Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-27

tCOIlLlnu6u TIlSO EdkEo
all the laboratories in the world cannot
! put the spark into sim"
Certainly the open-minded attitude
| of business toward science today should
be an encouraging stimulus to building
genius One of the research profess
sors attended directors meeting OF
large industrial corporation in New
York recently and was surprised to
learn what subjects interested the busl-
ness men.
"They did not talk dividends or the
price of steel or the market outlook,
reported the professor, but were ire
mendouSly interested in discussing the
difference between austrolitic steel and
other alloys, recent products OF the lab
oratory"
This episode is in striking contrast
with another experience reported lew
years back In this case mining en-
gineer appeared before a board of d.
rectors to report on his survey OF
prospective mine, a suspected ore de-
post. Just minute, Professor" inter-
rupted the chairman of the board as
the engineer unfolded his papers and
began his detailed report. rs it good
mine?" The man looked at his inter-
rogator a moment and answered, Yes.
All right, that's all we want to know"
Have Business Reasons.
The keen interest of modern indus
trial leaders in such supposedly high
brow subjects is founded on business
reason. They see that out of the lab
oratories must come the materials and
processes, and even the industries, OF
the future.
Radio is the classic example of an
industry of enormous extent born right
in the laboratory" cited Dr. Stratton.
And how far along would we be with
the airplane, do you suppose, II 1t were
not for the pioneering physicists.
chemists and metallurgists? Recently
I visited a large airplane factory near
Detroit I watched the building OF an
airplane. Scarcely material in 1t was
known IS years ago. I sat down in an
airnlane chair. It was constructed of
metal so light that 1 lifted the chair
with a thin sewing thread-yet 1t was
strong enough to support mans
weight. -,
IN former times the scientist would
turn out a new discovery and it would
lie around waiting for some one 10
apply it industrially. Look at the time
that elapsed between Faraday's dis
covery Of electrical induction and us
application to industry.
Modern industry has more commence
in science. Indeed, the present ten
dency is for industry, in need OF new
materials or new properties TO come 10
the research laboratory and ask TOT
them. For example, the telephone IN
dustry needed a stronger magnet in the
receiver: research men produced a new
alloy more magnetic than any known
metal Then the industry needed an
allow that would have increased con-
ductivity and possess at the same time
the property of losing its magnetism
rapidly as the current was discontinued.
Again the research men were consulted
| and again they produced material
with the requisite qualities.
THE development OF alloys mas reVo-
| lutionized industry. Consider, Tor ex-
/ ample, the new metal carballoy. A lew
grains of it at the end Of a lathe TOOL
| makes a cutting edge many times the
hardness of steel.
Saving of Alloys.
THE electrical industry for many
! wears has made use of an alloy OF sill
| con and steel, a laboratory product
| which, it is estimated, has saved in ex-
| cess of $500 5000, more than enough
| to build Panama Canal.
| Another profitable fruit of research
| is the new process of hardening steel
| It used to be that metal worker, after
| he had shaped piece OF steel into the
| desired form, plunged the hot metal
| into a chilling bath. A disadvantage
/ was that this process not only hardened
| the surface. where hardening was need
/ ed for bearings, but also hardened the
| metal all the way through and set up
! strains and stresses in its interior crys-
| tails Today thanks to the laboratory
| explorers, the metal worker by putting
| the steel in an atmosphere of nitrogen
and heating the metal to high tenn
| peratuTe, hardens its surface only and
! leaves the inner texture unchanged and
| without strain.
Research has revolutionized the
chemical industries. Formerly gasoline
was obtained by distilling petroleum.
A certain percentage boiled off and was
refined, but most of the petroleum re-
| NAMED in coarser products Today the
reflners use a cracking process. BY
| subjecting the crude oil to pressure and
| high temperature nearly all the petro-
leum Is converted into gasoline"
Many years ago the mathematics of
steam power was worked out by expert
| mental scientists in the Laboratories by
researchers probing into the laws Of
heat. and our whole technique of steam
| engineering rests on these fundamental
explorations. Formulas were developed
for the ordinary range of pressure up
to $50 pounds TO the square inch, which
was about as high as engineers dared
TO go.
Higher Pressure Is Demanded.
But recent research has d monstrated
the economy and efficiency of higher
pressures, and today industry is de-
handing boilers capable of operating
al 200 pounds to the square inch and
even higher. The manufacturers have
come to the scientists, saying: "Give
US new steam tables Which can be used