March 13, 1913] 



NATURE 



49 



cutting efficiencies of tungsten-chrome steels with any 

 carbon from o-8 -to i-8 per cent, (the amount being a 

 matter of indifference), and horizontally the hardening 

 temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit. The short hori- 

 zontal line "A-B" between 1500 and 1550 F. was 

 alleged to be the range in which, prior to the patent, 

 all tungsten-chrome air-hardening steel had been 

 hardened. The falling line " B-C " between 1550 and 

 1725 F. was stated to be the breaking-down range 

 discovered by the patentees, along which the cutting 

 power of the steel steadily deteriorated. Then along 

 the rising line "C-D," from 1725 to 2000 F (the 

 maximum temperature specified in the patent), the 

 quality of the steel improved as the temperature of 

 hardening rose, until in the higher part of this range 

 the turning tools had an efficiency never before 

 achieved in the art, and in effect (to use the words of 

 •Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner") the patentees 

 claimed : — 



My late colleague, Dr. A. McWilliam, and I were 

 commissioned to investigate at Sheffield University 

 the accuracy or otherwise of the curve specified in the 

 patent. The results are embodied in Fig. 5. 

 The coordinates are, horizontally hardening tem- 

 peratures in degrees F., and vertically cutting 

 efficiency, numbers obtained by the approximate and 

 relative formula c = txs s , where e is an efficiency 

 number, t the time endurance in minutes, and s the 

 cutting speed, caeteris paribus, in feet per minute. 

 It will be seen that with a steel containing about 

 17 per cent, of tungsten, 3 per cent, of chromium, and 

 i'3 per cent, of carbon, the maximum efficiency 

 number of about 5000 is obtained at the lowest tem- 

 perature, 830 C, after which the higher the harden- 

 ing temperature the less the efficiency number, which 

 at 1300° C. or 2400 F. has fallen' to 300, or only 

 twice the efficiency of plain carbon steel. In a similar 

 steel, containing, however, only o'7 per cent, of 

 carbon, the efficiency number at S30 C. is only about 

 500, but the efficiency steadily rises with the harden- 

 ing temperature, until at 1300 C. or 2400 F. it 

 reaches the astounding number of about 32,000. In 

 a word, there is no breaking-down range, and so far 

 from the percentage of carbon being immaterial the 

 cutting efficiency is actually a function of the carbon 

 and hardening temperatures. 



(To be continued.) 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Birmingham. — The council, in accepting the resigna- 

 tion by Prof. J. H. Poynting of the office of dean of 

 the faculty of science, has passed the following reso- 

 lution : — " That this council deeply regret the illness 

 which has deprived them of the greatly valued and 

 long-cpntinued services of their former colleague, Dr. 

 Poynting, at their meetings, and earnestly trust that 

 his health, now happily restored, may be preserved 

 for many years." 



Prof. Barling has resigned the chair of surgerv on 

 his election as Vice-Chancellor. 



Dr. Alfred H. Carter has resigned the chair of 

 medicine, and the following resolution has been 

 passed by the council: — "That the council accepts 

 \vith_ great regret the resignation of Dr. A. H. Carter 

 of his appointment as professor of medicine in this 

 University. It desires to thank him for his valuable 

 services not only as teacher during the past twenty 

 years, but also for the great assistance he rendered 

 in promoting the union of the medical faculty of 

 NO. 2263, VOL - 9l] 



Queen's College with Mason College, a step which 

 materially advanced medical education and the Uni- 

 versity idea in Birmingham." 



Cambridge. — The following is a summary of bene- 

 factions received by the University during the year 

 ended December 31, 1912 : — 



Gonville and Caius College, towards the 

 maintenance of the new buildings for 

 physiology and experimental psycho- 

 logy ' ... 



Dr. J. B. Hurry, St. John's College, 

 for the endowment of a research 

 studentship in physiology to be called 

 the Michael Foster research student- 

 ship 



Anonymous, for the endowment of the 

 Arthur Balfour professorship of gene- 

 tics 



Balfour Library Endowment Fund, sub- 

 scribers to 



Col. W. Harding, for the endowment 

 of a lectureship in zoologv ... 



St. John's College, towards the equip- 

 ment of the Solar Physics Laboratory 

 on its installation at Cambridge 



Anonymous, for the purpose of increas- 

 ing the stipend of the director of the 

 Fitzwilliam Museum ... 



£ 



20,000 o o 



100 o o 



^25.602 3 2 

 In addition, sums amounting to about io.oooL have 

 been presented to the University. These include 5000/. 

 from Mr. Otto Beit, 1000L from the Mercers' Com- 

 pany, 1000/. from Messrs. Rothschild and Son, and 

 200Z. from Mr. Almeric Paget, M.P., for the new 

 school of physiologv. 



The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that he has ap- 

 pointed Saturday, April 19, as the day for the election 

 to the Plumian professorship of astronomy and ex- 

 perimental philosophy vacant by the death of Sir 

 George Darwin. Candidates for the professorship are 

 requested to send their names to the Vice-Chancellor 

 on or before Friday, April 11. 



The director of the Solar Physics Observatory has, 

 with the consent of the Vice-Chancellor, appointed 

 the following to be members of the staff of the Solar 

 Physics Observatory: — F. J. M. Stratton, to be 

 assistant director; C. T. R. Wilson, to be observer 

 in meteorological physics ; F. E. Baxandall, to be first 

 senior observer ; C. P. Butler, to be second senior 

 observer: W. E. Rolston, to be first junior observer; 

 W. Moss, to be second junior observer. 



Leeds. — Arrangements are being made for the 

 establishment of a Yorkshire Summer School of Geo- 

 graphy to be organised in alternate years by the 

 Universities of Leeds and Sheffield. The course for 

 1913 will be held at Whitby, from August 4-25, under 

 the auspices of the University of Leeds. The aims 

 of the course are to provide instruction which shall 

 equip students for attacking problems in the regional 

 geography of any area, and to discuss and elucidate 

 problems connected with the teaching of geography. 

 The work of the school will include field work, labora- 

 tory- work, and lectures on geological, meteorological, 

 economic, and historical aspects of the geography of 

 Yorkshire. The agricultural, mining, textile, and 

 metallurgical industries will be dealt with, as well as 

 questions connected with language and place-names. 

 Further information will be available in June, on 

 application to the secretary, Summer School of Geo- 

 graphy, the University, Leeds. 



In September next Prof. H. R. Procter will retire 



