October 14, 1922] 



NA TURE 



507 



radiate more heat than one made of boiler-plate, since 

 the roughness increases the surface exposed to the air 

 and to the oil in which the transformer is immersed. 

 This is true so far as the heat conducted from the oil is 

 concerned, but as the great bulk of the heat is carried 

 away by convection currents in the air, it is of import- 

 ance to increase these currents as much as possible, 

 and so a rough surface may be a disadvantage. 



(3) The principles that have to be taken into con- 

 sideration when designing power systems are discussed. 

 The advantages and disadvantages of the various 

 systems are clearly stated, and will be a help to young 

 engineers. Specimen record forms are given. These 

 are apparently American in origin, as the lineman is 

 warned not to " throw on the current " until he 

 receives the signal. The consumer also gets his lamps 

 free. 



Modern Metallurgy. 



The Metallurgy of Iron and Steel. Based mainly on the 

 Work and Papers of Sir Robert A. Hadfield. Com- 

 piled by the Editor of Pitman's Technical Primers. 

 (Pitman's Technical Primer Series.) Pp. xv+122. 

 (London : Sir I. Pitman and Sons, Ltd., 1922.) 

 25. 6d. net. 



THIS small volume, which is written in a very 

 interesting manner, gives the reader a clear 

 idea of the developments made in the metallurgy of 

 iron and steel in recent times. The work contains 

 seven chapters, the first of which deals with the possi- 

 bilities of an approaching exhaustion of the supplies of 

 both iron ore and coal at some future date ; the author, 

 however, points out that, as regards coal, substitution 

 may be arranged by employing the energies of water- 

 falls, tides, solar radiation, plant life, winds, and finally 

 the enormous power contained in the atoms may some 

 day be released for useful work. Reference is made to 

 the anxiety of the German industrial leaders and others 

 during the Great War of 1914-1918 for the retention 

 of the iron-fields of Northern France, thereby indicating 

 the value that was placed on the commercial prosperity 

 due to iron and steel manufactures. 



Chapter 2 contains a brief account of the work of 

 the pioneers in scientific metallurgy. Details are given 

 of the Delhi Pillar, a solid column of nearly pure iron 

 24 ft. in length and weighing 6J tons, which was 

 erected about sixteen centuries ago. The author points 

 out that " the finest armour and swords made during 

 the Middle Ages cannot be excelled to-day without 

 using special alloys." Nevertheless, these fine results 

 were obtained empirically, and it was not until recent 

 times that any exact knowledge of the reasons for 

 the various methods of treatment were understood. 

 NO. 2763, VOL. 1 10] 



Tribute is paid in an appendix to the early British 

 workers who have done so much to elucidate these 

 matters, and in more recent years to Faraday, Heath, 

 Percy, Bessemer, Gilchrist, Thomas, Able, Sorby, 

 Lothian Bell, Roberts-Austen, Stead, Arnold, Hadfield, 

 and many others. 



Chapter 3 deals with iron ores and the manufacture 

 of iron and steel, while chapter 4 is devoted to 

 hardening, heat treatment, and microstructure. In 

 chapter 5 alloy steels are considered, and here the 

 work of Sir Robert Hadfield is frequently referred to, 

 especially in connexion with nickel and manganese 

 steels. It has been stated by the well-known German 

 writer Mars in " Die Spezialstahle " that : " The most 

 extensive experimental researches, which may be said 

 to have laid the foundation of our entire knowledge 

 of steel alloys, were carried out by Hadfield in the 

 'eighties of the last century." Reference is also made 

 to the direct and indirect saving effected by alloy steels 

 of low hysteresis discovered by Sir Robert Hadfield 

 about twenty years ago. Mr. T. W. Yensen, of the 

 American Westinghouse Electric Company, estimates 

 that the total saving effected to the world by the 

 use of this material amounts to about 340,000,000 

 dollars. 



Fuel economy and research are dealt with in 

 chapters 6 and 7 respectively, and the work is con- 

 cluded with two appendices, one containing a list of 

 early workers in scientific metallurgy, and the other 

 a list of research papers and scientific addresses by 

 Sir Robert Hadfield from 1888 to 1921. 



The little book is both interesting and useful, and 

 should certainly find a place in every metallurgical 

 library. W. II . M. 



The British Association Addresses of 1922. 



The Advancement of Science : 1Q22. Addresses de- 

 livered at the 90th Annual Meeting of the British 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, Hull, 

 September 1922. Pp. 15 + 9 + 24 + 30+ 15 + 12 + 27 

 + 17 + 14+ 15 + 14 + n + 15 +34. (London: John 

 Murray, 1922.) 6s. net. 



UNDER the title of " The Advancement of 

 Science," the British Association now issues 

 in collected form, and as a separate volume of a con- 

 venient size, even before the conclusion of the annual 

 meeting, all the addresses, presidential and sectional, 

 which have been delivered at that meeting. Although, 

 perhaps, some exception might be taken to the appro- 

 priateness of the main title, as not sufficiently indi- 

 cative of the actual contents of the volume, any 

 ambiguity is removed by the subsidiary title, which 



