S24 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



August 1, 1921 



Table Showing Properties of the Prinxipal Pitch Hvurdcarbons 



Non-volatile mineral matter 



Losi on heating to 29U° F 



Saponifiable matter 



Soluble in acetone 



Soluble in carbon disulphidc 



Soluble in petroleum naphtha 



Free carbon 



Specific gravity 



Melting point, degrees C. (ball and ring) . 



Penetration test, 5 seconds 



Hardwood 

 No. S 



<1% 



HardwtoU 

 No. H 



<1% 



92.0% 



1.0% 

 1.20 

 SO 



50.0% 



30.0% 

 1.20 

 120 



Stearin 



"S" 



2.8% 



0.8% 



65.0% 



<1.0% 



84 % 



ro % 



15.8% 

 1.02 

 60 



8. Fixed Carboj;. In some laboratories it lias bctome cus- 

 tomar)- to determine the percentage of "fixed carbon" in pitches. 

 This must not be confounded with "free carbon." Free carbon 

 is that which actually exists in the original material as elemental 

 carbon, while fixed carbon is applied to carbon which remains 

 after incomplete combustion of the substance. It was originally 

 determined on coals and other fuels, and the methods used in coal 

 analysis are used by some chemists in pitch analysis. Generally 

 speaking, the determination of free carbon is decidedly more im- 

 portant than the other determination. 



9. Saponifiable Matter. This test is based on the fact that 

 if a fat or plant oil is warmed with a solution of potash in alcohol, 

 the fat or oil is converted into a soap. The test for saponifiable 

 matter is carried out by means of a half-normal solution of alco- 

 holic potash. About two grams of the substance to be tested are 

 weighed oflt accurately in a suitable flask ; 25 cc. of the half-normal 

 solution are now run into the flask, and the whole is gently warmed 

 until complete saponification has taken place. Next add 1 cc. of 

 phenolphtalein indicator-solution, and titrate with half-normal 

 hydrochloric acid. Now conduct a "blank test" by titrating 25 cc. 

 of the original solution of half-normal alcoholic potash. The 

 difference in the volume of the acid used in the two cases equals 

 the cc. of the potash solution, which were neutralized by the sub- 

 stance which was tested. This is then calculated to milligrams of 

 potash for each gram of substance originally weighed off. 



In other words, the Koettsdorfer number or "saponification 

 value" indicates the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide 

 required for the complete saponification of one gram of the sub- 

 Stance. In the case of stearin pitches it is found that they gen- 

 erally contain from 15 to 20 per cent of this saponifiable matter. 

 As the pitch is the retort residue from the distillation of fatty 

 acids, the pitch naturally contains a residuum of these fatty acids 

 and this shows up in the test as "saponifiable matter." By the 

 very nature of the case, the other pitches do not show anything 

 when subjected to this test. 



ACTIVITIES OF THE RUBBER ASSOCIATION OF 

 AMERICA 



SUMMER OUTING CANCELLED 



THE twentieth annual summer outing of the Association, which 

 was scheduled to be held at the Scaview Golf Club, .(^bsecon. 

 New Jersey, was cancelled on account of the small number of 

 members who had mdicated their intention to attend. It was 

 deemed advisable to omit this outing in the interests of economy. 

 MEETINGS 

 The Traffic Committee held a meetina; July 18 at The Rubber 

 Association offices. Matters of interest were discussed. 



The Executive Committee of the Tire Manufacturers' Division 

 met at The Rubber Association offices July 27. 



At the Association headquarters, Leader-News building, Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, the regular semi-annual meeting of the Tire and 

 Rim Association was held. There was a good attendance, and 

 subjects of importance w-ere discussed. 



DIVISIONS AND COMMITTEES 



A suggestion regarding the advisability of holding regular 

 quarterly meetings of the Tire Manufacturers' Division as a 



SttTi-in 

 ..p.. 



4,0% 



0.5% 



15.0% 



none 



.10 



Stearin 

 "M" 

 4.7% 

 0.9% 



16.1% 

 none 



71.0% 

 0.99 

 109 

 0.4 mm. 



As phaltum 

 21.5% 



0.0 

 75 ■ % 



0.0 



>907<, 



Coal-tar 



<0.5% 



0.0 



0.0 



<1.0% 



6 % 



16 % 



40.0% 



1.35 

 149 



Petroleum 



0.0 



0.0 



37'; 



1.12 

 <10O 



77° C. 



whole, in addition to the monthly meetings of its executive 

 committee, has been received with favor. It has been considered 

 best, however, to postpone the first of these contemplated quar- 

 terly meetings until September. Early in that month notices 

 will be issued designating the date, hour and location of the 

 meeting. 



RULES GOVERNING CRUDE RUBBER TRANSACTIONS 

 TO BE REVISED 



Representatives of the Crude Rubber Committee of the Asso- 

 ciation and the Rubber Trade Association of New York are 

 attempting to harmonize the sets of rules governing their respec- 

 tive bodies. This is being done in an endeavor to make these 

 rules and regulations cover more satisfactorily the prevailing 

 conditions, and represent more truly common trade practices. 

 A joint committee will submit recommendations to the Crude 

 Rubber Committee and the Rubber Trade Association. Sug- 

 gestions will be welcomed from other members of the Association 

 who are not represented on these committees. 



NEW RATINGS FOR USED SOLID TIRE BASES 



Old metal bases upon which solid tires were mounted, and 

 from which the tires have been removed, are now rated as sixth 

 class in car loads, according to the new ruling of the Official 

 Classification Committee. This rating shall apply if shipments 

 are described as scrap metal wheel bases having value for 

 remelting or scrap purposes only. 



NEW TRANSCONTINENTAL RATES 



The transcontinental railroads have reduced freight rates on 

 crude rubber from Pacific coast ports to Chicago and St. Louis 

 and Minnesota and Wisconsin points from $1 to 75 cents per 

 100 pounds, minimum carload weight 80,000 pounds. It is 

 expected that at a later date this lower rate will also apply to 

 Indiana and Ohio points. 



OUTSIDE VALVES FOR DISK WHEELS 



The Tire and Rim Association has been actively endeavoring; 

 to induce the disk wheel manufacturers to design their wheels 

 in such a manner that tire valves will be accessible from the 

 outside. It is thought that the necessity of inflating disk-wheel 

 tires from the inside has resulted in under-inflation with detri- 

 ment to tires and unsatisfactory service. 



SUMATRA RUBBER 



Tlie report for the year ended August 31, 1920, of The United 

 Scrdang (Sumatra) Rubber Plantations, Limited, gives the rub- 

 ber crop harvested at 3,789,951 pounds against an estimate of 

 3,366,000 pounds and a previous year's total of 3,084,945 pounds. 

 The average net sale price, including unsold portion of the crop, 

 was 1.?. 10.93rf. a pound. The cost of production, f. o. b. port 

 of shipment, including provision for depreciation, etc., but exclud- 

 ing loss on exchange (of 24d. a pound), was Is. 2.22d. a pound. 

 At the commencement of the year 789,372 trees were being tai)ped, 

 this number being decreased, owing to thinning out and resting, 

 to 771,791 by the end of August, 1920. The crop was harvested 

 from an average bearing area of 9,640 acres, and the average 

 yield was at the rate of 4.82 pounds a tree or 393 pounds an acre. 



