BBBBflt] «BlJIUrIrlr - Clpdigital.org

220 Forging- Stamping - Heat Treating
of production are greatly affected by the temperature
of operation, the higher the temperature the greater
the furnace capacity. The modern trend, therefore, is
to use as high a temperature as the refractory furnace
lining will allow. Accordingly, there is a big need for
heat-resisting materials that will withstand more
severe usage than the modern products will bear, and
it is planned to meet this industrial requirement
through developments arising from research work carried
on by the Refractories Institute. Laboratories
and a corps of technical specialists are to be maintained
at Mellon Institute for conducting tests on raw
materials and finished products and to make investigations
dealing with the problem of consumers as well
as of manufacturers. For the first year thio work is
being largely sustained by the manufacturers of refractories,
but it is planned to interest the users sufficiently
that they will also participate in the support
of the project. As great economies are possible, there
is every reason to believe that the full co-operation
of the users will be obtained.
In discussing the plans of the American Refractories
Institute, Mr. Sproul made the following statement
:
"This is an unselfish attempt on the part of a large
number of men who are vitally interested in the refractories
industry to meet the problems that arise
from the present-day methods of quantity production.
I predict that with the help of the new organization
great economies will be effected through the development
of superior products, lower costs of manufacturing,
and a clearer understanding of the conditions under
which the products will give efficient service in
manufacturing practice. I hope that the consuming
industries will recognize the merit of this undertaking
and give the full co-operation that is necessary to success
in industrial research of this broad scope."
New Type Electric Lift Tructor
The success of the electric lift tructor within buildings
has tempted many users to increase the range
of this type to more distant points on the premises
where runways are in poor condition. In most instances
this has required the extension of runways,
although some concerns have not given proper values
to such improvements. On the other hand, the yards
and storage spaces are so extensive that the laying of
ideal trucking surfaces would possibly require a prohibitive
investment.
The improvement of the trucking tool has kept
pace with the encouraging interest taken by the average
user in its employment. The Elwell-Parker Electric
Company, Cleveland, has developed a heavier unit
of the electric lift type especially suited to travel runways
not altogether smooth. This haulage unit is
of broader gauge than those designed particularly for
inside operation. The gauge of front and rear wheels
is the same, i.e., 30 inches. They are fitted with 22-in.
drive and 15-in. front wheels and with either 3y2 or
4y2-in. tread. Drive wheels are fitted with double row
ball bearings weighing 13 lbs. each, and radial and
thrust bearings measuring 7 in. in outside diameter.
These wheels are carried on drop forged knuckles
with drop forged levers pressed upon tapered serrations,
assuring a firm union of the two. These knuck-
June, 1925
les support the weight of the axle, frame and load on
a steel ball bearing recessed in a cup at the upper ends.
The levers are fitted with ball ends received in steering
rod sockets. All rods are placed high beneath
the platform to avoid contact with obstructions on
runway-s. The full floating alloy steel drive shafts
are pressed into drop forged clutch plates bolted to
outside of drive wheels. These shafts are fitted with
chrome-vanadium universal joints and engage the
splines of differential.
An innovation in tructor design is found in the alldrop
forged differential. The differential carries a
special Brown & Sharpe phosphor bronze worm wheel,
lock bolted between the two halves of the drop forged
differential cage. A multi-thread Brown & Sharpe
steel worm on radial and thrust bearings with the
above parts of differential, are assembled and adjusted
at the bench and the whole dropped into the axle differential
pot. A new type of universal joint inside
brake wheel connects drive worm to motor shaft with
demountable armature. Motor is fitted with ball bearings.
New type electric lift tructor.
Another feature found in this type is the flexibility
of the drive unit when traveling over rough surfaces
or when platform is loaded unevenly. The tructor
platform measures 40 in. in width by 72 in. in length
and is formed from a single steel plate with deep side
flanges. The platform nose is tapered to aid its insertion
beneath a skid even though approached from
an angle.
The lift of this platform is 6y in. or more than
that of any other lift type tructor. It is 17 in. high
when in lowest position and 23y in. when raised.
The importance of this is evident when considering
the following operation and facts:
The underside of skid should clear the top of platform
when down by y in. when tires are new, as the
skid may not be placed on level floor. Then as tires
become worn, there being practically 1 in. of rubber
on tires, this clearance will be increased by just that
much. A-Mlowing for these conditions, the leg of the
skid will clear the floor by from 5 to 5y in., which is
none too much. The underneath clearances of the
tructor between axles is 7 in., as no lift mechanism
or working parts such as lift units or batteries save
the steering rods, are beneath platform.
Clearances are important when tructor crosses
door sills, passes over the crest of an incline or a
wheel drops into a runway depression. The frame
on this new type is of the standard commercial angles