Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-11
Titunium Production
Cost Cut 81 q Pound
Process Reported Developed
After Five Years Research
By Thomos R. Henry

ny tuONioS NJ ITCHY
A reduction Of close to 81 q pound In
the cost of titanium metal has been .
achieved by new metallurgical process
developed after five years research UNI
der direction Of the Office Of Naval Re-
search, it has just been announced.
The present production cost is about
SIS pound, serious drawback to the
widespread use of a metal which, it has
been predicted, will be a major factor
in the military and industrial develop
ment of the future.
Titanium Is as strong as steel. It is
only about twice as heavy as aluminium.
It is one of the earth'S most abundant
elements and apparently is scattered
widely through the universe, for 1t ap-
pears to be the most prominent Of all
materials in some stars. But up to now
it's use has been restricted due to the
difficulty of extracting it in pure metal
lie form.
There have been predictions that
some day it would have a wide usage
in both airplane and ship construction,
and ever since the last war 1t has been
of particular interest to the Navy. Thus
far, however, its use has been restricted
to specialized parts requiring low weight
combined with great strength.
A pilot-plant stage has been reached
in the present development by Cleve-
land firm working under an Office OF
Naval Research contract.
Probably the widest use Of titanium
today in a non-metallic form is as
basis for white paint for houses.
Superfine steel tape, less than .0005 Of
an inch in thickness, soon will be pro-
duced at the Naval Ordnance Labora-
tory at White Oaks, Md, it is reported.
This will have many applications in de-
Tense projects, especially in pulse trans
formers, magnetic amplifiers and guided
missiles.
The super-thin tape is made possible
by new eype Of cold rolling mill. in
stallation of which at the naval labora-
tory is near completion. 1t starts with
strips of steel OPS of an inch thick. such
as can be secured commercially, and
reduced then to this almost unbelievable
thinness. The strips can be produced in
widths up to nearly nine inches.
ported by the services are two new types
of compasses from the Army Engineer
Research and Development Laboratory
at Fort Belvoir, Va. They provide &C
curate readings in temperature range
from SIS degrees to 125 degrees above
zero Fahrenheit. Each type can be made
in the form of wrist compass less than
three-eighths of an inch thick and
weighing less than three ounces. A
larger size. with luminous marks and
indicator, permitting nighttime read
ings with an error of less than two de-
grees, is about two inches square. and
weighs only four ounces.
Both types, it is understood, now are
in use in the Korean campaign.
A portable ice cream plant. developed
by the Army Quartermaster Corps, turns
out more than two gallons Of ice cream
every Is minutes and 40 gallons every
eight hours. The lightweight machines
are made largely Of aluminium, are not
much larger than an Office desk and
weigh 1850 pounds. They use ice-cream
mix. which requires only the addition
Of water. Some of these machines al
ready are in use in Korea.
A lightweight revolver now is being
tested by the Air Force. It has
two-inch steel barrel, but the frames
and cylinders are made of aluminium
alloy. The lightweight model weighs
little over II ounces.