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MARINE BOILERS, Construction Under Proposed Rules of the bureau of navigation and steamboat inspection, when ap- proved, will result in radical changes in the present rules governing the in- spection and permissible construction of boilers, coming under the super- vision of this bureau. This has led to some conjecture as to whether or not the adoption of the suggested changes will affect seriously the pro- cedure followed in the manufacture of marine boilers or increase, to any con- siderable extent, their cost. Parenthetically, it may be said that the proposed rules represent a vast amount of work, and when adopted, as now seems certain, they will stand as a monument to the untiring efforts of the bureau of navigation and steam- boat inspection since that body initi- ated the movement in 1928. T HE proposed marine boiler rules Modern Boiler Construction In view of the foregoing it may be of interest to review, in a general way, the procedure followed in a mod- ern plant that has been active in the production of boilers for both marine and land service. Although the estab- lishment selected, the Barberton, O., works, of The Babcock & Wilcox Co., may be larger than the average boiler *This article was prepared, at the re- quest of the editor, by the staff of The Babcock & Wilcox Co., and is published in two parts. The second part will ap- pear in the July issue. PART |" A marine boiler. Under proposed rules this drum could be welded plant, some broad conclusions may be drawn with respect to this conjecture. Important facts to consider in this connection are the general aims of the new rules, which are, briefly, to bring them into closer agreement with existing boiler codes and to permit the use of welded drums, a construc- tion now generally accepted for land service. It is thus evident that, al- though the proposed marine boiler rules were drawn up with proper re- gard for operating conditions and spe- cial requirements peculiar to marine service, recognition is given to certain practices or rules that have proved of value in the construction and inspéé- tion of land boilers. It is appropriate, therefore, to examine the shop meth- ods followed in constructing not only marine boilers, but also, in certain re- spects, land boilers. Specifications for Materials Under the proposed rules, boiler plate would have to meet specifications covering chemical composition, tensile strength, and bend tests. It has long been the practice of The Babcock & Wilcox Co. to order plates to specifica- tions that are more complete and, not only to check the properties men- tioned, but to investigate other char- acteristics, including that of micro structure. In addition, for every plate used, a complete history is main- tained, in which is recorded the heat from which the plate was rolled at the steel mill, all the tests made at the mill, the tests and examinations made in the laboratories of the com- pany, and the exact location of the plate in the boiler. A similarly com- plete record is kept of all materials used by a subsidiary company, The Babcock & Wilcox Tube Co. in the manufacture of seamless tubes. This practice may appear to be somewhat extreme, but, in the opinion of the company, it is simply a meth- od of providing records, which are as complete as possible, for future ref- erence and study of a transaction in which safety transcends all other considerations. X-ray machine for examining fusion welded pressure vessel seams. Thickness of 44% inches can be explored on production basis 14 MARINE REVIEw—June, 1934