uuuv NOVEMBER, 1953 9 "Reduced to the most favorable mere 7 % of the original ingot is left degree" describes exactly what hap- to do the job. pens to the huge U-S-S CARILLOY That U-S-S CARILLOY steel has steel ingots from which are formed been exclusively selected for this ap- the rugged main columns in the land- plication—-one of the most exacting ing gears of every B-36. in the aircraft industry—is, we be- To provide the tremendous lieve, highly significant. The same strength and shock resistance re- care and skill, the same ability to quired to safely cushion the landing meet requirements that are beyond impact of 179 tons of bomber weight the ordinary, go into every order of —and, at the same time, to keep CARILLOY steel we make—whether the weight of the landing gear as low it's an ingot of giant size or a few as possible—calls not only for steel tons of special steel. of the highest quality but also for U-S-S CARILLOY is just one more unusual procedures in fabrication as example of the better steel products well. developed and produced by United Consider these facts. The original States Steel. If you are interested in ingot weighs approximately 37,500 additional engineering training, why lbs. From it are produced two cylin- not investigate your opportunities drical columns weighing only about with U. S. Steel? For more informa- 1200 lbs. apiece. Approximately 93% tion, contact the Placement Direc- of the steel is removed by machining tor of your school, or write to United to proper contour and in hollow- States Steel Corporation, 525 Wil- U-S-S CARIUOY electric-furnace aircraft boring the column. When finished, a liam Perm Place, Pittsburgh 30, Pa. quality steel meets every requirement for these vital parts. The precision machining and expert heat treatment it gets at Cleve- land Pneumatic Tool Company complete the job. U N I T E D S T A T E S S T E E P Where do profits go? To increase your standard of living UT OF EVERY DOLLAR YOU SPEND, less than your first mechanical refrigerator at $700, your O 5 5.0 —5.0 t:! 1.7 -1.7 t, 0.0 0.0 t8 —3.8 3.8 t(i —2.4 2.4 Maximum transient current occurs when the circuit is closed at time of peak instantaneous steady state alternating current. See time t 2 in Figure 3. At any time of closing the circuit, current must start TIME — MILU-SECONOS from zero. Its rate of rise is proportional to the E / L FIGURE 2. Time-Current Graph of Exponential circuit value. Since it cannot rise to steady state in- Current Decay. stantaneously, another current must exist, the transient The time constant of a circuit is defined as the time component. The algebraic sum of the transient com- required for a transient to decay to 36.8% of its value from a given point of observation. The time constant is also defined as the L/R ratio of a circuit: T = L/R. ^.INSTANTANEOUS STEADY-STATE ALTERNATING CURRENT After each time constant, a transient decays to a cer- tain percentage of its initial value: \ r t = T = L / R i = 36.87c io / ; \ after one time constant, the transient decays to / ' : T T, T 36.8% its initial value; t = 2T = 2L/R i == 13.5%, i0 after two time constants, the transient decays to 13.5% its initial value; [\ t = 3T = 3L/R i = 5.0% i0 ^^*^ INITIAL TRANSIENT CURRENTS after three time constants, the transient decays to 5.0% its initial value; t = 4T = 4L/R i== 1.8% io FIGURE 3. Initial Transient Value vs. Instan- after four time constants, the transient decays to taneous Steady - State Alternating 1.8% its initial value; Current Values of Various time (t) of Circuit Initiation. t = 5 T = 5 L / R i = 0.67% i,, and ponent and the instantaneous steady state component after five time constants, the transient decays to must be zero at the instant of circuit closing. The end 0.67% its initial value. result is that a direct current transient occurs and Thus, the transient period of current decay in an offsets the alternating current from the zero axis to R-L circuit is a function of the resistance and induct- a new asymmetric axis. This offset alternating current ance values alone. is known as an asymmetric wave. The new asymmetric Initial Transient Value axis is the direct current transient. Its initial magni- tude has a value equal to the instantaneous value of In an alternating current circuit, the form and ampli- the steady state current at the instant of circuit closing. tude of the steady state current will depend on the Its decay duration depends on the R and L circuit form and amplitude of the applied voltage. The ini- values. Four and one-half time constants (4L/R) after tial amplitude of the transient current will be governed circuit closing, the alternating current asymmetry will by the instant at which the circuit is closed. Closing decrease to proportions that are negligible. the circuit at any time (t) gives the transient current an initial value equal in magnitude but opposite in Two Instants of Circuit Initiation sign to the instantaneous steady state alternating cur- In any circuit, current components are classified as rent at that time. Table 1 compares initial transient steady state and transient. In a sinusoidal alternating current values with instantaneous steady state alter- current R-L circuit, the steady state current com- nating current values at various times (t) of circuit ponent has the general form i t = i^ax cos wt. The initiation as indicated in Figure 3. direct current component has the"" general form Only one instant of closing an R-L circuit exists j t = i,,e-Rt/L. During the transient period, the total where a transient cannot occur. That time is at current is the sum of both steady state and transient steady state current zero. See time t4 in Figure 3. components, i totaI = i max Cos wt -f j o e- R t / L . Since 14 Spartan Engineer II Electric curtain stabilizes wet ground for deep excavation IT'S WIERD AND UNCANNY! Almost unbeliev- duct. Consumer engineers and the contractor figured able! Hut electric current from several motor gener- they would somehow bull their way through the ator sets passed through the soil from pipe anodes bad ground. to wellpoint cathodes, driven around the perimeter First step was to strip the site 3 or 4 ft. from ground of 210 \ 2 , ~ buckets. Current was kept on the electrodes 24 hrs. per day, 7 days a week, though later on the voltage was reduced to 60 v. Investigation showed that the stabilization was greatest nearest the electrodes, and lessened some- what out toward center of lot — but it still was suffi- cient to hold firm 18 ft. of former treacherous silt. In original state, the silt contained from 30 to 50% moisture. Although no tests were made to reveal the exact reduction of moisture resulting from electro- osmosis, it was observed that only a slight reduction increased the shearing strength of the soil many fold. The longer the current was kept on, the drier the ma- terial became, resulting in increasing shearing strength. WELLPOINTS serve as cathodes, through which water escapes from the fine-grain silt, pushed out by electric potential. Header system has been removed, and water dribbles out of open-top wellpoint, freezing into an icicle. They converted the second-stage wellpoint system into an electro-osmosis system by utilizing well-points about 20 ft. apart as cathodes, or negative pole1;. In between these points they drove pipes as anodes, or positive piles. A battery of motor-generator sets was hooked into HERE'S WHAT SOUPY SILT looks like after being treated with electro-osmosis. The intake the system to furnish dc current at 80 v and relatively tunnel is being excavated with clamshell and clay low amperage. Although the electro-osmosis process spades, walls standing straight up without shoring or bracing. will force water to the surface through open well- points, header and pumps were used at first to aid in One big difference of this system, in contrast to water disposal and to reduce the voltage otherwise orthodox wellpoints, is that under electro-osmosis the required. system can be shut down for a time for generator The effect was astounding. Before long water began repairs without the soil being affected. to dribble out of the wellpoints, and to bubble out at Severe electrolysis is set up around the electrodes, the surface around the points. In 3 or 4 days, the quak- especially affecting the anodes. Many of the original ing, saturated silt began to solidify into a stiff, sandy- pipes were so badly corroded that they had to be clay formation. Piledrivers resumed work and exca- supplemented by heavy reinforcing rods driven down vation of the third stage, through 7 ft. of former sloppy inside the pipes. It will be interesting to note the silt, was carried down to desired slab grade without condition of the sheet piling when pulled. further trouble. (Continued on page 42) November 1953 17 II Atomic blonde Reprinted from "THE PHOENIX", Imperial College of Science and Technology The Prof, was frowning narrowly as I entered his by itself, radio-active in combination in large mole- room. cules, such as proteins. Sounds queer to me, but "Sit down, Mr. Staggers," he said. "I am afraid that there it is." I have some bad news for you. The firm which was It sounded queer to me, too, but it was not for me financing your research project has been taken over to say so. I was on record as saying the atomic bomb by the Anglo-American Fina and Betta Products Cor- was impossible ten days after the first had gone off poration. Their practice is to have all their research at Los Alamos. done in America, so I am afraid your grant has been "See the idea. Drift this stuff over. Masses of it. ended." Gets incorporated in people's innards. Becomes radio- I felt very distressed. I was working on the thermo- active. Half life five and a half minutes. End product dynamics of liquid isobol and, though I could never nitrogen. Result, everyone dissolves into a mess of imagine what interest it could have for McScroggins amines and things. Opposition just a lot of little Ltd., who made corsets, it would be annoying to leave puddles on the floor." the job half-done. Particularly as I had a new appa- He suddenly laughed heartily. It didn't seem so ratus designed and ready to order. funny to me. "How much farther can you go with your present "Lot of work to be done on the sidelines, of course. apparatus?" That's where you come in. Care to?" "Not at all, sir. We've reached the limit." "Well, sir," I said, "Er, I don't know if you're a "In that case it looks as though I shall have to find technical man . . . " you a new problem. Do what you can in the mean- "No, no. Security. Just picked up some of the time." jargon." I went downstairs and contemplated the thicket of "In that case," I said, bottling up my pleasure, "I'll glass that constituted my apparatus. There was an keep it simple. Once news of this leaks out, the altogether disproportionate amount of sealing wax obvious countermeasures are the provision of specific and insulating tape about it. I had intended to replace contra-absorbents of superior hyglophobic inductivity. it with a very tony job in stainless and jack up the The best of these is undoubtedly isobol. So that the pressures. Eighteen months wasted. I looked at the very first thing needed is a fundamental investigation glass jungle again and loathed it. Moodily I kicked into the properties of isobol." the leg of the table. A Dreschel bottle fell off and smashed. I looked in the cupboard. None left. The Prof, beamed approval; as I had hoped, the Captain looked somewhat at sea. "Oh, hell," I said. "Oh, ah!" he said, "you're probably right. But come I spent some days writing up the work, then I drift- up to Bottlewell Monday and tell it to the boffins. ed over to the Union and read my way through every AU I want to know is that you're on the ration strength. magazine there. I had reached the stage where I was Bye, bye." And he went, suddenly. playing chess against myself, and cheating, when I was summoned to the Prof's, room. Bottlewell is out Hitchin way and when I got there I found I had lost. The types there stood no non- Seated beside him was a Guards-type in army uni- sense about isobol. They were the real atomic types, form. blue chinned, big jawed, radium burned ears and "This is Captain Fluellen," said the Prof. "He is hands. One of them had two heads, but they claimed from Atomic Research and has something very impor- he was like that before he took up nuclear physics. tant to say to you." I found myself landed with the reaction kinetics of Fluellen twitched a lip, then suddenly barked at me. two unpronounceable molecules — I'm sorry I can't "First you must swear to keep secret everything give you their names, but I've lost the bit of paper I I am about to say." had them written on. I always thought of them as I swore. The captain still looked hesitant. Pongo and Fluffy, after a couple I knew whose rate of reaction was of a very high order. "This really Staggers?" he said. Even on being re- assured he didn't look any too happy. Finally, he When I told the Prof., he was very upset. took the plunge. "Reaction kinetics! Good Heavens, that's chem- "Heard about you and the Smithium. Good show istry!" you put up. Want new men. Thought of you. This I tried to soften the blow. is it, now. Atom johnny found new whatdymecallem "Yes, sir. But physical chemistry. It might have — isotope, that's the word — isotope of carbon. Stable been worse. It might have been analytical chemistry." 18 Spartan Engineer He shuddered. "What's going on, for heaven's sake?" "I suppose so. We must look on the bright side." "Routine precautions, you know. Security. You will My instructions were to read up on Pongo and work next door. I have had a communicating door Fluffy until I heard further from Bottlewell. I was put in. And, to outsiders, we are Submersible Colloids plodding along when I was called up to the Prof's, Research. Officially we shall be Operation Flowerpot." room again. As well as Captain Fluellen, he had with I drifted in next door. No wonder I was unpopular him a most luscious blonde. I tried to ignore her, in the Department. It was overcrowded enough al- since she seemed to be none of my business, but, even ready, without my displacing half the first floor. so, I began to wish I'd put on my other shirt — the one Inside, standing in splendid isolation, there was the with the collar. After the usual preliminaries, we got apparatus I had finished designing two days ago, with down to cases. a glass-blower adding finishing touches. Bottlewell "I want to introduce Miss Ahrrm. She has been certainly had things organized. In the corner, two assigned as your Security Officer." plumbers were finishing the installation of a shower Now that she was some of my business, I took a bath. I went over. good look. Short blond hair. Blue eyes. Red lips, "What's all this?" very red lips. Good figure. Well dressed. Nice legs. "Your shower, sir. Lovely job. We had a bit of Nylons. Then I worked my way slowly up again. trouble with the hot water line. Had to put in sixty Arriving at her face, I tried a tentative leer. She froze foot of pipe, and all of it had to be lagged. Not very at once. Not so good. good layout, sir." The senior plumber shook his head "Miss Wilberforce," the Prof, went on, "will be in reprovingly. charge of the laboratory arrangements. Bottlewell "But I didn't ask for a shower." would like you to go there for the whole of next week "Oh, but you did, sir. See here. You're Honey- and, while you are away, Miss Whatsit will see to comb, aren't you?" things here." "No, I'm Flowerpot." On this vague note, I was dismissed. The week at "Cor . . . Fred, you was right. Honeycomb must Bottlewell was quite astounding. I would spend the be that one in Glasgow. Well," he said, surveying the morning with a man arguing about the apparatus and tiled walls and porcelain runoff, "we can't take it out a rough sketch would be produced. Arriving back now. Just sign here, sir, and we'll get another one for from lunch I would find the rough sketch gone and Glasgow. After all, it might come in handy if the in its place a print, still damp, showing several views of the apparatus, all completely dimensioned. Then, summer's hot." we would find fault with it until afternoon tea, after Since the shower had been placed so that one side which it would be back, with all the amendments of it was against a full length window facing the made. If we approved it, was whisked off to some women's hostel, I was not inclined to agree, but to place spoken of as "Progress." get rid of them I signed. At the end of the week I returned to college. I went After they had gone, I had peace until about half in to my old lab. In one corner was my apparatus, past three, when I heard a commotion: the blonde covered in dust; but it could scarcely be seen for a and another woman arguing furiously. I realized the strange assembly of people and instruments. It looked other voice was Apples, and guessing what had hap- for all the world as though a group of scientists were pened, I hurried out. Apples' lab. is across the road going on safari, taking their assembled apparatus from me, but every day about three-thirty she becomes with them. At first there seemed to be dozens of bodies filled with a desire to know more about isobol, so, about, but soon I realized there were only eight. naturally, she comes to see me. For about half an hour we discuss isobol and, just to be sociable, I give "Hullo," I said. "Going to be crowded, aren't we?" her a cup of tea. No doubt she had come over to tea The response was a collective growl, then an Assist- today and encountered the Wilberforce's security ant Prof, of malevolent aspect said, "Oh, no, you'll be patrol. I was right. As I entered, Apples was stand- all right, Staggers, you're in 21." ing, arms akimbo, white-faced and trembling, using I went out, puzzled. 21 is our biggest lab. and words I had certainly never taught her. Miss Wilber- normally houses twelve people. 21 was locked, with force turned to me. a notice saying 'Entrance through Room 22.' This "Mr. Staggers, will you please make this — this per- was the Asst. Prof's, room. I went along. It was son — see reason? She cannot be allowed in here, still labelled 'Submersible Colloids Research'. I knocked less in Your Laboratory." diffidently and went in. All the Asst. Prof's, apparatus "Jonathan Staggers, I'm not going to stand for it. had disappeared, but his bookcases, carpet, electric I've known you now for three years and I'm not going kettle and desk remained. The desk was now turned to let any peroxided bitch call me a Security Risk." to face the door, and behind it sat Miss Wilberforce, "Now, now, Apples. Miss Wilberforce is right; we knitting profusely. She looked up. can't have tea here. Let's go over to the Union." "Ah, Mr. Staggers. Can I see your pass?" Miss Wilberforce broke in. In the end, she saw my Bottlewell's pass, Identity "I'm sorry, Mr. Staggers, but I can't allow it. I have Card, Passport, and Union Card. At last she was no proof of this person's bona fides and, if you are satisfied. (Continued on page 36) November 1953 19 II Automatic driver helps prevent accidents An exploration of how electronics can be put to one coil receives more of the signal than the other, it work to reduce highway disasters and to relieve means the car is no longer centered over the wire drivers of tiresome tasks on modern superhighways and electronic equipment controlling the steering has been initiated by Dr. V. K. Zworykin, electronics wheel immediately brings the car back "on course." scientist and television pioneer. To prevent a collision with an obstruction, simple Recent electronic advances, such as the tiny, power- transistor circuits associated with the guidance wire thrifty transistor, indicate that electronic aids to many send out warning signals (of another frequency) automobile driving problems are approaching the whenever an obstruction passes or is stalled over realm of practical application, according to Dr. them. These warning circuits, in effect, produce a Zworykin. Although the day of completely automatic "radio tail" at the rear of any sizeable metal obstruc- control of automobiles is far off, Dr. Zworykin said, tion on the route. When equipment in the model certain electronic devices to assist drivers in such car receives the warning signal, the brakes are auto- matters as bad weather steering and collision preven- matically applied and the car comes to a halt. tion are nearer at hand. To simulate two lanes in the same direction, Dr. Zworykin has parallel guidance wires with a diagonal wire connecting them. When the model car senses the radio tail of an obstruction in the inner lane, its electronic equipment shunts it along the diagonal into the outer lane so as to pass the obstruction. A system of warning circuits in the roadbed to produce a "radio tail" when an automobile passes over would be quite impractical with electron tubes, Dr. Zworykin pointed out. Such circuits would be needed approximately every 20 feet and the electrical power to operate the tubes would be enormous, he said. But when transistors are available in large quantity at low cost, he said, such circuits become feasible because power consumption would be reduced a million fold over that required by tubes. Discussing the trend toward modern highways on which driving is becoming both simple and tiresome, Zworykin Inspects Electrically Controlled Dr. Zworykin said that "the time has arrived for con- Auto. Dr. V. K. Zworykin, pioneer electronic sideration of automatic driving techniques which may scientist, examines electronic apparatus of model relieve the driver of his routine duties whenever his car that drives itself. The car has been equipped in a study of problems of avoiding accidents and car enters an express highway system. of automatic driving on super-highways of the "Even now," he said, "with power steering, control future. The experimental car keeps itself centered devices are used to guide the car in preference to over the wire, which radiates a signal. It can automatically stop or turn into another lane when direct steering. Similarly, with power braking, the another car is in its path. driver supplies a control signal rather than the physi- To study the basic problems of automatic driving, cal force required to slow or stop the car. The auto- Dr. Zworykin and assistants have equipped a model matic headlight dimmer is another device to ta'ke five-foot car with electronic equipment. This labora- over a routine function of the driver. tory car, which is powered by a storage battery, can: "The number of such devices may be expected to 1. Steer itself along a prescribed route. increase and it is not too early to examine ultimate 2. Stop itself when approaching a metal obstruc- objectives of driving simplification. Long-range ad- tion. vance planning appears essential in this field in view 3. Turn out of its original lane into a second lane of the large number of parties vitally concerned. as if to pass another car moving at a slower Successful development depends on the cooperation speed. of governmental authorities, the highway builder, the In the laboratory set-up, the model car is guided by car manufacturer and the safety engineer for the a wire which represents a cable that would be laid benefit of the individual driver and the public at large. in the roadbed of a superhighway. The wire sets up "The basic requirements of an automatic driving a magnetic field of a certain frequency which is picked system harmonize with trends in modern highway up by the two coils, one on each side of the car. If construction," Dr. Zworykin continued. "The require- Spartan Engineer 20 ments are that the roads have at least two lanes in become a maximum for a stalled car. Conversely, each direction and that crossings and left turns across the sensing system of the following cars would be traffic be eliminated by cloverleafs and similar sys- coupled with the car speed indication in such fashion tems. With these conditions satisfied, the stage is that the warning signal would increase with their set for a gradual introduction of measures to reduce speed. traffic risks and simplify driving procedures. "In a completely automatic system this warning "The changes should necessitate neither sudden 'tail' could be used to switch a car from one lane to abandonment of established driving habits nor whole- another at specified cross-over points. In this case, sale installation of new equipment on roads and vehi- the sequence of events as a car approaches another cles. This means: (1) The driver must retain the vehicle which is either stalled or moving at a lower freedom of choice of speed, within prescribed limits, speed is: As the signal picked up from the 'flying and of choice of either manual or automatic control. tail' of the preceding vehicle reaches a certain level, (2) Automatic control systems must be restricted, the guidance setting would be shifted to the left initially at least, to high-speed long-distance road lane. Then, the car would pass over to the left lane systems subject to special regulation, such as turnpikes at the next cross-over point and pass the slower vehi- and thruways. (3) Vehicles equipped with automatic cle unless: driving devices must be able to benefit in mixed traffic, consisting of equipped and unequipped vehi- a. The turn-off is blocked by signals from a nearby cles. vehicle which is already in the left lane, or "It is clear that car owners and purchasers will not b. The slower vehicle impedes further progress bear the added cost of the control equipment unless even before the turn-off point is reached. it proves useful under current conditions, namely with the vast majority of cars under purely manual control. At the same time it would be both politically and economically impractical to restrict traffic on high-speed road systems to equipped cars. "As a first step, equipment should be provided to enable the driver to keep his vehicle centered on the traffic lane under conditions of fog and poor visibility in general. This may be accomplished by a cable, buried in the concrete, carrying moderate- frequency alternating currents (of the order of 100 kc) and a pair of magnetic pickups mounted on the car. The difference in the signals derived from the two pickups may be used either to indicate the off-course position of the vehicle on the dashboard or applied directly to the steering mechanism so as to maintain the car in the center of the lane. Feedpoints for the cable may be provided at intervals along the highway. "In this system the driver not only would retain complete control of the car speed, but, in addition, could switch at will from manual to automatic steer- ing. The automatic setting could be linked to an Experimental Car Stops Itself Electronically. external indication on the car to inform road super- Model car equipped with experimental electronic visors and other drivers of the fact that the car is equipment is shown stopping itself to prevent a collision. Designed to study electronic control of under automatic control. automobiles on superhighways, the car at the rear picks up a warning signal generated in circuits "The second step in the evolution of the automatic connected with the wire. The warning signal is driving system, the prevention of collisions, is a natural set off by the metal of the parked car in front. Oscilloscope pattern at right of each picture shows extension of the guidance equipment. how the warning signal received in the rear car gets stronger as it nears danger point. "The essential feature of one proposed collision prevention system is the transfer of energy from a high-frequency power cable, to a series of tiny oscilla- "In the second instance the signal from the 'flying tors or transmitters along the lane. The transfer of tail' would continue to increase in intensity; its indi- energy is controlled by the passage of a car and a cation to the driver may be either auditory or visual — long time constant circuit or 'memory' causes the in the form of a sound of rising amplitude or a flash- transmitter to function for a time after the car has ing light of increasing frequency, warning him to passed. The oscillations are transmitted backward decelerate or apply the brakes. As an alternative, the along a high-attenuation cable and sensed by pickup signal, from a certain level on, may reduce the fuel coils on the following cars. Thus every car, whether intake and, at a still higher level, actuate the power equipped with automatic driving devices or not, would brakes. Again, by a three-way switch, the driver could be followed by a 'flying tail' of warning signals. Their be given the choice of unassisted manual control, amplitude would increase as the car slowed down and (Continued on page 54) 21 November 1953 II This is not an Editorial Let's all get on the gravy train by Tom Clark, Ch. E. '54 Everybody is getting on the gravy train, especially applications. Summer employment to a lot of stu- the student engineer of today. The student engineer dents is a chance to find out, before they graduate, can almost name his starting salary in the job that he what the engineering profession is like and just what likes in any part of the country. type of work they might like to get into. There are some who will get summer jobs in industry because Of course, the student's ability to do all of this they know that some employers of engineers will add depends upon how well he prepares himself in college. as much as $15 per month to their starting salary, if He must, in order to successfully prepare himself, they have had summer experience with an engineer- maintain a balance between his studies and his social ing firm. and extra-curricular activities as well as gain some actual engineering experience through summer em- ployment with engineering firms. The average Joe College engineer of today pretty well gets himself The Student Who Wonders ready to get on the gravy train by keeping his marks Then there is the student who has often thought of up to par and by entering into social and extra- getting an engineering job for the summer, but who curricular activities. This particular guy, however, hasn't gotten around to applying for such a job. hasn't thought about getting any practical engineering experience during the summer. He probably wonders: "How can a company give me a position where I can gain some practical experience if I am only going to be working for them for three Why . . . months?" The fact is that when a man is hired for summer employment, these companies will try to If you ever ask this fellow about summer employ- give him a job where he can gain some experience. ment in engineering, this is probably what he'll tell It is to their benefit as well as his that he gets this you: "I can't work for an engineering firm outside of practical experience. A student can gain a wealth of my hometown. If I did, I wouldn't have enough knowledge about engineering by just asking questions money to go back to school." But ask the fellow and by keeping his eyes and ears open while working who is planning to get a job outside of his hometown for an engineering firm for the summer. for the summer and who is also working his way For the freshman, sophomore and junior engineers, through college. He'll tell you, "Maybe I do have to now is the time to start thinking seriously about apply- save here and there throughout the year, but brother, ing for a job next summer. You may find that if you I figure it's worth it to gain some practical experience wait until next spring, the job that you would have in engineering before I get out on my own." Then liked to have had has already been taken by someone there is the guy who is going to ROTC summer camp. who was on his toes in the fall. The easiest way to get He isn't going to apply for a summer job, because he application blanks for a summer job with the compan- figures that no one will hire him for half a summer. ies of your choice is to ask for the forms at the place- The cagey fellow on the other hand gets a job after ment bureau on campus. When the companies with summer camp with a company that he knows will whom you have filed applications come on campus to hire ROTC students. The company that hired this interview the seniors, you, too, can interview these fellow is willing to hire ROTC students, because the companies with them. Through interviews, you can ROTC student, after he serves on active duty, is increase your chances of getting offers for summer better trained to supervise those who are assigned employment, and you will also find out just what each under him. company has to offer you in the way of experience Let's get back to Joe College. He's the guy that during summer employment. thinks that summer employment isn't going to help Here is an offer to get an education and to be him. He probably doesn't look at a job in engineering paid for getting it at the same time. Here is also for the summer as an excellent opportunity to get a chance for you to get ready to jump on the gravy professional contacts and references for future job train when it comes your way. Don't pass it up! 22 Spartan Engineer Good Connections ...electrically speaking New solderless method permits the making of Electrically powered "wire wrap" very closely spaced connections, as shown on tool (above) and compressed air this experimental terminal block. tool (below) for making wrapped solderless connections. G you see, we make more than a billion electrical OOD CONNECTIONS are mighty important to us for, connections each year. It takes that many to manu- capable of making mechanically sound solderless con- nections. Shown above are two tools now used at Western Electric manufacturing locations. They liter- facture and install complex telephone equipment in ally shoot wire onto terminals . . . and do it surer, faster the Bell System. and less expensively than conventional methods using solder. That's not all. The new "wire wrap" tool keeps That's why the revolutionary new method of making elec- equipment free from solder splashes, wire clippings and trical connections without solder—a method created by reduces bent and distorted terminals. Electrically, the Western Electric engineers together with their team- "wire wrap" tool gives a far better connection than can mates at Bell Telephone Laboratories—is indeed one be made manually . . . the high pressure contacts are of the significant engineering achievements of recent stronger, cleaner, more compact and more uniform. years. Like most really creative engineering jobs, the develop- In keeping with the Bell System policy of sharing technical ment of a tool to make solderless connections grew out know-how with all of industry, Western Electric will of a problem. We had to find a way to connect our make this tool commercially available to electrical newly designed wire spring relay to other components manufacturing companies, such as radio, television and in giant bays of switching equipment. This new relay- communications producers, through licensed tool manu- something of an engineering achievement itself—can facturers. have as many as 36 terminals in an area only 1-3/8" by You're right if you think we're more than a little pleased 11/16". Obviously, the conventional method of hand- with our accomplishment. And as we have been many wrapping and soldering wires onto the terminals is ex- times before, we're proud of the engineers in all fields— tremely difficult in such a small area. electronics, mechanical, electrical, metallurgical, chemi- After more than five years of research and experimenta- cal, industrial—who uphold our reputation for leader- tion, the engineers came up with a pistol-like power tool ship in fundamental manufacturing techniques. How a solderless connection is made: (1) Skinned wire ap- proaches the small flared open- ing in the tool tip, (2) Wire is inserted in hole. (3) Wire is bent and anchored by means of notch in side of gun tip. (4) Gun tip is slipped over rectang- ular wire terminal. (5) Spindle of gun tip rotates to wrap wire around terminal. (6) Six wire wraps around terminal com- plete electrically sound joint without soldering. A UNIT OF THE BELL SYSTEM SINCE 7832 Ai KI i . R^Himore Md • Indianapolis, Ind. • Allentown, Pa. • Winston-Salem, N. C. B a l t M a n u f a c h l r i n g p l a n t s i n Chicago, III. • Kearny, N. . ^ ! ' s M d p a u | M i m , ! . D u | u t h , Minn. Distributing Centers in 29 cities and Buffalo, N. Y . - Haverhill, Mass. • Lawrence, Mass. • Lincoln, Neb.. n. r a u , Installation headquarters in 15 cities Company headquarters, 195 Broadway, New York O t y . Job 1375S November 1953 23 out in front. by design! A dynamic industry, a pronrcssive company and automobile engineering are held by men who a f;n<>d start wilh basic, broad training are have had experience in designing—one of the important to a successful engineering career. most basic approaches to an engineering career. With that in mind, consider these lads: Yes, there's a great future in store for young engineers with well-rounded training in auto- First, the automobile industry continues to mobile designing—and this training is espe- expand. In fact, e x e r t s predict that 80,000,000 cially promising for young men with ability vehicles will he on the road by 1975. who want a career at Pontiac based on op- Second, probably no car has ever earned itself portunity, advancement and liberal General a more enviable position in the automobile Motors compensation and employment benefits. industry than Pontiac. Pontiac has pioneered Plan now to design—for a great future! many important advances in automobile engi- neering, advances that have been adopted by the entire industry. But there are many prob- lems still to be solved. Young men with fresh mwm ideas and new approaches—with the guidance of experienced engineers —will solve many of them. Pontiac's huge new engineering building is the industry's most modern, with every conceivable facility for design' Third, the majority of all leading positions in ing better and better Pontiacs. PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION • PONTIAC, MICHIGAN G E N E R A L M O T O R S C O R P O R A T I O N 24 Spartan Engineer You'll be at the head of the jet parade at Boeing niques and materials, and approaches communities offer a wide variety of rec- For long-range opportunities, it's hard to them without limitations. Extensive sub- reational opportunities. Both are fresh, beat the jet aircraft field. If you want to contracting and major procurement pro- modern cities with fine residential sec- get into this exciting branch of engineer- grams, all directed and controlled by tions and shopping districts, and schools ing after you graduate, get in at the engineers, afford varied experience and of higher learning where engineers can head of the parade—at Boeing. broad contacts and relationships. study for advanced degrees. Through the fighter-fast B-47 six-jet There are openings in ALL branches bomber, and the giant new eight-jet B-52, Aircraft development is such an inte- of engineering (mechanical, civil, elec- Boeing has acquired more experience de- gral part of our national life that young trical, aeronautical, and related fields), signing, flying and building multi-jet graduates can enter it with full expecta- for DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, aircraft than an)' other company, cither tion of a rewarding, long-term career. RESEARCH and TOOLING. Also for servo- here or abroad. In addition. Boeing is Boeing, now in its 37th year of opera- mechanism and electronics designers and the first American company to announce tion, employs more engineers today than analysts, and physicists and mathemati- its entry into the jet transport field. even at the peak of World War II. Its cians with advanced degrees. Engineering graduates will find in projects include guided missiles, research • • • the aviation industry an unusually wide on supersonic flight and nuclear power For further information range of experience, and great breadth for aircraft. consult vour Placement Office, or write: of application — from pure research to Boeing engineering activity is concen- JOHN C. SANDERS, Staff Engineer-Personnel production design, all going on at once trated at Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, Boeing Airplane Company, Seattle 14, Washington Boeing i s constantly alert to new tech- and Wichita in the Midwest. These November 1953 25 Reynolds expanding production — historic chapter in 33 years of continuing growth. A Fertile Place for Careers to Grow* A broad vista of opportunity opens up for college graduates who come to work for Reynolds. The phenomenal rise of the Reynolds Metals Company, known throughout business and industry, is clearly depicted by the above chart. The five-fold expansion in total production of aluminum ingot alone spells broad opportunity. Add to this the vast and productive fabricating facilities of Reynolds —in themselves an enterprise of considerable proportions—and here indeed is a fertile field for any ambitious engineer. From bauxite mining through metals refining and fabrication Settling tanks, where impurities are to application engineering, sales and marketing, Reynolds offers separated from sodium aluminate broad career opportunities. Operating 27 plants in 13 states, and still expanding, there is virtually no limit to what can be accom- plished by a capable graduate engineer. Preliminary orientation in production and sales... direct on-the- job training... liberal insurance, hospitalization and retirement programs... these are all parts of a sound personnel policy main- tained at Reynolds. For important information on "your future in Aluminum," mail the coupon. If you are definitely interested now, write direct Tube drawing, one of many mill to General Employment Manager, Reynolds Metals Company, operations at Reynolds 3rd and Grace Streets, Richmond 19, Va. REYNOLDS £& ALUMINUM Reynolds Metals Company, Employment Dept. Richmond 19, Virginia Please send me, FREE, your 96-page booklet "The ABC's of Aluminum"; also the 44-page book, "Reynolds Aluminum... and the Company that makes it." Name_ F o i l — f o r many uses, including Full color movies tell the fascinating Address _ colorful, protective packages and story of Reynolds Aluminum. 16mm labels; also famous Reynolds Wrap. films available for group showings. School— -Class -Course- 26 Spartan Engineer I (MILION s OF > LBS. BOO ... ' : ; 700 600 J00 1- • 1 ••••• OUtPUr INCluOIMG P1ANI5 VNt>E( CONSIRUCriON! > 400 > /I / I ] 300 Reynolds expanding production 1 100 —historic chapter in 33 years of continuing growth. A Fertile Place for Careers to Grow. A broad vista of opportunity opens up for college graduates who come to work for Reynolds. The phenomenal rise of the Reynolds Metals Company, known throughout business and industry, is clearly depicted by the above chart. The five-fold expansion in total production of aluminum ingot alone spells broad opportunity. Add to this the vast and productive fabricating facilities of Reynolds —in themselves an enterprise of considerable proportions—and here indeed is a fertile field for any ambitious engineer. From bauxite mining through metals refining and fabrication Settling tanks, where impurities are to application engineering, sales and marketing, Reynolds offers separated from sodium aluminate broad career opportunities. Operating 27 plants in 13 states, and still expanding, there is virtually no limit to what can be accom- plished by a capable graduate engineer. Preliminary orientation in production and sales... direct on-the- job training... liberal insurance, hospitalization and retirement programs... these are all parts of a sound personnel policy main- tained at Reynolds. For important information on "your future in Aluminum," mail the coupon. If you are definitely interested now, write direct Tube drawing, one of many mill to General Employment Manager, Reynolds Metals Company, operations at Reynolds 3rd and Grace Streets, Richmond 19, Va. REYNOLDS ff$ ALUMINUM Reynolds Metals Company, Employment Dept. Richmond 19, Virginia Please send me, FREE, your 96-page booklet "The ABC's of Aluminum"; also the 44-page book, "Reynolds A l u m i n u m . . . and the Company that makes it." Name- F o i l — f o r many uses, including Full color movies tell the fascinating Address. colorful, protective packages and story of Reynolds Aluminum. 16mm labels; also famous Reynolds Wrap. films available for group showings. School -Class -Course- 26 Spartan Engineer II There's a gold mine back of olds hall by Bruce Harding, Met. E. '54 Go out the west door of Olds Hall, turn left and entails and perhaps choose one as a vocation. These walk south for about a hundred feet, and go through phases are the "veins" of our goldmine, and we must the door of the foundry (if it is shut, open it first). dig into each a bit to determine just how promising Or, if you are more daring and love adventure, take is is; and, choosing one, we have to keep on digging the scenic route through the Power Lab and go out to get the gold out! the west door by the Cummins diesel. You will find yourself in "Death Alley," and if you manage to get Looking at the industry itself, we see that a foun- across it without being run over, go into the little dry is usually either ferrous or non-ferrous (seldom door slightly to the south (this door is similar to the both), but aside from this distinction there is that other and should be opened first). of the casting processes involved, and a foundry may specialize in only one or apply many. Most common Whichever path you have taken, you will find of these processes are, of course, green sand and dry yourself in a goldmine! There are all sorts of odd sand molding, and there is also investment (lost-wax) characters running about, pounding sand and mutter- casting, plaster casting, die casting, and permanent ing about "green" sand when it's all black or brown. mold casting. Recent additions to the growing list "This is a goldmine?!" you ask. True, our foundry are the "C", "D" and "P" processes, or the Croning doesn't look much like a goldmine, for it is the oppor- (shell), Dietert, and high-pressure processes respect- tunities which the student meets there which are ively, while there are also a few rarely used processes golden. The foundry industry itself offers a promising to round out the list. Just look at all of the different future to those entering it. Here in our own foundry fields of work the foundry has to offer you! Each of is an opportunity to get a taste of nearly every phase these processes has its own applications, but knowing of the cast metals industry, so we can know what each (Continued on page 52) LIN DELL Established 1910 DROP FORGE I.1 II.111'HI Incorporated 1923 Manufacturers of HIGH GRADE DROP FORGINGS 2830 SOUTH LOGAN LANSING 3, MICHIGAN TELEPHONE 4-5403 November 1953 27 CANDID SHOTS OF THENGINEERING EXPOSITION Spartan Engineer November 1953 Clubs a n d societies A.S.C.E. Highlight of the activities of the American Society of Civil Engineers was the annual student chapter- parent chapter joint banquet on November 3. Speak- NEW No.955 ers for this event were Lyle Ferris, of the United States Geological Survey, and Carl L. Shermer, professor of Electronic civil engineering at Michigan State College. Mr. Ferris' talk was on "Ground Water: It's Challenges and ^ Caliper Opportunities to the Engineer," while Mr. Shermer's talk was entitled, "Talking Turkey." The first activity of the ASCE this year was a "get- Here's another new aid to precision acquainted" meeting October 6, held in the Old production from Brown & Sharpe — enables you to specify closer toler- College Hall of the Michigan State Union Building. ances and know they're practical. Feature of the meeting were talks by Andrey A. Potter, This new No. 955 Electronic Caliper retired dean of engineering at Purdue University and permits production gaging in units from .0001" to .00001", often without removing work from machine or acting dean at Michigan State College; and by Harry fixture . . . or without lifting work from the bench. L. Conrad, president of the Christman Company, of Readings are taken on the No. 950 Electronic Amplifier. Lansing. Four interchangeable jaws provide a measuring range from 0" to 4" . . . only one master needed for each Attendance at this first meeting totaled approxi- setting. Aligning attachment also available to facilitate mately 75. Of those, about half were sophomores, measuring long work pieces. Write for the new illus- who had been to summer surveying camp, and faculty trated Bulletin. Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Providence 1, Rhode Island, U. S. A. members. The ASCE invites anyone interested in joining their organization to attend its bi-weekly Brown M Sharpe Tuesday night meetings. In addition to having its regular meetings this fall, the ASCE has sponsored a touch football team in the independent intramural league. The team started its season successfully with a 6-0 victory October 13. for your added convenience... a handy new package for AIEE-IRE The first joint AIEE-IRE meeting of the Fall term H I G G I I 1 S PEN CLEANER was attended by nearly 250 electrical engineering stu- dents. Prof. Ira B. Baccus, head of the Electrical It would be difficult indeed to improve on the popular Engineering Department, and Prof. I. O. Ebert ex- cleaner which makes all your pens and instruments better than new . . . but we now make it even easier for you to use! plained the purposes of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and Institute of Radio Engineers, respectively. At its second meeting on October 27th, Mr. D. L. Chestnut of the Educational Sales Section of General Electric spoke on "Developments in the Power Field." The officers this year are: Gene Lazarus, president; Wayne Scutt, vice president; John Clark, treasurer; Dick Pfeil, AIEE secretary; and Bill Bartley, IRE secretary. TAU BETA PI A plastic strainer in each 6 oz. Simply lift strainer to retrieve jar invites you to drop instru- thoroughly cleansed instruments Leo Jedynak, president of Michigan Alpha Chapter ments and parts unconcernedly without soiling fingers and with- at Michigan State College, attended Tan Beta Pi's in cleaner. out clumsy fishing in jar. 48th national convention at Clemson College, South ODORLESS Carolina, on October 8, 9, and 10. The convention NON-INFLAMMABLE was attended by student delegates from 90 under- NON-VOLATILE • HARMLESS TO HANDS, graduate chapters. Four new undergraduate chapters CLOTHING, PENS AND INSTRUMENTS were granted charters at the convention. The new chapters are at Brown University, University of Den- H I G G I I 1 S INK CO.. DVC. MUMMY*. «W TOM 6 oz. (ar ver, University of Rhode Island, and the University of Toledo. 30 Spartan Engineer Owner gbes round the world in 4 0 seconds! With this new multi-wave port- There's real one-handed port- able you can circle the globe in ability, too. The Strato-World is the time it takes to twist a dial. a trim 23 pounds, with batteries That's because the RCA Victor . . . or it can be plugged into an Strato-World radio has Elec- electrical outlet. Smartly styled, tronic Band Spread Tuning. with genuine cowhide case! Instead of being squeezed to- Here is the performance, the gether on one band segment, engineering and design you've short-wave stations are in spread come to expect from RCA Victor, formation across the dial of your a division of the Radio Corpora- 7-band Strato-World. You tune tion of America. See this globe- London, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo trotting, pace-setting portable at just like local stations. your RCA Victor dealer's. CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION WITH PAY-AT RCA • Advanced development and design of • Development and design of new re- Graduate Electrical Engineers: RCA cording and producing methods. Victor—one of the world's foremost manu- AM and FM broadcast transmitters, R-F induction heating, mobile communications • Design of receiving, power, cathode facturers of radio and electronic products ray. gas and photo tubes. equipment, relay systems. — offers you opportunity to pain valuable, Write today to College Relations Divi- well-rounded training and experience at • Design of component parts such as coils, loudspeakers, capacitors. sion, RCA Victor, Camden, New Jersey. a Rood salary with opportunities for ad- vancement. Here are only five of the many Also many opportunities lor Mechanical and Chemical Engineers and Physicists. Projects which offer unusual promise: • Development and design of radio re- ceivers (includinff broadcast, short-wave RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA and FM circuits, television, and phono- B'aph combinations). World leader in radio —first in television November 1953 31 The engineering council This is the first of a series of articles designed The general organization of the Council resembles to acquaint you with the Engineering Council. that of most other groups. The offices of president, As an engineering student at Michigan State secretary, and treasurer entail the usual responsibili- College, you should know how the Council can ties, but in this organization the talents of the vice- help you and also how you can help the Council. president too are employed. He automatically becomes chairman of the Engineering Exposition. Other offi- cers include the sergeant-at-arms and the publicity director. At present the members of the Council are busily working on their first project of the year, the annual semi-formal dance. It has become traditional to hold the dance before the Thanksgiving holidays, and that's how it gets its name, the Holiday Bail. This year the Engineering Queen, who reigns over the Holiday Ball and the Engineering Exposition, is being chosen in conjunction with the dance. The Engineering Exposition is the major project of the Engineering Council. It is an annual event, held each spring, and consists of displays designed by industrial firms and also by students. Students, their parents, and everyone else who is interested, are free to walk through the buildings housing the various exhibits. They are given a chance to observe engi- neering as it is put to work in industry and also a chance to see what is going on in the engineering departments on campus. A feature of the Exposition is a speech by an outstanding industrialist. Also on hand is an interesting show that explains in simple non-technical language the principles of operation of many of our present day machines and the plans for those of tomorrow. The Exposition is a joint pro- ject of the Council and the various Engineering societies. At the Engineering Exposition visitors see new developments in engineering, engineering equipment, and the school of engineering. The Council aids the School of Engineering in the operation of JETS. JETS, which stands for Junior Engineering Training for Schools, was instituted to The Engineering Council is comprised of student give high school students information about the en- representatives from all the engineering organizations gineering profession and the college engineering on campus. Each engineering society, such as the curriculum upon which to base their career decisions, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, sends the plan has been very successful and at the present three representatives, one sophomore, and two upper- time there are over thiity-fi ve such groups in the classmen; while the honorary fraternities such as state of Michigan. Tau Beta Pi, are entitled to one member. In addi- The Council maintains a list of the programs which tion, the Spartan Engineer sends three representatives. are available to the various societies and also posts Several times a month these representatives get to- a calendar in Olds Hall listing the dates of all organ- gether to discuss and plan the projects of the Council. ization meetings. If they find that they need help, they can call upon either Mr. Anderson, their general advisor, or their The Engineering Council performs an important financial advisor, Mr. Rotty. and necessary function in coordinating the activities ot the engineering school. 32 Spartan Engineer What's Happening at CRUCIBLE a&ouf REX HIGH SPEED tool bits Many millions of REX High / , Speed Tool Bits have been produced, in recent years, at Crucible's Sanderson-Halcomb Works, Syracuse, New York. Our Tool Bit Department is actually a manufacturing plant in itself, where production is counted in pieces—in sharp contrast to the larger production units of most other phases of steelmaking. REX High Speed Tool Bits are made from high quality high-speed steel bar stock, produced at Crucible's Sanderson-Halcomb Mill. Bars are cut to tool bit lengths, heat-treated, grit- blasted or ground, and inspected. TUMBLING — Prior to inspection and packaging, REX High Speed Tool Bits are cleaned by tumbling. HARDENING-Small batches of REX High Speed Tool Bits are hardened in modern salt bath furnaces. The bits are then quenched in either salt or oil. STOCKS - REX High Speed Tool Bits are stocked in standard packages in Crucible's warehouses. Uniformity Each individual REX High Speed Tool Bit possesses the same uniform high quality. Each bit is inspected by the magnetic particle method . . . and representative bits are tested for microstruc- ture and hardness. These tests control quality of the finished product... insure that REX bits will give higher production from each grind, and a minimum of "down-time" on your machine. TEMPERING - Tempering is done in circulating air furnaces. All of the steps illustrated help insure a correct combination of Crucible Engineering Service Available maximum red hardness, toughness and abrasion-resistance neces- Crucible engineers are available to work with you sary {or continuous high cutting efficiency. in the selection of the proper REX grade for highest cutting efficiency on your particular job. CRUCIBLE first name in special purpose steels O O ^ M W oZ. CRUCIBLE STEEL COMPANY OF AMERICA, GENERAL SALES OFFICES, OLIVER BUILDING, PITTSBURGH, PA. Spring Works, Pittsburgh, Pa. Midland Works, Midland, Pa. • Spauld W t ^ n ^ , c o m b Works, S y r a c T 5 . T T * & « Tube Company, East Troy, Wisconsin National Drawn Works, East Liverpool, Ohio 33 November 1953 extinguishable lengths. The exhaust port is a R & L Circuits series of small holes in a fiber section. This ar- (Continued from page 15) rangement prevents the arc from generating excess energy while its products of ionization to give two breaks in series. As the movable contacts open downward, an arc is drawn in each tube — one are expelled. in the generating chamber and the other in the vent- Numerical Factors of Asymmetry ing or exhaust chamber. The arc in the generating Modern circuit reclosers have minimum opening chamber creates gas pressure that forces the cool oil times from one-half to one cycle (time from fault initia- IKIIII the cross-blast chamber across the arc in the tion to contact separation). Arc energy in the form of exhaust chamber and through the exhaust port. The heat will be generated during the next half cycle to are in the exhaust chamber is thus extinguished as its cycle and a half. The heating effect of a sinusoidal products of ioni/.ation are expelled through the ex- current is represented by its RMS value. Thus, the haust port. measure of a recloser's difficulty of interruption due to transients can be determined by the RMS value of the asymmetric current. For practical purposes, AIEE recommends a particular time for asymmetric current measurements rather than integrating instantaneous power over a time interval. A logical time for mea- surement is the minimum opening time of one-half cycle. The RMS value of an asymmetric current is defined by AIEE as the square root of the sum of the squares of the direct current component and the RMS alternating current component: ~J~ * ac See Figure 4 with circuit X/R = 1. One-half cycle after voltage zero circuit initiation, the direct current component has decayed to 0.3 amps. The alternating current RMS value is 7.07 amps. Then: I asy = V0.3 2 + 7.072 Iasy = 7.09 amps The heating value of the asymmetric current is 1.003 times greater than the alternating current RMS heating value one-half cycle after circuit initiation, or, the RMS factor of I a s y / I a c = 1-003. See Figure 5 with circuit X/R = 8: I™ = 6.68 FIGURE 7. Kyle Type "E" Cross-Blast Arc amps, I a c = 7.07 amps, then I aiiy = 9.74 amps. Interrupting Structure. The RMS factor of I a s y / I a c = 1.378. See Figure 6 A successful interruption by a circuit recloser de- with X/R == 20: I J c = 8.55 amps, I a c = 7.07 pends upon its ability to extinguish the arc (or, build amps, then I asy = 11.1 amps. The RMS° factor of up dielectric faster than recovery voltage) before * a s y/I a c = 1-57- As X/R approaches infinity, the energy is generated in sufficient quantity to destroy Ia s y /I a c factor approaches 1.732, or V37 the device. Arc energy, from parting of contacts to current extinction, is the sum of the product of instan- Figure 8 shows I a s y / I a c factors one-half cycle after taneous arc voltages and currents. From this view- circuit initiation (at voltage zero) for various X/R point, the asymmetric current with the highest instan- values. Figure 8 provides multiplying factors to con- taneous values generates the greatest amount of arc vert from symmetrical current values to asymmetrical energy. If the energy is generated in excess quantity, current values. Hence, if the X/R of a fault circuit several detrimental actions take place: and the symmetrical fault current are known, multi- 1. The metallic electrodes give a violent emission plying the symmetrical fault current by the proper of new electrons. This burning effect not only numerical factor will give the RMS asymmetrical reduces the contact mass but also increases the current that a recloser would be required to interrupt. F r gas bubble ionization, which reduces dielectric ° fx^,mPle> consider the application of a Kyle build-up. The possibility of arc reignition after Type "E" recloser capable of interrupting 2500 a current zero is thus increased. amperes symmetrical current. If a fault occurs at 2. Excess liberated heat causes intense oil dis- system voltage zero and the fault circuit has an association into carbon and gases. Also, with X/R = 8, the recloser must be able to interrupt longer arc duration, the bubble grows to enor- 1.38 X 2500 = 3450 amperes RMS. Thus, Figure mous dimensions. 8 provides multiplying factors to obtain an asymmet- 3. Fiber members in contact tube structures burn rical interrupting rating for a recloser. and deteriorate rapidly with excess heat. Fiber parts are used as exhaust ports in cross-blast re- Effect of Load Current closers to keep arcs in shorter and more easily In the previous discussion there was no current prior to circuit initiation. However, circuit reclosers 34 Spartan Engineer normally carry a load current determined by the cir- fault component now is less than the fault steady state cuit impedance. The occurrence of a fault reduces alternating current value, and the resulting fault asym- this impedance to a lower value and results in fault metric current has been reduced. Logically, since I asy current initiation. Maximum fault asymmetric current is less, the factor of asymmetry will be less. This is is possible when there is no load current. Any load understandable from a recloser's viewpoint of easier current with a lagging power factor reduces the ini- interruption due to decreased arc energy. tial transient fault component and thereby reduces the maximum fault asymmetric current. The initial transient fault component will have a value equal to the difference between the fault steady state alter- nating current and the load alternating current. Con- sider fault initiation at voltage wave zero in a circuit with X/R = 8. See Figure 9. The initial transient .— -— y •— — - 7 3 4 5 6 T B 9 I 0 U 20 3 SO 6O TO 8 0 K>0 CIKCUCT « / " FIGURE 8. RMS Current Factors One-Half Cycle After Instant of Circuit Ini- FIGURE 9. Fault Current Asymmetry Reduc- tiation for Various X/R Values. tion by Load Current. Reprinted from "THE LINE" of the Line Material Co. CREATING SOMETHING SMALLER . . . I j unique-core type movement full bridge meter movement TO BUILD SOMETHING B I G G E R Problem . . . how do you engineer a 100,000 ohms per volt sensitivity tester so that it will fit into a 7 inch case with a dial that is practically as large as the case? The Simpson full bridge meter movement has performed exceptionally well for many years. This new challenge, however, meant one thing—the compact meter movement had to be made even smaller . . . more sensitive. A unique core type movement was designed by Simpson engineers. Its specifications for accuracy are so extremely rigid that unusual production methods had to be devised to build these core type movements in commercial quantities. Simpson engi- neers did this, too. Today, laboratories, manufacturers, schools, and television servicemen have available to them a completely portable volt- ohm-microammeter . . .an electronic tester so sensitive tnat many of its 33 ranges are comparable in sensitivity to those of a vacuum tube voltmeter. In addition, this unusua product eliminates practically all of the disadvantages of a v i V M . . . MODEL 269 $88.00 drift, tube replacement, warm-up time, resulting in necessity for recalibration,—no AC outlet or line cord required. FIRST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE This is just one more example showing what creative engi- 100,000 OHMS PER VOLT SENSITIVITY neering can do to solve a problem. VOLT-OHM-MICROAMMETER IN A 7" CASE oitt ELECTRIC COMPANY In Canada: Bach.S.mpson. Ltd.. London. Ont. 5200 W. Kinzie St.. Chicago 44 • EStebrook 9 1 1 2 1 35 November 1953 Atomic Blonde (Continued from page 19) having tea with her, I must insist on being present, to ensure that nothing classifiable as Security is dis- cussed." Then there was more trouble, which ended in Apples marching off in high dudgeon. That evening Apples talked of nothing else but the blonde. She was over-bearing, petty authority at its worst, without sense or dignity, and probably had designs on me. At this point, Apples abandoned all pretense of impartiality and dissected poor Wilberforce with venom, touching her peroxided hair, irregular features, artificial bosom, Three cables in one! That lack of dress sense, and ending by wondering how she was the solution sought, for supplying acquired such expensive nylons. power, operational control and com- munication to a pumping house 4'/ 2 miles off shore in Lake Okee- Next morning the blonde met me with a lecture, chobee, Florida. obviously prepared, on the dangers of associating As usual, Okonite engineers were consulted on the problem. Their studies showed that it was possible to combine a three-fold function with women not personally vouched for by the Prime in one cable. This was accomplished by the use of Okolite high- Minister or, preferably, Miss Wilberforce. \oluge insulation whose electrical characteristics permitted carrier Current to be superimposed on the power conductors. The next week was ghastly. The job was no more The result was a single Okonite-insulated cable—steel-armored for than monotonous repetition work — no smoking work the 4'/2 underwater miles, with a non-metallic sheath for an addi- at that. The loneliness got on my nerves, but if I tional 2'/2 miles underground —which supplies not only power and emerged from the lab., I was treated like a leper by operation control, but a communication circuit as well. the unfortunates I had displaced. Of course, there • • • was always Miss Wilberforce. Decorative though she Tough jobs arc the true test of electrical cable . . . and was, I found her trying. For instance, she began to installations on such jobs usually turn out to be Okonite. go through my bookcase and found the International Critical Tables. She was horrified. • • insulated wires and cables 8787 "Good Heavens!" she said, "Published in Germany! As Unrestricted! What can they be thinking of? These results should have gone to the Allied Control Commission, who would circulate them to such scien- tists as are interested and reliable. But to publish them like this, so that anyone can read them! I must send my Branch a report at once." Then she found a paper by an Englishman in which DEMINERALIZERS he gave Russian references and she wrote another report. I believe the poor man's home life was ruined Provide by Special Precautions men snooping round him. He thought his wife was trying to get evidence for a High-test, Mineral-free divorce, while his neighbours thought they were C.I.D. men, after him as a confidence trickster. »w WATER And every day I was lectured by the tall, beautiful, earnest Wilberforce on the dangers of consorting with Per Thousand Gallons untrustworthy brunettes, and every evening I was Darnstcad Demineralizers increase •Hi lectured by the small, lovable, spiteful Apples on the dangers of working with unprincipled, man-hungry production, reduce rejects, and insure ii blondes. Apples still called for me for lunch and tea, better product control. Barnstead De- and the few minutes she and the blonde were together mineralizers produce high- test, mineral-free water for as in the office were the most unpleasant of the day. little as 5c per 1000 gallons, What with one thing and another, I was relieved to with a minimum of supervi- sion and maintenance. be called to Bottlewell for a conference. I had hoped to return by lunch-time on the next day, but it was late afternoon when I got back. Miss Wilberforce was sitting behind her desk looking un- commonly smug. She was obviously bursting with news. 45 Lanesville Terrace "Something happened, Miss Wilberforce?" Forest Hills Boston 31, Mass. "Yes, Mr. Staggers. It has turned out that my suspi- cions were justified after all. Today at lunchtime I 36 Spartan Engineer found Miss Appleton going through the secret files "What is it, Staggers?" barked the colonel. "And on my desk." why me?" "You did what?" "My information concerns the woman, Wilberforce, "Yes, Mr. Staggers. I detained her, and the Special and, since Captain Fluellen O.K.'d her, I insisted on Precautions Branch has now taken her into custody." seeing you. It is only fair to us both. Colonel Meek, "You did what?" Wilberforce is politically unreliable." I found myself advancing upon her, with no defi- The two men looked at one another in dismay, but, nite purpose in mind, but a great anger in my heart. I was interested to see, without surprise. Looking very alarmed, she slid around the desk and "My God," said Meek, "Another of 'em." made for the door, endeavoring to remain mistress "The last one," said Fluellen, defensively, "was of the situation. Kaspar. He was O.K.'d by you." "Well, if you don't need me any more today, I must "What have you got?" said Meek to me. go and report to the Branch." "She reads the Times at work. I noticed she was And she ran off down the corridor. very careful not to leave it about, so I took care to For a moment, I stood helpless. It seemed impossi- have a look at it. Gentlemen, the middle pages are ble to do anything in the face of a vast anonymous missing and, instead she has the Daily Worker inside! organism like the Security Precautions Branch. Then Also, I have seen her reading something which looks I remembered I had a lead — Fluellen. If I could per- suspiciously like one of Lenin's books. I tested her suade the blonde she was wrong — but that was hope- by misquoting the Communist Manifesto, and she less. She had her knife into Apples and was obviously corrected me." delighted with what she had done. The only thing They were looking very doubtful, but, as I had was to remove her — no, that was no use — discredit hoped, they could not reject it outright as rubbish. her, that was the thing. Discredit her so that her "But surely," said Fluellen, "it's a bit thin . . . " evidence was no longer trustworthy. There was only one way to do that in the eyes of her branch. She must "Of course it is!" I cried. "That's why I didn't come be proved to be politically unreliable. Proved? Non- to you before. I didn't want to make wild accusations, sense. It was-a piece of cake. But it had to be done but I didn't like-the idea of her being free of the lab., quickly. Fluellen was the man. I spent a very hasty so I asked Miss Appleton to keep an eye on her while five minutes meddling with Miss Wilberforce's desk, I was away. And what do I find when I return? Miss then I dashed around to the War House, to be halted Appleton — a woman for whose patriotism I have the in the hall by a cordon of commissionaires, flourishing highest regard, a woman whom I would entrust with forms. From what I had heard, it was impossible to my life and whom I have frequently entrusted with get past them without at least an hour's delay. I my honour — Miss Appleton in jail on some trumped- took a form. It was about double foolscap size and up charge brought by this crypto-Connnunist. Obvi- had fifty-one questions on it. Ignoring the questions, ously she found out something and this — this Wilber- I wrote right across it force — is trying to discredit her." "There may be an innocent explanation . . . ," began Staggers to Fluellen. Information re Red Fluellen, when Meek broke in: infiltration into Operation Flowerpot. Urgent. "Fluellen, I see you are at great pains to defend I called for envelopes and sealing wax and, before Wilberforce." the eyes of the astonished commissionaires, went They eyed one another, and I could feel the mistrust through the ritual prescribed for dealing with Most Secret documents. At last I handed over a package between them growing every second. of about six envelopes, one inside the other, all "It is true," said Meek, "that Miss Appleton made smothered in wax seals. It worked. A messenger shot no reference to this when she was interrogated." off and arrived back for me in about five minutes, "Did you expect her to? Held prisoner by what panting hard. He ushered me in to Fluellen's office she believes to be the accomplices of a Russian spy?" and closed the door, which locked automatically. The I sprang to my feet. "Good heavens, she's probably office had the dead air of a carefully sound-proofed expecting to be beaten with rubber truncheons at room. There were no windows. Fluellen came straight any time. We must go to her at once!" to the point. This was the crucial moment and, fortunately, Meek was persuaded. You say urgent. What's wrong? More spies?" "We must indeed. Fluellen, get a car." "Worse than that, Fluellen. But first, who O.K.'d When Fluellen had left Meek turned to me. the woman Wilberforce for Special Precautions work?" "A good man, but susceptible. A pretty face, you "I did. Why?" know . . . But he's basically sound, I'm sure . . . I "Then, I'm sorry, Fluellen, I can't talk in front of think." He heaved a great sigh. "Can't trust anyone you alone. Can we see your superior?" these days." Thoroughly alarmed. Fluellen grabbed his red During the drive we were silent and I caught scrambler telephone. Two minutes later we were in Fluellen and Meek exchanging glances, wary, worried, a colonel's room, swapping identifying documents till puzzled glances. When the drive ended there followed w e appeared to be playing three-handed nap. At last, honour was satisfied. (Continued on page 38) November 1953 37 "Miss Appleton, I must make my apologies and Atomic Blonde amends for this terrible error at some other time. I ((Continued from page 37) am in too much haste now to do more than tell you the wearisome business of identification and the un- you are free. Mr. Staggers, transport will be laid on locking and locking of doors, till the last door opened to get you and Miss Appleton home. Captain Fluellen, on Apples. I was relieved to see that, apart from a you must consider yourself suspended from duty until steel door, the cell was no worse than a hostel room. there has been a thorough investigation." Then Apples was in my arms, sobbing bitterly. I "And you, sir?" carried her over to a chair, sat down with her on my knees and, for some time, paid no attention at all to "I shall get Wilberforce." And he was gone. Meek and Fluellen. When at last she had recovered, I felt a sudden twinge of conscience. I told her we now knew it was all a ghastly mistake "What will happen to the blonde, Fluellen?" and then said, "Oh, nothing much. Shan't shoot her or anything, "Tell us what really happened in Room 21." if that's what you mean. Probably give her a job "I thought you were coming back for lunch, so I where she can't get into mischief. Counting birds on went down to see if you were there. The office was St. Kilda or something like that." empty, but I could hear someone moving about in On the way back to College, I told Apples how I the lab. and I assumed it was you. I thought I'd wait had rescued her. She was very grateful to me, but I and was just picking up the Times off that woman's thought it very bad taste of her to gloat over the desk when she came in and accused me of going blonde's predicament. through her papers." "I hope they never let her go. Oh, dear, but what I hastened to make capital of this. will happen when they find out she doesn't read the Worker and so on?" "Notice, gentlemen," I said, "Wilberforce was in the lab.: she came out to find not only that her prying "You know all the desks in the department open was discovered, but also that Miss Appleton was with one key? Well, when they look inside her desk about to open her Times. She had to work fast. And they will find a copy of today's Times with the Worker she did." inside it. As well as a copy of Volume II of Lenin's Works, with an Agatha Christie dust-jacket round it. Meek was completely convinced. (Continued on page 40) DISTEL HEATING COMPANY Established 1922 Air Conditioning Power Plants Plumbing; Refrigeration 1120 Sheridan Industrial Piping P. O. Box 298 LANSING, MICHIGAN Heating Automatic Sprinklers Spartan Engineer Can you our future gh this Window? nor include production in government owned pEcmts built This is an aluminum operated by Alcoa during World War 2. window, one of four million that will go into What can this mean buildings in 1953. Twenty as a career for you? years ago, it was just an idea in the mina of an Alcoa development engineer. Ten This is a production chart . . . shows the millions of years ago, only a few thousand were made pounds of aluminum produced by Alcoa each year be- annually. Now, production is increasing tween 1935 and 1952. Good men did good work to create this record. You can work with these same men, at the rate of over half a million a year. learn from them and qualify yourself for continually This is just one of a torrent of new uses for developing opportunities. And that production curve— aluminum which means that Alcoa must is still rising, we're still expanding, and opportunities for young men joining us now are almost limitless. continue to expand. Consider the opportunities Ever-expanding Alcoa needs engineers, metallurgists, for you if you choose to grow with us. and technically minded "laymen" for production, re- search and sales positions. If you graduate soon, if you want to be with a dynamic company that's "going places", get in touch with us. Benefits are many, stability is a matter of proud record, opportunities are unlimited. For more facts, consult your Placement Director. ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA, Pittsburgh, Penna. Alcoa Aluminum ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA 39 November 1953 HOW TO CREATE Atomic Blonde (Continued from page 38) SUCCESSFUL I got the Worker from the Union and the Lenin is one of my books." DESIGNS "You are clever; Staggers, darling, you think of everything." And she went on being grateful to me. S IMPLY being able to create a unique machine design is no longer enough to insure a success- I saw her to her rooms and then I went back to the Department and found the place was buzzing with gossip. Meek had descended on the place with an ful career in product engineering. armed posse and "got Wilberforce" and the contents Today, more than ever before, a of her desk. I was standing in the office, picturing her counting seagulls on St. Kilda and thinking that machine design must be strong no matter what Apples said, it was, in a way, a waste and durable, yet be the lowest in of good material, when Prof. Yardstick came in. cost, to be acceptable to company "Ah, Staggers. Just the man. What's all this about management. Miss Whatshername?" As a result, many new designs "She has been taken into custody as a Communist are of welded steel construction spy, sir." and existing designs are being "I see. I'm afraid she has been wasting her time. converted to eliminate excessive I had a visit this afternoon from Hereward of Bottle- well. It seems they have made an error —a purely material and to reduce the number clerical error, I gather, but one having serious conse- of shop manhours needed for quences for us. It would appear that a clerk in typing fabrication. out some minutes got the formula of one of our com- pounds wrong — I forget exactly what, an amino in- stead of amido and a two instead of two dash, I think. The result is that we are working on the wrong reac- tion. Even worse, the correct reaction has been thor- Fig. 1. Former Design. oughly studied and its constants tabulated over the Machine part re- range in which Bottlewell are interested." quired milling, and drilling. Weighed 18 "Oh, Lor. Does that mean I'm out of a job again, pounds, twice as sir?" much as steel design* "Not exactly, Staggers. I pointed out to Hereward that there has been a large sum of money expended on useless apparatus, and if the grant were cancelled, although they might be able to hush it up, we should have to have some explanation to offer in our annual report to the Duke. Whereas if the present grant were Fig.2. Present Construction. continued and used on some other project, the expendi- Bearing Housingand arms are10gaugemetal. Weighs ture already incurred could be written off as for pre- only 8lA pounds. Cost 30% liminary investigations. Hereward was inclined to less to manufacture. demur, especially when I pointed out that you had a good case for continuing your work on isobol — or should I have said a plausible case? — but when I HOW TO DESIGN FOR WELDED STEEL suggested that there might be Questions in the House, As a result of such economies, it is and that the newspapers at present are rather keen on important that forward-thinking Misapplication of Public Funds, he gave in." engineers maintain close contact And the old blackmailer broke into a hearty chuckle. with the rapid progress in the arc "Do you mean I can junk this and go back to isobol? welding industry. Latest data on "Go back? Certainly not. Go ahead on isobol, you mean. Get out that design in stainless steel, Staggers; design for welded steel construc- we've got enough steel coming to build a battleship. tion is available in bulletins and And if you need any Smithium — we've got dollars as handbooks. Write to The Lincoln well. So, as Mr. Smith used to say, 'Get crackling'." Electric Co., Cleveland 17, Ohio. And he departed, still chuckling. THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY Cleveland 17, Ohio THE WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURER 01 Mother, are there skyscrapers in heaven? ARC WELDING EQUIPMENT No, dear, engineers build skyscrapers. Spartan Engineer 40 MODERN FARMERS like J. A. Parks of Maloy, Iowa, corn. Now, on many mechanized farms, it is done in using the gang plow above, can produce much more in fewer than 11 man-hours. In addition, the shift from much less time than the farmer of just a few years ago. animal power to machine power released about 72,000,- In the horse-powered days of farming it took as many 000 acres of cropland from producing feed for horses as 35 man-hours to produce and harvest an acre of and mules to producing food for the nation's tables. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN BEHIND THE PLOW? THE "man behind the plow" is still very much Yet America has never been better fed. It has in the picture, but he's up front now. And because never been better equipped to export needed foods he is, you and your family—-even the world—are to other countries for normal requirements, or to better fed today. combat famine—an ally of communism—wherever Not many years ago the American farmer walked it appears. behind the old horse-drawn plow, worked longer Never have so few fed so many so well. hours and produced much less than he does today. To help make ours a more a b u n d a n t land, But that was before the development of the "hired Standard Oil pioneered in delivering petroleum hands" that never tire—the tractors, trucks and products right to the farmers' doors in the quan- implements which do the work of many men, and tities needed and at reasonable prices. This on- the petroleum fuels and lubricants which keep them the-spot delivery, started way back in 1910, was running. vital to the rapid growth of mechanized farming in In the last 50 years or so, while America's popu- the Middlewest—one of the most productive agri- lation was growing from 75,000,000 to more than cultural regions in the world. 150,000,000 a remarkable change was taking place So many rural customers have learned to de- in agriculture. Today 8,000,000 fewer persons on pend on Standard Oil products and services that America's farms are producing food for 75,000,000 we now serve far more Midwestern farmers than more Americans. any other oil company. Standard Oil Company (STANDARD) 910 South Michigan Avenue Chicago 80, Illinois November 1953 41 Electric Curtain the water flow stops when the current is turned off. (Continued /rum page 17) In 1879 one Helmholtz explained this phenomenon Water seems to dribble from the cathodes, in slowly mathematically (which we aren't going to do). In a decreasing quantities, as long as the current is on. cylindrical capillary tube filled with water, we must When we \ isited the project on March 9, all piles had distinguish between the free water and a boundary been driven, the floor and walls of the duct trenches film of water adjacent to the capillary wall — this last had been poured, and about half the base slab, from Helmholtz called a "double layer" because he assumed trenches to old plant, had been placed. Current to the existence of opposite electric charges on two layers electrodes along the old building wall and part way forming the double layer. across adjacent ends had been discontinued. One part of the double layer, very thin in compari- Some of the remaining electrodes had been dis- son with total thickness of the double layer, and which connected, though those still hooked up were dis- carries the negative charges, is rigidly attached to <-barging a small amount of water. The rest of the the wall. The much thicker part of the double layer, dab was yet to be poured, and excavation — with carrying the positive charges, is movable. clamshell and clay spades — was under way for some When an electric potential is applied to the capil- deep sump pumps — again without sheeting or any lary, the positive charges move toward the negative ground support. pole, dragging the water molecules of the double layer Dr. Leo Casagrande explained the principles of along with them. In turn, the cylinder of free water, electro-osmosis stabilization of soils in a paper pre- completely surrounded by the double layer, is also sented before the Structural Section, Boston Society dragged along. This phenomenon is known as electric- of Civil Engineers, on January 10, 1951. osmotic flow. Skipping a lot of high-powered mathematics, we'll That's the simple explanation of the process. If try to present Dr. Casagrande's explanation of the the cathode is open to admit the flow, such as a well- physical principles involved. Remember, we are talk- point, the water will be forced into the pipe and up ing only about fine-grained silt and clay soils, where to the open top with an unbelievably high pressure — the pore size is microscopic and water movement is up to 6,000 psf. by capillary action. As the capillaries are freed of water, they shrink, In 1807 one Reuss discovered that if an electric and thus the ground consolidates and becomes stabil- potential is applied to a porous diaphragm, the water ized. As an experiment, one cathode was extended moves through the capillaries toward the cathode; (Continued on page 54) • ALBANENE.• a K&E product,!* the preferred tracing paper In thousands of drafting rooms. It is transparentized not with messy oils that leak, but with a special synthetic fmn parentizer developed by K&E. ALBANENE Toes "not Turn tranSparenc w i t h time flCod e aVnew os new. * - After years . T r o d eitMiosr k«@ Drafting, Reproduction and KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. Surveying Equipment and Materials, N E W YORK • HOBOKEN, N . J Slide Rules. Chicago • St. louis • Detroit • San Francisco • los Angele, . Montreal Measuring Tapes. 42 Spartan Engineer THE DU PONT DIGEST The characteristics of a super-pressure pump, designed by Du Pont engineers and made in Du Pont shops, are studied by Ralph C. Gruhb, B.S.M.E., Tennessee '61, and Paul D. Kohl, Design B.S.M.E., Purdue '46. AND DEVELOPMENT Call for Knowledge, Ingenuity, Teamwork Making new products in large amounts, devising new proc- esses, and improving old ones—such problems are the job of Design and Development. An example was the development Albert Rand, B.S.M.E., M.I.T. '50 (right) of a large-scale process for making "Orion" acrylic fiber develops controls for chemical equipment. starting from small laboratory samples of polyacrylonitrile. Quantity production of polymer was only a beginning. A whole set of new and unusual problems arose in spinning the fiber, because polyacrylonitrile decomposes before it melts, and it dissolves only in high-boiling solvents. A team of Du Pont technical men—chemical and mechan- ical engineers, instrumentation specialists, metallurgists, and materials handling experts undertook to find a solution. Here are a few of the problems they met: Carl Hellman, B.S.Ch.E., Syracuse '50, and 1. Solve problems in heat transfer and fluid flow J. M. McKelvey, Ph.D.Ch.E., Washington 7 arising from the fact that the spinning solution 50, search for new ways to coat plastic on wire. must be blanketed with inert gas to prevent fire hazards. ASK FOR "Chemical Engineers at Du Pont." New illustrated booklet de- 2. Design a system for controlling the tempera- scribes initial assignments, training and paths of promotion. Just send post card ture of the viscous spinning solution within ±0.5°F. to E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. at hundreds of points in the plant. (Inc.), 2521 Nemours Building, Wil- mington, Delaware. Also available: "Du Pont Company and the College 3. Design new mechanisms for winding yarn at Graduate" & "Mechanical Kngineers at Du Pont." high speed without any deviation in yarn tension. 4. Design air conditioning and ventilating sys- tems to remove fumes from specific spots, but still allow easy access to all areas. Among Du Pont's many research and engineering activi- BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING . . . THROUGH CHEMISTRY ties, Design and Development jobs provide great oppor- tunity for the knowledge, ingenuity, and teamwork capaci- Watch "Cavalcade of America," on Television ties of men in a great variety of technical fields. 43 November 1953 Question A large forging company in the East had a contract to make a certain size turbine blade. The small drop forge which they had planned to use had only enough power to give all but the last "whack" required to finish the blade. The cost of their next larger press was prohibitive, and a great waste of power would be involved, so they found a way to use the smaller press. How would you have done it? Answer All but the last "whack" were performed as usual, and then the operator brushed a volatile oil onto the die surfaces, and this oil exploded on the last drop of the press, adding the extra force needed to finish the blade! A hill is half a mile long on the upgrade and half a mile long on the downgrade. If a car travels up the hill at 30 mph, how fast will it have to travel downhill to average 60 mph over the full mile? When this automobile clock was designed, A true music lover is a guy who, hearing a blonde its manufacturer had in mind the proba- soprano sing in the bathtub, puts his ear to the keyhole. bility of varied instrument panel locations e * * » with the resultant need of an adaptable coupling to the control knob. He chose an Professor: "If you start at a given point on a given figure and go all the way around it what will you get?" S.S.White flexible shaft to do the job. As Freshman: "Slapped, sir." the illustration shows, this simple hook-up permits both the clock and the control knob to be located in its most advanta- Dr. Schaefer reported that high winds on New Hampshire's Mount Washington have shown a high geous position. correlation with the presence of the jet stream in * # * * preliminary studies made by R. E. Falconer, G-E meteorologist. Dr. Schaefer also has suggested to Many of the problems you'll face in indus- forestry officials that they investigate effects on forest try will involve the application of power fires of high winds connected with the jet stream. drives and remote control with the em- phasis on low cost. That's why it will pay A citizen had been arrested for selling illegal whis- you to become familiar with S.S.White key. As he stood before the bench, the color of his nose was evident to all spectators. His attorney rose. flexible shafts, because these "Metal "Look at the defendant," he said, "can you honestly Muscles"® represent the low-cost way to say he looks like a man who would sell whiskey if transmit power and remote control. he had it?" It took the jury less than a minute to bring in a SEND FOR THIS FREE not guilty verdict. FLEXIBLE SHAFT BOOKLET . . a * » * Bulletin 5008 contains A young governor in an Eastern State was asked basic flexible shaft data and facts and shows how to address the prisoners at the State Penitentiary. It to select and apply flexible was his first speech after election and he was some- shafts. Write for a copy. what nervous. He started off, "Fellow Citizens." Then he realized that the prisoners were deprived of their citizenship during their imprisonment. He stopped and started again, "Fellow Prisoners." THE INDUSTRIAL DIVISION DENTAL MFC. CO. He realized too late his second mistake, so he con- Dept. C, 10 East 40th St. _ tinued, "Well, anyway, I'm glad to see so many of NEW YORK 16, N. Y. you here." 44 Spartan Engineer The Torrington Needle Bearing... many types for many needs In previous advertisements in this From the basic Needle Bearing ity in a minimum of space; they are series, the many advantages of the design, however, many modifica- light in weight, easy to install and Torrington Needle Bearing and the tions have been made. The result is simple to lubricate. proper procedure for its installation a complete line of Needle Bearings The following chart shows many and maintenance have been dis- suitable for specific applications. types of Torrington Needle Bear- cussed. The DC unit type bearing Although these bearings are all ings, gives their design features and was used in these discussions be- different, each offers the advan- general applications for which they cause it is the Needle Bearing with tages which have made the DC unit are designed. by far the greatest variety of appli- type so popular. They give the The new Torrington Needle Bear- cations throughout industry. highest possible radial load capac- ing catalog will be sent on request. TYPE SERIES BEARINGS DESIGN FEATURES APPLICATIONS Thin, drawn shell, retaining full Wherever high load complement of small diameter rollers. capacity is needed DC Inner races are furnished when and space is at a shafts are not hardened. premium. For heavy-duty appli- The outer race is made in one cations where split HEAVY channel-shaped piece, hardened and housings occur or DUTY ground to precision limits. Heavy where press fit of inner race. bearing into housing is not possible. Heavy inner and outer races, with Aircraft applications NBC end washers securely fastened to involving oscillating inner race. motion only. NBE Aircraft applications AIR- (t,H) Similar to NBC except have self- where alignment is CRAFT NBK aligning outer races. difficult or deflection (rigkf) is severe. NBF For use as rollers (left) Similar to NBC except have heavy under heavy loads at outer races to carry rolling loads. low speeds. NBL (right) Heavy solid-sectioned outer race and Cam follower appli- rollers made from high-quality bear- cations where maxi- ing steel. Portion of stud which mum load capacity CR CR serves as inner race is hardened. and shock resistance Threaded end left soft to avoid are required. brittleness. THE TORRINGTON COMPANY Torrington, Conn. • South Bend 21, Ind. District Offices and Distributors in Principal Cities of United States and Canada TORRINGTON NEEDLE N E E DLE • SPHERICAL ROLLER . TAPERED ROLLER . CYLINDRICAL ROLLER . BALL . NEEDLE ROLLERS 45 November 1953 New developments between the base of the sphere and the concrete Saucer Foundation Completed saucer. After testing is completed, this space will be The saucer-shape foundation for the 225-foot steel rilled with concrete and aggregate. Inside, the con- sphere that is to house a nuclear submarine power crete floor on which the reactor will rest will be plant being built by the Atomic Energy Commission slightly above ground level and the well of the saucer for the U. S. Navy has been completed, and work on beneath the floor will be filled with compacted mixture assembling the hull of the land-based prototype sub- of aggregate and earth. The reactor building will marine is underway, it was recently announced. be air conditioned. The spherical design of the reactor building was adopted to give additional protection to operating As scon as the columns are in place, the first ring personnel and to off-site areas during test operations of plates will gird the sphere at its center and assem- beyond the many safety controls of the reactor itself. bly will proceed both upwards and downwards. Similar structures are widely used in the chemical Meanwhile the hull of the submarine will be and petroleum industries, but the West Milton sphere assembled just outside the building and when the will be the largest ever constructed. In the remote latter is completed and tested, the hull will be skidded event that simultaneously all other controls failed, into the huge ball through a special wall section and the resulting release of radioactive material would the sphere again sealed. be contained in the sphere which will have a net "free" space of more than 5,400,000 cubic feet. Stronger Metals Tiny but "perfect" crystals may provide a clue to metals many times stronger than those now in use, a metallurgist said here this evening. X-ray tests, as well as photographs made at high magnification, show them to be virtually perfect crys- tals, he said. From the amount which they may be bent and still spring back, it is possible to measure the stresses to which they are subjected. This shows them to be far stronger than ordinary crystals, he added. Dr. Hollomon said that work on defects in crystals is now assuming great importance both in the labora- tory and the world at large. Metals, as used ordinarily, consist of crystals, and there are usually defects in the regular arrangement of the atoms of which they are built. If such defects can be eliminated, he added, This huge concrete saucer, 179 feet in diameter theory indicates that metal strength might be increased and 12 feet deep, is the foundation for a 225-foot steel sphere, largest ever constructed, that will as much as a thousand times. house an atomic power plant being built by the Atomic Energy Commission for the US. Navy. He also told of work in crystal growth, which has The central tower and derrick used for assembling been found to take place in a helical direction, similar the sphere will rise to a total height of 424 feet above ground level. to that of a so-called "spiral" staircase. When a crystal forms, successive layers of atoms are built up. The outer periphery of the building will be 706 It had been a puzzle, he said, as to how, when one feet. The sphere will rest on the concrete saucer just layer had been laid down, the crystal was able to start completed which is 179 feet in diameter and 42 feet another. Now it turns out that a layer is ordinarily deep. A ring of steel columns set on concrete outside never entirely completed, but advances in a spiral, con- the structure and reaching to the middle of the sphere tinually getting higher. will give further support to the building. Welded steel plates will make up the skin of the ball. The Materials used both in permanent magnets and plates will be hoisted into position by a derrick mount- electromagnets also involve defects, he stated. Such ed on top of a temporary central steel tower. The magnetic material consists of a great number of derrick, now in place, reaches up 424 feet above minute domains." Each of these is a magnet, but ground level. they counteract each other. When the material is Every weld in the structure must be X-rayed to magnetized the boundaries between these domains, assure that there are no leaks. To do this on the which are literally defects in the crystal arrangement, bottom, a four-foot space is provided temporarily shirt a httle. Some domains get smaller while others get bigger, so that they predominate. 46 Spartan Engineer Future of Automatic Controls brings new opportunities for engineers and scientists at Honeywell As science advances, and as our coun- Here al Honeywell one out (if ten try continues to develop its industrial employes is engaged in research and might, the business of automatic1 con- engineering activities, trol gets bigger and increasingly im- Shown below is part of our Aero- portant. nautical Division's analog computing For the prime force behind the 20th equipment, which helps our research century revolution has been and will engineers to develop and simulate continue to be automatic control. flight tests on automatic controls for So at Honeywell, leader in this field aircraft. It's typical of work being done for over 60 years, it of course means a by all of the company's eight divisions bigger, more exciting, more challeng- in plants across the country. ing job ahead—all of which adds up to So if you're an engineer or scientist greater opportunities for engineers and and like to use your imagination freely scientists. in such fields as electronics, hydraulics, And that's why we're always looking mechanics, chemistry, physics, and a for men with ideas and ambition to wide variety of others, be sure to send grow with us. in the coupon below. America lives b e t t e r - w o r k s better —with Honeywell co MiNNEAPOLIS-Ho.NEYWELL REGULATOR C o . Personnel Dept., Minneapolis 8, Minnesota Gentlemen: Please send me your booklet, "Emphasis on Research" which tells more about engineering opportu- M I N N E A P O L I S nities at Honeywell. Name_ Address- City 47 November 1953 Austin Bush, Rensselaer, '50, Helps Develop New Pump /?e/;orfs interesting project engineering assignments at Worthington "Despite its size as the leading manufacturer in its the engineering department where I have already been field," says Austin Bush, "I have found Worthington pays assigned to several interesting projects. considerable attention to the interests of the individual. "In addition to the training program, the members of The company's excellent training program consists of our engineering department hold monthly seminars at several months of working with the various types of which engineering topics of general interest are discussed. equipment manufactured, augmented by technical lec- tures, and talks on the organization of the corporation. "Opportunities for advancement are good, and pleasant "Following this training, I was given an opportunity to associates make Worthington a fine place to work." choose the department in which I wanted to work— When you're thinking of a good job, think high—think engineering, sales, or manufacturing. My choice was Worthington. . - . FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, see your College Place- ment Bureau or write to the Personnel and Training De- WORTHINGTON partment, Worthington Corporation, Harrison, New Jersey. The S i g n of Value Around the World 2.54X 48 Spartan Engineer Another page for YOUR BEARING NOTEBOOK Big trencher gouges out 13 cu. yards per minute! a This big digger crawls along at 10 to 12 feet per minute digging a ditch IVi feet wide and four feet deep. To keep it operating with minimum mainte- nance in this tough service, the engineers specified a total of 69 Timken® tapered roller bearings in the differential, transmissions, and track rollers. Line contact between rollers and races gives Timken bear- ings extra load-carrying capacity. Tapered construc- tion enables Timken bearings to take radial and • ' ? ^ * v * * thrust loads in any combination. Maintenance reduced with TIMKEN' bearings Timken bearings make closures more effective, holding housings and shafts concentric. Lubricant stays in, dirt stays out. Maintenance is minimized; long, trouble-free operation is assured. Want to learn more about bearings or job opportunities? Some of the engineering problems you'll face after TIMKEN TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS 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 Is Timken". The Timken Roller Bearing Company, Canton 6, Ohio. NOT JUST A BALL O NOT IUST A ROLLER < o THE TIMKEN TAPERED ROLLER < D BEARING TAKES RADIAL 4 AND THRUST - © - LOADS OR ANY COMBINATION -^ November 1953 Jet streams Hy carefully-co-ordinated observation of cloud for- with lens-shaped clouds, piled layer upon layer at mations, weather stations across the country could middle altitudes (about 20,000 feet). These clouds establish the location and direction of the jet stream, change rapidly, especially when sending snow in long a mysterious wind tunnel in the sky, according to a streamers down wind. Such streamers are evidence lamed Genera] Electric Company weather scientist. of the high-speed movement of the air. Some of these formations also are tinted near the sun. Billowing altocumulus clouds which often extend from horizon to horizon, with parallel waves running at right angles to the direction of air flow. Other tell-tale signs of the proximity of the major axis of the stream include: Gustiness at ground level in about half the cases observed; persistent cool, crisp air; generally blue skies, with visibility unlimited; precipitation often limited to "sporadic sprinkles of rain or snow," and rapid changes in cloud cover, from one-tenth of the sky to nine-tenths and back again, "in less than an hour." Quick identification of this phenomenon is becom- ing increasingly vital to aviation and also to weather forecasting, he reported. Studies made by Dr. Schaefer and other scientists show that the jet stream shifts about over the northern hemisphere as the seasons change. The presence of three of the four types of cloud "Sometimes two or more streams may be identified," formations is strong evidence that the major axis Dr. Schaefer said. of the jet stream is high overhead. These are cirrus streamers, white feathery wisps with tufted trails, seen moving at high speeds and high altitudes. At a meeting of the American Meteorological So- ciety, Dr. Vincent J. Schaefer said that four "specific and rather spectacular cloud types" are visual keys (o the whereabouts of this high-speed stream that often doubles the speed of high-flying aircraft. Field research he directed last summer as scientific adviser for the Munitalp Foundation, now sponsor- ing basic research in meteorology, showed Dr. Schae- fer that any three of the four tell-tale cloud forma- tions, plus high cloud speeds and "coherent" patterns, may be used to determine the presence of these powerful winds. At present it takes fairly complicated upper air soundings to locate this skein of winds that blows at speeds of from 80 to more than 200 miles an hour at altitudes of 20,000 to 50,000 feet. The stream moves at slower speeds at lower altitudes. Dr. Schaefer listed the four basic cloud formations Altocumulus clouds, as those above, often extend as: " . h o r ' z o ! 1 £° horizon and have parallel waves Cirrus streamers, white feathery wisps with tufted running at right angles to the direction of air flow. trails, seen moving at high speeds and high altitudes. In summer the stream throttles down to about half High cirrocumulus—small, white, rounded clouds in ot its tremendous wintertime speeds. patches often scattered at random, but sometimes The rocket-like air corridor is blamed for many shifting rapidly to cirrus streamers with delicate wave freak weather conditions believed caused when its patterns. They often take on tints of green and red undulating path carries polar air to Florida and tropi- near the sun. cal air masses to the north. Many floods, droughts Altocumulus, fleecy, nearly stationary formations and persistent cold and hot spells are attributed to its influence. 50 Spartan Engineer THE H Y D R O S T A T I C TEST JNobody can buy a length of cast iron pipe cast iron pipe installed today will live up to or exceed unless it has passed the Hydrostatic Test at the foundry. service records such as that of the 130-year-old pipe Every full length of cast iron pipe is subjected to this shown. test under water pressures considerably higher than Cast iron pipe is the standard material for water rated working pressures. It must pass the test or go and gas mains and is widely used in sewage works to the scrap pile. construction. Send for booklet, "Facts About Cast Iron Pipe." Address Dept. C, Cast Iron Pipe Research The Hydrostatic Test is the final one of a series of Association, T. F. Wolfe, Engineer, 122 So. Michigan routine tests made by pipe manufacturers to assure Ave., Chicago 3, Illinois. that the quality of the pipe meets or exceeds the re- quirements of standard specifications for cast iron pressure pipe. Few engineers realize the extent of the inspections, analyses and tests involved in the quality-control of cast iron pipe. Production controls start almost liter- ally from the ground up with the inspection, analysis and checking of raw materials—continue with con- stant control of cupola operation and analysis of the melt —and end with inspections and a series of accept- ance and routine tests of the finished product. Members of the Cast Iron Pipe Research Associa- tion have established and attained scientific standards resulting in a superior product. These standards, as well as the physical and metallurgical controls by Section of 130-year-old cast iron water which they are maintained, provide assurance that main still in service in Philadelphia, Pa. SERVES FORA (CAST IKON PIPE CENTUR I E S / 51 November 1953 Gold Mine (Continued from page 27) A Successful what process to use in any given case is, of course, a product of experience. A Stamping Service Although it is about 99 per cent experience, the foundry is in need of more and more technical men. The METALLURGIST is indispensable in the modern to Industry foundry, with all of the new metals and alloys, and tougher material specifications rolling in every day; in fact, he will probably find his greatest opportunity Since 1914 in the cast metals industry. The foundry is an INDUSTRIAL engineer's para- dise, for there more pounds of material are handled I per pound of finished product than in any other industry, and each of these materials — sand, scrap, air, and castings (to mention a few)—presents an N entirely different type of handling problem. The "general" MECHANICAL engineer will most likely find himself experimenting with the various G casting processes, applying them where they best fit, and improving casting design and methods wher- ever possible. ELECTRICAL and MECHANICAL DESIGN en- gineers have a great challenge before them in the foundry, that of developing and perfecting better and automatic foundry equipment to keep up with modern production and quality demands. (One foundry in T Texas has replaced 110 men with 5 men and an auto- matic foundry which produces 4800 molds a day, pours them, shakes them out, etc.!) A The HEATING and VENTILATING engineers have their hands full maintaining safe and comfort- able working conditions, while CHEMICAL engi- M neers are becoming increasingly important in the foundry as research goes farther into sand problems. Yes, there are places for all kinds of engineers in the foundry, and there are many problems and fields Serving of research that as yet have hardly been touched. Manufacturers of So here it is — a virgin field, and an opportunity to AUTOMOBILES AGRICULTURAL I get a head start in it — how's about dropping in at the foundry sometime soon and digging a little in our goldmine, huh? EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIAL N • o e o "Papa, what is the difference between prosperity and depression?" EQUIPMENT DOMESTIC G "Well, my boy," papa replied, "in prosperity we have wine, women and song; but in depression, all we have is beer, Mama and the radio." EQUIPMENT • • • • I've decided to get a divorce. My wife hasn't spoken LAWNMOWERS to me in six months. 1159 Pennsylvania C Better think again. Wives like that are hard to find. o • * o o Avenue Drunk: "Believe it or not, ofisher, I'm looking for a parking plasch." Lansing, Michigan Cop: "But you haven't got a car." Drunk: "Yeah, I have. Itsh in the parking placesh I m looking for." 52 Spartan Engineer says LOWELL E. ACKMANN University of Illinois—B.S., E.E.—1944 and now manager, Peoria, III., Branch Office "~\ ItY EXPERIENCE with machinery in portant, specialized equipment for that or designer, production engineer, or re- 1VA the Navy duringthe warconvinced industry. Electric power, steel, cement, search engineer, Allis-Chalmers, with its me I needed a training course. There was paper, rock products, and flour milling wide variety of equipment and jobs, is an so much equipment on board that was a industries—to name a few, are big users ideal place to get off to a good s t a r t - complete mystery to me that I became of A-C equipment. without wasting time." very 'training-course minded'. "Before starting on the Allis-Chalmers "After investigating many training Graduate Training Course, I thought I courses, the one at Allis-Chalmers looked would like selling, preferably technical best to me then—and still does. selling but, as is often the case, I didn't "In my opinion, the variety of equip- know for sure. This course, together with ment is what makes Allis-Chalmers such some personal guidance, helped me make a good training spot. up my mind. That, too, is an important advantage of the GTC program. "No matter what industry you may be interested in, Allis-Chalmers makes im- '"But whether you want to be a salesman Facts You Should Know About the Allis-Chalmers Graduate Training Course PROCESSING—Allis-Chalmers built sol- J 1. It's well established, having been mills, crushers, vibrating screens, recti- vent extraction plant processes one hundred started in 1904. A lars;e percentage of fiers, induction and dielectric heaters, tons of rice bran per day at oil processing the management group are graduates grain mills, sifters, etc. plant in Texas. of the course. 5 . He will have individual attention 2 . The course offers a maximum of 24 and guidance in working out his train- months' training. Length and type of ing program. training is individually planned. 6 . The program has as its objective the 3 . The graduate engineer may choose right job for the right man. As he gets the kind of work he wants to do: design, experience in different training loca- engineering, research, production, sates, tions he can alter his course of training erection, service, etc. to match changing interests. • • He may choose the kind of power, processing, specialized equipment or 7 . For information watch for the Allis- industrial apparatus with which he will Chalmers representative visiting your work, such as: steam or hydraulic, campus, or call an Allis-Chalmers dis- turbo-generators, circuit breakers, unit trict office, or write Graduate Training substations, transformers, motors, con- Section, Allis-Chalmers, Milwaukee 1, trol, pumps, kilns, coolers, rod and ball Wisconsin. POWER—Models show comparative size ALLIS-CHALMERS of generators having the same rating with and without super-charged hydrogen cool- ing. Allis-Chalmers is first to supply super- C-5676 charged hydrogen cooling. 53 November 1953 Electric Curtain (Continued from page 42) 20 ft. above ground, and water still dribbled out of Index To the top in undiminished flow. It seems to us what happens is that the current Advertisers forces the water out of the capillaries and drags the hole in behind it. Or maybe it isn't that simple! Much To Be Learned Even the experts hesitate to predict the full possi- PAGE ADVERTISER bilities of electro-osmosis in soil stabilization, but United States Steel obviously it has applications in tunnels and mines where wet, fine-grained soils are encountered, as well 1 Warner and Swasey as in open-cut work. 2 Westinghoiise Electric Corp. Voltage and amperage requirements and spacing 3 Goodyear Aircraft Corp. of electrodes can be determined to some extent by 4 General Motors Corp. laboratory analysis of the soil to be treated, but experi- menting under actual field conditions probably will 6 Pralt and Whitney Aircraft dictate the various combinations for best results. Costs 7 1 )o\\ (Ihemical Company compare with wellpoint dewatering. 8 Inteniational Harvester Company The record shows that at the John Weadock plant 9 McGraw-Hill Publishing Company an electric curtain made bad ground lie down and 11 Hughes Aircraft Company be good, and kept the Saginaw River from moving into the deep hole. 23 Western Electric Company 24 l'ontiac Motor Division 25 Hoeing Airplane Company Automatic Driver (Continued from page 21) 26 Reynolds Metals Company manual control assisted by instruments indicating his 27 Lindcll Drop Forge position and the proximity of other vehicles, and of 30 Higgins Ink Company completely automatic guidance and collision preven- 30 Brown and Sharpc Mfg. Company tion. 31 Radio Corporation of America "Full automatization of the driving process can be envisaged as the final stage of the development. In 33 Crucible Steel Company of America addition to the installation of guidance and collision 35 Simpson Electric Company prevention equipment on the roads and in the vehi- 36 Bamstead Still and Sterilizer Company cles, this would involve automatic inspection of the 36 The Okonite Company vehicle equipment and a continuous recording of 38 Distel Heating Company traffic conditions at the gate stations. Indications of the position and velocities of the vehicles along the 39 Aluminum Company of America road section between successive stations would aid 40 I /iucoln Electric Company supervising personnel in the problem of traffic distri- 41 Standard Oil Company (Indiana) bution. In addition, it would give immediate notifica- tion of breakdowns requiring emergency action. 42 Keuffel and Esser Company 43 E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. "Freight transport along the highways presents one of the most challenging applications of full automatiza- 44 S. S. White Dental Mfg. Company tion. The establishment of a network of truck routes, 45 The Torrington Co., Needle Bearing Div. separate from a highway system designed for passen- 47 Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co. ger vehicles only, has been discussed repeatedly. 48 Worthington Corp. "With full automatization, it offers the possibility 49 The Timken Roller Bearing Company of driverless freight transport over long distances, with route terminals taking the form of marshalling 51 Cast Iron Pipe Research Assn. yards. Here, small dispatching crews would send out 52 Lansing Stamping Company the loaded trucks to their distant destinations and 53 Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Company assign incoming vehicles to drivers for local delivery 55 Republic Steel Corp. of the consignment. Assuming a cruising speed of 30 miles per hour, a separation between vehicles of Eastman Kodak Company 100 feet, and an average truck load of 5 tons, a one- General Electric Company lane route could handle nearly 200,000 tons a day. This large shipping capacity provided with minimum * Inside front cover manpower requirements would do much to alleviate Inside back cover present bottlenecks in the delivery of consumers' " B a c k cover goods and industrial raw materials." Spartan Engineer How your pipe dreams may become realities! Lengths of Republic Electric Weld Casing are rapidly joined together and lowered hundreds or thousands of feet into an oil or gas well to line it with tough steel—to protect its walls against the tremendous pressures that otherwise might cause collapse of the hole. WOU MAY NEVER D R I L L for o i l as a c a r e e r . become a part of your experience. At this point, just I Nevertheless, this pipe has a message for you. consider this one fact about electric welded steel pipe: it was developed by a producer of steel. Republic is Pioneered some 23 years ago by Republic, this pipe now the leading manufacturer of this type of product. is made by a process of electric resistance welding. Republic also fabricates many other products from Flat-rolled steel, uniformly thick, with both sides steel—such as tubing, conduit, culverts, radio towers, visible for inspection, is cold formed and electric windows, office furniture, steel cabinets for kitchens. welded into tubular form. The resulting pipe is uni- It is a leading manufacturer of these products, too. formly round, uniform in wall thickness and uniformly Your pipe dreams of success in industry are more likely strong throughout every inch of its structure. These to flow with realities if you associate with a dynamic qualities have speeded installation and improved pipe company. Some companies merely produce a material. Performance. Millions of feet of casing and tubing, Wouldn't you be better off with a company that not and thousands of miles of line pipe in service have only produces a basic material, but also knows how Proved the dependability of the process. to design and fabricate its own product? That com- You may be out of school for several years before all pany really knows what it is making — and selling. the economic importance of these qualities have Such a company is Republic Steel. REPUBLIC STEEL GENERAL OFFICES • CLEVELAND I , OHIO f STEEIS A N DSTEEl P R O D U C T S WORLD'S WIDEST RANGE 0 55 November 1953 Side tracked A British officer was inspecting troops coming in The big day was here. The wonderful gigantic from the front lines in Burma during the Second bridge connecting two of the country's largest cities World War when some of the commands contained was being formally opened. At the height of the troops from several nations. He stopped a mud-caked festivities, when thousands of people had thronged American GI and said, "Are you Indo-Chinese? onto the bridge, the center span — with a crash heard "No suh," replied the GI, "Ah is out-doah Kentucky." for miles — fell into the bay, a mass of twisted girders and human bodies. The frenzied mayor, seeing the • * « * engineer, dashed up to him, "Look what you have Professor: "Why don't you answer when I call done." your name?" E.E.: "I nodded my head." The engineer, scratching his ear, replied, "I told Joe that decimal point was in the wrong place." Professor: "You don't expect me to hear the rattle all the way up here, do you?" e * s o « o tt ft British Sentry: "Halt! Who goes there?" The Sunday-School teacher had asked her class Soldiers: "British soldiers." where God lives. One small boy replied, "He lives British Sentry: "Pass, British soldiers." in our bathroom." British Sentry: "Halt! Who goes there?" "Why, Jimmy, what makes you say that?" Soldiers: "French soldiers." "Well, every morning my pop stands in front of the British Sentry: "Pass, French soldiers." British Sentry: "Halt! Who goes there?" bathroom door and says, "God, are you still in there?" Soldiers: "Whoinell wants ta know?" * 6 * 4 British Sentry: "Pass, Yanks." The freshman's father paid his son a visit regarding some of the reports he had been getting back home. Arriving at 4:00 a.m., he banged on the door of the During maneuvers an army commander ordered a fraternity house. A voice from the second floor yelled, notice to be displayed on a bridge stating: "This bridge "What do you want?" has been destroyed by air attack." But to his chagrin, he noticed through his field glasses that a foot regi- The father answered: "Does Joe Johns live here?" ment was crossing the bridge despite his orders. He The voice answered: "Yeah, bring him in." sent his adjutant to the officer in charge post-haste to find out how he dared to defy his orders. An hour later the adjutant was back. "It is all right, sir," he reported. A young C.E. was proudly showing the Governor "The troops are wearing signs saying 'We are swim- his first big project, a three million dollar dam. The ming'." Governor stared in amazement and exclaimed, "My gawd, the water — it's supposed to be on the other side." Then there was the bum who, after years of sleep- ing under bridges and viaducts, switched to culverts After storming a Communist post in North Korea, a and became a Man of Distinction. party of Marines had dug in to consolidate their posi- tion. One of the boys was badly upset by the groans of a wounded Red who lay just beyond his trench. Feudal Lord: "I hear you misbehaved while I was When he could stand it no longer he went back to away, Son." investigate. "My leg. My leg," moaned the Commie — Son: "In what manor, Father?" apparently able to speak some English. The leather- neck was a sympathetic soul, so he hoisted the enemy soldier on his back and started out for the surgeon's A couple of officials were walking by Oak Ridge, tent. Somewhere along the way, a burst of shrapnel when they discovered a strange unidentified object took the Red's head off, unknown to his benefactor, lying on the ground. They decided to take is up in who continued on his way, eventually arriving at the an airplane and drop it to see what would happen. hospital tent. There he lay all that was left of the They flew over some woodland in the South and Red on the receiving table. dropped it. When it hit the ground it blew up. Just "You crazy idiot," shouted the surgeon, "What are then a long-bearded old man wearing a Confederate you bringing that man in here for — why, his head's uniform and shouldering a musket came running out off." of the woods. As he looked up and saw the atomic "Oh," wailed the Marine, "the dirty liar — he told me mushroom he said, "I don't know what Lee's going it was his leg." to do, but I'm going to surrender." 56 Spartan Engineer PHOTOGRAPHY AT WORK No. 5 in a Kodak Series: Photography helps assemble it in any language Pictures help boss the job when this drilling rig is set up for action half way around the world . . . before shipping a drilling rig overseas, / s a matter of fact, so National Supply frequently first sets it up many reasons for photog- here for tests and paints the complex parts raphy, so many ways of using "i coded colors. Then a color photograph it are being found, that well- is made. qualified graduates in the physical sciences and in engineering have been v\ hy? To serve as a graphic guide when led to find positions with the Eastman the rig reaches its buyer. He has only to Kodak Company. This number has in- follow the photograph—matching color cluded many returning servicemen. color—and the rig virtually assembles lts elf. As a technique, this use of photog- 1 1 i raphy makes unskilled labor more efficient, If you are interested, write to Business slices through the problem of language and Technical Personnel Dept., Eastman barriers. Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y. National Supply's experience is an ex- ar "ple of how photography saves time, Eastman Kodak Company Cuts cost Rochester 4, N. Y. > reduces error, improves output. JOHN B. JNOLTE, Purdue University, asks: 'What is G.E.s Manufacturing Training Program?" I he Manufacturing Training Program at General Klectric cover such subjects as Company organization, manufac- i .1 program of basic training for manufacturing leader- turing operations, labor and personnel relations, business ship, including planned rotational work assignments and administration, law and relationships between manu- related classroom stud) for outstanding young men who facturing and other functions of the business. Progro- are interested in ;i career in manufacturing. It was or- on the job and in classroom work is carefully observed ganized to meet the increased demand for effective manu- and reviewed periodically with each man to assist him facturing leadership and technical "know how," in line in his career. with the expansion and development of the Company's operations by developing trained men to fill future key What happens after training is completed? [io-iiiiniv iii the p r g a n i z a t i o n . After completing the training program, graduates are Who is eligible for this program? placed in operating departments and divisions throughout the Company in positions where leadership and initiative In general, the Program is open to college graduates with are needed. All placements are made in relation to the degrees in engineering and science, and a limited number aptitudes, abilities, and interests of the graduates. of business administration and liberal arts graduates. We At General Electric, manufacturing operations involve are looking for outstanding young men with sound the administration and supervision of activities of more educational backgrounds, well-balanced personalities, than 100,000 men and women in more than 100 plants. demonstrated thinking abilities, and having the potential In develop toward top level responsibility in key assign- who are involved in the making of some 200,000 different ments. products. The wide scope of these activities, the great variety of How long is the program? products, and the diversity of manufacturing activities The normal length of the Program is three years. How- offer limitless opportunities and exciting challenges to ever, some individuals may be able to complete their college graduates today. training in a shorter period because of previous knowl- Manufacturing training is a foundation for leadership— edge or experience in manufacturing work. and an opportunity to build a satisfying, rewarding career in one of America's most important industries. What type of work assignments are made? Work assignments are provided in all phases of manu- facturing and related functions so that each man will If you are a graduate engineer, or a graduate with definite acquire knowledge of manufacturing engineering, in- technical inclinations that include an interest in the career possibili- cluding manufacturing methods and techniques, shop ties in manufacturing, see your college placement director for operation, production control, personnel administration, the date of the next visit of the General Electric representative labor relations, engineering activities, sales and manu- on your compos. Meanwhile, for further information on oppor- facturing co-ordination, and general business administra- tunities with General Electric write to College Editor, Dept. 2-J23, tion. Genera/ Electric Company, Schenectady 5, New York. In addition to job assignments, classroom courses can GENERAL W ELECTRIC