work of the American Malleable Castings association has been instrumental in making marked improvements, and yet it has not in the nature of things been able to meet all conditions in such a wide field. It is further desirable that the results of research work be made known to the users as well as the makers of malleable castings. The work to be done on metals will require our combined efforts for many years to come in an endeavor to reach perfect results. Some mooted questions in the malleable iron industry can be enumerated as follows:

1. What are the exact annealing temperatures that
should be used to produce consistently uniform
results with any given chemical composition?

2. What time intervals should be used on all grades
of castings for heating up to annealing temperature?
3. What is the proper time interval at the proper an-
nealing temperature?

4. What time interval is best under all conditions in
the cooling operation?

5. What are the exact conditions that cause a pearlitic
ring in annealed castings?

6. What chemical compositions will produce the best
castings for light, medium and heavy duty?

7. What is the best type of furnace for melting to
produce the greatest strength and ductility in the
annealed casting?

8. Is there a combination of melting and refining
operations that will give a better product than is
possible with a single type furnace?

9. What is reasonable to expect by way of increasing
the desirable physical properties on malleable
castings?

The foregoing are points in the processes of malleable iron production that have already been given a great deal of attention and will still require much elucidation before we have solved the difficulties in the process.

Remarkable Properties

As long ago as 1910 the writer had occasion to inspec a lot of malleable castings that exhibited remarkable physical properties, namely, 21 per cent elongation in 2 inches; reduction in area 15 per cent, and tensile strength 53,000 pounds

per square inch. Today it is not an uncommon occurrence to find malleable castings with a tensile strength of 55,000 pounds per square inch and with an elongation in 2 inches of 12 to 20 per cent. The regrettable feature is that all of our malleable castings do not meet these specifications. It is the responsibility of this association to raise the standards until everyone will be obliged to meet what now seems unattainable.

Second, Equipment. For many years there has been a crying need for better equipment for the control of annealing and melting operations. Most malleable manufacturers prefer the old air type furnace and for many years this type has proved the best in general use. With the advent of modern metallurgy in which the electric furnace has played such an important role, is it not to be expected that even in the malleable iron industry this type of furnace will assist in the production of better quality castings? An interesting combination of the cupola for melting, the converter for partially decarbonizing and the electric furnace for refining offers a most attractive field for the future development of the industry.

As pointed out in previous paragraphs, much needs to be done to accomplish certain fixed points in the annealing process. After these points have been carefully established by experimentation and careful study they must be regularly carried out in quantity production and this can never be accomplished until the importance of close pyrometric control is recognized by the managers of the plants making malleable iron.

Supervision is Necessary

There are many reliable and accurate pyrometric systems on the market today that are capable of fulfilling every requirement if given intelligent supervision and the attention necessary to produce uniform results. The trouble has been and largely is today a lack of appreciation on the part of foundrymen as to what can be done with carefully watched pyrometric control. The pyrometer as it is today is not fool proof. It is valuable in the hands of intelligent supervision but worse than useless if not given proper care. The many

ills that have been attributed to pyrometers are too numerous

to mention here. It is hardly fair to expect pyrometers to render accurate records of temperatures if mistreated as they so frequently are. In the opinion of the writer, a first requisite for annealing malleable iron is an adequate pyrometric equip ment under the direction of an experienced metallurgist. The equipment and supervision will pay handsome dividends in the shape of uniform product, better quality castings and satisfied customers, to say nothing of lifting the load of uncertainty from the shoulders of the manufacturer.

To accomplish the work outlined in these pages the first step would be to establish a research foundry in charge of an experienced foundryman and metallurgist. This foundry should be equipped with all of the various types of melting furnaces and provided with room for the construction of different types of annealing ovens. This work, to be authoritative, should be made the official research department of the American Foundrymen's association and would be a forerunner for research in the steel casting and gray iron industries. The results obtained should be made available by frequent publications.

This may sound visionary to some and yet there could be no undertaking that would prove of more lasting beneat to the foundry industry and the public that uses our product than a well organized and equipped research foundry to study the great variety of perplexing problems that wait a solution. Indeed it seems almost imperative that such a step be taken at this time if we are to hold our own in the great onward march of world development.

Effects of Annealing Gray and Malleable Iron Bars in Copper Oxide Packing

By H. E. DILLER, Cleveland.

In a research laboratory of one of the large manufacturing companies of the country four men are kept working on purely scientific problems out of which the company does not expect to get any direct financial reward. These men are not delving into abstract questions from any philanthropic motive, but because the company realizes that indirectly the information acquired pays at a satisfactory rate.

So the writer in presenting this paper in which there do not appear to be any facts which are directly applicable to any foundry operation gives it with the hope that indirectly it may be of interest and service.

Some years ago while experiments were being made in annealing malleable iron an interesting phenomenon was discovered. In order to try the effect of a highly oxidizing packing, when used in annealing malleable iron, some bars 1/2 x 1 x 13 inches long were packed in black oxide of copper and annealed in an experimental furnace.

These bars had the composition of normal unannealed malleable iron, with silicon, 0.80 per cent; sulphur, 0.070 per cent; phosphorus, 0.180 per cent; manganese, 0.25 per cent; and carbon, all of which was in the combined state, 2.70 per cent.

Copper Soaked Through

The temperature of the furnace was raised to 1000 degrees Cent. during the anneal. When the bars were taken from the furnace after the anneal, it was found that the copper oxide was reduced to metallic copper and that it had been melted. The malleable iron bars had been considerably oxidized and when sawed into pieces showed blotches of