RETROSPECTReflections on Issues Gone ByProfessor Dennis F. Hasson

with the assistance of Judy Parker

ShoWing that Journal of Metals has thesituation in hand, this January 1977 coverphoto provides an apt prelude to an issueon high-strength, low-alloy steels which are,according to the cover caption, "one of themost important-and metallurgically inter­esting-modern engineering materials.

JANUARY-1937In this issue of JOM's forefather, Mining and Metallurgy,

favorable comments come from "down under" for the insti­tute's Transactions. According to the report, "A contributor,whose scholarly articles are known and esteemed by theprofession all over the world, writes: 'May we complimentyou upon the manner in which your Institute's publications

JANUARY-1957Highlighting key papers from the

Fifth Annual Titanium Symposium,which took place at the Fall IMD Meet­ing in Cleveland, Ohio, this issueplunges into statistics and reports thatsponge prices were reduced by almosta factor of two over the last ten years while mill productshipments were two-and-a-half times those of 1955, about4,600 tons. Also discussed is the Titanium Metals Corpo­ration of America purchase of a plant in Toronto, Ohio, formill products production, and an $8 million program byRepublic Steel Corporation at Canton and Massilon, Ohio,to boost melting and forging. According to the announce­ment, this latter move was "designed to increase titaniumingot capacity from 1,500 to 6,000 tons, (and) includes in­stallation of 12 vacuum, double melt, consumable-electrodemelting furnaces."

JANUARY-1977

V ERY appropriately, and optimistically, 1977's first is- are edited and set up. I have had some experience of pub­sue emphasizes the late '76 conference Welding of HSLA lication in a number of journals, but none maintains the

(Microalloyed) Steels, held in Rome. Supporting this focus high standard of your Institute.'''is L. Meyer and H. de Boer's paper, "HSLA Plant Metal- Colin G. Fink's extensive paper, "Rare Metals and Min­lurgy: Alloying, Normalizing, Controlled Rolling," which erals," is subtitled "Pure Electrolytic Manganese Produced:emphasizes the importance of thermomechanical treatment Vacuum Tubes Important Outlet for Some Metals." Fink"to obtain plates having optimum properties." The article notes that "Metal by-products, formerly discarded or lost,contains two excellent tutorial schematics: one featuring are today carefully recovered." The discussed by-productsthe effect of different strengthening ---------------- include antimony, beryllium, cesiummechanisms on transition tempera- and rubidium ("the cesium cell is theture; the other examining thermome- very 'heart' of the talking movies"), co-chanical intensity in regard to HSLA balt, columbium and tantalum, gal-steels' strength, shelf energy and tran- lium-germanium and indium (whichsition temperature. require development), lithium, mag-

"The important point," the HSLA nesium, palladium, and "orphan" met-conference report notes, is that "the als such as thorium and uranium, andviewpoint had changed from one of in- so on to zirconium.trospection toward the materials them- A.B. Kinzel's article, "Iron and Steel-selves to one in which application was Intelligent Use of Alloys Brings Bigthe key issue." In this vein, the issue Demand for High Quality, Low-Costalso features A.J. DeArdo and E.L. Product," emphasizes stainless, low-al-Brown's work on the hot rolling behav- loy and wear-resistant steels. For theior of austenite microalloyed with van- transportation industry, discussedadium and nitrogen. Slowly, but surely, product applications include the "Seathis significant technology is becoming Bird," a light-weight, all stainless steelmore widely accepted for meeting to- amphibian airplane, and railroad cars.day's demand for fracture-tough, high- Says Kinzel, "research has been car-strength steels with good weldability. ried on more extensively than ever. TheThis represents a positive step towards steel industry has come to a full reali-reducing our dependence on undesir- zation that this is necessary if it is toable sources for high alloying ele- keep its position as a leader in the ever-ments. expanding industrial front."

Covering the 146th General Meetingof the Institute in Mexico City, a sum­mary report opens with an exciting ac­count of a motorcycle escort for U.S.participants in route from the ColoniaRailway Station to the Hotel Geneve.In an uncharacteristic display of par­ody, the article also offers caricatures

of several of the conference attendees.E.H. Robie's "The Drift of Things" contains two vignettes

which should still be of interest to today's governmentworkers and university professors. The first, entitled "So­cial Matters," says, "As to the Social Security Act, we shallbe interested to find out how the Government will fit itsadministration of the law into private plans that have beenin force for some time." An uncanny comment when viewedin perspective of the government's upheaval of its own re­tirement system to change to a social security system. Theother article, "Professional Objection," notes that "at Lou­isiana Tech the professors have decided that they do notwish henceforth to be known by that title (since) it 'no longerimplies respect and often holds a teacher in ridicule.' Thetrouble is that a professor is not necessarily a skilled andlearned teacher; he may conduct a dancing class or be ateacher of boxing, as Webster specifically mentions." Per­haps your author should change his monicker to "Doc" sinceit is frequently used by students anyway.

72 JOURNAL OF METALS. January 1987