Pig-iron Scales
The best form of scale, where large quantities of different brands of pig iron must be handled proportionately, is one of sufficient capacity to weigh a whole charge at once. This scale would require a section of railway corresponding to the system throughout the yard and to the furnaces; the pig-iron truck can be run on the scales, and the several quantities constituting a charge could be placed thereon, and be at once conveyed in bulk up an inclined plane to the cupola scaffold or on the level to the elevator platform.
Pig-iron Tester is a simple form of machine for ascertaining the transverse strength of cast iron, some having an indicator attached by which the elastic limit is measured also. This is an excellent contrivance for obtaining a comparative test of the iron supplied subsequent to charging in the cupola by simply melting a small quantity in the crucible and casting one or more 1-inch-square bars, the strength of which may be discovered by the machine. Density, tendency to chill, and shrinkage may also be observed in the cast bars, and thus by these mechanical means a fair knowledge of the iron may be obtained before taking risks in the cupola. See TESTING-MACHINE.