The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-11
Centrifugal Process Proven
 Successful in Manufacture of DeLavaud Products Being
 Put Into Use by Engineers
 Throughout United States FILM DEPICTING WORK TO BE SHOWN FEB. 16
New Industry For Birmingham Also Taken Up by National Cast Iron Pipe Company in Plans For Construction of
 Half Million Dollar Plant

One of Birmingham's newest in- dustries, that of the manufacture of pressure pipe by the centrifugal process, has become so firmly es- tablished during the five months in which it has been tried and tested by experts the country over and found more than coming up to the most exacting demands that the ca pacity for its production at the North Birmingham plant of the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry company is at once to be increased by 125 per cent.
 The DeLavaud process, under which this pipe is manufactured, has been accepted by waterworks and engineers everywhere and capacity rroduction of the North Birmlng- ham plant does not begin to keep pace with the demand. Hence the company has decided to add five more DeLavaud machines to the battery of four machines placed there last year. It is estimated that it will require about four months to nlace these machines. They will come in for the second half of the year.
 stands Severe Strain
 rba DeI.ayaud machines cast the pipe by centrifugal process compared with the present method of casting if in sand The result is a pipe lighter in, weight, but more compact in atomic structure. Hence 1t stands a much greater strain, tests haVlng shown it to bear pressure or z,ooo tons to the square inch. The DeLa- ,o,,d nine also takes a smooth groove like screw.
 The United States Pipe company leased the right to make this pipe from the Canadian patentees and Tn addition to using it in it's own shops has announced willingness to sup- lease 60 other pressure pipe makers. The National Cast Iron Pipe com pany is about to build foundry es- pecially for manufacture Of thls pipe.
 Among the large contracts optalhed for this pipe recently are l2 miles TOT <, natural gas system at Alexandra, La. and one for 2,500 tons for Pasa- dena Cal. The chief engineer of the cl Birmln2l nam, saw the pipe manufactured, tested 1t here and wired his principals to speci- fy this pipe in the water pipe con tract which they had signed with the United States Pipe company.
 shown in "Movies."
 Iron and steel manufacturers and waterworks and gas plant superin- tendents as well as the general pub lie will be afforded an opportunity to see exactly how this DeLavaud pipe is manufactured on February 16 when the moving pictures taken of it's manufacture in the Birmingham plant that have been exhibited all over the country will be shown here in the ball room of the Tut wiler hotel.
 The pictures run 50 minutes and present both kinds of manufacture. that of sand cast and the DeLavauG or machine cast. Both operations oc- cur daily in the Birmingham shop where the two styles of pipe are made side by side.
 Speaking of the plant enlarge ment. etc.. the Wall Street Journal nays
 ..Directors of United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry company have authorized an appropriation to cover cost of immediately replacing sec- ond pit at Birmingham. Ala, former ly used for sand-cast pipe, with five DeLavaud machines. This new install lation at Birmingham will be in ad- dition to the proposed 10 machine plant planned for the Burlington, N. J., works.
 Company finds that sales of De- Lavaud pipe are rapidly exceeding present manufacturing facilities. The city of Pasadena, Cal. recently awarded a contract for 2.500 tons of sand-cast pipe. At request of the city engineer. contract was later so changed that DeLavaud pipe will be substituted for all of the six 12-inch sizes. Other engineers, who have al- ready used DeLavaud pipe, are of their own initiative filing repeat or- ders."