The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-08-13
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than like plates made without the use of vana.
dium. No immediate results however, followed
the French tests, owing perhaps to the fact that
at this time no adequate supply of vanadium was
In sight About four years later Prof j. ..
Arnold of Sheffield in address before the Brit
ish Iron and Steel institute declared that vana-
dium the master weapon Of the steel metal
lurgist. At this time price of vanadium alloy
was very high and the supply uncertain. The
greatest advances, however, made in the use OF
vanadium in the steel industry have followed the
experiments and practical applications of j, Kent
Smith OF Liverpool. Mr. Smiths work has been
principally in the production Of the various
grades of vanadium alloys, and he has supervised
personally the initial of vanadium in most
of the leading steel mills OF England and the
continent and some in The United States.
About 1905 the supply of vanadium began to
increase to large degree, due to the purchase
of the Minas Ragra deposits in Peru by the
American Vanadium company, also to the devel-
opment OF mines in other parts Of Peru Spain
and elsewhere. From having been rare metal,
owing to the large output, 1t became available in
quantities claimed to be unlimited, as steel
making element. The claims made by Its users
are that 1t has accomplished wonders In crucible
steel and in open-hearth steel, that 1t gives cast
iron greater strength and endurance, and that
copper and aluminium remarkably improved
for certain purposes by it's addition. 1t is used
in steel for engine aXles and frames, in trans
mission shafts and gears in wire springs, In
piston rods hydraulic cylinders tires, tools boiler
plates bolts, gun shields projectes, armor
plates, gun barrels watch springs, and In cast
ings and forgings generally.
The claim is made that In steel making 1t
unites with the nitrdes and oxides and carries
them into the Stag. The quantity Of vanadium
that will remain in the Stag is in proportion TO
the amount of scavenging thus done by 1t. In
welldeoxdzed steel it is said that the scaveng'
ing will consume about one-ffth Of the vana-
dunn.
The alloy ferrovanadum, is introduced into
the steel by very simple process. In the cruci-
BILE process the alloys are broken into small bits
and put into the charge with the second addition
of the manganese In the acid open-hearth proc
the alloy in larger pieces is dropped into the
bath when the fame has been blanketed. In the
basic openhearth practice the alloy broken small
is run through spout that empties into the ladle
in which the molten steel is being poured. A
similar method is followed in the Bessemer and
Tropenas practice and also in the cupola process
for cast iron In the latter, the alloy is crushed
quite fine.
II is claimed that vanadium increases largely
the resistance of metals to vibratory disintegra-
tion that the steel is stronger and tougher and
tempers more uniformly and to a greater depth
than steel without vanadum. One of the prn.
cipal advantages in the of vanadium steel in
the future will doubt be that 1t will enable the
steel man to reduce weight in such constructions
as locomotives. cars, machinery, etc, through the
use OF a smaller amount of the stronger and
tougher steel The question of weight has be-
come serious not only in locomotives but in other
forms OF machinery Another great economy
claimed for vanadium steel is its greater dura
bility. If this be established, it would OF
itself more than justify its more extensive use.