May 17, 1906] 



NATURE 



69 



large and slowly-cooled ingots in which the maximum 

 of segregation has taken place. 



Mr. P. Eyermann (licnoit, Wisconsin) submitted a 

 lengthy paper on the manufacture of solid rolled steel 

 wheels and tyres. The average life of a cast-iron wheel is 

 56,000 miles in passenger service, while steel-tyred wheels 

 have a life of 265,000 miles. The author considers it prob- 

 able that before long the solid rolled steel wheel will re- 

 place the existing tyres in Great Britain. 



Mr. E. Lelong (Couillet, Belgium) described a new 

 method of manufacturing chains by machinery in which 

 tile successive convolutions of spiral links are continuous. 

 Chains made by this process are 20 per cent, stronger than 

 (hose made by the usual methods. 



Mr. C. O. Bannister (London) discussed the relation 

 between type of fracture and microstructure of steel test- 

 pieces, showing that valuable conclusions may be drawn 

 from the e.xamination of the fractured surface. 



The elTect of copper in steel was discussed by Mr. F. H. 

 W'igham (Wakefield). Copper is very difficult to alloy with 

 sleel so as to obtain a homogeneous mass containing more 

 ihan 2 per cent, even with the addition of aluminium. 

 In steel containing 05 per cent, or more of carbon it is 

 not of practical value to use more than ob per cent, of 

 copper. The steel with 025 per cent, of copper and alloys 

 up to o 25 per cent, of copper with high carbon (0-70 per 

 cent.) give, with or without a high percentage of man- 

 ganese, a good quality of wire. In fact, copper to the 

 extent of o 25 per cent, is no disadvantage in the manu- 

 facture of the best classes of steel wire. 



The reports of research work carried out during 1905-6 

 by holders of Carnegie research scholarships, which were 

 submitted, represented a large amount of work of great 

 interest. An exhaustive study of quaternary steels was 

 submitted by Dr. L. Guillet (Paris). For the research 250 

 varieties of steel were prepared, including nickel-manganese 

 steels, nickel-chromium steels, nickel-tungsten steels, 

 nickel-molybdenum steels, nickel-vanadium steels, nickel- 

 silicon steels, nickel-aluminium steels, manganese-silicon 

 steels, manganese-chromium steels, and chromium-tungsten 

 steels. The area for the commercial employment of these 

 steels is considerably restricted, and is limited to the nickel- 

 vanadium steels, the nickel-tungsten steels, and the 

 chromium-vanadium steels containing comparatively low 

 proportions of foreign elements. 



1 he report by Mr. W. Rosenhain (Birmingham) on the 

 deformation and fracture of iron and mild steel constitutes 

 a continuation of his previous paper on the plastic yield- 

 ing of iron and steel. He gives further observations on 

 slip-bands, and deals with the modes of fracture under 

 various conditions. In tensile fractures the break runs 

 almost indifferently through ferrite and pearlite, owing 

 to the fact that the previous extension of the metal has 

 weakened, and in part even ruptured, the pearlite ; in 

 shock fractures the pearlite is able to assert its superior 

 strength and is avoided by the fracture, w'hile fissures are 

 formed in the ferrite. The features of bending fractures 

 are found to be of an intermediate character. The results 

 of the examination of these fractures are discussed both 

 from the point of view of the relative behaviour and inter- 

 action of ferrite and pearlite under breaking stresses and 

 from the point of view of the general theory of deformation 

 and fracture which is presented in the paper. In con- 

 clusion, the author points out the possibilities of practical 

 application which his method of studying fractures opens 

 up. This detailed study of fractures makes it possible to 

 locale accurately the causes of weakness and strength in 

 a given microstructure, and by comparing the behaviour 

 of the constituents when broken in different ways to gain 

 a deeper insight into their mutual interaction ; while the 

 study of " mysterious " fractures occurring in service — as 

 rendered possible by this, method — should make it easier to 

 trace the causes of fracture — if any — which are present in 

 the metal. 



Dr. H. C. Boynton (Harvard, U.S..\.) dealt with the 

 determination of the hardness of the constituents of iron 

 and steel with the aid of Jaggar's microsclerometer. Re- 

 duced to a common unit, the hardness of pure ferrite, the 

 average hardness of the constituents was found to be as 

 follows :— 



Austetiite . 

 Cementitt: . 



Electrolytic iron .... 



, ,, quencbed . 



Average of alt unhardcned samples 

 Commercial wrought irons 

 Series 0*13-1*52 per cent, carbon . 

 Series 0*35-0 86 per cent, carbon . 

 0*48 and 058 per cent, carbon steel 

 Sleel, 0*58 per cent, carbon . 

 Series o*2o-i"52 per cent, carbon . 

 White cast iron (3*24 per cent. 



carbon) 



White cast iron (3"24 per cent. 



carbon) 



990 



610 



686-1643 



842-4711 

 t745-»»5o 

 2400-24,650 



40,564 

 •,896-120,330 



47.590 

 125,480 



3-8-4-2 



5=-53'6 



88-2 



38 9-26 1 '6 



103-4 



372*8 



NO. 1907, VOL. 74] 



Mr. J. D. Brunton (Musselburgh) submitted an elaborate 

 report on the heat treatment of wire, particularly wire for 

 ropes. He showed that the usual methods of obtaining 

 the best wire by means of torsion and tensile tests are 

 not altogether trustworthy for determining the best point 

 for the wire to perform useful work. Annealing of the 

 rod before the final annealing does not, in any way, pro- 

 duce better material, as it has been thought to do, and is, 

 therefore, not necessary. 



The research carried out by Messrs. E. G. L. Roberts 

 and E. S.. Wraight (London) comprised a series of 150 

 experiments and complete analyses, dealing with the con- 

 stitution of ferromanganese and the efforts made to deprive 

 this alloy of its carbon. 



It was announced that the next meeting vifould be held 

 in London at the end of July, when members of the 

 American Institute of Mining Engineers would be the 

 guests of the institute. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford.— Prof. William Schlich, F.R.S., St. John's 

 College, has been constituted by H.M. Secretary of State 

 for India professor of forestry so long as he shall be con- 

 tinued in his present position and be resident within the 

 University. 



The first of two lectures on " The Teaching of Science in 

 Schools " was given by Dr. Bevan Lean, headmaster of 

 Sidcot School, on May 10 at the lecture room of the 

 delegacy for the training of secondary teachers. The second 

 lecture is to be delivered to-day. 



Cambridge. — A Grace authorising the general board of 

 studies to appoint, subject to confirmation by the special 

 board for medicine, Mr. G. H. F. Nuttall, Christ's College, 

 to be reader in hygiene in connection with the special board 

 for medicine, the University lectureship in bacteriology and 

 preventive medicine to terminate on his appointment as 

 reader, will be offered to the Senate to-day. 



Mr. W. J. Sell, Christ's College, has been approved by 

 the general board of studies for the degree of Doctor in 

 Science. 



A university lectureship in mathematics will be vacant 

 at Michaelmas, 1906, by the resignation of Mr. Whittaker. 

 The general board of studies will shortly proceed to appoint 

 a lecturer to hold office from Michaelmas, 1906, until 

 Michaelmas, 19 11. Candidates are requested to send their 

 applications, with statements of the subjects on which they 

 are prepared to lecture, and with testimonials if they think 

 fit, to the Vice-Chancellor on or before May 31. 



The Vice-Chancellor has been informed by the clerk to 

 the Worshipful Company of Girdlers that the company is 

 prepared to continue its grant of looL a year towards the 

 teaching of economics for a second period of three years. 

 The board of economics is of opinion that this offer should 

 be gratefully accepted. 



There seems every possibility of the Hamburg University 

 being very quickly established. Three million marks have 

 already been voluntarily subscribed, two millions of w'hich 

 have been given bv Mr. Alfred Beit. It is proposed that 

 only one-half of the lectures shall be given for direct 

 preparation for any particular profession, while the other 

 half are to be for the further extension of the general 

 education of the inhabitants of the town. 



