304 



National Resources Planning Board 



agement have the vision and the financial resources to 

 ask for and pay for the development of new things, 

 but it must have research talent available that is 

 competent to undertake the development with a reason- 

 able chance of success. There are a score of men who 

 can hck a plant production problem and work out a 

 way of doing a job more efficiently to one who can blaze 

 a trail to a new industry that will employ many more 

 men. 



There are blind spots in metallurgical research like 

 the one just mentioned concerning silicon, and for 

 another example, the broad problem of finding what 

 properties are really needed in a bearing metal, and 

 how to measure them. These need extensive research. 

 Sufficiently comprehensive work has not been set in 

 motion upon them, nor is there readily available the 

 mechanism for bringing together those who need light 

 on some of the many facets of the problem and arrang- 

 ing for the long-term financing that would be required. 

 There are committees who could make such a task of 

 starting things their business, but these projects do not 

 start themselves. 



Research on Research 



One of the most baffling problems met by the metal- 

 lurgical consultant is presented when a firm or a trade 

 association of an industry says, "We are sold on the 

 general idea that research is necessary for progress, 

 but we have not been able to settle upon specific re- 

 search problems whose solution would advance our 

 position, much less are we able to determine the one 

 or two problems that deserve first attack. What shall 

 we do?" 



Here research to determine the futiu-e course of other 

 research is called for. The best way to find the spots 

 to which we have hitherto been blind, is to illuminate 

 the background. If the suitability of the firm's plant, 

 equipment, and personnel is evaluated, some special 

 strength or weakness may be imcovered that makes it 

 obvious that work on a specific product or on strengthen- 

 ing some weak link in the process, is in order. 



In the case of a whole industry, if an evaluation is 

 made of the "supremacy areas," including the nature 

 of present and potential competition, with a clear state- 

 ment of the scientific fundamentals on which the tech- 

 nology and economics of the industry are based, these 

 facts, put down in black and white, generally clarify 

 the situation. Such an evaluation usually brings to 

 light problems whose immediate importance is recog- 

 nized by all, once they are clearly stated. Then 

 research may be applied to these problems. 



True vs. Alleged Research 



There are "research departments" in metallurgy, as 

 in other industries, that give lip service to research 



and are really nothing more than control laboratories 

 under a more imposing name, so called for the adver- 

 tising value of that name. These cases are less common 

 than formerly and it often happens that because the 

 name is used more thought is given to the possibilities 

 of real research and it is finally undertaken. However, 

 statistics purporting to show the funds and the man- 

 power applied to research are likely to include both the 

 alleged and the real, and are therefore of doubtful 

 value. 



Acceptance of Research 



On the whole research has proved its utility to the 

 metallurgical industries, and is accepted by them as 

 one of the essential steps in maintaining present mar- 

 kets, finding new markets, creating employment, and 

 cutting over-all production costs so that in spite of 

 mounting labor cost and taxes, their products may still 

 go to the customer at steadily decreasing prices and with 

 wider distribution. 



It is this final effect upon the consumer that classes 

 metallurgical research among national resources, to be 

 conserved and fostered. 



Summary 



To sum up, metallurgical research is demanded in 

 order to promote progress in the production and use of 

 metals, not only in instances where the final products 

 are metafile, but equally where the metals are inci- 

 dental. 



MetaUurgical research is provided by the laboratories 

 of the producers of metallic raw and semifinished mate- 

 rials. Such laboratories have to deal with a mixture 

 of process improvement, product control, service to 

 customers which may involve some research, searching 

 for new applications to broaden the market, mainte- 

 nance of the competitive position against substitute 

 materials, and such delving into fundamentals as these 

 problems require. 



MetaUurgical research is provided by the research 

 laboratories of industries which use metals and have 

 specific problems to which improved metals are the 

 answer. These laboratories have no predilection for 

 one metal over another; they run the whole gamut. 

 Their attack may thus often be broader than that of 

 those who have a specific axe to grind. 



MetaUurgical research is provided by joint research 

 on specific problems where producer and user cooperate, 

 exemplified by A. S. T. M. committee projects. 



MetaUurgical research is provided by specialized 

 institutes, which serve to extend the facUities of aU the 

 groups above mentioned, as weU as to do fundamental 

 metaUurgical research on their own initiative. 



Metallurgical research is provided, on a smaUer and 

 usually a more localized basis, by university experiment 



