The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-18
MAGNETS LIFT TONS
Growing Use of ElectrO-Magnets and
Electric Cranes in FoundrieS.
IMMENSE SAVING OF LABOR
No Sings Required : Especially
Convenient In Handling Heavy
Shot-Safe and Effective-De-
tails of Construction.

Copyright 1895 by Bacheller, Johnson q
Bacheller)
BY means of the electric crane and
the electric magnet which were intro
duced into this country and recently ex-
hibited before the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers IL is claimed that
three men can now do in Is minutes the
same amount of work which formerly
taxed the strength of six men for 80
minutes. 1t is found invaluable in work
ing with pig iron, heavy castings and
immense boiler plates.
1t is believed by engineering experts
that these lifting magnets will soon re-
place the present forms of the derrick
and travelling crane. Preparations are
being made to introduce this device in
the great Carnegie works at Pittsburg.
and its practical workings are being
very carefully watched by at least half
a dozen large manufacturers through
out the country.
At first sight IL appears odd that
small coil of metal weighing only about
40 pounds can, by that strange force
known as magnetic influence, aided by
she equally mysterious power of cleo
trfcity, lift tons of iron with no appar-
ent grip upon the weight to be lifted.
1t has been proved by experiment, how
ever, that such an electromagnetic can
lift 70 times its own weight.
In England the electro crane and
electro-magnet are in use in a number
of places-in particular at the Wool
witch arsenal and at the Sandycroft
works. Those in use at the Woolwich
arsenal were designed by an officer in
the British army and greatly simplify
the work of lifting and moving heavy
shot plates of iron and steel. Particu-
larry is the electromagnetic of value in
lifting heavy shot, as previous to their
use workmen experienced no end OF
trouble in getting sings securely
around the shot. 1t was a long and
heavy task. and required the labor OF
many men.
Now the electromagnetic is lowered by
the magnetic crane and simply laid on
the side of the shell to be raised; the
turning of a small lever at the base of
the crane switches on the current and
the work Is done. Here the new appa-
ratus enables three men to do the work
which formerly required nine men.
The construction of the crane and
magnet is peculiar, and its inventors
claim that there is less chance of a
break than when the old-fashioned
tackle was used. Indeed. so far as is
known, no accidents with the new
method have thus far occurred.
The electric crane looks very much
like an ordinary swinging crane. 1t Is
constructed of the best Steel the frame
being comparatively light, but of
strength far in excess of any strain
which Will ever be put upon 1t. From
the base of an upright steel beam a
long steel arm projects, first upward at
an angle of 40 degrees; then, with a
bend upward and outward, IL extends
for a distance nearly twice the length
of the supporting beam. Two steel rods
reaching from the top of the beam to
the crane act as supports or holds. one
is attached to the crane about a third
of the way from the base and just at
the bend, while the other is attached to
the upper end of the crane.
The wire through which the electric
current is carried from the battery at
the base of the crane to the magnet,
runs up along the upright beam and
across the upper support to the end of
the crane, then over q small wheel 10
the end of the chain to which is at
tached the lifting magnet. Duplicate
wires are used to prevent any possible
accident in case the wire should foul
with anything, or in any way be brok-
en-. The switchboard governing the cur
rent is placed at the base.
In lifting a weight of $500 pounds a
current of from three to four amperes
at from 20 to 80 volts is used The
magnets vary In size and weight from
comparatively small ones weighing As
pounds TO those having a weight of $50
pounds. but the lifting power of the
magnet is not always in proportion to
it's size
The body or core of the magnet used
in lifting steel shells or circular pieces
of metal, is shaped like an inverted
u and closely bound with WIRE the
winding being protected by brass
flanges and by a thick covering OF
brass. The two ends of the wire wind
ing are led to duplicate terminals
where they are Joined to the two wires
from which they receive the current.
Through the center OF the magnet run
two bars to which are attached the
rings by which the magnet is attached
TO the hook at the end of the pulley on
the lifting chain.
There are a number OF different pat
ents out already on electro-magnets
and electric cranes. Some Of the cranes
are intended TO be permanent fixtures
!n mills and iron works. while others,
for lighter work. are known as move
able cranes. and can be used on fat
cars or in yards. The movable cranes
are balanced by counter weight
placed at the base OF the upright beam
but the general idea is the same in all.
The magnets differ more than the
cranes, those in use in rolling mills and
foundries being very different in shape
from those used In arsenals and other
places where the greater part Of the
material TO be lifted is spherical or cyl
indrical in form. For use in factories
and yards the magnets vary in size
from 100 to 275 pounds They are usu-
ally made with what are known as
limbs, which are simply two projec-
lions from a steel crossbar Such is
the one in use at the Sandycroft works
in England. In this magnet the limbs
are wound with wire. and on the cross
bar is a switchboard for throwing the
current on and of. IL is used in lift
ing pie.res Of iron and steel VARYING in
weight from 100 pounds TO two tons.
Before the advent Of the electro-mag-
net the packing OF such masses of
metal was work OF the hardest kind:
but now two men in a quarter OF an
hour can do what IL formerly took six
men an hour and a half TO do. At
tached to the cross bar, between the
II L.