New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-09
ALUMINIUM AND ITS USES.
WHAT THE WHITE METAL is AND WHERE
1T COMES FROM

SOME OF THE THINGS MADE FROM IT. AND SOME
PROBLEMS CONCERNING IT YET TO BE SOLVED
There is talk Of an aluminium age There are
many uses 10 which the white metal that weighs ~
little and yet is strong put that would sur
prise any who has not kept in touch WI"
science of late years From in making ny
ing white yacht 10 uphold the honor OF America"
shlp-building aluminium has been turned 70 ~
count in such a widely different business as tha'
OF dentistry and plates for the teeth are Hoie
often made Of Il. The prospects Of suspense"
bridge something more elaborate and grand 'n'
anything the world has yet seen. are only imi'ea
by the still rather high price OF the product -
is said TO be the intention Of the principal COMPANY
now engaged in its production TO make 1t much
cheaper Then there will be found manifod uses
for aluminium and Still for It's numerous
alloys that the world. far. little dreams or
The or cups for the crank pins OF the high speed
engines all the principal railways are naue
from it, Some OF the eight-foot drivers or t"e
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotives
broke as many as one two day Of these cups
which were formerly made OF copper. when makiis
speed trials. BY the use Of aluminium the "eis"'
Of the cups reduced two-thlrds; ana the cen
,rifugal force being reduced. the new cups are
able 70 stand the strain of the immense momentum
The Paris the S.. Louis and all the other me DIE
ships have aluminium fittings now. and orders nav
been sent In lately for the air ports ana nedu"e"'
covers for the three gunboats building at Ne"po''
and combs Of aluminium: bicycles with parts tha'
must be strong yet hight. are made OF this metal
TIL. strength OF the bicycles made with aiuinihui"
is increased while their weight remains the same
by the use OF aluminium for the aluminium OARS per
NIT OF a greater size and sO,idity While the SIZE
OF the and parts remain the same as II inaue VI
steel.
j. c. Mcclure the consulting engineer OF the
Pittsburg Reduction Company. says that the new
es, use for aluminium is make the metal part OF
cartridges. This allows soldier 20 carry iuH! -
per cent more ammunition and makes the science
OF war so much more deadly. In Germany two our
OF ten army corps have been entirely equipped with
aluminium even down TO the buttons on the
soldiers clothes and the pegs In their SHOES anu
two other corps there in process OF beng
similarly equipped. Baggage checks. the numbers
on conductors caps and the metal work OF ire-
mems helmets are Of the uses OF IKE
nature 10 which aluminium has been put In this
country and one great danger has been reduced 10
a minimum through the employment OF aluminium
IN the manufacture OF powder. Aluminium gives
out sparks
Mr.. Mcclure says that some twenty-five tons OF
aluminium are used every month in the manu-
facture OF cooking utensils in this country alone.
A foreign note OF interest is that the French gov
eminent has Just accorded permission to the RAN
way officials in France TO aluminium for al
iron and copper parts OF their carriages with the
exception OF springs wheels and couplers
There "a one use TO which alulinum has been put
that is a surprise 10 those who have not kept III
full touch with the march OF progress In the h'ho-
graphing trade, and that Is the use OF the so''
white metal TO replace the big stones that were the
sole reliance Of the pcture-makers who wished 70
produce soft flowing effects until zinc came INTO
usa II II were not for the OF zinc aluminium
would have created a revolution. AS 1t is, It's use
in TYPOGRAPHY is only more or less or rad Al
uminum Is considered 10 be about equal 10 zinc
for this purpose as it will give abou, the same
d. sha NnCF
use OF aluminium and that OF a photographic stone
can be appreciated when ii Is said that stone
often weighs about $40 pounds. while DOCK OF
sheet Of aluminium will not weigh over '"o or
three pounds And lithographing stones have TO De
imported into this country.
Aluminium Is made from bauxite, which IL the
hydrated oxide Of aluminium The clay from which
II used to be made is silicate OF aluminium ana
I, IS the presence OF silicon. which Is costly 10 re-
move that makes the aluminium such high-priced
metal when made from clay. BY preference. the
oxide IS used. which contains only a small per-
centage OF such impurities as silicon and iron.
The clay is a sllicate OF aluminium BauXite Is an
oxide OF aluminium into which silicon enters only
as an mpurity. Bauxite was first found at beauN
on the Mediterranean. and large quantities. OF II
are now found In the south OF France ana IN Ire
land as well as IN the States OF Texas, Arkansas
Georgia and Alabama in this country.
Aluminium Is preceded in the relative ralleabilty
Of metals only by gold and silver and In ductilty
by gold silver. platinum, iron, soft steel ana
copper Aluminium OF over 80 per cent purity Is
rolled into sheets OF only FIVE 10 seven ten-thou-
sandths OF an inch in thickness, and such sheets
are hammered into leaf nearly as thin as any goa
leaf can beaten. Aluminium lear Is largely uSeI
in decorative work. and on account OF Its relative
cheapness and non-tarnishng qualities. has almost
entirely superseded the Of silver leaf A.
minimum leaf Is ground up into powder and used
for the pigment Of decorative paint called by the
trade. aluminium bronze paint -. .. ~.
OF the readiest metals to w3rk under ne rT pm
Rolled sheet aluminium OF one thousandth OF an men
ior aecorauve Pun a, low ennealing heat
t sGs5 se metal is often rolled cold into thin
sheets from ingots Of an men 10 an men ana a
loses It's duc;ility under rolling sooner than either
steel brass copper, and therefor. requires more
can be rolled so as TO be quite sin. The hardest
rolled pure aluminium Is about me suiper OF nurii
Aluminium uniies readily with all metals except except
lead anthony and mercury, ana many use,u'
alloys have been discovered IN the last rev lar.
two groups tho one OF aluminium WIN hot more
than IL per cent OF other metals, ana ne Otner OF
IN one ca hl gme5as mpaf ana
useful qualities 70 the aluminium. and in The other
Yin w tuo series OF valuable alloys aluminium
uminurn and copper hardened ALUMINIUM contano
per cent aluminium bronzes among the densest.
fnest grained and strongest alloys known-alioys
having ductilty along with tensile strength Inc
ALLOW OF between ~ ana II per cent or aluminium
with copper H. the aluminium bronze
I'nt some radical change comes In me manu-
facfure OF aluminium. the price VIII not come down
10 such a point that 1t Will be the main factor IN
all sorts or metal work And until some rallcaI
change is made from the present method OF re-
ducing aluminium. bauXite must continue 10 DE
the chief ore from which the metal IL obtained;
So far the mineral has been found In Commercial,
quantities In only two localities in The United
states Discoveries that Will put down the price
OF aluminium looked for at any moment Dr.;
~
survey says that bauxi,e Is principally found in
the southern portion Of the Appalaehlan VALLEY
and in Arkansas and that II Is only In the south
ern portions Of the Appaach!ans that ne ore bodies
are developed TO .arge scale. Within the belt
extending from Adarsvllle. Ga. southwark a dis
,ance Of sixty miles The vicinity OF Jacksonville
Ala the has been worked most extensively