Foote Mineral Company Laboratories.--Expanded facilities for scientific research in the field of chemicals, ceramic materials, metals and alloys, electrode coatings and refined ores, were publicly displayed for the first time at an informal open house held at the new Foote Mineral Company Laboratories, on December 9th, 1949.
The new three story building on Lincoln Highway in Berwyn, near Paoli, Pa., has been equipped to carry out basic research, product development, and engineering studies related to improvement in equipment design and process control. The staff of 35 scientists and technicians is under the direction of Dr. S. C. Ogburn, Jr. Dr. Ogburn, as Manager of Research and Development, is in charge of all activities in this field carried out by the Company.
Several unique and highly specialized industrial development laboratories have been set up for the advancement of Foote products presently used by various industries. For ceramics, a section of the ground floor has been converted into a complete experimental unit in which all phases of theoretical and practical processing may be investigated, controlled, and determined. In this laboratory many significant projects in lithium chemistry are being carried on. Equipment is available for formulating, analyzing, testing, and producing a wide range of ceramic products. The welding laboratory is another complete unit, in which electrode coatings are prepared from selected raw materials, are applied to welding rods by extrusion and are then tested by welding with AC or DC welding machines. Also on the ground floor is a well equipped machine shop for the production of special machinery, a minerals separation laboratory, furnace room, and the crushing and grinding laboratory.
In addition to administrative offices, the metallurgical laboratory, engineering office and library are located on the first floor.
The top floor is devoted to chemical investigations, including analytical, inorganic, physical, and organic chemistry laboratories and glass blowing facilities. Further developmental work on lithium compounds, zirconium, and several other products is the subject of major projects.
This new and enlarged laboratory building is in line with the policy of Foote Mineral Company to expand its facilities to industry by providing basic research of far reaching scope for the development of new products and constant improvement of present products. To further this end, a separate building has been provided at the nearby Exton plant for pilot plant operations carried out under supervision of the Research and Development Department.
An edible coveting on food bars in survival rations is being developed by the Army Quartermaster Corps for use in extremely cold climates, where heavy gloves or mittens make difficult the removal of metal-foil coverings. The new pectinate covering may be eaten with the bar itself. Bars include cereals of two types, date-apricot, sweetmeat, almond-chocolate, and sweet chocolate.
A new chemical method for removing salt-deposit scale from distilling units aboard ship, developed at the Naval Engineering Experiment Station at Annapolis, Md., has been adopted for Fleet use. The new method employs sodium acid sulfate, takes two hours and can be accomplished under way. Mechanical scale-removal methods now in use require stoppage of the freshwater stills, take from four hours to two days to complete.