718 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1917. 



errors to which tlie ring is subject; also that greater uniformity 

 throughout the narrow portion is had by punching away the 

 sides of a fiat strip of rubber sheet with a suitable die in a 

 punch press, leaving the test portion between two stout ends for 

 engagement by tlie grips of the testing machine, than by mold- 

 ing the specimens, careful as must the cutting be done to in- 

 sure clean edges, as a tear will readily follow a slight check. 

 There seems to be virtual agreement that the rate on tensile 

 tests should be at 20 inches per minute movement of the stretch- 

 ing clamp, but beyond the three foregoing points uniformity 

 ceases. 



While the two sizes and shapes already illustrated and dimen- 

 sioned are more commonly employed than any others, die makers 

 are manufacturing a great variety of dies, mostly for use by 

 mallet on a cutting block, but also plain tops for use under or- 

 dinary cutting presses and various forms of tops for insertion 

 in other styles of presses. The straight part in the center of all 

 is either Vi or J'i inch in width, but its length varies, as do also 

 the curves of the grip ends where they reduce to the definite 

 cross section of the sample. Both call for standardization, as 

 Dr. .-Mbert A. Somerville states that these curves have con- 

 siderable influence on the test. 



Here, indeed, is opportunity for scientific research, consulta- 

 tion and recommendation. It would seem that one of the two 

 specimen shapes and sizes shown, together with a specified thick- 

 ness, might meet the requirements, yet possibly a still better 

 substitute might be evolved. 



CHEMICAL ENGINEERS TO MEET IN BOSTON. 



/'^HEMICAL engineers and manufacturers from all over the 



^ 



United States will gather in Boston on September 10, 11, 



and 12, to participate in the fifty-fifth annual convention of the 

 American Cheinical Society. It is estimated that over a thou- 

 sand will be present for the event, in spite of the fact that many 

 will be compelled to remain at home on account of war orders 

 and the development of war time plans and experiments. It was 

 intended that the convention would occupy the entire second 

 week of September, but it has been determined on account of 

 the serious times and the mobilization of militia during that 

 month, to eliminate such features of the convention as the big 

 banquet and other entertainments, excepting that a typical New 

 England Shore dinner and a smoker will give the desirable 

 touch of good-fellowship to the event. 



The meetings will be held in the buildings of the Massachu- 

 setts Institute of Technology, Charles River Road, Cambridge. 



Registration will be conducted at the buildings of the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, except on Monday, 

 September 10, when it will be held at the Hotel Lenox. 



Society headquarters will be at the Hotel Lenox at the corner 

 of Boylston and Exeter streets. 



The use of the Engineers' Club, at the corner of .Arlington 

 street and Commonwealth avenue, will be extended to all mem- 

 bers of the Society. 



The program is characterized by simplicity and seriousness, 

 and bears as fully as possible on questions concerning the activi- 

 ties of chemists — both in the government service and in the 

 industries during the war. 



GENTIR.XL PROGRAM. 

 Monday, September 10. 

 4.00 p.m.. Council Meeting. Engineers' Club. 

 7.00 p.m.. Dinner to the Council at the Engineers' Club (ten- 

 dered by the Northeastern Section). 

 Tuesday, September 11. 

 10.00 a.m., General Meeting of the Society in the Massachusetts 

 Institute of Technology. 



Address of Welcome : 

 Dr. .R. C. M.\CL.\URiN, President Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology. 

 Response ; 



Julius Stieglitz, President American Chemical Society. 

 General Papers. 

 2.(X) p.m.. General Conference on Chemistry and Chemistry in 

 Warfare, opened by William H. Nichols, Chairman Com- 

 mittee on Chemicals, Council of National Defense. Mars- 

 ton T. BoGERT, Chairman Chemistry Committee, National 

 Research Council. 

 5.00 p. m.. Harbor trip to Hotel Pemberton, where an informal 

 shore dinner and smoker will be held. 

 Wednesday, September 12. 

 Morning, Conferences of Divisions. 

 .'\fternoon. Divisional Meetings. 



Evening, President's Address, Huntington Hall, Rogers Building, 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boylston street. 

 Thursday, September 13. 

 Morning and .\fternoon. Divisional Meetings. 



AUNUAL MEETING OF THE RUBBER SECTION. 



While tlie exact date has not been fixed, this meeting will 

 probably be held on either September 12 or 13. The final pro- 

 gram for the Rubber Section meeting will probably not be ready 

 until about September 1, but the following tentative program 

 will give some idea of the scope of the meeting : 



Reports from the Chairman and Secretary on the work of the 

 Rubber Section. 



"A Volumetric Method for the Determination of Free Sul- 

 plnir." by E. H. Johnson and H. S. Upton. 



"The Direct Determination of India Rubber," by John B. 

 Tuttle and Louis Yurow. 



Symposiums : 



Tlie Best Methods for the Determination of Free and Total 

 Sulphur. 



The Use of Accelerators in the Vulcanization of Rubber. 



The Rubber Chemist in the National Service. 



A number of chemists have already promised to attend the 

 meetings and enter into the discussion of these subjects, among 

 others, L. E. Weber, E. H. Johnson, H. S. Upton, J. B. Tuttle, 

 L. J. Plumb, C. R. Boggs, and D. Spence. Others who have 

 been invited to speak include H. C. Pearson, W. C. Geer, Dor- 

 ris Whipple, R. S. Postmontier, E. A. Barrier, Frederic Dan- 

 nerth. Earl Davis, Bertrand H. Hale, R. T. Stokes, J. P. Mill- 

 wood, Donald Cranor and W. H. Cobb. Many of these men 

 will be able to arrange matters so as to be present, and in that 

 event will undoubtedly take part in the discussion. Dr. Spence 

 is chairman of the sub-committee of the National Research 

 Council on Rubber and Allied Products, and we are particularly 

 eager to hear from him just what assistance the rubber chemist 

 can be in the service of our country during the present crisis. 



The object of the present announcement is to urge all of the 

 rubber companies to see that matters are so arranged that their 

 chemists will be able to attend this meeting. Everybody ap- 

 preciates the value of rubber in modern warfare, but the fact 

 remains that while we may have sufficient rubber for our needs, 

 there is still a lot to be done in the way of standardization of 

 supplies and equipment in such a fashion as to make the best 

 possible use of our raw material. It is an assured fact that 

 anything which the rubber chemists can do to be of assistance 

 to the government in this matter will prove to be a valuable 

 service, and one which it is both our duty and privilege to 

 perform. 



Last year, more than 100 ruliber chemists attended the meet- 

 ing of the Rubber Section in New York, and they were prac- 

 tically unanimous in expressing their opinion that the meeting 

 was a most profitable one, and well worth attending. There is 



