f \> \ ~. ~ ''\ James Chisholm, class of '41, speaks from experience when he says, "Men with ability and ambition really have a chance to get ahead at U. S. Steel" ~~~~. ,!,"" 1 III " j ~~";'F ft1t":~:,- '~~.: ..~ • A responsible position can come trol for open hearth furnaces at Fair- quickly to those graduate engineers at of new products and markets .. g less, the unloading of all ore ships and If you are interested in a ~~allU~~~ U.S. Steel who show ability and ambi- tion. Management training programs the operation of the plant's two big and rewarding career WIt can are designed to stimulate and develop blast furnaces-each with a rated out- States Steel, and feel t~at you our put of 1500 tons per day. qualify you can get detaIls from Y '11 these qualities as the trainee "learns by doing." His training is always a fascin- Jim feels that the opportunities for college 'placement dIrector. . A n.d weW! f nua. ating challenge and he works with the graduate engineers are exceptional at gladly send you a copy of our I~ C:Uty" best equipment and the finest people in U.S. Steel. He remarked that in his own tive booklet, "Paths of Oppor u the the business. department alone, six college trainees d have been put into management posi- which describes U.S. ~teel'fi~nfields. James Chisholm is typical of the openings in various sClent I Cor- tions within the last couple of years. He young men who rapidly rise to an im- Just write to United St~t~s. St eeRooJll portant position at U.S. Steel. Jim says that chances for advancement are poration, Personnel DIVISIOn, Pitts- came to U.S. Steel as a trainee in 1941 even better now with the current expan- 1622 525 William Penn Place, sion of facilities and the development o after graduating as an M.E. Shortly burgh 30, Pennsylvania. thereafter he entered military service for four years. Upon his return to U.S. SEE THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR. It's a full-hour TV program Steel in 1946, he advanced steadily un- presented every other week by United States SteeL Consult your local til, in 1951, he was appointed to his newspaper for time and station. present position as Assistant Superin- tendent of Blast Furnaces at the new Fairless Works at Morrisville, Pa. Jim is now in charge of quality con- UNITED STATES STEEL AMERICAN BRIDGE •• AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE and CYClONE FENCE •• COLUMBIA-GENEVA STEEL •• CONSOLIDATED WESTERN STEEL •• GERRARD STEel STRAPPING •• NATI ONAl TTSBUR&H TUBE OIL WELL SUPPLY •• TENNESSEE COAL & IRON. - UNITED STATES STEEl PRODUCTS. _ UNITED STATES STEel SUPPLY •• Divi,i •• , ., UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION. PI 690 UNITED STATES STEEL HOMES, INe. • UNION SUPPLY COMPANY • UNITED STATES STEel EXPORT COMPANY • UNIVERSAL ATlAS CEMENT COMPANY 5- x y z OIL CIRCUIT YijA'. /- BREAKER A'1 OVERHEAD -- LINE K ,~~---- LINE TRAP I COUPLING CAPACITOR HIGH VOLTAGE BUS I CABLE TERMINAL TRANSMITTER 'x DRAIN COIL COAXIAL CABLE RECEIVER a'ie terminal of a high voltage composite circuit MANHOLE HERE'S A PROBLEM FOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS To protect short transmission lines against severe damage due to internal short circuits, Detroit Edison normally uses a pilot wire differential system to activate circuit breakers and thus stop the flow of electricity along the damaged wires. This system is technically limited to the protection of rela- tively short transmission lines. Longer lines of all overhead construction can be eco- nomically protected by carrier pilot relaying systems. However, where there are long composite lines-overhead lines which go underground and come back overhead again -variations in line characteristics make it difficult to pre- select the correct frequency for the usual carrier pilot relay. How would you determine whether carrier pilot will work on a composite line? And, if carrier won't work, what system would you use to protect this type of line construction? * * * * * The above problem is typical of those you would en- counter as a member of Detroit Edison's outstanding electrical engineering staff. If you can confront and solve such interesting and diversified problems, you have a firm foundation for building a successful career. The future of Detroit Edison is a bright one. Edison's constant expansion in a thriving industrial area means more opportunities for you. Why not see our repre- sentative when he's on campus; visit us when you are in Detroit, or write ... THE DETROIT EDISON COMPANY 2000 Second Avenue, Detroit 26, Michigan people. Compared to other investor-owned FACTS ABOUT DETROIT EDISON power systems, Detroit Edison ranks eighth in Serv;,~g Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Edisol1 plant investment ... eighth in customers suppltes electricity Jor eleven counties ... served ... and seventh in electricity generated. covering 7,600 square miles ... 3.8 million - March 1956 Chal/a Vought F7 U Cut/aJJ Here's a simple equation: NO HIGH ALLOY STEEL - NO PLANE Without stainless steel, supet-high-temperature steels and special electrical alloys, it just wouldn't be possible to build, power and control a plane in the over-600-miles-per- hour class. That is our job: to develop and produce such metals, and it may be the niche in industry that will interest you in the future. In any case, remember that whenever you have problems that involve resisting corrosion, heat, wear and great stress, or require special magnetic properties, we're the people to see. Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation, Oliver Building, Pittsburgh 22, Pa. PIONEERING on the Horizons of Steel Allegheny Ludlum Warehouse stocks of A-L Stainless carried by all Ryerson plants 2 Spartan Engineer Conquering the Impossible The Mackinac Bridge: DAVID B. STEINMAN, Consulting Engineer Reprinted from Columbia Engineering Quarterly November, 1955 Issue T II E TIIOUCIIT of connecting the two sections of ll\(' Slale of ~I ichigan by a physical link across ton Bridge, and is exceeded only by the 4,200-foot span of the Golden Gate Bridge. The difficult foundations tilt. Slmit\ of ~Inckinnc has challenged the imagination under the two main towers, one at each rim of the 01 t'llgirwt'rs and the public for the past three-quarters submerged gorge, were carried down to rock, reaching of n t't'lIt\l1"Y.TIlt' difficulties, both physical and finan- the remarkable foundation depths of 205 feet and dal, apPt'nrl'd insuflllOuntable. Various plans and de- 210 feet, respectively, below the water surface. The \igns Wt'J"t.proposed from time to time during the past cables are carried on steel towers 552 feet high, each 101 ty Yl'lU'S. Some of the schemes would have been containing 6,250 tons of structural steel; and the sus- impossibly fantastic in cost. One official design for pended trusses, carrying the roadway, have a normal the propoS('d bridge would have collapsed before com- clear height of 155 feet above the water. plt,tion. }>l'opk (who were not engineers) said that The total cost of the bridge, including the bond- the pf'Ojl'et was impossible; that the cost would be interest during construction, is $99,800,000. This cost prohibitive; that it could not be financed; that the Rgure establishes a new record for the magnitude and bridge could not he built; that the foundation prob- difficulty of a bridge project, and will certainly be a lel11scould 1I0t be solvt'd; that the wide glacial gorge long-time record for a bridge carrying only four lanes under deep water in the middle of the Strait could of highway traffic and no railway loading. not 1)(' spanned; that the bridge, if built, would not Without careful economic design, the cost would slnnd up; that it would be destf'Oyed by the elements; have been many millions of dollars greater and the thnt 110 foundation piers could withstand the pres- Financial feasibility of the project would have ~een s\l1"e01 ice from the Great Lakes in winter; that no spnn could withstand the storms and \Vind forces at defeated. Scientific design made the bridge pos~'blei lhe Sitl'. while at the same time assuring a high margJl1 0 strength and safety. Despite all obstacles and difTiculties, both natural lInd man-madt:', the project has now been successfully By spending a few million dollars more, the span flnullct'll; all of the engineering problems have been could easily have been made the longest in the world. snecl'ssfully, economically, and safely solved; the diffi- (In fact, the foundation problems would have been enlt foundations have been successfully conquered; easier.) But the writer feels very strongly that an and the construction of the bridge, commenced in engineer is violating his obligation if he seeks per- July 1954, is well under way to meet the scheduled sonal glory at the expense of his clients, in this case completion date of November 1957. the traveling public. The ~Iackinac Bridge is Rve miles long. In the The Need for the Bridge deepest \Vater, spanning the wide submerged glacial The Straits of Mackinac, four miles wide, joins Lake C'at~yon,a record-breaking suspension bridge is being Michigan and Lake Huron. These waters divide the bmlt; the length, 8,614 feet from anchorage to anchor- State of Michigan into the 41,700 square mile Lower age, makes it the longest one in the world. The cen- Peninsula and the 16,500 square mile Upper Peninsula. tral span, from tower to tower, is 3,800 feet; this is The far greater part of the population of the State 300 feet longer than the span of the George Washing- is concentrated in the highly industrialized Lower IIlOQ MACKINAC BRIDGE 4 Spartan Engineer Peninsula and its large cities such as Detroit; but the Upper Peninsula is possessed of immense natural resources which, when further developed, will attract additional population and industrial activity. The Upper Peninsula is 400 miles long and is nearly equal to the combined area of four New England states. The principal industries at present are forestry, mining, agriculture, and recreation. Part of this area is world-famous as "The Copper Country." The area is also known as a "Vacation Paradise," drawing tour- ists and sportsmen from many states for hunting, fish- ing, camping, sailing, and winter sports. The Mackinac Bridge will replace the existing State- operated highway ferry system in order to provide an all-year, all-weather, direct, time-saving connection between these two great Peninsulas of Michigan. It is recognized that the project, which will con- tribute most to the further development of the Upper Peninsula, is the Mackinac Bridge. But, in a larger measure, it will contribute to the advantages of Michi- gan as a whole and of the entire Great Lakes area as well as of the Province of Ontario in Canada. In the words of Governor G. Mennen Williams, the builders of the Mackinac Bridge "are participating 'in Empire- building." View of Michigan's lower peninsula from top of People doubted the possibility of financing the south tower. ~Iackinac Bridge because it does not directly con- nect two large cities or population centers. But mod- ern highway uses have enlarged our vision and our the waiting cars, and the occupants find overnight ac- perspective. Within a radius of 500 miles from the commodations to resume their place in line in the Straits of Mackinac there resides a population of morning. 30,000,000 people in the United States and Canada who will benefit from the construction of the Mackinac Photographs, stereo-views, and movies of these Bridge and who, in turn, insure the economic practic- traffic conditions at the Mackinac ferries were used ability of the project. to convince bankers and investors before the bridge The major highways of Michigan converge at Macki- bonds were sold. naw City on the south and St. Ignace on the north of The proposed toll rates 011 the bridge will avcr~ge the Straits of Mackinac. Thus, the Mackinac Bridge 10 percent higher than the present rates on the femes; will funnel traffic from the Lower Peninsula into the the time-saving will be the governing advantage to Upper Peninsula and then into Canada by way of the motorists. At an average toll rate of $3.08 per Sault Ste. Marie, 50 miles north of Mackinac Straits. vehicle ($2.10 for a passenger auto, more for trucks!, Furthermore, the Mackinac crossing will provide a the estimated traffic of 2,000,000 cars and trucks In shorter east-west route for bonded truck traffic be- 1958 will yield a revenue of over $6,000,000 in the tween the western provinces of Canada and populous first year of operation, with progressive increase there- southeastern Ontario. after. According to the traffic experts, the bridge will Truck traffic on the Mackinac Straits ferries has been pay for itself in 18 years (retiring all bonds), and can increasing rapidly, and already amounts to 12 percent then be made toll-free. of the total vehicular traffic . . The Mackinac ferry rates were increased 45 percent From Dream to Reality 111 1953 and, in spite of this increase in rates, traffic for In 1920 the Michjgan highway commissioner ~ug- the ensuing months increased 12 percent above the gested a submerged floating tunnel for the Mackmac same period of 1952. Straits crossing. !he five-mile ferry crossing takes over one hour; the In 1928 the State Highway Department .recom- bndge will reduce the crossing time to ten minutes. mended a bridge, but the subsequent depreSSiOn put rut, .more important, the bridge will save the time now ost 111 waiting in line for the ferries. During the sum- a stop to the project. mer months, this lost time amounts to 3 to 4% hours; In 1934 a Bridge Authority was created by the St~te and On holidays and during the deer-hunting season, Legislature. The Authority retained three succeSSive ~oas long as 14 to 17 hours! The lines of waiting cars consultants, who presented respective diverse plans m~ve extended along the highway as far ba~k as 20 (Continued on pOl{e 7) lIes from the ferry. Parking fields are prOVided for 5 March 1956 Fill these shoes and there are OPPORTU N ITI ES UN LI M ITED for you at AC Air-borne Navigational Systems ~~ Analog Computers Air-borne Fire Controls No job experience necessary. We will train you in the following capacities: Mechanical Engineers. Coordination of complete product placement in field activities as engineering representatives designs on precise mechanical or electro-mechanical instru- for our air-borne electronic equipment. ments ... computers ... fine-pitch gearing. Electrical Engineers. Complete systems and circuitry activi- --------------------- ----- ... Please send additional informotion on AC's Milwaukee and ties in complex electronic equipment ... amplifiers ... data Flint operations. transmission ... servo systems ... gyro stabilizers. Name' _ Mathematicians and Physicists. Analysis of basic problems in bombing, such as ballistics, pursuit curves and systems Address' _ evaluation. Field Engineers. Short term in plant training for immediate Degree College, ond yeor_ AC SPARK PLUG ~ ADDRESS: Supervisor of Employment, AC Spark Plug THE elECTRONICS DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS Division of General Motors, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwauk.e, Wisconsin G..... '''l L ____ J Flint, Michigan MO'OU 6 Spartan . er Engine against the elements. The winter ice conditions at the Straits limit the normal working season to eight months. Word went down the line to every man in the organization to spare no effort or expense to meet the engineer's schedule and to get all the suspension bridge piers and anchorages down to rock before the freezing of the Straits occurred. To make up for time lost by impossible weather conditions, the men con- tinued working in the rough water of the Straits through the winter cold, snow, and storms until finally forced to stop on January 14, 1955; but the two main- span piers were safely down into the bed rock under the Straits, and the side-span piers and anchorages were already completed as scheduled. An Ultra-Safe Bridge Because of the unusual formation, people said that the rock underlying the Straits could not support the weight of the bridge. To resolve any doubts, out- standing geologists and soil-mechanics authorities were retained. Exhaustive geological studies, laboratory Early construction of south tower during sum- compression tests, and "in-place" load tests on the rock mer months. under water at the site established, without a doubt, that the rock under the Straits can safely support more MACKINAC BRIDGE than 60 tons per square foot. This is four or more times (Continued from page 5) as great as the greatest possible load that will be im- in 1934, 1935, and 1940. World War II stopped all posed on the rock by the structure, including the com- planning. bination of dead load, live load, wind load and ice pressure. The foundations were proportioned to keep In 1950 the present Mackinac Bridge Authority was the maximum possible resultant pressure below 15 tons created by the Michigan State Legislature. The Auth- per square foot on the underlying rock. ority promptly appointed a Board of Consulting Engi- neers: O. H. Ammann, G. B. Woodruff, and the writer. Because the public had been alarmed by unscientific In 1951 the three-man Board of Consultants reported claims that no structure could withstand the ice pres- sure at the Straits, we added a further generous margin that construction of the bridge was feasible. The traffic-engineering firm of Coverdale and Colpitts was of ultra-safety. According to the most recent engineer- ing literature on the subject, the maximum ice pressure retained to make the survey of traffic and prospective revenue. ever obtained in the field is 21,000 pounds per lineal foot of pier width, and the greatest ice pressure pro- In January 1953, the Authority selected the writer to design and supervise the construction of the bridge, (Continlled on page 51) and the writer engaged Glenn B. Woodruff as his Associate Consultant. 'Vithin two months, in March 1953, preliminary contract plans and estimates of quantities were ready and the substructure and super- structure contracts were negotiated and awarded for prompt commencement of construction as scon as the bonds could be sold. All plans were rushed to get construction started in the spring of 1953. Two attempts to sell the bonds were made in April and June, 1953, but the bond market was unfavorable. A new syndicate of investment bankers was formed and in December 1953, this group of bankers pur- chased the $99.8 million of bonds to finance the project. Through the spring of 1954 the contractors pro- ceeded to order materials and to mobilize equipment. Durin.g the next few months, $5 million of floating con- structIon equipment was assembled and in place along th~ line of the bridge for the substructure contract, said to be the largest and finest floating equipment ever assembled for a construction contract. On July 10, actual excavation was commenced for the subaqueous foundations. Over 750 men were engaged on the work at the site, working 20 to 24 Construction progressed to this point before early winter storms forced a halt in work. hours a day. It was a race against time and a battle 7 March 1956 ....................................... ....................................... ........................................ ........................................ ......................................... ......................................... .......................................... .......................................... ........................................... ............................................ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::. ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ............................................................... ~~~~~: . ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ;~~;~; ............................................... ~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~; ~~ ~"'- ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~; ~~ ~~: ;;.:J:.....J..:\.-.. I !I - J l, ,.- '"" ,'~ ......... ,,'>/' . " .. _~.-'l..~~~ --7~'\\, .;~-,., .. ~'"' ,'J l\\f . How about SQUARE PEGS and ROUND HOLES? E VERY on-his-toes engineering senior knows that his first job is a most important one. -An organization that bends every effort to encourage professional advancement through training programs, Naturally, he wants a job where he fits in with his work, publication of papers, and the support of vast facilities his company, the men around him. Because that's where and resources. his chances are best for building a lifetime career. We'll be glad to help you find where you might fit in. He surely doesn't want to be a square peg in around hole. Let your Placement Officer arrange it, or write us directly. To such a young man we can say in all honesty that- here at General Motors - he has a unique opportunity ......................................... : to "fit in." GM Positions Now Available For l-ere is a company with abundant opportunities for In These Fields: many different kinds of men, many varieties of talent, many fields of interest. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING -A company where engineering opportunities exist in the design and manufacturing of cars, trucks, home ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING appliances, aircraft engines, Diesel engines, road- INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING building equipment, defense weapons. METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING -A company whose vigorous decentralization results in AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING small, close-knit technical teams enjoying harmonious BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION working conditions and highest mutual respect. ........................................... GENERAL MOTORS Personnel Staff, Detroit 2, Michigan 8 Spartan Engineer - --------- - . - - ~- -- -------- - - --- - -- -- ~-------- - --- - --- A BOLD APPROACH TO MISSILE ELECTRONICS a statement by DR. L.:"\'. RJDE:"\'oun, Director of Research, Lockheed Missile Systems Division devices which have superior performance and reliability. ~lectronics is central to the technology of guided mis- Siles.. Dramatic improvements in missile performance Thus the times favor a bold approach to missile elec- • reqUIre faster, more accurate perceptions and reactions tronics. Techniques of the past will not meet requirements of electronic missile guidance and control systems. of the future. Experience in old-fashioned electronics is no great qualification for the present challenge. By giving Here at the Missile Systems Division of Lockheed, we the broadest possible responsibility to our scientists and are aware of this requirement. We also know that elec- engineers, we are trying to lay proper emphasis on the ~~onics is experiencing the greatest revolution in its IstOry; the vacuum tube, hitherto the cornerstone of new electronics. electronic design, is being replaced by new solid-state ~~ l\-IISSII.E SYS'rEl\IS DIVI~IO~ researchandengineeringstafJ LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION. YAN ~rYS, CALI:Fon;o.;lA , II ~ .1, ,L'. :r l \ t PEACETIME USE OF THE ATOM by DON POLLAKOWSKI Power production in the United States in 1955 sales programs for nuclear research reactors was amounted to the "staggering figure" of one trillion, launched. The new department will help customers forty billion kilowatt hours, a 250 per cent increase to obtain and operate reactors. General Electric, ac- over the 1954 rate of power used in this country, cording to last reliable figures, has a total force of according to the latest marketing experts' estimates. some 12,000 people working directly in atomic energy If low cost energy is to determine our economic activities. health, in the next 25 years conventional fuels must On July 21, 1955, at West Milton, N. Y., where carry a bigger load than reports indicate they are excess power from a prototype submarine reactor was capable of handling. Mr. O. B. Falls, Jr., marketing channeled through a 12,500 kilowatt turbine-generator, manager for the Atomic Power Equipment Depart- Chairman Lewis L. Strauss of the Atomic Energy Com- ment of the G-E Atomic Products Division has said mission threw the switch which sent automatically- ~hat65 per cent of new power generating pla'nts added produced electric current into power lines of the up- Il1 1980 will be atomic. state New York area. This marked the first time the energy of the atom was transmitted commercially to In order to provide in the next century increased production and a better standard of living for a popu- private consumers. lation that is expected to be two and one-half times On March 31, 1955, the Commonwealth Edison that at present, there seems to be no choice but to Company, on behalf of Nuclear Power Group, filed depend on atomic energy. a proposal with the Atomic Energy Commission an- nouncing their contract with G. E. to build a $45 mil- Although the cost of electric power production by lion, 180,000-kilowatt power plant. The plant will be atomic means is prohibitive at the present time, fore- built on the Illinois waterway, 47 miles southwest of casts of costs of future atomic power plants show that Chicago. Its onput will feed into the Commonwealth much of the country's energy needs will be met suc- Edison system serving Chicago and northern JIlinois. cessfully. At the present time, and probably until 1960,the cost of building an atomic power-generating (Continued Oil page 26) plant of the boiling reactor type is estimated at some- where between $200 and $270 per kilowatt, while the cost of building a conventionally fueled steam plant of the same size wou lei be about $175 per kilowatt. Increasing the size of reactors by five to 50 times, ~educ~ngu.nit development costs, quantity production, nd. sImplIfied test procedures will cut future costs rapidly. By 1980 the cost of a nuclear power plant is ~xpected to decrease to somewhere in the neighbor- ood of $145 to $165 per kilowatt. If at present progress does not leok particularly ~~cou~agin?, we. ~nust remember that industry has en 111 thiS pOSItion before. Seventy-five years ago We stood in the same relationship to the electrical a~e and the bold and imaginative plans made then c anged the course of history. Signifying the optimism shown by private business ~oward Our atomic futurc General Electric Company Model of 180000 kilowatt power station t.o be as announced establishment of a new major atomic constructed n'ear Chicago, is g}ven las.t-mmute orga'l1lZatlOn . for the design, development, manu f ac- check before shipment to the United Natl.ons con- ference at Geneva. A 200-foot sphere wIll house t~~e, and marketing of atomic power equipment. vVith the atomic reactor and turbine-generator. t IS, One of the nation's first co-ordinated industrial 11 March 1956 Some Examples of Sylvania's Engineering Diversification What College Seniors Want Most They Get as Sylvania Engineers LIGHTING: Testing bulb light Everyone knows that engineers are men with minds transmittance photometrically of their own. But when it comes to what they want in a job, they're in solid agreement (according to a recent engineering college survey). And what they want bears a marked resemblance to what they find at Sylvania. 1. ENGINEERS WANT: SYLVANIA OFFERS: Significant work Sylvania believes you learn by doing - not by looking over someone else's shoulder or being ~vhere their bogged down in routine details. And so, engineering engtneenng there is what you hoped it would be: You work on knowledge can be a project and see it through; your assignments are varied; RADIO: Subminiature tubes de. and you're given responsibilities sooner than even signed & developed at Sylvania directly used you anticipate. .. ------------------ --- - --- -- --- ---------.--------------------------------- 2. ENGINEERS WANT: SYLVANIA OFFERS: Company with Sylvania's operations span the fastest-growing, challenging, most dynamic fields in American industry today .. Products ranging from color television tubes to atomic diversified reactor fuels ... from powdered metals to advanced products missile systems and microwave devices ... from semi-conductors to photo-flash and Softlight bulbs, and many others ... constantly present you with new problems, new challenges. ----------------------------------------------------------------- -------. 3. ENGINEERS WANT: SYLVANIA OFFERS: ELECTRONICS: Testing the char. acteristic of a counter tube Desimble With 43 plants and 16 laboratories located in location 40 communities in 11 states, Sylvania offers you a wide choice of locations in modern, progressive communities. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. ENGINEERS WANT: SYLVANIA OFFERS: Advancement In a company where planned expansion plays a vital role in management philosophy, advancement is a natural way of life. Under Sylvania's decentralized operations, new executives come to the fore quickly. Down the line: SALARY. BENEFITS, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES- TELEVISION: Color screen inspec. the answer is the same: Sylvania has what engineers want! tlon, mIcroscope & ultra.violet light Whethe~ ~our .interests lie in research, development, design, production or adminIstratIOn, you can find what you're looking for at Sylvania. W~y not ma.ke an appointment no1V through your College Placement ~f~lce ... to dISCUSSy.our career with the Sylvania representative when he VISItSyour campus. ~SYLVANIA~ SYLVANIA ELECTRIC PRODUCTS INC. ATOMIC ENERGY & RESEARCH: Com- 1740 Broadway-New York 19, N. Y. pacting powders on new presses LIGHTING. RADIO' ELECTRONICS' TELEVISION. ATOMIC ENERGY 12 Spartan Engineer This towering modern unit at the El Dorado, Ark., refinery of Pan-Am Southern Corpora- tion, a Standard Oil subsid- iary, produces 700 tons of coke daily. ---0----01 I I \ I Standard's original delayed coking unit at Whiting re- cently celebrated its 25th birthday "on stream" and going strong. How to make an exception prove a rule and coke. It paid off spectacularly when catalytic TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS is rapid in the petro- cracking was invented and these giant new units ~~umindustry. Few processes have a chance to began calling for feed. It paid off again when the grow old" on the job. Most are killed off through diesel locomotive came along to put the heavy oil the combined efforts of thousands of scientists burning steam locomotive out of business. ::rking cons~antly to improve everything we do, Dr. Robert E. Wilson, chairman of the board of ~e or use ill our business. Standard Oil today, was the inventor of delayed h very now and then, though, we experience a coking. Almost all of the young scientists who appy exception to this rule. That occurs when a worked with him in its development are still with new development not only meets the immediate Standard too, in responsible positions requiring ~.eedbut also provides the right answer to situa- their special skills. IOnsyet unforeseen. Young scientists in research and engineering at knTwenty-five years ago last August a process Standard Oil today find it satisfying to see their own as "delayed coking" was invented. The creative efforts translated into valuable product new.process made a quicker, cleaner job of con- and process improvements. vertmg heavy residual oil into gasoline, gas oil, Standard Oil Company 910 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 80, Illinois 13 March 1956 •• "PINNING ••• - -A LIFETIME CAREER Your selection of associates is of vital importance to you. By all means every graduating engineer should investigate and consider the career opportunities offered by CONVAIR. FORT WORTH. As a division of General Dynamics Corporation, CONVAIR engages in broadly diversi- fied fields of development of military defense and commercial aviation. This provides inter- esting opportunities for every graduate with engineering and scientific talent. life is good in Fort Worth - where the year-around climate is conducive to outdoor living and recreation - and there are excellent schedules of athletic events, musical and theatrical presentations, ice arena, large lakes, etc. CONY AIR'S in-plant program enables candidates to earn graduate engineering degrees. Write now for information about CONY Am'S interest in Engineerinq qraduates. Address H. A. BODLEY CONVAIR Enqineerinq Personnel Dept. FORT WORTH, TEXAS CONVAIR A DIVISION OF GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION FORT WORTH, TEXAS An e.nlarged repr!nt 01 the above cut-out silbouet~e, suitable for framln , Dr pInning up. will be sent free to 3ny engineering student on reques t • 14 - Spartan Engineer Something about Mexico by FELIPE JAUREGUI The history of our country during the last 34 years, most importance, of absorbing a great deal of the cen- that is, since the revolution settled down to construc- tral plateau population now migrating to earn a living tive tasks, has been, principally, a continuous struggle beyond our northern frontier, This pathetic exodus has to develop its agricultural economy upon sound and lately snowballed to alarming proportions, and our efficient standards. own crops, principally cotton, early vegetables, and fruits that find a ready market in the United States, There is no doubt that we are the possessors of an extensive variety of natural resources distributed paradoxically suffer for lack of farm hands. throughout the 676,590 square miles of a territory, The most immediate relief to this anarchic condition whose peculiar shape, tradition has identified with the shall be in part of the southeast, especially in the horn of plenty, but the actual fact is that the moun- States of Veracruz and Oaxaca, the completion of the tainous and desertic character of a considerable por- Papaloapan irrigation project, a really ambitious tion of this territory to the northwest where rainfall is undertaking that besides permitting the utilization of extremely scarce for the cultivation of crops; the extensive tracts of excellent tropical soils will supply swampy lowlands to the southeast where on the con- electrical energy to textile plants and other industries trary, rainfall is abundant and with river' floods often in States as close to the Federal District as Puebla and disastrous; together with a steady demographic in- Tlaxcala now urgently needing additional electric crease now close to the 30 million inhabitants are fac- power. tors that account for shortages of foodstuffs which our Turning back to the northwest which in some parts much praised cornucopia was unable to supply from is nothing but barren wilderness subject to the on- 1948 to 1952. slaught of summer's hot breath that has gradually However, in less than three years the present gov- desiccated it during years of prolonged drought, there ern~nent has succeeded in straightening out this pre- are great expanses of good tillable l,and, sumcie~ll canous condition through its Department of Hydraulic hydraulic resources, and a favorable climate that WIll Resources, and for the first time after the aforemen- make possible the cultivation of a large assortment or tioned period the deficit of indispensable commodities crops; its topographic conditions are, adapted to ~he such as corn, wheat, and beans, has actually dis- development of hydroelectric install~tlOns on the. hIgh appeared. part of the watersheds, But th.e ~aJll problem JS the According to a report issued by Engineer Eduardo absence of transversal commlll1lCatlOns cO\Jpled to the Chavez, who is at the head of the Department of de£cience of the longitudinal ones in existence as Hydraulic Resources, 148,260 new acres, which well as those along the seaboard where ports are now amount to half the irrigated area of Mexico from 1926 being improved. t~ 1948, will be incorporated to cultivation by the end Another drawback that is hanging heavy upon M~x- ? 1955. Two large projects, started by his department ico's eager desire of a general advance.me~t, ~oclal, 10 1952, the Macuzari on the Mayo river in Sonora, t ral and economic, is the uneven dIstrIbutIOn of cu I u , h b' d' th a~f the Miguel Hidalgo on the Fuerte river in Sinaloa, 't people over the country that as su slste SInce e ;11 be finished this year to irrigate a total of about ~O:OOO acres, in addition to 526 small dams already ~i~e of the Aztecas. The central plateau is dense~y d and the mal'or part of the farm lands avall- popu late , f Id' II gIVIngservice to the 28 States of the Republic. Further- bl e have been subdivided from days 0 0 mto sma a I' l' lots which, together with advers~ c Imato oglCa con- I ~ore, there are 87 storage and diversion dams, plus 3 ~ells to supply ground water in process of con- ditions and scarcity of hydrauhc reso~rc~s, to say structIOn and drilling, respectively, to irrigate 65,000 nothing of the one-crop system ~f cultIvatIon, make acres more. yields very low, insufficient oftentimes but for a poor ,When all the creative forces represented by the human existence. ~ghty streams of the southeast which drain into the There are, of course, many other problems :ha: have t lf of Mexico and the Pacific ocean below the State to be taken care of, but irrigati~n is th~ materIal mstru- hat can insure a flourishmg agrIculture to make 0'1 Guerrero begin to spend their blessings upon near vIIages men t t .h d' th 'I ' d'Istant towns and cities; that f ertI'Ie regIOn' Mexico a self-supplied country notwlt stan 109 .e WIJ, become an amazing center of agricultural pros- relatively small area (12 per cent of the whole tern- penty; the very bread basket of Mexico capable of (Continued on page 55) prav'd'I mg f ood for all its people, and what is of the ut- 15 March 1956 Ii ,-r r l.... .• ther Super Constellation aero-elastic problems; new materials such as ul~ra-hlgh skin for signs heat treat steel; panel instability at extremely hIgh speeds. of fatigue failure. You are invited to contact your Placement Officer for a brochure describing life and work at Lockheed in the San Fernando Valley. Lockheed AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 24 BURBANK, California Spartan Engineer Strange Genius Reprinted from POWER May 1955 ,Ask any group of power men to name those who But it remained for the Niagara Falls power project Imd t~e ~oundation for today's electrical generation to demonstrate in the most dramatic way possible , dlstnbution . You '11 wm and . d up wIth .. an Impressive that polyphase ac was the system of the future. Since lIst-Edison , Ert ISI1, Th ompson, W'estmghouse, many 1886 when a charter to develop its power had been oth~r~. But there is almost sure to be a significant granted, the eyes of the world had been on Niagara. omiSSIOn. An international commission, headed by Lord Kelvin, had reviewed 17 proposals, found none acceptable. Yet thi~ forgotten man conceived the polyphase ac Later, just five years after Tesla's AlEE paper, it was motor-stIli basic-and devised a suitable system of officially decided to use the polyphase system. generation ,and el'ISt'b' n utIon f or applying it. To grasp the magnit u d e 0 f' t I'lIS contnbutlOn, .. In August, 1895, Niagara power was delivered to we must turn back to the 1880's w h en t h e electncal . the first industrial customer and in 1896 ac transmis- era was being born sion to Buffalo, 22 miles away, was begun. By that and the "battle of the systems" held sway. ' time, the steam turbine had been introduced in Amer- Arc lights ad'n motors were bemg operated on con- ica and the modern age of electric power had truly stant current. senes systems. Edison ,s Pearl Street opened. generating stat' IOn Ila d opene d 111 ... 1882, supplymg m- For Nikola Tesla, these far-reaching inventions were candescent Iamps an d IateI' dc motors on a constant- but a beginning. Still to come was brilliant work in potential sy st em. Un d er the ' leadership of Westing- hOUseand St an Iey, tea high frequencies, thinking basic to much of today's h d vantages of ac distribution radio art. Yet by the time of his death in 1943, both Wl're demo ns t.I a t ee.I But there was no successful ac motor. he and his work had begun to slip into obscurity. Why? In May , 1888 , a young Yugo-Slav engineer but four A man of £lashing insights and enormous brilliance, years . in th e U'mtee I States, read a paper before ' the Amencan I ns t'tI ute 0 f Electrical Engineers. Tesla was largely indifferent to the development of In it he described his ideas. This he left to others while he followed the t' a new ac system. Its heart was the induc- lure of new challenges. In later years, his projects IOnmotor WI'th' ItS b asic and beautiful concept of the became more grandoise, his ways more mysterious, rotating magnetIc. field, The man was Nikola Tesla, th his pronouncements more Olympian. And working e system h e eIescn 'b eeI was destll1ed field. . to sweep the alone, as he did, he formed none of the institutional ties that help to perpetuate a record of accomplish- With . chara c t enshc ..... VISIOn, George vVestmg h ouse ment. realized th e fllndamental importance of the polyphase Next year-July 10, 1956-will be the l00th anniver- ac , syste m an d acquired the basic patents. Its first sary of Nikola Tesla's birth. It would be fitting for Impact , 0 n t h e general public was at the Chicago WOr Id sF' our engineering societies to commemorate this occa- .d all' 0 f 1893. There a 2-phase generator sup- sion, to acknowledge our debt to this strange and p IIe mot Ors ancI Iamps and through rotary convert- lonely genius who changed our world for the better. ers and motor-generators, " a variety of dc equipment. 25 March 1956 ~-~;)_, ~ Model of sodium graphite power reactor illustra~- ing how electricity can be produced from atomic Model of the first nuclear reactor for. private energy. The power reactor model repres.ents an industrial research which is being bUJlt. The instalIation designed to produce 75,000 kilowatts 50000 watt reactor illustrated by the scale model, of electricity, and is being considered by ~e Co~- wiiI be used for n~clear research in the fields of silmers Public Power District of Nebraska In their chemistry, textiles, petroleum, and food and drug proposal under review by the Atomic Energy sterilization. Commission. USE OF THE ATOM (Continued from page 11) different petroleum products one after another. At the Utah end of the line, workers add a small amount We can now see that the peaceful use of atomic .. of a compound contammg a ra d'wac t'lYe IS . otope when. energy has already come a long way since that fateful they change the type of petroleum product flowmg day in 1945 when a Hash in the western sky changed into the line. The radioactive material moves along the face of the globe . at the interface of the two liquids. A radiation de~ec- Another major product of the atomic energy industry tion instrument at the Pasco termma . I'SIgna Is the arrIval is the production of radioactive isotopes. Radioactive of the isotope and the operators can quickly switch the isotopes are made by placing chemical elements such flow from one storage tank to another. as cobalt, iron, or calcium inside atomic reactors where rapidly moving neutrons convert them to radioactive In the field of inspection radioactive isotopes are forms of the same or another element. replacing X-ray machines f~r some types of jobs. A Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the sole supplier radioactive element like cobalt-60 can be placed on of processed radioisotopes and is the point of sale or one side of a metal casting, for example, and a sheet authority for sale for all of the AEC's radioactive of photographic film on the other. T he gamm a rays isotopcs. O. R. N. C. pmilles packages and stores (which are high-energy X-rays) from the cobalt penr isotopes produced at its own site and at all other trate the metal and make an X-ray-type picture, revea - reactor sites in the U. S. From Oak H.idge they are ing any flaws that might exist. shipped to customers in all parts of the United States and are available to 53 foreign countries for use in industry, medicine, and research. The various isotopes produced in the country are llsed by industry for control, labeling and inspection. One "control" llse is for thickness gauges in manu- facturing processes where materials such as steel, paper, or plastic are produced in continuous sheet form. A capsule of radioactive material and a detec- tion instrument are placed on opposite sides of the moving sheet. The thicker the sheets, the less radiation comes through, so if the intensity of radiation changes, the thickness is changing. The detection instrument can be connected with electrical equipment so that if the intensity changes, the setting of rollers or other equipment will be automatically changed to correct the thickness of the sheet. A typical "labeling" use for radioactive isotopes is in marketing fluids in a pipeline. Standard Oil Com- pany's petroleum pipeline between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Pasco, Washington, was among the first to ON THE WAYS-The U.S. Navy submarine employ this idea. The pipeline carries a number of "Seawolf" here is about to slide down the ways. Its power plant is a liquid sodium cooled reactor. 26 Spartan Engineer centers are using them already on a routine basis. A number of research organizations, somc of thcm lindeI' AEC contracts, are finding new uses for the v('J'satilr tools manufactured as a by-product of the atomic energy business. Although still in its infancy, the pcaceful use of atomic energy has already shown its effect on the lives of engineers in every field. As the engineer devises more and more uses for the energy of the atom, his problems, such as the disposal of atomic wastes multi- ply at an increasing rate. The progress we make will be directly related to the ability with which we, as engineers, meet these problems. Nuclear reactor model describing machine being built for the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center for cancer studies and other medical research. Part of the Atomics In- ternational display at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association meeting and exhibit in St. Louis, January 23 to 26. Radioactive isotopes are valuable in research be- cause the radiation their atoms give off can be detected with instruments. The radioactive isotopes of an CREW element behaves the same chemically as an ordinary, non-radioactive isotope of the same element, and it can be subjected to heat or pressure of any other SHIELOING physical or chemical condition without the slightest change in its degree or type of radioactivity. The ease with which radioisotopes can be detected, L10UID CHARGE 10 and therefore traced through a series of chemical ~UPPLY RfACfION MASS reactions, is highly important to researchers in petro- leum, chemical processing, metallurgy, medicine, and biology. Previously, scientists knew what went into a reaction and what came out. From radioactive isotopes, they now have a tool to follow these processes NUCLEAR RUCTOR step-by-step. Biological reactions like blood formation, digestion, and photosynthesis, and complex processes such as the production of gasoline from coal can now be understood more precisely. EXHAUST NOlZLE . One highly important medical use of radioactive Isotopes is for the treatment of some types of cancer. An element that emits gamma rays (cobalt-60 is the ~ost-~~ed one now) is placed in an easily-manipul~ted hea~. By rotating the "head" around the patient, keepmg the beam of radiation aimed constantly at the tumorous tissue inside the body, the radiation dose can be concentrated on a deep-seated cancer, without destruction of surrounding healthy tissues. Radioactive materials also may be inserted in tissues to provide localized irradiation. Another method of administering them is the "atomic cocktail." The patient drinks a solution containing radio-iodine which concentrates in the thyroid gland. The condition of the gland may be diagnosed through the use of insh:u- ~ents which detect the radiation emitted by the radIO- Here is how components of an atomic-pow~r~ Iodine in the thyroid tissue by the radiation. er carrying interplanetary rocket mIg passeng - d 'f such a rocket were constructed, The use of radioactive isotopes is stilI in its infancy, be arrange I .. according to a nuclear phYSICISt. yet hundreds of industrial firms, hospitals, and research 27 March 1956 water works even when you're asleep! This parlicu lar need for waleI' isn'l acute. But if ... as so many students have ... you elect the challenging field of Sanitary Engineering for your future, you'll come up against many more problems of supplying, distributing, maintaining an adequate supply of water for homes and industries in a thirsty world. Here, you can count on the help of one valuable ally ... cast iron pipe. Practically every city in America-large or small-uses it for water and gas mains ... and over 70 of their public utilities have been served by cast iron pipe for a century or more. On its record, cast iron pipe is Man's most dependable carrier of water. CAST IRON PIPE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION Thos. F. Wolfe, Managing Director, 122 So. Michigan Avenue, Chicago 3, III. elLiS'l'Ill()N I)IPJ~ SERVES CENTURIES FOR 28 . er Spartan Engine Impact Guillotine for Testing Shock NEW DEVELOPMENTS Resistance Edited by John Boyd To a metallurgist, the Charpy Notch Impact (est is as familiar as the chemical symbols Fe, C, and O. Billionth-of-a-Second IStop Watch l Although long used as a method for determining the transition point between ductilc and brittle zoncs of "Split-second" timing has been given a new degree metals, the method has some major disadvantages. For of meaning by scientists. They have developed the example, sample preparation takes considerable time world's fastest "stop watch"-an electronic tube which and a V-shaped notch must be accurately machined 79 can time atomic "events" down to less than one bil- mils deep into one side of the small sample. A pendu- lionth of a second. lum-type apparatus breaks the sample by swinging a Actually, the exact top speed of the new "stop weight against it. Final data is in the form of a graph watch" must await the development of better labora- with impact energy for rupture plotted against the tory techniques to measure it experimentally. But the temperature of the sample. Even after elaborate tube has been timed down to the billionth of a second preparations and careful technique, the exact tempera- figure, and calculations show it is probably 10 times ture of the transition is not clearly defined. faster than this. A new method now being used by materials engi- Light, the fastest thing in the universe, travels at neers uses an impact guillotine and a much larger a rate which can carry it more than seven times around sample, 14 inches long by .3% inches wide, by 1 inch the earth in a single second. But during the shortest thick. Instead of the notch, a weld bead is put on the interval scientists expect to measure by their electronic bottom side of the sample and an artificial crack put "stop watch," light can travel no more than a few into this weld by means of an abrasive cutting wheel. inches. A standard weight is dropped on samples at various temperatures and the transition temperature readily A photomultiplier tube strengthens weak pulses of bracketed within a narrow range. For example, if radiation and detects the time intervals between them. trials at minus 20 degrees F. show breakage each time, An important application of the new tube will be for and trials at plus 20 degrees F. produce no breakage, fundamental research in nuclear physics, where it will the transition point is clearly defined within useful be used to time with great exactness the flight of speeding atomic particles. Now it will be possible to limits. measure, with a new order of precision, the speed, and Results are reproducible by the guillotine method therefore, the energy of atomic particles as they and sample preparation has been cut to one-third that "smash" into atoms and produce nuclear reactions, or of the Charpy method. Another laboratory step that's as they are ejected from the atom during such re- making the metallurgist's job a little easier. ~ctions. This precision should provide a new insight (Contil1ued on page 61) mto the causes and effects of nuclear reactions, and perhaps, into the structure of the atomic nucleus itself. Electronic Light Amplifier . Successful electronic amplification of light in an Image of television quality has been achieved with a developmental light amplifier. .In tests the developmental light amplifier has multi- p~le~ by twenty times the brightness of an extremely dIm Image projected against it, producing a bright and clearly defined monochrome picture. This increase in b:ig~tness is sufficient for practical use in brightening dIm Images in such applications as X-ray fluoroscopy and radar, and further development is expected to achieve a substantially greater amplification, as well as the ultimate ability to produce images in more than Onecolor. I' The light amplifier operates, in effect, by receiving 19ht from the projected image on the photoconductive I~yer and recreating the image in far brighter form as hght emitted by the electroluminescent layer. This process is made possible by the fact that the photoconductive material will permit current to flow when it is subjected to light, while the electrolumines- cent material emits its own light when an electric cur- Impact Guillotine rent flows through it. 29 March 1956 ALCOA \NANTS YOU Here's a book that tells about exciting career opportunities in every branch of engineering The opportunities at Alcoa are so many, so offices ... research laboratories; and positions promising, so rich in recognition it took a book are open in almost every section of the country. to tell the story. And Alcoa wants you to have Your work will be challenging and your a copy. associates stimulating. If you choose a career with Alcoa, you'll get The whole fascinating story of careers with intensive training from the men who built the Alcoa is told in this colorful new book. See your aluminum business. You'll have the opportunity Placement Director or send in the coupon below of working in our production plants ... sales for your copy of A Career for You With Alcoa. Your Guide to the Best in Aluminum Value Tune in the ALCOA HOUR, television's ~nest hourof live drama, alternate Sunday evenings. Write for your copy today! --------------------l ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA 1825 Alcoo Building Pittsburgh 19, Pa. Pleose send me a copy of A Career for You With Alcoa. Namo - Address -- City and Stote' -- Collego Degreo __ Dote of Groduation_ L --- 30 Spartan Engineer Horizons 1mlimited jor research, test, design, production, industrial and sales. engineers Honeywell offers you a future in a variety of exciting fields on the creative imagination of highly trained engi- ~E opportunities for engineers in the automatic neers working with the very latest research and .1 control field are as varied as today's world- test facilities. and as intriguing. With 15 separate divisions located throughout Th.e development and manufacture of power the United States and with factories in Canada, tr.anslstotS for electronics ... providing auromatic England, Japan and Europe, Honeywell offers op- ~Ight for supetsonic jets and missiles ... develop- portunities in many expanding fields. mg temperature controls for today's modern homes Begin now ro plan your career in this vital and and skyscrapers ... instruments for automation varied industry. Consult your college placement and atomic installations. office concerning the next visit of our representa- . These are a few of the fields in which Honeywell tive to your campus. Or write roJay ro Honey- IS now engaged, and an indication of the exciting well, Minneapolis 8, Minnesota. challenges waiting in the future. And it is all based Honeywell [jjJ ~t~~ 31 March 1956 create the top aircraft engines An aircraft powerplant is such a complex machine that its design and development require the greatest variety of engineering skills. Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's engineering team has consistently produced the world's best aircraft engines. The best planes are always designed around the best engines. Eight of the most important new military planes are powered by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft J-57 turbojets. The first two jet transports in the United States will use J-57s. Further, no less than 76 percent of the world's commercial air transports are powered by other Pratt & Whitney Aircraftpowerplants. Such an enviable record can only be built on a policy which encourages, recognizes and rewards individual engineering achievement. McDonnell "Voodoo", h World's t e most powerful jet fighter ever built in A mertca. . PRATT & WHITNEY AIRCRAFT foremost designer and builder Division of United Aircraft corporation of aircraft EAST HARTFORD 8, CONNECTICUT engineS MECHANICAL ENGINEERS many phases inc1udi are ~oncerned with and development mng experimental testing J-S7 POWERED AIRCRAFT h and vibration an~IYs: :mcal ~esign, stress heat transfer and I' ombushon research ~ nuc ear reactor development: F-l00 F8U F-IOI A3D F-102 B-52 AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERS lt F4D KC-135 able internal and ext work on innumer- ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS directly contdbU ~. concerned with d .ernal airflow problems their specialized skills to the analYSIS 8~ • COMMERCIAL testing of aircraft es.gn, development and ?evelopment of controls. Systems and spec' speciali7e in anal tPOWI erpl,;,nts. Some who Instrumentation. An eyqrnole is the "Piotto- Boeing 707 e" y Ica en'" . mat" which automatically integrates andplo.~ ngIne-alrplane comb' . ".neerIng forecast Douglos OC-8 advance of design. InatIons a decade in pressures, temperatures and air angles111 performance testing. WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL production air- METAllURGISTS investigate and develop high craft engine. This J-57 turbojet is in the CHEMICAL E temperature materials to provide greater lO,OOO-poundthrust class with considerably rDl •• The .NGIN~ERS, too, play an important h.at_proll~vestIgate the chemical aspects of strength at elevated temperatures and higher more power with afterburner. rials. Th~ClI~g and hea t-transferring mate- strength-weight ratios. Development. of Phaseand ln~l~d~s the determination of superior materials with greater corr~.on siv. an I .equlhbrlum diagrams and exten- resistance is of major importance, especIallY ? a Ylical studies. in nuclear reactors. ~. J71.~~ ............................................. ~../:;;. ~\.~..~~.~~ ...~.~ ..T.~ .... ~~. ~;;.~.~.~~.~:~ j 1 ./~ \.: -~~"'- - : : : /- ~ - . --.-. 1 ~. "'- ~~.~ .. - .. j i : . : : ".--..., ~"' " ~"-: '~-: .: f4D, "SKYRAY"-only carrier plane to :• A4D "SKYHAWK"-sma IIest, I"19h test: • RB.66 -J"etbomber speedy, versatile :• I Id' d d • 'atom-bomb carrier •• : hold officia wor s spee recor : :..•...•••. : . ...:.................................•••.•.•......•.............. :.. - .... : ... ... . .. ' : :. . : L---":~iiiiii•• .. _l(!;~. : : ' ' .. .. .. ... .. ' ' . .. A3D, "SKYWARRIOR"-largest :. ~ ....C.~124-,"G.'LOBEMASTER"-wo;id';'*' • DC-7 fi"SEVENSEAS"- fIr America's :• • carrier.based bomber : largest production transport • nest, astest air ine • . .:.............................•...•...•...••..••....••..••.••..••...••••••• ... ......•.•..•.•...... : :. ...: ... . .. : .. : Engineers: : . .. : : . : .. : : join this ..:... .. .. wInnIng• • .. .. .. •: "NIKE"- supersonic mi~s~e "I seIecte d •: D55a -,2 "SKYROCKET"-first f airplane d •: team! : to protect our citJes :....•....•.•.......••.......•........ : to fly twice the speed 0 soun :•••..•.•..•.•...........•..........•• : At DOUGLAS you'll be joining a company in which the three top Challenging opportunities now exist in the following fields: executive officers are engineers ... you'll be associated with men Mechanical design who have designed the key airplanes and missiles on the American Structural design Power plant Installation design scene today! Nothing increases an engineer's ability faster than Weapons delivery Aerodynamics working with other engineers of top calibre. Thermodynamics Electronic computer. Systems analysis Aircraft air conditioning Not only is Douglas the largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft Hydraulics Stress analysis in the world, but it also produces outstanding aircraft and missiles Servo mechanisms Acoustics for every branch of the armed services! This diversity, besides Electronics Mechanical test giving you job security, provides unequalled opportunity Structural test Flight test for the engineer with an eye to the future. Process engineering Missiles Brochures and employment applications are available at your college placement office. For further information relative to employment opportunities at the Santa Monica, El Segundo and Long Beach, California divisions and the Tulsa, Oklahoma division, write today to: DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY, INC. Fi,s' in Avia'ion c. C. laVene, Employment Manager ... Engineering General Office 3000 Ocean Park Blvd .... Santa Monica, California 34 - Spartan Engineer College graduates getting ahead ... growing with UNION CARBIDE "I'm a chemical enginecr, Class of '52, and a Technical Rep- ''I'm a metallurgical engineer, Class of '51. I wanted to get resentative for Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company. I into development work, so I started with Electro Metallurgical work through one of Carbide's 23 Sales Offices, calling on all Company in their Metals Research Laboratories in Niagara the process industries in my area. My job is to open up mar- Falls. Three years' research work in steels and titanium gave kets for ncw products and find new uses for old products. me the technical hackground IIH'('r1erl.Now I'm worl,ing on I try to be a valucd tcchnical consultant to my customers." applications of titaniulll as a dl'\elopment engincer." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~ uI' m a mechanical engineer, Class of ',19. I started in the Tonawanda, N. Y., laboratories of Linde Air Products Com- pan~'.In a few months I "as doing research in low_temperature rect~f'cation and heat transfer equipment. Now I'm a Section Engmeer, responsible for a o-roup of research and de\'elop- ment engmeers-a . mcmber bof LINDE'S management team. " THEY ARE KEY MEN WITH A FUTURE JfYOlI are inlerest~c~ in a £utur(' i.n .' I' I sale~ or adverllsrng and publIc production, development, research, engmeermg, tee 11lIca .. b'.1 G' I 'll ..... D'.' . f Union Car Ice .. et In lou('] \\1 ] rcla t IOns, check the opporluJ1J tH~SWIIh an~ n ISlon 0 your collegr plarrJl1ent officer, or "rite directly to: UCC DIVISIONS INCLUDE .•• UNION CARBIDE AND CARBON CORPORATION • Bakelite Company. Carbide and Carhon Chemicals Company • Electro Metallurgical Company • lIa\'nes SteJlite Company 00 Industrial Relations Department, Room 406 • Linde Air Products Company • 1'Iational Carbon Company 30 East 42nd Street, New York 17, N. Y. • Union Carbide Nuclcar Company 35 March 1956 OUR ENGINEERING ALUMNI by AGNES McCANN "Once in a hundred years" is a phrase often used, Mr. Curtiss is a member of American Society of but seldom applied in reality. However, during the Civil Engineers; American Association of State High- Centennial of MSU this past year, and for once in a way Officials; Highway Research Board; National hundred years, sevcral of our Engineering alumni were Academy of Sciences; Cosmos Club, Washington; honored at banquets and at the Engineering Sym- Michigan State University Alumni Award Committee posium. Thc mcn thus honored were: for three years. U. S. Army. VERNE LEE KETCHUM, '12 PORTER, DRURY L., '04 He is not only a Civil and Research Engineer but is Retired Vice-President and Treasurer of Motor also an author and lecturer. He served as Surveyor Whcd Corp. One of the three original incorporators and Draftsman in U. S. Forest Service, was Draftsman, of the Motor Wheel Corp. of Lansing in 1920 and an Inspector for Commission of Public Docks, Portland, officer of the Corporation from that time until his Oregon. Engineer and Chief Draftsman for Blood and retirement in July, 1952. ~IJr. Porter is active in civic Williams, Consulting Structural Engineers. Appraisal affairs of Lansing. Engineer, Pacific Power and Light Company. Design- ing Engineer, War Department. Consulting Engineer WJLBERT W. GASSER, '07 in private practice. Chief Engineer, Timber Struc- tures, Inc., Portland, Oregon. Contributed extensively Chairman of the Board of Gary National Bank. Mr. to professional magazines and books with articles on Gasser has been very active in business and com- design and construction. An outstanding leader and munityaffairs. He is Director of Chicago, South Shore authority, both technically and economically, in de- and South Bend Railroad; Lake County Title Com- veloping proper engineering uses of timber. Member, pal~y;. Gary Methodist Hospital; Gary Taxpayers As- American Society of Civil Engineers; Engineering In- sociation; Gary-Hobart Water Corp.; Gary Chamber stitute of Canada; American Railway Engineering of ~.ommerce; .Gary Industrial Foundation. He is past Association; Forest Products research Society; National prcsld~nt, IndIana Bankers Association and Chairman Society of Professional Engineers; American Soci.ety of Incltana U. S. Savings Bond Committee. for Testing Materials; Research Institute of AmerIca; American Institute of Timber Construction. CURTISS, CHARLES D., '11 ~lr: Curtiss began his career as an instructor at JAMES H. FOOTE, '14 ~hclHgan State College in Civil Engineering. He President and Chief Engineer-in-Charge of COl~- then became Superintendent of Continental Public monwealth Associates, Inc., Jackson, Michigan. He ~s ~Vorks Company in New York. His following positions a native of that city. A 1914 graduate in Civil EngI- mcluded Bridge Inspector, Michigan State Highway neering at Michigan State College, he worked .on surveying and hydro-electric projects upon leavmg D~p~., Asst. Engineer with the Iowa Highway Com- school. Appraisals of electricity supply systems a~d mISSIOn,Asst. to Chief and Chief, Division of Control design and construction supervision of electric dIS- Deputy Commission with the Bureau of Public Road~ tribution and transmission lines and systems fol1o'~ed. and was also with the U. S. Department of Commerce. Subsequent assignments included 17 years as ElectrIcal Mr. ~urtiss is known not only for his great achieve- Engineer-in-Charge of the Engineering department of ments m the field of Engineering, but also as the Commonwealth Power Corporation and successor aut~or of numerous contributions and recognized companies and then 12 years in charge of the Engineer- natIo~al authority on highway finance, administration ing of the northern division of the Commonwealth and recnllt~)ent an~ training. The following awards hav~ Southern Corporation. Since 1949 he has been Presi- been gl.ven to hIm by various associations: Gold Medal dent of Commonwealth Associates. ExceptIonal Service Award by U .. S D epar t ment 0 f For over 30 years he has been active in engineering, C om~e.rce; ~merican Society of Civil Engineers award technical and educational society work, having served fo~ ?I.stmgmshed service as Secretary of the Hi hwa as a director and officer of numerous societies and DIVlSlO.n;also in 1953, Mr. Curtiss was award:d th~ committees thereof. These include: Edison Electric Alumm Award for Distinguished Service by Mich' Institute, Association of Edison Illuminating Com- State College. Igan panies, American Society for Testing Materials, Ameri- can Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Asso- 36 Spartan Engineer ciation for the Advancement of Science, American ~rchite.cts fo~ our new ~Iechanical Engineering Build- Standards Association, American Society for Engineer- ll1g whICh WIll also house Applied Mechanics nnd the ing Education, Michigan Engineering Society, Michi- Ad~inis.tration Officcs and for which we hope to hnve gan Society of Professional Engineers, and others. He LegislatIve approval soon. ~Ir. GdTcls is S('cretnry- recently completed a seven-year term as member and Treasurer of the firm. chairman of the State Board of Registration for Archi- HARTl', SAMUEL J., '15 tects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Jay Samuel Hartt received his B.S. degree in Elcc- A son, James Harold, Jr., graduated from Mechanical tncal Engineering in 1915. Arter graduation, ~(r. 11nrll Engineering at Michigan State in 1941, and is now began his career by becoming Hesidcnt Eugineer and Executive Vice-President of The Electric Manufactur- Asst. Superintendent of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, gas ing Company in Battle Creek. plant, American Public Utilities Company until 19J7 P. EDUARD GELDHOF, '14 when he served in World War] in charge of inspection of construction materials, Q~l Corps, U. S. Army. Arter .Inventor and Vice-President of Whirlpool Corp. serving in the U. S. Army, ~Jr. Hartt worked with SlIlce 1937 ~iJr. Geldhof has been at the head of all Byron T. Gillord (later partner) as an Engineer until development, and, with a very competent staff, has 1924. In 1920, Ml'. Hartt was put in charge of the produced highly acceptable products, particularly the Madison, Wis., office. Since 1924, Mr. Hartt has been automatic washing machine which has met with rendering service to utilities and municipal organiza- phenomenal success. All of the fundamental patents tions as a construction engineer. The classes of service taken out by this corporation have been issued in his include: corporate and voluntary reorganizations; re- name and these products are still being manufactured instatement of capital; public utility, common carrier under these patents. He has practiced engineering and industrial valuations; natural gas studies; public constantly from the time of graduation from M.S.U. utility financing; certifs. to indenture trustees; reports and. h~s devoted all of his efforts toward creating and for purchase or sale; market analysis; public utility deslgnmg domestic and commercial laundry equip- rate cases; utility operating surveys; depreciation stu- n~e~1t.Ml'. Geldhof was given membership in Tau Beta dies; water power studies; diesel engine reports; public PI m October, 1955, in recognition of his accomplish- utility constmction. ments. MI'. Hartt is Chairman of Executive Comm., Middle GEFFELS, RAYMOND F., '15 West Service Co., Chicago South Shore and South The firm of Geffels and Vallet are nationally known Bend R.H. He is Director of Northern Indiana Public for their outstanding work in the field of Architecture. Service Co., Indiana Service Corp. He is a member We, in Engineering, are very proud that they are the of A.I.E.E., N.S.P.E., Wisconsin Soc. P. E., Western . Ted S 't R d Distinguished l\1SU Alumni-Left to right: Louis R. Carapella J~se~: ~. ld K E,'ans Arno H Johnson and Cly e . ee. G"rlnn, mt S, ona . , . 37 March 1956 '\ Another Antarctic Expedition .~ calls on COLLINS for communication U.S. Navy Task Force 43 is establishing several The name Collins has figured prominently in bases in Antarctica in conjunction with the polar expeditions since 1925. During Admiral International Geophysical Year activities. Two Byrd's expedition of the early 30's, Collins trans- bases will be built next year, one of them at the mitters were used in the first Arctic/Antarctic South Pole. The expedition, appropriately en- communication link-from the Byrd Expedition titled "Operation Deepfreeze," is under the (Antarctic) to a CBS station in Northern Alaska. direction of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and The Collins equipment is specially packaged for commanded by Rear Admiral George Dufek. air drop and long sledge journeys. Superior per- For radio contact between bases and the outside formance and reliability, proven time and again, 'World, the commercial and amateur communi- make Collins the logical choice when the need cation equipment will be Collins. for radio communication is vital. tJ4fJ!1LEADERSHIP IN ELECTRONICS COLLINS RADIO COMPANY 38 Spartan Engineer Society of Engineers. An Assoc. member Wisconsin munity relations serviccs division. TIc went with Gen- Utilities Assn., Wis. Independent Tel. Assn., Indepen- eral Electric upon graduation and has always heen dent Pioneer Tel. Assn. Mr. Hartt is a Registered Pro- with them. fessional Engineer of Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. He is a Registered Electri- RICHARD W. COOT<,'33 cal Engineer, Michigan Clubs, Union League (Chi- Director of Production, U. S. Atomic Encr~y Com cago), Attic (Chicago), Madison Tech. (Madison, mission. Present reserve commission, Colond-(;Ei Wis.) Legion of i\lerit for Service with ~Ianhalll\n District; In 1950, Mr. Hartt was given the Alumni Award for Army Commendation Bibbon for Service with Wash- Distinguished Service by the Washington, D. C., ington Engineer District, World War II. lIe has Alumni Club of Michigan State College. worked for the nation's atomic program sinct' 191.1. Has been director of AEC's production division for ARNO HALLOCK JOHNSON, '22 3 years, and will continue as Acting Director of Pro- After graduation from State, Arno went to Harvard duction in addition to a new assignment. TIe is a School of Business for a M.S. degree. He is an eco- member of many professional and civic organizations. nomist, Marketing H.esearch Specialist, Teacher, and Author. He is H.esearch Supervisor for Harvard Bureau LOUIS A. CARAPELLA, '37 of Business H.esearch, Market Analyst, Director of Mr. Carapella is Manager of Alloy Fabrications Sec- Research and Vice-President of J. Walter Thompson tion, Westinghouse Atomic Power Division at Pitts- Company of New York, Montreal, Canada, and Lon- burgh. He received his B.S. degree in Metallurgical don, England. He is also Economic Advisor to U. S. Treasury Department. Author of numerous articles Engineering cum laude in 1932, his M.S. from M.LT. and works on economic and marketing subjects and in 1939, and his Doctorate from Harvard in 1941. He an outstanding leader in marketing and distribution was Head of Metallography Section, Naval Research research and policy problems. He received the first Bureau, Washington, D. C., from 1941-43. He is the American Marketing Association Annual Award for author of many technical publications and member of Leadership in Marketing. He has also received cita- numerous professional organizations including a Fel- tions to Hall of Fame in Distribution for distinguished low in The Institute of Metals, London, England. contributions to the advancement of Distribution. He is a member of the Market H.esearch Council of New MAURICE DAY, '37 York; American Marketing Association; National Sales Mr. Day received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering Executives; Editorial Board Harvard Business Re- in 1934 and his Doctorate in 1937. He has spent the view; American Statistical Association; Alpha Delta major part of his professional caree~ witl~ U. S. Sigma and Pi Alpha Mu. Steel, beginning his career at Gary, Indiana, 111 .1917. From there he went to the Hesearch LahoratoTlcs at T. F. BURRIS, '24 Kearny, N. J. Three years la~el: he hec~mc Te~hnical Chief Engineer for the C & 0 H.ailroad with office in Trade Bepresentative of the Chicago unit, and III 1947 th~ General Motors Building, Detroit. Before going (Continued 011 poge 6.'3) with C & 0 he was Division Engineer for the Pere ~[arquette. He has been with the railroad since gradu- ation and held many responsible positions with the C & 0 before being named Chief Engineer. He has b~e~ active in civic affairs and has always maintained his mterest in young Engineers. It might interest you to know that he not only played football, but was a member of the first Hockey team at State. STANLEY B. HUNT, '29 Mr. Hunt is Chief of Engineering District in charge of the St. Lawrence Seaway project. Previous to 'World War II, he was U. S. Junior Engineer. When he left ~~eService, he held the rank of Lt. Col., En~r~. Cor~s. h nce 1946 he has been in his present pOSItion WIth eadquarters at Foot Bridge, New York. ARTHUR F. VINSON, '29 V' .. Ice Presldent-i\lanufacturina for General ElectrIc Company. i\lr. Vinson joined G.E. as a student engi- neer and held successive positions as planner, time- study, and process engineer doc motor section head and mventory . '. control supervisor. i\lr. Vmson a Iso s~rved as manager of employee and community rela- Head of Saint Laurence Seaway Project Stanley ~ns of the. S.mall Apparatus division and manager of B. Hunt. age Admullstration of the employee and plant com- 39 March 1956 ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT ALLISON HELPS YOU FIND THE BEST JOB SUITED TO YOUR TRAINING DIVERSITY of technical skills required In his present job, Wayne works on We'll welcome the opportunity of tell- by Allison in the design, development initial design ... helps decide what com- ing you more about th.e. ~llison Ad~ and production of turbo-jet and turbo- ponents-such as propeller brakes, vanced Educational FaCIlities, and th prop engines offers a wide range of op- accessory drives, oil pumps, etc.-are benefits and advantages which can be portunities to young graduate engineers. needed for the specific project. yours at Allison. Arrange for an early And, the Advanced Educational Fa- The nature of Allison business con- interview with our representative when cilities help the young graduate find the tinually prese.nts a variety of interesting . for 10- he visits your campus, or wnte work best suited to his academic training and .challenglng problems to the engi- and liking. formation about the possibilities of neenng staff, which-along with the YOUR engineering career at ~I1ison: For instance, there's Wayne McIntire Mechanical, Aeronautical, Electrical, R. G. GREENWOOD, Engineenng Col- (above) Mechanical Engineer, Purdue Metallurgical, Chemical and Industrial .. , General Univers!ty, .who came to Allison upon lege Contact, Allison DI~ISlOn, . nd Engineers-includes majors in Mathe- Motors Corporation, Indianapolis 6, I . gra.d~atJon In 1950. After completing the matics and Physics. tralnl.ng program, Wayne now is doing the kind of work he wanted, and is tech- nica~Iy qualified to ~andle. He is Project Engineer, ~echall1cal design of gea r boxes. He IS shown making an adjust- ment on the propeller linkage control on the cutaway model of the Allison T56 aircr~ft ,engine. This, incidentally, is Am~nca s ~rst p~oduction turbo-prop engine, and ISused In the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a 54-ton transport. The Allison Model 501, which is the commercial ver- sion of the military T56, is the powerful LL/SON turbo-prop engine proposed for com- mercial airline use. *1'TURBO-PROP ENGINES American built for the new era In air trayel 40 . er Spartan Engine Peaceful Use • • • BRITISH TEACH ATOMIC POWER By Tom Margerison Reprint from Industrial Science and Engineering Among the buildings which cluster around the temperature of the steam produced by the nuclear security fence at Harwell, Britain's Atomic Energy reactor with an oil-fired superheater. This com- Research Establishment, are three rough wooden bination of oil-firing and atomic power could lead to huts, which would look more at home in a garden very efficient stations which would produce elec- or on a golf course. These three huts contain one of tricity more cheaply than either method alone. the few schools in the world devoted to the teaching of the peaceful uses of atomic power. This one is Students Visit "Bepo" Britain's Reactor School. Another is the Oak Ridge None of the work of the school is carried on within National Laboratory at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Harwell itself, but visits are arranged to see the The British Reactor School was started in Sep- nuclear reactors, a short distance from the school. tember 1954 to train men who are building and who "Bepo," the largest reactor, is similar to the ones are going to operate the new atomic power stations. which are going to be used for power production. All the pupils are qualified engineers. Many of them "Bepo" produces some power which is used to he~t occupy senior positions in their firms. the laboratories, but its main purpose is for expen- Americans may apply for entrance to the School, ments. as may students from Europe and the Commonwealth. The headmaster or manager of the school is Dr. At the course beginning in September, 1955, there Kenneth Bobin. The 33 year old scientist has been were eight Europeans, two Indians, one Pakistani, in the British atomic energy project since it started one Argentinian, and one Brazilian. in 1946. Previously he had worked for two years Students spend three months at the school. They at Chalk River the Canadian atomic research labora- are taught the principles of nuclear physics and the tories. He w~s one of the first members to join processes which go on in the nuclear reactor. They Sir John Cockcroft at Harwell. Hecently, he has spent study the problems of designing a reactor which can (Colltinued Oil page 4,'3) he made to evaporate steam to drive a turbo-generator. They learn how much shielding is required for per- son,nelsafety. They are shown how to handle radio- actIve materials with special manipulators which can he worked from behind a lead wall. ~he many engineering and metallurgical problems whICh arise in designing atomic power stations are ~overed in the course. One of the main difficulties IS removing the heat from the center of the reactor, which is highly radio-active and using it to produce dearn. Most of the course ' concerns gas-cooled re- actors because most is known about their design and operation. However, other methods of cooling, using water under very high pressure, or liquid metals, such as sodium or lithium are discussed. The application of n~c1ear reactors in power stations is also an important topic. Many of the studen.ts are electrical engineers with years of experi- ence I1l the design and operation of conventional Power stations. Therefore in some respects the teach ers learn from the students ' . . f 180000 kilowatt Power stations become more efficient the hotter the An artist's c?~cept:~~c~oras~:'~s it ~oupled to a steam they use. One trouble with the atomic power dual-cycle bOiling . a utility power plant. ~tation of present design is its relatively low efficiency turbine~g~~ra:oJire~~IY inside the reactor (right) m ~Sl1lg . the heat available. One possible met hd0 , Water IS U1 tl' for the turbine-generator (up- to produce seam whIch is being discussed at the school, is to raise the per left). 41 March 1956 many doors will be opened to you ... e which will you enter when you become an n In A JOB 01 u ,} '-- \ \ \ OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS for engineering careers at this magnificent new iet aircraft equipment plant \ \ Make the right choice when you begin to invest your hard-won ~k~l~a.nd \ knowledge in engineering. Hamilton Standard offers a plant where mltlatlve \ and responsibility are encouraged ... where young men are in top mana~e- \ ment posts on engineering stoff which has been continuously expa.ndl~g \ for 35 years a plant which has been judged one of the top 10 m t e \ \ nation. You don't just fill a position at H-S ..• you commence a career! Some \ of Hamilton's present projects include jet fuel controls, jet turbine starter i \ \ hydraulic pumps, air cycle and vapor refrigeration systems, controls .an d l accessories for nuclear engines, propellers for turbine and piston engmes. l \, GRADUATE PROGRAM ... while at Hamilton Standard you ~ill be encouraged to take advantage of the company's liberal tuition assistance plan and t~ pursue postgraduate studies at nearby Hartford Graduate Center a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. HAMILTON STANDARD Send for "YOU AND YOUR FUTURE" ... a calorful brochure picturing and describing all of the act;~i- ties ond opportunities at H-S • _ . plus information on ) groduate engineering program. Write Mr. T. K. Bye, (key nO. Bradley field Road, Windsor locks, Connecticut. HAM I L TON S TAN 0 A R0 A DIVISION OF UNITED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 42 Spartan Engineer contribution to help the world-widt' developnwnl of BRITISH TEACH atomic power. (Continued from page 41) Although, at the moment, tht' emphasis is t'nlirdy upon land-based power stations, lIlt' CO\l1'St' ghl'S :l three years in the United States as atomic energy fundamental basis for later c!t>v('!o])nwnISin IlHlbill' representative with the United Kingdom Scientific power units. It may he significant thllt :l nUl11lh'r Officein Washington. of Britain's aircraft finns have Sl'nt l'ngilH.'l'rs to ~tudy Dr. James Hill, senior lecturer at the school, is also at the school. Hailway locomotive and ship-building one of the pioneers at Harwell. He joined in April firms are also taking an interest. 1946,a month after Dr. Bobin. Although Britain is too small a country to IIlllkl' Each session contains between 30 and 40 students atomic powered locomotives worthwhile on her mil- and three courses are to be held each year. Many ways, they would have very great advantages over of the pupils are much older than their teachers, steam or diesel engines on the long routes in other although a few have come from universities after countries. The main advantage of such locomotives graduation. is their ability to travel extremely long distances In each course to date have been four Australian without refueling. engineers who form part of the nucleus of the new From the knowledge they gain at the Heactor Australian Atomic Energy Commission which has School, engineers are able to assess more accurately recently been established. After they have finished the possibilities of such developments. the course they will spend the rest of two years at Harwell or in one of the atomic factories. Harwell is to help the Australian A.E.C. in the design of one As they say in Mechanics: "Every couple has its of its reactor projects. moments." Students from overseas are admitted only if they o o o are proposed by their govemments. (Interested Americans may apply for information to the United A chaperone is a force acting 011 a couple to main- Kingdom Scientific Office, 1907 "K" St., N.W., tain it in a state of equilibrium. Washington 6, D. C.) This will be part of Britain's Engineers & Inquiries are invited regarding Physicists openings 011 our Staff in the fields listed below: Ground and Airborne Radar &ientific Fire Control Systems St'!!J Guided Missile Systems Relations Airborne Digital Computers Miniaturization and Hughes Advanced Packaging Communication Systems RESEARCH Microwave Ferrite Devices AND Antennas and Radomes DEVELOPM ENT Indicator and Microwave Tubes LABORATORIES Semiconductor Devices Culver City, Los Angeles County, California Relocation of applicant must not c~use disruption of an urgent military proJect. BROOIHYN.Nrw YOI\l\ 43 March 1956 Mr. Engineer: A young, dynamic industry set to expand by 1100% by 1975 offers challenging, ground-floor advantages! Chemstrand, already with the world's largest integrated nylon plant, is now in its 4th major expansion in its 4th year of operation! elween Being both a young and an expanding company, Chemstrand offers many positions that otherwise would require years to attain. ese ines? The booming, rapidly-expanding Southeast is America's new industrial frontier. Here the future has just begun! Contact your Placement Director for Interviews with a Chemstrand representative, or write to: r-----------------------------~ TECHNICAL PERSONNEL MANAGER, Dept. The Chemstrand Corporation, Decatur, Alabama Gentlemen: . It is my understanding that you need for immediate employment graduate engineers in various fields, particularly chemical, mechanical, industrial, textile and instrument engineering. Please send me information concerning the ground floor opportunities at Chemstrand. NAME STREET CITY THE CHEMSTRAND CORPORATION, DECATUR, ALABAMA L ZONE-5TATE ~-~ 44 Spartan Engineer AtDavidS arno If Research Center, Princeton, N. J., RCA tests one of loudspeakers used in neW high fidelity "Victrola" phonographs. ReA creates a new kind of high fidelity in the silence of this room In this formance through the range of drop. Throo.m you can hear a pin audible sound. Here is more music noise e Jagged walls absorb alien WHERE TO, than you've ever heard before. Here can sokthat delicate instruments is the ultimate in high fidelity. MR. ENGINEER? ma eth sur e. ~eproduced sound matches The skill behind new Orthophonic RCA offers careers in re- POssibl e orIgInal as closely as "Victrolas" is inherent in all RCA search, development, design, e. products and services. And continu- and manufacturing for is ~~us a new kind of high fidelity ally, RCA scientists strive to open engineers with Bachelor or first t~-~nd brought to you for the new frontiers of "Electronics for advanced degrees in E. E., Phon~~~~.new RCA Victor Ortho- M. E. or Physics. For full Living" _electronics that make life information, write to: Mr. Listen' H lc~rol~" phonographs. happier, easier, safer. . ere IS dIStortion-free per- Robert Haklisch, Manager, College Relations, Radio Corporation of America, Camden 2, N. J. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA Electronics for Living 45 March 1956 l_ )~ _ - SLIDING DOWN THE WAYS at Groton, Conn., goes the USS Nauti!us, newest and fastest member of our underseas fleet. During welding, Worthington heavy-duty turning rolls rotated the hull sections. How the world's first atomic sub was welded Welding the hull of the USS Nautilus, world's first set-up is also being used in the construction of the atomic submarine, presented a tough problem. nation's second atomic sub, the USS Sea Wolf. Submerged-arc automatic welding seemed to be ideal Turning rolls for submarines aren't all that ~orth- for the job. Question was-could you rotate the hull ington makes. The long list of Worthington-d~sIgned, sections of the Nautilus to take advantage of this fast, high-quality welding method? Worthington-built equipment includes air conditIOnIng units, construction machinery, compressors, DIesel en- Worthington's answer to General Dynamics Corpo- gines, steam power equipment and, of course, pumps ration's Electric Boat Division, builder of the Nautilus, was the largest turning roll ever built. of all kinds. For the complete story of how you can fit into the Worthington picture, write F. F. Thompson, The result? Welding of the Nautilus hull was accom- plished in record-breaking time - and cost less than Manager, Personnel and Training, Worthington Cor- originally estimated. Unchanged, the Worthington roll poration, Harrison, New Jersey. You may be glad you did. 4.25 B See the Worthington See the Worthington representative when he visits your campus Corporation exhibit in WORTHINGTON New York City. A lively, informotive display of product developments for industry, business and the home. Park Avenue and 40th Street. When you're thinking of a good job-think high-think Worthington AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION. COMPRESSORS. CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT. ENGINES, DEAERATORS • INDUSTRIAL MIXERS NERS LIQUID METERS. MECHANICAL POWER TRANSMISSION • PUMPS. STEAM CONDENSERS. STEAM-JET EJECTORS • STEAM TURBINES • WELDING POSITIO 46 Spartan Engineer Investigation of Unknown Planet by ERNEST LAPENSEE Date B4 78 kgh3 OBJECT: To investigate the planets of another sun to determine the possibility of future settlement. EQUIPMENT: 1 spaceship MA 164328, and the usual spaceship accessories (1 life raft, 2 heavy demolition ionization guns, 1 planet disintegrator bomb, etc.) h m PROCEDURE: After blasting off from space platform number 3 at time 14 30 , date B4 78 kgh3 the crew went into suspended animation while the automatic pilot took the ship to the G type star GKX43365. The position of the star 0 at time of departure was: declination +400 15', latitude 48 29', altitude 1490 28', distance 23.340 parsecs. planet with the exception of the Garooks. Because When the destination was reached it was found there are 9 planets of assorted sizes circling the sun. they are approximately 3 times larger than we arc, However, the only one which is habitable by our they will continually try to destroy us. All Garooks peo~l.e was found to be already inhabited by one will have to be eliminated before colonization begins. seml-mteIIigent form of animal life and an assortment This will be taken care of immediately after taking off. of .animals of slightly less intelligence. For the re- The entire planet will be covered with a gas which m~lllder of this report the semi-intelligent animals will affect only Garooks. This gas will cause all ~vglbe referred to as GAROOKS. At this point the Garooks to become permanently sterile. This is in . ~ (standard operating procedure) for planets con- keeping with our policy of violent annihilation only tamlOg any intelligent life was adopted. when attacked. Colonization may begin in about 100 T~e ship was landed in a large uninhabited sandy years. section and submerged beneath the surface. The ~~~up donned Light Diverter hoods, causing invisi- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF A GAROOK: Ilty, and set out to study Garook specimens. Height: 5 to 6 feet ta]1. RESULTS: Weight: 100 to 200 ]bs. T~o years were spent studying Garook habits, Stands upright on hind legs. emotlOns, intelligence, impulses, etc. Most Garooks Male is usually 4 to 5 inches taller and about ?O ]bs. ~ere found to be very crude. Their entire life is heavier than the female and is therefore consIdered bvoted primarily to the seeking of physical pleasure superior. ( etter food, better home less work etc.) Their The above document was found during an examina- emot'lOns are amazingly complex I'f " for such a simple tion following an atomic blast in the desert of New lO~'. ~I?st Garooks are too egocentric to admit the . It was incased in a very small capsule. The P slblhty of an intelligence greater than their feeble IM eXICo... being investigated by scientists, IS approxl- lllteIIigence. They place much emphasis on physical capsu ,]e . d' d . strength. They have many contests of physical strength mately 3 inches long and 1h inch m ~ameter an IS and sk'll made of a substance foreign to our sOIL A]so. found 1 to determine the victor. in the area were bits of an unknown met~l w~lch are CONCLUSION: very light yet amazingly strong. InvestigatIOns are This planet is ideal for colonization. Our people continuing. can live in harmony with all the life forms on this 47 March 1956 PPG's answer to the college graduate's question: ~ , J ~~Wherewill I be 10 years from now?" The Pittsburgh Plarc Glass Company is onc of rhe foremost Superintendent of Production corporations in Amcrica. Ohio State University, BS ME 1952 PPG is financially sound; it has an intensive research program; it has cnormous production facilities; it has a Industrial Relations Director wide diversity of products ... and it has broad markets in Oklahoma A&M, BS Commerce 1947 both industrial and Consumer goods. .. ASSIstant Supennten d ent, G nn. d'Ing ao d polishing PPG depends on intelligent, promising men to continue Missouri School of Mines, BS ME 1949 its impressive record of growth. PPG believes in promoting men from within its organization to fill the many positions Chief Industrial Eogineer of responsibility. Penn State, BS IE 1948 In PPG's most modern glass plant in the world, now Assistant Superintendent-Tank under construction ar Cumberland, Md., the key positions are being filled from wirhin the company. In the next Penn State, BS IE 1949 column are some of the new posts, and the educational Assistant Plant Engineer backgrounds of the men. University of Illinois, BS EE 1945 PPG needs career-minded graduates for its ever expanding operations in glass, paint, chemicals, brushes, plastics and fiber glass. For further information, contact Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, General Personnel Director, One Gateway Center, Pittsburgh 22, Pa. PAINTS GLASS CHEMICALS • BRUSHES . FIBER GLASS 34S PLANTS, MERCHANDISING BRANCHES, AND SALES OFFICES LOCATED IN 2S0 CITIES 48 Spartan Engineer Young engineers making news Western Electric's primary job - which goes 'way back to 1882 - is to make good telephone equipment that helps Bell telephone companies provide good service. It's a very big job - and a very important one - which calls for the pooling of varied types of engineering skills. New manufacturing processes and methods are constantly required to produce better tele- Richard C. Shafer, B.S. in mechanical engineering at lehigh, phones, better central office equipment, better was one of 16 engineers assigned to one of Western Electric's wires and cables, new types of electronic equip- t~ughest post-war projects - developing manufacturing tech- niques for mass-producing (with great precision!) the tiny but ment to keep pace with the nation's ever-growing amazing transistors which are already causing a revolution in need for more and better telephone service at electronics. low cost. In addition to doing our job as manufacluring unit of the Bell Telephone System, Weslern Electric is busy producing many types of elec- tronic equipment for the Armed Forces. J lere again, young engineers of varied. traini~lg arc doing important work in connecLJon WJth. the manufacture of radar fire con lrol sY!ltems,gUided missile systems and special military communi- cations systems. " Paul f M J . G e bh or,d .. B.S. M.E. at the University ~ aryland, was one of a team that helped evelop Western's new electroforming process fo .. 'th r coaling steel telephone wire WI copper, lead and brass in one continu- ous. operaf Ion. H"IS lob: to develop conductor reSistance I' Iyt fil ~annea Ing equipment and electro- e trallon and circulating systems. Bobby l P' . A. &. '. etht (at right), an E.E. from Texas oiw M., ISone of several hundred members L estern Electric's Field Engineering Force. T ese F E F ... men can be found all over the Wor Id -w k'Ing most closely with the Army, or N aVyand A' F lot' Ir orce-advising on the instal- I Ion' op era t'Ion and maintenance of cam- p ex electronic equipment made by W.E. 49 March 1956 Who gets the most exciting assignments in electronics? The answer is young engineers at IBM-long a leader in computer engineering. Perhaps you, too, would find it challenging to solve problems similar to these typical and recent IBM problems: Design and development. Develop a magnetic core memory using transistor drive circuits. This involved a study of the characteristics of cores as a load, of the arithmetic portions of the machine as a source of infonnation to control the core driving circuits, and of the pulse characteristics of transistors. Manufacturing. In magnetic core storage units, three or more wires must be woven through every core in the array, each a tiny doughnut less than 1/10 of an inch in diameter. This weaving process was a tedious, painstaking hand-operation-a far from desirable method. The development of a rapid automatic assembly method was necessalY to attain economic volume production. Field Engineering. Assume responsibility for performance and maintenance of an entire computer system (composed primarily of electronic equipment) in one of today's most vital defense projects. In addition to exciting assignments, young engineers at II3M find the kind of advanced facilities, stimulating associates, and climate which encourage personal progress and achievement. If your abilities thrive on challenge, IBM offers you unlimited opportunity to make important and rewarding contributions. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION about IBM, see your placement director or write to W. M. Hoyt, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP., 590 Madison Avenue, New York 22, N. Y. Plants and Labs located at Endicott, Poughkeepsie, and Kingston, N. Y. Producer of electronic IBM @ data processing electronic machines. electric typewriters. and time equipment. ,, J 50 Spartan Engineer vided in the middle of thc roadway. The two outt'r MACKINAC BRIDGE lanes, each 12 feet widc, are made solid, and tht, two (Continued from page 7) inner lanes and the center mall (24 fect of width) ore duciblein the laboratory under controlled conditions made of open-grid constrnetion (of snft'st, most im. for theoretically maximum pressure is 23,000 pounds proved type). Wind-tunncl tests have connJ'lllt'd tlw per lineal foot. We multiplied this higher figure by high aerodynamic stability of this design of cross five,and we designed the piers to be safe for a hypo- section, combining the two outer Opt'nillgs with [\11 thetical,impossible ice pressure of 115,000 pounds per opening in the middle of the roadway. linealfoot, in addition to all of the usual, conventional In addition to the foregoing design features yielding factors of safety followed in the best engineering assured aerodynamic stability, maximum torsional practice. stability has been secured by providing two systems With the maximum possible ice pressure multiplied of lateral bracing, in the planes of the top and bottom by five, and the safe foundation pressure divided by chords, respectively. (This feature has recently been fouras a basis for design, the combined factor of safety added on the Golden Gate Bridge at a cost of is twenty for the design of the piers against any pos- $3,500,000. ) sible ice pressure. For still further safety against any The Mackinac Bridge represents a triumph of the possibility of ice damage, the concrete of the piers is new science of suspension bridge aerodynamics. The protected by steel sheet piling, steel caissons, and design was predetermined scientifically in final form. armor plate. Now, two years after determination of the design and Because the public had been told that no structure award of construction contracts, extensive wind-tunnel couldresist the force of storms at the Straits, the design tests have finally been completed on a large-scale wasmade ultra-safe against wind pressure. The great- dynamic model of the bridge. No modification of the est wind velocity ever recorded in the vicinity is 78 design has been found necessary or desirable. The miles per hour; this represents a wind force of 20 wind-tunnel tests show conclusively, as predicted by pounds per square foot. We multiplied this force by the writer, that the Mackinac Bridge, as designed, has: 21hand designed the bridge to be ultra-safe against a 1. Complete and absolute aerodynamic stability wind pressure of 50 pounds per square foot. against vertical oscillations at all wind velocities and The Most Stable Suspension Bridge all angles of attack. The main span at Mackinac is a suspension bridge, 2. Complete and absolute aero~ynamic .s~ability which is inherently the safest possible type of bridge. against torsional oscillations at all wll1d velOCities and The stiffening trusses are 38 feet deep, or 1/100th of all angles of attack. the span length. This is the same ratio adopted (after 3. Complete and absolute aer~d~namic .stability years of exhaustive aerodynamic tests) for the pro- against coupled oscillations (c?mbll1l11g vertIcal and posed Severn River Bridge in England, and 68 percent torsional) at all wind velOCIties and all angles of greater than the ratio of the Golden Gate Bridge. attack. Ev~n without this generously high depth-ratio, the Professor F. B. Farquharson states in his report that: Mackmac suspension span would have more than "Tests at angles of attack up to 20 degrees a~d over ample aerodynamic stability. In fact, by utilizing all the full range of velocities availa~le .(1~1 mde~ per of the new knowledge of suspension bridge aero- hour) have failed to develop any JIldlcatlon of Illsta- dynamics, the Mackinac Bridge has been made the bility." most stable suspension bridge, aerodynamically, that has ever been designed. What Makes It Big . This result has been achieved, not by spending mil- The total length of the bridge (including the ap- hons of dollars to build up the structure (in weight 's 96444 feet (5 miles and 44 feet). proac h e S) I ~ , and. stiffness) to resist the effects, but by scientific Th total concrete in the substructure (anchorage~, desIgn of the cross-section to eliminate the cause of iers eand foundations) is 445,000 cubic yards. Of thIS aerodynamic instability. The vertical and torsional P 't 355000 cubic yards are placed under water. an10un, , ae.ro?ynamic forces tending to produce oscillations are The total weight of the steel superstructure (cables, ehmmated. structural steel, and roadway) is 66,500 tons .. fAn important feature contributing this high degree 33 sans are carried on 34 piers. The two ma1l1 o aerodynamic stability is the provision of wide open The p. d down to depths exceeding 200 feet. spaces between the stiffening trusses and the outer pie.rs ar~ ~~~ h 140 feet of water and 70 feet of ~dges of the roadway. The trusses are spaced 68 (PICr 1 gd P' 90 through 100 feet of water .eet apart and the roadway is only 48 feet wide, leav- overburden, an ler ~ 5 feet of overburden.) ;n g open spaces 10 feet wide on each side, for the full an d 10 ) . $25 735 t~~gth of the suspension bridge. The effectiveness of The substructure contrac.' (lump sum & I~ tt ' Co;~ hIS fe.ature was demonstrated to the profession by 600, awarded to the Merntt-Chapman co ~ e wnter in 1940 and this feature has since been used poration. d 111 the constructi~n or reconstruction of all large sus- rstructure contract (structural .steel an pension bridges. The s~p$e44539 900 This is the largest s1l1gle con- cables) IS ,~, . hFor further perfection of the aerodynamic stability, (Continl/ed on page 55) t e equivalent of a wide longitudinal opening is pro- 51 March 1956 uohn Young asks: Ho"" does research diller Irom development ""ork al Du Pont? John E. Young is working toward his B.S. in chemistry from Cali- fornia Institute of Technology this June. He has maintained .honor standing in classwork while serving on the school newspaper, l~ t.be debating society, and as treasurer of the student body. John IS lD- tcrested in chemical research and development. Joh n Aaron answers: Well, John, it's hard to define the difference in a way that will satisfy everybody, because one always finds a lot of over- .John B. Aaron worked for D u P 0nt as d ated summer from lapping between research and development work. But most laboratory assistant even before he .g~a ua ervicehe Princeton with a B.S. in 1940. After mlht~ry ~urnedto people agree that there are differences, especially in time se- obtained an M.S.Ch.E. from M.I.T. an reny oppor- quence. Research work comes first, because one of its main ob- Du Pont in 1947. Over the years he has hat :a elopment jectives is to establish or discover new scientific facts that will tunities to observe Du Pont research a~ cVervisorat suppl~r the Foundation for new industrial developments. In work. Today John is process and meth; ~ s.upand Fin- other words, research men seek new knowledge about mat- the Philadelphia Plant of Du J'ont's a ncs ter, generally working with small quantities of it. ishes Department. Development work comes later, and Du Pont has two main types. First, there is new process development. Here scientists and engineers modify, streamline, and augment the findings of research so that new chemical products can be profitably made on a large scale-or existing products can be made by WANT TO KNOW MORE a ball t 100rking with . l newer and more efficient methods. Pilot-plant and semi-works Du Pont? Slmd for a free copy OJ.f "Chlmllca ell au operations are usually included under this heading . . Engtneers at D 11 P on,t" a..booklet that th mical sy Second, an important kind of development work is directed about pioneering 100rk bet7lg done w C/o e nt toward improvement of existing processes and products. Here • '. eng1.1leenng-w TesearCfl, I ?TOCess deved pme pont, production and sales. WTtte to E. I. 11Bldg the men study how to obtain yield increases, utilize by-prod- de Nemours & Co. (Inc.), !e5!el Nemours ., ucts, increase outputs, and solve sales service problems as they Wilmington 98, DelalOare. arise. This may require considerable research, and that brings us back to the overlapping I previously mentioned. There are genuine differences, John, but a good deal of similarity, too-especially in the constant need for imagination and creative effort. I think you'll find that research and de- velopment work are equally challenging and rewarding at Du Pont. BETTER THINGS <> <> to success as an ENGINEER Don't be afraid to use your brain, it's the little things that 1. AMBITION -it is assumed you have this in abundance or you wouldn't be where you are. count. <> <> <> 2. GOOD SCHOOL-you are fortunate stu~ying in II line ~chool with engineering instructors of national renown. He: "How about a kiss baby?" 3. THE A.W. FABER-CASTELL HABIT_ shared Gold Digger: "r;:ot on an emp- by sllcce~sflll engineers the world over. It on,ly costs ty stomach, sugar. 1I few pennies more to use CASTELL,world s finest pencil, in 20 bllperb degrees, 8B to 10H. Cho?se from He: "Of course not - on the either imported #9000 wood-encased, Locktlte Refill mouth." Holder with or without new Tel:A-Grade degree In. <> <> <> dicator, and imported 9030 drawlOg Leads. If YOII hope to be a master in YOllr profession, IIse CASTELL, drawing pencil of the !nasters. If your College store is Ollt of CASTELL,wnte to us. She was only an oculist's daughter - Two glasses and she made a spectacle of herself. <> <> <> An inspector making a tour.of an insane asylum noticed an m- mate who had nothing on but a hat. h t "Why is it my good man, t a WANTED ... you are not weanng , . your CIVI L, ELECTRICAL, clothes?" "Well sir, nobody ever comes MECHANICAL here." , "Then why are you weanng the hat?" " ENGINEERING "Well , somebody might. <> <> <> INSTRUCTORS A pinch of salt is great Iy 11'n 'f proved by a dd' mg a glass 0 beer, <> <> Marquette University offers you many advantages in the plan. <> ning of your professional career. Such as: Excellent in-service training for the instructor beginning his academic career ... "Hello?" contact with industry in a metropolitan area noted for its "Hello, is this Dr. Wasser- highly diversified manufacturing summer employment man?" opportunities ... salaries up to $4300 and the cultural and "Yes, it is." resort facilities of the Milwaukee area "Are you positive?" You can develop your future along academic lines by completing <> <> <> your graduate education at a nearby state institution or select carefully from numerous industrial openings available locally. . ?" "May I have thiS dance, 'tb If you are interested ... write, Dean, College of Engineering ''I'm sorry, I never dan:ehwlan a ch'ld" I , S al'd she , Wit MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY amused smile. dons" MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN "Oh, a thousand par bo~t said he, "I didn't know a your condition," 62 . er Spartan Engine This capadt) might nho IWH' In Iw int'!l':hl,d In Solar Batteries take can' of the fnet thilt tl\l' l'ITkil'1\t'Y prl'tlid\'tl 1(11 A pocket-size solar-powered radio receiver, weighing slIch household solill h;llti'l ies wOllld not Iw fto:hihll' ()~lly 10 ounc~s and capable of working more than The slln-gntlll'ring SlIlfllt'i' of siwh ,I s(II:11('011\1'1\1'1 (,Ight months III total. darkness without recharging, has be(,'~dcvclope~I. Major advantages over solar-powered would tokc' up :30 to 100 SCI,,,I.I' "'1'1 to plCldllu' 1'1I01l~h hOllsehold powc'r. ' receivers previously announced are size and length of operation in absence of light. This .an'a lInd I!lOIl' is \1'1Y i'asih illtllllH'd 011 ,I roof, WIth 1110sthon1\' roofing illl'as lIulllillg UI tll\' It is pointed out that highly elRcient solar batteries orde~ of l,(~)() SC~\~t\I'l'kd. Thlls, giVI'1Ia gc)()d supply s~l(h as .tho~e used in the receiver are still too expen- of 11Ig~1-punty slIIcOII alld Illass plOchlction I11dhocls, SIV(:to J.ustlfy manufacture of devices in which they there IS no tl'chnological /,\'ason why sut'h [\ S)'stl'lI\ play an lInportant part. There are no immediate plans should not work. for production . . The solar r~ceiver will operate continuously in day- lIght and wIll run 500 hours in darkness without recharging. If used at the rate of two hours a day ~vhich is considered normal usage for a portable radio: ALUMNI It would work for a minimum of 250 days in absolute (COIl/ilI/H'd fmm IIII~(, .39) blackout. Long operation in total darkness is made possible was transferred to Pittsburgh as a ~Ietallurgical Engi- by th.e us~ of a miniature storage battery which is neer. He has recently been named Vic('-Prc'sident 01 cont~lJled III a transparent plastic case along with four Hesearch and Development of Crucible Stc'el Com- transistors, seven solar cells and other components. The pany of America. case is 5% inches wide, 1% inches thick and 3 inches During World War] r, Dr. Day held down lhc' dllal high. ~osts of consultant to Detroit industries IIsing stl'd The present size makes it convenient for the user to 111 ordnance work and consultant to the chief of onl- place the receiver in a suit pocket and to hear pro- nance in connection with the nation's sted helmet gran:s with a miniature ear-plug. The size could be program. He is now a member of the \1 ilitary Ord cut 1I~ half. by substituting sub-miniature components nance Department Metallurgical Advisory Commill('l' now 111 eXistence which were unavailable when de- for Large Guns, and the Amc'rican Ordnancc' Associa velopmental work was being conducted. tion Commillee for Small Arms and AlI1munitioll. Irc' Only two manual controls are needed-a turn-on is a former chairman of tll(' Chicago Chapter A.S.\1. knob which also adjusts volume and a knob for station selection. CHRISTIAN F. BEUKEMA, '110 Under normal daylight conditions, light rays strike Christian F. Heuke'ma, Civil 1~J1giJlCI'r,lofltl('r1y asso th.e selenium cells which convert solar energy to elec- ciated with U. S. St('el Corporation's raw materia" tncal. current. The electrical energy travels directly to division in Pittsburgh, was nalfled Presidcnt of \I ichi- tr.anslstors in the daytime, powering the receiver. gan Limestone Division in Detroit, on February 3, Simultaneously, the miniature storage battery builds 1955. up a supply of energy to be employed when sun- A native of Grand Haven and a graduate of State in power is lacking. 1940, he joined Michigan Limestone at Hogers City, Artinciallight, such as a lamp containing a l00-watt Mich., serving in the field of maintenance and COll- b~lb, may be used instead of sunlight. Smaller artifi- struction engineering. cial ~ources, sucn as matchlight or candlelight, do not provide the necessary light power. In 1941, Beukema was called to active Army duty, advancing to the grade of major before returning to Michigan Limestone in 1945 as construction engineer. Solar Batteries for Household Use In 1949, he went to U. S. Steel's headquarters in Pitts- burgh as special assistant to the late John G. Munson, f So.lar batteries of silicon probably will someday vice-president-raw materials, in the planning of a llrmsh enough power for household use in sunny long-range program of iron ore development for the areas, but do not appear practical for powering autos corporation. In this connection he spent considerable and other vehicles. time in South America promoting the interests of the There is enough surface area available on house roofs to make this energy conversion method practical. Company. But the optical method would not provide sufficient In 1951, he was advanced from the post of senior power for vehicles. staff assistant in raw materials division to the post of director of planning in the same division. In 1954, he However, there is no way of predicting when such was made Vice-President of ~1ichigan Limestone, with systems would be economically feasible. headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, and in February, A practical type of solar energy converter might be 1955, he was promoted to his present position. Chris made to yield up to three times home power needs "to is active in alumni affairs and is a frequent campus take care of emergencies, peak loads or protracted visitor. spells of dark weather." 63 March 1956 Editorial Sometime or another—every one of us here at college has contemplated, or been asked the question of just why we are enrolled in this institution of higher learning. Invariably the answer or the prime reason given is to obtain an education. This seems to be an oversimplification. College is looked upon by many to be a period of preparation for life. This outlook leads to serious negligence. There are other aspects of our development that we cannot afford to neglect during our four-year stay at college. Upon graduation from high school the ties of home are severed. De- pendence gives way to independence. We begin to live. Our destiny falls entirely into our own hands. You are one of those who chose college as your next step. Not for the education as an end, but as a means to success. Your struggle for that end begins at this point. This "struggle" is what we refer to as "life." We are now "living." Not preparing for "living." The governing rules are not the same as those of the previous period. Responsibility becomes heavy. Punishment replaces reprimand. We live by the same rules as society in general dictates for its older members. Education appears in a different light. We are not excused for our actions on the grounds of igno- rance. We are expected to know, and if we don't, we suffer the conse- quences. College students are prone not to acknowledge this fact. Doing well in their studies is believed to be the basis for measuring progress. In our pres- ent status, it is only one factor. Our everyday actions are just as much a part of success. Relations with other people may very well be more im- portant. Though intangible, it may take more time and practice to learn the art of good human relations than it does to master your studies. Yet stu- dents will procastinate this art until graduation and spend excessive hours in their rooms with the books. In our society, good citizenship is expected of the leaders. But students will render themselves immune to the effect of current events and ignore the daily newspaper. They feel no need to be informed on the happenings in the outside world. A characteristic of the successful man is participation in community aitctirs. Our community offers opportunity for recognition and practice. Relatively few take advantage of this opportunity. However, these same participants m extra-curricular activities will probably be the future leaders m their post-graduation communities. Even our personal habits are subject to the standards of this society we exist within. If success is based on more than financial gain and we aspire to be leaders, then we must learn now to acquire those qualities that are looked for m their leaders by the followers. H.N. 64 Spartan Engine*'