Document mp2kD4Eq22YoZ608wD8Grap6B

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1929 Apr 19 DOC#: GE067 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Inspection Report - Elmira Foundry Co. A p r i l 1 9 , 1929 Elm ira Foundry C o ., J . D , McCann, and. Rowe, 600 men employed. 50 a t n ig h t w orking a b o u t 9 -h o u r s . The m ou lding sand has from 50 to 70$ f r e e s i l i c a , p o s s ib ly 80$; core sand is pure s i l i c a and so i s sand b la s t sand. There i s a g a s com p lain ed o f by th e m ou ld ers w h ich Rowe t h in k s comes from the o i l used in the binder o f the co re s, bu t he is not sure .because he b e lie v e s i t comes a ls o from po u rin g c a s t in g s which have no c o r e s , The c h e m is t b e lie v e s t h a t l a s t i s im p o s s ib le and g as can come o n ly from the e o r e s . There i s no tongue o f fla m e or smoke u n le s i there is a core bu t in th a t case th ere is alw ays smoke. P rob ab ly, i t is acro lein . The co re room h a s damp s a n d . There are windows on fo u r s id e s ai a sk y l i g h t . The c h ip p in g and g r i n d in g o f c a s t in g s i s a t one end b e si r the d o o r. The man u s e s a p o r t a b le carborundum w h eel and a p ie c e o f carborundum f o r r u b b in g b y h an d . J u s t b e s id e him i s a man s i f t i n g d rj mould sand w hich blow s o ver th e two c h ip p e r s . B o th men sometim es u se c an a i r hammer f o r c h ip p in g . One d ig s o u t th e co re w it h an a i r hammer. The d u s t i s e v id e n t h e r e . T h is i s Humber one fo u n d r y . In the n e x t room th e re are b o rin g m achines b u t o n ly fo r c le a n in g r the m e ta l f o r the sand h a s a lr e a d y b e e n g o t r i d o f . In number two foundry the c le a n in g departm ent i s v e r y d u s ty . There are seven tumble l s ix o f them -w orking a t th e tim e ; th e r e i s c o r e 'd i g g i n g w ith a i r hammer and two S ly _sand b l a s t c a b in e t s o f th e u s u a l t y p e . One man o p e ra te s b o th . He has a r e s p i r a t o r b u t does n o t wear i t and a h elm et w hich he does w ear b u t w hich h a s no a i r s u p p ly . Twenty a re em ployed h e r e , no night s h ift . The Mould Room i s w e ll v e n t i l a t e d . T h is i s a s m a ll room a t the J end where c o re s a re made. Out in th e b i g mould room o f Humbe r tw o , - 2o f f p a r ts o f th e m ould w ith th e a p p a ra tu s "because th e y w ould have to gi t in s id e , clo se to the s u rfa c e , w hile w ith compressed a ir th is is not n e c e s s a r y . D ust a r i s e s a ls o a t one end o f t h i s room from the sand s l i i e r .' The man w ears a r e s p i r a t o r . The Sand i s s a id to he m o is t h u t clo\ o f d u s t come o u t . lumber th r e e i s v e r y la r g e and w e ll lig h t e d . The w a lls p r a c t i c a l l y a l l g l a s s h u t i t i s d u s ty . A bout '300 men work h e r e . Much o f the work is .M ech an ical and th e re are many co n v ey o rs. Moulds are f i l l e c and J o lt e d and squeezed by m achine, There i s an e la b o ra te v e n t ila t in g system d e li v e r i n g warm a i r i n w in te r and c o o l in summer. The work here i s a co n tin u o u s p r o c e s s ^ g r a v i t y co n v e y o rs c a r r y in g th e moulds down tc th e pour era th e n , th e y c o o l and come back to th e s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r sh a i o u t . T h is i s done b y dumping them on to ' th e g r a t in g o f a hopper^ 'iflhe sand f a l l i n g t h r o u g h . Ho' s h a k in g is -n e e d e d b e fo r e th e y go to the tumbl A con veyor down m id-w ay does .what i s done-.by hand a t th e o th e r end; tha i s , c a s tin g s are dumped an th e conveyorand;-,.then dropped to another whi runs a t r ig h t a n g le s and as i t drops the sand f a l l s out and the c a stin g passes out to a tu n n e l which runs alon g the outer w a ll of the b u ild in g . This i s known a s c o n tin u o u s m ould and p o u r in g . The men sta n d on a g r a t a l l the sand f a l l s through, is m ech an ically recovered and re -co n d itio n e fo r u s e , There is v e r y l i t t l e dust in the a i r , A canvass screen has been p la e e d to k eep from two men th e d u st w h ich a n o th e r man r a i s e s when he blow s out' h i s m o u ld s. The f a r end o f the room i s d u s ty . M ost o f th d u st comes from a le a k in g S ly b la s t m i l l . A r e v o lv in g ta b le o f the usu k in d w hich sta n d s n e a r i s f a i r l y good b u t now and then a p u f f o f d u st e sc a p e s and a t th e t a k e - o f f th e man sh ak es o f f a good d e a l o f san d . The is a ls o a great d e a l o f compressed a ir ch ip p in g and fin e elouas o f dust come o f f the top o f a r e v o lv in g t a b le a b o u t n in e f e e t u p . B oth th e s e Sources are sa id to be a c c id e n ta l caused by the clo ggin g o f the erliaust - 3- e le a n in g dep artm ent o f number t h r e e , thei*e are tu m b lers and. a S l y r o t a r y t a b le w h ich i s hand o p e ra te d w ith s t e e l g r i t , th e man s ta n d in g o u ts id e and lo o k in g through a window^ p u f f in g is done here and a i r hammer w ork. S t e e l g r i t i s .used on c a s t i n g s w hich hare a l o t o f sand a d h e r i n g to them . Ih e r e a re s i x men w orking w ith s t r a ig h t s i l i c a san b low in g i t in to m o u ld s, ffhere i s a n o th e r hand s i f t i n g job b e s id e one end o.f the conveyor which i s v e ry b ad , and even w ithout i t , q u a n titie s o f d u st f a l l from th e e a s t in g s . In a s e p a ra te room three slim la d s ari doing continuous pouring^ w eight o f the k e ttle s being taken entire by th e o v e r -h e a d t r o l l e y . S h is i s a v e r y good room. Hie moulds tr a v e l on in t o a tu n n e l so t h a t no g a se s come o f f in the p o u rin g room . M ould s a n d needs no b in d e r b e c a u s e i t i s n o t baked* c o r e s .muj have a b in d e r , M r. McCann sa y s t h a t th e y w ould have no way o f know ing i f a man s u f f e r s a t a l l fx*om th e d u s t . Ho doe to r i s con n ected w ith the p lan t.