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A text book on welding and cutting metals by the oxyacetylene process
A TEXT BOOK ON WELDING AND CUTTING METALS BY THE OXYACETYLENE PROCESS
BY C. H. BURROWS
VULCAN PROCESS CO., 1915
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A text book on welding and cutting metals by the oxyacetylene process
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
It is only a short time since the second edition was issued, and it is gratifying to find that the supply is nearly exhaused. There are many mechanics and autogenous welders who desire short, clear and practical instructions on the subject of oxyacetylene welding and it is the purpose of this book to fill this demand.
A comprehensive treatise on this subject would necessarily include much technical material that would be useless to the practical man who wishes to acquaint himself with only enough theory to thoroughly master the performance of his duties, and for this reason we have excluded nearly everything of a strictly technical nature.
The Chapters on chemistry, physics and metals are of the most elementary nature, and cover in the plainest language only the subjects that are vital to the welders information. At the same time they are sufficiently explicit to give him a thorough working knowledge of the subjects that pertain to his work.
In compiling these pages we have consulted the works on the Manufacture and Properties of Iron and Steel, By H. H. Campbell. The Metallurgy of Iron and Steel, by Bradley Stoughton, and Autogenous Welding, by Granzon and Rosemberg; and some of the text relating to generators and welding has been condensed from papers which we contributed to a few of the leading magazines.
CONTENTS
- The use of the oxy-acetylene flame
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Metals and their Properties
- Acetylene
- Oxy- Acetylene Welding and Cutting Torches
- Regulators and Indicators
- The Vulcan Automatic Acetylene Generator
- Operating Plants
- Welding Rods and Fluxes
- Welding
- Cutting
- Boiler and Sheet Metal Work
- Carbon Burning
CHAPTER I. - THE USE OF THE OXY-ACETYLENE FLAME
The oxy-acetylene welding and cutting torch has become so popular in the last few years, that almost every issue of the trade papers in any branch of work contains interesting accounts of new successes in the use of this powerful tool. The first application of the process, to commercial use, dates back to 1903, and its rapid growth in popularity is due to the ease and economy with which its intense heat is applied to any of the metal trades, to join two pieces by welding, or separate them by cutting without the stroke of a hammer.
A notable example of the saving that may be effected by using this process is in the event of repairing a broken locomotive cylinder shown in Fig. 1. This cylinder had a piece broken out of the wall including a portion of the flange. Previous attempts to weld this piece in place by other methods had proven disastrous, and resulted in making the fracture larger. The oxy-acetylene process was then brought into use, and in less than a day's time a new piece was welded in as shown in Fig. 2. The cylinder was rebored, drilled, and the job finished without removing it from the locomotive. A great saving in this case is credited to the fact that the locomotive was put back into service in a comparatively short time, and the repairs were made without dismantling. The durability of this work is illustrated in fact that this cylinder was welded July loth, 1910, and is still in successful operation.
Very often small pieces of a machine are broken off and lost, and in consequence the whole machine is out of use. In such cases it is not always necessary to have the missing piece with which to make repairs, but the missing portion may be built on with similar material melted from the welding rod. A good example of cases where this process is appliable is in building new teeth into a broken gear or sprocket wheel, building up lugs or adding new material to parts that are badly worn. There are innumerable instances where the addition of a little metal will save much expense and long delays, and in the operation of contractors who are remote from their base of supplies, this sometimes amounts to quite an item.
Large shipyards, railroad shops, contracting engineers, as well as the smaller institutions, machine shops, boiler shops, foundries, garages and blacksmiths, all find this powerful flame indispensable for sure, quick and economical results. In proof of this statement it is well to cite experiments made at different times, and in different places by two of our foremost railway systems. These experiments were very carefully conducted through a period of 14 days to a certain to a certainty the exact economic value of this process. Every item of cost was carefully checked against the records of former methods, and the results showed an average saving of $155 a day, for each day the test continued.
This immense daily saving was made possible by having plenty of work on which to use the process, but the conditions were far from ideal, and it is safe to say, had the conditions been more favorable this figure could have been nearly doubled.
Another field where this tool is finding great favor is in cutting iron and steel structures, heavy plates, door holes 01 man holes in boilers, and in cutting up the wreckage of steel structures which have been destroyed by fire or wind. A recent incident where the oxy-acetylene torch proved to be valuable for this work, occurred in the harbor at Duluth where the wind destroyed several large steel docks. It is difficult to imagine the bewildering entanglement of steel bars, beams and angles all piled up in a huge irregular mass. Heavy steel members were twisted and interlaced with smaller members in such a way that they could not be removed without cutting, and to cut them with a sharp edge tool was next to impossible. The only tool suitable for this work was the oxy-acetylene cutting torch, and it was employed with very economic advantage.
Another occasion where this torch became conspicuous was in cutting up the wreckage of a steel freight steamer, which was sunk on the east coast about a year ago. The vessel had broken up and lay in pieces in about 30 feet of water. The pieces weighing 25 to 40 ton were a shapeless mass, with the plates, beams, and members bent and crumpled. The plates forming the shell of the boat were about % in. thick at the top and on the sides, but on the bottom they were much heavier. The rivets could not be removed, since in many cases the flanges of angles and pieces of plates were bent over against them, preventing access to their heads. The condition of the steel was such that the expense of ordinary hand cutting would have been prohibitive, and the wreckage would have been a total loss had the oxy-acetylene torch not been available.
DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK:
A text book on welding and cutting metals by the oxyacetylene process
A notable example of the saving that may be effected by using this process is in the event of repairing a broken locomotive cylinder shown in Fig. 1. This cylinder had a piece broken out of the wall including a portion of the flange. Previous attempts to weld this piece in place by other methods had proven disastrous, and resulted in making the fracture larger. The oxy-acetylene process was then brought into use, and in less than a day's time a new piece was welded in as shown in Fig. 2. The cylinder was rebored, drilled, and the job finished without removing it from the locomotive. A great saving in this case is credited to the fact that the locomotive was put back into service in a comparatively short time, and the repairs were made without dismantling. The durability of this work is illustrated in fact that this cylinder was welded July loth, 1910, and is still in successful operation.
Very often small pieces of a machine are broken off and lost, and in consequence the whole machine is out of use. In such cases it is not always necessary to have the missing piece with which to make repairs, but the missing portion may be built on with similar material melted from the welding rod. A good example of cases where this process is appliable is in building new teeth into a broken gear or sprocket wheel, building up lugs or adding new material to parts that are badly worn. There are innumerable instances where the addition of a little metal will save much expense and long delays, and in the operation of contractors who are remote from their base of supplies, this sometimes amounts to quite an item.
Large shipyards, railroad shops, contracting engineers, as well as the smaller institutions, machine shops, boiler shops, foundries, garages and blacksmiths, all find this powerful flame indispensable for sure, quick and economical results. In proof of this statement it is well to cite experiments made at different times, and in different places by two of our foremost railway systems. These experiments were very carefully conducted through a period of 14 days to a certain to a certainty the exact economic value of this process. Every item of cost was carefully checked against the records of former methods, and the results showed an average saving of $155 a day, for each day the test continued.
This immense daily saving was made possible by having plenty of work on which to use the process, but the conditions were far from ideal, and it is safe to say, had the conditions been more favorable this figure could have been nearly doubled.
Another field where this tool is finding great favor is in cutting iron and steel structures, heavy plates, door holes 01 man holes in boilers, and in cutting up the wreckage of steel structures which have been destroyed by fire or wind. A recent incident where the oxy-acetylene torch proved to be valuable for this work, occurred in the harbor at Duluth where the wind destroyed several large steel docks. It is difficult to imagine the bewildering entanglement of steel bars, beams and angles all piled up in a huge irregular mass. Heavy steel members were twisted and interlaced with smaller members in such a way that they could not be removed without cutting, and to cut them with a sharp edge tool was next to impossible. The only tool suitable for this work was the oxy-acetylene cutting torch, and it was employed with very economic advantage.
Another occasion where this torch became conspicuous was in cutting up the wreckage of a steel freight steamer, which was sunk on the east coast about a year ago. The vessel had broken up and lay in pieces in about 30 feet of water. The pieces weighing 25 to 40 ton were a shapeless mass, with the plates, beams, and members bent and crumpled. The plates forming the shell of the boat were about % in. thick at the top and on the sides, but on the bottom they were much heavier. The rivets could not be removed, since in many cases the flanges of angles and pieces of plates were bent over against them, preventing access to their heads. The condition of the steel was such that the expense of ordinary hand cutting would have been prohibitive, and the wreckage would have been a total loss had the oxy-acetylene torch not been available.
DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK:
A text book on welding and cutting metals by the oxyacetylene process
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