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By Max C. Eastman, V. H. Wilhelm

California had a record year in production and drilling activity, but the results have not been sufficient to keep up with the enormous increase in demand due to war activity. During the year, 164 dry wildcats were drilled, 80 dry wells in proved areas, 31 gas wells, and 1158 successful oil-well completions for a total of 1433 wells, compared with a total of 765 in 1942. With new discoveries of only 20,000,000 and production of 283,000,000 bbl. for the year, total reserves of California oil have decreased more than 250,000,000 bbl. However, revised estimates of the reserves of old fields indicate an increase in the state's reserves of I00,000,000 barrels. The completion of 1158 wells has served only to maintain the maximum efficient daily rate of production at 800,000 barrels. There is evidence in many fields that oil is being withdrawn too rapidly to obtain the maximum recovery, and more rapidly than is conducive to good production practice. Statistics for 1943 as compared with I942 are shown in the table in the next column, Supply and Demand Steadily mounting needs of the military forces and increased industrial consumption raised total demand for all petroleum products on the Pacific Coast to 914,000 bbl. daily in 1943. That all-time record demand was 149,ooo bbl. daily higher than in 1942 and 214,000 bbl. daily above 1941 demand. Despite restrictions due to shortages of critical material, crude-oil production was boosted from 680,000 bbl. daily in 1942 to 779,000 bbl. daily in 1943, the highest level in 15 years. However, the new crude supply plus natural gasoline production and imports from other states totaled only 840,000 bbl. daily, leaving a deficiency between supply and demand of 74,000 bbl. daily. That shortage had to be made up by withdrawals from inventories, which had been steadily depleted during the previous four years. Aboveground reserves, which totaled 159,574,000 bbl. on Jan. I, 1939, were down to ~8.000,000, bbl. at the end of 1943. Significantly enough, the greater part of that decrease occurred during the last six months of I9437 when more than 23,000,000 bbl. was taken from inventories of both crude and products. Although the size of total inventories on Dec. 31, 1943 might appear substantial, about 65 per

Jan 1, 1944

By Max C. Eastman, V. H. Wilhelm

California had a record year in production and drilling activity, but the results have not been sufficient to keep up with the enormous increase in demand due to war activity. During the year, 164 dry wildcats were drilled, 80 dry wells in proved areas, 31 gas wells, and 1158 successful oil-well completions for a total of 1433 wells, compared with a total of 765 in 1942. With new discoveries of only 20,000,000 and production of 283,000,000 bbl. for the year, total reserves of California oil have decreased more than 250,000,000 bbl. However, revised estimates of the reserves of old fields indicate an increase in the state's reserves of I00,000,000 barrels. The completion of 1158 wells has served only to maintain the maximum efficient daily rate of production at 800,000 barrels. There is evidence in many fields that oil is being withdrawn too rapidly to obtain the maximum recovery, and more rapidly than is conducive to good production practice. Statistics for 1943 as compared with I942 are shown in the table in the next column, Supply and Demand Steadily mounting needs of the military forces and increased industrial consumption raised total demand for all petroleum products on the Pacific Coast to 914,000 bbl. daily in 1943. That all-time record demand was 149,ooo bbl. daily higher than in 1942 and 214,000 bbl. daily above 1941 demand. Despite restrictions due to shortages of critical material, crude-oil production was boosted from 680,000 bbl. daily in 1942 to 779,000 bbl. daily in 1943, the highest level in 15 years. However, the new crude supply plus natural gasoline production and imports from other states totaled only 840,000 bbl. daily, leaving a deficiency between supply and demand of 74,000 bbl. daily. That shortage had to be made up by withdrawals from inventories, which had been steadily depleted during the previous four years. Aboveground reserves, which totaled 159,574,000 bbl. on Jan. I, 1939, were down to ~8.000,000, bbl. at the end of 1943. Significantly enough, the greater part of that decrease occurred during the last six months of I9437 when more than 23,000,000 bbl. was taken from inventories of both crude and products. Although the size of total inventories on Dec. 31, 1943 might appear substantial, about 65 per

Jan 1, 1944

R. H. SWEETSER, Columbus, Ohio.-My experience with oxygen in the blast is limited to the use of one tank of oxygen in melting out a chilled anthracite furnace. The oxygen was introduced through the peephole of the tuyeres and opened them in a very short time. We could see that an intense heat was generated just as soon as the oxygen struck the fuel. I agree with the committee in respect to many. of the things that will probably happen in the iron blast furnace, particularly as to the speeding up of the operation. There will undoubtedly be changes in the shape of the blast furnace, and if I were designing one today I should hesitate about the form to give it. Mr. Kirby suggested that the proper shape might be rectangular. Some of the men of the American Rolling Mill Co. have reached the same conclusion, as a result of Royster and Joseph finding that the combustion zone in the front of the tuyeres extended into the furnace less than 40 in. If this is correct, we might build the furnace with an elongated rectangu-ular hearth having the shorter dimension a little over 80 in. and secure. a very intense temperature in the hearth. The committee's report said, "With more oxygen available in the blast, the smelting ability of the furnace will be increased beyond the' speed of the preparing zone in the shaft." This can be controlled by providing ample facilities for getting stock into the furnace, and this will be one of the biggest changes in blast-furnace construction. The question has been raised as to finding suitable refractories to withstand the increase of hearth temperature. If the furnace can be kept full, the descending column of cold material will probably take care of the increased heat from more rapid combustion of the coke. At the Cleveland meeting, in 1912, the iron blast-furnace men listened with great interest to a paper on copper slags; from Mr. Kirby's paper, it looks as though they might again have to go to the copper men, for many of the problems of the iron blast furnace of the. future that uses oxygen may be worked out on lines of the copper blast furnace.

Jan 11, 1924

By G. Sachs, G. Espey

It is well known that high residual stresses are created in tubing by the sinking process, in which no internal tool or mandrel is used.l-4 In this process, the wall thickness is usually slightly increased.4,5 In tube drawing with a plug, the residual stresses are gradually reduced with increasing reduction of wall, and, by the conventional approximation methods of stress measurement, no stress is detected in tubing in which the wall reduction is over 50 per cent of the total reduction in cross-sectional area.l,6 It has also been observed that higher stresses are set up by the use of wide-angle dies than by acute dies.? 'he actual stress distribution in drawn tubing has been investigated by a few workers,7"9 but has not been related to the conditions of the drawing process. Some attempts have been made to correlate accelerated cracking tests for stresses in brass products with the magnitude of the circumferential stresses and the condition of the metal. l-10 Materials and Preparation The material used in this experiment was commercial cartridge-brass (70 per cent Cu, 30 per cent Zn) tubing in the straightened and annealed condition.† This tubing was of various outside diameters and had a wall thickness of 0.032 in. It was sunk to 1/2-in. outside diameter by means of an experimental 10,000-lb. hydraulic draw-bench, with a maximum drawing speed of 8 ft. per minute. All dies were of 1/2-in. diameter. Various die materials and contours were used in order to study the effect of die design on residual stresses in the tubing; the specifications for the dies are given in Fig. I. Castor oil was used throughout as lubricant. Chattering occurred in sinking some of the tubing, particularly when dies having the more acute angles were used, but the tubes showing chatter marks did not differ markedly from those with a smooth surface regarding the magnitude of residual stress. The source of the chattering has not yet been revealed. The wall of the tubing becomes thicker during s nking, as previously observed.4,5 The increases in wall thickness were 3, 7 and 9.5 per cent on the average for 6, 20 and 33 per cent reductions in diameter, no effect of the contour being noticeable. The reductions mentioned throughout this investigation do not consider this fact, but are reductions of the outside diameter. For the evaluation of the residual stress two fundamentally different methods were used. The approximation methodl,ll of splitting a certain length of tubing was employed to obtain a bird's-eye view of the effect of various drawing conditions on the circumferential stress measured by the diameter change occurring On splitting. For

Jan 1, 1942

By G. Sachs, G. Espey

It is well known that high residual stresses are created in tubing by the sinking process, in which no internal tool or mandrel is used.l-4 In this process, the wall thickness is usually slightly increased.4,5 In tube drawing with a plug, the residual stresses are gradually reduced with increasing reduction of wall, and, by the conventional approximation methods of stress measurement, no stress is detected in tubing in which the wall reduction is over 50 per cent of the total reduction in cross-sectional area.l,6 It has also been observed that higher stresses are set up by the use of wide-angle dies than by acute dies.? 'he actual stress distribution in drawn tubing has been investigated by a few workers,7"9 but has not been related to the conditions of the drawing process. Some attempts have been made to correlate accelerated cracking tests for stresses in brass products with the magnitude of the circumferential stresses and the condition of the metal. l-10 Materials and Preparation The material used in this experiment was commercial cartridge-brass (70 per cent Cu, 30 per cent Zn) tubing in the straightened and annealed condition.† This tubing was of various outside diameters and had a wall thickness of 0.032 in. It was sunk to 1/2-in. outside diameter by means of an experimental 10,000-lb. hydraulic draw-bench, with a maximum drawing speed of 8 ft. per minute. All dies were of 1/2-in. diameter. Various die materials and contours were used in order to study the effect of die design on residual stresses in the tubing; the specifications for the dies are given in Fig. I. Castor oil was used throughout as lubricant. Chattering occurred in sinking some of the tubing, particularly when dies having the more acute angles were used, but the tubes showing chatter marks did not differ markedly from those with a smooth surface regarding the magnitude of residual stress. The source of the chattering has not yet been revealed. The wall of the tubing becomes thicker during s nking, as previously observed.4,5 The increases in wall thickness were 3, 7 and 9.5 per cent on the average for 6, 20 and 33 per cent reductions in diameter, no effect of the contour being noticeable. The reductions mentioned throughout this investigation do not consider this fact, but are reductions of the outside diameter. For the evaluation of the residual stress two fundamentally different methods were used. The approximation methodl,ll of splitting a certain length of tubing was employed to obtain a bird's-eye view of the effect of various drawing conditions on the circumferential stress measured by the diameter change occurring On splitting. For

Jan 1, 1942

By Donald Ofte

LIQUIDUS temperatures of molten alloys were measured in an oscillating-cup viscosimeter by observing the abrupt increase in the alloy viscosity when the apparatus was cooled below the alloy liquidus temperature. The liquidus transformation can be an elusive thermal effect in an alloy system where a small amount of material is involved in a low-enthalpy liquidus reaction, or where other unfavorable physical conditions interfere. Using the viscosity technique, liquidus temperatures were measured in binary alloys of plutonium with cerium, gallium, and iron, as well as ternary Pu-Ce-Co alloys. The previously described oscillating-cup viscosimeter1 is a torsion pendulum consisting of a right circular, cylindrical tantalum cup fitted to a rigid shaft which, in turn, is suspended by a torsion fiber in a highvacuum system. When the torsion pendulum is placed in oscillation the viscosity of the liquid contained in the cup is a function of both the decay of the oscillation caused by the viscous drag of the liquid contained in the sealed tantalum cup, and the period of the oscillation. The period is measured by a photo-electrically operated timer to the nearest thousandth of a second. Prior to each measurement, the apparatus is held at temperature between 5 and 18 hr to assure thermal equilibrium throughout the 8 to 10-cc alloy sample. When the cup, filled with a liquid metal, is oscillating. only a very thin outer layer of the fluid is in motion. This moving annulus represents the liquid's contribution to the moment of inertia of the torsion pendulum. When the viscosity increases, more liquid is placed in motion, and the slight increase in the moment of inertia causes a corresponding increase in the period of oscillation.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Taber

The turbulent flow drag coefficients, or friction factors, have been experimentally determined for the cut-tings normally encountered in drilling operations. The gas law and average drag coefficients for characteristically flat particles (limestones and Shales) and for angular to sub-rounded particles (sandstones) were used to extend Newton's equation to a more useful form. The resulting equations are expressions for the slip velocity of a particle as a function of the particle size and shape, the bottom-hole injection Pressure, and the Bottom-hole temperature. The velocities necessary to lift actual rock cuttings as observed in the laboratory were compared with velocities predicted from the derived equations. Results indicate that there is no single correct circulating velocity and that the commonly used 3,000 ft/min linear velocity may he sufficient to lift only very mall particles. The advantage, in terms of horsepower requirements, of cycling high pressure air to obtain lower compression ratios was shown. INTRODUCTION A promising departure from standard rotary hydraulic drilling is air or gas drilling. In many instances the rate of penetration and bit life increases resulting from this method have been very substantial. Further the application of air drilling in areas of lost circulation or water sensitive pay zones has been highly successful. Purpose For the drilling contractor, the practical question remains, "How much air pressure and volume should I have?' lt is necessary to have a reasonable knowledge of the air velocities and pressures required in air drilling operations for the proper design and most advantageous use of surface equipment and for adequate removal of cuttings from the borehole. Eased on experience, most operators agree that at least 3,000 ft/min linear velocity is necessary for satisfactory hole cleaning.' It was the purpose of this investigation to evaluate the drag coefficients, or friction factors, for the cuttings normally encountered in drilling operations, i.e., sandstones, limestones and shales, and to utilize the values obtained to develop an expression for the minimum velocities and pressures (hence the volumes) necessary to lift these cuttings. THEORY Several investigators have done extensive work on the ability of drilling mud to lift bit cuttings. They conclude that the ability of a drilling mud to lift cuttings is dependent on the density difference between the rock being drilled and the drilling mud, the cutting size and shape, the mud flow constants, and the flow state (laminar, transitional or turbulent) of the mud. However, drilling muds are not true fluids but have a variation of viscosity with velocity in laminar flow and a constant apparent viscosity in turbulent flow. A survey of the literature revealed that no experimental work had been done to determine the velocities necessary to lift actual rock cuttings using a compressible fluid such as air or gas. In 1953, Nicolson6 stated that in air drilling fluid mechanics the particles could be assumed spherical in shape and that ; constant drag coefficient of 0.5 could be used due to the highly turbulent flow of the circulating air. By equating the turbulent resistance on the particle to the gravitational force on the particle, he obtained the expression, ^ = 2.67^y ,.......(1) where V, is slip velocity of spherical particle, ft/sec; D is particle diameter, in.; p, is particle density, 1b/ft8; and p, is fluid density, lb/ft3. However, as stated earlier, most operators seem to agree that adequate hole cleaning can be obtained by circulating a sufficient volume of air to give a linear velocity of 3,000 ft/rnin in the annular space. Basic Equation The velocity with which a solid particle freely falls through a fluid will increase until the accelerating force, gravity, is equal to the resisting forces, buoyancy due to the fluid displaced by the particle and friction due to the relative motion of the particle through the fluid. When the accelerating and resisting forces become equal,

By A. D. Marriott, J. V. N. Dorr

This paper reviews recent developments in the application of classification practice to the origination of fine-grinding flow sheets and traces the history of the mechanical classifier from its initial application for separating cyanide process sands and slimes down to its present six or more distinctly different applications at copper concentrators; it undertakes to show also, by reference to diagrammatic fine-grinding flow sheets and accompanying operating data from nine copper concentrators in western North America, the advantages gained from improved classi-ficiation flow sheets at these properties in terms of reduced grinding costs, improved flexibility of operation or increased recovery. Comparison is only made between different fine-grinding flow sheets at a given plant and no attempt is made to compare different concentrators, on account of ore variations and differences in metallurgical objectives sought,. The adoption of the flotation process in recent years, and especially the development of selective flotation, has brought a demand for much finer grinding than formerly. This has caused much thought to be given to grinding efficiency, and today there is hardly a mill where the grinding flow sheet is not under close study and subject to frequent changes. When closed-circuit grinding was introduced into metallurgy some years ago, its value was recognized at once, and since then the combination of mills and classifiers has been regarded and operated as a grinding unit. Apart from variations in both the grinding and classifying elements of this unit, there have been many variations in grouping tried by different mills to suit varying conditions of ore and plant limitations. Although operators feel that in most cases their present flow sheets are on trial, and the data on present work are often incomplete, we have felt that a discussion of the progress that has been made and an endeavor to show present trends and their results should be of use to the profession. We have therefore prepared flow sheets of some of the larger mills with which we have been in contact and present them with available data as to their results, in the hope that they may be of service now rather than later when practice may have become more standardized and more complete records and analyses have been made. We believe that the data given,

Jan 1, 1930

By L. R. Ingersoll, James Fisher, Harry Vivian

The copper mines of the Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan have long been of interest in connection with deep earth-temperature measurements. The extraordinary low geothermal gradient of l° F. in 223.7 ft. announced by Agassiz1 as a result of measurements dating from 1886, although later2 stated as in error, served to focus attention on this region as one offering, because of the great depth of the mines, unusual opportunity along this line. Lane,3 Van Orstrand4 and others have made valuable contributions to this study. Fresh opportunities afforded by the constant deepening of the mines, improvements in the accuracy and reliability of temperature-measuring instruments together with increasing knowledge of the heat conductivities and specific heats of the rocks, led the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in cooperation with some of the mining companies to renew work on this problem. It is planned eventually to complete a survey which will make use of the favorable opportunities for deep rock-temperature measurements presented in these mines. This survey should include the determination of a depth-temperature gradient in both conglomerate and arnygdaloid mines, and also the variations in temperature at the same depth in different geological formations. The first problem has a direct bearing on the question of providing equipment for necessary ventilation with increased depth. The second may show that a relation exists between the natural rock temperature and the mineral content of the formation. The measurements in all cases are to be guided by heat conduction considerations, to the end that they may represent as closely as possible

Jan 1, 1934

By Floyd Kelley

THE literature of the last decade is rich with information relating to the cause and means of control of grain growth in pure metals, but is deficient concerning the role diffusion plays in grain growth, although during this period many new products that depend on diffusion for their properties and success have been developed. Among these are cementation products, produced by calorizing, chromizing, and carbonizing, or by mixing, pressing, and sintering powdered metals such as Syke's iron-molybdenum die material, Genelite, and Elcon Metal (copper, tungsten) etc. This is a fertile field for new developments, but before it can be util-ized to the fullest extent there must be a thorough investigation of the processes by which diffusion and grain growth take place. Grain growth plays no small part in the process and certainly the physical properties of these products depend largely on the grain size and state of equilibrium produced. The field of investigation does not end here, but may be extended to the effect of diffusion on impurities, segregations and dendrites in the broad field of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. A number of years ago the author investigated several of these cases and noted, with striking regularity, the pronounced effect of diffusion in promoting recrystallization and grain growth. An example of this phenomenon is given in his paper on chromizing1 which contained photomicrographs of large radial or columnar crystals produced by diffusion of chromium in the solid state. Another manifestation of this effect was discussed by Austen,2 who showed the part hydrogen plays in the decarburization of steel and the effect of diffusion upon the grain structure.

Jan 1, 1928

By M. B. Bever, A. B. Michael

THE structure of cast A1-Si alloys is altered profoundly by modifying agents. Sodium, in particular, reduces the size of the silicon particles in the eutectic and tends to change their shapes from plates to nearly rounded grains. This refinement is accompanied by a shift of the eutectic to higher silicon concentrations and lower temperatures. Similar effects can be attained by rapid solidification. Hypotheses advanced to explain modification have involved the formation of a ternary eutectic,1 the removal of oxides by fluxing,' and even a presumed allotropic transformation of silicon. Other hypotheses assume that the modifying agent causes an envelopment of the silicon particles by the aluminum-rich solid solution, but attribute this envelopment to different mechanisms. According to various explanations, the growth of the silicon particles is obstructed by an immiscible sodium-rich liquid," an adsorbed layer of sodium,' or a ternary compound;5 his obstruction has been conceived as purely mechanical or as a colloidal action.' It has also been proposed that sodium reduces the surface tension on the Al-Si interface, thus permitting the aluminum-rich solid to grow faster and to envelop the silicon particles.? Still other hypotheses stress undercooling and the attendant change in the rate of nucleation of silicon, but fail to ascribe any definite function to the sodium addition." '" Procedure High-purity alloys of aluminum and 3 or 7 pct Si were treated with modifying agents containing radioactive sodium tracers. The experiments were intended to investigate the partition of sodium between the primary aluminum-rich solution and the eutectic, and, if possible, to determine whether sodium is concentrated in or around the silicon particles in the eutectic. Radioactive sodium fluoride, alone or mixed with stable sodium chloride, was allowed to react with the alloy for 5 min immediately before solidification in the crucible. Modification could not be attained with additions of less than the equivalent of approximately 0.1 pct Na. Some alloys were not completely modified, but comparison of the structures of treated and untreated specimens indicated a very considerable reduction in particle size of the silicon in all of the former. A treated alloy is shown in Fig. 1. Radioactive sodium fluoride was prepared by bombardment with deuterons having an energy of 14 mev. This bombardment (totaling, for example, 6 microampere-hours in one run) produced radioactive Na24 (half-life 14.8 hr) by the reaction 11Na23 (d,p) 11Na24. The radioisotopes of fluorine also produced have short half-lives and were not detected. A half-life determination by counting confirmed that the measured activity was due to Na24. The distribution of the sodium in the solidified alloys was determined by an autoradiographic technique by which a suitable stripping film is attached to a very thin metallographic specimen. After exposure and development, this emulsion remains superimposed on the specimen and may be examined microscopically or photographed by reflected light. The emulsion of the autoradiograph can be correlated directly with the underlying surface by simple adjustment in focus. The details of this technique have been described elsewhere." Results Fig. 2 is a micrograph of the autoradiographic emulsion ("autoradiograph") lying directly above the area of eutectic in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a similar autoradiograph of a region consisting of primary solid solution. The small black dots (tracks) in these autoradiographs are developed grains in the emul-

Jan 1, 1954

By Wilbur Nelson

THE year 1924 showed even less drilling in Kentucky and Tennessee than the preceding year. The operators in this section, however, are anxious to resume development work and are only waiting for a higher market for crude oil before starting such a program. In Kentucky, during 1924, 1605 wells were completed, the combined initial daily production of these wells being 25,599 bbl. Of the total number of wells drilled 1176 were oil wells, 61 gas wells, and 368 were dry holes. The average initial production of the oil wells was 21.8 bbl. per well. In Tennessee, 28 wells having an initial daily production of 1199 bbl. were completed during 1924. Of these, 3 were oil wells, 6 were gas wells, and 19 were dry holes. The initial production of the three oil wells was 400 bbl. Of the total number of wells drilled in Kentucky in 1924, 73 per cent. came in as producing wells; and of those drilled in Tennessee, 10 ½ per cent. came in as producing wells and 20 per cent. as gas wells. In Tennessee, during 1924, wildcatting dropped off considerably and only about one-half as many wells were drilled as in the preceding year; in Kentucky, on the other hand, there was only a slight curtailment in drilling, there being 1943 wells drilled in 1923 as against 1605 in 1924.

Jan 3, 1925

By Leon H. Nelson

Several factors which affect the segregation and solidification of killed hot-topped steel ingots are: (1) pouring temperature, (2) volume in the hot top, (3) taper in the ingot, (4) pouring rate by varying the nozzle size, (5) segregation of several elements, (6) moving ingots before completely solidified. In most of this discussion, segregation will be measured in terms of carbon variation only. All the data given are results on S.A.E. 1040 analysis of fully killed steel direct-poured in hot-topped molds giving 20-in, square ingots. Thus the variables of analysis and ingot size and contour are eliminated. Segregation results are all on the rolled-bloom size, not on the ingot itself. They are results from plant-control work and not results of special research on ingot segregation. Pouring Temperature The temperature (or, more correctly, the amount of superheat above the liquidus-solidus) of the steel entering the ingot is, of course, one of the most important factors influencing segregation and solidification. Table 1 gives the average segregation of a number of heats of S.A.E. 1040 steel with normal pouring temperatures of 2775" to 2825" F. The table also gives some data on segregation in hot heats (pouring temperature 2840" to 2870" F.) and in cold heats with some skull (poured at 2725" to 2760" F.). The results in Table 1 are on steel ingots with 20-in. square cross section and 60 in. long to the hot top. The ingot weighs 7100 lb. and the hot top contains 14.3 per cent of the total ingot volume and 11.2 per cent of the total ingot weight. The results are from drillings after rolling the ingots to bloom size. Segregation results obtained on the bloom are probably not as great as they would be in the ingot itself, since heating the ingots for rolling can perhaps cause some migration of carbon from regions of high and low carbon to those of average carbon content.

Jan 1, 1937

By H. C. van Elst

Ultrahigh-speedphotographic and electronic meth-ods were applied to an investigation of details of brittle-fracture propagation in steel. The brittle fractures studied were obtained in steel plate with the aid of a Robertson apparatus. It was found that a brittle fracture proceeds by discrete steps ranging from 30 mm near the stop temperature to less than 2 mm at lower temperatures. The halting FROM prior metallographic observations of brittle fracture in steel' it could be concluded that the distribution of mechanical twins along a brittle fracture was similar to the distribution of mechanical twins induced by explosive deformation. It was therefore assumed that a running brittle fracture created stress waves, cf. Refs. 2-7. An emission of stress waves by a brittle fracture, however, seems only conceivable if the fracture propagates by discrete steps. For this reason a study of the details of times between successive steps drop in this tem-perature region from 20 usec to about 1 psec. The stepwise propagation mechanism is accompanied by an intermittent emission of stress waves of the order of 100 to 200 kg per sq mm. These stress waves seen1 to play an important role in the mechanism of brittle fracture as will be discussed. brittle-fracture propagation was undertaken to investigate the possible determination of the fracture steps and the emitted stress waves associated with the assumed mechanism. The more practical object of this work is the development of a test method for the determination of the ductile-brittle transition in small specimens. This has special advantages for the study of irradiation damage in steel. In this test method, which will be published in a following paper, the stress waves emitted by an actual brittle fracture are reproduced with explosive or electrical means and are then transmitted through small specimens at various temperatures. In the present paper only the results of the brittle-fracture study will be reported.

Jan 1, 1964

JUST as I have taught you to refine silver in a small way and to make assays, so now I wish to teach you how to make cupeling hearths in place of these little cupels when you have silver in large quantities. This is done in four ways, as I have seen, but all are alike in the end and differ very little one from the other. There are some who make use of a furnace with a vault built with bricks above the cupeling hearth. There are some others who use in place of this an iron hood like a large cover. There are some others who use only heavy dry sticks of oak or some other thick wood. Others have certain long plates of terra cotta that cover the whole hearth in three or four pieces; the two of these that adjoin have [56] a hole in the middle that leads exactly into the middle of the cupeling hearth, and through this they put in the material and the lead, according to the practice I shall describe.

Jan 1, 1942

By Thomas Egleston

The ores of mercury of North California are composed of metallic mercury and cinnabar. They are found in serpentine, and are very often associated with chalcedony, in masses more or less irregular, often concentrated enough, however, to furnish ores yielding from three to ten per cent., and sometimes richer. This deposit makes its appearance in Vallejo where it has been worked. North of here the mines are more developed. Most of the quicksilver mines, however, are situated in Sonoma and Napa Counties. On its outcrop the serpentine rocks have become decomposed, and have often been washed away to a considerable depth, so that in many cases in their neighborhood, what is apparently nothing but ordinary dirt, will frequently contain from two to three per cent. of metallic mercury, with but a trace of cinnabar, in which case, as at the Sonoma mine, it is made up into adobes and distilled. Such material does not require to be mixed with dirt to be made into adobes. Very often, also, the outcrop of the rock, where it is not decomposed, is filled with metallic mercury, so that by striking a pick into it, as at the Rattlesnake mine, a pound or more of mercury at a time will sometimes spurt out. Such rock as this is found in several localities in every stage of impregnation, and usually makes very rich ore. There is generally, however, very little of it, and it is found only in the first workings; the ore in depth is always cinnabar. At the Rattlesnake mine near Pine Flat, where large quantities of metallic mercury are found, the rock contains so much petroleum that it has been necessary to make special arrangements to burn the carbides of hydrogen, since the distillation of the petroleum causes an extra quantity of poor soot to be formed in the condensation-chambers. At the Geysers the ore is associated with large quantities of sulphur and gypsum, so that in a hand specimen there is often more sulphur than cinnabar, which is a serious impediment to working, especially for the modern style of furnace with iron condensers, and causes so much soot to be formed that it has been known to penetrate as far as the blower, and to so completely clog it as to prevent its revolution. The ore coming from the mine is more or less hand-picked. In one or two cases attempts have been made to treat the poorest, and especially the very fine ores, mechanically as at the California works.

By V. R. Garfias

EVEN before the arrival of Cortes in 1519, the history of Mexico was closely linked to that of its mineral production; the mining activities of the Aztecs being thus described by Clavigero, one of the early historians: In the mountains of Anahuac there abound in veins all kinds of metals, and infinite variety of other fossiliferous products. The Aztecs obtained gold from the countries of the Cohuijques, of the Mixtecas, of the Zapotecas and from various other places. They gathered that precious metal usually in grain, from the sands of the rivers, keeping a certain portion for the crown. They obtained silver from the mines of Taxco, of Tzumpango and others; however, this metal was not as esteemed by them as by other neighboring nations. They had two kinds of copper; one hard, which they used instead of iron to make sickles, lances and all kinds of rural and military instruments and another, soft, with which they made kettles, goblets and other receptacles. This metal abounds mainly in the province of Zacatula and in that of Cohuijques, which at present is in the kingdom of Michoacan. They obtained tin from the mines of Taxco and lead from those of Izmiquilpan, located in the country of the Otomiea. From the tin they made money, and the lead, we know they sold in the market places, but we ignore the uses to which they applied it. They also had mines of iron in Tlaxcala, in Taxco and in other places; but they either had not discovered them, or did not know how to make use of the metal they contained. In Chilapa there were mines of mercury, and in other places there were mines of sulphur, alum, vitriol, cinnabar, cohre and of a white earth which they esteemed highly. As regards mercury and vitriol, we do not know of what use they were to them; the other metals they used in paintings and dyes. There were then great abundance of amber and asphalt-bitu- men of Judea--on the coast of the seas and many cities of that territory paid tribute of one and the other to the kingdom of Mexico. They mounted the amber in gold, and it was only used as ornament and display by them. With the asphalt they made certain perfumes. The following extracts dealing with pre-Colonial gold are taken from the famous "Cartas de Relación" to Charles V, in which Cortea described the progress of the Conquest: . . . here there came two chiefs who owned lands in the valley; one four leagues down the valley and the other two leagues up the valley and they gave me some gold necklaces of little value and seven or eight girls. . . . . . . that day I left the City of Churultecal and traveled four leagues to some villages of the City of Cuasucingo where the natives received me very well and gave me women and pieces of gold. . . .

Jan 1, 1937

By D. W. Smith

THE beta solid solution phases of the systems copper-zinc, copper-aluminum, copper-tin and silver-zinc are structurally analogous.1 R. F. Mehl and 0. T. Marzke2 have shown that the a phase upon segregating from the 0 phase in the system copper-zinc takes the form of needles lying parallel to a [111.] direction or some similar direction, such as [556], of the parent solid solution, and that the a phase upon segregating from the ß phase in the system copper-aluminum also takes the form of needles. By analogy they assume that in this case also the segregate needles lie parallel to the [111] or [556] direction in the ß lattice. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether the structures resulting from segregation of the a phases from the respective 0 phases of the systems copper-tin and silver-zinc are analogous to those obtained by Mehl and Marzke in the systems copper-zinc and copper-aluminum.

Jan 1, 1932

By Henry Mulryan

Diatoms are microscopic aquatic plants of the order Bacillariaceae. They are unicellular plants with skelctons made up of amorphous opaline silica. The skeletons show highly ornate, complicated geometrical designs. Diatoms live in water virtually everywhere. They are found in clean sea water, brackish water, and fresh-water lakes and ponds. When conditions are right, diatoms propagate by subdivision in huge numbers. Alkalinity, temperature, and the presence of high concentrations of silica in the water largely control diatom life. When the diatoms die the skeletons drop to the bottom of their habitat to form oozes of varying thicknesses. Diatomites Diatomite, or diatomaceous earth, is composed essentially of the siliceous remains of the diatoms, although other organic skeletons are also present, especially in sea-water deposits where radiolaria, sponges and silico-flagellates are common. Impurities are generally carbonaceous material, fine-grained silt, volcanic ash and dust, and occasional coarse grains of sand. Diatomites are marine, brackish, or fresh-water, depending upon types of diatoms and their method of deposition. Diatoms More than 8000 species of diatoms have been named and classified. Some are definitely classified as to their habitat; some are so well recognized as to their living conditions that they can be stated to be diagnostic types, and when encountered in a deposit determine the origin of the deposit. Some of the commoner types of diatoms found in the freshwater diatomites on the Pacific Coast are: Cymbella lanceolata Agardh Fragilaria virescens Ralfs Encyonema prostratum Ralfs Diatoma vulgare Dory Surirella biseriata Brebison Eunotia major Ehrenberg Amphipleura pellucida Kützing Stictodiscus niagarac Ehrenberg Gomphonema geminatum Lynberg Melosira granulata Ehrenberg Epithemia turgida Kützing

Jan 1, 1942

By E. C. Skinner

Cardox, which consists essentially of a steel tube containing carbon dioxide compressed to the liquid state, is a trade name designating a device used principally in coal mines to break down coal. The use of Cardox to break down coal was developed in the Middle Western coal fields around 1927 or 1928. At first, a large, heavy tube was used, requiring many parts. Through experimentation and technologic improvement, the weight of the tube has been brought down from 88 lb. to 20 lb. and the new, light tube makes use of larger volumes of CO2 at lower pressures than formerly was thought possible. This blasting method is extensively used today in coal mines and probably one tenth of the bituminous coal produced in the United States is prepared with Cardox. Construction and Application As used in the coal mine, Cardox looks like a piece of steel pipe 2 to 3 in. in diameter and 3 to 5 ft. long. When it is necessary to fire a shot, the tube is wired with two leg wires that are long enough so that when the tube is pushed the desired distance into the hole the wires will protrude 5 to 6 in. It has been found that No. 18 insulated copper annunciator wire is the best material for leg wires. A two-conductor rubber-covered shot-firing cable of sufficient length is then attached to the leg wires. A 2 to 6-volt current is applied, either by means of shot-firing batteries or the standard type of shot-firing generator. Upon the application of the current, the charge in the cartridge is set off. Because the breaking action upon the coal is supplied by the relatively slow physical expansion of the carbon dioxide gas rather than by the rapid chemical formation of gases as in more familiar explosives, the result is a slow heaving action, somewhat similar to that produced by black powder, rather than a shap detonating effect. Permissible powder does its work at roughly ten times the pressures in use with Cardox. The escaped gas from a Cardox shot apparently works along the planes of weakness in the coal face, such as the coal cleats, the edges of the cut, and along the top of the seam, breaking off the coal toward the free faces and heaving the mass of coal outward. Cardox tubes are manufactured in various sizes to take care of variable conditions of seam size, undercut depth, cleatage, coal hardness, and so forth. The tubes range in diameter from 2 to 3 in. (Table I) and the normal CO2 charge is from 24 to 96 oz. For any one tube size, several sizes of shear disks are available, thus excellent control of the type of shooting desired is possible. In general, local experience and experimentation dictate the size of tube chosen for any particular job. For high coal, and deeper or wider cuts, a larger size is chosen to start with, and the opposite is true for low coal, softer coal, or small cuts. After the tube size has been experimentally selected, tests are run in the mine to determine how many shot holes are needed and where the holes should be placed. The size of the disk,

Jan 1, 1944