164 



National Resources Planning Board 



tlio inaiiufacturo of pressure vessels for use at lii<rh 

 temperatures, where satisfactorj' service depends quite 

 as much upon the method of fabrication and \veldin<i 

 of the vessel as upon the melting practice used to make 

 the steel. 



Cost of Research 



It is difficult to determine accurately the amount of 

 money spent for research by the iron and steel industry 

 of the United States. For the past 5 years or more it 

 has averaged almost $10,000,000 annually, according 

 to a survey recently made by the American Iron and 

 Steel Institute,' which shows tlic following, as spent 

 by 42 companies representing about 90 percent of the 

 steel-making capacity of the country: 



Year: EipendUuTi 



1929- $8,700,000 



1935 8,100,000 



1936 9,200,000 



1937 10,300,000 



1938 9,500,000 



It is interesting to note that the e.xpciiditure for 

 research in 1938 was only 8 percent lower than in 1937 

 despite a decrease of 60 percent in steel production. 

 The money spent for research is distributed approxi- 

 mately as follows: 



Project: Percent 



Improving quality 33 



Improving methods of manufacture and 



reducing cost 19 



Developing new products 20 



Developing new uses and markets 28 



The annual appropriation by individual companies 

 is naturally not available for publication. A survey 

 made 13 years ago' indicated that for 12 large steel 

 plants the average annual research expenditure was 

 $16,200. This is undoubtedly less than one-tenth of 

 the average expenditure today. Actual research appro- 

 priations for 1939 by 1 large and 2 medium-sized steel 

 companies' were as follows: Company A, $1,250,000, 

 of which $950,000 was for salaries ; company B, $285,000 ; 

 company C, $278,000. These amounts are approxi- 

 mately 10 times the amounts spent by these same 

 companies 10 or 15 years ago. 



Research Personnel 



The iron and steel industry employs as many as 1,000 

 college graduates annually,' over 70 percent of whom 



• Steel research cost highest on record. Stetl FacU, No. 13, 3 (May 1»36); Steel 

 Industry Intensiflcs Its research program In 1937. No. 19. 2 (May 1937); Steel research 

 biidect (or 1938 near last year's peak level. No 27, 4 (August 1938). 



' Davis, R. M. Research a paying Investment. New York, National Research 

 Council, division of enRlneering and industrial research, 192S. 



' Private communication, American Iron and Steel Institute. 



' Steel companies plan to hire many young college graduates In 1937. Sleet Foct4. 

 No. 17, 3 (February 1937). 



have engineering degrees. Of 593 recent graduates 

 employed, 149 were mechanical ongineei-s, 97 were 

 chemists and chemical engineers, 95 were civil engi- 

 neers, 70 were metallurgical engineers, 57 were mining 

 engineers, 42 were electrical engineers, and 83 had other 

 degrees. Of these graduates, 21 percent went into the 

 metallurgical department, 35 percent went into open- 

 hearth, rolling-mill, or power-generation work, 29 

 percent were employed in other operating departments, 

 and 15 percent went into sales and administrative work. 



Most of the large steel companies have organized 

 plans for selecting college graduates and maintain 

 close contact with the principal engineering schools. 

 A number of the companies provide summer emploj'- 

 ment for likely undergraduates. There has been no 

 lack of employment for graduate metallurgists from 

 the country's outstanding engineering schools during 

 the past 10 years; even in 1932-33 most graduates 

 were placed quicldy. 



In general, there are fewer doctorates in metallurgy 

 than in other branches of science; in 3 years (1934-37) 

 28 doctorates were awarded to metallurgists, com- 

 pared with 1,449 in chemistry and 178 in agriculture.'" 

 During this period the same number of doctor's degrees 

 was awarded in metallurgy as in oriental literature. 

 The relative^ small number of doctorates in metallurgy 

 awarded at American universities is, however, no 

 criterion of the number of scientists with doctor's 

 degrees employed by the iron and steel industry, as 

 many of these were trained as physicists and physical 

 chemists. 



In 1937, according to a survey made by the American 

 Iron and Steel Institute," 2,350 engineers, metallur- 

 gists, chemists, physicists, and other technical men 

 were employed full time in the research laboratories 

 of the steel companies. In addition, almost 1,200 

 other employees devoted some part of their time to 

 research work. 



Metallurgical Education 



College curricula in metallurgy have not been stand- 

 ardized in the United States. According to Stoughton, 

 dean of engineering at Lehigh University," who studied 

 the metallurgical courses in 22 accredited schools, 

 all curricula included some courses in metallurgy and 

 mathematics, chemistry, physics, and English, and 

 most included drawing. Only 9 included a foreign 



!• Research— A national resource. 1. Relation of the Federal Oovernment to 

 research. Washington, U. S. Government Printing Offlce, 1938, pp. 172-173. 



" Steel Industry Intensiflcs Its research program In 1937. StteeX Faett, No. 19, 2 

 (May 1937). There Is some disagreement among authorities on the actual number of 

 research workers, ascrlbable to the fact that there Is disagreement on bovr some 

 workers shall be classiQed. 



" Stoughton, Bradley. The training of a metallurgist. O'earbook of the Ameri- 

 can Iron and Steel Institute.) New York, American Iron and Steel Institute. 1939 

 pp. 79-89. 



