The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-08

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into the bearings of the
little freight cars used to
haul coal out of the mines
than went into the engines
Of the fighting planes flown
by the airmen of the World
War.
That is just one Of many
items which indicate why
the advances made by the
steel industry during the
depression years are now
ushering the nation into a
new world.
THE depression speeded up the
rate Of invention in the steel
business" says T, M. Girdler
chairman OF the board and presi-
dent of the Republic Steel Corp
New steels and new uses for
steel have been developed to such
an extent that steel has not only
caught up with the times but is
actually ahead of the times"
We have entered the era OF
tailor made" steels, Mr.. Girdler
says. There was a time when steel
was just steel but that day is gone
forever. 1t has been banished by
the scientist working in his lab
oratory to produce a new and bet
ter world.
INSTEAD of just steel" there
l. are now hundreds of special
lied steels, each manufactured to
do a particular job.
Some steel man has figured
that the number of different COM
binations which can be made
from iron, carbon, chromium,
vanadium, manganese, molyb-
denum, silicon and nickel-to
mention only few of the most
common alloying elements =
amounts to IT'S followed by 1874
ciphers,' - MIR. Girdler says.
This indicates some of the in
finite resources available to the
maker of steel in the develop
ment of special purpose steels."
On a recent visit to the Mas
sillon (OD plant of the Republic
Steel Corp. one of the metal
lurgists of the corporation showed
me an index of some 1900 cards.
These were the formulate for
some 1900 various requirements of
customers. Not only is the exact
amounts of alloying elements
specified but the exact method of
manufacture as well.
ME T ALL UR GISTS have
4V1 found that many elements
enter into the making of the char
acterlstics of a particular steel.
One important element is grain
size.
Fitch piece of steel with acid
and examine it under microscope
and you will discover-that it is a
conglomeraCion of tiny grains. The
size of these grains has much to
do with the properties of the steel
and metallurgists have learned
how to control grain size during
the process of manufacture.
Any particular combination of
alloying materials can be manu-
featured with eight different types
Of grain structure today, Mr..
Smith says.
Chromium is today the chief al
Toying element in the manufac-
ture of steel. 1t will be recalled
that stainless steel is a chromium
nickel steel. The famous 1873"
stainless steel is one containing
18 per cent chromium and per
cent nickel
THERE are also many uses for
l. nickel steels. Molybdenum
steels also find many uses, par
ticularly in the automotive indus
try for bearings, axles, knuckles
and the like.
In the future, Mr.. Girdler says,
the steel industry not only ex-
poets increased industrial replace
ment demand, but long list of
new uses brought about by devel-
opments in the fields of air condi-
tioning, aviation, railroad trans
portation, ship construction, hous-
ing and many others which may
arise in either the immediate or
the more distant future.
There is one group of alloys.
for instance, which increases
strength and at the same time de-
creases weight. In the long run,
these alloys must inevitably lead
to a complete replacement of a
vast share of the country's pres
ent transportation equipment. For
instance. by the use of these
alloys it is possible to reduce the
weight of freight car by one
third and yet to increase the pay
load.
There is similar situation in
the entire machinery field. 1t is
no exaggeration to say that a
comparison of today's new alloys
and the materials of which most
of the country's present productive
equipment is made, points to the
inevitable conclusion that the ma
jority of present equipment is at
least semi-obsolete and in line
for replacement"
=
NEACHINE tools, for example"
IV1 he continues, will need 20
be built of stronger Steels if they
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