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Steel Alloys In 1907 when Henry Ford designed the Model T he experimented with vanadium, steel alloys and heat-treated steels. Until Henry Ford encouraged a small company to experiment with vanadium, no one knew in the United States how to alloy it with steel. It made possible strong, flexible and lightweight machine parts. It could be found in the crankshaft, springs, axles and gears of the Model T.
Fifteen million Ford Model Ts were manufactured between 1908 and 1927. By 1920 half the cars in the world were Model Ts. It was the only truly revolutionary car ever built in America. Its price sank from $950 in 1908 to as low as $260 fifteen years later.
Your homework
1) Nowadays we know a host of metals and other materials which improve the properties of steel. Assemble a list of such materials and name their influence on steel alloys. Consult your 'Fachkunde Metall'. 2) Why do they talk of 'lightweight parts' used on the Model T, although steel is not a lightweight metal? 3) In heat treatment of steel we talk of 'anneal', 'quench' and 'temper'. What do these terms mean? 4) What metal is alloyed to steel in all sorts of stainless steel? 5) Why could Henry Ford lower the price of the Model T over fifteen years? 6) The Model T was the first mass produced car. What's the difference between 'mass production' and 'quantity production'? 7) Henry Ford grew up as a farm boy. As a car manufacturer he pioneered the farming of Soya Beans. What could be made from soya beans for his cars? 8) What were the visions of Henry Ford? When did he live? What made him produce the best car of his time at the lowest possible price?
Sources and recommended reading
'The Ford Century' by Russ Banham ISBN 1-57965-201-8 'River Rouge' by Joseph P. Cabadas ISBN 0-7603-1708-9 'Rouge: Pictured in its Prime' by Ford R. Bryan ISBN 0-9727843-0-6 'Chrysler-The Life and Times of an automotive Genius' by Vincent Curcio ISBN 0-19-507896-9 | ||||||||
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