S/A WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.R.S. 419 



he had tried experiments of that sort he had always found a very 

 rapid ivduction of temperature. Steam acted like a wet blanket 

 on tho metal, making it pasty almost immediately, and he expected 

 that this would be the difficulty which the author of the process 

 would experience. 



In tlw discussion of t/te Paper 



"OX THE PROGRESS OF IROX AND STEEL AS 

 CONSTRUCTIVE MATERIALS," 



By J. A. PICTON, F.S.A., Liverpool, 



DR. SIEMENS* said he rose, as one representing the steel- 

 makers more than the steel-users, to make a few remarks, and in 

 answer to Mr. West he should say, " Do not diminish your tests, 

 but rather increase their severity." The President, in his remarks 

 on the previous day, had said that iron, which was not perhaps 

 first-rate, had answered well for ship-building, and why should 

 they be so very particular with regard to steel ? Now, iron and 

 steel differed in more than one important particular. Iron always 

 held together. It was apt to break when ifc got a blow, but it 

 held to a considerable extent although it might be of poor quality ; 

 whereas steel of high quality would bend like leather, would 

 extend, and was almost unbreakable. But the moment they left 

 that high pedestal of perfection, they got a very treacherous 

 material a material of which they had heard it stated that it was 

 riveted in the evening, and on the following morning it was found 

 rent from end to end. They must not relax the tests with regard 

 to steel. Then, with regard to the degree of carburisation the 

 mildness or the hardness of steel Mr. Adamson had no doubt 

 had great experience of steel, and everything coming from him 

 should be listened to with great attention. But in science, pure 

 and applied, there was no infallibility, and he must differ from 



* Excerpt Proceedings of the Iron and Steel Institute, 1879, pp. 408-411. 



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