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By J. C. Deppe

A method is presented for calculating approximate injection rates in secondary recovery operations. The method can be applied to cases of unequal fluid mobilities, irregular well patterns and boundary patterns. The steady-state pressure distributions for the four flood patterns reported by Muskat and for five additional patterns reveal that most of the difference in pressure between the injection and producing wells occurs in regions around the wells which can adequately be described as regions of radial flow. This leads to a method of calculating injectivity by approximating the flood pattern with radial flow elements (or a combination of radial- and linear-flow elements for some patterns such as the direct line drive). Irregular and boundary patterns can also be approximated by radial and linear elements. Each of these elements can be described by radial-and linear-flow equations and the results combined as series flow resistances to give an approximate equation for the initial injection rate. The mobility ratio does not affect the initial rate; therefore, if the well pattern is one of those regular patterns for which theoretical rate equations have been derived for unity mobility ratio, the approximate initial rate equation can be improved by adjusting it to match the theoretical equation. The available theoretical rate equations are listed, including five new cases. As the flood progresses, the injectivity changes because in general the flood front will divide the pattern into areas of different fluid mobilities. Simple shapes can be assumed for the flood front so that both areas can be divided into radial- and linear-flow elements. Radial- and linear-flow equations are applied to these elements to account for the change in flow resistance behind the front. To calculate injection rates after breakthrough, it is necessary to know the sweep efficiency at breakthrough. Areal sweep data are available in the literature for a number of patterns, and sufficiently accurate breakthrough sweep efficiency can be estimated from these data if it is not otherwise available. Again, simple shapes for the flood front can be assumed after breakthrough, and injection rates can be calculated for the remainder of the flood. When areal sweep data are available, these data can be used to cbeck. the calculated injection rates after breakthrough. Injection rates calculated by this approximate method compare favorably with available model data. INTRODUCTION When the fluid mobilities in the swept and un swept regions are equal, the injectivity will not change as the flood front advances; and for regular patterns it can be calculated by mathematical formu1as.l When the fluid mobilities in the swept and unswept regions are not equal, the injectivity will increase or decrease as the flood front advances. In this case, the injectivity has not been calculated by analytical means for any practical well pattern; and, furthermore, scale model and analog4,6 results have been published only for the five-spot pattern. The main object of this paper is to present an approximace method for calculating injectivity for the case of unequal mobilities. The method can be applied to regular, irregular and boundary patterns. Before the approximate method is discussed, the analytical formulas for equal mobilities will be summarized, and the analytical solution for radial flow with unequal mobilities will be used to show how the injectivity changes as the flood progresses. EQUAL MOBILITIES, REGULAR PATTERNS In a flooding operation the injectivity, the rate at which fluid can be injected per unit difference in pressure between injection and producing wells, depends on basic physical properties and, in addition, on three variables to be treated here—the area of the swept region, the fluid mobilities in the swept and unswept regions, and the well geometry (pattern,

By W. O. Philbrook

An engineering analysis indicates that the coke rate in present blast-furnace practice is set not by chemical or thermal needs but to give adequate charge permeability for economical driving rates. An equation showing interrelations among pressure drop, gas flow, and charge characteristics has been derived. Flooding conditions and the location of the fusion zone are discussed. Maximum ore size is probably limited by chemical re-ducibility rather than by heat transfer. THE intention of this paper is to show that the ].imitations on the production rate and coke requirement of the iron blast furnace are not primarily chemical or thermal in nature but are related to characteristics of the burden and operation that govern gas flow, heat transfer, and stock movement. A semiquantitative analysis will be developed in terms of standard engineering principles to give a useful picture of the relative importance of physical and mechanical factors in contrast with the chemical features of the process that are more commonly emphasized. Most of the details of calculation have been omitted in the interest of brevity and to avoid submerging the rnain points in a sea of arithmetic. Numerical values have been arrived at by objective methods from reported operating data or by reasonable estimates of material properties where exact data are lacking and then tested to see how well they fit practice, rather than by working backward to find what assumptions are needed to give the desired answers. The analysis is oversimplified in many ways because exact engineering relations have not yet been studied for bed distributions as complex as are known to exist in the blast-furnace stock column. One objective of this paper is to show that the blast furnace, in spite of its complexity, can be at- tacked by engineering methods in the hope that this viewpoint will stimulate the kind of research needed for a more exact treatment. The basic ideas and many of the conclusions presented are qualitatively well known. A careful literature survey to credit the source of all observations not original to the author would indeed be voluminous, and such has not been attempted. T. L. Joseph's Howe Memorial Lecture' gives an excellent background of what is known about the internal workings of a blast furnace. Other important reference works or sources of specific information will be noted. It is hoped that the present paper will contribute something new, in method of attack and interpretation, that will aid in a clearer understanding of how to operate the blast furnace to best advantage. Factors Limiting Production and Coke Rates The rate of combustion of coke in a blast furnace, as in any fuel bed, is exactly proportional to the rate at which air is supplied. It is axiomatic, then, that the production rate of a furnace is limited by the rate at which it will take wind, i.e., burn coke, and the amount of coke that must be burned at the tuyeres to make a ton of iron of suitable composition. These two possible limiting factors will be considered briefly in the order mentioned. One common restriction on wind rate is flue-dust production. Since the volume of top gas is nearly proportional to the blast volume (by a factor of about 1.35 on a dry basis), an increased wind rate causes a correspondingly increased linear velocity of top gas in the throat of the furnace. The higher

Jan 1, 1955

By E. F. Kingsbury

One of the well-known and important uses of the noble or precious metals has been for electrical contacts. In fact, the elements of this group, comprising gold, silver and the six platinum metals, have been called "noble" because of their ability to resist heat and corrosion, properties which were early found to be of importance in good contacts. Of these, platinum and its iridium alloys, palladium, and silver, have been extensively used. In recent years the electrical industry has been responsible for about one-eighth of the total consiimption of the platinum metals in the United States. Information is not available as to what part of this one-eighth has been used for contacts but it is certainly an important one. Substitutes for Platinum During the past 20 years a considerable number of contact alloys have been proposed in the patent literature largely with the aim of more or less replacing platinum by gold or silver, and some of these alloys are finding increasingly widespread application as the reliability of their performance becomes established. From even the partial data at hand it appears that this substitution by the less precious metals has replaced at least one-half of the amount of platinum that the entire electrical industry would otherwise be consuming at the present time. While the subject is of considerable interest to the metallurgist it is even more so to the electrical engineer and it is surprising that the literature records no systematic and comprehensive investigation along these lines. Practically all the scattered work on noble metal contacts has centered around platinum as a standard and has had two more or less distinct aims. One of these has been the replacement of platinum by cheaper matcrials, and the other, the dcveloprnent of materials of superior electrical performance. The merit of a contact metal has been assumed to be dependent on its infusibility, and since thc more precious metals have the higher melting points there has naturally been an association of the two qualities in the sense that the more precious were

By C.H. Davis, W.H. Bassett

The ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst. Impurities in raw material are often a source of annoyance, especially when their detection involves delay and costly analytical work. Whethcr low conductivity in copper is due to arsenic, nickel, or something else may be cluickly found out. Residual traces of boron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, vanadium, and other deoxidizing agents are easily identified where wet analysis may fail to reveal their presence, even after days of effort. Complex alloys of any kind are dissociated by the spectro-

Jan 1, 1923

By W. H. Bassett, C. H. Davis

The ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst. Impurities in raw material are often a source of annoyance, especially when their detection involves delay and costly analytical work. Whethcr low conductivity in copper is due to arsenic, nickel, or something else may be cluickly found out. Residual traces of boron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, vanadium, and other deoxidizing agents are easily identified where wet analysis may fail to reveal their presence, even after days of effort. Complex alloys of any kind are dissociated by the spectro-

Jan 1, 1923

By James Kemp

IN earlier years, the custom prevailed of regarding the anthracite basins as cases of folding with slight development of faulting. Folding is so pronounced and, in the eastern and western Middle Fields, at times so violent, that the inference was a natural one and led to the widespread impression that practically all the disturbances of the seams could be explained in this way. The cross-sections-and maps prepared forty or more years ago for the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, by Mr. Ashburner under Prof. J. P. Lesley, exhibit little else than folds.1 So far as I can discover faults fail in the charts, except in one small case in the Henry Colliery near Plainsville on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre. Some years ago, while spending a day or two in Wilkes-Barre, under the guidance of R. V. Norris, I looked over some recent and accurate cross-sections of a number of the large collieries and was deeply impressed with the peculiar behavior of some of the seams and the intervening shales. Thus, a seam might present a small, more or less overturned fold, rising 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15m.) above its general course, and yet the movement would be taken up in the overlying shales, so as hardly to be noticeable in the seams next above or below. These and similar anomalies, especially when shown with the accuracy of engineer's surveys, possess great scientific and practical interest, bearing as .they do, not alone on coal mining, but on theoretical geology and the actual behavior of strata under great compressive stresses. In preparation for the semicentennial meeting of the Institute, an, effort was therefore made to secure some of the most interesting sections for presentation to the members. The collection of illustrations here shown is mainly due to, Mr. Douglas Bunting of the local committee, to whom and to the contributing companies acknowledgments are due.

Jan 1, 1922

By Edmund B. Kirby

This meeting marks the point at which the long-standing dissatisfaction with the mineral-land laws, the innumerable protests against them, and the many isolated efforts to obtain relief, have developed into a general movement for their revision. That part of the mining industry which is affected by these laws has three general organizations which are able to speak for it: the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the Mining and Metallurgical Society of . America, and the American Mining Congress; all of which are represented in this meeting. In the series of able and thoughtful papers presented here, prominent men have discussed the evils of the present laws and some of the reforms which should be made in them. We all appreciate fully the ultimate value of these studies; but we are also painfully aware of the fact that discussion of this kind has been going on for a quarter of a century without any other effect than a steady increase in the mass of printed records stored on library shelves. In order to get any practical result we Gust induce an indifferent government at Washington to act, and to do this we must unite in pushing some practical plan whereby it may act in a simple and effective way and with the least possible amount of criticism or opposition. The actual question before us is not whether the mining laws are bad; for their evils and absurdities are not only beyond discussion but also beyond the resources of a temperate and dignified vocabulary. It is not what particular changes ought to be made; for it is premature to make . specific recommendations until there is some one to listen to them. Moreover, we all know that there are wisdom and experience enough available, and awaiting that time, for the creation of a code which would be a model to the mining world. The practical question now is, how to obtain the revision; and since the American Mining Congress has of late restricted its attention to this phase of the problem I wish as one of its representatives here to present its views upon the matter.

Jan 1, 1915

By A. U. Seybol

Eight binary iron alloys were examined after ion nitriding experiments to determine the behavior of the following elements: Al, Mo, Mn, Si, Ti, V,Cr, and C. Only Al, Cr, Ti, and V additions caused hardening in binary iron alloys. A few steels were examined to see the effect of Cr, Cr + Al, Cr + Ti, and Cr + V. It is suggested that a useful new class of ni-triding grade steels might be those containing about I pct V. The nitriding of steel, first described by Fry1 about 45 years ago, rapidly attained commercial application with very little knowledge of the fundamentals involved. While Fry,' in describing the status of nitriding in 1932, apparently correctly postulated hardening by precipitated nitrides, the details of the nitriding process were not understood, nor has the situation changed much since that time. It is also interesting to note that the compositions of some typical nitriding steels given by Fry at that time have changed little in the intervening years. Currently used nitriding steels owe their surface hardening to either chromium (as in 4340 steel) or aluminum plus chromium as in the Nitralloy grades, where both CrN and AlN appear to contribute to harden ing. Titanium additions have been studied experimentally, but thus far titanium steels have not won wide commercial acceptance. This subject will be expanded later. The orthodox ammonia nitriding process has been reviewed very adequately many times as in Jenkins3 and Case and VanHorn,4 and their is no need to outline the process here. Ion nitriding is not as well-known, although there have been several descriptions5-9 of the process given, sometimes with comparisons with the ammonia process. Most of these papers are primarily concerned with a description of the equipment, or of the physics or electrical engineering aspects of ion nitriding, but Noren and Kindbom9 gave the results of a metallurgical investigation using both processes. In brief, ion nitriding is carried out in a vacuum chamber from which the air is exhausted and replaced by a N2-H2 mixture, typically containing 10 to 20 pct N2, at about 5 to 10 torr pressure. While ammonia gas has also been used in ion nitriding, there is no evidence that ammonia makes any improvement in the ion nitriding process. A few hundred volts dc is applied between the grounded container wall (positive) and an insulated center post supporting the work (negative) to be nitrided. A glow discharge is created in the ionized gas, accelerating positive nitrogen ions to the work. These ions contain enough energy to form the normally unstable Fe4N "white layer", thus establish- ing surface nitrogen solubility characteristic of the a Fe/Fe4N equilibrium. This creates a substantial concentration gradient, driving dissolved nitrogen into the steel. The temperature employed is in the same range (around 500" to 550°C) as in ammonia nitriding, but because of factors which are not understood at present the nitriding time is ordinarily considerably reduced in ion nitriding. Other advantages have been cited,9 but it is not the purpose of the present work to contrast the two processes. The present objective was to examine the behavior of binary iron alloys during ion nitriding with respect to the microstructure, hardness level, and depth, and to examine some of these factors in steels as well. In this way it was hoped to be able to find out something about the individual role of these elements in steels. While all the work was done by ion nitriding, there seems to be no reason why any conclusions reached would not equally apply to ammonia nitriding, excepting only the kinetic aspects of the process. Another objective was an exploration of the critical-ity of the ion nitriding variables: gas composition, pressure, temperature, and time. EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS The equipment used was substantially as described by Jones and Martin.8 The vacuum tank was about 12 in. in diam by about 18 in. high, and consisted of water-cooled stainless steel, with a single small window at the top for viewing inside. This sat on a heavy mild steel base equipped with the main pumping port, pressure control port, and vacuum gaging. A series of variable resistances was interposed between the glow discharge and a large-capacity -40 amp variable primary transformer feeding a 1000-v transformer, but 600 v were about the maximum ordinarily used. With the small l-in.-round, 4-in.-thick discs used for nitriding, the electrical load was usually about 500 v at 0.8 amp. The specimen temperature was controlled by a stainless-steel sheathed chromel-alumel couple, whose junction was in the steel stool upon which the flat discs were placed. These were ground through 400 Sic paper. Cycling of the temperature controller caused -0.2 amp variation in ion current, providing an ample control band. The binary iron alloys were made from vacuum-melted hydrogen-deoxidized electrolytic iron and alloys of 99.9 pct purity. Cast ll-lb-square tapered ingots were forged and hot-rolled to about 11/4-in.-diam rounds. Discs of 1/4 in. thickness by about 1 in. diam were machined from the rods for nitriding specimens. The following alloys were prepared: 1 pct each of Mn, Mo, Cr, Ti, Al, V, Si, and an Fe-0.8 pct C alloy. EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES Of the variables total gas pressure, nitrogen partial pressure, temperature, and time, only nitrogen partial pressure was found to be critical to the operation. A critical nitrogen partial pressure was found corre-

Jan 1, 1970

By Thomas Egleston

All industrial establishments whose operations depend upon chemical reactions use gases. In the simplest case the oxygen of the atmosphere, heated or not, as the case may be, is used, and in other cases, gases which are produced by a special apparatus of more or less complex composition. The manufacturer depends, for the success of his operations, entirely upon having these gases arrive at the right time, in the proper proportions, at the required temperature. It often requires but a slight variation in their composition to make a given process a success or a failure. In most cases the gas used is formed from fuel, and according as variations in its composition are produced by alterations in the manner of charging the grate, not only different, but often directly opposite, results are obtained. The great industrial question of the present time, and one upon which the prosperity of the world depends, is how to get the greatest amount of useful effect from fuel, whether the caloric is used directly or is transformed into horse-power. In almost all industrial pursuits this translates itself into the question of how to construct a fireplace and its adjuncts in such a way that the heat of the flame and of the products of combustion shall be made to produce a maximum effect. Unfortunately, until very recently, except by comparison, there was no means of ascertaining whether the loss of useful effect was 80, 40, or 20 per cent. of the total amount of fuel employed. It seems now strange that there should have been furnaces so constructed as to produce 20 per cent. of carbonic acid in the fireplace, but this has been proved by analysis to have been true. It does seem incredible that, notwithstanding the immense number and variety of furnaces used for different processes, and the great difference in kind, quality, and quantity of fuels consumed, there should formerly have been used for them all, the same stereotyped fireplace, varied only in its dimensions of height, length, and breadth. It is true that, with a good fireman, excellent effects may be, and have been, produced, but the manufacture is here, as in many other cases, dependent on the intelligence of the workman, a very uncertain reliance for capital to rest upon. The workman, unless he receives a prime for fuel saved, or is fined for excessive use of it, may be said

By F. A. Veer, W. G. Burgers, B. H. Kolster

Starting-- from Cu-Si diffusion couples a study of diffusion in the intermetallic compound Cu3Si of the Cu-Si system has been made. Mmker experiments showed copper to be the diffusing element. From the rate of growth of the Cu3Si phase diffusion coefficients were derived. The activation energy for diffusion is 18.6 kcal per mole. The couples show some interesting microscopic features, for which a tentative explanation is given. THE synthesis of dimethyldichlorosilane, (CH3)2SiC12, an important compound in the manufacture of methyl-silicones, takes place at the surface of a thin Cu3Si layer deposited on a mass of silicon particles."' By passing CH3C1 vapor at about 350°C, silicon atoms are consumed from Cu3Si in forming the volatile silane molecules, thus leaving copper atoms at the surface. It is well-known that copper acts as a poison for the above-mentioned reaction by catalyzing the dissociation of methylchloride.' However, no poisonous effect is observed, at least not before most of the silicon from the particles is converted into silane.3 This would be understandable, if either the copper atoms diffuse through the Cu3Si deposit to the underlying silicon or silicon atoms diffuse in the reverse direction to the copper, both processes resulting in the formation of new Cu3Si and so ensuring the proceeding of the reaction. In this paper experiments are described, demonstrating copper to be the diffusing element. Also a very low activation energy for the diffusion is observed. EXPERIMENTAL The silicon used contained 1 ppm Mg and 1 ppm Cu; the copper was spectroscopically pure (Fe: 2 ppm; Ag, Mg, Si: 1 ppm). The copper and silicon samples were prepared in the form of blocks of approximately 10 by 10 by 5 mm with two parallel sides by spark-machining. The blocks were ground on emery paper (grit 600), etched (copper with nitric acid, silicon with a 4:l nitric acid:hydrofluoric acid mixture), and cleaned with alcohol. As the brittleness of the silicon did not allow a welding procedure to prepare the diffusion couples, the copper and silicon blocks were pressed together in a steel clamp. The pressure exerted by the clamp brought about contact between the parts of the couple and so ensured proceeding of the diffusion. The couples were heated in a vacuum furnace (about 10"5 Torr). The temperature was stabilized within 1 pct. After a heat treatment a section parallel to the direction of diffusion was examined in the microscope and in the X-ray scanning microanalyzer. To determine whether copper or silicon is the diffusing element marker experiments were carried out using tungsten wires with a 20-p diam. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 give micrographs of diffusion zones of Cu/Si couples. Analysis by the electron mi-croprobe of the Cu/Si samples after a definite heat treatment revealed the existence of only one intermetallic phase as can be seen from the line scan shown in Fig. 5. From the X-ray diffraction pattern it could be deduced that this phase was CU 3 Si.4 Even when diffusion zones of considerable width (up to 600 p) were obtained, no other phases occurring in the Cu-Si system could be detected, neither by the electron microprobe nor by X-ray diffraction analysis. The optical anisotropy of the Cu3Si phase made it possible to observe the columnar shape of the crystal-

Jan 1, 1969

By Frank H. Reed, P. W. Henline, Harold W. Jackman

A sumMary of the consumption of coal in 1945 shows that the coke industry ac-counted for 17 pct of the total coal used. No substitute for coke and the blast furnace in the reduction of iron ore has gained sufficient prominence so far to be given serious consideration. However, while the same slot-type ovens are being built and used now as were in use a few years ago, the problem of obtaining suitable coking coals, both high- and low-volatile, has forced many operators to revamp coal-blending facilities. Until the beginning of World War 11, high-temperature ooke plants were able to secure the required high-volatile and low-volatile coals from two or three seams and from three or four mines. Thus, many of our coke oven plants were able to operate with storage bins for two coals only. The vari-pnce in raw materials was not great, and uniformity of blend was a relatively simple problem. Since the beginning of World War 11, many and important changes have taken place. Demand for all coals increased greatly. Production, though kept as near maximum capacity as possible, could not meet the demands for coal generally, and particularly for the various kinds of coal which have proved to be satisfactory for specialized uses; coals were allocated as nearly as possible in the order of greatest need; storage piling was reduced to the minimum necessary to keep plants in operation; uniformity of quality could not be maintained, and with this last, uniformity of composition of blends for coking could not be maintained. Whereas before the war producers of metallurgical coke could fill their needs from three or four mines, by the end of the war it was not unusual to find shipments to a single coke oven plant coming from as many as 30 different mines, in a single month. Since many of the mines producing both high- and low-volatile coal for high-grade metallurgical coke are rapidly nearing de-pletion, the problem of seeking new sources and of blending a number of coals in each plant for the production of high-temperature coke is facing practically every producer in the United States at the present time, and is one which will probably continue for many years to come. Midwestern byproduct coke ovens in the Chicago and St. Louis areas use annually from 12 to 15 million tons of bituminous coals which are transported 500 to 700 miles from the Appalachian coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. Approximately two-thirds of this coal is high-volatile bituminous. The critical transportation problem confronting the nation in 1943, and the growing scarcity of the best Appalachian coking coals, prompted the Illinois Geological Survey to propose a research program in which would be studied the coking properties of blends of low-sulphur, high-volatile Illinois coal with the high- and low-volatile coals from the eastern fields. Such blends containing Illinois coal, if substituted for the all-eastern blends normally coked,

Jan 1, 1949

By C. W. Mason

TIN has long been cited as offering a classic example of polymorphism, second in repute only to the allotropy of sulphur. The notorious "tin disease," which Cohen1 has studied so exhaustively in terms of the enantiotropic transformation of tetragonal white 0 tin to cubic gray a tin, has apparently encouraged the expectation that one or more addi-tional polymorphic modifications might exist. The search for confirma-tion of this idea has, as might be anticipated, led to the accumulation of a body of miscellaneous evidence, much of which would probably never have been sought, or taken seriously even by its discoverers, but for previous assumptions. The ball apparently was started rolling in 1880 by Trechmann,' who reported a new modification of tin (y tin), which was brittle and found in "hard head," a highly arsenical, slaggy material produced in a certain stage of tin smelting. A mixture of two kinds of crystals was obtained from a Cornish tin furnace, and those thought to be y tin were studied crystallographically. The results indicated that these crystals were rhombic and of different density from the tetragonal tin prepared electrolytically by Miller.3 Their analysis was given as 98.7 per cent Sn, 1.3 per cent Fe, and traces of As, Sb, Bi and S. In 1881 von Foullon4 obtained similar crystals from a Bohemian tin furnace. Headden5 examined crystals similar to those of Trechmann and von Foullon and reported them to be monoclinic, but of analysis corresponding to stannous sulphide. Later, Stevanovic,6 by goniometric measurements, proved that these crystals of SnS were really rhombic. Groth7 pictures and describes both "rhombic tin" (Fig. 9, vol. 1) and stannous sulphide (Fig. 84, vol. 1); their faces and angles correspond within the accuracy of measurement. Spencer3 in 1921 examined the above evidence critically; he found similar crystals from Cornish tin furnaces, proved them to be SnS, and even was able to analyze some of Trechmann's original specimens, finding high sulphur content. (Apparently Trechmann's analysis had been based on a second lot of crystals, not described crystallographically.)

Jan 1, 1939

By E. M. Norris

During the winter and spring of 1917, an unprecedented number of underground fires occurred in the Butte district. With one exception, these fires were caused by the failure of electrical equipment, and called attention to the increased fire hazard in underground mining operations occasioned by the extensive use of electricity. Five local conditions that contributed toward a heavy fire risk were: (1) The heavy continuous timbering necessary for mine supports; (2) the strong ventilating pressures in the shafts and main airways; (3) the subsidence and faulting movements in the country rock, which ruptured cables and displaced trolley and lighting wires; (4) the strongly acid mine waters, which quickly developed any weak points in the electrical insulation; (5) oxidation in old stopes containing large amounts of timber. In the summer of 1917, a comprehensive plan of fire prevention was begun by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., which involved a thorough and intensive development of the preventive measures then in use. These were as follows: Fireproofing, remodeling and strengthening electrical insulations, extension of underground water system, control of ' ventilation, maintaining efficiency of fire-fighting crews, and reorganization of fire patrol. In considering the problems of fireproofing, it was immediately apparent that some method of applying a durable coat of fireproof material to the mine timbers was needed. The first experiments were made with a plaster composed of one part cement, one-half part fireclay, and three parts sand. This was applied by hand to a thickness of 1 in. (2.5 cm.) over a reenforcement of herringbone metal lath. It made a very satisfactory covering for fan stations, but was too soft and friable for traveling ways, where it was subject to abrasion. The cement gun was tried next with a three to one mixture of sand and cement. A 1/2-in. coating of gunite applied over poultry netting or metal-lath reenforcement proved

Jan 1, 1923

By E. M. Norris

During the winter and spring of 1917, an unprecedented number of underground fires occurred in the Butte district. With one exception, these fires were caused by the failure of electrical equipment, and called attention to the increased fire hazard in underground mining operations occasioned by the extensive use of electricity. Five local conditions that contributed toward a heavy fire risk were: (1) The heavy continuous timbering necessary for mine supports; (2) the strong ventilating pressures in the shafts and main airways; (3) the subsidence and faulting movements in the country rock, which ruptured cables and displaced trolley and lighting wires; (4) the strongly acid mine waters, which quickly developed any weak points in the electrical insulation; (5) oxidation in old stopes containing large amounts of timber. In the summer of 1917, a comprehensive plan of fire prevention was begun by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., which involved a thorough and intensive development of the preventive measures then in use. These were as follows: Fireproofing, remodeling and strengthening electrical insulations, extension of underground water system, control of ' ventilation, maintaining efficiency of fire-fighting crews, and reorganization of fire patrol. In considering the problems of fireproofing, it was immediately apparent that some method of applying a durable coat of fireproof material to the mine timbers was needed. The first experiments were made with a plaster composed of one part cement, one-half part fireclay, and three parts sand. This was applied by hand to a thickness of 1 in. (2.5 cm.) over a reenforcement of herringbone metal lath. It made a very satisfactory covering for fan stations, but was too soft and friable for traveling ways, where it was subject to abrasion. The cement gun was tried next with a three to one mixture of sand and cement. A 1/2-in. coating of gunite applied over poultry netting or metal-lath reenforcement proved

Jan 1, 1923

By J. M. Callow

The selective action of oils for lustrous minerals was first disclosed by Haynes in 1860. In 1885, Miss Carrie Everson elaborated this idea and also disclosed the fact that acid increased the so-called selective action. Her patent called for oils, either animal, vegetal or mineral, also for an acid or salt. The process was tried out on a practical scale in Baker City and Leadville, in 1889, and failed: first, because, as has since been shown, of the unsuitability of the ore to flotation; and second, because the invention was too far in advance of the times. Then followed the Elmore brothers, first with their bulk oil processes and later with their vacuum method. The basic principles of oil flotation were undoubtedly covered by the above inventors, the work done since their time being merely a building up on ground work laid by them. Different kinds of oil, different quantities of oil, and all the varying degrees of agitation, were all exemplified and practiced by them in one phase or another, and the developments that have since been made are but elaborations of the fundamental principles laid down by Haynes, Everson, and the Elmore brothers. In 1902, the Potter-Delprat process was developed in Australia. In this process no oil was used, the mineral being raised by the generation of gas, brought about by the introduction of acid into the pulp. The mineral particles appeared on the surface of the separatory vessel, in the form of a scum or froth, buoyed up by minute gas bubbles attached to them. This no doubt first gave the suggestion of gaseous flotation. In 1902, also, Froment, an Italian, was granted a patent in which he combined violent agitation with oil and gaseous flotation, the gas being generated within the pulp, in much the same way as in the Potter-Delprat process. In the same year, Cattermole came out with a unique method. First, the pulp was emulsified with a small quantity of oil, by violent

Jan 1, 1916

By R. J. Schaefer, M. E. Glicksman

Direct, in situ observation of metallic alloys during solidification reveals that in some systems crystal multiplication occurs by means of a dendrite remelt-ing process, without the necessity of independent nu-cleation events. The solidification is observed on optically clean surfaces of supercooled molten alloys. In one system (Sn-3 wt pct Bi) , a fine-grained equi-axed structure is produced by the complete disintegration, via remelting, of transient initial dendrites. In contrast, several other metallic systems show little or no evidence of remelting activity. The behavior of these metallic systems is consistent with that expected on the basis of published observations of dendrite remelting in transparent organic alloy systems. It is concluded that dendrite remelting is an important crystal multiplication process in some metallic alloys, but is velatively unimportant in some other alloys. The detachment of dendrite branches from the primary stem by a remelting process has been observed by Jackson, Hunt, Uhlmann, and seward1 during the solidification of some transparent organic alloy systems. The branches released by this remelting process can drift free of the primary stem and serve as seeds for the formation of numerous independent crystals. This proliferation of new crystals does not require repeated independent nucleation events, but only modification of the initial solidification structure. The mechanism of dendrite remelting, as described by Jackson et a1.1 and by Tiller and O''Hara,2 is dependent on the transport of both heat and solute and is, therefore, expected to operate only in alloys, and not in pure substances. It was found in the transparent organic alloy systems that remelting occurred primarily in the constricted regions near the base of dendrite branches, where the branches had grown through the solute-rich liquid layer surrounding the primary dendrite stem. It was suggested that impure solid had formed in these constricted regions at a relatively low temperature and had later become unstable as further solidification of purer material raised the temperature. Jackson et al. proposed that the equiaxed zone of metal alloy castings originates from a similar remelting process, and they demonstrated the operation of this mechanism in "ingots" poured from saturated salt solutions. Although these substances were especially selected to show solidification behavior similar to that of metals,3 the remelting mechanism has, until now, been subject to the objection that its operation has not been directly observed in a metallic system. Considering the fact that thermal properties such as diffusivity may differ by as much as two or three orders of magnitude between metals and organic compounds, this objection was considered to be possibly serious. A method has now been developed by which it is possible to make direct optical observations of metals during solidification. This method has revealed transient solidification processes which would not be detected by metallographic examination of totally solidified specimens. In particular, a grain-refinement process in a metallic alloy has been observed to be a direct consequence of the total disintegration of an initial dendritic structure. The influence of an initial, transient solidification structure on the final solidification structure is demonstrated here for the first time in a metallic system. I) EXPERIMENTAL The technique of using a transparent flux to maintain an optically clean metal surface during solidification has been described by us elsewhere.* The

Jan 1, 1968

By E. F. Loiseau

IN a paper on the manufacture of artificial fuel, read at the Philadelphia meeting of February, 1878, I enumerated the difficulties which I had to overcome before succeeding in the mixing of coal-dust and clay, the compressing of the same mixture, and the water-proofing of the lumps. The drying of the lumps, after leaving the press, was the remaining difficulty, and it was expected that a plan devised by Dr. Charles M. Cresson, of Philadelphia, would enable us to dry the fuel as rapidly as it was moulded, and that a continuous production could in that way be obtained. The company was reorganized. The works were purchased by the new company at an assignee's sale, and the oven was modified, according to Dr. Cresson's plan. Anticipating a possible failure, I had prepared a plan by which I expected to be able to demonstrate that anthracite coal dust mixed with pitch, could be manufactured with our present machinery slightly modified ; so that after all, if we were compelled to give up the attempt to make fuel for domestic use, there was a possibility of succeeding in the manufacture of a good steam-fuel. The plan suggested by Dr. Cresson for drying the pressed lumps of coal-dust cemented with clay, did not work as well as we expected. It enabled us to dry more fuel than we did before, but it could not be made to dry more than one-half of the lumps produced by the press. The plan was abandoned, and I was authorized to experiment with coal-dust and coal-tar pitch. The cement which is used in Europe to conglomerate coal-dust is ,usually dry pitch, which is prepared by separating from the tar, at a temperature of 572° Fahrenheit, the volatile matters which it contains. Some manufacturers, however, employ crude tar, others, a rich tar, which has been cleared of 25 per cent. of its volatile substances, by heating it to 392° Fahrenheit. But with common tar very weak fuels are obtained, which do not burn well, and give out a strong smell and a great deal of smoke ; it is also necessary to subject them to a baking process, in order to solidify them, and to eliminate the more volatile of the materials contained. This operation of course requires a special plant, the cost of which increases sensibly the price of manufacture, without counting the products

Jan 1, 1880

By Edwin M. Chance

During the past 10 years, the safe and efficient lighting of the coal mines of this country has received an ever-increasing amount of attention. Several States have passed laws attempting to regulate the type of lamp to be used and the nature of the fuel to be burned, and the mining departments of coal-mining States have generally shown a keen and intelligent interest in this subject. The passage of the recent Employers' Liability Act in Pennsylvania has made it necessary for many coal-mining companies to take out liability insurance, and the companies underwriting such insurance have made it desirable for the insured to permit the use of none but illuminants of established worth. While these conditions have not obtained for a sufficient length of time to permit the statement that the illumination of coal mines by portable lamps has been standardized, still, considerable progress has been made and the direction of future practice in this branch of coal-mining technology is very evident. Under these conditions it seemed that a review of the methods now used in coalmine illumination, together with a brief consideration of the principles underlying these methods, might be of some interest. Miners' lamps may be divided into three classes: The open light, the electric cap lamp, and the flame safety lamp. It will be desirable to consider each of these classes separately, as each has properties peculiar to itself and one class is hardly comparable with another. In this country, without question, the open light is the most generally used of all miners' lamps. This fact is explained by the relative freedom of a large proportion of our mines from gaseous conditions, and by the admirable systems of ventilation installed in those that show a tendency toward such conditions. In the metal mines, the miner's candle has had and still has considerable vogue. Because of the small amount of ventilation usually supplied in metal mines, the freedom of the candle from any tendency to produce noxious gases or offensive odors, and the small amount of air it consumes, are valuable assets, while, because of the light color of the rocks in which workings are driven, the meager light is not a serious handicap.

Jan 1, 1918

By Edward Judd

THE old Cerro de Pasco smelter at La Fundicion, near Tinahuarea, 9 miles. from the Cerro de Pasco. mines and at an elevation of 14,300 ft., has now been replaced by a thoroughly modern smelting plant at Oroya, the junction point of the company's private railroad with the Central Railway, of Peru. This site has the advantages of being closer to the Morochoca mines, as well as nearer to the port of Callao, and at the same time is 2000 ft. lower in elevation, which benefits not only the cost of transportation but also the tech-nical operation of blast furnaces , and converters. The Oroya smelter was designed with the idea of .smelting about 2500 tons of. ore per day, but having in mind the possibility of increasing its capacity, all departments of the plant can be extended within reasonable -limits; for instance, if it is found that reverber-atory smelting is cheapest, taking into consideration the cost of fine crushing and fuel, it is possible to extend the roaster and reverberatory plants accordingly. The ore handling system is modern, consisting of belt conveyors, reclaiming machines, and electrically driven calcine cars, all requiring the minimum of labor. Waste heat from the reverberatory furnaces is utilized in boilers for the production of power to operate the plant, and the power house is equipped with condensing units to obtain the highest economy. Shop installations for the making of all repairs required for the smelter are unusually complete, includ-ing iron foundry, steel foundry, forging and machine shops, carpenter and pattern shops, and an electrical shop. There is also a plant for the production of all clay and silica refractory brick used in the furnaces; this is situated on the smelter site and is conveniently arranged for receiving raw materials and delivering finished brick to the several departments of the smelter. The laboratory is in a wing. of the general office, which is a two-story brick structure, situated on the smel-ter site.

Jan 10, 1923

By H. K. Work

THE instrument for the rapid determination of carbon in steel, described in this paper, was developed originally to facilitate the opera-tion of the pilot-sized open-hearth furnace in the Jones & Laughlin Research and Development Laboratory. In this small furnace, with its shallow bath, the drop in carbon is accelerated, and a rapid, reliable test for carbon content is indispensable. This problem becomes rather acute when it is desired to finish heats at a carbon content higher than can be estimated with any degree of accuracy by the fracture test. Several independent methods for determining carbon were investigated, therefore, and it was found that a relatively simple magnetic device could be made to give reproducible results. A laboratory instrument was designed and set up for the use of the furnace operators. It was tested exhaustively in the laboratory and was used with considerable success for following the carbon content in the furnace bath. As soon as suffi-cient data had been compiled to indicate that the instrument might have a wider application, a more rugged model was constructed and placed in the mill to be tested on commercial heats. Finally, about a year ago, instruments were furnished to the plant open-hearth shops, and these have been in use since that time. As a matter of convenience, the instrument has been named the "Carbanalyzer," and will be referred to by this designation in the following pages. ?

Jan 1, 1939