The Institute of Metals

Abstract

THE annual autumn meeting of the Institute of Metals was held at Newcastle-on-Tyne on September 20-22. The Lord Mayor (Sir W. H. Stephenson), in offering a welcome to the institute, said the institute has made substantial progress with the objects it has in view, to serve the industries connected with the non-ferrous metals in a similar manner to that in which the Iron and Steel Institute has served the iron and steel trades. Research work to meet the needs of industrial development is clearly needed. Such work is constantly in progress at the National Physical Laboratory and in the universities and the university colleges. The Institute of Metals affords a means of communication among the many workers in the field covered by its activities, and the knowledge acquired by research can thus be applied to practical work. An important research which illustrates the services which such an institute may render is being carried out by the Corrosion Committee. Sir Gerard Muntz, in acknowledging the welcome, referred to the research on the causes of corrosion in condenser tubes. He said that a plant which should imitate as closely as possible the conditions obtaining in a marine condenser is being erected at Liverpool, and will be ready for inspection and testing in a few weeks. It is intended to investigate the conditions obtaining1; ander Admiralty and commercial conditions, and it is believed mat a large number of the baffling problems connected with corrosion can be investigated adequately. Generous>fassist-ance has been given by the University of Liverpool, but additions to the research fund are urgently needed, as the work, to yield useful results, must extend over a period of two or three years. Several papers were afterwards read and discussed, and the following brief summaries will indicate their scope.