New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-02
.SAYS PERFECT STEEL
RAIL IS POSSIBLE
Microscope Has Aided Devel-
opment, Says Ernst ReItIer,
Here for Congress.
TELLS OF DISCOVERIES
In His Opinion Greatest Is That
Hardness Is Not Identical
with Ultimate
Strength.

Strengtn.
what has been tho greatest discovery
among tho mctallurGists who have dc
voted their lives to tho science Of testing
matcrials?'
This question. put 10 Ernst Rcitlcr, OF
Vienna. who has come to this city along
with more than score Of other distin-
cuishcd European savants, including
Prince Gagarin, of Russia, To attend the
sixth congress of tho international Assoc
citation for Testing Materials, met with
ready response.
THAT hardness is not identical with
ultimate strength"
The famous mctallurgist. who Is secre-
tary OF the international association, cx-
planned more fully. by giving AS an ex-
ample, the familiar steel rail. II was gem
orally acknowledged, he said, that the
softer steel rails had greater resisting
quality than tho hard steel rails.
Story illustrates Point.
And lest this be not clear enough the
following was told-not by Mr.. Reitler-
Of negro who disputed with an Irishman
over this identical question. And here
II might be mentioned that all metallur-
sis,s do not agree in tho declaration that
hardness is not identical with ultimate
strength.
Hardness is not identical with ultl-
mate strength" was the statement OF the
Irishman.
NO. sab. II Amt" retorted the negro.
20 example: Yo' agree VIII me dat NAH
haid Is mo- harder dan dat piece o iron
pipe In yo' ham,
Sure" said the Irishman.
AN doan' yo' b'lieve NAH haid has
mo- ultimate strength
Mo-
"Ah betcher FIVE dollahs II am
You're on" shouted tho 1rishman. who
repeatedly struck the negro on the head
with the iron pipe. He did not give up
until the pipe broke.
Then the negro shouted exutantly:
"Yo' lose dat five dollahs!"
"I do that" said the Irlshman. paying
over the s..
The negro laughed as he pocketed the
money. but he would not tell the reason
why.
10 determine what bar OF iron or cube
OF stone may resist by breaking or COM
pressing the material" said Mr.. Reltler.
But that Is primitive. and may be COM
pared to the rubbing together OF sticks
TO obtain nre. Now. by the aid of the
microscope and other laboratory aids, We
can do the same thing, only better and
with certainty.
1T WAS not long ago that we learned
that hardness IS not identified with
strength. Strength. We discovered. Is
quality In itself
After explaining the palnstaking meth
DDS employed In testing materials Mr..
Reitler declared that metals and other
forms OF matter possessed specific ener-
gies.
Perfect Manufacture Sought.
"The homogeneity OF material-that is
a thing we follow especially" continued
Mr.. Reitlcr 1--WE calculate tho dimen-
slons OF an axle and IL breaks. We ex-
anime II and ind defect I'm the steel.
Then We search for the cause. and find
II in the manufacture. Then We try TO
overcoms that. so that you can see our
work tends toward the perfect develop
ment OF the manufacture OF materials
Then Mr. Reitler told how the science
Of testing material had been developed BY
the aid OF the microscope.
with tho aid OF the microscope we
found that the structure OF material Is
very complicated" he continued. I'm
the same way that tho microscope opened
a new field In medicine. so the microscope
opened up a wide field in testing material.
We found, I'm steel alone. a great many
forms Of microscopic crystals. These
crystals varied according 10 the surround
ing temperature and TO tho mechanical
treatment in manufacture. These differed
IN size and character
These discoveries, Mr.. Reitler pointed
out would lead ultimately TO the making
OF a perfect steel rail, free from such
defects az piping and Stag, which have
caused many railroad wrecks and con-
siderable loss of life.
THE microscope has aided us immense
~ I'm determining the quality OF stone
said Mr. Reltler. Now We are able 10
say. after we have polarized the light
in the microscope, whether or not
stone, after being buried In the ground
for "A million years or more, is OF such
quality that II will resist the influences
OF the weather. These defects are not
visible to the naked eye"
Mr.. Reltler is at the Waldorf and will
remain there until the congress, which
begins formally tomorrow at the Ensi-
neerng Society Building, Is ended. The
opeuine session will be held at 10 o'clock |
this morning. and there will be a recep- |