The Engineering Experiment Station
Report Of The Director
To the President of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute:
The research activities of the engineering departments of the college comprise the work of the Engineering Experiment Station. The departments of chemistry, geology, mathematics, metallurgy and metallography, and physics are also associated with the station, and have cooperated heartily.
In several departments no definite apportionment of time is made for research, while in others provision is made for part-time work of certain members of the staff and for research fellowships.
The primary objects of the station are to assist the industries of the state in solving their problems, to discover new materials and processes, and to add something to general scientific and technical knowledge. Then again, a very valuable result of the organization is the stimulation of the true engineering or research attitude towards all phases of work, more especially teaching.
A progress report was issued on Project No, 22, The Reclassification of Virginia Coals, by F. H. Fish and J. A. Addlestone, and was published in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Work on several projects is nearing completion. Among them are:
Project No. 37. Thermo-Electric Properties of Beryllium, by F. L. Robeson and J. F. Ryman.
Project No. 43, The Unusual Properties of Certain Alloys, by W. E. Barlow.
Project No. 49, The Design of Closely Wound Helical Springs, by J. P. Mahaney.
Project No. 56, The Analytical Determination of Velocity Ratios in Complanar Four-Link Linkages, by W. H. Rasche.
Projects which were begun during the year are:
No. 51, The Lime Industries of Virginia, by John W. Whittemore
No. 52, Uses and Tests of By-Product Lime and Comparative Tests with Other Limes and Cements, by John W. Whittemore and P. S. Dear.
No. 53, The Manufacture of Manganese Sulphate from Tazewell County (Virginia) Manganese Ores, by F. H. Fish.
No. 54, The Durability of Glued Joints, by J. E. Lodewick.
No. 55, Burning Qualities of Certain Limestones, by R. J. Holden.
No, 56, The Analytical Determination of Velocity Ratios in Complanar Four-Link Linkages, by W. H. Rasche.
No. 57, The Surface-Tension of Type-Metal Alloys, and the Effects Produced by Impurities, by H. V. White.
No, 58, The Quality of Public Water Supplies of Virginia, by F. H. Fish and J. A. Addlestone.
No. 59, Spiral Springs under Axial Loads, by J. S. A. Johnson.
No. 60, On Investigation of House-Heating Boilers, by F. F. Groseclose and C. E. Trent.
No. 61, Investigations of Reinforced Brick Slabs, by John W. Whittemore and P. S. Dear.
The possibilities of several projects have been exhausted, and these projects have been dropped from the active list. Among the projects which have been retained, and upon some of which considerable work has been done, are:
No.3, Thermal and Electrical Conductivities of Materials at High Temperatures, by F. B. Haynes and F. L. Robeson.
No.6, Effect of Storage on Hydrated Lime, by R. J. Holden.
No. 15, Flow of Gases and Vapors, by F. L. Robeson and J. S. A. Johnson.
No. 16, An Investigation of Building Stone of Virginia, by R. J. Holden.
No. 21, The Design of a Frictionless Hydraulic Transmission Dynamometer, by William H. Rasche.
No. 28, The Behavior of Materials Under Impact, by N. W. Conner.
No. 33, Effect of Cold Working of Ductile Materials, by E. B. Norris.
No. 34, The Coking of Semi-Anthracite Coal of Virginia, by F. H. Fish.
No. 35, Clays of Virginia, by John W. Whittemore.
No, 38, The Properties of Copper-Silicon Alloys, by W. E. Barlow, H. V. White, and J. F. Ryman.
No. 39, The Stream-Pollution Problem in Virginia, by H. B. Riffenburg.
No. 40, Utilization of Waste from Woolen Mills, by J. B. Lucas and Ella G. Russell.
No, 44, The Sizing of Ground Material, by R. J. Holden.
No. 45, Properties of Filtration Sands, by F. J. Sette.
No. 46, Rayon in Virginia, by R. E. Hussey and P. C. Scherer.
No. 47, A Study of Plumbing and Heating Codes of Virginia, by the fellowship of the Heating and Plumbing Association of Virginia.
No, 48, Limnological Study of the Pulaski (Virginia) Reservoir, by F. J. Sette.
Eight members of the faculty, including instructors, are listed for part-time station work, and fourteen others have devoted a considerable amount of their time to research projects without special provision. Four research fellowships were assigned to departments, and one research fellowship was financed by the Heating and Plumbing Association of Virginia.
The needs for the year, in the direction of equipment and supplies, of the several departments engaged in engineering research, have been supplied in nearly all cases. In several departments equipment has been purchased from departmental appropriations with a view to employing it in research as well as for instruction.
It is recommended that a full-time instructor be appointed as soon as possible to assist in the clerical and supervisory work of the station, and in conducting certain investigations.
Respectfully submitted.
J. S. A. JOHNSON, Director.