THE PRESENT SITUATION AND THE SCRAP IRON PROBLEM.

Abstract

Mathematical figures relating to the demand and supply of scrap iron is not touched in the present lecture because the publishing of figures during time of emergencies is prohbited. It is however a distinct fact that simple open-hearth furnace plants or electricfurnace plants which chiefly use imported scrap have been put to a great deal of inconvenience due to the insufficient supply of scrap. Although it seems to be out of mark to deal with such problem without the numerical figures, some technical points alone may be considered herewith.
Since the scarcity of scrap is becoming increasingly pronounced, the problems of whether consumption should be restricted and redwced, and how substitute materials to meet the shortage could be secured, should be primarily considered. The simple open-hearth furnace and electric-furnace which need scrap iron are used for high quality steel and most of the machinery steels for munition industry depend on them. It is therefore most urgent to supply sufficient scrap of good quality or its substitute at a favorable speed.
For the substitute for the scrap used in the simple open-hearth furnace, it is recommended to use the greater part of Bessemer steel derived from the blast furnace together with the sinall part of Luppe from the rotary furnace, from the standpoiht of quanlity and quality. For the substitute for use in the acid open hearth.furnace, the so-called "refined steel" derived from the basic open hearth furnace is recommended. For the substitute for use in the electric furnace, some mixtures of the Bessemer. steel and Luppe are suitable for manufacturing steel castings and structures. For the material for high quality steels as long as rich ores with especially little impurities are available, the use of sponge iron derived from Wieberg's and other Processes proves better. Besides, the Heroult are furnace is the best means for treating the titanium-poor sand iron derived from the basic rocks (such as "Masago") or a pulverized rich ore with little impurities or a nickeliferous earth and the like which are found in large quantities in the South Seas All of these materials prove to be a high-quality and "high-virginity" subtitutes for scrap iron. Especially the last, as a nickel resource, is suggested to be most. significant to meet the present situation.