CHISELS. 141 Very Considerable Attention Has Been Given to The
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141 CHISELS. - BY HENRY FOWLER, Member, CHIEF MECHANICALENGINEER, MIDLANDRAILWAY, DERBY. Very considerable attention has been given to the composition and treatment of tool-steel used in machine-tools, but the three implements of the hand worker-the file, the chisel, and the hammer-have been comparatively neglected. The Author is aware of the work recently done in testing the former of these, and knows that there is little need of improvement with the last- named, but believes that the chisel has not received the systematic attention its importance deserves. A close examination of the new and used chisels in the shop, over which he had control, confirmed that view, and the result was an effort to induce the Alloys Research Committee of the Institution to take up the matter. For various reasons this was not successful, and so the matter has been dealt with individually. The material usually employed for chisels is not bought to specification, but a well-known and tried brand is purchased. In the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Department of the Midland Railway, after considerable experiment it was decided to order chisel steel to the following specifications :-‘‘ Carbon 0 * 75 per cent. to 0 85 per cent., the other constituents being normal.” This gives a complete analysis as follows :- [THE I.MEcH.E.] L Downloaded from pme.sagepub.com at WEST VIRGINA UNIV on June 4, 2016 142 CHISELS. Feu. 1916. FIG.1.-Heavy Brass Work. FIG.6.--Dimond Point fw Jagging, etc. I FIG.%-Heavy Iro+&aid Steel Castings. FIG.7.-Lolzg ~TOSSCut. FIG. 3.-Cylinder Repairs. (Right Hand.) FIG.a.--Round Nose, *--4 L-L-----J -9.’----4 3, FIG.4.-Side Tool. (Right Hand.) FIG.9.-Gouge Tool. (J -1.O”A FIG.B,-Squnre Arose. FIG.10.-White Metal. kll-4 Downloaded from pme.sagepub.com at WEST VIRGINA UNIV on June 4, 2016 FEE.1916. CHISELS. 143 Per cent. Carbon . 0.754.85 Manganese . 0.30 Silicon . 0.10 Sulphur . 0.025 Phosphorus . 0.025 It is perhaps interesting to note that the analysis of a chisel which had given excellent service was as follows :- Per cent. Carbon . 0.75 Manganese . 0.38 Silicon . 0.16 Sulphur . 0.028 Phosphorus . 0.026 The heat treatment this chisel received is unknown. At the same time that chisel steel was standardized, the form of tbe chisels themselves was revised, and a standard chart of these as used in the locomotive shops was drawn up. Figs. 1 to 10 show the most important forms of these tools, which are made to stock orders in the smithy and forwarded to the heat-treatment room where the hardening and tempering are carried out on batches of fifty. A standard system of treatment is employed here which to a very large extent does away with the personal element. Since the chemical composition is more or less constant, the chief variant is the section which causes the temperatures to be varied slightly. The chisels are carefully heated in a gas-fwed furnace to a temperature of from 730"-740" C. (1346"-1364" F.) according to section. In practice the chisel, Fig. 1, is heated to 730" C., chisel, Fig. 2, to 735" C. (1355' F,), and a 1-inch half round chisel to 740" C., because of their varying increasing thickness of section at the points. Upon attaining this steady temperature, the chisels are quenched to a depth of Q inch to 4 inch from the point in water, and then the whole chisel immersed and cooled off in a tank containing linseed oil. This oil-tank is cooled by being immersed in a cold-water tank through which water is constantly circulated. After this treatment, the chisels have a dead hard point and a tough or sorbitic shaft. They are then tempered or the point L2 Downloaded from pme.sagepub.com at WEST VIRGINA UNIV on June 4, 2016 144 CHISELS. FKR.1918. " let down." This is done by immersing them in another oil-bath which has been raised to about 215" C. (419" F.). The first result is of course to drop the temperature of the oil, which is gi-adually raised to its initial point. On approaching this temperature the chisels are taken out about every 2" C. rise and tested with R file, and at a point between 215" C. and 230" C. (428' F.) it is found that the desired temper has been reached, the chisels are removed, cleaned in sawdust, and allowed to cool in an iron tray. A question which naturally will be asked is whether comparative tests of these chisels with those bought and treated by the old rule- of-thumb methods have been made. It must be admitted that the Author knows of no method of carrying out such tests mechanically, other than that of hardness by the Brinell or Scleroscope method, whilst any ordinary test depends so largely upon the dexterity of the operator. The universal opinion of foremen and those using the chisels of the advantages of the ones receiving the standard treatment set out has, however, convinced the Author of the improvement made. The Author is aware that questions may be raised as to why the chisels have not been normalized at about 900" C. (1652" F.) after forging and before hardening. This matter had attention when the question was first dealt with, but at that time there were no facilities for carrying out this work. These have since been provided in connexion with certain other work, but although various chisels have been normalized in the manner mentioned, no advantage has been found in carrying this out. The Paper is illustrated by 10 Figs. in the letterpress. Mr. HENRYFOWLER, after reading the Paper, said he thought he ought to apologize for presenting such a short communication to the Institution, but the President might remember that his predecessor in the Chair, Sir H. Frederick Donaldson, was very anxious that the experience which engineers had gained in various Downloaded from pme.sagepub.com at WEST VIRGINA UNIV on June 4, 2016 PSK. 1916. CHISELS. 145 parts of the country should be placed at the disposal of the whole of the members of the Institution. The first suggestion he (the Author) made was that his Paper should simply be put in the Library, in order that it might be consulted by anyone interested in the subject, but Sir Frederick Donaldson thought that it dealt with a question on which a discussion might usefully take place, The Paper was written two years ago, but his experience since had not caused him in any way to modify the treatment which his Company gave to chisels in those days. He had felt for a long time that, in spite of the very large increase of mechanical work which did away with hand-work and the use of chisels, in the advanced knowledge which was obtainable at the present day with regard to heat treatment of steel it was a pity that something more should not be done in the way of improving the position of a tool which was used so extensively by fitters. It was simply with that object in view that he had put forward the few notes contained in the Paper, trusting that it would lead to a useful discussion and perhaps a criticism of points which, although he might not be able to answer them satisfactorily, would at the same time be of interest to the members. Discussion in Londoa. The PRESIDENTsaid he had pleasure in moving that a very hearty vote of thanks be accorded to the Author for his exceedingly useful and interesting Paper, the more so because the members knew how busilyengaged he was on Government work, and they therefore appreciated his kindness in coming forward at the present juncture. The Resolution of Thanks was then put and carried with tmdamation. Sir ROBERTA. HADFIELD(Member of Cound), in opening the discussion, said that he had not paid very special attention to the Downloaded from pme.sagepub.com at WEST VIRGINA UNIV on June 4, 2016 146 CHISELS, FEB.1916. (Sir Robert A. Hadfield.) subject of chisels beyond studying the composition of various steels and alloys for work of that kind. Not long ago he had an interesting experience in Ceylon, in connexion with ancient chisels dating back to a period early in the Christian era, and which he saw when visiting .the Colombo Museum. The then Director, Dr. A. Willey, F.R.S., was good enough to allow him to have one of them, and he had written a Paper on the subject for another Institution.* At the time it was a puzzle to him to know how the Sinhalese, who apparently had but little technical knowledge, obtained chisels of the necessary hardness for cutting purposes. The analysis showed that the material was practically pure iron so far as the shaft portion was concerned. Evidently it must have been known how to produce a chisel with hardened point, otherwise it would no& have been possible to make wrought-iron accomplish the desired work. The explanation WRS probably that the art of cementation must then have been known. In other words, the Sinhalese native took wrought-iron, embedding it in a hot charcoal fire, and'was thus no doubt able to get a certain amount of carbon absorbed by the point of the chisel, which after quenching would give a cutting edge. It was interesting to know that the Author, Mr. Fowler, was evidently an advocate and defender of their old friend carbon-steel. He had made most careful tests and, as a result, of his long experience, put forward the plain carbon-steel, containing no special element, as the best chisel that he was able to find.