Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1914-05-27
BAUXITE AND ALUMINIUM
Some Interesting Things About This Metal
Which Rapidly Increasing Production.

Some Interesting Things About lhlS metal
Which Rapidly Increasing Production.
The year 1918 was the most
prosperous in the history of the
bauxite and aIuminium industries
in the United States. according
to W. c. Phalsm, of the United
States Geological Survey, in a re-
port on the production of bauxite
and, aluminium in 1918, from
"Mineral Resources. The pro-
duction of bauxite in 1918 was
2I0. 24l long tons. valued at $997.
69S against 1885 long tons,
valued at $798,932, IN 1912.
Bauxite is used chiefly as raw
! material in the production of
metallic aIu minium, III manufao.
ture of bauxits hrioks, and IN the
manufacture of alundum for use
as an abrasive.
The amount of aluminium con.
sumsd IN the United States in
1918 was 75,379,O9O pounds,
against 65,6O7.00o pounds, in
1912. The marvellous growth of
the aluminium industry is shown
by comparison of the 1918 out
put with the total consumption of
aluminium during the last 20
years, S77, 900 900 pounds. More
shan $4,000. 600 pounds have
been consumed in the last 10
years. The total production IN
1849 was only $50 pounds.
Aside from its use in the manu-.
faoture of cooking utensils, alumi.
mum is now being employed ON a
larger scale in the construction of
welded tanks, cooking vsts, and
vessels used by brewers, preserve
| manufactures, and fat RECEIVERS,
and in Industries where q metal
is required that will conduct heat,
will not corrode, and is not poison.
Gus. 1t has been found by ex-
psrimsnts that the only substances
which dissolve any of the met.
al are oranges, lsmons, brussels
sprouts, ard tomatoes, and that
in every test the quantity dissolv-
ed was 90 small as to be harmless.
The use of aluminium wire a. q
conductor in long.distance power.
transmission schemes is increas-
Ing. A recently developed branch
of the aluminium industry is the
manufacture of the powdered
metal known as aluminum.bronze
powder, which is nssd extensively
as a paiht pigment, in explosives,
in lithogrsphing and in printing.
Aluminium toll has partly displsc.
ed tinfoil for wrapping articles
such as cheese, chocolate candies,
aud tobacco. One of the newest
and perhaps oldest uses for slu.
minium is it's employment in max
ing the soles of shoes to be used
by workmsn employed in wet and
damp places. The aluminium.
soled shoes lasts much longer than
an ordinary shoe and is said to be
impervlous to dsmpness.
1t has been found by experi-
ment that when the impare forms
of bsuxite containing consider
able iron oxide are exposed to in
tense heat the bauxite is convert.
ed into a solid mass of emery
which is 80 hard that it can bare
ly be cut by steel tools and resists
chemical, thermal, and msoha nj.
cal action to . marked degree.
Recent applications of bauxlte In
brick according to the United
States Geological Survey are in
the lining of rotary cement kinls,
lead.refning furnaces. and BASIC
open-hearth steel furnaces.
Though new bauxite deposits
are being found from time to
time, there is oonsiderable inter-
est in the preparation of pure alu:
nina from clay or other silicate
minerals. As soon as a process
for the extraction of alumins
from clay is put on a commercial
basis, large quantities of low-grade
bauxite containing considera BILE
admixtures of clay will become
available as aluminium producers.
According to the United States
Geological Survey there is a large
tonnage of such material associ.
ated with most of the southern
Appalachlna bauxite.
The mineral bsuxite is used on
large scale in the manufacture
Of the artificial abrasive alum.
dun at Niagara Falls. This alb
rasive is made in the electric fur
mace by fusing calcined bauxite
Aluudum is particularly efficient
in the grinding of steel.
A copy of the report may be OBJ
tanned free on application to the
Director of the Geological Survey,
Washington, D. G.
Child CROSSE Fevsrlshr sickp 2