Document Bv33zYROGBbmpRzqVgmzYwMxj

I understand tl'.at you need to take records of fibre work at F. I.L. for discussion with Dr. Phoenix in Li. 5.A. I jive first a quick general history for perspective, then more detail on relevant parts and finally attach various documents. i. General History (i) Foseco'c first contact with fibre techniques was P'OPAX, which uses both organic and inorganic fibre and is formed by standard fibre forming systems (slurry and filer). (ii) rox some years no development at F.I.L., but work at' 30?.!:E!' and i ARCAi'LO on forming systems i.c. ISO;..'.TIC PRESS, ROLLING MACHINE and move recently VACUUM AcFIF.VTOF.. (iii) First P.I.L. fibre work concerned with asbestos removal from FROFAX. Host fibres examined, non considered satis factory. Sanavik working on .same problcmAsame time agreed with results. ? (iv) Foseco became interested ir. use of pure fibre sleeves to feed castings, such products already on market by Johns i-anville. I Manufacture very simple, application of standard fibre technology. - (v) v Kalminex interest started about same time as above. (vi) (vii) Foseco (F.3. ) Ltd used llalnir. fibre (Ca. Silicate slagwool) to replace asbestos in FROFAX. V.'c issued report (HmD 2'35) to grouu. r , ' l/. v. roseco Inc. produced ik P.3417 high, fibre FEOFAX.t- (viii) ' 30R1 produced FROFAX N. 1. F. I.L. carry out much work on high fibre recipes - all fail test on one aspect or another. (x) ... (xi) F. I.L. progress to Duplex concept so do (F.3. ) Ltd. Certain Duplex seen to be successful. |j General fibre project started under F.5. Clark. (xii) Attempts to make very low density duplex at any cost for special heading experiment, so far unsuccessful. FOSECO 1914 2- - (xiii) experiments to make 'collapsible head for Toduish to sec. Detail Co;.uicnt (l use the same heading numbers as previous section for tie-u ?) (i) PROPAX is a typical filler, fibre product. J.t uses normal fibre systems i.e. the fibre is dispersed in water .and the shape formed by a filter technique. To get the fibre to layer properly it is necessary to have a lot of rater and r.ot much fibre. The fibre should be very well dispersed before filtering starts, this means a high intensity mixer of the hydropuiper type. PROFAX slurry is about 2',. fibre and the remainder filler. If a higher fibre recipe is used it is necessary to lovier the solids content of the slurry to keep a lor fibre conccntrati'-"*.. The PP.GPAX fibre concentration of 2.- is high by fibre technology standards, slurries of Go;.- ore common in the paper industry. (ii) Other forming systems The Isonatic is a poor forming system, for many reasons not least of which is high running costs it is generally agreed that there is little future in this line. The "ollinrr ilgchir.e with adaptations this could be rr.de to work very well on pure fibre sheets from the technical viewpoint. The Vacuum Aspirator this equally would work satisfactorily on high fibre systems with a few minor changes. Generally the techniques for making high fibre shapes arc self-cviu rnt mods of existing eo.uipmcnt and little laboratory work is called for. -n- ' (iii) Asbestos replacement in PIOIAX was the first heading under which other fibres were examined. The conclusions at i'. 1.1. were that there was satisfactory alternative. V.;e were forced, to assume our tests were wrong 'when (i\ S. ) Limited claimed that slag wool wan successful and we i .'sued illD (attached) reporting on all the fibres wc had examined', but using Crayton reported performance. It is now generally agreed r.t Drayton that their THORAX is very inferior to the,asbestos containing products they used to roll, this suggests our original tests and results were valid. On the basis of out original tests both if?. 17 and P.IOPAX Ml. would be expected to be poor. FOSECO 1915 (iii) continued........... r.1. has been reported 0.' and a lot in cold et present, but as you know, some rc"orts sugvjost D.l. is bou. It may be that it is low price which is acllinr it or it nay be that it* is Q.K. - tine will tell. 31.P. 3417 lias always been reported as being O.K., but Inc. don't seen to be sell in," any, again the picture bcccr.cs u:jcortain. A clear, honest situation resort on Ik r. 17 v.-onld be very he infill ct this tine. (iv) Foundry Division liavc been unable to make a pure fibre recipe for the high temp, metals (cast Iron, Steel). The pure fibre compositions are limited to Aluminium etc. They have a composition for Cast Iron but it is filled with coke, although it is a good product it fails against stec'l. Their best composition for steel is K'J.'TriX, wliich is 3.k.D. filled P7C7AX v/hich confirms our o'.vn findings that ~`0FAX is best, for steel at the present state of "know-how". Foundry Division are continuing to attempt high fibre recipes for steel and have a full work programme ahead, but r.o success so far. (v) iialminex mentioned above. (vi) Asbestos replacement mentioned above, (vii) g.P.3417 mentioned above. (viii) 1;J:CD.l. mentioned above. (ix) The conclusions of the F.I.L. work on high fibre recipes (i.e. DOT 100): F 137.3) was that 3. P. 3417 was the best of a bad job. (x) Duplex; basically this uses 3.T.3417 with a hard, high filler facing. Deports so far arc good. There have been some local difficulties but there is nothing to suggest a general technical disadvantage,equally there is nothing so far to suggest significant extra yields, but the lo.v density is a selling point. Production costs may be lower, but production is too small so far to know. (xi) ?. Clark's project you know about but I attach the project. . plan .sheets. Clark is writing' survey reports or; projects l(a) ana (b) at present. I will get copies to you before you leave for U. S. (xii) The main problem here is compression of the backing so that 18 m-n. at the start becomes 3 or 4 mm. after teeming. Continued.../ FOSECO 1916 /. (xili) i~xaenr.ie.~ts :.or Todd i si: I report this in .detail with background because this is what I think Dr. Phoenix v.-ants to talk about. Certain U.G. fibre rakers (Bibcock u V.'ilcox, Carborundum) ore supplying wide bandages in polythene bags. These bandages, which are wet, are taken fron the bag and pressed around the inside of the ingot mould. The heat fron the mould dries then and sets them* ht-rd. They then form the insulator of the inrot head. In composition they consist of refractory alunino-silicate fibre and the wetness is caused by silica sol like wc use in KODQk, a typical example in approximately 70-80 fibre and 70-30 silica sol. 1 I There is nothing difficult about making ouch a product or packing it. '.That interested Todcish is that if a one piece head is made like this, it can be folded flat in the po3.y bag and so save a lot on transport costs. In our - experiment for him wc made such a head, using the DUVAJj tool on the KAIGXTkX machine. In order to demonstrate that there wasn't any fundamental production problem. The questions that do need answering- arc : (a) Does the very considerably increased K.ih cost get cancelled by transport savings or does the product end up costing more and if so, by howmuch. ( I attach an estimated B.!~. cost). (b) Does the product give a satisfactory steel result. This question is worthy of very serious attention because the idea has appeared a number of tines in the steel industry but has died each time, why?. The problem that bothers me is as follows V/c don't make these fibres but Babcock <1 Wilcox, Carborundum, Morgans etc. do. If we proved such a product one then establish a market, will they sell n.il. to us or take the -- market themselves? The question is relevant I"feel 'because they have forming nn.chincry and know-how and they do have steel industry contact (witness the hot topping work they're doing), finally, they have patents covering hot toryi;-.usc of such materials, at best wc may iust change Sonuvik to someone else. I feel we might be better considering how to get a bettor product of our own another way. I realise in the last paragraph I'm a technical nan waffling on commercial aspects, but I thought the point worth making. FOSECO 1917 A. Stored he-ad to our recipe (As seen by Tobish) v.-t. = 1.4kg. (p.CGlb.) price 11b. (dry) =4.6 shillings. price of heed = 14.2 shillings, density = 0.26 gj.ee. Rocice 90^Triton 0 5/- lb IG',/Cc422 ? 1/- lb. .*. volume of raaterial in head = 5.litres. 33. Croon head to our rocinc. water content weight price of head = 50^ (after standing = 2.kg. (6.17 lb.) =14.2 shillings (from . . p-icc per lb. =2.3 shillings, C. Hypothetical "rcen head rede with 73/ Triton/23/-- Syton 2XF3 h?iSC.~. ivend will still require 0.9 :c 1.4 = 1.26 3:-;. Triton end t;:L.nt the Syton v.-ill be accomodated in the interstitial spaces. Head contains 1.26 kg. Triton = 13.Go shillings (f/-*4toh,;.y) plus 25/?5 X 1.26 = 420 S. Syton fixings. .. \ .*. cost of head = 15.17 nhillin-.T,. + price per lb. = 4.1/- (green, but my be less than Jris if extra v.-a ter I'.as to be added to r.uintair. consistency). C. alter ervrr.n v/t. :f dry head = 1.26 + (0.3 0.4?) - }__w_ Ayr, .4 (Svton ( = 30t/l> SiO^colics) Likely density of dry head = 0.230 glee. 7). Cost of equivalent head in Fro fax 10 (cured) R.:.'. cost of Px 10 = 12.5/- cv/t. = 1.34d/lb. v.'t. of equivalent head Q p = 0.94 glee. = 5-Ookg (11.151b) . . cost of herd = 1.24 5 skillinys.__ FOSECO 1918 FOSECO 3HAW FOSECO EPV'E !S3