mechanics, where Air Force interest lies in aerodynamics and jet and rocket propulsion systems and devices; metallurgy, including investigation of the crystalline structure of solids by x-rar diffraction; nuclear physics, with special stress on the XF-92A (Convair) - Nearing completion of Air Force perfection of nuclear-powered aircraft engines and on research flight, this delta-wing aircraft will soon be the problem of protection of air crews during the delivery ~urned over to the NACA for additional tests. XF-92A of atomic weapons and in the subsequent process of de- IS forerunner of the XF-I02. Operates at service ceiling contamination of equipment; theoretical and applied math- ove.r 45,000 feet at high sub-sonic speeds and has an ematics, with the focus directed on methods of solving Allison J-33 engine with afterburner. equations arising in aerodynamics and electronics and on statistical analysis aimed at improved techniques for the ~ssessment of bomb damage; chemistry, including studies As a result of these findings, the Chief of Staff on Janu~ry 23, .1950, placed research and development on m both liquid and solid aircraft fuels, polymers, and pho- a pol~cy-makmg and command level with other Air Force tochemistry; electronic computation with the objective of functIons. Inasmuch as the Air Force's research and d _ designing and constructing new types of large-scale elec- velop~ent acti.vity, for the most part, had been und:r tronic computers to be used by the U. S. Air Force and the A.lr ~latel'lel Command, it was natural for the new its contractors for the solution of complex mathematical problems. orl('amzatlO~ to ~e assigned to AMC during its formative stage. DU:ll1gthIS changeover, policy-making was handled . Tod.ay, the Air Research and Development Comm~nd by the offIce of the Deputy Chief of Staff for D I IS a tIghtly knit organization mass producing engineerIng d '. eve opment technology and know-how at a greater efficiency than an fmally the All' Research and Development Command. Now, the ARDC has taken its place among the major any other research organization. There are nine research, commands of the Air Force and on the same level development and testing centers, within this organization, the Strategic Air Command, Air Materiel Command, Ta:~ located throughout the United States which aid the ARDC in carrying out its mission. These Centers are: 12 Spartan Engineer The Wrig'ht Air Development Center at Wright-Patter- son Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, embraces all qualitative engineering aspects of aircraft and missiles, power plants, propellers, armament, airborne and ground equipment and other aeronautical materiel. The Center plans and monitors a broad program of research and development carried out by industry, universities and research institu- tions. The magnitude of its part in the Air Research and Development Command mission is illustrated by the fact that over 60 per cent of Air Force research and develop- ment funds are the responsibility of the Wright Air De- velopment Center. Recently publicized and widely diversified accomplishments of this Center include devel- opment by its Aero Medical Laboratory personnel of the T-1 high altitude emergency pressure suit and "Aeroplast", a plastic dressing which can be sprayed on wounds. A flexible gunnery trainer (!\Iartln), E-27, to train personnel in the use and operation of the remote control turret system used on 8-29, 8-50 and other aircraft has been developed and Is bcln, tested. geophysics staff of this Center is constantly addinl,( to the nation's atmospheric knowledge throuj{h its upper air research studies. Also, its recently concluded study of cloud formations and turbulcnce in mountain arcas should provide civil as well liS military authorities with A new device, "taxi radar" or automatic surface de- important air safety data. The Ail' Force Cambridge tection equipment, was developed by the Rome Air Research Center provides active USAF support to the Development Center and Airborne Instruments Labora- Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its participa- tories, Long Island, N. Y., to make it possible for airports tions in a joint Army-Navy-Air Forcc effort which em- to operate when zero visibility conditions persist. The braces all aspects of the nation's air defense problem. device, now being tested during daily operations at The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Ail' Force Idlewild Airport, New York, permits control tower Base, Edwards, Calif., handles the major portion of Air operators to direct taxiing aircraft, as well as all other Force flight testing of air frames, power plants, com- moving vehicles, under all conditions. Taxi radar over- ponents and allied equipment after they arc put t"Kether comes one of the biggest problems in handling air as a complete aircraft and also conducts research and traffic in bad weather. development related to such tests. Under this organiza- tion is the U. S. Air Force's parachute test group located The Rome Air Development Center at Griffiss Air Force at the joint Armed Forces installation at El Centro, Base, Rome, N. Y., accomplishes research and development Calif., site of most military parachute testing. The Flight in ground-based electronic equipment. Some of the areas Test Center's facilities, including the 183,000 acres of covered are: ground radio, detection, tracking and control the famous Rogers dry lake bed in the Majave Desert, equipment, including tracking radar for missile control; are made available to other members of the Armed airport taxi control systems, and crash-rescue commun- Forces, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ications equipment. It is the site for testing of electronic and members of industry working on government aviation equipment under simulated operating conditions. This projects. Newest facility is one to test rocket eng-ines. Center's contribution to the development of "taxi radar" It was at the Air Force Flight Test Center that the sonic currently is receiving national attention. This is a device barrier was pierced for the first time with the U. S. Air Which guides aircraft and motor vehicles on airfields when Force's X-l. limited visibility would otherwise stop operations. Use The Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Ai~ of "taxi radar" for civil as well as military aviation safety Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, carries out the is presently being demonstrated at New York's Idlewild Air Force's responsibilities in the development and testing Airport, where one of the first models is being tested of atomic and other special weapons, and provides sup- under actual operating conditions. port in the development of nuclear weapons to the Atomic The Air Force Cambridge Research Center at Cam- Energy Commission and other g'overnmental agencies. bridge, Mass., conducts a broad program of research in The atomic bomb flight crews at the Special Weapons e~ectronics, geophysics, and radio chemistry and radio- Center have won recognition for their precision dropping b~ology designed to establish basic principles in these (Continued on Page 40) fields and to advance their military applications. The 13 May, 1953 Power Industry Looks Ahead By LEE MAH Electrical Engineer '54 Ever since Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station be,?an supplying electricity on Septemb~r 4" 1882, electncal power has been in great demand In this countr~ .. Elec- tricity has aided in improving th~ stan~a:d .of hVIng by its use in lights, refrigerators, alr-condltIomng, systems, radios and television sets. Because it can be ~aslly tran~- mitted to almost any desired place through Wires, ele,ctnc power has become the prime movel' in industry. Fig. 1 shows that since 1922 the consumption of electric power has increased by 7 per cent annually as compared to a 3 per cent annual rise in overall, national production: . In fact a nation's productive capacity and standard of hVIng can 'be determined by its production of electric power. In the year 1951 the United States produced 432 billion kilo- watthours of electricity, while the rest of the world combined produced a total of only 568 billion kilowatt- hours. This shows that the United States generates ap- proximately 43 per cent of the world's total electric power. It is no wonder that the United States possesses the highest standard of living in the world. 190 110 Fig. 2. The increase in electricity generated compared 170 to the increase in power consumption by industry. /10 150 '40 Present indications are that the demand for el.ectric 130 power will continue to increase. The Edison Electric In- 120 stitute's 12th Semi-Annual Electric Power Survey shOW~ 110 that in 1952, the peak load was 76 million kilowatts, an 100 in 1953 it was expected to be 84.3 million kilowatts. By 90 1954 th~ peak load is estimated to be 93 million kilowattS. eo It is predicted to hit the 100 million mark by 1955. 70 .. every new techmcal deve Iopmen t I'n the future, With f EO electricity is needed to supply the necessary p~wer hor 50 , productIOn, Its , . or operation. F or inS . t ance, certain of t e 40 processes In . the production 'f 0 f"ISSlOnable materials re- T 30 20 quire great quantities of steam and electric energy: ' 0 .. the electnc energy to t h e new uram 'um refIDmg prOVide 10 plant now under construction by the Atomic Energy c~m- CJ900 I9lO . missIOn near Paducah, Kentucky, speCIa 'I I'lants are bemg 1 t5 Fig. 1. From 1922 to 1951 the consumption of electric built in Southern Illinois and Kentucky. These ptan power has increased 7 per cent annually compared to a will have a total capability of over 2 ml'11' Ion kiIowatI 5. tric 3 per cent annual rise in overall national production of To meet the continually increasing demand for e ec , the United States . power, the power industry has begun d eve lopment5 In d two directions The first is toward building larger a.n . d' t m- more efficient units in order to meet the imme ~a elop- In 1902 a total of 6 billion kilowatthours of electricity crease in demand. The second direction is toward eve were generated in the United States. Of this amount, 1.5 billion kilowatthours were consumed by the nation's then ing new methods of generating electric power. b 'ng growing industry. In 1951 the production of electricity One of the examples of generating plant~ now J e: built to meet the increasing power demand IS the u ted tin as previously mentioned was 432 billion kilowatthours, nnd 210 billion kilowntthours were consumed by the na- R. Whiting Plant of Consumers Power Company I~a ed tion's numerous industries. Thus in the 49 year period near Erie, Mich., (Fig. 3). This plant, which was desl~th between 1902 and 1951, the yearly consumption of electric by the consulting engineering firm of Commonwetion power by industry has increased by about 24 per cent, and Associates, Inc., at Jackson, Mich., went into op:~ance' industry is now utilizing nearly 50 per cent of the total in 1952. Installed in the plant are some of the ~ \a twO electric power produced in the United States. Fig. 2 shows ments in steam power generation. The plant as city the amount of electricity produced during this period and steam turbine generators of 85,000 kw nameplate capalate the amount consumed by industry. in operation, with a third unit of 106,000 kw namti953. capacity scheduled for operation in November 0 14 Spartan Engineer These generators are cooled by a hydrogen cooling system, are still years away due to problems involved in a con- a recent development. Each of the two steam turbines is trolled nuclear reaction and the almost prohibitive cost. operated by a boiler of 690,000 lb./hr. capacity capable However, it is an exnmple of the long- J'lIng-e plnnninll' of producing a steam pressure of 1480 psi superheated of the power industry. at a temperature of 1000. F. The boilers incorporate a The problem of supplying more electric power is not reheat system. The steam leaves the boiler at 1480 psi as simple as building' more and bil{g'er ~eneJ'llting units. and at 1000. F, passes through part of the turbine and Two of the most important problems resulting- from the exhausts at about 400 psi and 700. F. It is then brought increase in power output are the cooling- of genei'll tors, back to the boiler and reheated to the original 1000. F and a larger problem of tl'llnsmitting the tremendous before passing to the low-pressure section of the turbine. amount of power genel'llted. With an overall efficiency of approximately 30 per cent, As the size of g'enemtors incrense, desig-ners ure fnced it is one of the most efficient plants in operation. Power with a problem of developinl{ more efficient coolin I( s~'s- generated at 14,400 volts is raised to 140,000 volts through tems. Some of the systems that hnve been ndopted ure two three-phase 110,000 kva transformers for transmis- the forced air and the hydrol{en coolinl{ systems. Hecent- sion. ly, however, new ideus for I(enerntor coolinl( huve boen developed involvinl{ the use of hollow und SJll'ciully shuped conductors which 11I'inl{the coolunt in dircct contuct with the copper in the rotor und stutOI' windinl(lI. ThUll the heat docs not hnve to pnSS throuj{h successive luyers of coils, insulation. iron und slot wcdj{es to reuch the coolin" medium. Second to the development of the nctulIl llcnerntin" units themselves, the most importunt development in tho electric power industry is the cll'velopnl\!nt of thl! tl'llnll- mission systems. A I{ellerutilll{ plullt without tl'lllllSlIlis- sion equipment is like u wuter rellcrvoir without watul' pipes to cllrry thc wutCI' outj so must thu tl'llllsmiulon lines cllrry the electricity to thc ultimnte user. 111thu present tl'llllsmissioll systems, the electricity Icavul tho I\'enel'lltillg" plallt ut a potentinl of 1,10,000 volts muximum. However, with the terrific illcreuse ill elcctric power pre. dicted for the future, the present 1.10.nOO volt Iillcs will not be adeq'uate to cnlTY the load. 'I'll\! trllnsmiUinlC po- Fig. 3. The Justin tentinl is heing increllsed to :1:10,000 volh in ROml! Illo!W northeast. genemtilll{ plallts. To carry this volta"e, wirus of much With the completion of the 106,000 kw unit, the Justin improved insulation must he usud nlld tl'llllsfol'l11Ul'1 IInd R. Whiting plant will be capable of producing 276,000 kw relay stations of hi"her cupacity will hllv,! tll he desi"nec! to supply Consumers Power's customers. The company and built. has begun work at their John C. Weadock Plant near Bay City to add an 135,000 kw generator, ready for oper- ation by 1955. Designers are now planning to put under construction steam turbine generators of 200,000 kw rated capacity. To operate these large units, steam boilers capable of producing up to 1,400,000 lb./hr. of steam are beinl\' de- signed. These boiler units will be desil\'ned to operate up to 2350 psi at 1100. F. with reheat to 1050. F. Fil\'. 4 shows the largest steam turbine units in operation. Other units under design, or construction, arc gas tur- bine units of 15,000 kw, 1500. F, and the recently .de- veloped hydroelectric giant, the reversible pump turlnne, capable of producing 70,000 kw as a generator and 102,000 hp as a motor. The hydroelectric units will be installed at the Hiwassee Dam of TV A. These large units were all designed to meet the present need. However, the power industry is also in search of new, more efficient and more economical methods ~f generating electricity. One of these possible methods IS being studied by the Detroit Edison Company .. Toge~her with the Dow Chemical Company, the DetrOIt EdIson Company is doing research on the possibility ?f utilizin.g Fig. 4. Two of the first 150,000 kw (nominal ratlnr) atomic energy as a possible source of produclllg electl'lc cross-compound turbine generators at Ridreland Station. power .. The first atomic power plant is now in actual opera~lOn Chicago. in Idaho. It is operated by passing a liquid alloy ~f sodIUm Another problem which confronts ~he po~er industry and potassium pumped by an electromagnetIc pump but which cannot be solved by the deSIgners IS t~e alarm- , . 't second ing shortage of engineers required in .the supervIsory and through a heat exchanger. In another clrcUl , ~ . liquid alloy picks up the heat from the first liqUId, whIch administrative capacities. In an ar:lc1e .bY Prof. J. D. is radioactive. The second liquid is then pumped to an R del' Head of the Electrical Engllleerm~ depart~ent especially designed steam boiler where it generates steam a: the' University of Illinois, in the .January Issue ~f Elec- at 400 psi. The steam drives a 250 kw genel:ator. A trical Engineering, it was pointed out that due to mterelt cutaway of the atomic power generating plant IS. sho;m (Continued on Page 52) on Fig. 5. Large capacity generating plants of thIS kllld 15 May, 1953 The Miracle Fuze By THOMAS E. BURKE Electrical Engineer, '53 . d th t the radio VT fuze was the most practical Editor's note: The following is a reprint of a pa~er plove a "sectlOn . T" concen- t d at the Great Lakes District Student Meetmg d promising with the result that presen f th e American Institute of E It' ec rica I En g ineers . at :I~ated all its ~fforts on this particular approach to the ~rban:, Illinois May 8 and 9, 1953. The paper took thIrd problem. place in the annual AlEE contest. INTRODUCTION Fig. I U. S. Navy Proximity Fuze The Navy proximity fuze is considered to be the numb~r Cutaway View two scientific development of World War II, second In importance only to the atomic bomb. In relation to warfare, a fuze is defined as that part of a projectile which detonates the explosive charge. ~he proximity fuze, currently in use in th~ Korean conp~ct, is, in itself, a miniature five-tube sendmg and .receIvmg set. Weighing less than two pounds and measurmg seven inches in length, the fuze fits directly into the nose of artillery and mortar shells. '" Operationally speaking, the transmItter cIrCUIt of the fuze sends out electromagnetic waves at the speed of Amplifier Iight-186,000 miles per second. The frequency o.f propo- gation is constant, and, when impinging on an obJect s~ch as metal, earth, or water, waves are reflected. The desIgn of the fuze is such that it is possible to explode an artillery shell at any distance from a target and with I an accuracy far superior to the outmoded contact-mechan- I' ) Battery (') ical fuze. Because of this design feature, the fuze is often referred to as the Variable Timed or VT fuze. c.J 1~1 I~ DEVELOPMENT r~ Fear that aerial attacks would soon make naval opera- r:) I~,/ tions obsolete prompted the undertaking of a program V, for improving anti-aircraft accuracy. The Navy realized Shell Proper I' J that in order to cope with the new high speed aerial ':' I 1/' warfare, it was necessary to develop an electronically '-' timed artillery shell which was fast, efficient and inde- pendent of human calculation. Safety Devices On August 17, 1940, the Office of Scientific Research and Development (O.S.R.D.) established "Section T"- a group of scientists whose purpose was to develop such a fuze for the United States Navy. Dr. M. A. Tuve was appointed head of this group, and facilities for experi- Booster Charge mentation were made available at both Johns Hopkins University and the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The Navy established certain requirements and stand- ards for "Section T" to fulfill. The fuze had to be sen- sitive and rapid but not capable of being triggered by the ground, water, or clouds. It had to be rugged and compact, yet not subject to serious deterioration. Above all, it was necessary that the fuze be designed for large "Section T" directed its development program to .. meetg scale production . the required high Navy standards. V.~1"lOUS sp1l1nmshell To design a fuze which would survive the physical stress devices were devised to simulate the motIon of thde ped . Itself. In turn, tubes were mounted In . wax a nd rop blocks. and strain of artillery fire required that extreme emphasis be placed on ruggedness. It was necessary that all com- in steel containers against thick armor plate hough ponents withstand velocities of from 0 to 2,000 miles Conventional tubes failed these setback tests, but, ~ ~ ture per hour and spins up to 25,000 RPM. The fuze could design improvement, the ruggedness of the mmI:ubes not fail when subjected to setbacks as great as 20,000 tube was increased, and in February, 1941, thre~ 'nch times that of gravity-an acceleration which changes a were developed whIch .. surVIved f"Irmg f 1'0 m a flve-I the one-half ounce tube into a 75-pound weight! Navy gun. As further improvement was shown'd by Besides the radio fuze approach to the problem, three majority of laboratory experimentation was replard the other types of fuze triggering were investigated: photo- actual field testing. These initial field tests revea e and electric, acoustic, and electrostatic. Each of these methods presence of a great number of undeslra . bl e pre matures ered of firing was thoroughly studied and tested. Research duds, but through extensIve .. testmg an d s t u d y of recoV units, these weaknesses were eliminated. 16 Spartan Engineer Assembling a VT fuze to the required specifications energizer unit is relatively free from storage deteriora- in a laboratory is one accomplishment, but mass-pro- tion and at the same time is operable under extreme ducing the same fuze under factory conditions is an weather conditions. entirely different accomplishment. Over 87 companies The proximity fuze operates in a manner similar to were engaged for this huge production task. The major- that with which a bat is guided in flight. It might be ity of these companies devoted their resources to specific said that the bat o1'iginated the proximity fuze principle. phases of the fuze program, but a few companies under- In flight the bat gives out shrill chirping-s, the echoes took production of all the required elements. At one plant, of which return to the bat's ears from the surfaces of secrecy was attained by handling different phases of near objects and provide a warning of impending col- production in divided sections of the plant, with only the lisions. With the bat, the reaction is a swerving motion; final assemblers viewing the finished product. with the proximity fuze, the reaction results in the detonation of the explosive charge. As soon as the operating- voltages are established by the reserve battery, the oscillator begins to opernte, and a constant frequency wave is radiated from the antenna on the nose of the fuze. The radiation pattern is indicatl'd in Figure 2, and it should be noted that this pattern closely resembles that of the fragmentation or burst pattern. In free space the radiation of electromag-netic waves results in no recl'iver action, but as the targ-et is Ant~nna Pattern approached, a signal reflects back to the shell. The audio amplifier is of such a design that it "detects" this weak reflected signal. As the missile-to-target dis- tance decreases, the phase of the returning- silenal variell, changing the radiation resistance of the antenna. This varying load establishes pulses in the plate circuit of Anto!'nna and Rad,ation Parto!'fns the oscillator, and an audio frequency variation results. Subsequently the pulses are clirected through the auclio amplifier, and when the)' reach a certain intenllity, a miniature thyratron tulle triggers. The !\imlllified firing circuit is illustrated in Fig-ure 3. In the plate circuit of the thyratron is a squib unit which consists of a resistance wire ~nd a small explosive charge. When trif{f{ered, the The tube was put into mass-production in the spring thyratron condenser discharges. The plate current then of 1942. A tube standard of 98 percent was established, rises sharply, and the resistance wire of the squib is and a strict inspection and production instruction program heated. The heat generated by the wire is sufficient to was inaugurated to accomplish this tolerance. Besides ignite the firing charge, which in turn detonates the main statistically sampling all the manufactured elements, charge in the shell. each tube was individually spun with an acceleration The electrical design is such that the fuze can he ex- 20,000 times that of gravity. A total of over 130 million ploded at distances of 10 to 70 feet from the tar~et. ~8 rugged miniature tubes were produced during the war, compared to the ordinary contact fuze, the relative. size and the cost of producing each tube was reduced from ten of a target to a proximity fuzed shell is over 50 times dollars to forty cents by the end of hostilities. that of the older hand-set type fuze. Whereas the con- The potentiality and efficiency of American industry tact fuzed shell has a lethal hurst area of only 60 Ilquare is well illustrated in the fact that by December, 1944, feet, the proximity fuzed shell is lethal for approximately over 40,000 complete VT fuzes were produced .ea~h day, 5,000 square feet. and at a cost of only eighteen dollars each. ThIs IS com- pared to the output in September, 1942, of 400 units per day, at a cost of forty dollars per fuze. By the end of the war 25 percent of the electronics industry and 75 FiA.3 percent of the plastics facilities were directed toward Simplifird FirinA CirCUIt the VT fuze program. COMPONENTS AND OPERAnON .. The complete proximity fuze unit incorporates six mam components, each of which performs an important a~d separate function. These main parts, as illustrated m the cutaway view of Figure 1, are as follows: 1. Antenna Af (: in 2. Oscillator 3. Audio Amplifier 4. Reserve Battery 5. Safety Devices 6. Firing Charge .. Within the rear fitting of the fuze there .are two safety Of the six components the most mgemous .. deVIce IS switches which prevent premature explOSIOn before .the the miniature reserve battery. The reserve battery was . II f' I'd at the target. Both of these deVIces shell IS actua y Ir .' 3 designed to contain within the battery itself a small gla~s are illustrated in the firing cirCUIt of FIgure. 'tch vial of electrolyte. As the shell is fired, the glass IS The first is a centrifugally operated .mercury SWl • shattered; this allows for the distribution of electrol~e 't h' composed of a small contamer of mercury, through the plates of the battery while the shell ~pms The shWIc .ItSha porous diaphragm of powdered nickel. toget er WI in flight. Voltages are established which in turn aC~Ivate (Continued on Page 44) both the oscillator and amplifier units. The desIgned 17 May, 1953 Your Future In Industrial Engineering By JAMES M. APPLE Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering What Is Industrial Engineering? voted themselves to the design and development or power plants, machine tools, and products for the use Industrial engineering is one of the newest branches of individual consumers. In the late part of the 19th of the engineering profession. century, when the production of goods in quantity ~e- Industrial engineering deals with the application of came an important problem, some of the mechamcal engineering principles to the efficient operation of engineers turned to the study of production problems in business and industry. It is most commonly concerned industry-they became industrial engineers, and con- with production work in manufacturing plants. Through cerned themselves with the planning of economical the use of industrial engineering techniques, production methods for production. They found themselves inter- is planned so that each operation is performed as effic- ested in such areas of activity as motion study, time iently as possible, so that the materials and parts flow study, materials handling, production control, plant smoothly through the plant, and so that the final pro- layout, quality control, etc. duct is produced at the lowest practicable cost. Industrial engineering practices help to furnish pro- ducts and services people want, at prices they can af- The Work of the Industrial Engineer ford to pay. Such practices also enable the businesses As indicated above, industrial engineering is con- to operate at a profit, so that there will be satisfactory cerned with the application of certain techniques to the return on the money people have invested in the enter- operation of industry and business. The most common prises. of these techniques are briefly described below: The application of industrial engineering techniques 1. Process Engineers has aided greatly in advancing mass production meth<;,ds Process engineers analyze the blue prints or draw- so that it is possible for the average person in America ings furnished by the Product Design Department. to live in the greatest comfort and comparative luxury Each part is studied in order to determine: (1) what ever known. Only through mass production of manu- operations must be performed on the raw material, factured products can the cost be kept so low that such items as radios, refrigerators, telephones, automobiles, (2) what sequence of operations is best, and (3) what machinery or equipment is best suited to the etc., which were once considered luxuries, are now commonplace in most American homes. process. Such work requires a study and knowledge of manufacturing processes, production equipment Industry makes use of many kinds of engineers. Each and methods, jig and fixture design, etc. is a specialist in a given line of work. Some design pro- 2. Motion Study ducts; some design machines, some provide power, heating and lighting; some design and construct factory Motion Study is concerned with the study and buildings. In fact, engineers in industry can be com- analysis of operator methods in order to find the pared with members of a football team. Each engineer most economical way of doing each specific task. has his specific duty to perform. A quarterback plans Proposed jobs, or jobs already being performed, are the plays, calls the signals, and sees to it that the plant studied in order to determine the minimum number functions smoothly, as a team. The industrial engineer of motions required by an operator to perform the can be considered as a "quarterback" in industry. He work. Motion picture equipment is used extensively makes the plans for the production activity, calls the in studying production work methods, and improv- ing their effectiveness. signals, and sees to it that all the members of the industrial team work smoothly together to accomplish 3. Time Study the objectives of the enterprise. The accompanying After the method has been established and stand- chart shows where some of the various kinds of en- ardized, the time study engineer takes over. It is gineers might fit into the organization. his responsibility to determine the time required by a qualified operator to perform the task, while working at a normal pace. He works out a produc- History of Industrial Engineering tion time standard which is used as a basis for It may be recalled, that in days gone by, there was making up production schedules, setting delivery only one type of engineer-the military engineer. After dates, determining equipment and manpower needs, the days of the Roman wars were over, and military and arriving at production costs. problems became ~ess acute, the military engineers 4. Plant Layout turned their talents toward the development and con- Plant layout is concerned with the effective ar- struction of facilities for civilian use-they called them- rangement of the physical facilities necessary for selves civil engineers, because their work consisted production. In plant layout work, the materials mostly of building viaducts, dams, roads, canals, bridges, flow pattern is studied and planned in such a way etc. Later on, certain of the civil engineers became that the parts of the product will progress in an specialists in the mechanical features of "civilian" goods orderly fashion, through the production processes. -they called themselves mechanical engineers and de- Around the flow pattern, efficient work stations are 18 Spartan Engineer .-~~ ...c:.. ... ...... ...... Q = 0'0 Q c: "' ...... ......0 os ... ........ o ... oS 'C C QJ 0 "'- CJ rn 0- C.l = c:.. 'C ... Q -:UU ';~ X Q ~ en ril ... Q llooO to c: ';:: c: .=.. ... oS C.l ~ ..... C.l =~ 'C ..= Q lloo :;: c: z o i= ~ Z -< l!> o! bll C o bll l!> ...c: .5 ';:: Cl.l Cl.l z = ... c: c:- ~ Q ~ bll ::> C.l C.l ...... c: I- ~ lloo'" o ~ ::> Z -< ~ ...J -< o to n: >- c: '~ .~ ..... ...o'" 'tl I- ..... -< ..= ro CJ ..c: C.l ... ~ QJ u.. E-< lloo o I- o! -< I o ...J -< Z o i= o Z ::> u.. 19 May, 1953 placed for each operation. Necessary materials and the work performed, in order to set up an handling equipment is worked into the plan in order orderly schedule of wages and salaries for all classes to assure the smooth flow of materials. of work in an organization. 5. Materials Handling 4. Labor Relations-handling the technical details in Materials handling activities are concerned with wage negotiations, in collective bargaining, and in the efficient movement of materials through the settling grievances. plant. Since it is a commonly accepted fact that 5. Product Development-the study of the product, 25 to 30 per cent of the cost of production goes for from an engineering viewpoint, in order to discover material handling, this is a most challenging area simpler design, better materials, easier production of activity. It is probably the fastest growing field methods, and more saleable products. of work in the industrial engineering field today, 6. Safety-the work involved in making the plant a and holds great promise for the future. This is safe place to work, through the study of past acci- primarily due to the fact that materials handling was dents, planning for accident prevention, and the overlooked as a possibility for cost reduction in the design and installation of safety devices. rush for the development of better and more eco- nomical production machines and methods. Materials 7. Packaging-the study of packaging methods, in handling work deals primarily with the selection, order to find easier, safer, more economical methods design, and installation of mechanical equipment to of packaging, so that products can be conveniently replace the "hand" work in handling. handled and shipped. 6. Production Control 8. Organization Methods-the study of the organiza- Production control work is concerned with the tion of the business structure in order to plan more problem of keeping up the flow of materials worked effective working relationships between persons, out by the plant layout and materials handling activities, and organizational groups. people. In other words, production control puts the 9. Cost Accounting-the study of the various phases material into the flow pattern, and then sees to it of manufacturing costs in order to establish cost that the materials move through the plant as standards and to set up controls to aid in checking planned, and are turned out in the form of finished on the effectiveness of operation. products, on time, and in the proper quantity. 10. Survey work-because of his intimate knowledge of -Effective production control involves: (I) planning the various phases of plant operation, the industrial the production requirements in terms of materials engineer is often called upon, by management, to and the rate of flow through the plant; (2) deter- make studies and surveys of production costs and mining the exact path and machines to be used for a operating conditions, to be used as a basis for man- specific order, lot, or part; (3) setting up a schedule agement planning, reports, and controls. of materials flow so that each part or order will be started in time to meet other parts for assembly and Scope of Industrial Engineer Work so that the finished products will be completed on schedule; (4) issuing jobs to operators in proper It may have been assumed up to this point, that sequence, so that the schedule will be met; and (5) industrial engineering is practiced only in manufacturing following up the plans to see that they are being plants. This is not at all true. Industrial engineering carried out, and taking steps to correct the situation techniques have been successfully used in many fields if necessary. of activity; to mention a few: farm management, dent- 7. Quality Control istry, home economics, hospital work, surgery, hotel Up until fairly recently, quality was maintained work, restaurant operation, construction work, crop primarily by "inspection"-after work was complet- harvesting, architecture, retail store operation, and mail ed. Defective parts were separated out and disposed order selling. Every day more new and interesting of with a loss of time and materials, and waste of areas of activity are being studied with the help of in- production facilities. Then, shortly before World dustrial engineering techniques. War II, the use of statistical methods came into common use in the field of quality control. Statisti- Industrial Engineering at Michigan State College cal techniques have been worked out to enable Michigan State College offers work in industrial en- production personnel to control quality during the gineering as a senior option in the mechanical engineer- manufacturing process. This makes it possible to ing department. The first three years of study are the predict results in terms of quality of product, and same as for the mechanical engineers. However, about to make necessary adjustments and changes in the one-half of the course work in the senior year is given process itself, before parts become scrap. over to the study of industrial engineering principles, Related Work Frequently Done by Industrial Engineers techniques, and practices. Course titles are listed below, and an idea of their content may be obtained by re- Because industrial engineering work is so closely viewing the areas described previously: concerned with men, jobs, materials, methods, costs, 1. Motion and Time Study wages, etc., the industrial engineer frequently finds himself at work in many other areas of activity. Those 2. Plant Layout and Materials Handling related fields in which he most commonly finds himself 3. Production Control are described briefly below: 4. Job Evaluation and Merit Rating 1. Job Evaluation-the study of characteristics of in- 5. Industrial Organization dividual jobs in order to rate each job in relation 6. Elements of Supervision to other jobs and to help establish a basic wage 7. Manufacturing Problems rate to be paid for a certain type of work. 2. Merit Rating-the rating of individuals on the Michigan State College has some of the finest facilities basis of personal qualities, as a means of determin- available for the study of industrial engineering. In the ing eligibility for wage increases and/or production. machine tool lab, students actually produce air com- pressors; in the foundry, steel and aluminum castings 3. Wage and Salary Determination-the study of wage for the compressor parts are made; in the wood shop, rates in relation to the community, the cost of living, patterns are made for the parts produced in the foundry; 20 Spartan Ensineer and in the sheet metal processing lab, several of the 11. production planning and scheduling compressor parts are made. 12. inventory control In the classes, much of the work is related to the 13. cost control and information manufacturing done in the shops. You will find your- self always looking for better, easier, and more economi- 14. labor relations problems cal ways of doing things. In Motion and Time Study 15. operating performance control you will be concerned with individual job methods; in 16. methods engineering studies Plant Layout and Materials Handling, you will work 17. application of wage incentives out plans for a real factory; in Production Control you 18. development of work standards will study methods of setting up schedules for the factory; in Manufacturing Problems you will consider 19. job specification and evaluation the cost of production and financial aspects of factory 20. wage rate surveys operation. In other courses, you will deal with the 21. quality control problems of people in the factory. 22. product development In both practical and theoretical work, you will learn 23. process engineering much about production techniques. You will learn how 24. materials handling planning things are done, as well as why. Many problems will be carried over from the lab. area into the classroom for It should be pointed out, that in many of the types of discussions of the reasons behind what is done in the work mentioned above, the young engineer has, so to shop. You will find yourself preparing for an inter- speak, the "run of the plant." That is he will not be esting career in the field of industrial engineering-the tied down to physical location. His work will most newest, most rapidly growing, and one of the most likely carry him from one end of the plant to the other. challenging branches of the engineering profession. This helps to give him a comprehensive, overall under- standing of the plant and its work, and provides an Qualifications Necessary for Success in excellent background of broad plant knowledge to serve Industrial Engineering Work as a basis for higher positions in management. The industrial engineer ,is first, last, and always an It is possible that when he finds the type of work engineer. His work, however, brings him much closer he likes best the industrial engineer may progress in to people than that of many other kinds of engineers. that field to the top position in that field, in his orga- He is constantly studying the relationships of people to nization. That position may be: Personnel Director, the successful operation of an enterprise. Therefore, Chief of Standards, Chief Industrial Engineer, Super- besides having the qualities necessary for success in intendent of Plant Layout, Methods or Time Study Sup- engineering, he must also possess those qualities which ervisor, Production Control Superintendent, Process En- will help him to get along with people. He must have gineer, or many others. tact, a pleasant disposition, integrity, sincerity, persist- From any of these positions it is possible to work ence, and the ability to sell his ideas to others. He up the remaining steps to the top--to factory manager, must have an analytical mind. He must be able to spot to production manager, to general manager. a problem, gather the facts relating to it, work out a Of course it is entirely possible that, by nature of his solution, and present it in effective written or oral form plant experience, the industrial engineer will find him- to his superiors. He should also have an unending self in other positions as well. curiosity-a desire to know why something is being The results of a survey by a large engineering school, done--and whether there is a better way. shows that 2012 out of 5504 graduates were in admin- istrative positions. And it may be assumed that the Opportunities in Industrial Engineering proportions of industrial engineers should be higher The opportunities in industrial engineering are nearly than this 36.6 per cent of all engineers. In fact, a survey unlimited when one considers the application of any or of over 1000 Pennsylvania State College graduates in in- all of the'techniques previously mentioned to the various dustrial engineering showed that 78 per cent were in fields indicated By far the larger number of engineer- management positions in business and industry. ing college gr;duates are abs~rbed by industrial con- The future holds tremendous opportunities in indus- cerns. However, there is an increasing realization on trial engineering. It is a new and relatively young the part of other types of businesses that they, too, need field. It is finding broader applications every day and the services of the industrial engineer. should continue to expand in the years to come, as more Let us assume, however, that the average college and more people become aware of the importance of trained industrial engineer enters industry. After a the application of industrial engineering techniques to period of orientation he will most probably find himself an ever-increasing number of activities in business and working in one of these fields: Time Study, Motion industry. Study, Plant Engineering, Production Engineering, Pro- duction Control, Personnel Work, or Production Super- She had resisted his affectionate advances all evening, vision. but finally, as he was saying goodnight, she gave in and favored him with a restrained kiss. "That's your reward His work may consist of activities such as: [or being a gentleman," she murmured. I. layout of plant facilities "For all my wasted labors," he groaned, "That's no 2. organization planning reward-just workman's compensation!" 3. utilization of equipment and personnel 4. planning flow of materials 5. improvement of operating methods * * * Hubby (at the movies): "Can you see all right?" Wifey: "Yes, this is fine." 6. material utilization "Is your seat comfortable?" 7. management controls "Oh, yes." 8. cost studies "Is there a draft on your feet?" "No, I don't feel any." 9. special projects "Change places with me, will you?" 10. cost estimating 21 May, 1953 Problems of Supersonic Flight By JAMES A. GUSACK Mechanical Engineer '53 The world of today is rapidly accelerating in complexity. temperature is hotter than the original temperature Compare the development of the automobile from the of the motor. Cooling is a serious problem that wiII spindly Model T Ford to the magnificent high powered have to be solved. CadiIlllc of today. The simple airplane flown by the Structural metals are subjected to vibration, high tem- Wright Brothers has evolved into a mechanism that travels peratures, and acceleration forces far above conditions many times faster than sound. This rapid advance of found in ordinary applications. The thin and therefore knowledge has created problems which must be solved flexible wings necessary in supersonic flight are subject by engineers and scientists in the future. to "flutter". Flutter is spontaneous low frequency vibra- Let us look at some of the inherent problems of high tions of large segments of a structure. The airplane must speed flight. The modern pilot has to have superior not develop flutter at any speed within the airplane's physiclll stamina, coordination, mental stability, and abil- designed speed range or the structure may fail due to ity to manipulate the many gadgets necessary to fly the the endurance limit of the metals. airplllne. Even now he needs the automatic pilot, an elec- The acceleration forces due to the mighty thrust of the trical device thllt automatically controls the aircraft's jet engines are very large. One of the eight jet engines course at the pilot's setting. Power flight controls, radar in the B-52 Stratofortress is reported to be able to sus- tracking, and computing armament also help him to con- tain a B-50 heavy bomber in level flight all alone. The trol the airplane. Unfortunately, at the higher speeds centrifugal forces in turning are also large. Since cen- and altitudes the pilot's body is actually a handicap to trifugal force is equal to mass times velocity squared the airframe. divided by the radius of curvature (F= MV2 ) when the velocity is constant, the force is proportio~al to the velo- city squared. Therefore as the speed increases from say 300 mph to 600 mph, the stress on every component in- creases four times due to centrifugal forces alone. As new aircraft are being designed to maneuver at speeds The new All' Force high altitude emergency suit In a pressure test prior to take off. At a height of 63,000 feet, a loss of cabin pressure will cause the pilot's body fluids to boil, causing instant dea~h. Th!s unple.asant. situation is being eliminated by a hIgh altitude SUIt deSIgned to save the lives of airmen should the pressurized cabin fail above 47 000 feet. Th' suit's job is to apply pressure to the surfac~ of the flyer,e body, compe~sating for the air pressure which is necessar; to prevent hIS body from rupturing. The effects of high speed on the pilots are serious b t the effects on the physical airframe are also serious' ~t A guided missle poised for a test flight. ~ig.h altitud~s, the outside temperature is below zero: but IIIslde the (Courtesy Boeing Airplane Co.) ... aIrcraft, the temperature rises Th'IS t emper- ature rIse IS caused by the "skin" frictl'on a t supersomc. ?f two, three, and more times the speed of sound (apprOX- speeds, and the heat given off by the me h . Im.ately 750 mph at sea level), serious design problems .... c amsms and electromc eqUIpment wlthm. A cooling system I'Sth ef anse. d d 0 d' '1 er ore nee e.. l' marl y, to cool a motor, cool air is blown One solution is to replace' the human pilot with his over It. However by trying to utilize the cool t h' o~~gen, .pressurized cabin, ejection seat, and other ne~es- . b h' a mosp enc all' y cate mg some of it in a duct the ai . sIbes WIth a gyroscopic, fully automatic electronic pIlot. b t' h ,1' IS compressed y ram ac IOn at t e supersonic• speeds . Th e f'iliaI all' . (Continued on Page 46) 22 Spartan Engineer Education at the American University of Beirut By IBRAHIM D. KHALAF Civil Engineer, '54 The leading institution in Lebanon and indeed in the for engineering unless he lllaintains such II high lIverlllre. whole Arab world is the American University of Beirut. This makes it increllsingly difficult to g-et into such c1l1ssell Founded in 1866 as the Syrian Protestant College, the due to the great competition. name was changed in 1920 to its present one. Work in the arts or sciences in the genel'lll courses The university draws students not only from all the leads to the Bachelor of Arts pllSS deKree. countries of the Near East, but also from Asia, Africa, The course in Engineering is a completely required cur- Europe, and a few from North and South America. As ricululll including surveying, lInd Jlrllcticc cOUI'sell durinK a rule some twenty-five or more nationalities are enrolled. summer years. Graduates receive the 1I11chclor of AI.ts Many of its graduates have occupied and are now occupy- degree with first, second, 01' third clllss honors lInd an ing leading positions in the political, economic, and additional yellr of required courses lelldll to the 1I11cheior cultural life of the Arab world. of Science in Engineering. The university has a beautiful campus on the promon- tory of Ras Beirut overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Beirut, with a view of a large part of the Lebanon Mountains. The campus comprises no less than thirty buildings of major size and a large number of smaller buildings, the whole interspersed with groves, wooded slopes, and playing fields. The university comprises a School of Art and Sciences, a School of Medicine, a School of Pharmacy, a School of Nursery, an Institute of Music, and the recently added School of Engineering. The lower division of the Univer- sity is known as International College, and is separately administered and financed. International College com- prises: the intermediate section, covering the first two years of college; the preparatory section, an American type high school, and the section Secondair, a French type high school. Each section has its own director and com- mittee. The intermediate section, composed of freshman and sophomore classes is under the supervision of the School of Arts and Sciences of the university as to the curriculum and academic standards. For admission to the intermediate section, a student must have fifteen units of credits from an approved secondary school or must pass an entrance students at University or Beirut. examination. Entrance examinations are held in four It would he impractical to detail the courllell offered in groups of subjects: the various depllrtments of the School of Arts und (1) English and Arabic or the vernacular language of Sciences; suffice it to say that the system followed Is the student are required .. very similar to that in American universities and colleKell. (2) A required examination in geography and history Graduale Study in any particular field. Graduate work is offered in the School of Arts and (3) Tests include arithmetic, algebra, and plane geo- Sciences leading to the degree of Masters of Arts, Masters metry, all required. of Business Administration, and Masters of Science for (4) Tests include elementary science as a required students in the medical sciences preliminary to entering subject, and either biology, chemistry, or physics. the School of Medicine .. The freshman program is uniform, with Arabic, English, Graduation with first or second class honor IS custom- history of the Arabs, mathematics, science, sociology, and an required for admission to graduate classes, 'ly .. and the compulsory physical education. A choice is given of t dent must also pass a written comprehenSive examllla- engineering, music, or political science .. ~i~n in his major field of study. Studies usually extend The sophomore class is divided into two sectIOns: :'he over an academic year, except where students have te.ach- Art section, which comprises courses in Arabic or EnglIsh, ing fellowships, in which case t~o ~ears may b~ reqUIred. economics, history, philosophy, and political science, a~d A thesis and a final oral examlllatlOn are r~q~lre~. the Science section which comprises required courses III Division of Medicine: The School of Medlcllle IS com- chemistry, mathem~tics, physics, and philo~oph~, with a posed of the school of medicine, sc~ool of pharmacy, and th e sch 0 01 of nursing. To be admitted choice of biology, more mathematics, or englllee.rlll~. to the School of •• d h ed' I The School of Arts and Sciences covers the Jumor and Medicine the student must have satlsfle t e prem Ica senior college years. It offers two types of academic pro- education requirements of his own country, and mus.t have grams: a general course and a specialized honor course. completed the junior year of School of Arts and SCiences. To be admitted to the honor course, a student should have (Continued on Page 46) an extraordinarily high average. No student is admitted 23 May, 1953 The Alumni Page BROTHERLY LOVE By AGNES McCANN Engineering Enrollment Officer We all know that "Brotherly Love" exists where there for the Young Radiator Company, Racine, Wisconsin. are two or more boys in the same family. However few Howard lists 2226 Kinzie Ave., Racine, as his home ad- of us realize how deep this common interest penetrates dress, and Paul lives at 811 Munroe, Racine, Wisconsin. into their every day lives. As the brothers become young Bob and Don Waalkes are two more M.E. majors. Bob men ready to decide upon the type of work for which graduated in 1942 and is now Asst. Prof. of Mechanical they are best fitted and in which they are most interested, Engineering at M.S.C. His country home address is Route we find brotherly love for Engineering very much in 4, Box 58, Mason, Michigan. Don received his degree in evidence. 1950. He is with Allis-ChaJmers and lives at 6122 W. It is a pleasure to tell you about some of the brothers Lisbon, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two Barthold boys who are now alumni of Michigan State College. elected the same Mechanical Engineering major. Paul, I believe the Scheid Brothers have the special distinction 1935, is Purchasing Agent for Beach Products, 2001 Ful- of all four graduating from Mechanical Engineering. ford St., Kalamazoo 24, Michigan, and Robert, 1938, lives Louis was the first to get his degree in June 1927. He at 227 Edgemore Ave., Kalamazoo. Two more M.E. majors is Superintendent of the Watervliet Paper Mills, and were Wilfred and Robert Shedd. Bob graduated in 1944 lives at Forest Beach Road, Paw Paw, Michigan. Charles and is with Kennedy-Van Saun Power Plant in Grand graduated in 1930, and is Sound Technician for M.G.M., Rapids. He lives at 45 College Ave. S.E. Wilfred, a World in Hollywood, Califortlia. George' finished in 1932 and is War II veteran, returned and received his degree in 1950. with the S. M. Jones Company at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He is back in the service and is now stationed in Seoul, Paul received his degree in 1937 and owns his own heat Korea. The Kincade boys both graduated from Mechan- treating plant in Jackson, Michigan. ical Engineering in 1940. Norman is Lt. Col. in the Ail' All three of the Smith boys graduated from Mechanical Force, and Wilbur is with the Burroughs Adding Machine Engineering. Louis finished in 1927. He is Sales Manager ?ompany. He lives at 4402 Groveland, Royal Oak, Mich- for the Tubular Stud and Rivet Company, and resides in Igan. Ray and Wayne Edwards are both M.E. graduates. Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. Harold finished in 1933 Ray received his B.S. in 1942. He is Product Engineer and is in New York City with the Tubular Stud and Rivet for Allis-Chalmers and resides at Elm Grove, Wisconsin. Company. Bill completed his work in 1940 and lives at Wayne, 1948, is Research Engineer with Duo-Therm in 1934 N. Limestone, Springfield, Ohio. Then came the Lansing. His residence address is Route 2 Box 287 Lan- three Mitzelfield brothers all majoring in Mechanical sing. The two Lill brothe;s, Melvin, 1951, ;nd Gregg: 1948, Engineering. Louis got his degree in 1942. He is in are. both graduates in Mechanical Engineering. They own Detroit, but I do not know his business connection. Mar- theIr ow.n company known as the Melvin-Gregg Company. vin, b~tter kn~wn as "Jack" finished in 1944 and is Asst. Gr~gg hves at 516 Highland, East Lansing, and Melvin to ChIef Eng1l1eer, National Twist and Drill Company reSIdes at 4942 Dawn, in the College City. ?etroit. He lives at 920 Gunn Rd., R. 2, Rochester, Mich~ . Brothers like majors other than Mechanical Engineer- Igan .. Tom graduated i~ 1948. He is with General Motors 1I1gtoo for Frank and Alvin Gaines majored in Chemical and lIves at 32355 ArlIngton Dr., Birmingham, Michigan. E.ngineering. Frank graduated in 1937, and is Chief En- Three of the six Vandervoort boys chose Mechanical E _ g1l1~erfor Creole Petroleum Company, Caracas, Venezuela. gineering at Michigan State. Bob received his de ~ 1947 d' .h gree m Alvm returned after World War II and finished in 1947. an IS WIt Hager-Fox Heating Company. He lives He is with Aerojet at Numbus, California, and lists his at 705 Grove, East Lansing. William graduated i n 1948 home address as Route 2, Box 474, Loomis, California. He is with t~e Clarage Fan Company, and lives at 14 ~andborn and Seymour Eldridge also maJ'ored in Chem- Wes.t El~, ChIcago 10, Illinois. John got his B.S. in 1949 ICal E' . . ngmeenng. Sandborn graduated in 1941 and is He IS. WIth the Ingersol Steel Division of Borg W arneI' . WIth Eastman Kodak Company. He lives at 64 Everett, and lIves at 323 Humbolt Ave ., Wausau ,sconS1l1. WI' '\U' "ard Rochester 13, New York. Seymour finished in 1938. He and Joe Brundage both elected Mechanical E' . They are with the Brundage Company I'n Kngllneer1l1g. owns his own business the Glendale Camera Shop and lives W d 1 . a amazoo. at 14637 11th Ave. S.W., Seattle 66, Washington. aI', 936, IS General Manager and lives at 2259 T' pernry Rd. Joe, 1938, is Factory Manager and resides I~~ Robert. ~nd Samuel Bail' were both Civil Engineers. 1406 Maple St. Howard, 1934, and Paul 1937 B' Robert .flmshed in 1937 and is Sanitary Engineer for are both Mechanical Engineering maJ'ors H' R hE' d'. Crlhn.en . owar IS lef ? S: All' Force, Langley Field, Hampton Va. Sam, 1941, esearc ng1l1eer, and Paul is Chief D'eSlgn E'ngmeer IS Ro WIth 0 .: W B. ur k eo.,C .' and lIves at 1036 Grove St., yal Oak, MIchIgan. Chris and Cornell "Corky" Beukema 24 Spartan Engineer are both Civil Engineers. Chris who finished in 1940 is noW General Manager of Michigan Limestone and will soon be located in Detroit, Michigan. Corky is Bridge Design Engineer for the State Highway Department and New Developments lives at 3202 Alden Dr., Lansing 15, Michigan. John and Edited by Herman Vanderveen both took Civil Engineering. John finished in 1927 and lives at 1038 Wren, Grand Rapids. HARLOW NELSON Herman, "Red", got his B.S. in 1929, and lives at 49 Bay- Mechanical Engineer, '56 ton, N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both are in the construction field. Kenneth and John Cosens majored in BEER MUST BE ON THE LEVEL Sanitary Engineering. Kenneth. 1938, is Assoc. Prof. A tiny crystal of clldmium sulfide, IIhout the lIize of of Civil Engineering at the University of Ohio, Columbus. a match head, IIcting on signllis from an 80,OOO-voltx-ray John, 1951, is with the Public Health Department, and tube, is acting as II "wlltchdog" for severlll major brllw- lives at 1507 Glenhaven, East Lansing, Michigan. Charles eries. Its job: to insure, lIutomlltically, thllt all canll of and Robert Miller followed the profession of their father beer are tightly scaled and contllin eXlld measure. Prof. C. A. Miller, and majored in Civil Engineering: Known as a high-speed level checker, the unit ill capllhl,. Charles, 1934, is with the Datama Construction Company, of inspecting cllns or cllrtons lit mtes grellter thlln thollc and lives at 346 Bel-Air Dr., Grand Rapids. Robert, 1948, at which any processing line presently opemtell. It cnn is with the Standard Oil Company with a home address work at a speed of 900 contlliners per minute within /In accuracy of 30 drops of heer (llhout 1/6.\ in,) at 202 Waldron, S.W., Grand Rapids. Both Leo and Jack Nothstine earned degrees in Civil Engineering. Leo, 1939, In operation the hothouse-Krown clulmium cr)'lltul Is is Assoc. Prof. of Civil Engineering at Michigan State, placed on one side of the production line, the x.my unit on the other. When IIn uncler- or over-fille,1 ("/In pnlllCS and lives in a new home at 4637 Nakoma Dr., Okemos, by, the x-ray hCllm gives the .Ietector crYlltal an extra Michigan. Jack, 1950, has just changed positions and is jolt, starting an electriclIl circuit in oJlemtlon. Thl. Is doing consulting work in Seattle, Washington. We do relayed to an automatic air hlast unit which hlows tho not have his new address. faulty container off the line. Taking Engineering but not the same majors were four of the Theroux boys. Their father, Prof. Frank Theroux, BIASED TRAFFIC LIGHT is Professor of Civil Engineering at State. Louis received his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1940. He is Re- An electronic "Jloliceman" which llutomllticIIIl)' glvell search Engineer, U. S. Air Force, 'Wright Field, and lives the right-of-wIlY at a strcet intersection nccordlnK to thl' at 4028 Elliott St., Dayton, Ohio. Paul finished in C.E. changing Ilemllnds of tmffic mllY 1I001l he Itnndfnlr on in 1947, and is with the Boston Mutual Life Ins. Co., New your street corner. York City. He lives at 2214 Thoda Place, Scotch Plains, The new device is, in effect, IIn electronic hrnln with New Jersey. Robert, 1942, Sanitary Engineer, is with an IQ on the level of "ltenius." When It scnllel hoavy a consulting firm and lives at 535 Niagara Ave., Los traffic over II particular street lellllinit into /In inter- Angeles, California. Frank, C.E. 1949, is with the Col- section, it /lutomatically exten,l!! the Itreen IIlrht "KO" period for that street. When tmffic decreases, the brain orado River Board of California, and his home is 24171h shortens the period. N. Cheremoyer Ave., Los Angeles, California. Harold Key to the system arc specilll vehicle ,Ietectora, plaretl and Melvin Nuechterlein elected different majors. Harold under the pavement /It nil approaches to an interllcctlon. finished in Chemical Engineering in 1947, and is with These eVlllullte the traffic now. Sustained perlOlIJl of the Minnesota Mining Co., Detroit. He lives at 220 N. dense traffic over one street nctunte the detector which, Maple, Royal Oak, Michigan. Melvin, M.E. 1949, is with in turn, relays an electric KiKnalto the controller. A timer the Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Newark, N. J., automatically converts this signal into Iln cxtendell rllch!- and lives at 624 N. Grove, East Orange, New Jersey. John of-way. ~nd George Sangster, whose father was for many years The folks who developed this device expect it to reduce, In our Mechanical Engineering Department, majored in substantially, present traffic prohlemll at critical Inter- different options. John finished from M.E. in 1938, and sections, especially when the flow of traffic ill spallmodic i~ with the Navy Department in Washington, D. C. He or difficult to predict. hves at 4627 S. 34th, Arlington, Va. George who was a Civil 1949 graduate, is with Owen-Ames-Kimbell Com- Pany, with his home address listed as 607 Crescent, N.E., PNEUMATIC DE-ICERS ~rand Rapids, Michigan. Kenneth and Norman Lawless The first pneumatic De-icers for use on high Ilpeed air- ~lkeddifferent fields. Ken finished in Ch.E. in 1950. He craft are helping to keep the nation's fastest commercial IS with Bowser Co., Inc. of Detroit, Michigan. His home airliners on schedule this winter. addl'ess is 207 Thurbert St., Fenton, Michigan. Norman The new De-icers consist of a network of small inflat- got his E.E. degree in 1951. We do not know his present able rubber tubes which expand enough to crack off ice, location. Michael Hoover followed the footsteps of his yet not enough to materially distort the shape of wing brother Andrew by taking Engineering, but not the same or tail surfaces. The new De-icer is the result of seven ~ajor .. He got his B.S. in E.E. in 1950 an~ is "?t~ the years' research by scientists, ~ith much ?f the develop- ~ectrlC Sorting Machine Co., in Grand RapIds, MIChIgan. ment work done on top of frigId ?tIt. Washmgton, N. H. HIs residence is 1639 Chamberlain, S.E. Andy was a 1933 M re than half a mile of the sensitive tubing is needed litE. graduate. He is Asst. to the Chief Engineer in Met- to p~otect airliners from ice forming on vital surfac~s. a!lurgy at Oldsmobile, and resides at 307 Memphis, Lan- The tiny tubes are imbedded in thin panels of rubber whIch Sing. are cemented to leading edges of the p!ane. Even. nt There is a limit even to brotherly love and no doubt speeds above 300, the new De-icers remam flat agamllt by now you feel that you have had enough for one reading. the surface. lily apology to the brothers I have not mentioned, and my (Continued on next page) best wishes to all of you. 25 May, 1953 The new computer will be used by the United States NEW DEVELOPMENTS Air Force's Research and Development Command at its (Contlnllt'd from prccedinll page) Flight Research Laboratory, Wright Air Development Mn.lc from •uhlwrizI.d nylon hhch-Iltretch fahric, the Center, Dayton, Ohio. tiny tuhl'. nre unly one-lixth the Ilize of those used in OARAC will save valuable research and development r/lrller De-lcl'l., yt.t opcrntc "t three timell the pressure time, equipment and money by eliminating much costh' Dnd I'IIl1Ipld" tlH' illflntioll-lh.f1ntion cycle three times as flight testing of experimental aircraft equipment. Fo~ fut. example, OAHAC will decrease the flight test time reo The .. 0.. 111'" tUI,,'1I mnk,. it pOlllllhle to uI}ply ice-crack- quired in the development of improved auto-pilots. Inll' I" ,'''Ull' lit ,.xn.,tly the r'hcht poinll, rCllching mllny Brig, Gen. Leighton I. Davis, Director of Armament at IImllll hut vltnl h"'I111 whl,'h coul,1 1I0t he protected hy the Ail, Research and Development Headquarters in Baltimore, 1.'''1'111.'', I/lrll'l'r JIl:.le,'rll. 1'1111111 tulle cOlllltructlon Itivell accepted OA RAC recently for the Air Force. In the Dc-Ice .. twlre the I4Irvlcl' life of previoull con8t,'uctionll. Spring of 1949, Geneml Davis worked out the final de. tllils for production of OARAC. One typical problem that has been used to test the NEW "OARAC" COMPUTER computer here is so complex that 212 8-by-l0 inch pagcll ,\ I1\'W ,'Ioctrollic cllmpull'r with 0110 of the IllrlCest of numbers are needed just to state the problem. In "1I11;>11101IclI" yet IlIcol'porlltc.1 III uny "OIllPlltilllC device is solvinlt it, so many millions of operntions are involved rcndy for ,hlpment now. that without the aid of a computer it would prohahly TIll' hrllin of the cUlIlputer III II Illetllllic drum whit'h never be solved. rnn hold pUlllCII I'l'J.rl'lI"IItllllC tl'n-thoulIllllll tell-decil1llll Engineers say thut an expert mathematician working lIulllhl"'1l un ItJI mlll(lll'tizl'd surfAce IIntil the IIumhers ure with II desk calculator eight hours a day fOI' IIbout 45 rDIII .•1 Into Ullt!, years might be IIble to solve the problem. The ncw dil(ltlll cOl1lputer. kllown Ull the "OA HAC," The OARAC clln do the job in about 10 dllYs, workln!:' (whlrh lLAlllls for Orf(r,' of All' HClll'nrch Automutlc COI1l- eiltht hours a day. Pllt ...r) ,'nll ,1I.livel' I'Ilpl.J.rirc Ullllwcrs In typewritten form to mnthemntl"'ll puzzl..,/4 whldl wuuld tukl' cXllert milt he- There is more to solving a highly-complex prohlem mntlel/lnll y..nll to JlO"c. It rnn mllke Ull 1111111" us 100 thlln merely feedinlt in numbers and gettinlt an answer, r/llrul"llulIlI PCI' _l'COII.I •. however. Each problem must be carefully programmed in IIdvllnce so thllt the instructions on what to do and ......... •• , •••••.• •1 'f •..••.. 0, how to do it will be fed in in II 10gicIIl sequence. With f .t •••••.•.. ••••••• some problems, the progmmming may take longer than the IIctual solution. The memory cylinder, which holds the numbers until they lire ready for use, ulso holds instructions telllnl1 what to do with the numbers when they arc culled into play. Both the numbers und instructions can be wiped off 01' left on the d,'um as long as desired. Informlltion-that is, numbers and instructions-is fed into the muchine by typewriter on an input unit whirh pllts the infOl'lllUtion on magnetic tape, from which il is transferred to the memol'y drum. Answers coming oul of the computer lire received on magnetic tape IInd printed on 1111 uutomatic typewriter. (Continued on Page 50) Syracus(: hOlls(:wlfl' Connl(: Hodgson dropped a one and 10llt a trillion In a test of skill against the rll'clronle computer. "OAR,\C," new She was one or halr-a-dozen intelligent adults who plttt'd thl'lr nlUltlpllr.allon sklll~ against th o \R \C " e computer. , , un mulllpl)' 11.615.392,175 b)' 8.645,392.175 In about rour ont'-thou~ndths of a st'eond. ,h'l'ralt' lIml' ror Ihl' sh: human l'onte t t, th I h s an s was more :an c: I t mlnlltl", tht rash~lit rOllr I Illin t:ll 1\ • :In. onc-half u (: .• onl' or thl'lr Iln..'i\\'l'rs eolnl'lded Llk 1\1 lIodlJon, "ho rOrlol to carr)' a one I . th e j rs. "'hleb Me ill I I n e row to pO nt nl and ealll(: out one-trillion orf none or the thrm lot the I ht ' 74.742.805.859.551.230.625 I r I ,answer-which Is handt •• n rase )OU havc a Pencil The OARAC Computer Spartan Engineer. Clubs and Societies Editor's Note: The SPARTAN ENGINEER welcomes A. S M. E contributions to this column. Send them c/o Box 468, East Lansing, Mich., or bring them to the Erik lirolln n, Ihl' '\\ In,. I' .. f Ihl' \m.r C.I" "tIC' .I~ 'f SPARTAN ENGINEER office, Third Floor, Union M(!('hanlrftl EIIICIII'"I' " ......h r. nl. I, ,,1 IhfT< ol".r Building. !llirhillftll SlaltP Illlld..ntt all. I)"''''' Ih" ,,~\U: n. art, I 6 m('clilllC ftt Ohio RI.I .. Pili'. I' il), \"rtl ,a d ... rlk comrwlt ..1 III Ih .. , ..lrIonal p ...... h ('onl. I The !11ft). m. dine o( ARMF. ,n (' .mlli. h.,1 ... II f. allirtl ft tnlk, I>y "I'. Pralll'!"''' of Dow r urllll)" ,f \t~.lIu I. A. S. A. E. !llirhllfftn, on 'Rrloll' I)J' o( IIll'u", 'fl.lr~idcnt-Hu ~a,d N. 'iI" mb to the assigning of Exposition projects to the seniors and Vlcc-prc:;ldcnt-John Cl'lI'k their junior helpers. Some of the new displays that the Corrcspondlllll Sucreury-John (' tI. fl' Electrical Engineering department sponsored were the Recordlnll Secrelary-Wilham Cr ..mpt year, w hll c Joe I Pence has taken over Pi Tau's job of treasurer. Du:le durin" the same ume. Sedlak is the representative to the Engineering Council. 27 May, 1953 Starting Point for a Great Career! , ~. , .. -' ..... W ITHIN a few weeks Pontiac Motor Division will be welcoming engineer- ing graduates from all parts of the whose basic training was in designing. But in addition to a splendid opportunity, country - young men who have chosen Pontiac will also offer these young men Pontiac as the starting point for an the most efficient facilities in its new engineering career. air-conditioned, well-lighted, 200,000 square foot engineering laboratories- Most of them will start out in designing, among the industry's most modern, with for this has been shown to be one of the every conceivable facility for designing most practical ways to engineering suc- better and better Pontiacs. cess. In fact, a recent survey found that a To those engineering graduates who will majority of the top jobs in the auto- soon join Pontiac-and to all others who motive industry are now held by men are about to start on a career-we wish with broad engineering training-by men you success. PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION. PONTIAC, MICHIGAN GENERAL MOTORS COHPOHATION 28 Spartan Engine,r Developed by RCA Victor, the new "45 Extended Play" record gives music lovers more music for less money plus a perfect medium for playing shorter classical works and multiple popular selections. • Twice as much mUSIC on the same size record Another ReA achievement in electronics: CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION WITH PAY-AT RCA A chaIJenging question was asked RCA engi- Graduate Electrical Engineers: RCA neers and scientists in 1951. How can we in- Victor-one of the world's forcmo!lt manu .. faeturers of radio and electronic products crease the playing time of a 7-inch "45" record, -offers you opportunity to ~nin valuable, without using a larger disc? well-rounded training and experience at a good salary with opportunities for ad- Sixteen months of research gave the answer, vancement. Here arc only five of the many projects which offer unusual promise: "45 EP"-Extended Play. Public response con- • Development and dt."Sign of radio re- ?nned this as the most important achievement ceivers (including broadcast, short.wave and FM circuits, television, and phono- In the new recording speeds. More than 2 million graph combinations). RCAVictor "45 EP" records were bought in the • Advanced development and design of AM and FM broadcast transmitters. R-F firstfour months of their existence I induction heating, mobile communications equipment, relay systems. Research leadership-your guide to better • Design of component parts such as value: the ability of RCA Victor to solve the coils, loudspeakers, capacitors . • Development and design of new re- problem of more music on a "45 Extended Play" cording and producing methods. record accents the importance of research to you . • Design of receiving, power, cathode ray gas and photo lubes. Whether you plan to buy television, radio or any Write today to College Relati0n8 Vio/- other electronic instrument, research leadership rion RCA Victor, Camden, New ]eraey. AIs~ many opportunities for Mec~,,!ca1 adds more value to all products and services and Cbemical Engineers and PhySIcists. trademarked RCA or RCA Victor, Secret of "45 Extended Play" Is ReA Victor's discovery of a new way RADIO CORPORATION to cut a master disc-with an electrically heated stylus. Grooves are closer. ~ound quality is cleaner, clearer, more alive. OF Aft/ERICA World leader in radio-first in television 29 May, 1953 How would you like to make history? The men who designed the F-86D Sabre Jets you see above made history. And so did the North American engineers who designed and developed the leading planes of World War lI- the B-25 Mitchell and F-51 Mustang-and the other advanced planes in the Sabre Jet series. For 24 years North American engineers have been making history, because North American thinks in terms of the future. That's why North American always has career opportunities for young engineers who do fresh thinking, for young engineers with new ideas. Today, North American engineers are making history in exciting new fields, inc1udi~g aircraft, guided missiles, jet engines, rocket development and research, electronics, atomic energy. Why not consider joining them when you complete your engineering training? In the meantime, feel free to write for any information you might want concerning a career in the aircraft industry. Write D. R. Zook, Employment Director, 5701 W. Imperial Highway, Los Angeles NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION~ INC. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA COLUMBUS, OHIO NORTH AMERICAN HAS BUILT MORE AIRPLANES THAN ANY OTHER COMPANY IN THE WORLD 30 Spartan Engineer Metallography laboratory Photos by Ray Steinbach Metallurgical Engineer, '55 This is the story, in pictures, of II laboratory experiment, which is typical of the work done, in the field of metal and alloy microstructure analysis. Such analysis is one of the tools used by the metallurgical engilleer in hi~ work. In this experiment, a normal copper wire and a greatly deformed copper wire are being examined. The experiment is demonstrated by Van Burmeister, a junior metallurgical engineer. 2. A second sample is deformed. 1. A sample is cut. 31 May. 1953 3. The two samples are mounted in clear bake- 4. The mounted sample is ejected from the lite. mount in/: press. * * * * * * * * polished on a belt type 6. The next sta~e of polishin~ is done by hand. 32 Spartan Engineer 7. Final polishin~ is done on cloth covered 8. Etching the sample; this time, a mixture of wheels. ammonia and hydrogen peroxide was used. * * * * * * * * 10. The sample is adjusted on the metallograph, 9. Preliminary examination of the sample under in preparation for being photographed. a microscope. 33 May, 1953 11. The glass plate negatives are developed. 12. The prints are made, and below is what we have. * * * * * * * * 14. The deformed sample, the change of direct!on of the lines in the white band is an indicatIOn of deformation. 34 Spartan Engineer A NEW RELAY RECORD Result: calls go through faster and switching is done RELAYS-which are high-speed switches-are the with less equipment. nerve centers of the dial telephone system. In a split second, they set up a connection and then arc off Men and women of the Bell System - in oper- to direct the next call. In a large city, more than ating, manufacturing and laboratory work-con- 1000 relays are used every time a number is dialed. tinually seek new ways to improve telephone service. Qualified engineering graduates can find well-paid Now a new wire spring relay-devised by the and interesting careers in the telephone business. Bell Laboratories - is at work. With onlv II instead Your placement officer can give you details about of 70 parts, it is twice as fast, uses less' power, and opportunities for employment in the Bell System. costs less to make and maintain than its predecessor. BELL TELEPHONE SYSTEM 35 May, 1953 However, lower costs may be anticipated from further ROCKY ROAD TO OIL experiments. (Continued from Page 11) Even though it may be granted that millions of tons of oil shale can be blasted out of the hills cheaply, it will by the United States Bureau of Mines but a number. of be still necessary to put that mass of material through private companies, including Jersey Standard's techmcal some kind of retort to heat it to more than 800 degrees organization, Standard Oil Development Company, are Fahrenheit-the temperature at which kerogen cracks also on the job. into oil. To produce oil for today's research, the Bureau of Mines demonstration plant at Rifle, Colorado, is using two "batch" retorts. These units must be loaded, heated and then unloaded, a. slow cycle considering how much shale will have to be handled, and one that admittedly can't do the job economically. However, the bureau anticipates better results from a new continuous gas-flow type retort recently placed in operation at Rifle. The problem of retorting is also getting prime attention among the experiments being conducted by the bureau in collaboration with a large number of petroleum and chemical companies. The approaches are varied, but mostly they seek to replace the single-batch system with some sort of continuous-flow process. One of the more promising experiments along this line is being conducted by the Esso Laboratories at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in cooperation with the Bureau of Mines, which is supplying oil shale from Colorado for the work. Engineers at Baton Rouge have adapted a small fluid catalytic cracker so that it is, in effect, a fluid retort. A mass of finely ground, heated spent shale is mixed with the hot flow, and is thus exposed to the heat re- quired to crack its kerogen into shale oil. The process has worked in a small pilot plant. This winter's exper- iments should demonstrate whether it will work as well Multiple drilling unit used in the underground quar- on a larger scale. ries. where the government is experimenting with While the engineers are progressing toward an efficient various methods of mining oil shale. method of retorting oil shale, chemists are also making headway with the problem of what to do with the oil The first concern is getting the shale out of the ground. that comes from the retorts-how to refine it into usable Bureau of Mines engineers have found that a ton of shale products. will yield from a few gallons to well over fifty gallons The chemical make-up of shale oil is its big drawback. of oil. For economic reasons, engineers will have nothing Its molecules have a peculiar structure; they do not have to do (right now anyway) with shales that give much enough hydrogen atoms to match up with their carbon less than thirty gallons to a ton. Thus, to take a broad atoms, but instead they have excessive quantities of un- average, the miners will have to produce a ton and a half wanted elements, particularly sulphur, oxygen and nitro- of shale to make a barrel of oil. That implies rock-moving gen, the last two of which are rarely in petroleum. on a tremendous scale. On a Navy shale reserve in Colorado, the Bureau of Mines has set up a demonstration mine to learn how shale can best be brought out to the Open. The shale in that area runs hundreds of feet thick. The bureau's engineers have opened their mine in a section seventy feet thick, selected as an average shale because it yields about thirty gallons of crude oil to a ton of rock, A road has been blasted out of the side of a shale mountain to a ~pot 8,200 feet ~bove sea level. There a great hole opens IIlto the mountaIll. That is the mine. The mining techniques are unorthodox. Because the marlst~ne ~s so hard it isn't necessary to shore up the ~oof wIth bmbers. Instead, columns of the stone are left III place to support the roof. Speed is the essence of the actual mining, for through speed the engineers hope to cut c.osts. Pneumatic drills bore a series of holes at Oil shale is quarried rather than mined. for the cost one tIme for the blasts that shake loose the sh I A b' of removing the ore by mining techniques would be 'h .. a e. Ig eI~ctrlc s ovel, deep IIlslde the mine, loads the rock on prohibitive. Under ground electric shovels dump the Dle!el trucks that haul as much as fifteen tons i I d ore directly into Diesel trucks for removal from the It't naoa. IS ?o .earl~ to quote any precise figures on the underground quarry. cost' of dlggIllg .. IIlto that Colorado mountain Bur eau 0f 1\1Illes engIlleers say that recent test runs sho'" 't . The result of this molecular structure is that shale 'bl n I IS pos- crude oil is unstable, causing it to deposit gum and sludge Sl e now to blast out the shale and deliver I't t th ' I f Oe mIlle and sediment. It also has a disagreeable odor. All these porta or . about 60 cents a ton , provided th ere are no f urt her IIlcreases in cost of labor and m t . I . unhapp~ characteristics of shale oil pose a problem for a erIa s. EngI- the refmer. There are ways, however, of removing the neers conclude, therefore, that the problem of " h f.Irs t b'Ig I'f -alreadv is well on the way t b' mIllIllg-t e sulphur, oxygen and nitrogen from the hydrocarbons. • 0 eIllg solved. (Continued on Page 48) 36 Spartan Engineer prises ... that makes working for L&N so interesting If you're still undecided •.. aren't sure which to engineers. engineering career you'd like ... still wish you could Our team includes engineers in the field, in product apply your ability to more than just one area of and application work, in research, manufacturing, science and industry ... the expanding instrument inspection and other activities. and controls field may offer just the career you've Why not investigate the YOU in instrumentation? been looking for. Talk over the openings which now exist in our or- Vital to modern technological progTess, the instru- ganization with our nearest District Offi..:eManager. ment field cuts laterally across every segment of Or, if your prefer, write our Personnel Manager, industry and research. Here at Leeds & Northrup, 4915 Stenton Ave., Phila. 44, Pa. for example, we help meet the instrumentation needs of steel mills, auto and aircraft plants, re- fineries, power generating and distribution stations, atomic energy plants, chemical and pharmaceutical LEEDS ~ NOR'I'HRUP ;llslrumtntJ au.tomatic cofllrOll • '",na«t companies. And these arc but a few of our more important market areas. Atlar.ta 5 Bo)'on 66 BuRolo 2 Chlcogo I Cincinnati 2 Cleweland U It's this challenge and variety . _ . the fL>elingof Detroit 35 Horlford 7 loj Angeles 22 N ...... Yorl 17 Philadelphia 30 Hou,ton 5 pittsburgh 12 Son Francisco 3 5.0,,1. 1 ~. Lou" 8 l",lw 3 playing an important, creative part in many enter- 37 May, 1953 Our Greatest Natural Resource By BRUCE HARDING Mechanical Engineer '54 This essay, part of the required pledge activities of all Tau Beta Pi aspirants, was chosen the best of the Winter term initiation class. The winning essay has been sent to the national Tau Beta Pi Board for competition on a nation-wide level. As engineers, our purpose is to convert natural tiate between the significant and the trivial aspects of resources into useful products. Strange then, isn't it, life, and to integrate-to integrate the ideas and expe- that we fail to use the greatest resource of all to its riences of other men into a code of his own. The civil fullest capacity! Our greatest natural resource isn't engineer can find no more sound a foundation to build iron, or coal, or oil-it is people! Though many mar- on than faith in his fellow man. The mechanical engineer velous machines have been made, and many more are yet has yet to build a stronger link than that between friends, to come, there will never be a machine to equal people. and the "double-E" man will search in vain to find a resistance lower than that of a friendly atmosphere. For Certainly we have machines which can perform many every other engineer and for every other man there is tasks which humans cannot, but for working on men there no greater nor more rewarding achievement than in sin- is no better tool than people; for what can make a man cere love of his fellow man. happier than his friends and loved ones can, or give him such peace of mind as he finds in doing things for others? People's ideas, experiences, and opinIOns are like books People are an opportunity for us to improve ourselves. in that they may be collected-only in a type of mental We spend so much time and money trying to amuse our- library. Some are simple and some are collectors' items, selves, and what have we to show for our efforts? Think yet each contributes to the completeness of the group. how much happier we would be if we were to use these The more of them we become familiar with and under- things to make others happy; and we would have friend- stand, the better we are able to cope with and comprehend ship, a lasting and wonderful thing which money cannot other and more complex editions. As the literary man buy. Albert Einstein puts it this way: reflects his knowledge in his speech and in his writing, so too the man who has a keen interest in people reflects "From the standpoint of daily life ... there is one it in his actions and in his attitudes towards them. thing that we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men-above all, for those upon whose smile We owe it to ourselves to become friendly with each and well-being our own happiness depends, and als~ and every man we meet, and to go out of our way to for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we meet more of them. Each of us has something to con- are connected by a bond of sympathy." tribute to the other man's education, and he to ours, and each new friend is an opportunity for us to exercise our Here, indeed, is a truly educated man, for he has sup- helping hand. There is no man so high above or so far plemented his great scientific knowledge with an under- below us that he cannot be reached through friendliness. standing of people. The biggest part of our education is people. There is As members of Tau Beta Pi we have attained a goal no course in school which offers such variety or which of scholastic achievement; no~ let us strive to reach poses such complex problems. Nor is there another sub- one of humanitarian achievement, for then only can we ject which is o~.such importance to all men. From people call ourselves educated. It's a job worth doing and doing the mathemattclan learns to differentiate-to differen- well, and the best tool for the job is people, our greatest natural resource. 38 Spartan Engineer THE SEA IS AN INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF AN IMPORTANT METAL Each cubic mile of. sea water contains six 111illiontons of MAGNESIUM, the lightweight metal of nlal1Yuses Magnesium is only one of ~ore than ?OO cherni~als Today, when this nation is confronted with a crisis in our produced by Dow. From Do\\' s rna~y raplI!ly expulIJlIIg supply of many raw materials, it is of immense significance nation flows an IIIcreasmg ahulldance that the Sea around us contains an almost un IUnIte ' 'd SUpP)I, I pants t h roug }IOU't the .' 'I' of chemicals and chemical products. Besides ~lagneslUrn, a f M agnesium. For;\' IagneslUm IS Ig , r b' practical ' ht st on" and versatile-the answer to many manufacturers' needs. these include Industrial, Agricultural, and Fine Chemicals as well as Pla!'tics. Dow began research on the extraction of Magnesium from Dow's Booklet, "Opportunities u"ith ~he Dow brine over forty years ago, In 1941, at Dow's Freeport, Chemirol Company." especially un/l~n f~r Texas Plant, the first commelCW'Z extractIOn "fimseawater ro those about to enter the dlemirol profesSIOn, L3 was begun. Dol" pioneered in the production and deveI~p. al:ailable free. upon request, Write to T~/E DOW CHEMICAL CO.I1PANY, Technical. ment of Magnesium and its alloys and remains the leadmg Empwyment, Midland, Michigan. producer and fabricator today. you can denend r on -~D~O.:..:..W-=C~H_E_ll_lI_C_A_L_S 39 May, 1953 The Air Force Armament Center at Eglin Air Force ENGINEERING RESEARCH Base, Fla., works on the development and testing of ar- (Continued from Page 13) mament systems, including guns, turrets, control systems and rockets. Typical of projects at this installation is of nuclear devices at the Nevada Proving Ground tests the program to improve continually the accuracy and of the Atomic Energy Commission. destructive power of rockets and gunfire which are guided The Air Force Missile Test Center at Patrick Air to ground and air targets by electronic fire control sys- Force Base, Cocoa, Fla., tests long range guided missiles tems. Continuous improvement of Air Force technical and pilotless aircraft over its more than one-thousand know-how in getting bombs, conventional or atomic, on mile proving ground from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to a point the target is also a key objective of the Armament Center. off the coast of Puerto Rico. Its facilities are available Holloman Air Development Center at Holloman Air to the Army, Navy and industry for development testing Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico, operates as a part of missiles. Equipment at "down-range" instrumentation of the White Sands Proving Ground, a joint Armed Forces stations measure, record and evaluate performance char- command under the primary control of the U. S. Army. acteristics of missiles, components, and vehicles for wea- The Center performs development and testing in elec- pons systems. At this Center the "Matador" pilotless tronics, atmospherics, and allied instruments and equip- aircraft is being tested and the first USAF squadrons ment. Its 38-by-64 mile range is the setting for testing arc being trained to man "Matador" units. of all types of rockets and missiles of the shorter range The Arnold Engineering Development Center, Tulla- type. homa, Tenn., started as a dream in the mind of the late Supervising and coordinating activities of the Centers General H. H. Arnold and was dedicated by President with over-all research and development objectives of the Truman in June, 1951. Facilities at this Center which Command is the function of Air Research and Develop- are now under construction will provide the nation with ment Command Headquarters in Baltimore. Two staff the means for testing and evaluating the supersonic air- agencies, the Office of Scientific Research and the Offi~e craft, guided missiles, and aircraft engines of various of the Deputy for Development, have the main responsI- types required for future air power. Nearing completion bility for the research and development activities, while is the engine test facility which will make possible accept- the other staff agencies provide them with the required ance-testing of ramjet and turbojet power plants, the support. The Office of Scientific Research accomplishes aerodynamic-testing of power plant components up to basic research projects in scientific fields of interest to simulated altitudes of 80,000 feet, and the development- the Air Force, surveying, contracting for, and monitoring testing of jet engines larger than any now in use. Also projects with "outside" agencies. The Office of the under construction are a propulsion wind tunnel, larger Deputy, Development implements the systems approach than any known one in existence, with a test range which extends up to Mach 3.5, and a gas dynamics facility which to USAF development activities through its "systems" is intended for developmental testing of aircraft models directorates as noted above. Providing support to these up to hypersonic speeds at very high Reynolds Numbers. systems directorates with the required developments are seven "technical" directorates: Human Factors, Equip- ment, Aeronautics and Propulsion, Armament, Electronics, Geophysics, and Nuclear Applications. All the directorates work closely with those Centers whose responsibilities are in its sphere of activity. For example, the Geophysics Directorate does a major share of its work in close co- operation with the Air Force Cambridge Research Center; likewise, the Electronics Directorate with the Rome Air Development Center. THE WORLD'S MOST COMPLETE LINE OF Close constant communication between the Air Research and De~elopment Command and the Air Force's major combat commands-e.g., the Strategic Air Command- PURE WATER STILLS enables Air Force requirements to be accomplished .on time and effectively. Handling this function is the OffIce of Operational Readiness, whose personnel working with Bamst~d Laboratory and the major commands spend more time in the field than Industrial Water Stills at headquarters. produce water of unvary- A special field liaison office is attached to the Far ing consistency and un- East Air Force to get first-hand information on what matched purity. Easy to operate, easy to clean. lessons of the Korean Conflict must be applied to the they provide pure water Air Force's future research and development program; at Jow cost. The proven to assist the fighting commands in solving proble?"s standard of the scientific which arise from combat operations, especially when USlllg and industrial world, Barn. newly developed weapons and equipment. st~d offers over 100 sizes The Air Research and Development Command of the and models to meet any pure water requirements. United States Air Force is one of the greatest engineer- ing research organizations of its kind in the world. It is therefore fitting to bestow upon it and its members Writ, Tou, the honor of "Engineering Research-Cum Laude." fo, LitnaJur, A man eating dinner in a hash house found that h~ could not possibly cut his steak, no matter how he jabbe at it. He said to the waiter at last, "You'll have to take <45 Lanesville Terrace this steak back and get me another piece. I can't even Forest Hills Boston 31, Mass. begin to cut it." "Sorry, sir," replied the waiter, examining the steak closely, "I can't take this back now. You've bent it." Spartan Engineer DU PONT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING James A. Newman, fl. S. in Ch. E., Norlh GRADUATES MEET THE PUBLIC IN Carolina SIatc'40,discusses study o{ optimum settings and conditions for carding nylon .10- ple with I'rof. J. F. Ilogdan of North Carolina State's Re8<"t1n:hDivision. Technical Sales involved evaluation and modifica- tion of filter fabrics in cooperation with makers of dust-control equip- ment, and with plant personnel hRv- ing serious dust-recovery problems. More and more, industry is on the lookout for technically trained men 3. Reduce the time needed for proc- and science majors who have an in- essing motion-picture film used by terest in and aptitude for selling. A race tracks. Technical service men number of departments at Du Pont carried the problem to a rcscnrch prefer men with such training for group which developed an emulJlion sales positions. A technical under- that could be processed in about one- standing of the properties of a sub- third the former time. stance helps a man do a better selling Technical men interested in SilleR job-and offers the customer better work at Du Pont usually acquire service. needed background in a laboratory or manufacturing plant. Depending Because of the diverse applications on their interest and abilities, they of Du Pont's many products, there may then move into technical sales is a need for sales representatives service, sales development, or direct with widely varying technical back- Ivan R. Smith, B.S. in eh.E., Kansas State grounds. There are problems involv- University' 40 (right), advises the operator of a sales. ing chemistry and many types of en- galvanizing mcu:hine on the efficient use of a In any of thesc fields, the man with Du Pont flux. the right combination of sales ability gineering in such fields as plastics, ceramics, textiles and many others. and technicnl knowledge will find not mental organization. In some cases only interesting work but exception- Technical men may work in direct technical men handle all phases of al opportunities for growth in the sales, sales service, or sales develop- selling. In others they deal mainly Company. ment groups, depending on depart- with customer problems. Some de- partments also maintain a sales de- velopmentsection that works on tech- College graduates with many t~~ of nical problems connected with the introduction of a new product or a I technical training find opportUnitIes at Du Pont. Write for your copy of "The Du Pont Company and the College new application for an established Graduate." Address: E. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.), 2521 Nemours one. Building, Wilmington. Delaware. Here are examples of the kind of problems attacked by technical men in Du Pont sales groups: 1. Find a more economical way to apply sodium silicate used in making corrugated paperboard .. Du Pont BETTERTHINGS FOR BmER UVING • _' THROUGH CHEMlSTIY men as in many other mstances, wer: able to make substantial sav- ings for the customer. Enl.rt.lnina. Informative- Edgar G. Boyce, Ashland State (right), See "Ca.alcad. of Amerlcl" on T.ltyi$lon ~lps a customer improve his method of apply- 2. Introduce fabrics of "Orlo~" acry~- Ing silicate adhesive in the manufcu:ture of ic fiber for use in dust filtratIon. This corrugated boxboard. 41 May, 1963 TOM CLARK "Engineering Research - Cum Laude," p. 12 Junior Chemical Engineer - has been with the SPARTAN ENGINEER staff now for a year. During this time he has written articles on color TV, silicones and aromatic hydro- carbons. His latest article - "Engineering Research-Cum Laude" - was inspired by his active interest in the Air Force and the AFROTC program at Michigan State College. His other campus activities include the Engineering Council, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Phi Lambda Tau and Alpha Chi Sigma. LEE MAH "Power Industry Looks Ahead," p. 14 Junior Electrical Engineer - Lee was born in Canton, China, and came to the United States 13 years ago. He was graduated from high school in Battle Creek, Mich., where he worked on the school newspaper and yearbook staff. In his third year at Michigan State, Lee is vice president of Tau Beta Pi, a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Scabbard and Blade, Arnold Air Society, and an associate editor of the ENGINEER. JIM GUSACK "Problems of Supersonic Flight," p. 22 Senior Mechanical Engineer - Jim is a senior from Grand Rapids. Besides having served as business manager of the SPARTAN ENGINEER the past year, Jim's activities at Michigan State have included membership in Tau Beta Pi Pi Tau Sigma, the American Society of Mechanical En~ gineers, and on the Engineering Council. IBRAHIM KHALAF "Education at the American University of Beirut," p. 23 Junior Civil Engineer - "Abe" was born in Jerusalem, Palestine (which is now known as Jordan). He graduated from St. George's High School in Jerusalem in 1948. Two years later he came to the United States to study civil engineering. Michigan State was his first choice of colleges, and he reports being extremely pleased with his choice. Among his activities at .college, Ibrahim lists being a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Vice-President of the M.S.C. Arab club. 42 Spartan Engineer Is part of vour future being built here? production capacity to a billion pounds of Here you see the beginning of another addition aluminum a year, four times as much as we to Alcoa's expanding facilities. This plant, at produced in 1939. And still the demand for Rockdale, Texas, will be the first in the world aluminum products continues to grow. Con- to use power generated from lignite fuel and sider the opportunities for you if you choose will produce 170 million pounds of aluminum a year. This and other new plants bring Alcoa's to grow with us. What can this mean as a career for vou? minded "laymen" for production, did good work to create this record. This is a production chart-shows the millions research and sales positions. If you You can work with these same men, of pounds of aluminum produced by Alcoa graduate soon, if you want to be learn from them and qualify yourself each year between 1935 and 1951. Good men with a dynamic company that's for continually developing oppor- "going places," get in touch with us. tunities. And that production curve Benefits are many; stability is a is still rising, we're still expanding, matter of proud record; opportuni- and opportunities for young men ties are unlimited. joining us now are almost limitless. For more facts, consult your Ever-expanding Alcoa needs engi- Placement Director. neers, metallurgists, and technically Alcaa _-------1. Aluminum ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERI CA 43 May, 1953 checking subsequent suicide attempts by Japanese pilots, THE MIRACLE FUZE especially in the Okinawa theater of war. (Continued from Page 17) Of equal importance was the use of the fuze against The switch is connected to shunt the resistance wire of the German buzz bombs. Six months before the Germans the squib. If, by rough handling, the electrolyte vial is fired their first rocket on England, the British IntelIi- broken and the unit put into semi-operation, the switch gence Department received word that preparations were provides a low resistance short-circuit path for the thyra- being made to launch a buzz bomb attack on the English tron current to pass through. Under nm'mal operation of coastal area. Working in collaboration with the Amer- shell rotation, howevCl', the mercury is forced through icans, they set up a system of defense which incorporated the porous diaphrag-m by centrifugal action, removing the radar and electrical predictors in combination with the short from the squib and enabling the squib to fire-if proximity fuze. By July, 1944, at the onset of the buzz and when the thyratron is triggered by a reflected signal. bomb assault, all heavy weapons on the channel coast were Once the shorting action of the mercury switch is removed fuzed with the VT unit. The attack lasted about 80 days. by spin, the fuze is said to be in the "armed" condition. During the last four weeks of this period, the percentage The second of the safety devices incorporates a nor- of targets destroyed increased from 24 to 79 percent. mally closed reed switch which shunts the thyratron firing The Army realized the devastating effect which the condenser rather than the plate circuit squib. Before fuze would have on light equipment and military personnel spinning, any voltage built up across the condenser is in foxholes and narrow trenches. The detection circuit automatically shorted out. As the shell is fired and at- of the fuze could be designed to detonate its deadly burst tains a specified speed of rotation, this switch opens and at any predetermined height above ground. However, unshorts the firing condenser. The action of the reed fear that the Germans would discover the device de- switch serves not only to prevent detonation during manded that precautions be taken to keep specimens from handling but also to provide the necessary time delay in the enemy. It was fired only at enemy aircraft over water eliminating fatal muzzle bursts. or over land controlled by the Allies. The time necessary for the Germans to produce the fuze, should they obtain ROLE IN WORLD WAR II a specimen, was calculated by the military authorities. The VT fuze was used in three critical stages of the On October 24, 1944, permission was granted for its use war: the Kamikase attacks of the Japanese, the buzz over German territory. The effect which the VT artillery bomb attacks on England, and the German Battle of the fire had in checking German advances during the Battle Bulge. of the Bulge is now military history. The first VT fuze was fired in actual combat on Jan- uary 6, 194:1,from the guns of the cruiser "Helena." The PRESENT AND FUTURE USE tllrget was a .Japanese Aichi plane, attempting a suicide The American taxpayer might well ask, "Was the 800 crash on the naval vessel; the plane was completely million dollars spent on this war time project worth the dcstroycd. The fuze proved to be extremely effective in (Continued on Page 46) * STAFF POSITIONS Open on The SPARTAN ENGINEER * Apply Third Floor, Union Building. Especially • For many years K&E has pioneered in the manufacture FRESHMEN and devel~pm~nt of finest quality surveying instruments. K&E su.rveYlng Instruments are renowned all Over the world for their superb performance under conditions of all kinds for their magnificent workmanship and for special feat ' and that come of progressive ingenuity. ures KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. SOPHOMORES UT. 'N' NEW YORK • HOBOKEN, N. J. ""cago • St. Louis. Detroit. San Francisco. LasAngeles. Montreal * Spartan Engineer A nother page for How to give an 8-speed miller greater spindle accuracy This milling machine has 8 speeds, from 62 to 2870 RP~. To hold the spindle in accurate alignment at these varIOus speeds, design engineers mount it on Timken~ precision bearings. Long-lasting milling precision is as.sured. Spindle accuracy can be controlled hecause Tlmken bearings are adjustable. And they provide more than enough capacity for any tool load. --------------------------------------------------------- Line contact of TIMKEN@ bearings keeps spindles rigid ~ecause Timken bearings carry the load along the hne of contact between rollers and races, they give a wider, more rigid support to the shaft. And the tapered construction of Timken bearings enables them to take radial and thrust loads in any com- bination_ End-play and deflection in the shaft are practically eliminated. ------------------------------------------------------- Want to learn more about bearings or iob opportunities? Some of the engineering problems you'll face after TIMlIN TAPERED'iioilER'BEAIUNGS graduation will involve bearing applications. For help in learning more about bearings, write for the 270-page General Information Manual on Timken Bearings. And for information about the excellent job opportunities at the Timken Company, write for a copy of "This IsTimken':TheTimken Roller Bearing Company, Canton 6, Ohio. NOT JUST A BALL 0 NOT JUST A ROLLER a::::> THE TIMKEN TAPERED ROLLER BEARING TAKES RADIAL ~ AND THRUST -@- LOADS OR ANY COMBINATION * [:J 45 May, 1953 , systems. Such policies have been followed in Arab univer- PROBLEMS OF SUPERSONIC FLIGHT sities such as the ones founded in Syria and Egypt. The (Continued from Page 22) survey which is given above covers that of a pure Ameri- can college system which differs very little from the This has been done in the "guided missiles" which are average American college in this country. rapidly being developed. These missiles may be controlled by radio, proximity fuse, or a pre-flight coded tape fed into the automatic pilot. THE MIRACLE FUZE The problem of cooling is being solved by more efficient (Continued from Page 44) heat exchangers and by using the fuel as a "sink" for price?" Besides hastening the end of the war itself and the heat from the evaporator refrigerator. thus saving countless American lives, two outstanding The tough problem of providing metals that can stand developments resulted from the VT fuze project--the high stress at elevated temperatures is being solved by rugged miniature tube and the compact reserve battery. research in metallurgy. This research has introduced The future application of these components in smaller titanium alloys, beryllium alloys, and aluminum alloys radio receivers, pocket sets, walkie-talkie equipment, and that can be used in these extreme environments. hearing aids is easily foreseen. The future is bright for engineers and scientists in the Since the end of World War II, the use of the fuze Aircraft and related fields. Engineers must however pre- for fighting forest fires has been experimented with. pare themselves for the responsibilities the complex fu- Surplus auxiliary fuel tanks, filled with fire-extinguishing ture holds as a challenge. chemicals and equipped with VT-type fuzes, have been dropped on man-made fires. Exploding at the tree tops, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY the bombs have proved successful in subduing the tim- (Continued from Page 23) ber-destroying flames. Progress has been made in the use of the VT principle Admission is selective and is restricted to forty students for the detection of motion. Through the use of fre- a year. The five year course meets the standards of quencies higher than those of the war-time VT fuze, the schools rated class "A" by the American Medical Associa- principles are being applied to objects moving as slow tion. Upon the successful completition of the course the as one mile-per-hour. degree of Doctor of Medicine and Surgery is awarded. It should be stated, however, that the major portion of This survey of the system of education in the American the present day VT research is neither commercial nor University of Beirut gives a clear idea of one of the industrial, but is for national defense purposes. Whether systems of higher education not only in Lebanon but also some day the proximity fuze will be obsolete for use in in most of the Arab world. warfare remains to be seen. In any case, the "miracle The tendency in national universities is now to put into fuze" has established a record which well justifies its practice theories of both the American and Continental ranking as one of the key weapons of World War II. 'hree c(JlJlesin ()ne! That was the solution sought, for supplying power, operational control and com. munication to a pumping house 4Y2 miles off shore in Lake Okee. chobee, Florida. As usual, Okonite engineers were consulted on tbe problem. Their studies showed that it was possible to combine a three.fold function in one cable. This was accomplished by the use of Okolite high- voltage insulation whose electrical cbaracteristics permitted carrier Cutters that give current to be superimposed on the power conductors. The result was a single Okonite-insulated cable-steel.armored for More Clean Cuts Per Do"~r & Sharpe hne the 4Y2 underwater miles, with a non-metallic sheath for an addi- Every cutter in the broad Brown t red to lower tional.2Y2 miles underground-which supplies not only power and is carefully designed and manufac ~h clean cuts operation control, but a communication circuit as welt. real cutter cost ••• give more sm~ ~f types and ••• !ough jobs are the true test of electrical cable ... and per dollar invested. Complet~ seleellOn size to improve milling effiCiency on any for illustrated Catalog. job. Write I U.S.A. IOstallationson such jobs usually turn out to be Okonite. Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Provo 1, R •• , J o NIT E~ insulated wire. and cables aur Brown & Sharpe ~ 46 Spartan Engineer lluiltl your future with 1Je1!t[~ AVIATION JOIN AMERICA'S LEADING TEAM OF CREATIVE ENGINEERS! Your opportunity is as big as you want to make it in Mechanical Engineering e Hy- dra~lic Mechanisms e Electronics e Mag- nellcs e Computers e Servo-mechanisms e Radar Research e Metallurgy e Solid-State Physics e Instrumentation e Radiation De- tection e Nuclear Physics e Guidance and Control Systems plus many more engi- neering fields. You'll find Bendix has much to offer the young g.raduate engineer of today. It's only natural slnc~ the Bendix Aviation Corporation is pri- manly a creafh'e engineering and manufacturing ?rganization -unlike any other in America in of 50 employees-are building important careers for them- Its versatility, facilities, experience and range selves in design, development, research, production super- of products. And of real importance to you is vision and sales. Many of these men come from schools the fact that this firm is engineering-minded such as yours. Whatever engineering field you've trained for, and wherever your interests lie in that field, you'll fr0f!l top management down. Currently, Bendix find positions at Bendix that provide the answer you've engIneers -an average of 1 out of 18 employees been looking for. Plan now to build your future with Bendix! as compared to the all-industry average of 1 out BENDIX AVIATION CORPORATION Executive Offices: Fisher Building, Detroit 2, Michigan DIVISIONS, PRINCIPAL SUBSIDIARIES AND AfFILIATED COMPANIES Utica Division Paciftc DIvision Zenith Carburrlor Division Btndil Products Division UtiCi. New York North Hollywood.Cllifo,ni. 0.11011.Mttlh,," South Bend. Indiana Cit, o.vl$lOn Hamilton Division Hamilton, Ohio Btndik Computer Division Hawthorn •• California Red Bank, N,. Jersey Red Bank o.vjsion IUn'" IUnus Cil~ .. ~IUOijri 8endi. Radio Division (d" M h" e Di "sion SkinnerPurjfi~rs.Oivis;on YOf~or;,~~yS;::nil Towson, Maryland 'P"lml'r.',CN~ E 'Ii .... Yo~rL 11\-1 ~ rOl"t MIchllll'ln .• • Btndil AYi,hon Rntar'" (t!ipse-Pioneer Division friezlnstrument Division Cincinnati Division Laboratories Tet"boro, New Jersey Towson, Maryland Cincinnati, Ohio Detroit Mithipn Marshall-Eclipse Division Scinlilll Malneto Division Pioneer-Cenllli Otvision :on:~:.~:S~ir~\heO:m~~~~ TroJ. New York Sidney, New York Davenport. Iowa [Iyril, Ohio For complete information on a Bendix en,inee-inc career, bave your placc:ment office ar~ange an I~tervlew Nation-wiele Networlc of Plants anel Laboratories for you with the BendiX ~epresentauve who WID be at Enables You to Choose Your Location your campus soon. Or wnle to: Bendix operations and activities are distributed among 13 labora- tories and 22 manufacturinl( centers. Each functions independently with its own enl(ineerinl( stafT. As a result, you enjoy a small c~mp:,ny n atmosphere but benefit from the facilities of a lar.l:e or.l:amzallo • Last year, Bendix spent over $50,000,000 for enj:ineering alone. For Sure, ideas are not cramped at Bendix! Bendix Products Are Used in These Industries and Services public Service Agriculture Eledranics Marine Railroad Automotive Atomic Energy Metals Lumber Petroleum Textile Avlalion Construdlon 47 Mey, 1953 ROCKY ROAD TO Oil L A Successful (Continued from Page 36) It would seem that hydrogenation-the petroleum in- A Stamping Service dustry's technique of adding hydrogen atoms to the hydrocarbon molecule--might be a way to turn more of the shale crude into marketable products. N to Industry Adding hydrogen atoms would serve two purposes. First, hydrogen would combine with the unwanted sulphur, oxygen and nitrogen, making their removal fairly easy Since 1914 and, at the same time, eliminating the obnoxious odor. S Second, this process would make the shale crude more like petroleum crude by providing hydrogen atoms to combine with carbon atoms in something like conventional I hydrocarbon molecules. The resulting shale crude would be the equivalent of a high-quality petroleum crude which the refiner knows how to convert into gasoline, Diesel fuel, heating oil, or other products. N G S T A M Vista from the oil shale quarry looking down 3000 feet into the Colorado River valley, where the oil shale p recovery plant lies. But hydrogenation is not cheap. On top of the cost Serving M mill factllrers of I of mining and retorting the shale, the cost of hydrogen- ation would come to more than the products could absorb and still compete in the current market. (NaturaIly, cost AUTOMOBILES AGRICULTURAL N would not be a factor in the event of national emergency.) None of the problems of shale oil refining is believed insoluble. American technicians have overcome greater EQUIPMENT chemical and engineering handicaps in many industries. INDUSTRIAL G In time of emergency, a large, new shale-oil industry could turn out certain low-grade fuels, which might relieve EQUIPMENT some of the pressure on the petroleum industry. But much remains to be done to products from shale oil DOMESTIC before they wiIl have the qualities demanded by American EQUIPMENT LAWNlUOWERS c homeowners and motorists. It now seems quite definite that shale oil will cost more than liquid fuel made from natural gas, but not nece:- o sarily more than similar fuel made from coal. There IS this thought to ponder, however: 1159 Pennsylvania Natural gas and coal are fuels in their own right. But Avenue our oil shales-thousands of square miles of them in sev- eral parts of the land-are wasted resources unless they Lansing, Michigan are used as a great new source of liquid energy and are • converted into oil. That fact alone would seem to indicate that some day we will have an American shale-oil industry, even though no one can yet say how near that day may be. 48 Spartan Engineer Reynold. new aluminum 'e- dUdion plant neo, Co,pu. Ch,lsti, Tua. - capacity 160,000,000 pound. a yea,. -- --- --~~- ~--- - -----=<"'" ~ A World of Expanding Opportunity! In a land noted for rapid expansion keting operations promising careers of free industrial enterprise, few exist for graduates in virtually any companies have matched the swift phase of engineering. and continuing growth of the On-the-job training is the Reynolds Metals Company. Now op- Reynolds policy-after preliminary Topping one of huge botte,y of er~ting 27 plants in 13 states, and orientation which may include basic electrolytic cell. stili expanding, Reynolds offers the experience in production plants for ambitious engineering graduate a sales personnel, and sales office work world of opportunity. for technical trainees. Liberal insur- . Re~nolds operations include baux- ance, hospitalization and retirement Ite mming in domestic and foreign programs are maintained. locations ... chemical and electrolytic For important background infor. processing to produce aluminum pig mation on "your future in Alumi . ... s~eet rolling ... drawing and ex- num" mail/be cOIIPon. If you are trusl~n of mill and structural shapes defiditely interested now, write direct '" foIl rolling and printing ... pow- to General Employment Manager, der and paste production ... finished Reynolds Metals Company, 3rd and Sheet rolling-reverse hot mill In parts and products fabrication. In Grace Streets, Richmond 19, Va. operation these and in the allied sales and mar- REYNOLDS ~ ALUMINUM ~------- -----------------. II I Reynolds Metals Company, EmploymentDept. I Richmond19,Virginia I I Please send me, FREE, your 96-page b~klet, "The ABC's 0' Aluminum", I I also the 44.page book, "Reynolds AlumInum ••• and the Company that I I makes it." I I Name!__ ------------ I I Address-------------- J I Reynolds eaponding production - historic chapt.r in 33 yeorl of continuing growth. L_----------------------- 49 May, 1953 up and down in the chambers, any tendency of the wheels NEW DEVELOPMENTS to wobble or shimmy is countered, saving wear on wheel (Continued from Page 26) bearings and king pins. The gyroscopic force built up by the mercury also WHEEL-BALANCER SMOOTHS ROUGH RIDES stabilizes the car's forward line of motion. This helps A new MERCURY-REACTOR attachment for automo- to straighten wheels out after turns, eliminate drifting, bile wheels will combine several advantages to give and prevent side-hopping on rough roads. motorists smoother riding comfort. This is accomplished The discs are the invention of Stuart D. Ormsby. His by a set of four discs which can be attached to the wheels test models are made of aluminum, but he believes that of any car. Each disc has a number of radially positioned they can be produced in plastic to retail for about fifty cylinders containing mercury, and is mounted inside the dollars per set of four. The discs will be adaptable to wheel rim around the axle. The discs are attached to the any make of car. same lugs which hold the wheels and are covered by the hub caps. The mercury-loaded discs eliminate the need for bal- GENERATOR WITH LIQUID-COOLED CONDUCTORS ancing weights on car wheels. Weights have never been Industry will manufacture the first large g!!nerator fully satisfactory because the balance is lost every time with liquid-cooled conductors in the history of the elec- a tire is changed or a wheel transposed. Furthermore, uneven wear on tires soon offsets the balance. With the trical industry soon. new discs, however, the wheels are constantly dynamically A new method of circulating a liquid through hollow balanced regardless of other factors. This not only pro- conductors will be used in the stator of a turbine-generator duces a smoother ride, but also has proved in tests to set for a new power plant near Cleveland. extend greatly the life of the tires, because they are made The unit, consisting of a tandem-compound turbine rated to wear evenly. at 208,000 kilowatts and a generator rated at 260,000 kilo- The tremendous centrifugal force built up in a rotating volt-amperes, will be one of the largest in the world. car wheel magnifies any unbalance and develops a ham- This generator, alone, will be capable of supplying the mering action. The mercury disc builds up an equal household electrical needs of 600,000 people. counter force to this and completely cancels the unbalance. This type of liquid cooling makes possible a significant Another important function of the mercury weighted increase in capability of generators without increasing discs is their vertical shock-absorbing action. The mer- physical dimensions of the units. The higher capability cury reacts instantly against chatter and shocks due to results from more efficient removal of heat produced road roughness before they reach the axles and thereby during the generation of electricity. save considerable wear on chassis points. All other The present method of cooling large generators is to cushioning devices on the car pick up the shock after it circulate hydrogen gas through passages in the magnetic has passed the wheel. portions of the rotor and stator. This method is highly The mercury stabilizers also control lateral action. Since the mercury is free to move from side to side, as well as (Continued on Page 54) DISTEL HEATING COMPANY Established 1922 Air Conditioning Power Plants Plumbing Refrigeration Industrial Piping 1120 Sheridan Heating P. O. Box 298 LANSING, MICHIGAN Automatic Sprinklers so Spartan Engineer The Torrington Needle Bearing . shaft hardness determines effective load capacity the shaft hardness to Rockwell which will provide the required C-S2 gives a resulting load factor surface for Needle Bearing oper- of .5. In this case, the catalog ation. Inner races are available rating must be multiplied by .5 for all sizes of Needle Bearings. in order to obtain the true capac- When used, inner races should be ity of the bearing assembly. securely fastened to the shaft by Unheat-treated, cold rolled clamping against a shoulder, by shafting will only carry 2%-3% of snap ring, or by press fit. the bearing's rated load capacity. When designing Needle Bear- The economy of the Torrington The speed of the application is ings into a piece of equipment Needle Bearing is due in part to also important in determining where shaft hardness is a ques- the fact that the shaft usually proper hardness to assure satis- tion, the economicsof using inner serves as the inner race. Thus, since the shaft is an integral part SHAn HARDNESS-LOAD CHAIT .. I of the bearing, its load capacity 7 I limits the capacity of the bearing o • assembly. In order to obtain the full rated load capacity of the . _S ., g A II 1/ / Needle Bearing, it is necessary that the shaft be at least surface- . v ...... .OI • - ...~ ... ./ - .. .. 100 hardened to the equivalent of ~;'~.~1.~ "1NIU1l"~U I I t I I I .......... ... II H .. 10000WlLlMAI_-C- I ........u"-' ,.. Rockwell C-58. I .. " to.,I I 100 .OUWlLl ......... ' .. locaWIU MA'DNlSl ..... Loads and Speeds FiAure I. 11 the surface hardness 01 FiAurf! 7. As the ,pf!ed inc,ea.a •• it i. desi,able to incrf!a.e the .halt hard- the shalt, its tensile strenAth, or the Related to per cent 01 carbon is known, the load lac tor can be read either riAht or left ne.t •. For lJ Aiven 'pm, reltd "cro •• to the curve and down to the prope' hardnes •. Conver.ely. if hardne •• i. Shaft Hardness Irom the intersection 01 the curve. The load lac tor, multiplied by the known. road up to the curve and rated capacity 01 the bearinA. will Aive nero•• to tho maximum rpm 10' tha' Because of material or design the shalt capacity and the capacity 01 .hnl,. the application. limitations, it is sometimes de- sired to run Needle Bearings on factory shaft life. The chart in races as compared to a properly shafts softer than the recom- Figure 2 illustrates this effect. heat treated shaft should be care. mended Rockwell C-58. This can fully analyzed. When all factors be done safely providing the bear- Hardened Inner Races such as inner race cost, securing ing loads and speeds are not too Available devices,and actual assembly time severe. However, the capacity of are considered, it is usually found When it is either impossible or more economical to heat treat the bearing assembly is only as impractical to harden the shaft, great as the load capacity of the it is necessary to use an inner race the shaft. shaft, regardless of the rated load capacity of the bearing as indi- THE TORRINGTON COMPANY Torrington, Conn. South Bend 21, Ind. cated in the catalog. The shaft District Offices and Distributors in Principal Cities of United States and Canada capacity decreases very rapidly as the surface hardness is reduced below the recommended Rock- TORRINGTOrf NEEDLE ,.EARlNG. WellC-58 minimum hardness. Figure 1 shows this very clear- APERED ROLLER' STRAIGHT ROLLER' BALL' NEEDLE ROWlS T NEEDLE' SPHERICAL ROLLER • ly. It can be seen that reducing 51 May, 1953 POWER INDUSTRY LOOKS AHEAD (Continued from Page 15) Build a rewarding career in other fields and to the national military commitment, there are fewer power engineering graduates available. It was pointed out by Frof. Ryder that this is not due to the lack of opportunity, or stimulating problems in as an S.S.White the power field, but due mainly to the poor selling job done by the power companies' college interviewers and the graduates' dislike of the power companies' training program. Because of the fact that there is no simple solution to the problem, this is possibly the most serious sales engineer ... problem facing the power industry. CONTROL ROOM TURBINE GENERATOR STEAM BOILER Here is an opportunity for qualified engineering graduates to become associated NON- RADIOACTIVE widl one of the country's leading manufac- Fig. 5. Section through first atomic power plant turers in a sales engineering job that will using experimental breeder reactor, coolant circuits. boiler, and turbine generator. bring you in contact with top engineers in all branches of industry. It can be seen from the facts presented here that the power industry has grown at a tremendous, steady pace \'\Ie are looking for graduate engineers who since Thomas Edison first introduced the use of electric power in 1882. With the development of the American desire to utilize their engineering training in industry and the rise in the standard of living, it is evi- the sales and application of mechanical prod- dent that electric power is indispensable to industry and ucts in industry. to the private consumer. As industrial and technical development increases, so must the power production As an S.S.\'\Ihite sales engineer you will start increase to maintain the supply. Mr. B. L. England, pres- ident of the Edison Electric Institute, predicts that by at an attractive salary and be trained right on 1970, the power industry will be thinking of a trillion the job to undertake immediate responsibility. kilowatthours yearly. In order to maintain the increase in power production, Your opportunities for a lifetime career with more efficient and economical methods of generating S.S.\'\Ihite are unlimited. Promotions are made electric power must be developed. Transmission systems from within and your accomplishments will capable of carrying the large power load to the consumers will have to be devised. More efficient cooling systems be quickly recognized and rewarded. must be invented to dissipate the heat in the large gen- erators and transformer. The result is similar to a chain reaction as a development in one phase of the system We will be glad to arrange an interview requires a parallel development in another phase of the either at your school or in New York at the system. 5.S.White Industrial Division offices. Write Even more important than these developments is the to Department C and include a snapshot development of the engineers who will design, and super- of yourself and a brief resume of your vise the construction and operation of this equipment. The engineers must be made aware of the opportunities education, background and experience. available to them. * * * "Look at that man swimming out there. Isn't he afraid of sharks?" THEczId'.INDUSTRIAL DIYISION DENTALMFG.CO. "No, he has 'U of M is the best college in the United -----------~A._ Dept. C. 10 Ealt 40th St._ States' tattooed on his chest, and even a shark couldn't W NEW YORK 16. N. Y. swallow that." Purdue Engineer 52 Spartan Engineer What's Happening at CRUCIBLE iI/mllf IlfIllow I,ml sleel CRUCIBLE HOLLOW TOOL STEEL Crucible is now making its high quality tool steel available GlADU in hollow form. Bars of Crucible Hollow Tool Steel can now SIlO. Iinchll) Sond.non 1.10. AlrdllSO be obtained with machine finished inside and outside diamc. ters and faces - in thrce famous grades: KETOS, Amlll 150 20.0 .• tl.D. 2'12 D.O.• t'h 1.0. and SANDERSON.Already its use has effected substantial sav- 30.0 .• 1'12 1.0. ings for makers of tool steel parts with cutout centers. 3'1.0.0 .• 1'1. 1.0. 3'1.0.0 .• 1'12 1.0. 3'12 D.O.• 1'12 1.0. 3'12 0.0 .• 2 1.0. 40.0 .• 1'12 1.0. 40.0 .• 21.0. 4'1. 0.0 .• I'll. 1.0. 4'12 D.O.• 2 1.0. 50.0 .• 2 1.0. 50.0 .• 2'12 1.0. 50.0 .• 3 1.0. 5'12 0.0 .• I'll. 1.0. 5'12 0.0 .• 2 1.0. 5'12 0.0 .• 2'12 1.0. 60.0 .• I'll. 1.0. 6 D.O.• 21.0. 60.0 .• 3 1.0. 6'12 0.0 .• 3'1. 1.0. 6'12 0.0 .• 3'12 1.0. 6'12 0.0 .• 4 1.0. 7 D.O.• 2'1. 1.0. 70.0 .• 3 1.0. 7 D.O.• 3'12 1.0. 70.0 .• 4 1.0. 7'12 0.0 .• 3 1.0. 7'12 0.0 .• 3'12 1.0. 7'12 0.0 .• 4 1.0. 8 0.0 .• 3'12 1.0. 80.0 .• 51.0. 8'1. 0.0 .• 3'12 1.0. 8'12 0.0 .• 5'1. 1.0. g 0.0 .• 4 1.0. typiei.1 i"JIJliriltiIJIIS g 0.0 .• 51.0. g 0.0 .• 61.0. The ring shaped tools that can be fabri(~ated from. hollow 10 0.0 .• 4 1.0. tool steel are virtually limitless - beading rolls, bearmgs awl 100.0 .• 5 1.0. 100.0 .• 6 1.0. hushings blanking and briquelling dies, cam dies lInd follow- 11 0.0 .• 4 1.0. ers, chuck jaws, circular knives and shears, I~ulle~s.IIi~ 1IOIIIers 110.0 .• 60.0. 11 0.0 .• 7 1.0. . ani I Inserts, engraver ant I e d'gmg ro lis .' eXlrll"lOn dieS feetl 0 '. 120.0 .• 5 1.0. and flue rollers, forming rolls, nozzles, SllWS, sleeves, shllers, 120.0 .• G 1.0. 12 0.0 .• 7 1.0. stamping dies, wheels ... and many others. 12 0.0 .• 8 1.0. 130.0. , G 1.0. Imw it CIl'S ('lists 13 0.0 .• 7 1.0. 13 0.0. , 8 1.0. 130.0. , g 1.0. Crucible Hollow Too] Steel permits a toolmaker ~o bYP;ss 14 0.0 .• 7 1.0. drilling, boring, CUlling off and rough facing operat.lOns. Nat- 14 0.0 .• 10 1.0. 15 0.0 .• g 1.0. urally this results in less production time per unit, grealer 150.0 .• 101.0. mac h.'me capacity, and a re d uctlOn .. JI1 sc r'lp , lo.-e-.,. - ]n some 'J I 16 D.O.• 10 1.0. ,0 cases materia] rosts alone are cut 2001 IIY the u'e . of Cruci I e 16 D.O.• 12 1.0. Hollow Too] Steel instead of regular bar stock . t,'f1J11iriJl S(,,'yi('/' . . ke 100is with ma(.hined,oul ('enlers anll wuh iJY iJililbilif~' If )OU ma , f ' n CrUl'ible 1I01l0w Tool Stcel. dd'1'onal III ormalJon 0 ., IJ aor lel.hJ1lra I I • I a,."la'H '" .,e.""~I