The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-17
Many New Factors in Steel Making to Be Utilized in the Mills That Are Now Under Construction
ELECTRIC MOTOR
 SUCH AS HAS NEVER
 BEEN SEEN IN SOUTH
Nothing Official Yet Has Been Announced Regard ing Probable Date for the Completion of Works

Charles J. Barr, former gen eral superintendent of the Ems
 ley steel plant of the Tennessee company, will be the new gen eral superintendent of the Fairfield works of the same company.
 MT. Barr is now en route to Birmingham, but will be de- layed for a few days in reach ing the city because of some stops he is making in the north in the interest of the new prof ect at Fairfield.
 Work on the new $11, ,Oo0 ,o0O indus try is now to be rushed ahead, follow ing President Crawford's formal an- nouncement of Sunday morning.
 As announced at that time, the main units of the new works will con sist of reversible blooming mill, a 110-inch plate mill, combination mill for rolling shapes, bars and light rails and two fabricating shops, all operated electrically. The company will also 1,11iJ new employees
 ABSOLUTELY NEW FEATURE
 The reversible blooming mill electri- oally operated will involve some abso- lutely new features in handling steel. For instance the tremendous motor used to turn the rolls will require direct current in order to get the reverse mo- tion. Alternating current will be deliv- cred to the mill and must first be con verted into direct current before it can go to the big motor. This is accom- pished by passing it through special motor,
 This special motor is equipped with three big flywheels which spin at such tremendous speed that they would fly to pieces from centrifugal force if they were made of iron. They are accord ingly fabricated of the finest steel
 DRAWS ON RESERVE ENERGY
 In reversing the big motor there will be such tremenuos pull of energy at the peak load point that the reserve stored in the rapidly revolving fly wheels is drawn upon to meet the emer- gency each time the direction of the big motor changes This fly wheel prin- ciple will be here utilized for the first time in this character of work.
 The steel ingots for this blooming mill will be supplied from the Ensley open hearth plant. It is stated that the Ems ley mill has never yet had sufficient or ders to utilize its entire steel making capacity. It is now making 900O0 tons of steel a month and the new blooming mill will enable it to try itself and see just how much steel it can turn out The 90,000 tons month Is, said to be some thing like 150 per cent greater capacity than the plant was designed for. This l glves some idea of the high efficiency being obtained in the Ensley operations of the company. O1NOl1OIN UT DLOON1l1<u MILL
 For the benefit of those not familiar with the handling of steel it may be said | that the blooming mills function is to take the big steel ingots and roll them | into suitable slabs. blooms or bilets for i use the rolls of the finishing mills.
 For instance. if rails are to be rolled | the blooming mill gets the ingot down 1 into the shape nearest what railroad 1 rail would be and the finishing mill then | takes it through its rolls and rolls it into | the finished rail. The same is true of l slabs for plates. The blooming mill gets l the ingot into a slab most suitable for l the plate proposed and it then goes to | the plate mill In the case of the plate | mill it can readily be seen that slab | which is to be rolled down to 110-inch | plate will be tremendous affair and | the blooming mill machinery required for handling such a slab is tremendous in proportion.
 Nothing official has yet been said | about the probable time for completion of the Fairfield works. It may be said, however, that this date will depend in measure upon the time certain ma 1 chinery for the new plants can be deliv- cred. Particularly does this apply to | electrical machinery which Is now in | such demand all over the world. It | may be assumed that it will be turned | out with the greatest expedition be- l cause the new plants are designed pri- | marily to aid the government and the government work will have first call on | all manufacturing plants of the nation.
 All over the district yesterday there | continued to be the greatest elation | over the announcement of the new | plants which it is now recognized mean | so much for the community from an in | dustrial standpoint.